The Writer Coaster

11 Questions, One Birth of Venus and One Reincarnation

2012-02-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

1. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

Natalie Jane Hawkins. I get jealous when I meet a woman whose name is Natalie. Jane is at a close tie for "Danger" as an awesome middle name.

2. Which Greek or Roman deity would you like to be?

I'd be gosh-dang APHRODITE. Cause heaven knows I look like this:

Roman Aphrodite=Greek Venus

3. Would you like to marry a Vulcan?

Heck no, those guys have communication issues. Do you know how hard that is on a marriage?

4. Would you choose immortal life with the elves or a human, mortal life with the one you love and a child-to-be?

The second one. It's the one I already picked anyway :)

5. If you had to write fan fiction, what fictional world would you choose to write in?

I have written fan fiction. It's about me and my Mary Sue in Harry Potter world. You will never find it.

6. Do you believe in any conspiracy theories?

I believe in so many conspiracy theories they have ceased to upset me.

7. What do you consider your best quality?
My concept of normal has been completely obliterated by the people I have known. It makes me awesome to talk to.

8. What do you consider your worst quality?

Anything that goes through my brain around 3am.

9. Do you ever feel over-exposed on your blog?

No. I actually feel unnaturally guarded online. To me, honesty is the ultimate confidence. Total vulnerability makes you invulnerable. Unfortunately, this doesn't translate to online safety.

10. If you were reincarnated, what would you like to be?

A Buddha.

11. What is your biggest pet peeve?

The comments section on Youtube.

So, these are my 11 questions for the people I tag, and you know what, if you feel so inspired, go ahead and answer them and leave a link in the comments and I'll come read your answers and leave a comment as well :D

1. What do you eat when you write?
2. What do you do when you experience despair and crippling doubt?
3. How did you find your first critique partner, or what are you looking for in a future CP?
4. What is your biggest distraction when you write?
5. What character in your writing are you most proud of development-wise? Why?
6. What is the worst thing you have ever written?
7. Do you talk to yourself, get up and act things out, or make faces when you're writing? Tell us about one of these times :D
8. Where do you go for inspiration?
9. What is the hardest part about writing for you?
10. If you were a world-famous author, what advice would you give aspiring authors?
11. Have you ever had Ketchup Chips?

Tag!
Sara Bowers
Caitlin Lane
Scribbling
Sorcha
Juliet Greenwood
Regina
Rebecca Belliston
CL Bledsoe
Sandcastles
Jennifer Chase
Diana Tracy

La Belle Dame Sans Merci and The Highway Man

2012-02-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

Illus. John Williams Waterhouse

For Valentine's Day, I give you my two favorite love poems. One, of a days obsession that blooms as swiftly as the rose; the other, a love so deep it forgets the self.

Neither end well.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci
John Keats

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful - a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery's song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said -
'I love thee true'.

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lulled me asleep
And there I dreamed - Ah! woe betide! -
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried - 'La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!'

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.

And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Here is a great discussion of this poem.

The Highwayman
Alfred Noyes

THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
Click here to read the rest.

I first read The Highway Man in my fifth-grade literature book. It was probably the first bit of writing that truly moved me. It has the same effect today.

My favorite rendition of The Highwayman is in song, performed by Loreena McKennitt.
To get the full effect, you will want to read the entire poem.
Try it with nice headphones if you have them, and close your eyes.

Have a happy Valentine's Day :)

Good News and More Good News!

2012-02-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

YAY! OMGSH.

Good news:
The balance has been restored!
I am now actually working on my manuscript more than blogging about working on my manuscript. Hayeah.

More good news:
I'm in on another one of Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Crusades! Guys, these are great. They really are. Everyone has their own reasons for feeling enthusiastic about Rachael's Crusade projects, but my favorite perks are:

Completing the challenges! Campaigners get a chance to write short stories or assignments, usually for a larger audience than they may usually have online, for a chance to win prizes as well! I had a blast writing Department of Communicable Diseases and Her Wings that Resemble the Imago last time.
Community. The campaign, in its least utilized form, will increase your follower count. However, apply a minimal amount of effort and you'll be sharing and reading and commenting in a huge group of active bloggers. It's really energizing and motivating, and there's so much support to be had.
Finding the ones that stick. The very best part is that, when you get involved with community, you end up finding blogs you'd actually be willing to directly type the URL in your browser to read. You find yourself consistently commenting with the same bloggers, and you connect. You make friends. And often times, when they're really good, they stick around after the campaign is over. And you've got yourself some friends, and people you would trust to be critique partners and beta readers as well.

Follow this link to join in the fun.

Image: sakhorn38 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Shhh, Don't Wake Up Your Reader!

2012-01-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

Have you heard that it's a bad idea to start your book with a dream sequence? Well, it's true. It's on the "Least Wanted" of agent's lists. Lots of them.

My crit buddy, Jeigh, opened with a dream in one version of her manuscript. We looked at it, sniffed it, and rolled around in it, considering all the ways in which it might be "okay." But you know what? She tossed it. It's just not strong enough. Ever. As a matter of fact, the stronger the dream sequence, the worse off you are.

You want to know why? Because if your hook is your character's dream, that means your character's dreams are more interesting than their real story. When you have to depart from your MC's real life in order to bring in your reader, it only proves that, deep-down, you know what we're all not going to stick around to find out: the rest of your story is boring.

My advice? Why not make the dream the story?

If you know that your smokin-hot dragon romance daydream, or your toothless vampire nightmare is going to be fun to read for your reader, why wake them up?

Write that story.

Make those crazy amazing or ridiculously awful things actually happen to your character.

Once upon a time I had my MC dreaming of being chased by a rabid demon-horse with it's ribs cut open and heart bounce-dragging on the ground...

Don't wind up the reader's emotional rubber band and then just cut it in half. You'll pull it taught, and let it fly into the next page, and the next chapter. Let me tell you, I liked that scene a heckuva lot more when I got to make it actually happen to my MC. "Run, the rabid demon-horse with it's ribs cut open and heart bounce-dragging on the groooound. Someone wake me up this is terribaaaaaall!" Haha, no.

Write YOUR dreams, not your character's.
At least it can be real for one of you.

Get what I'm saying? How do you treat dream-sequences in your writing?

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Five bits of Philosophical Blogging Advice for my 1-year Blogiversary

2012-01-25T00:51:00.000-08:00

It's been one year and almost one month since the Writer Coaster started up here at blogger, and I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two. Since you folks seem to enjoy numbered lists, here is mine.

1) Blogging is the best thing to ever happen to my writing.
I have made one of the best friends of my life through blogging. She was also my first *real* critique partner. I have learned how to critique, hook, query, track queries, get published, publicize, and socialize online all in one year. (I said I learned how...not that I actually did it.) I have learned to not be afraid. I have shown my husband how far I will go in order to be nerdy. I have participated in contests and interviews. I have felt special and made others feel special. I have felt supported in my writing more than I ever have before in my life. The more you put in to blogging, the more you get in return, and it's just fun fun fun.

2) It matters as much as you make it matter.
Online, you'll be able to find other people saying that an author MUST have a blog, with a large following, in order to create a platform, and they must do this ASAP or said writer is doomed to wither into the void of obscurity and sad anonymity. Others will say that creating a blog to puff up material that doesn't exist yet is totally bizarre and a waste of time. Others will say you have no right to dish out writing advice.

I've found? It's not a big deal either way. Just breathe. Blog if you enjoy it, write if you enjoy it, and people will see how much fun you're having.

3) You don't owe anyone anything.
I'm going to admit that I had more than one sleepless night about "promises" made online and commitments to do an interview or a contest or what-not, or how I HAD to learn about this whole platform thing and dish out money to buy websites and seminars and...you know what, when it got to me pulling out my own hair, I took a step back and took a break. People just went to other blogs. The world did not end.

Sure, you'll find advice about how three times a week is the best updating schedule (and it probably is), or once a week, or at least once a month, but guys, you have enough to worry about in real life. Don't make your online life a new source of stress.

4) Whoa there, Tiger. Pace yourself.
The blogosphere is a buffet of information. I...okay this is me baring all with you...believed it all. I'd read about how bad adverbs were and shun the adverb. Then the adverb was okay and I'd revise and bring some back. Then adverbs were just fine and I head-desked. Except when I say adverbs I pretty much mean everything. Show don't tell, using "said" instead of tags, creating a platform, not creating a platform, blogger vs wordpress, twitter vs facebook, youtoube vlogs, writing every day, what candy to eat while writing...

Oh gosh, the importance of having my domain name RIGHT NOW. You should have seen me the night I switched over from writercoaster.blogspot.com to christinetyler.net. I was so laughably overwhelmed. I kept checking over and over to see if the information safely transferred. (It took three days.) I was lying on the couch with my husband rubbing my feet because it just seemed so IMPORTANT at the time.

Ugh, just take the advice in stride, okay? Pick what you want to use and what feels right to you. Don't worry so much about what the amateurs, and especially the experts say. There are no experts in this field. If there were, every author would be doing worldwide book tours in their own jets.

Be picky. Own your own writing.

5) Writing is more important than writing a blog about writing.

Nuff said.

Guys, this year has been a bumpy, awesome ride. More to come.

TEN Laws of Predictability and ONE Reason you can Break Them ALL

2011-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

We already know the "who" in "who-dunnit." We don't play the entire game of Clue and in the last round find out there's a surprise character, and oh man, "The Baker did it, on the roof, with the strainer." No no. Whoever did it is standing in this room, right now. Your culprit, by the time of the crime, has already been introduced. Red herrings that show up halfway through a novel may fool, well, a fool.
The #1 suspect is "someone we'd never expect." If there is any mystery involved at all, we can be sure that it's not the "obvious" baddie who's oozing with slimy charms and evading questions. The character has to be close to our main character if it's going to be considered "a twist," and unless your novel has rounded up as many "regular suspects" as a Clue gameboard, this is going to narrow your culprit down to, oh say, one.
The government is evil and doing everything on purpose. Always.
The secret is in the seemingly innocuous token your dying grandfather left you! If the author is making that unrecycled fruit-snacks wrapper, or that antique nail file a big deal, you can bet your omigosha-secret-locket that it is. It will reveal!?!?!...the secret that you already suspect.
Harry Potter lives. Unless you're reading Anna Karanina, you can bet your britches that the hero saves the day, and they're going to, after a very near miss, live to tell the tale and collect royalties and merchandizing rights. Otherwise, they wouldn't be the hero.
Adorable things die. It is supposed to make you angry. "Hey, she looks like my little sister that I'm in this twisted deathwar to protect..."Attractive, witty, or childlike characters that remind your hero of a loved one, but are not the main character or their love interest, and seem to always make the main character's vulnerability/compassion shine like Aslan on Day Two of his execution--are manipulative ploys the author has placed to pull your heartstrings, to make you like whom you should and dislike whom you shouldn't.
All true Obi-wans kick the bucket. Mentors must die in order for the hero to be the hero, instead of the mentor, who already knows how to be the hero (which is why they're teaching the hero), otherwise the mentor could just blow up the Deathstar like a womprat themselves.
The bad guy gets away! Because there's a sequel, Genius. Or he has been challenged "to the pain." To the pain works too.
There's a big difference between being mostly dead and all dead. Did you see him die? Did you really see him die? Did you tap him with your shoe? Put a mirror up to his nose? Try CPR? Unthaw him? Chop him into little bits and pour gasoline all over him and torch him with non-magical fire until there was nothing left but the equivalent of your cat's litter box? THEN HE'S NOT DEAD. If he's a major baddie or goodie anyway.* Leaving a baddie "for dead" is a good way to make sure they get instantly reincarnated.
If there's a throne, they're the heir. Or they'll sleep with the heir. One or the other.

The One Reason it's okay:

Surprises don't matter when it's worth reading twice.

Spoiler Warning: Aragorn is King. Harry Potter lives. Katniss wins the Hunger Games. Ugh, fine, ya'll are going to make me say it...Edward and Bella get married and have hot vampire sex.

Wait, what? YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT?! You knew it...before even reading the book? Oh man, your grandpa totally ruined Lord of the Rings for you!**

Alright alright, of course he didn't. A surprise ending is only important for a book that's intended to be read once. These are books that bank their entire short-lived popularity on having a huge release and little following.

The thing is, when a book makes its way into popularity, chances are, you're going to know how it ends anyway. Hopefully, the book is popular because it's good, and if it's good, you'll read it again.

Personally, I judge how much I liked a book by how long it takes me to donate it to Goodwill. The best find themselves in the perpetual bliss of my Never-land bookshelf.

Heck no, I'm not loaning you out my new copy of Legend.***

We reread books because we enjoy the journey. Good books have characters that grow, and foreshadowing that is actually better the second time around. Not only was it good once, but you know it'll be good again. As a matter of fact, you'd love to sink your teeth back into the pages to see all those nuances all over again.

You can usually judge how enjoyable that journey is with the predictability-but-okay-litmus-test questions. I just made it up. It goes like this:

Statement: So, Aragorn is King, which is predictable.

Question 1: How did he get there?

Question 2: Would I want to go there again?

If your answer takes a sentence or two, meh, so maybe it was good once-over. If your answer requires you blathering on about hobbits and wizards and elves and that other hobbit who ran around with a bunch of dwarves, and how Viggo Mortenson actually writes pretty decent poems online that you recited while getting "9" tattooed on your wrist in elvish, well then, predictability didn't matter a whole lot, did it?

So readers, and writers, don't ask yourself, "Did I see this coming? Can you see this coming?"

Focus on whether or not people want to go along for the ride while it's happening, and whether or not they'll want to buy another ticket after the ride is over.

*If he's not, well then, a vase to the head should do the trick.

** and your mom ruined Twilight.

*** Yes, it inspired this post, and yes it deserves every smidgeon of hype it got and more. My only gripe is that I have no idea why it is called "Legend," but make love to me like that and I'll call you whatever the heck you want, Strawberry Toaster-muffin.

Update from Tyland

2011-11-16T00:57:00.000-08:00

To be completely honest, I haven't read Hunger Games because they didn't sound interesting. The teaser trailers? Looked terrible. Then WHAM, this hit me between the eyes. ~~Looks like I'll have to read the books~~ (Update from the next day? READ. BAM. 24 hours. Amazing. Finally, a midnight showing that I care enough to cosplay for!) --because this looks awesomely intriguing.

And I also want to see this:

And in books...THEFAULTINOURSTARS, whee! I have my autographed copy pre-ordered, do you?
And yes, darlings, I am so so excited.

You may have noticed a distinct lack of evidence that I am in fact, alive and kicking. I have been cavorting with Jeigh Meredith in REAL LIFE. That's right. A year after meeting on Natalie Whipple's site, I roadtripped it over to my ~~true-love's~~ critique partner's house, slept on her couch, and attempted to feed her children guacamole.

I may be scarce online this holiday season. I just have more commitments that need the majority of my attention in the real world. It's not a hiatus. It's not an apology. It's hello, how are you, I'm here--multitasking.

Also, Tyland? Like Tyler-land? Amazing. I know.

Eleventy-firsts are Number ONE

2011-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!

Big news, guys. My writerly-soul-mate and number one crit buddy is throwing an:

Eleventy-first Follower Giveaway Extraordinasticganza!

Don't miss it.
You can win a crit from me :)

Character Art: do you doodle or dish out the dough?

2011-10-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

an old flame returns...

Yup, Missus Tyler can draw as well. *blows smoke off gun and re-holsters it* because she draws with guns?

I've been doodling instead of writing this week, but I don't mind so much. Art is an old flame, and I don't do it as much as I should. It's been getting my brain ticking though...

I'll be posting art on Deviantart starting January and will then be opening slots for commissions as well.
Discounts for active blog followers :)

I actually love to collect art that other people do of my characters. Planning to put together an "essential guide to characters" for myself...I just love to see the different incarnations.

If you're curious about the sheila pictured, she's Marielle, the main character in my current work-in-progress. You can read a bit more about her here and here.

So the question of the day is:
Do you ever draw your characters?
Would you ever hire someone to do it for you?

Image ©Christine Tyler

6 Things NOT to Put in Your YA Novel

2011-10-24T01:55:00.000-07:00

More than one description of your main character's lovely, lovely hair. You heard me. One. Attractively disheveled counts.
Daily descriptions of your main character's adorable outfits.
More than one whole paragraph about how amazingly hot your love-interest is. Also, intermittent mentions of cheekbones.
A climax in a really, really lame setting.* Prom is a lame setting.
Your heroes bonding by wasting time watching TV, ice-skating, canoodling, making apple-fritters, or embarking in witty banter** when their entire world/their entire race is in imminent peril of destruction.
Characters who do not ask obvious questions. Examples: "I am beginning to suspect you are magical. What kind of magical being are you?" or "That action made you seem evil, and I am surprised. Why did you do that?" Don't think real people talk like this? PISS OFF. They do.***

*Not to be mistaken for Raptors in your Kitchen. Raptors in your Kitchen is freaky because it invades a safe place while still making sense to the plot and creating an interesting backdrop for the action. Having your baddie show up in your kitchen, only to burn a doorknob on their way out to the porch, is not utilizing the Raptors in the Kitchen factor. Especially when you have a possible setting somewhere cooler i.e. the faerie realms...don't make me name names.

**I like witty banter, just not when everyone is stuck in a comedy of errors, or is being too-stupid-to-live because they aren't freaking ASKING PEOPLE QUESTIONS.

***Unless they are a) Stupid, or b) Play stupid games.

That is all. For now.

Image: Michal Marcol

Emily Suess: someone kind of like Queen Latifah from that movie

2011-10-21T02:11:00.000-07:00

Suess' Pieces

Emily Suess is our last interviewee from Sparkfest. Her entry was so unique! Her spark came from when she responded to an author's ad for "someone kind of like Queen Latifah from that movie," and became an assistant to John Green, YA author and Youtube vlogger (Nerdfighters, anyone?). And it only gets even more awesome...

What made you choose to respond to John Green's anonymous online advertisement? What part about being a writer's assistant appealed to you?

I needed the money, and—quite frankly—who wouldn't want to be a writer's assistant?

More to your point, though. At the time, my jerk of a husband was making noise about how I didn't make enough money to contribute to the mortgage. (I was enrolled in college full-time earning my English degree, by the way. Not sitting in my bathrobe eating Dove bars and watching soaps all day long.)

So I took on a couple of part-time jobs in an attempt to stifle my husband's annoying insinuations that I wasn't pulling my weight. The writer's assistant job seemed perfect, given my love for all things literary and my extremely limited schedule.

(By the way, I ended up filing for divorce and am no longer married to the jerk. I don't want anyone to worry.)

You said working for John was surprisingly glamorous. What was one of your favorite experiences working for him?

Well, I should clarify. I don't mean like red carpets and fancy diamonds glamorous. I mean it was glamorous in the way that getting paid to read books and watch YouTube videos is glamorous. At the same time I worked for John, I also worked once a week at the front desk of a Psych Clinic. That was decidedly not glamorous.

My favorite experience was the whole freakin' job really. But I remember one day he asked me to read the Paper Towns manuscript after his editor had marked it up.

I loved that experience because I got a feel for the real author-editor relationship and learned to see markups as a thing of beauty. Earlier experiences with grammar teachers had given red ink a bad name and taught me to fear the editorial process.

Did John ever get as crazy as Karen Eiffel?

Nope. Come to think of it, I think he might be the sanest boss I've ever had.

What is your favorite novel by John Green?

Paper Towns. Part of it is that it's just a damn good book. But it was also his major WIP during the time I worked for him. He was even gracious enough to write me into the acknowledgements of that novel. (However, I was still Emily Johnson at the time and the hadn't yet legally been given my maiden name back. Let this be a lesson to all the girls out there trying to make it into the acknowledgement section of a bestseller: Never change your name for a man!)

What is your own novel about?

While I was going through my divorce, I blogged about it. (I know! Classy, right?) John read my posts during that time and once said to me that I should write a book. He was, I think, alluding to the fact that the content of those posts was captivating in the same way shows like Celebrity Rehab and Big Brother are captivating.

Whether he was serious about my writing a book or not, I can't say. But the evil, cheating husband is definitely a prominent character in my WIP.

When did you begin writing your own work, and what has your path been like since then?

Well, I started jotting ideas down almost immediately, but found that writing about divorce—even in a fictional work—with all of those feelings fresh and bubbling at the surface was a bad idea. Most of the time I was just working myself into a frothy rage.

I'm still developing ideas at this point, because the story will not be about divorce per se. Those darker themes will just influence scenes and characters throughout the work.

What advice do you have for fellow writers?

Write crap. Accept criticism. Revise crap. Repeat.

Thanks so much, Emily! Best of luck in pursuing your writing dreams :)

***

That's the last burning ember from Sparkfest, whoo! Thanks for participating, not only with your own entries, but by supporting all the interviewees and checking out their blogs as well.

Today's question: Are YOU a Nerdfighter?

Daughters of the Sky: from running amok to writing a book

2011-10-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

source

Today we are graced by the effervescent presence of Mel Fowler, one of my interviewees from Sparkfest. When I read Mel's entry, I was enchanted by the strong memories she had of running around with her beloved sisters. I have two sisters myself, and so I felt a connection to this "spark." I wanted to see how much Mel's story had changed from her childhood, and how her memories were translated into her adult writing.

You can read her entry for Sparkfest here, and you can (and should), follow her blog here.

*I love the story about you and your sisters. How long did you hold onto the poodle skirts that inspired your game? You mentioned deciding each skirt had a season based on the colors--what were the colors?

Well I believe that they began to fall apart and the poodle skirts had to go. They were apart of many many games and we wore them all of the time. We even made hoop skirts out of them with our hula hoops underneath :D

The colors were: Green for Spring, yellow for Autumn, red for Summer, and blue for Winter. (I capitalize the season names because to me they are people.)

*Did you ever find new props to keep your game going? Spots around the yard?

We did, we actually made masks and wands that matched our skirts. We also made crowns out of wire and beads, each according to their season. I think we even made bows and arrows out of sticks.

We had different sections of the yard where our kingdoms were, and we played in the trees a lot.

*Fighting off Jack Frost and dining with Mother Nature and Father Time really tickled my curiosity. In your stories, what were these encounters usually like?

Mother Nature and Father Time were the parents of the 'four season' girls. We frequently went to visit them in their kingdom and always had to behave because they were our parents.

Oh the mischievous Jack Frost! How we all love him dearly. He is a sneaky boy who would freeze Spring's flowers and Autumn's crop. He always tried to get into the the Land of Summer because he was forbidden and well Winter let Jack do whatever he wanted because she likes frost. He was always causing trouble for us, but we loved the blue boy no matter what!

*Did anything ever go wrong while playing your game? Could you play inside on a rainy day, or was it an outside game?

I honestly don't think anything went wrong. Except for the fact that Summer's skirt started to rip first. Surprisingly my sisters and I all got along well and we seriously could play this game, (and a million others) together all of the time.

*You mentioned your novel, Daughters of the Sky, is the pre-story to The Four Seasons. What can you tell us about it? What makes it different from any other book?

The story Daughters of the Sky, which I am thinking about calling Daughters of Etheria is the story about how the girls become the four seasons. In our game we used to play that Mother Nature and Father Time had to leave us on earth so that we could find our way but we only played the part where we lived in our kingdoms. So this book is the story about the girls adventure to queen hood.

*When did you start writing Daughters of the Sky, and what has your writing-journey been like?

In the summer of 2007 while on an archaeology adventure. My writing journey has been interesting. I first decided to write because I was bored and I wrote the only thing that I knew someone would read, the four seasons.

The hardest thing about writing, is that I hated it. I never liked my English classes growing up, I never did well with writing, spelling or grammar. But, I have always had a wild imagination, and I finally have decided that it's time to learn how to write so that I can put my stories down.

*What do your sisters think of you creating a book out of your childhood games?

They are on board, and very excited to see what happens. I really hope that I can do the game justice. The only problem I have sometimes is that they are biased about their character. I was too at first, but I have overcome that now and give the girls an equal share in the novel.

*Any advice to fellow writers?

Have a reason to write. When I get discouraged I think about my sisters and about how important this story is to them. Then I can move on past doubt and discouragement and write a pretty awesome story!

Thanks for letting me share my story with you!

Thank you, Mel!
And thank you Readers! What intrigues you most about her story?

Image copyright: 'Adelaida @ Deviantart

What is a Writing Ministry? How can God help you write? Interview with Dawn Hamsher

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dawn Hamsher is another one of our Sparkfest interviewees! Dawn relies heavily on divine inspiration when she writes, and has found a lovely group of women who share her love for God and the written word. Together, they participate in a Writing Ministry. I had never heard of anything like this before, so I had to know more.

The interview will make the most sense if you check out her entry.

I've never heard of a writing ministry before. What exactly do you do?
I am a part of 1st Writes, which is a ministry that encourages writers. We do many of the same things as other writing groups (exercises, critiques, blog, etc.), but we also share devotions and scripture. As a ministry, we reach out to writers to offer encouragement and to share God’s love.

What is a devotion? What makes a *good* devotion?
A devotion, or devotional, is a true personal story backed by scripture that helps someone grow in their relationship with God. For me, a good devotion shares a specific example of how God has worked in that person’s life and through that, I learn more about who God is. Our group’s favorite devotion is Daily Devotions for Writers by Patricia Lorenz.

What skills and traits do you admire in your friend Pam as she leads the writing group?
I love Pam’s gentle spirit. Her leadership is like a soft waterfall that trickles down, touching others as it goes. I admire her courage in sharing her faith and her willingness to serve God.

How does the writing differ from the different members in your group, and how is it similar?
That is such a neat question! Our styles and interests are very different. We have members that write fantasy/adventure, memoirs, blogs, card/letter writing, children’s stories, poetry, inspirational stories/devotions, and dramatic skits. Our common thread, though, is Jesus. We all wish to write in a way that is pleasing to him, extends his free gift of salvation, and upholds Biblical truths.

How has finding a way to worship God through writing changed your life?
My life was changed when I realized thatGod wants to be a part of every aspect of my life (even writing). So often, I rely on myself, which just causes me stress. Knowing that I have God to lean on for help is such a relief. As I grow closer to God, I want to share him. Writing is a way to do that. I want others to know God, so that they can find peace, joy, and love.

How do you feel God gives you ideas for your books. Could you share one of these experiences?
From the beginning, God gave me a strong desire to build my book on a foundation of Biblical truths, even though my book is secular. The more I read the Bible, the more I felt God’s hand on my book. It was clear to me that I was to plant seeds of truth.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6

Even though your book is fiction, the Bible has helped you find inspiration. Can you remember a specific time this happened? What verses or chapters helped you find your way?
The Library Chronicles – The Guardians, which is under revision, was inspired by scripture. As I read the Bible, I kept finding passages that helped my plot, theme, and characters. With each one I found, I wanted to yell, “This is for my book!” God was guiding me. Here are some passages that shaped my book.

For my protagonists -- "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."Colossians 3:14

For my protagonists and the powerful treasures they find - “We do live in the world. But we do not fight in the same way as the world fights. We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

For the final end of my book series -- "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6

Do you have any advice for writers who may not feel particularly religious, but would like to try accessing inspiration like this?
Yes, there are many things writers can do to seek inspiration from God. Here are my favorites.

Pray and Listen. Ask God/Jesus for guidance and inspiration. (I have this prayer in the header of my WIP-- “May God bless this work and guide my hand. Never let me forget that this is for his work and for his glory!)

Read the Bible. (I read The One Year Bible, which has daily readings from Old and New Testaments, Psalms, and Proverbs. There is always something relevant and inspirational!)

Meditate on Scripture. (I find a passage of scripture that speaks to me and I write about it. I often get understanding and guidance from God in this way.)

Thanks, Dawn!
Want more of Dawn? Be sure to follow her at her Blog and 1stWrites!

Behind the Back of the Book's Grand Finale!

2011-10-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

The startling conclusion of a week's worth of revisions with Jess...
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4

And NOW

Before:
The Keepers, four races of elemental beings, have been driven into hiding by the evil sorceress Malloren. Thinking themselves doomed to a life of secrecy in a hidden city, their hopes are rekindled when a prophecy tells of their salvation. Four human children from different areas of the world will be born with elemental magic. It is these four children who will bring about Malloren's downfall and restore the natural order. They have waited 100 years, and the children's powers are now awakening...

After:
Possessing magic in Sirra is dangerous. Using it is a death sentence. Scattered across the country, four teenagers are struggling to hide their deadly peculiarities. Faron has spent his entire life covering the strange bark-like patterns on his torso. Orla's blue-violet cat eyes have earned her fear and animosity in her father's palace. Kai's adoptive family has always loved him, undeterred by the scales on his palms. Wren, named for the tiny bird she resembles, survives as a street thief, despite being blind. Together, these four must find their way to the City of Loria--which may be nothing but a fable--before a sorceress queen and her undead army find them first.

BAM.

If you're in half as much awe as I am, you'll be wanting to follow Jess' blog...to the ends of the Earth.
Or Sirra.

What do you think was the most effective change/advice from this week's project?

Behind the Back of the Book 4/5

2011-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

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Continuing Monday's Project with Jess:

In a country where magic has nearly been eliminated, four teenagers bear the marks of elementals. Faron has spent his entire life hiding the strange bark-like patterns on his torso. Orla's blue-violet cat eyes have earned her fear and animosity in her father's palace. Kai's adoptive family has always loved him despite the scales on his palms. Wren, named for the tiny bird she resembles, manages to survive as a street thief, despite being blind. Together, these four must find their way to the city of Loria before the sorceress queen and her undead army discover their existence.

I feel like we're honing in on this thing like a stealth pilot--zooming in and nipping it in the bud. I do have a few ideas though, and then I think you'll have to move on from me and get a fresh view, because I'll have contributed as much as I can.

"In a country where magic has nearly been eliminated, four teenagers bear the marks of elementals."

So I see a few problems here.

The first is the "has...been" is a little weak.

The second problem is "nearly." You want to make sure that when you have only a small amount of time to say anything that it packs as much of a punch as possible. Imagine Rafiki from the Lion King smacking you on the head and saying, "is it eliminated or not?" If you can't give it a yes or no answer, the claim is not strong enough. "So what is it?" Rafiki asks. I'm going to guess that it is outlawed, judging from all these samples I've read. It sounds like people may even be exterminated when they use it--particularly these elementals.

Third, eliminating magic isn't as strong of an idea as eliminating the *people* who use it. Killing magic doesn't quite villify an evil sorceress like killing magic people would. I assume she does both, so I'd bank on the more terrible one.

Fourth, starting a sentence with "in a country" or "in a land" feels cliché to me. I'd just cut it. Your story has to take place in a country or a land. I think it can be snuck in just a tad differently...

Five, the teenagers bearing the marks of elementals is a bit too much of a giveaway to me. The introductory sentences about them make me curious...unless I already know what they mean. Tell me they're elementals, and I've no reason to wonder about bark or scales meaning anything mysterious.

I had an idea, when you said the city of loria was hidden. I'm guessing it may be ancient? And other people can't find it? It'd be a cool detail if people don't even know if it still exists. That might be fun to add.

Also, if the kids are trying to find the city, you might think about playing with the wording about the sorceress looking for them.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of Jess' summary bonanza!
Meanwhile, do you ever struggle with indefinite sentences?

Behind the Back of the Book 3/5

2011-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

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Continuing Monday's Project with Jess:

The country of Sirra is ruled by a burned woman and her army of elemental zombies. Her destruction will come at the hands of four unusual teenagers. Faron has spent his entire life hiding the strange bark-like markings on his torso. Orla's blue-violet cat eyes have earned her fear and animosity in her father's palace. Kai's adoptive family has always loved him despite the scales on his palms. Wren, named for the tiny bird she resembles, manages to survive as a street thief, despite being blind. Together, these four must find their way to the hidden city of Loria before the sorceress queen and her undead army discover their existence.

At this point, Jess' hook summary was lookin' pretty good. Naming salt and sugar from here on out would get a little tedious and repetitive, and our personal emails showed that she was taking the reviews well emotionally, so I ditched the euphemisms and started honing in on smaller problems.

A burned woman and her army of elemental zombies...I feel like my brain just took a few too many loops there. The first thing I imagine is a woman who has literally been a third-degree burn victim, which bandages all over her body and face. The elemental zombies sound kind of...fruity. Zombies using element magic in my head just doesn't really add up, so I got lost in the first sentence. Of course, I'm positive they're going to make sense in your story, but I'd be careful about how I introduce them. "Her destruction will come at the hand of four unusual teenagers" is telling me the end of the book. I'm not going to read any farther than that sentence if I randomly pick up the book.

The second half is looking great though! The last sentence is very good. I would take out the extra adjective "hidden." If you have to find the city, you already know it's hidden. Undead army works for me. The word undead feels a bit more flexible than "zombies" from the beginning.

While revising your first sentence, I'd consider doing what you did before: give us a brief glimpse of all four teenagers. In this version you're resorting to your original tendency to talk about your villain first. I'm not as interested in her for now.

Stay tuned for Phase 4 tomorrow. We're almost there!
In the meantime, do you ever struggle with giving your ending away with too much foreshadowing or prophecies in your summary?

Behind the Back of the Book 2/5

2011-10-04T01:00:00.001-07:00

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Continuing yesterday's project with Jess:

The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of four unusual teenagers. Faron has spent his entire life hiding the strange bark-like markings on his torso, which is no easy task as a member of a traveling merchant caravan. Orla's blue-violet cat eyes have earned her fear and animosity in her father's palace, which she repays with a temper as fiery as her hair. Kai's adoptive family has always loved him despite the scales on his palm, but he can't help but wonder about the family who gave him up. Blind street-thief Wren, named for the tiny bird she resembles, manipulates air currents to obtain necessities. Together, these four must find their way to the hidden city of Loria before the sorceress queen and her withered army discover their existence.

Sugarsugarsugar: Oh. My. Gosh. I got chills. Wow, talk about someone who can take a note...you are amazing.

Sugar: This is SO much more interesting.

Salt: The first sentence has two literal cliches, "fate of the world" and "rests on the shoulders." You could definitely use a more powerful opening line.

Sugar: However! I like how you tie in the four descriptions with a single sentence. It works extremely well.

Salt: Faron's description feels a bit too long and my eyes start skipping over things. I'd choose one detail because there's so much information here.

Sugar: I think your strongest is the bark-like markings. Very mysterious.

Salt: I'd take out "which she repays with a temper as fiery as her hair." I try to make it a point not to say any maiden has a fiery temper in a fantasy book. It gets really overused. Matching her temper to her red hair is also a bit overdone. We'll get to find out about her hair color in the book, but I don't think the physical description is important in the hook, except for the blue-violet eyes, which seem more pertinent to her actual situation.

Sugar: "fear and animosity in her father's palace" is a great way to incorporate just enough backstory, and it's awesome to boot.

Salt: Same note for Kai. I'd pick one detail. You might feel like you have to present the conflict here, but it's already presented in the first half: Kai's adoptive family has always loved him--despite the scales on his palms" works just fine. Wondering about the family that gave him up is a little too familiar.

Sugar: I am loving all of the specific, unique details you're giving me here, and the fact that the elements the children represent are decipherable, but not blatantly spelled out.

Salt: I'd try rearranging so Wren's description flows easier. It's a bit awkward at the moment. Maybe, "Wren, named for the tiny bird she resembles, manages to live as a street thief, despite the fact she is blind." The air currents are a great world-building detail we'll be able to find out later. But remember that your hook is to get people interested, so saying "manages to live as a thief despite being blind" is enough to make us wonder 'how?"

Sugar: Using one more sentence to wrap everything up is genius. "Before the Sorceress Queen and her withered army discover their existence" is such a great landing spot. Oh man, I just love it.

Salt: As lovely as the description is, it's not very scary to be chased by a "withered" army. I'd pick a more threatening adjective for your pursuers.

Way to go. If I saw this description at the bookstore, I would definitely open to the first page. :D

Stay tuned for phase 3 tomorrow!
In the meantime, do you ever catch yourself relying on cliches, or over-describing your hooks?
Just remember, if a hook keeps going--it's a loop, not a hook! And it's hard to catch a fish with a loop :)

Behind the Back of the Book 1/5

2011-10-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

Lots to do of impish agendas!
If you missed Tyrean's story of The Horse in the Well this weekend, make sure to check it out!

I have an interesting project for your viewing-pleasure this week:

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My writer-friend, Jess--at Concrete Pieces of Soul, and I recently revamped her hook/summary. I thought sharing the process here on the blog might help others who might be jumping over some similar hurdles. Each day will show one of five exchanges we had while working.

Jess is Green.
I am Blue.

The Keepers, four races of elemental beings, have been driven into hiding by the evil sorceress Malloren. Thinking themselves doomed to a life of secrecy in a hidden city, their hopes are rekindled when a prophecy tells of their salvation. Four human children from different areas of the world will be born with elemental magic. It is these four children who will bring about Malloren's downfall and restore the natural order. They have waited 100 years, and the children's powers are now awakening...

Two bits of sugar

1) I am positive your story is unique. A writer as enthusiastic as you are is obviously working hard to make it so. I can tell from the tone in your hook that you are excited to tell this story.

2) Your hook is nice and simple. Being able to sum up what your book is about in a few sentences is dang hard. From this, I could walk outside and tell another person what your story is about. It translates easily.

Two bits of salt

1) Your hook is not making your story sound unique. Elemental beings, evil sorceresses, hidden cities, hopes rekindled, prophesies (especially of a savior), awakening powers and the need to align those separate elements are all really old fantasy tropes. Those can all be found in many other books. They are also somewhat vague and you're bordering on pitching "themes." You can have these things, you just don't use them in your pitch or hook. You want to pitch original details. Here's an old post I wrote about this very thing. (The post is in reference to queries, but the concept is the same.)

2) I don't know who your main character is, and you have pitched me your villain. The only character you actually name is your villain. Make sure to tell me WHO your story is about. Name the character that the book is in the perspective of. If it switches from four perspectives, you're going to have to introduce all four of your main characters. If you feel like that's hard to do in a hook, it's even harder to do in a book. Unless the book is about your villain, I don't know why you're introducing us to her instead of everyone else, especially your MCs.

Stay tuned for phase 2! Do you ever struggle with a vague hook or pitching your villain instead of your MC?

The Horse in the Well and Mrs. Tyler Tells All!

2011-09-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

this is no laughing matter.

Tyrean, one of my interviewees from Sparkfest, has written the actual STORY of :

The Horse in the Well.

I want you to know that I was SO EXCITED to find out about this story. That might sound silly, because I mean, there are no explosions or fire-breathing dragons, and the horse never talks, but what attracted me to this story is that, simply put, this is my very favorite kind of story.

Nothing beats going to bed at night with a story being told by someone who seems as old as the dawn of time, about when they were your age. You see their eyes glaze over when they remember, and you realize that they're there. They've left you, and they're seeing it again. The mama horse is screaming, and your brother is running, and it's everything a story should be, because it's real.

I've got to say guys, I was a total sucker for Tyrean's Sparkfest entry. I had the hear the story with that title. Oh man. I just had to know.

I imagined hearing this all bundled up in a log cabin amid crazy-patterned quilts, and my grandma with white hair tied in a braid.

My grandmother didn't have a log cabin or white hair, but maybe Tyrean's did. READ IT.
and ignore the fact that Tyrean was despairing a bit because I got waylaid with a craptastic math test and group project this weekend. or, leave a comment explaining that i am simply a heartless cad.

Also, I have been interviewed by Michelle at Perfecting the Craft! Flock, everyone, flock!

The Little Heads in Your Sidebar are Lying to You.

2011-09-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

I have a secret I need to tell you.
I'm moving to Wordpress.
What? Why? How? When?
Why would you do this to us?!

Well, I have actually intended it for a long time. Wordpress has a lot of functions Blogger doesn't offer, and there's a lot more wiggle-room with the design, so it makes a better permanent "home" online.

When? Ah, when the wind changes.
I'll let everyone know a month or so in advance, and will have reminders up to switch over.

And what I'm sure you're dying to know:
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FOLLOWERS?!BLARGHPHFKG!

This is why I am putting this post up. I have another secret to tell you.
Not all of my followers are following me.
Not all of your followers are following you.
Check out your stats on Google, and you'll see you probably have more than a handful of totally dead blogs adding to your numbers. The little heads in your sidebar are all lying to you.

It's not bad to try and attract readers. You should work hard to find and entice them! The Writer's Platform Building Campaign is a great way to find good readers. It increases your numbers and you get quantity, and out of that quantity you find quality. There are plenty of people who join the campaign and want to really engage and support and be a platform. There are other people who will fizzle out and get bored with blogging and you'll never see them again, but you probably don't know who they are because they never really got that involved in the first place. That's not a follower, that's a number.

I don't mind losing numbers.

Call me crazy, but I believe that the people who are actually following me will follow me right over to Wordpress. If there are only one, or two, or three, it doesn't matter. I won't have lost followers, I'll have lost numbers.

Followers are your friends. They're the people who leave thoughtful, quality comments at the ends of your posts. They're the people who email you for advice, or tweet @ you with a sweet link that reminded them of something you said. Followers follow you.

So in the meantime I'll be continuing my usual banter about hermit crabs and raptor-mommies and how silly it is to try and write the next Harry Potter. I'll still be commenting and interviewing and playing all our reindeer games, and then, when I move to a new house just a block away, we'll still be friends.

So don't worry about it.
Don't worry about me moving or changing.
Don't worry about losing friends if you move or change.

And by all means, for the love of Michael Crichton--the CreatorofJurassicPark--do NOT worry about what those little heads in your sidebar are telling you.

Those square, little teeny liars.

Mud Puddles and Blogging: You Can't Have Fun the Wrong Way

2011-09-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

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I only got "walled" once. Bad kids went to the wall. It was raining. There was the scary kid with a serious case of second-grade angst to my left, and the twitchy kid who kept stealing everyone's wall ball to my right. And then there were a whole lot of wet kids. Very, very wet kids.

You see, we'd all been stomping in mud puddles, having a grand ol' time, one-upping each other on the big splashes we could get. I had an idea to destroy them all. And stuck my head under a drainpipe.

Chaos followed. Because the kids did too.

And me and my waterlogged cult went to the wall.

Because someone decided we were having fun the wrong way.

This is like blogging.

Because all last week people were up in arms over Roni Loren's blog entry: Is Blogging Dead? Roni talks about how she feels the blogosphere is muddled and glutted, and a lot of what she's already seen and read before. And you know what? It is. To her.

I love love love Roni. She has a really successful blog. She's met her friends. She's learned how to blog. She's published. And yes, she gives a caveat list at the end for if you're having fun or meeting success, and a couple other reasons, but it didn't quite hit the mark with me.

Roni Loren, you are a sixth grader. The mud-rollers look up to you, even if puddles aren't your thing anymore. But they used to be.

In my opinion, fun should be the only reason you ever blog. When reading Random Rambles of an Aspiring Author (picked up that title from a reply to Roni by Kristen Lamb), isn't fun anymore, and branching out would be fun, or moving to Wordpress would be fun, or scrapping the whole project as a "learning experiment" and starting over would be fun, or being all professional about it would make your heart sing, then do that.

But it doesn't have to be any one of those.

To all of us who are still new to the game? This is all fun and new. Glutted, what? I remember being startled when Nathan Bransford asked "Have Blogs Peaked?" back in February. I was just getting started. A lot of you guys weren't even "blogger-born" yet.

Story structure and character strengthening are still news to some people.
I didn't know what a query was until a year ago.
"How to Write a Query" is still Nathan's most popular post.

Some people argue that because the material is already out there, there's no point in re-writing on the same topics others have covered.

What. Ever. Who wants to quit all their live bloggers and read the backlogs Miss Snark, who stopped posting in 2007? The way blogging and feedreaders work, the learning needs to be active.

Then there are experts like Kristen Lamb who'll come in and tell you you're doing it all wrong, because you need to be branding your name, not your writing advice. That you need to toss the sparkly widgets and build a platform with non-writers.

And you know what, she's probably right (I think she is), and that's fine--if that sounds like fun to you. I've actually signed up for All That and a Bag of Chips, but I didn't do it because I'm having fun the wrong way. I did it because I've been blogging for almost a year now, and I want to move on with the third-graders and do what they do. I don't regret a moment of running around like a chicken with my head cut off--and typing. I needed that experience.

If blogs like Random Ramblings of an Aspiring Author aren't your thing, then maybe you've outgrown them. No, they're not professional. No, they're probably not going to get books sold.
But some people still like them. Some people don't even get why this conversation is going on.

It irritates me to see middle-schoolers, or high-schoolers, or teachers, all standing around the kindergartners wallowing in the meyer, obviously having the time of their lives, and talking about whether or not mud puddles are still "in."

Or they worry that all this rolling around is a waste of time. Folks, kindergarteners are going to roll around. It looks like wasting time to you, but it's how we learn.

"Well I just wish they didn't have to learn it the hard way like I did."

Really, Mom?

Guys, mud washes off.

Have fun before you grow up.

Interview with Author SB Stewart-Laing

2011-09-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

additional info here

Anyone remember a little thing called Sparkfest? SB Stewart-Laing, is one of two brilliant minds behind the new book, Forgotten Gods, and is one of our interviewees. Enjoy!

In your awesome tirade about Walter Scott's Waverly, you mentioned boiling over at the blatant "colonialism" and "revisionist history." What are some examples of these that you remember from the book, and how do you feel these sentiments harm readers?

'One of the rather subtle revisionist moments was Scott aging down a lot of historical figures, and turning the whole enterprise into ''rich kids playing soldier', when this was far from the case-- most of the participants in the '45 were adults with families, property, and jobs, and did not make the decision to volunteer lightly. He also portrayed the lairds as wealthy idiots who just cared about their honour. In reality, the clan chiefs provided a huge number of social services to their tenants (usually supporting medical care, schooling, a library, food for sick people, and a clan lawyer) and rarely lived in exceptional comfort. But the ultimate colonialst zinger is the ending-- the whole 'happily ever after' turns on the main character 'coming to his senses' and realising that the Scots were wrong all along, and are so much better off conforming to English culture, and deliberately paints the resulting genocide as coolheaded legal action.'

‘The problem with that attitude is that it bleeds into people’s real-life interactions. It creates a communication barrier—one person seeing another’s identity and history as insignificant—that is very hard to overcome.’

Being raised by a Scot and a Scottish-Kali'na person, it sounds like you had a childhood rich in tradition. What traditions and folklore influenced you most as a person? (You mention several stories, but what was it about these stories that you feel you've taken on as a person?)

‘The element of uncertainty in the stories has certainly stuck with me. I’m lucky enough to live in a developed country, and be in a situation where I have a lot of control over my life. However, these stories remind us that humans aren’t the centre of the universe, and that we’re not totally in control.’

‘The energetic heroines were a big plus as well. Characters of both genders get to actively pursue their goals, which is a lot more interesting than sitting and waiting to be rescued. I’m sure these stories inspired me to be creative and persistent in following my dreams.’

What do you feel are some of the most pervasive stereotypes concerning Celtic culture? What truths have you found to combat these?

'We often get cast as 'noble savages': low tech uncouth people in weird clothes. Several highly educated people in the USA even asked if we had roads and internet access in Scotland and if it was possible to buy
jeans! Needless to say, we have all of the above and more. Also, just because someone is wearing a kilt is not an invitation to…um…violate their personal bubble (see this story for a hilarious example).

Do you consider yourself a Nationalist? Why or why not? How far do you believe people should go to defend underrepresented historical societies? Where should people stop?

'I volunteer for the SNP, and certainly identify as nationalist. Our policy needs and priorities are so different than those of other parts of the UK, that I think we've run out of fair solutions outside of
independence.'

‘The misconceptions are that we’re “historically” oppressed, but everything is OK now, or that we’re trying to stop the clock on cultural cross-pollination. Neither are true. We’re happy to experience cultural evolution along with the rest of our increasingly global human society. At the same time, we (and I’m speaking for Scots and Native Americans here) are fighting to keep our identities from being erased.’

‘Finally, the whole issue is about being on par with the other citizens of our country as far as having equal rights and having control over our lives. As long as you’re not committing acts of terrorism or the like, I think it’s necessary for people to put energy into protecting their cultural identity and demanding fair treatment from their government.’

I understand your book, Forgotten Gods, is your effort to set the record straight. What do you feel are the most important messages in the book?

'The central idea is that we all tend to see ourselves and our culture, myopically, as the benchmark for How People Should Be. But setting aside some human rights issue that transcend cultural boundaries, that's not the case. Several characters in the book—not just the English one—come to this understanding.'

Forgotten Gods also has a fantasy element to make it more accessible to readers. How has this affected the historical accuracy of your book? What fantasy elements do you feel are of particular interest in your book?

'Interestingly, introducing the fantasy element really pushed us to do our history homework. It's one thing to reiterate what the British Army did in real life, for example, but another to think about how they would handle a supernatural foe-- knowing enough to anticipate a response to a fictional situation took a good deal of detailed research into their resources, strategies, etc.'
'My favourite elements are those Michael and I mined straight from the original Celtic myths. We tried to keep the supernatural creatures as eerie and untamed as possible, but without the malice towards humans
that sometimes turns up in modern attempts to reverse the Victorian ''Disneyification'' of Celtic faeries.'

What was your reasoning behind creating four main characters with such different backgrounds? What do you hope to achieve with each one?

'Michael was a big influence as far as choosing our character's backgrounds. (He's the one who insisted on bringing in an English character). But overall, our goal was to show that neither side was a homogeneous group. It also was truly representative of the Scottish army in 1745, which was all-volunteer, and truly captured a cross-section of the population, and that's not counting the people who provided
supplies, wrote political tracts, or otherwise supported the uprising. Each character actually represents a distinct demographic-- Robert is the middle-aged Lowland Scottish everyman who has very concrete,
pragmatic reasons for joining up, Ina is the young, educated Jacobite idealist, Marian represents the next generation whose fate is being determined, and Alfred is the coloniser with a conscience who really
brings out the struggle between wanting to do good and actually helping.'

How is it working with a co-author to write a book? What major contributions has Michael made to the manuscript?

'Working with a co-author was incredibly fun. I think neither of us would have been as creative if the other person wasn't pushing for more original ideas or more in-depth research or calling each other out on
problematic material. The only annoyance is that we have to time our chats, since we're several time zones apart. Michael's biggest contribution, though, was the English character, Alfred. He made an excellent argument in favour of including him, then wrote a wonderfully likeable character. I think Alfred really saved the book from being an obnoxious tract on Scottish independence and made it into a deeper
exploration of privilege and national identity.'

Congratulations on your September 17th e-release! Why should we all go out and buy your book RIGHT NOW?

'The story has creepy Celtic faeries, swordfights, and characters getting themselves into morally sticky situations.'

About SB: I’m a statistician and ecologist by training, but love history and creative writing. My family is Scottish and Kali’na, and I was born in California, raised in Seattle, and went to college in Massachusetts before moving to Glasgow, Scotland for my postgraduate studies. Because of my travels and family background, I speak Scots, English, Scottish Gaelic, Japanese, and a smattering of Spanish. I’m always happy to ‘meet’ new readers and writers online, and can be found on my blog or twitter.

You can get Forgotten Gods on Kindle here, Smashwords here, or Barnes & Noble here.

Her Wings that Resemble the Imago

2011-09-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

source

Septurago 21, 2212

Priscilla hatched today. I had hoped the synchronicity of our second birthdays would call her attention as it did mine.

It did not.

Her wings are red.

I hate my wings.

It snowed today--what they call snow anyway. They say 200 years ago it used to be white. That’s just what they say. That was right before the books went away. Before the Imago. But no one really knows.

Mom bundled me up and I drove to the farm. Fed the animals. It was so quiet. The horndeer won’t be sheared until February, so they don’t even notice the miasma. They like to oscitate their chubby maws and catch a taste of the pollenflakes that fall and disappear on their tongues.

I found some honeystalk. The ground is bare all around the pen, but the field still has some. Delicious. The lacuna was nice and flooded. Sucked it dry. Brought some home. Mom was happy.

Priscilla’s never been to the farm. She’ll never have to, now that she’s second-hatched with red wings. Everyone knew it as soon as her Chrysalis got dark.

They say mine stayed milky grey all winter.

Happy second birthday to me.

***
Hurrah! That's my entry for Rachael Harrie's second Writer's Campaign Challenge. 200 words exactly and all the prompts but the optional "mirror" reference. (I originally had one, but I wasn't crazy about how it changed the imagery.) Please remember to vote by clicking "like" under my name. I'm #1 on the list. I'm a little speedy when I get excited.

I love these challenges so much. I'm going to admit something. This is the first time I've been tempted to start a manuscript outside of Sontia Nara. That's a pretty big deal. Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing.

Also, I'm very interested in what gender everyone is imagining the narrator as. I don't give any clues in the text, and I did this on purpose to give the audience some freedom. I'm getting a lot of comments about her, and Priscilla is assumed to be a sister.

If you're interested in what I was imagining, the narrator is a he, and he is in love with Priscilla.

Try reading it both ways for a fun time :)

The Challenge was:

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:

include the word "imago" in the title
include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.

For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

Image: our love story by *Deeevilish on deviantART

Five Tips for Succeeding in an Online Class

2011-09-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

source

Good news! I've won sixth place in Rachael Harrie's First Writing Campaign Challenge. I'm already so excited for the next one coming up this Thursday!

School's back in! I'm taking two online classes this semester, and while introducing myself to my classmates in the forums, I realized some advice from an "online local" might be helpful.

When You're a "Foreign Exchange Student" Online

Survey the Area: Rummage around. Get to know the website. Hop on and off during the week until you feel comfortable with everything coming up.
Get to Know the Locals: Poke around the forums and say hello to everyone. Ask questions to get conversations going. Get a sense for who's replying and keeping up with their work, and then team up with these people. Keep in touch with them and you won't get left behind. Get some email addresses of helpful people just in case Angel crashes.
Learn Tricks of the Trade: Most forums have the same basic layout in order to create a post. Hover your mouse over all the little boxes along the top. "Insert a Link" and "Insert Image" are going to be your best friends. Figure out what's available. I used a simple "Insert Numbered List" and "Bold" to make this post clear and accessible.
Adjust to the Timezone: Setting a specific time to check in every day is a great idea. If you have a schedule that gets easily interrupted, especially with young children, set daily "cues" instead of times. During your infant's morning nap, during lunch, right after your kid's fall asleep for the night etc. Most online instructors make assignments due in a week, especially Monday to Monday. If this is the case, pretend your due-date is Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday--the week it's assigned, not due. You'll feel like you're on top of the world.
Spend Money: You just spent about $500 on aclass. Now is not the time to try and save pennies by skimping on materials you need. Buy yourself notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, calculators, hole punchers, or whatever else you think you may need for the class. You need to know what a jump-drive is and how to use one in case your computer poops out on you. Keep some backup ink for your printer. If you don't like reading online, print everything out. Everything. Especially print the syllabus and instructor's contact information. This should go without saying, but you should really buy your textbook. If you don't have it already, get it used on Amazon and have it rushed to you. Do NOT try to get through your online class without your book.

Have you ever taken an online class? What has helped you the most?

Worst Movies Ever, or at least Three Disappointing Ones

2011-09-19T01:32:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of bad movies out there. There are a lot of movies I don't like just because they're not my genre, or they stink so bad you can smell them through the preview. These don't bother me. I never had any expectations for them in the first place. If I leave them alone, they leave me alone.

But sometimes movies cross the line. And you know who suffers? My husband. Because he has to hear about it.

Also, the folks in the seat behind, in front, and around me.

For some reason, the hubbs insists on taking me to the drive-in theater nowadays.

At any rate, Alex Cavanaugh is hosting the Worst Movies Ever blogfest today. Grab some popcorn. I give you my ~~top~~ bottom three:

The Movie People Hate Me for Hating

Creeper in lust, getting a much-needed bath.

I know you don't agree with me. I'm used to it. I had a living room full of roommates who were at my throat for making fun of this movie.

The Notebook grosses me out like an infected hangnail. A contagious infected hangnail, because for a while I didn't know if it was ever going to go away.

This is not a love story. This is an obsession story. This is an aimless, life-wasting lust story. This is a story about two people who think they're the center of the universe, and they don't care if their immaturity and bad communication hurt themselves and everyone around them. Allie is a flake with no merit. She's boring as a bowl of microwaveable oatmeal. (I was going to include a clip, but couldn't find one that kept my interest.) Noah reacts to disappointment by either getting angry, rude, and verbally abusive, or he goes into a drunken stupor for several years, builds a house like a freaking OCD creeper, and refuses to engage in any personal hygiene until he looks like the wolfman with the mange. Yeah. Hot.

If true love equates to meeting loneliness by turning into a worthless load of alcoholic angst-pus on the floor, I'd rather have some of that taboo "security"this movie tries to cheese-fart all over. Cause you know, every girl has to either marry a poor lovesick maniac or a rich dick. Them's the breaks.

Armageddon was also stupid and not romantic. But women seem to be less defensive of that one. Maybe because most of them don't appreciate crumbs in their panties.

The Book to Movie Adaption that Broke My Heart

Yes.

Ella Enchanted is the single most wonderful fairy-tale retelling I've ever read. It has witty humor, wiggedy wack fantasy characters, and manages to make the love interest sincere and exciting. At the same time it's a solid story well told, with a female protagonist worthy of emulating. I cried so hard when I read the ending. Ella Enchanted is tops. If you haven't read it, you are truly missing out.

So I was really excited to see the movie when it came out! Got me to the theater asap! It was going to be incredible!

Then this happened:

Did Anne Hathaway really just rip off her wedding dress to reveal a mini skirt and a pair of white gogo boots? Do I really need to explain what is wrong with this?

Or this?

No.

Take a look at that book cover then come back and look at this.

Oh No.

If you aren't picking up on the "something has gone terribly wrong" vibes, you can bet your bottom dollar I want your hands out of my tub of popcorn.

The Movie That Made Me Wonder if I Still Had a Soul

Peggy Sue Got Married.

Yes, that's Nicholas Cage. No, I don't know why he's talking like that. Yes, I turn red and shift uneasily in my seat when I see this scene too.

This is the worst movie I've ever seen in my life. And I watched Charlie's Angel's Full Throttle in a hotel room.

I'm done explaining myself.

Weird Things I Bought Online...in the Name of Research

2011-09-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Once you consider writing your "career,"
you can get away with all sorts of ridiculousness.

Pocket Sundial Compass.
In case I get lost...and don't know the time.

Gum made out of tree sap.

Jingle-jangles

I actually bought two Jingle-jangles.
One for me, and one for my mom.

Moral of the story is, if you don't give yourself permission to do this kind of hoopla, you really should. It'll make you more professional, creative, and increase your reader's sense of reality in your foreign world.

You'll also be able to impress all your friends with your sundial-reading skills.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever done in the name of research?

Why I Love the Raptor-mommy John Hammond

2011-09-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

source IMDB

John Hammond is one of my favorite villains of all time. In the movie. Not the book.

See, when I set out to read Jurassic Park and the Lost World, the one thing I wanted to know the most about was John. I hoped to see his character expanded and his backstory reached in ways the movie had no time for.

I also wanted to see if there was going to be any significance to John being present for all the raptor's births, because them imprinting on him...this is the third time I've talked about this on a blog. I'm not saying it again. Moving on.

Backstory. John.

This was a rare time that a book failed where the movie rocked my socks off.

Here is the tantalizing, well-placed and emotive explanation from movie-john:

You know, the first attraction I ever built when I came down south from Scotland? It was a Flea Circus, Petticoat Lane. Really quite wonderful. We had a wee trapeze, and ah, a merry-go - -a carousel - - and a seesaw. They all moved, motorized of course, but people would swear they could see the fleas. "I see the fleas, mummy! Can't you see the fleas?" Clown fleas, high wire fleas, fleas on parade... But with this place, I wanted to show them something that wasn't an illusion, something that was real, something they could see and touch. An aim not devoid of merit.

Read that over if you didn't hear the faint Scottish accent in your head. It's gorgeous.

In the book? John Hammond is just rich. He wants money. That's where his backstory ends. He doesn't even have a whole lot of concern for his grandchildren as they run amok with raptors in kitchens. He was just an old man trying to increase his empire before dying.

So what did the screenwriter do so much better than Michael Crichton?
Not much, because the screenwriter was Michael Crichton (and David Koepp, but this change wouldn't have been made without Mikey giving it a thumbs up I'm sure.)

It seems Michael noticed a problem, and that was his villain kind of resembled a weird version of Rumpelstiltskin. He was evil and heartless for the sake of money, which is the root of all evil, so he was pretty much evil to be evil. In the movie, Mike caught himself and turned it around 180 degrees.

Why is this affective?

Because a stumpy, calculating old man obsessed with money, who will throw fits like a little child when his computer system shuts down, is not very scary. It's not very personal. We can feel safely distanced from the charicature. Clichés feel safe.

But an old man who cares about his contribution to the world, who has a fantastic dream carried over from his youth that is deeply-rooted in his psyche, who will eat ice-cream with a paleobotanist and sigh at his own delusions--makes us pity him more than anything. He's lovable...but he's kind of insane.

Movie-john creeps us out the same way our great-grandma does when we visit her in the nursing home and she asks us, in her sweet voice as she holds our hand in her spotty silky skin, who we are.

The same way we'd be creeped out if great-grandma realized she could make dinosaurs.

That is awesome.

Learn to love your villain. Even if we're supposed to hate them. Especially if we're supposed to hate them. Better yet, make us wonder if they're even the villain at all. Because wondering whether or not we hate or love someone scares us.

And if you might say, in Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs are the villains.

I might answer that Jurassic Park is nothing but a monster movie. And "Frankenstein" was never named after the monster. Frankenstein was the old man who made him.
The crazy old man.

Here are two more excellent article s I just read about writing good villains.
Who are your favorite villains and why?

I Got a Mohawk and Some Awards

2011-09-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Fig 1. Foxy-hawk.

Awards! Lovely awards from Blogger-friends.

Fig 2a. Award from Rachel
at RachelBean'sBlog

The first is from Rachel Bean. Rachel is a fantastic networker and has one of those blogs everyone should be keeping an eye on. If you're not following her already, you should be. Thanks, Rachel!

The Liebster Blog Award is received by sharing your top five bloggers under 200 followers. My picks are:

Dawn Hamsher at The Write Soil
Scheherazade at The Writing Life
Jess at Concrete Pieces of Soul
A.B. at Really, I'm Blogging
Jamie Gold at jamiegold.com

Fig 2b. Award from Cherie
at Ready.Write.Go.

Second award is from Cherie over at Ready. Write. Go.
Cherie's blog design has always made me ravenously jealous, and she always finds the best links for writers.
Thanks, Cherie!

I pass the Blog on Fire Award to:

Also! I've made it to the semi-finals in the first Platform-building Campaign Challenge! You can read my entry here, and if you like it, can vote for people's choice here. I'm #374.

Department of Communicable Diseases

2011-09-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

source.

The door swung open.

It wasn’t supposed to do that.

It was never supposed to do that.

The scientists edged toward the green light.

“It’s supposed to be red.”

“Someone get Javies.”

Javier came into the room pushing a rolling mop-bucket.

“Shut this door.”

“It stuck, Señor?”

“El dooro--close it.”

Javier looked at the blonde girl in the middle of the cell. She was moving her hands as if describing a story. “Pobresita...she speaks with her hands?”

“Only since yesterday. She was exposed to Herbert in the next cell. Now andalé.”

Javier struggled to find the locking mechanism somewhere on the side of the heavy metal door. Four sets of beady eyes watched him. Pens stalled on clipboards in front of white scrubs.

“Herbert?” Javier’s fingers slipped.

“The deaf kid.”

“For the love of God, Javies.”

“HAH-vees,” Javier corrected them. “ ‘JAY’ is Hache en español. Hache.”

“She’s going to catch his Spanish, Gray.”

Javier moved just into the cell to check the fat hinges on the door.

The girl’s tiny hands stopped moving.

Javier saw everyone stare. He turned.

“Shit, too late.” The scientists threw down their clipboards.

“Hola,” said the girl.

The door swung shut.

*****

It's okay, my mom had to reread it too.

200 words exactly! This shorty was for the first challenge in Rachael Harrie's Writing Campaign. Rules were to start with the phrase "The door swung open," and for an extra challenge, "The door swung shut." It has to be a flash fiction piece with 200 words or less.

If you enjoyed my entry, follow the link and click on the box that says "Like" to help me out in the People's Choice Award! I'm #374.

Sparkfest Interviewees!

2011-09-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Ready to find out who our future interviewees are? Interested in some of the entries that caught my eye?

Interview winners are:

1) Tyrean--makes me want to know more about "The Horse in the Well"

2) Mel Fowler--shows us the games we play with our sisters in the yard can grow up with us.

(Mel, you must be having a good week. That's 2/2.)

3) SB Stewart Laing--reads a book that makes his blood boil, so he writes a better one.

4) Dawn Hamsher--makes a Spark a prompt in itself. She also changes her life when a person helps her draw near to God in her writing.

5) Emily Seuss--answers an ad for "someone kind of like Queen Latifah from that movie," and ends up in the middle of Nerdfighteria. If you know what that is, you are awesome.

If you are on this list and haven't heard from me, email me at

mrs.christinetyler (at) gmail (dot) com

Here are some more of my favorite reads.
If you haven't read them already, you really should!

Shelly Brown--saw an author go through the throes of "phase one," and then witnessed their immense success. You'll never guess who it is...

Jackie Buxton--gained inspiration from real events and compassionate people...and some hypocritical ones

Ru--talks about Stephen King and some awesome philosophy on Amidala

Bess Weatherby--makes me wish I wrote about Tolkien.

Lisa Vooght--gives us the best story I've ever read about a book signing, and a sense of what we can achieve as authors and mentors.

Pocketful of Playdough--made me cry.

Bonnie Borrow--shares a story about her crush that I more-than-kind-of wish had happened to me.

Sparkfest Went Out with a Bang

2011-09-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

Phew! Posts read and commented! Random number generator generated! Card-winners notified!

Everyone, thank you so much. Sincerely. I had no idea what I was getting into when I threw this thing.
Your posts have made me (and many of my family members), laugh our butts off and gasp with glee. Some of them brought tears to my eyes. You are all so wonderful I can't even stand it.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

Card winners!
$5: Abby
$10: The Capillary
$15: Mel Fowler

Congratulations, you're rich!

I currently have 15 "Sparkers" that I'm trying to narrow down for interviews. I'll be interviewing more than one person, because really guys, getting it down to 15 was hard enough. Interviewees will be contacted this weekend and announced on Monday.

Once again, thank you so much for the enthusiastic and inspirational participation. Sparkfest will return next August with a few new twists and turns. Information will be on the Sparkfest Official Page...as soon as I get some sleep :)

In the meantime, please enjoy my guest-post today at Misha Gericke's My First Book, entitled Five Dead-giveaways Your Story is Cliché.

Rachel and Cherie, I haven't forgotten about your blog awards. Campaigners, I haven't forgotten you either! Busybusybusybusy...

Sparkfest Presents: The Stories that Save Us

2011-08-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Source

Today is the last day of Sparkfest! Please review the Official Page and check out the Sparkfest FAQ to make sure you've followed all the instructions in order to be counted in the drawing. Late entrants are more than welcome until midnight tonight (and yes, you can fudge it until about Saturday afternoon.)

I encourage everyone to check out the linky-box on the Sparkfest page and visit as many sites as you can. Remembering to leave a thoughtful comment is a great way to find friends and support for your blog.

Because of the fantastic response to the blogfest, I want to give everyone's post the attention it deserves. I'm going to be taking my time reading and commenting on every entry.

Results will be posted Friday, September 2nd.

On with the show...

Storytelling often comes hand-in-hand with a lesson, whether it's the heavy-handed unveiling of suffering like in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, the intricately woven Christianity in Narnia, the powerful virtues presented in The Twelve Labors of Hercules, or the simple lessons of common sense taught by Aesop's Fables.

I often think more folks should have been raised with a little bit of Aesop.

I thank my parents for providing me with stories ripe with lessons. One of my favorite books was A Children's Treasury of Literature. It included many fables, stories from the Far East, myths, and excerpts from the Book of Virtues.

Many of my favorite stories were the ones I thought had the best advice. "Men who flatter often have ulterior motives," from the Fox and the Crow. "You are judged by the company you keep," from the Farmer and the Stork.

Sinbad and Hercules were always willing to work hard. The Arabian Nights were full of women saving the day with clever plans. The Prince Who Rode Through a Mouse-hole won himself a beautiful princess bride with his patience, and willingness to care for an ugly little frog. (If you haven't read this tale, it totally trumps the Frog Prince.) Someone blogged here about the same exact version I read.

Then there were stories like The Wild Swans and The Snow Queen, where, as short as they were, incorporated strong Christian messages. The heroes and heroines often prayed to God for help, and thanked him for all their successes.

Not everyone agrees on the lines between art, entertainment, and education. There seems to be a popular view that stories with morals are preachy, forced, and unnecessary.

I'd like to ask those who hold that view if there is an overabundance of honesty, sacrifice, work-ethic, faith and caring in this world. If there is not, what better way to teach it than by telling a story?

I hold a firm view that the best books say something. The best books teach us more about ourselves, society, and the worlds beyond our own.

And that, at the end of this week of reflection and gratitude, may be what drives me to write the very most.

I believe stories can save us.

Sparkfest Presents: The Power of Science

2011-08-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

While looking up my favorite Grossology books, a non-fiction series by Sylvia Branzei,
I found out Canada was cool enough to make a cartoon!

It's the second-to-last day of Sparkfest! What is Sparkfest? If you're still a little confused, check out the Sparkfest Frequently Asked Questions. Late entrants are welcome, and we're going all week, so come join the fun!

Knowledge is power.

I found the direct correlation between them when I read the Grossology books and learned that I didn't have to trade my school lunch with another kid to get what I wanted. I just had to tell them how many aphids, grasshoppers, flies and rat hairs the FDA allowed in their ho-hos.

And they'd just give it to me.

Thus I fell in love with Science.

Science was alive, and weird, and interesting. Everything was gigantic and molecular at the same time. There were worlds within worlds, and they were all real.

The first thing I ever saved up my money for (even before the Star Wars books), was a kid's microscope for $90. Nothing escaped my awesome slide dish. Even a hair off of my crush's head. Very nice, no split ends.

Chemical Chaos was my favorite childhood science book, and presented a history of chemistry in kid-friendly form with limited text and funny comics. While looking it up for this entry, I found there were 19 other books in the Horrible Science series. Thank you, Amazon!

You know how sometimes moms will look under a kid's bed and be like, "What's this, a science experiment?" It usually was.

How did this affect my writing?

If writing is the stained-glass window that filters our perception of reality, why not let that reality really shine through? I love bringing laws of the natural world into my imaginary one. It grounds people.

It also gives me great ideas--original ideas.

Bringing non-fictional loves into your manuscript is going to set you apart from other writers. Not many of them do it. The ones who do manufacture some pretty remarkable bull-crap.

Science is available to everyone. Right brain vs Left brain is like being Right handed vs Left handed. It doesn't define who you are, or your limitations. Although it may make using scissors a pain-in-the-patootie.

We all have our heads up in the clouds, or visible masses of condensed water vapor.

Tomato tomahto. You can do it too.

Sparkfest Presents: My Undying Love for Han Solo

2011-08-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

It's day three of Sparkfest! What is Sparkfest? If you're still a little confused, check out the Sparkfest Frequently Asked Questions. Late entrants are welcome, and we're going all week, so come join the fun!

I was sitting on the bus. A big kid, a sixth grader, had a green book poking out of her backpack. I saw the word "Jedi." I had to know. I simply had to know.

"Is that Star Wars?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Is it like the movie Star Wars?"
"Oh, well, kind of. These are books about characters outside of the movies." She showed it to me. "This is the first book in the Jedi Academy series."

It was less than twelve parsecs before the fates decided what every cent of my allowance would go to for the next three years of my life.

Star Wars Books

I devoured the Courtship of Princess Leia with the ferocity of a Dathomirian Rancor. My favorite hunk in the entire galaxy far, far way kidnaps Leia the night before her wedding to some prince? The men are all made into slaves on a female-dominated planet? Luke gets his molars exploded by an evil force-witch?! It was love. For me, as well as Leia.

Next up was the Han Solo trilogy, and that's when my allegiance of eternal fandom spread like the blue Ylesian mold to every Star Wars writer out there. I was a fact-reciting machine.

My Dad would pay me 2 cents for every page, just enough for me to go back to the bookstore and buy another. When the third "Han" volume came out, it was the first time in my life that I experienced the sensation of my heart engaging the hyperdrive and making the hump to lightspeed seeing a long-awaited book on the shelf.

But it didn't stop there.

While perusing my local comic shop for Sailor Moon tidbits (yes, my nerdiness knows no bounds, in two-dimensions as well as three), I ran into Star Wars manga. All the dialogue was made up of the movie lines. Verbatim.

I would watch A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi every day after school, accompanied by my Han Solo action figure that made its home in my shirt pocket. I found the fan-secret "golden dice," and would stay in during recess to type up my favorite scenes from memory.

My idea of telling a boy I liked him was kicking his ass at Star Wars trivia.

Which I did often.

--wiiith the trusty help from my Essential Guide to Characters. It was so nifty, everyone's backstories summed up in a few pages, with a character sketch and details all neatly spelled out.

What did this spark in me?

All of my character's backstories summed up in a few pages, with a character sketch and details all neatly spelled out. Except for the hands. I couldn't draw hands. Everyone turned out a little stumpy.

But it led to me realizing that if I wanted to make my story really big, and I mean big, I was going to have to make characters that people would never want to stop hearing about.

Star Wars made me dream in franchises. Not franchises in the sense of money, but in the immortality of characters.

My own immortality.

Because we all know, once you become a jedi, you don't really die. Not your world, or your characters, or you.

At least until Jar Jar Binks walks into the picture.

Sparkfest Presents: The Trucker from Mossflower, Brian Jaques

2011-08-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

This is the second day of Sparkfest! What is Sparkfest? If you're still a little confused, check out the Sparkfest Frequently Asked Questions. We'll be going all week, so come join the fun!

I still remember the day I returned the last NIMH book to the library. Mrs. Frisby, Racso, and R.T. were going to be hard to replace. Then, my librarian (I had a huge crush on her 20-something-year-old son. I was twelve), recommended another "mouse book" to me. That was the day I picked up my first Redwall book, and ventured into Mossflower for the first time.

Brian Jaques

I wanted to grow up and be a trucker, just like him. Brian said driving trucks cross-country was how he got his ideas. My highschool guidance counselor wasn't a huge fan of that aspiration.

I had the fever, and I had it bad. Martin the Warrior was the first book I ever really cried over. I talked my parents into letting me get a pet mouse--named Martin (of course). And in an odd twist of fate, I did try training him to do circus tricks, like in Roald Dahl's "Witches," except he wasn't very good at the tight-rope.

Of course my Redwall fever was not complete without a geocities-like website composed of my favorite Redwall poems. And pictures. Bad attempts at HTML. There was, I kid you not, a midi player. I even made up my own war-cries.

It was fun, pretending to be someone else, complimenting myself in my own guestbook.

And no, you will never find it. Ever.

Redwall managed to be everything a kid wants when they step into the wide world of "thick books." Love (cause we all know headbands and the whitest teeth in the abbey made Cornflower hot stuff), coming-of-age angst, feasts, no really, huge feasts with meadowcream and elderberry wine and deeper-n-ever pie. There was a'questing and pirates...espionage! The riddles--you can't forget the riddles.

There was a whole world made of guerrilla shrews, savage sparrow-folk, cutthroat stoats, bloodthirsty rats, tricksy foxes, and rabbits that danced, sang, wore monocles and fought with swords and arrows in the sandy beaches of the coast.

The Redwall series is packed with a vast array of dynamics. They were epic quests dressed up in a different skin. A much furrier skin. But the Redwall books never broke their own rules. They were consistent and vivid. The consistency made them believable, and most of all, familiar.

Brian Jaques managed to make a home out of Redwall Abbey, friends out of rabbits and moles, and heroes out of mice.

Brian Jaques sparked my love for world-building.

And he got away with Molespeak. A whole lot of Molespeak.

Okee, so you'm bes reed'm oll roight noy!

REDWAAAAAALL!!!

I couldn't resist.

All images from this post are copyright: Chichapie.
Rat, Mouse, Shrew

Sparkfest presents: The Whizpopping Human Bean, Roald Dahl

2011-08-22T00:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first day of Sparkfest! If you're afraid you're not in Kansas anymore, check out the official page. If you have any questions, check out the Sparkfest Frequently Asked Questions. Come join the fun!

Who was the first author to weedle their way into the bright circle of a flashlight amid Pocahontas bedsheets?

Roald Dahl

It must have been the fart jokes.

Most children are odd critters. I was no exception. Reading about strange children, like Matilda, who realized she had the ability to punish her parents, tickled my funny-bone. Or children who found themselves launched from a grey world into a dreamland of color and danger, like Sophie and Charlie, was a breath of fresh air. There were never any portals or magic spells. Roald Dahl set up his adventures in your backyard, right in your peach tree.

When Roald Dahl did border on a cliché, like a story about witches, he'd switch things up faster than you could say "frizzled like a fritter!" The witches wouldn't ride on broomsticks. They'd wear wigs and have no toes, and accuse children of smelling like dog's droppings. (Unless you didn't take a bath. Then they couldn't smell you as good.)

Mr. Dahl was irreverent. An old lady would have a mouth like a dog's butt-hole. Oompa Loompas let their children frolic naked as they sang sadistic songs about fat, lazy, or spoiled kids. A giant would share his bubbly Frobscottle with you, resulting in glorious, blasting, "whizpoppers." Roald would include switching out his sister's boyfriend's tobacco for goat poop, and heating up the prefect's toilet seat with his own, skinny, surprisingly warm little bum--in his memoir.

He knew what kids were delighted to be afraid of. Vermicious knids. Disgustingly hairy giants that eat children. Witches with blue spittle. Escaped rhinoceroses. Trunchbulls.

He knew what kids wanted. To be able to walk on hot coals. Candy that never loses its flavor. An adventure on the ocean. Elevators that can go into outer-space. Peaches. A best friend.

Most of all, Roald wrote what he knew. Whether it was getting a bad case of lice, or playing a prank on the candy lady who never washes her hands, he drew from his own life. He took events that children care about, like learning to ride your bike with no hands, and made them important. He had the ability to weave the mundane and the practical into something fantastic.

This affected me, because I realized Roald did not have to be born into fabulous or extreme circumstances in order to write from life. He chose to take something authentic and filter it through a kaleidoscope of whimsy. His life was interesting because he chose to be interested in it. I wanted to do that too. I wanted to see my life with those eyes.

I wanted to be a writer so my life would be fabulous. I would make it that way.

That, and he remembered what it was like to be a kid. I love feeling that, getting back to that mindset of constantly being excited and curious, maybe a little gullible.

And I'm not the only one that needs to be reminded
that appendicitis is caused by loose toothbrush bristles
that dreams can be caught in a giant butterfly net
and that somewhere, a little man saved an entire indigenous race from Wangdoodles.

http://www.roalddahl.com/

Also! Rachael Harrie is hosting her third blogosphere-famous Writer's Platform-building Campaign! I was too timid to join in on this the last time it was going on, and was really bummed out when everything commenced and I saw how cool it was. Sign-ups are open for the rest of August. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to flex your blogging muscles, get involved, and make some friends!

Good Raptors Follow the Rules

2011-08-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Come, my child, and I will tell you of the Raptor Law.
1) Raptors are crazy smart.
2) They want to eat you.
3) Run.

Learn these rules and you may live well into the next sequel.

This is a good raptor.

This is a good raptor as well.

Warms my heart to see raptor-law abiding citizens.

WHAT THE--what in John Hammond's name are these raptors DOING?!

Returning the Raptor Eggs
Jurassic Park 3 at MOVIECLIPS.com

Why, Clever Girl, are you SMELLING Tea Leoni instead of chewing on her cerebellum? Something has gone terribly wrong.

Once upon a time we all watched Dr. Grant explain to a fat, precocious little boy that raptors were crazy-smart, and that they were gonna eatcha. The scene was flawless exposition and foreshadowing. Not only that, but it was memorable, like most well-written Jurassic Park scenes. In the meantime, we learned to love these raptors. They were unpredictably smart, and yet always predictably hungry. You see a raptor and you run.

It made us enjoy our raptor screen-time more than anything else.

And then someone thought they'd get creative. Or at least, I'm sure that's what they called it. Creativity was not our problem.

It was rule-breaking.

I would like to suggest that making raptors evolve between movies (we won't even go into the laws of nature guys, just the laws of the movie), to super-geniuses who would have a stand-off negotiation is as ridiculously illegal as deciding Isla Sorna is no longer subject to gravity. Although that would make the movie cool--compies floating around and chewing at your eyeballs without having to swarm you to the ground for intance--and creative--T-Rex's driving from cloud to cloud in merchandizing jeeps--it is NOT ALLOWED.

As an audience, we could count on raptors to be total BAMFs. Now? We feel like we may need the lawyer from the first movie back to help with future negotiations. Or a nice spot of Earl Grey and crumpets for these pansy-saurs.

This means everything to your writing.

Zombies can't be in the sunlight at the beginning of I Am Legend, and then suddenly they can?
Bring in original actors and an amazing cast to continue Indiana Jones and then invite aliens? (This not only changed the rules, but the genre. We came for an adventure flick and got paranormal.)

It doesn't matter if you're writing a fantasy, sci-fi, monster story, or even a memoir. Look at the rules that you have set up for your characters. What laws govern their behavior? You can be creative with how you use these laws, but don't frustrate your audience. They've already been kind enough to buy the fact that you've been un-extincted and breeding with androgynous frog DNA, that T-Rex's seriously need an eye exam, and that Jeff Goldblume is the hottest thing this side of Costa Rica. You break these rules? You break our hearts.

It's not creative.
It's inconsiderate.

Raptors in your Kitchen, not Cheese Farts

2011-08-05T01:50:00.000-07:00

Nightmares into my 20s. You think I'm joking.

How does this make you feel?

Raptors in the Kitchen
Jurassic Park at MOVIECLIPS.com

How about this?

Spinosaurus vs. T-Rex
Jurassic Park 3 at MOVIECLIPS.com

If you're anything like me, the first scene might have worked a bit better for you. And by a bit better, I mean the first scene your mom wouldn't let you see when you were ten but then you watched it anyway and had dinosaur nightmares well into your twenties.

The second scene might have cured you of aforementioned nightmares.

What, why? Why is it that the Raptors in the Kitchen scene managed to be so intense? It became so iconic! Everyone remembers that scene. In my opinion, it's one of the best movie scenes of all time! (I also have Jurassic Park stacked right in my top five movie list, so be patient while I goob it up.)

Okay fine, even if you don't think JP is the greatest cinematic experience since...some other more respectable movie that is probably in black and white, you have to admit that there's a whole lot more emotional investment with those raptors.

The second scene was just kind of like a big CGI cheese fart. It totally stunk. And the third JP movie had a load of more farts just as bad. The third movie had like...a gastrointestinal disorder.

Let me tell a seemingly unrelated story. When I was in highschool I was cast as Rosemary in the play Picnic. I had a scene where I was supposed to get drunk and totally chew out this cuss of a kid, implementing all my self-loathing and long-broken dreams etc. I kept rehearsing the scene over and over and couldn't seem to get it right. I kept getting louder and more physical. I acted it up and over the top, but it just wasn't cutting the depth of character I wanted to get across.

Until I had an epiphany. And I got really, really quiet.

Instead of jabbing the other actor in the chest and upping the drama (which was really just becoming melodrama), I turned it way way down and hissed the lines to him. Like a real threat. I slowed down lines instead of throwing them out. I enunciated. Narrowed myself down like a viper. The first time I did it my co-actor was genuinely scared of me. Perfect.

In that instance I was being a Raptor instead of an overpriced Spinosaurus.

The Raptor Scene

Colors are subdued, letting you focus on the details, like scary eyes and subtle movement
Can hear the kids breathing
Can hear the clack of the talons on the floor
Can see the mental calculations of the dinosaurs
Takes place in a small enclosed space so you feel trapped
Takes place in a place that feels private and safe--a kitchen--so you feel invaded
Your heart skips a beat when those metal spoons fall to the floor
Characters are in SERIOUS peril
You're invested because the intensity drew you in, not the volume or violence.

The Spinosaurus vs T Rex

Total visual overkill. BLAM colors.
Total audio overkill. Roaring. Crashing. Screaming. Chaos.
Idiot dinosaurs don't even know what they want for dinner
Wide, empty spaces--until everyone finds a convenient log or tree to hide in
Not really worried anyone "important" is going to die here
Volume and violence, but no intensity. Did someone let a fart in here?

What does this have to do with writing? Everything. Sometimes we want big action, and that's good. But intensity is often what we're really looking for.

In Writing

Bring down the volume. Take off those extra "!!!"s
If someone is talking, try to come up with short "zingers" instead of rambles, unless you're writing a mentally unstable character, in which case you should realize they're less threatening
Consider invading "safe" spaces instead of throwing the scene anywhere
Trap your characters into the scene
Running and screaming should be treated like adverbs--sparingly and with caution
Make sure mortal peril is just that
Don't make your villain a dumbass

This won't be the last time I bring in the Raptors.

Raptors are very good at teaching How to Write.

As a matter of fact I heard Steven Spielburg is developing a quadriquel about the raptors opening a literary school on Isla Sorna in which the dinosaurs beg to be rescued via emotionally moving poems sent out in lost product-placement Coke bottles.

But really. More Raptors next week. In the meantime, don't go through the tall grass.

Is Your Muse a Spoiled Brat?

2011-08-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

Brat children. You've seen them. Mom makes a request. Maybe, "Sit down and be good."
Kid says no.
Mom asks again.
No.
Mom says it's important.
No.
Mom reminds them in pleading voice.
No.
Mom threatens to not come back again if they don't sit.
No.
Mom begs child to please sit down and be good.
No.
Mom offers a treat if they'll sit.
No.
Candy.
No.
A new toy.
No.
Mom threatens to smack kid (which she won't, obviously.)
No.
Mom promises to bake child their favorite cake with pretty pink frosting and roses and a new disco-dance barbie doll with matching Ken and a stuffed Shamu plushie and apple juice with an umbrella and two pieces of chocolate cake because the first one got thrown at the wall for not having enough frosting.
Child sits down and is anything but good.

And I think we might all come to the same harsh conclusion that this is not the child's fault, but the parent's. They have spoiled their kid. They can't get them to do even the simplest of tasks without catering to their every little whim. They've created an insatiable diva, utterly useless without an entourage of coddles and special attention. There is no discipline for the child, and no consistency other than the repeated pleadings and bribery of their caretakers.

But I'm not here to teach parenting; I'm offering writing advice.

Because I see this trend among us, this all-adoring love for this elusive idea we call our "Muse." We create a Muse in our minds when we count on spontaneous inspiration and genius to strike us. We give it a name, and it becomes a sort of imaginary friend. We sit down at our computer and say,

"Muse, I would like to write today. What have you got?"
And Muse gives us nothing.

You say it's important.

Nothing.

You get a fluffier chair.

Nothing.

Listen to story's soundtrack.

Nothing.

Worry that you'll never ever get published as long as you live if Muse will not get going.

Nothing.

Take a walk.

Nothing.

Eat a tub of ice-cream.

Nothing.

Chocolate.

Nothing.

Threaten to kill self.

Nothing.

Until you take a week-long hiatus from sleeping, eat your weight in Haagen Dazs, spin in circles until you drop, research ancient dye techniques for four years, stand up, sit down, do the tooty-ta, look at pretty pictures, do yoga, breathe, listen to Modest Mouse, watch a documentary on Cirque Du Soleil, finally manage to catch your Muse while on the toilet, and get back to the computer, only to find that someone has moved your favorite writing pillow.

The moral of the story is, guys, I know you feel affectionately about your Muse. I know you think it's cute. But if you let this imaginary friend (who is really just YOU, mind you), walk all over you and make a bazillion demands before you can get any work done? You are a bad Muse-momma. You have spoiled your child.

Discipline, people. Make your Muse sit down and be good. If your Muse reminds you that you forgot the pretzels?

Sorry, but we're writing anyway. It's too bad. Grow up.

There's nothing wrong with creating an environment conducive to writing. Just like there's nothing wrong with giving your kid a cookie. But your kid has gone bad when they demand that cookie in order to do anything.

Luckily, Muses are easier to raise than actual children.

There are also less legal problems when you beat them into submission.

Dream Casting Call: Who Would Play Your Love-Interest?

2011-08-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we talked about your MC.
Monday was your villain.
So, spit it out? Who's gonna be the love-muffin?

Nicholas is my protagonist's counterpart for the majority of my first novel. He represents that first-love exposure. He's the boy who pulls your hair in math class, makes you turn around, smiles disarmingly, and then has you thinking about him all weekend. He's attractive and goofy at the same time. At his worst he's insecure and moody. He's also prone to immature decisions and blame. My timeline is kind of whack, so he plays an ex for most of my story.

And I don't care if I look stupid picking another well-known actor (because no-namers are great too. I just don't know who they are yet), because I want:

Shia Labeouf.

No matter how grown-up and attractive Shia becomes, he's still going to feel goofy to me. Maybe it's that he seems most prone to be a funny character, or how his voice sounds like a rubber ball bouncing on carpet, but he seems great for a role in which he woos the girl with the promise of youth and freedom and carelessness...and then ends up being a really irritating ex. In real life he's worked his butt off to get where he is, and yet he still manages to get in trouble. Perfect.

At least the man knows how to say no.

Who would play your ~~irritating ex~~ love-interest?

Tuesday's Ripest Pick: The Word is my Oyster by Lydia Kang

2011-08-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday our Ripest Pick is The Word is my Oyster hosted by Lydia Kang. Lydia is a mother and part-time doctor. Her site is ripe and ruby-red due to her "Medical Mondays," in which she answers questions from writers in layman's terms for writers, concerning potential character maladies.

Lydia has already covered a number of topics, from the common "can I give my character amnesia by hitting them on the head?" to describing the strange and fictional-sounding (but totally real), Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and Ondine's Curse.

Most exciting, Medical Mondays are open for all writers to submit questions!

Did Lydia's site answer any questions you had? Or are you planning on asking her one of your own?

Dream Casting Call: Who Would Play Your Villain?

2011-08-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I asked if you guys had your eye out for actors who could pull off your MC. I had so much fun looking up pictures for mine, I thought I'd extend this a couple days. So who would you choose to depict your villain?

Drew, Marielle's husband, is intellectual and loves botany. He is decisive and brisk. He can be charming and romantic when he wants to be, and will often put up with things in according to his idea of chivalry...until the last straw breaks the camel's back and he explodes. He is abusive and calculating. When he goes over the edge he is perverse and cold, all with twisted emotional justification. Essentially, Drew reacts to events on several different levels.

My solution to this rather two-faced equation?

Tom Felton.

I really don't need to explain this one, do I? I'd love to see Tom in a leading role, especially one where he can flaunt his immense sneering-power AND his obvious charisma.

And he's beautiful to boot.

Here's a clip of him joking around on Conan while being interviewed about the last Harry Potter movie. Also, his reaction to Harry Potter slash fiction and cat-calls from middle-aged women. Probably the funniest interview I've ever seen. Contains quite a bit of innuendo, just FYI.

Who would you have portray your most dastardly character?

Dream Casting Call: Who would play your MC?

2011-07-29T01:21:00.000-07:00

Admit it. You dream about your book becoming a movie. And it's not just about making a bajillion dollars. It might have something to do with seeing your creatures brought to life by Weta, or the camera panning across a landscape you've visited in your head. But most of all?

You want your characters to be real.

Who do you envision bringing your characters to life, especially your main character? Go ahead. Put yourself in the bigwig Hollywood shoes. We need dream actors who can pull off the appearance and the attitude.

Marielle, my MC, is of Portuguese descent, so I would like a latina to play her. She is intense, passionate, angry, and analytical. She has a strong body, and height-wise is on the small side.

My dream actress?

Michelle Rodriguez.

Most of us have seen Michelle running around with either twigs in her hair or axle grease on her face.
Lost, Avatar, Resident Evil, The Fast and Furious--she's known for a lot of tough-chic roles. Pretty good at the nitty-gritty, which would come in handy for a lot of the rougher obstacles my character faces.

But she looks hot-to-trot in a dress. I had a fun time looking up glamorous pictures of her. If Michelle were in my movie, she'd have lots of chances to wear pretty dresses. Zowie!

See? She's gorgeous, but it's an easygoing glam, don't you think?

Yeah, I don't think Kate would get anyone's attention on the Island

if Ana Lucia had been wearing this when she crashed.

Michelle has so much potential as a versatile actress, and has a natural energy about her. I think she could easily pull off an emotionally volatile character.

Dream big, everybody. Sure, we all want our bestseller to become a blockbuster. That doesn't make it any less of a dream. Don't be afraid to admit it because of naysayers or statistics. Don't settle for being "realistic." Here's a video of Michelle rambling and looking lovely. I particularly like what she says around 2:24. I've heard this called "Divine Discontent," and it's awesome. We've all got it, but we don't all use it. Writers? We're trying. Really, really hard.

Who would you cast in your lead role?
If you have pics, or want to respond in a blog post, share a link. I'd love to visit your daydreams.

The Sacred Cow Death Tournament

2011-07-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hankerin' fer Moo Blood

What do you do when you manage the heroic feat of actually finishing your manuscript and you're crazy-over your word count?

In this post, Becca C discusses this very dilemma. And sometimes, it's not a matter of cutting the fat, because we've got pages of pure muscle.

So do we just accept the fact that our script is big-boned?

You can. Just like you can call an agent on the phone.
Some people get away with it.

But why risk it? What I really want to know is how to kill my sacred cows.

Ah, you're out for some Moo Blood, are you?
In that case, I present

The Sacred Cow Death Tournament.

Write out the titles of each chapter or large scene. Don't skip any.
If you have a transition scene that's not really a scene that doesn't deserve its own card you can already discard it. Pretend your book is a movie. The scene you just discarded is a jump-cut. Embrace teleportation.
Imagine sending these cards into an agent. Where do you know they'd get really impressed? If it's not your first chapter, or first three chapters, eliminate them. Start where it gets good.
Set up the cards like a tournament. Or be less artistic and write it out. Fine.
Start matching them up. You're not deciding which one is doomed to die just yet, you're just asking yourself questions like:

Which one would you rather send an agent as a sample?
Which one moves your plot forward?
Which strengthens character motivation?
Which one, if removed, would make you cry?

Eliminate the stronger one. We're looking for your least sacred cow.
Narrow it down to the fatted calf. Kill it.
Do it again if you've acquired a taste for cow blood.

But now I have a gaping HOLE in my script! I didn't want to actually take anything out...

It may not be as gaping as it feels. Allow yourself to rethink your surrounding scenes. You have several options.

To Cover up your Dirty Work

Add "stitch sentences" where you drop off and start up to mention what happened. Keep it minimal, or ditch it altogether.
Remove any references from the surrounding chapters so we don't know what we're missing.
Incorporate it as backstory/foreshadowing throughout the text.

Don't be afraid to really move things around. If there's a mess, ask yourself:

To Smooth it Over with the Locals

Does it really have to happen this way?
Can I make this happen any faster?
Why is this character/event here?
Can I eliminate this character and have someone else do it?
Can these scenes happen simultaneously?
Can I move this event into the past?

Trust me, I've been working on the same story since time immemorial. I had scenes I thought defined my entire novel. It turns out they didn't. I recently cut four chapters of "escaping" by realizing the obstacle course my MC was running through could be cut down to the most exciting event. I made characters I was holding off on more proactive. I thought my MC had to run all my plot driving "errands," but I just made a secondary character go "do it" while my MC moved on to more important things, and then my errand character came back with a one paragraph report.

Eliminate. Ruminate. Delegate.

And hack away.

image source

I'll Explain Myself Tomorrow

2011-07-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

You'll be needing this.

Tuesday's Ripest Pick: The Other Side of the Story by Janice Hardy

2011-07-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

As you may have read last week, The Ripest Pick is a blog that I've found to have a substantial amount of excellent backposts. It's organized, professional, and most of all: useful.

In the meantime, I try to choose blogs with less than 1,000 followers (and yes, I'll continue to sneak in two recommended bigwigs each week like Kristen Lamb and Natalie Whipple.)

This weeks Ripest Pick is The Other Side of the Story. The author, Janice Hardy, has also published a YA trilogy entitled The Healing Wars.

Once again, we have a well-organized sidebar where writers can drink (and make appreciative cat-calls), at a fountain of information.

Some of my favorite goodies?

The best summary of how to figure out your genre that I've ever seen.

Advice on describing action, or how not to. This post saved a prison-escape scene I once wrote. Saved it from the over-flowery-dungeons of reader Hell.

Finding too many sentences starting with your character's name? Too many pronouns? Wait, is it your narrator who is describing things, or is it your MC? Your narrative distance may be out of whack. Trust me, you want to know this.

And yes, a treasure trove of recommended blogs and websites.

So, did you find any green grass on the Other Side of the Story?

Manuscript Snot and How to Use It

2011-07-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

I hear the advice to "just write" a lot, but how to actually go about doing it is another matter...This last week I decided to actually start taking my own advice, ditch my re-re-re-revised sacred cow chapters and write a crapface rough draft. And I mean rough.

I've given myself a new rule:

Monday-Friday I can not go online until I have written at least 700 words of my story. They can be buttface words, all-caps onomatopoeias, and yes, Lucifer besiege me--adverbs.

I'm actually extremely happy with the amount of useable material produced this week, and in order to make this crapface writing method more accessible, I've included some notes on how even the sentences that would convince my mother that her daughter has actually been mentally retarded her entire life helped me.

While I do not think it's a good idea to post excerpts from a manuscript, I don't see anything wrong with picking out the disposable snot from your rough draft and sharing it for funnies.

Sharing snot, excellent.

Here are some gems:

He caught her eye, dancing in a square with the rest of the men.
“I see you’ve found something of interest.”
“No,” Marielle lied.
“He’s just your type.” Tirrennial drawled. “Nice and hairy.”
HuYEAH.

Bryant blasted them with a whizbang of magic. BAM!

“We’ll jump.”
“What?” 
“We’ll be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve been thrown out this window before.”

Everyone ate and told stories and had a good time.

The City of Jim fell silent as their King began some sort of awesome speech that I will write later.

What was going on here?

I went ahead and used dialogue tags to remind me of how I want characters reacting. These tags can later be changed.
Instead of stopping my typing to think of how to elocute "HuYEAH," I just use it. Heaven knows I know what I mean by that. I can take more time to describe HuYEAH during revisions.
Whizbang is probably not going to make it to the text.
BAM is shorthand for a lovely description of an explosion.
Who is talking is obvious enough to me in this scene, so I bother with 0% tags.
I write a quick note so I can move on to something I feel passionate about.
Seeing myself skip over something makes me wonder if a full description is actually worth writing.
Me being a lazymuffin.

What good comes of this?

Gets me ready for NaNoWriMo!
Forces me to envision scenes I've been avoiding
Flexes my writer-muscles
Allows me to write things that I think will sound completely stupid, and then realize I love and want to keep
Lets me write dialogue that flows, and reveals character gut-reactions
Makes the claim, "I'm writing a story" actually true
Makes me feel like I'm actually doing something with my life
My "funny" actually comes out when I stop trying to sound literary, which makes a huge difference in finding my authentic voice
It's fun and makes me laugh

Anyone want to join me?

I'd love to hear how this works for you.

Or, did you find this helpful at all? If so, would you like this to be a reoccurring feature on the blog?

NOTE: If you're noticing the site is a little wonky, it's because the blog is being moved to a top-tier URL. That's right, we're moving to christinetyler.net! Links and widgets should be converted in a few days. After that, we might see some cosmetic changes. Exciting!

Photo Source: National Geographic

Rejection and Failure: Why Rebecca Black is my Hero

2011-07-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

There's a diffrence between a failure and a fiasco. A failure is merely the absence of success. Any fool can achieve failure. But a fiasco, a fiasco is a disaster of epic proportions. A fiasco is a folk tale told to other's to make other people feel more alive because it didn't happen to them. --Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor in Elizabethtown

And if you didn't know what Drew Baylor did after his fiasco:
That's a butcher knife attached to an exercise bike.

Now, the suicide bike may be hilarious (and one of the first things that made me fall in love with this bizarre movie), but it's funny because in a sense it's true. When we fail, and meet rejection and ridicule, we all kinda wish we had a suicide bike.
Or at least a very deep hole.

Now, if you've been living in the aforementioned bottomless pit, you may not have heard about my new hero, Rebecca Black. Rebecca recently posted a music video called Friday on Youtube. The video was made by a vanity production company, and featured her and some of her friends singing a goofy song about the weekend. The lyrics weren't too hot, and neither was the auto-tuning. It was kind of like a bad kids-bop remix, and for some reason a black man started rapping from a car about halfway through it.

For a home video it was a ton of fun.
For Youtube it was a laughingstock.

Everyone raced to see the "Worst Song Ever," and not only did Rebecca garner more "dislikes" on her upload than likes, she also attracted some of the vilest trolls from the depths of Youtube cruelty. The rejection and sheer hatred toward a young girl who hadn't done anything morally wrong was shocking. The video reached over 23 MILLION hits before Rebecca removed it from the website.

At this point I would be looking for a suicide bike or a bottomless pit.

And then she posted this:

Now, it doesn't matter how much you like the new video. True to form, Youtube trolls have already made sure My Moment has a dislike-bar with far more red than green. But this girl not only said, "I'm not going to disappear," she moved on, made a better video, and is going to take on her dream amid the jeers.

She's making bank doing it too.

And those people will continue to write nasty things from their mother's basement, and their green-eyed slumber parties, and stay there. All their lives.

As writers, artists, or dreamers at all -- rejection is scary, failure is daunting, and ridicule is the worst.

Do it anyway. Write, sing, dance, or make a terrible shoe. But do it smiling, with your head held high. Do it because you love it. Do it because you can't be stopped.

You. Can't. Be. Stopped.

You Failed
Elizabethtown at MOVIECLIPS.com

Tuesday's Ripest Pick: The Cockeyed Caravan by Matt Bird

2011-07-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is now officially my "Ripest Pick" day, a day where I can ~~slack off~~ work extra hard and share one of my favorite blogs with you. I like seeking out blogs that don't seem to get circulated as much as Nathan Bransford or Kristin Nelson--as awesome as they are, we all already know they're awesome. The Ripest Picks are chosen for already being loaded up with excellent back-posts that are ready by the bushel, and sweet, juicy content.

Todays Ripest Pick is T he Cockeyed Caravan hosted by Matt Bird. He's a screenwriter from NY, but better than that, he's a stinking genius.

Check out episodes #79-83 of Matt's Storyteller's Rulebook to see what How to Train Your Dragon did so very right when it came to developing a hero.

Or, read up on all the things that can go wrong and completely Alienate your Audience.

If you're really yearnin' for some learnin', check out The Hero Project, where Matt delves into Joseph Campbell's quest structure with 30 top-notch articles.

On top of that, everything is organized conveniently in the sidebar by topics/projects.

Tuesday is a great day, and the pickin's are ripe.

What treasures did you find on your Cockeyed Caravan ride?

Why There Will Never Be Another Harry Potter

2011-07-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Back to your BOOKS!

Well, it looks like we've survived the Harry Pocalypse. I went to where "It all ends," and it didn't. Harry Potter has really just begun. An entire generation grew up with him, will read JK Rowling's books at bedtime to their children, recall the "good 'ol days" of waiting in line for seven hours at the movie theatre's midnight showing, and refer to "Harry Potter" as an untouchable classic.

But here is my conundrum. I keep coming across the same theme lately:

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT HARRY POTTER?

And I'm going to tell you right now...I have the answer.

No one.

And it's not because it's "unbeatable" and "Sooooo great omg!" and there will never be another good book evar. It's because an anomaly is exactly that. The book was popular because it was unique. Yes, there were plenty of books written about witches going to boarding schools BEFORE JK Rowling did it, yes I know. But this one took it further, much further. It defined the genre for us. No one else gets to write a book about witches going to boarding schools from here-on-out without looking like they're ripping off Harry Potter.

Just like no one gets to write a book about forest-dwelling elves with gorgeous features, ethereal magic, and a penchant for archery; stouthearted dwarves that live in geometric underground dwellings, or pure evil talismans that must be destroyed in order to save the world, without looking like they're trying to be JRR Tolkien. (And I'm amazed at how many people try.)

Harry Potter never beat out Lord of the Rings. Perish the thought. People still love LOTR just as much as ever. It's still its own. (And the movies might have been a bit better...)

I could throw out all sorts of examples that follow this pattern. How many people do you see trying to make the next Star Wars? The next Dragon Riders of Pern? And for you anime fans out there...the next Sailor Moon?

Kay, I feel old...the next Hunger Games? The next Twilight?

Holy cow, we have to wade through the slog! But the imitations fail us. They always fail us.

Why?

Because we want something new. We also want the real thing. Looking for a book to be like the last one you loved is like looking for a new boyfriend or husband who reminds you of the last one.

So when I'm told, "Oh, If you loved Harry Potter, then you'll love this," I react to it the same way I'd react if someone told me, "Oh you'll love him. He's just like your ex-husband." Poorly.

When I find a $20 bill in one pocket, I don't keep looking for more in the same pocket--durr!

I look somewhere else.

Or, write something else.

Right?

image source

The Spark Blogfest

2011-07-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer?

What author set off that spark of inspiration for your current Work in Progress?

Or, Is there a book or author that changed your world view?

As writers, we're always striving to get out a message of inspiration to others. This blogfest is a celebration for those who have done this for us. Join the Spark Blogfest, aka Sparkfest, by posting your answer to any of the three prompts above (or make one up as long as it fits the theme).

I'll make it worth your while!

There will be three Amazon Gift Cards ($15, $10, $5) awarded to random participants!
The blogger who writes my favorite entry will get an interview on my blog so they can tell us more about their awesome source of writerly inspiration!
By networking with other writers, you gain followers and comments for your own blog! Yay!

Only one Sparkfest post August 22-26 is required to participate.

Here's how you can increase your chances of winning:

Follow my blog (1pt)
Post the Spark Blogfest/Sparkfest icon in your Blog's sidebar (1pt)
Write a blog post about it (1pt)
Tweet about it (1pt)
Share a link on Facebook (1pt)
Post on multiple days Aug 22-26 (1pt each)

That's ten points possible! In order to participate, please sign up in the Linksy box below. When you've racked up your points, comment on THIS POST with your POINT TOTAL and your EMAIL ADDRESS.

Winners for the Amazon Gift Cards will be selected by a random number generator.

Winner of the interview will be my favorite, picked by me and completely biased.
Really, just be original about it.

Because I've had trouble contacting prize winners in the past, if you do not sign up in the Linky, and include your point total and email address in the comments section by the end of the blogfest (11:59pm Aug 26), you will not be included in the drawing.

This blogfest is international. Gift cards will be sent through email.

Copy and paste this html to share the Sparkfest icon:

Web Builder

Image source for icon

Night Owling

2011-07-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

Participating in Shelly Brown's Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest today! It goes all week, so click the link or the icon to join in on the fun.

Night Owling

Needless to say, it was a fiendish trait
Ignited by moonlighting ancestors of fierce philosophy
Gypsies of the second wind are we, minds forested, nocturnal
Heed not those wicked will-o-wisps, slaves of slumber's marsh
Tock tick tick, tempting, tempting, sleep sleep...

Oh ho! Say we, our winks cease at 39
Witching tide is long past gone
Lots to plan of impish agendas
Indeed! More spritely tales to relish, to rue
No, daylight simply will not do--far too noisy, much too bright
Gallivanting's best at night.

Christine Tyler
December 16, 2004

So, which of you are Night Owls?

Someone wanted to know what I think...

2011-07-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Deirdra's blog is so fancy...
I dressed up for the occasion!

I've been interviewed over at A Storybook World by Deirdra Eden-Coppel. It was a lot of fun answering her questions and I spent a lot of time trying to sound like I didn't spend a lot of time typing them.

Check it out!

Oh, and an additional update from after the interview:
I did finish 100 Years of Solitude, decided I loved it, and promptly read Love in the Time of Cholera the next week.

How to be a Literary Dick. Lessons 4-5. Online and When Dealing with Agents

2011-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Early Founders of Richard's Literary Academy aka
"Tom Riddle's Posse"

Lesson 1. Get the Look
Lesson 2. In the Classroom
Lesson 3. At the Movies

Lesson 4. Online

1) Start a blog.
2) Use your blog as a platform to complain about... agents/editors/how authors only get published because of their "ties" in the industry/how there are no new ideas under the sun/how you can never find good books/how YA is taking over the industry/Twilight/other writer's blogs/America/how agents won't represent you because "no one publishes literary prose nowadays"/how reading anything written after 1960 is a waste of your time/how much easier finding a publisher used to be/self-publishing/e-publishing/The Big Six being anti-author conspirators/how Shakespeare is overrated/how reading other people's books just throws off your writing/how no one deserves to be published but you, and everyone else is just hogging up the slush-pile making your manuscript harder to find, because if that weren't the case it would obviously be represented by now/pantsers/structure/Stephen King/whoever was the last Nobel Prize Winner for Literature/things that aren't fair/lolcats/how archaic everyone else's opinions are/girls/pregnant women contributing to overpopulation/Harry Potter contributing to world-wide overpopulation of zealous readers who don't care about target audience/anything your critique group suggested/how your critique group doesn't deserve you/grammar rules you don't agree with/grammar rules you made up and no one else agrees with/avocados/that Red Robin waitress who didn't get your hook/Red Robin/Christianity influencing writing/Romance novels/fantasy/dystopian books that aren't 1984/YA/MG/queryshark/your mom.
3) Lather
4) Rinse
5) Repeat as necessary.

Lesson 5. When Dealing with Agents
There is only one rule: DO THIS.

Congratulations! You would be a Literary Dick by now...if you were good enough.

But you're probably not.

How to be a Literary Dick. Lesson 3. At the Movies

2011-07-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tom Riddle was the original Literary Dick.
His hair-part superseded the hat.

Lesson 1. Get the Look
Lesson 2. In the Classroom

Lesson 3. At the Movies

1) Go to a movie based on a book you enjoyed. Point out every thing that is different. Make sure everyone can hear you.

2) Go to a movie based on a book you hated. Let everyone know (by "whispering" to whoever is next to you), that you only came because:
a. Your girlfriend made you (unfortunately you have to have a girl with you for this one.)
b. You just had to see if it was really as bad as you thought it would be. Decide it is. During the trailers.

3) During any adapted scene, describe the original chapters to your friend/mom/self with the attitude of re-envisioning every detail for the seeing-impaired.

4) Laugh when no one else is. For added emphasis, you can even point at the screen to let everyone know what you are laughing at.

5) Do not groan during parts you don't like. Sigh. It is much more passive-aggressive. Make sure that sigh is the same every time. Base the continuity and frequency off of Professor Umbridge's "cough."

Stay tuned for our grand finale:
Lesson 4: Online and When Dealing with Agents!

A Seriously Cute Blogger Award Ceremony-thing!

2011-07-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

I just received the Seriously Cute Blogger Award from Heather Hellmann! Thanks, Heather!

To accept the award I have to list 5 books/films/TV programs I’ve read/watched in the last 12 months.

1. TV: I actually watched LOST about a year after the finale aired. (Our TV only plays DVDs. No cable.) Avoiding spoilers from family, friends, and Youtube, was an act of heroism, let me tell you. Of course, when it ended, spoilers wouldn't have mattered much anyway, as all the foreshadowing in the first five seasons is completely worthless.

I would...click both those links if you want to laugh. Just sayin'.

2. FILM: I watched The Other Boleyn Girl the other day...you know you're an idiot when a historical drama has a surprise ending.

3. BOOK: I finally finished 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez LAST NIGHT. Having to sit down to breastfeed for 20 minutes every few hours seems to be very good for my "to-read" list. It's taken me a year to get through this book. I'd put it down for a month or so, pick it up for a while, or read DragonFlight by Anne McCaffrey instead. Each page was like a flower petal, with which I would pluck away and say, "I love this book--I love it not--" until I finally got to the end and on the last page decided I loved it.

4. FILM: I don't think I ever saw a really funny movie until Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Ruprecht? Good gravy...

5. BOOK: Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin was the most useful and inspiring book I read during my pregnancy. Horse mutters, blowing raspberries, thinking "wide" and moving moving moving got me through a dystotic birth with my sense of humor intact.

Who is seriously cute? I'll give you five:

1. Jeigh Meredith at Writer Brained

Hilarious pontification on writing and the misadventures that often come with it. Jeigh is a mother of four, loves music, and knows how to use self-deprecating humor like a funny bazooka. This is my favorite kind of wit. Go there and geek out.

2. Heidi Nickerson at Domestic Diva Dishes All

A student of opera and happiness in general, Heidi writes about one "Golden Moment" every day. Well-written, uplifting, and with the humor of a mother surviving her first toddler. This is a blog for everyone who likes to be happy.

3. Becca C at Nerd Girl Reads and Writes

I've been following Becca since I came to Blogger, and have never been disappointed by her informative and thoughtful content. She also has great story ideas, fragments, and reflections. She writes YA voice, and maybe it's because she's 19 (it's not, it's because she's a great writer), her YA voice is killer.

4. Christine Danek at Christine's Journey

Christine's titles always catch my eye, not because they're blasted away in all-caps, but because she chooses interesting topics, and I always know I'm going to hear something genuinely useful from her. Her posts read like casual advice to a good friend over a cup of coffee. She is a mother currently working on two WIPs.

5. Cherie at Ready. Write. Go.

I just found Cherie during this last Blogfest, and she was one of my golden discoveries. Her site is gorgeous, so I kind of wish I was handing out the Gorgeous Blog award. Her content also looks promising. I'll be spending the next while getting to know my way around her place.

Alright Winners, if you're so inclined, spread the love!

Readers, make sure to check out these five fantastic blogs and leave a comment recommending your favorite :D

How to be a Literary Dick. Lesson 2. In the Classroom.

2011-06-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson 1. Get the Look

Lesson 2. In the Classroom.
(Community College=best.)

1) Wire your ipod earphones under the front of your shirt. Turn up the volume when anyone is speaking who is not you. It's just not worth your time when you could be listening to Dave Matthews.

2) Disdain any author you are asked to read, or any assignment emulating their work. Throw up your hands, lean back in your chair and exclaim, "I'm just not seeing the merit in their work!" The more famous, the older, the deader: the better. Hemmingway, Dumas, and Steinbeck are great targets.

3) Use an obnoxious format or grammar-style when writing an essay. Italicizing the entire text is a good one. When the idiot revisions of your classmates and teacher come back to you, fight tooth and nail. They just don't see the vision. Consider writing your next piece in first person, using a dialect.

4) Constantly refer to your "career in print communication" and "professional work" writing for an angsty indie newspaper only circulated at Food Co-ops and vinyl record stores.

5) Disagree with your professor. Police all comments that do not coincide with your views. Interrupt them when you have to. They're only teaching because they couldn't get published anyway.

Extra Credit:
Make sure to groan whenever any reference to Twilight is made. Ignore the fact that it is out of your genre of choice, and that you are outside of its target age and audience, but do not ignore the book. Name some of the greatest authors in history and compare them to Stephanie Meyer.

Anyone have any suggestions to aspiring classroom Dicks?

Stay tuned for Lesson 3: Dick at the Movies!

I Write to Save the World

2011-06-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

I could not resist the prompt for Kayeleen's Blogfest today:

Why I Write.

Truth is, I've been leaving here and going to another world for over 15 years. I've danced in their parades, eaten their food, and breathed their ginger sunsets from the pier. Most of all, I've met their people.

When I die, all of that goes with me. All of them go with me.

Unless I can take you there.

How to be a Literary Dick. Lesson 1. Get the Look.

2011-06-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Meet Dick. Dick is a genius. Dick knows he is going to get published and be a best-selling novelist, and he's going to do it before you and better than you. You want to be him. This week Dick is going to share a series on the secrets of his imminent success with us.

Lesson 1: Get the Look

1) Activate your brain by touching your chin. Reactivate as often as necessary.

2) React to all opposing peoples with your eyebrows. Do this in order to temporarily quell your formidable wit. You do not want to crush them, after all. If your exaggerated facial expressions seem to irritate them, couple this response with #1.

3) Sit in the back of the classroom/theatre/conference. Find minions to flank you. You are allowed a bevy of two males and one adoring female. If you have a chair, only lean on the back two legs. If your chair does not lean, cross your legs. Fold your arms anytime someone else is speaking.

4) Wear a tie or a scarf. As I am portraying in the above photograph, both are good. Glasses are a plus. You should have a diatribe about the brand of jeans you wear in case anyone comments on them. True Religion is ideal.

5) Wear this hat.

I cannot stress the importance of this hat enough.

Here is a man. Do you think he knows what he is talking about? Do you think he is talking about books? Does he read Ulysses each month to remind himself why dashes are an artistic choice for quotations?

Simply stated, "--no.--"

But look at him HERE. Look at his HAT. Sir, you are obviously a candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Your opinion is valuable to me.

Wrong hat. But I would still like your itunes recommendations.

Sir, you can talk about whatever the hell you want.

Why is this man sad? He is sad because his opinions are nullified by his obvious lack of Dick.

Aha! Now he is a genius.

Ladies, no hat required. Rule #4 is especially pertinent to you, but as you know, this industry has been run by men since the Gutenberg Press. You can incorporate this resentment into your author-identity, however. Here is your study resource:

Stay tuned tomorrow for:
Lesson #2 How to be a Literary Dick: In the Community College Classroom!

Publicity for Hermit Crabs

2011-06-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Click here to buy me one of these.

Back in February, some of you saw this little project:

Posting the cover was a big step for me, as it was just about the first time I put my title online, and shared a glimpse of my WIP.

Friday's Blogfest was an even bigger step, because I actually dared to put some story details up for public reading.

I can't say how much I appreciate everyone's supportive and useful comments! I do think things looked a little bleaker than the story actually runs (probably due to the fact the 2/3 of the questions were about fears and regrets...), but it seemed like readers felt the character and world were rich, which is really really motivating.

And then came the niggling (which I told my husband the other day is a real word without being 100% sure it actually was.)

Is it a good idea to put any of this online? What if someone steals my story/character/plot/idea? What if I present something prematurely and everyone hates it and someone leaves a nasty comment and my spirit is crushed and I never write the book that I was supposed to write that would have brought me fame/money/success/self-respect/a new car?! And then comes the inner turmoil.

The nigglings.

Coming out of the Bat Cave and revealing your Secret Writer's Identity to your family and friends can be a challenge. Showing people your baby manuscript? Whoo-boy.

Let me share my amateur and mostly-useless perspective with you.

For starters, let me share Natalie Whipple's advice on this to me.
Here's the link where I asked, because she actually said quite a bit more on the subject.

Here's a secret: No one is going to steal your ideas. Why? Because they all think their ideas are better. I'm not kidding. Writers are both the most narcissistic and the most self-deprecating people out there. --Natalie Whipple

That was my key to get out of the Bat Cave.

I'm looking forward to occasionally sharing more tidbits from my story. This will include hooks, character/setting/scene studies, and discarded crapfest writing that will never cost the life of a tree.

Posting your hook online is a great tool for gauging reader-reactions. In Save the Cat, Blake Snyder challenges writers to go out and share their hook with everyone. Not only do you get to move out of your hermit-crab-shell (to move into a bigger one, as hermit crabs do), but you are practicing pitching your idea to another person.

But there's a flip side, because Natalie did go on to say that execution of a good idea is what is key, so that is what I don't post.

Do not post anything you want to publish. Ever.

Personally, I think it is a horrible idea to put up actual pages, chapters, or heaven forbid--your entire manuscript--online. It not only puts it in danger of being plagiarized, but it's rather unprofessional to query something that an agent would consider a monetary investment, when it's been published (in whole or in part), for free online. The only time I see this being appropriate is when you actually have a release date and your publishing company puts the first chapter on your book's official website.

I've seen some people keep their writing 100% hush-hush online, but to me, that's swinging the pendulum a little too far the other way. So this is where I draw the line. I'll post ideas and snippets outside the manuscript, but never a piece of the manuscript itself.

Where do you draw the line?

Therapy Session with my Main Character (Blogfest!)

2011-06-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Participating in Elizabeth Mueller's Blogfest today! The challenge is to step into your Main Chara's shoes and ask three interview questions from Jeannie Campbell's Character Therapist site.

Quick get-your-footing:
Marielle is the second-highest ranking of the 13 wives of Duke Drew Marcory. She escapes from him and joins a group bent on overthrowing his reign, only to find that her newfound "friends" have plans of their own, and they're willing to risk her life to achieve them.

This interview takes place shortly before her escape. Tirri is her best friend (the Head Wife), and Nicholas is her lover.

Here we go!

What is your greatest fear?
Breaking. There's this vision I have of myself, sitting under the cherry trees in the garden, wearing some new fabric from Farnorth, trinkets that have been melted down thousands of times to be turned into something stylish yet again, my body is soft, and I'm smiling. It's the smiling that kills me--that I ever might do that here--that I might feel warm in Drew's hands, or inside these walls. I hate it. I really do.

What is your biggest accomplishment?
I've donated enough red scarves to Nicholas' group to fill the wallets of every sericulterist in Jim? With Drew's money too, that's something. Ah, the scarves aren't that great a feat, but Nick's men use them to identify themselves--it's sort of romantic, really. Just think, every man in this castle who wishes he could throttle my husband's neck is wearing one of my tokens under his lapel...I can smile at that.

Other than that, I'm a good swimmer, hey.

What is your biggest regret?
I was--you swear you're from the foreign lands and this will never leak out? Mm...okay then. I was there the night Tirri had her baby. The second one. The boy. She pretended she understood what happened to the girl. She's been pretending for two years that she still loves Drew, and maybe she does. It's kind of sick, but that's what it's become. She's, well she's sick in the head. She's been that way since Drew had the girl killed. And when the boy came, you know what she told me? That she'd rather see him dead than raised as a demon in the devil's house. And what everyone's suspecting? It's...it's true. They came and took his body away and they're all pretending that they believe her, that it was an accident. But I was there. I could have stopped her. I tried, but not very hard.

And I think the reason why, why her skinny arms could even stave me off, is because deep down I agree with her. I think. I don't know. Maybe I do know, because I regret it.

So what do you think of Marielle's session?

If it's still June 24th, you're in time to participate yourself! Head on over to Elizabeth's blog and sign up. Be sure to leave a link in the comments so I can check your entry out.

Fox Woman

2011-06-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Myth of the Fox Woman

Once upon a time I took a Modern Dance class. (My final was a ten-minute ~~comedy routine~~ dance summarizing the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. There was a blender involved.) My instructor was an obvious participant at the fabled Woodstock, and the flower-child's glory days careened her into the lively calling of Space Cadet Dance Instructor.

As far as characters go, she was Luna Lovegood gone to seed.

Needless to say, I loved her to death.

At any rate, after two months of rolling around on the floor pretending to be books opening and closing, listening to her brooding stories of her past career as a flamenco dancer, and ignoring her while trying to learn to do the splits, she announced that we would be learning a dance. An actual dance. We were stoked.

Our teacher turned on her decrepit CD player, and one of the strangest songs filled every cranny of my brain. I was transported to the more humid world of my mind's imagination. A rather flat female character in my story began to round out in delicious colors. I looked forward to hearing the song every day. No one knew what the words meant, not even our instructor (insert witty 60's reference here), but I began to feel the motivation of one of my most mysterious characters, forest under her feet, the heat of a firepit on the side of her face, and I could smell the sweat of the dirt and hear the howl of a human moving with their deepest carnal strides.

The class came and went. Our teacher could never seem to remember the name of the song or the composer. She retired. My only clue was that it was "Alternative Scandinavian Folk."

That was in 2006.

For the next three years I kept that song in my head. The forest scene was exactly what I needed in my story, and the beginning of one of my strongest characters. My villainess moved from the translated fast-pitch clique from high school into an instinctive, natural creature. I wrote a scene for that song, and for that character. I daydreamed about the song being used in the movie's soundtrack. I had no idea how to find it. If only I could write to it...

In 2009 I took a walk around a lake. And there she was. My Modern Dance instructor. I think she pretended to remember me. We called each other by several variances of each other's names.
"Paula? or was it Donna?"
"Oh! Kathy! It's Susan, actually. I remember you, of course! You had blonde hair then? Went by Cat?"
"Christine, um, but someone might have called me Cat...yeah...hey I have a question for you."
I was desperate to find more clues. Did she remember what the cover to the CD looked like? No, it had been burned. What language the song was in? Maybe Finnish? What genre did stores put it in? World Music? That helps, sure...maybe the title had something to do with Foxes. Foxy Women? But that was the translated title, not the actual one.

Half-hearted Google searches left me empty-handed.

Until this January I buckled down and made it my mission to find this song. I searched every tidbit and YouTubed Scandinavian Alternative Folk until I found it on Ebay. I bought the CD for three dollars, and the day it came I opened it with glee, telling my husband of my epic quest in obtaining it.

"Oh yeah," he says. "That's Räven by Hedningarna. They're a pretty cool band."

So sly! That elusive Fox Woman...

The translated lyrics could not fit more perfectly.

Do you have any songs that you not only like to write to, but have helped you shape your actual story or characters?

I have an heir.

2011-06-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

So if you haven't already guessed, baby has arrived!

Happy day was June 4th.

His name is Anwell Jackson Tyler. My husband and I found the name Anwell in a baby-name book while we were dating. It's a traditional Welsh name (his father's side is Welsh), and it means "wanted" or "beloved." He can go by Jack if he doesn't like it.

The grub weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz, 21 inches.

The birth story is a lot of fun to tell. I'll put up a link to my family blog once I overcome sleep-deprivation enough to post it.

In the meantime, the bug and I are watching Lord of the Rings (or, I am watching Lord of the Rings...typing precariously, and he is snoozing.)

The adventure of giving birth has struck a creative center in me, and while my brain feels a little fried lately, I'm getting the dreamy jive back that I write best under.

It's kind of like when you're watching an old movie and you get this itch right before someone says, "I feel a song coming on..." I feel a story coming on, boy howdy! So excuse me while I go from exclusive midnight milk-factory, all the way to baby-on-the-boob blogger. Transitions, ah yes, transitions.

Goodies!

2011-05-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Isn't this lovely? This is an award that the fabulous Deirdra Eden Coppel created and has granted to this site. Click on her name to check out her blog. It's gorgeous!

In other news, I stumbled upon the following pot of gold at Natalie Whipple's blog. I was so happy about it that I ended up taking notes, watching it several times, mapping out my story arc, character arc, trilogy arc, and then mapped out the small arcs that take place in my first few chapters. Doing so revealed a number of things I "felt" were wrong, but didn't quite know how to change. Here's to hoping it may be enjoyed by you also!

In other good news, this book came today in the mail!

I am so stoked. Check it out at Goodreads or Amazon. I've seen it recommended around the blogosphere. The sample chapters were enough to get me to buy it.

I'm thinking about reviewing the "writing books" I read.

Anyone think this would be helpful?
Anyone have a favorite book on writing to suggest?

Math Magic: The View from Up Here

2011-05-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a little math magic to streamline a scene:

Your damsel in distress is looking out a tower. She sees her love approaching a mile off, just as he breaks over the horizon, sun shining on his golden armor...

Holdup, you say.

A mile off? Several miles off? Should I just omit any mention of the distance so I don't sound stupid? But how far off can she actually see him? And how long does she have to reapply her mascara?

We already know how to figure out how long she has to coiffe, but only if we know how far off he actually is. What about a sea-farer in a crow's nest waiting to call "land ho!" A lone vagabond wandering through the desert who spots an oasis? A guard faithfully watching from the turrets for an invading army?

How far away ARE these things when we can actually see them?

Aha! Well, all you need my friend, is a little math magic.

It takes three steps (the fourth is congratulating yourself.)

All we need to know, is your height.

How far we can see is called the Distance to the Horizon.

The Distance to the Horizon is approximately equal to 1.323 multiplied by the square root of our height.

If you want distance in miles and height in feet, use this equation:

For distance in kilometers and height in meters, use:

Aaaah! Scary math! I'm an ENGLISH MAJOR!

It's okay. Calm down. Let's work through it.

Grab a calculator. This will be easy.

"d" is what we're looking for, so leave it alone.

"h" is the height of your character, plus whatever they're standing on.

Let's say Dragula the Damsel is 5' tall and standing in a 30' tower. This makes her 35' high.

Use your calculator to find the square root of 35. (Looks like it's about 5.92)

Multiply this by 1.323.

My answer is 7.83, so that means that Dragula can see about 8 miles off.

Let's review the steps:

Figure out how tall the character is, and add it to the height of whatever they're standing on.
Find the square root of that height.
Multiply by 1.323 for miles (or 3.856 km)
Feel smart. You've just used some math magic.

You now have the ability to have your damsel's maid shout how much time she has, the kid in the crow's nest can call out the island's distance to the lieutenant, the vagabond dies because the oasis was a mirage and wasn't close at all, and the faithful guard can accurately say phrases like, "They're a league off!" without it being a load of cheap potpourri on your bull-crap.

Math Magic is the Febreze of the writing world.

Note:

This equation is for a character looking across flat land. Hills, mountains, and large objects can obstruct their view and limit how far they can see. Also, trees.

Sea Fever

2011-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield

1878-1967

Not that I've actually been out at sea--just thought I'd treat you to one of my favorite poems. Not only does this prose paint a picture of a man's love for being out on the deep blue, but his affinity for a separate, simpler world.

If you've been following, you know I took April--and this first bit of May--offline. I did continue to check my email, especially as my husband was deployed. The Navy has given him back for now, which I always appreciate.

Not that I endorse being a lifelong hermit, I do heavily recommend that if you find yourself drowning in the murk of "important issues" and "must-see viral videos," you take a break and remind yourself of what is actually important to you. Sit with yourself, without music, without a tv, without any white noise...even without worrying about being in your most comfy sweat pants or whether or not your yoga mat has pthalates, and just keep yourself company. See if you like yourself. See how long you can sit and think and dream.

I was surprised this last month at how "unplugging" myself not only calmed me down emotionally (because at 8 months pregnant, I might have really needed that), but how much it contributed to my spiritual peace. I felt more willing to volunteer and teach at church, initiated more personal study, read more, called people I needed to call, and connected with family. I could sit and think about my story without the distractions of everywhere I want it to go, the agents I want to send it to, the publishing company I hope to have someday, what I'll say in my interview with Oprah, who will design the cover, or whether or not it's "ready" or "almost ready." I enjoyed my imagination.

You don't have to unplug yourself to do this. As a matter of fact, as writers, we all need to find our balance in the technical and the imaginative.

But I, this last month, needed to go dark. With two to three weeks to go until baby's estimated arrival time, I think I'll continue to do so. I will update periodically, but frankly, there is a time and a place for everything, and right now it's the time to focus on my family, hunker down into my "monkey-brain," as Ina May would put it, and plant some flowers,

paint a picture,

bake a pie,

and breathe deep.

I must go down to the seas again.

Going Dark

2011-03-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

I will not be opening my laptop for the entire month of April. Baby, it just needs to be this way. I understand in the blogosphere, this might as well be like saying, "Hey guys, I'll see you in 30 years!"

You'll move on, fall in and out of love with someone new, and I'm sure you'll almost forget about me entirely...and then I'll come waltzing back into your life in May.

See you then!