The SECRET Trick

I'm not gonna lie. This writing technique isn't groundbreaking. It's something you've probably already thought about. And I'm sure I'm not the first to blog about it.

But I always love getting reminders about stuff like this. Just because I know it, doesn't mean it's always at the front of my mind. Yanno?

So. For today, here is your reminder:

Give each of your characters a secret.

Each character. Not just your main character(s), but your secondaries, too. And your tertiaries. (I totally had to look up the spelling for tertiary. I could have sworn there was a "c" in there somewhere . . . )

I try to know as many of my characters' secrets as possible before I start writing a draft. They each have one very significant one. A secret that they'd do just about anything to keep from coming to light. (Sometimes characters have more than one. That's when things get super fun.) (I'm a poet and I know it.)

Some characters' secrets become large parts of what drive my plots. Their unveilings can lead to major twists. Or small ones. Or they're not twists at all, but something else entirely. Not every secret has to be CIA spy-worthy. Sometimes the secrets never even come out--but they still definitely motivate their character's actions.

A character's secret can be deep and dark. Scary. Or it can be light, like hidden love. Or somewhere in the middle. Really, anything works. As long as the secret exists and makes a difference to the character.

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I mean, think about it. We can deepen a character's development in spades just by understanding their secrets--and how they react to them.

Take . . .  Shelly, the main character in your new WIP. Or, yanno, insert the real name of a character here: ______________ :)

What's her secret? And whom would she share it with? Her best friend? (What's her best friend's secret?) Her parents? (What are their secrets?) Nobody? Someone only at the last minute and under duress?

How does her secret affect other characters in your WIP? How does it affect your plot? If it came to light, would it impact her life and the world around her? Or does she only think it would have an impact, but you the big bad author know otherwise? Will you let her secret slip out into her world? How? What about a secondary character whose secret affects your MC? What will you do with that? Or the tertiary character whose secret affects that secondary character? Or the second secondary character whose working against the first secondary character because his secret involves, or depends on, the first's secret?

I could keep asking questions like that for hours. Happily! Because each answer opens up something new. And all the sudden there's the start of this spiderwebbed plot. 

Each answer makes it that much stronger.

Okay, and maybe you're a pantser and don't think about these things ahead of time. No big. This trick still works.

Have you ever stumbled into a corner that you haven't known how to write yourself out of? Of course you have! And not because you're a pantser. I mean, I do that all the dang time, and I plot forever before I start writing. It happens to all of us.

But dude. When you do write yourself into a corner?

Give a character a secret and let it explode. Either your main character, or someone near her. The result from it being leaked?

Boom.

That corner's destroyed in the rubble and you'll find a million different places you could go. Or maybe just two or three--or maybe just a single strand to pull on, but it'll be enough to move your character forward.

Or, if you want to be evil, backward. :)

And one other little trick for this technique? 

Reread this, but replace the word secret with a different noun. 

Give each character a past. A dream. A fear. A weakness. A strength. An ability. A disadvantage. A weapon. A goal.  A tendency . . . 

♥S

From Idea to Drafting: My Writing Process

I love when writers talk about their processes. How they write. How they plot. How they revise. It's kind of like getting to take a peek in your neighbor's house. Getting to see how they decorate, their furniture choices, their color schemes. Sometimes it might not match your particular style, but still. You can't help but be curious. (And sometimes you discover a style that might work for you as well!)

So.

In case you've ever been interested in taking a glance into my house . . . here's a high-level peek into how I write a book.

Sometime in the next couple weeks, I'll talk more specifically about how I plot. And maybe about how I revise, too. :) 

For the record, I've yet to have my process work the same way twice. It changes every time I start something new, but some of the basics are pretty constant.

1. I usually get hit with inspiration for a new story (one that actually sticks, I mean--I have plenty of concepts that fizzle out after a day or two) right around the time I'm halfway (or almost) finished with the draft I'm currently writing.

Sometimes timing can be everything.

For the WIP I'm currently revising: A year or so ago, while in the middle of a different WIP, I got a Word-a-Day email with a word I love but rarely use--and suddenly it became part of the title idea for a new book. The email came in on my phone as I was walking down the stairs and when I got to the bottom I stepped into the living room to find that my husband had an old surfing movie on--and right there my main character for that new book came to me. (Hint: she surfs!) So those two things happened nearly simultaneously. And from there, she--and the concept--grew.

2. I spend a while letting the story/characters develop organically--if (in the story's case) somewhat vaguely--in the back of my mind. Every once in a while I'll jot notes down if something particular strikes me about the plot that I know is a keeper. (This goes on for four to six months or so. It might be shorter, but usually I'm busy finishing--or, ha, sometimes deciding not to finish, *sigh*--another project.)

Although, in some cases, characters spring into my brain fully formed. And mess up everything.

Yeah.

For this WIP, I'd been getting to know my main character for six months--and right when I was about to get down and dirty with plotting, a second main character plowed her way in. (TWHS) (Sorry. Couldn't help myself.) (So immature . . . ) But anyway. There she suddenly was. And she ruined MANY of those plot points I'd thought were keepers.

But, okay, to be fair, she also added a lot to the story. (I totally grew to love her, the sneaky little thing.)

3. I get serious about the project and start plotting for real. With both my computer (Scrivener, whut whut!) and a notebook. (This part of the process can be two weeks to two months, depending.)

This is when I 1) read a bunch of books on craft and try to follow their advice (which lasts approximately three days--because my stories/characters refuse to stay in line, even when I'm just plotting them, *sigh*) and 2) call in a CP for some major brainstorming.

4. The writing starts. (A month or two for this step.)

This is usually a false start. It happened twice with my current WIP. Got about 30-40k in and ended up scrapping just about everything. Because I almost never have the world built enough--the fantasy aspects. I know vaguely how everything works, but when the writing actually begins, I end up realizing I need to know things in a MUCH more detailed way.

5. More plotting. (Another few weeks.)

It's another CP's turn. Or two. MOAR brainstorming. But this time it's focused on very specific aspects. This is when things get all messed up, and I feel like I can't make my story work the way I want it to . . .

And then, somehow, things start falling into place.

6. The REAL writing starts. (Three to six months.)

I follow the outline I've plotted as closely as I can. Which frequently isn't possible because once the real writing starts, everything shifts and changes.

And I love every second of it. :) 

Well.

Every second I'm not otherwise engaged by complaining about how hard writing is. And how I have to re-plot the second half again. And how I'm never going to finish this stupid draft. And how my characters are refusing to cooperate.

So, you know, basically the same as every other writer I know.

10 MORE ways in which a casual observer might know I'm deep in drafting mode . . .

My FIRST post about the 10 ways in which a casual observer might know I'm deep in drafting mode, is HERE.

This list, however, is JUST as true . . . Unfortunately.

1. The longest verbal convo I've had in days is with my cats, during which I bounced new plot twists and directions off of them.

2. My text message and IM histories are full of random numbers. Which really come from word count updates sent back and forth with my writing friends. Texts to my husband on the other hand, frequently read: The number one rule for when you come home is to take a deep breath and not panic at the state of our house. It's all my stuff, all over the place. Don't worry. I'm going to clean it up . . . Soonish. Please don't divorce me. Love, Sara.

3. I've memorized pretty much every lyric ever written by Adele, Florence and the Machine, Taylor Swift, and 30 Seconds to Mars. Because of their relevance to my WIP. NOT from procrastinating. No way. *whistles innocently*

4. When asked, I STILL have to think about the last time I showered.

5. The Chinese place up the street greets me by name when I call to order delivery. Same with the Thai place. And the Mexican place. And Dominos.

6. Google search history now also comes up with "Will more than 5 red bulls in one day lead to a heart attack?" and "How much force does it take to break someone's nose?" and "Hawaiian curse words."

7. I get texts from my family just to make sure I'm still alive.

8. My legs get shaved exactly once a week. And only because I have an appointment with my personal trainer once a week. And only if I've run out of long workout pants. And THANKFULLY I usually have a pair or two of workout capris, so I only have to shave to my knees. (Yes, as a matter of fact, this IS my husband's fave part of my writing process.) (<--Sarcasm)

9. I begin to think I'd look good with dreads. Because given the condition and shape of my hair, I'm halfway there as it is. PROOF:

The hubs took a pic of me from his iPad . . .

The dreads are on their way.

10. I start to accidentally call my cats by the names of my characters, the same way some mothers mix up the names of their children. And I do this to my husband from time to time as well. But really, don't you think he should take it as a compliment because the main boy in my book is smokin' hot? I mean, except for the times I accidentally call him my MC's name. Because she's a girl.

~S

10+ ways in which a casual observer might know I'm deep in drafting mode . . .

1. My drink pile looks like this. By 10am.

2. I spend two minutes throwing away my empties before my husband gets home and am IMMENSELY proud of myself for getting so much cleaning done for the day.

3. I have to think about it when asked the last time I showered.

4. But am quite pleased with myself for having brushed my teeth within at least the past 20 hours. What? Cavities? Pshh. That's what I have a dentist for. And my breath? DUH. Gum.*

5. I can't tell you what happened on the last Vampire Diaries episode.

6. My Google search history reveals phrases including (but not limited to) "what does burning flesh smell like," and "how to avoid reporting a death," and "grocery delivery services."

7. On the EXTREMELY rare occasion I can be pried from my laptop, I have a pen and composition book pretty much glued to my hands. Even when I pee. Just in case. (Really, you never know.)

8. Instead of doing laundry only when I run out of clean undies (which, let's be honest, is the usual way I do laundry) I take the MUCH faster quarter mile of a ride to my mall and raid Victoria's Secret. Dude, 5 for $25. That's practically a whole 'nother week. They only look at me slightly strangely when I stop to furiously scribble down some random WIP-related thought in my notebook while leaning against their panty table.

9. Quite often, my husband can be found kissing me goodnight as he's heading out the door for work in the morning. And good morning when he gets home at night.

10. I, on the other hand, can frequently be found eating the WEIRDEST THINGS EVER for meals. Like hotdog buns with melted cheese, ketchup and mustard. (Don’t knock it til you try it.)

And, just for good measure, how about one more . . . 

11. My face is twisted into this sort of expression. At almost all times. (Completely unrelated to my writing eating habits.)

~S

*Okay, number 4 is kind of a stretch. But only because I promised my dentist to floss daily. And it's become kind of an addiction. 

Swimming Against the Current

The ocean. The sand. The sun. I Love the beach. Yep, Love with a capital L . And capital O, V, and Es, while we're at it.

You know those days, though? Where you're splashing in the water and look up ten minutes later to realize the current has dragged you a quarter mile from where you thought you were? And all your stuff is way down the beach? And you have to swim so hard to get back? You paddle and paddle and paddle, but when you look up you're still so. far. away. And you're out of breath and getting irritated and your muscles are so tired and you know you're being melodramatic, but you feel like you're never gonna get there?

I've had a lot of conversations recently with writers who are having days like those. I have them sometimes, too. With writing. With life. I mean, who doesn't hit that drag-you-down riptide every once in a while? When--in that moment--it feels like it's always going to be against-the-current battle? And we get exhausted. Because, seriously, when are we going to get there?

But then . . . Look around.

Dude, we're in the ocean. We get to play in the water. Yes, sometimes people ride a wave in and walk back along the sand. It's faster. It's easier. But I don't want to do that. Because, dang, look at my swimming muscles. Those things are getting JACKED. I'm getting stronger, my endurance is building. And next time it will be a little less of a challenge. And? Splashing and twisting and flipping in the ocean is fun. As long as you don't swallow too much and choke on the saltwater, yanno? So enjoy the waves and breathe out through your nose.

Because you wouldn't be in the ocean if you didn't love it.

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8 Commonly Misused Words

I have a problem. Her name is Pinterest.

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Pinterest, meet my followers. They are all fabulous and I heart them. Followers, meet Pinterest. She's a total time suck, and yet I love her oh, so much. Seriously. She's like a virtual collage for EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER THINK OF. And, let's be serious, who doesn't love a good collage?

What's that? You already know Pinterest? I should have known. Pinterest, that little minx, really gets around.

Want to know if you're a Pinterest addict? Here are the top ten signs you might have a problem... (Number 1 FOR THE WIN.)

So, um, I thought maybe I'd put my addiction to good use (okay, fine, that's kind of subjective--or maybe even nothing more than an excuse--in this case) and share some of the things I find. Like for instance, today, I've got this handy little guide for 8 commonly misused words. And, okay, most of these are easy peasy lemon squeezy --but confession? Yeah, I didn't actually know complement was a word. I've used compliment both ways forever. Whoops. And fewer and less get me every. single. time. (Which, for a former math teacher is kind of ridiculous . . . )

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Tada! See, you learned something. Or maybe you didn't. But let's just pretend you did, okay? And that all my time wasted spent on Pinterest is very beneficial for my wellbeing AND yours.

:)

Oh, and if you want to see my boards (hehe, it sounds dirty but IT ISN'T), you can find me HERE.

Have you succumbed to the big P(interest) yet? Or are you being strong and holding  out??

Most recent pin to make me giggle:

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Somethings are worth giving up on. Others are not.

Truth: I've had a pear-shaped few weeks.

Truth: I haven't been able to write. Like, at all.

Truth: It's not that I haven't tried. But I open my WIP and just stare at it. My mind hasn't been in the game. I end up typing a few words and then cutting them. And then cutting entire scenes, and my word count has just been . . . plummeting.

Truth: I've had a few thoughts about stepping out of the writing world.

Big Truth: It was tempting.

BIGGER TRUTH: Further thought about quitting made me miserable.

See, the thing is, things weren't pear-shaped because of my words--it had nothing to do with those. But I kept thinking I needed to simplify my life. And cutting out the writing would definitely give me more time to do so. But my world without writing?

I'd miss it like I'd miss a limb.

I'd miss it every time I read a book. The way I miss dancing every time I see a performance. The way I miss college when I'm back together with my friends.

Except way, way more.

Writing is a part of me. It's who I am. And today. This week. This month. NOW. I am getting back to it.

Who's with me?

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Sometimes When I Write . . .

I think so much and stretch my brain in so many directions--using, abusing, and working it out so hard--I swear I'm surprised I haven't developed telekinetic powers yet.

Seriously, I feel like I should be able to look across the room and dead lift one of my bookcases with just my eyes.

Or at least a Twizzler or something. I have plenty of those around to practice with.

* stares at Twizzlers *

* stares at Twizzlers *

* stares at Twizzlers *

* eyes go dry *

* has to blink *

* stares at Twizzlers *

But nope.

That picture is just a picture.

I know. You were all excited there for a second, right? Wait. What do you mean that doesn't look like a floating pack of Twizzlers?

Ummmmm, anyway, my point is . . . pretty much already covered in the first sentence.

I love the thought process though, the mental workouts. Making pieces fit together, creating rules and figuring out how to make my plot work within them. Pushing my characters to grow--when, oh holy mattress, they can be so stubborn. It all makes me happy, makes me thrive. So I'm not really complaining. I'm just saying: I can't believe I haven't developed some sort of mental super power by now.

Anyone else feel this way?  

In Case You Missed It . . .

on 9 things all writers wished their non-writer friends knew (Tahereh Mafi)

on AGENT PET PEEVES--Client Edition (Agent Jane Dystel)

on CHARACTER Development--Triangle Style (PK Hrezo)

on CHARACTERS of Color (Mary Anne Mohanraj, via John Scalzi)

on DREAMING (Josh Spector, via CJ Redwine)

on the ELEVEN senses (Yes, you read that correctly. Unless you read it as elven. Then you were wrong.) (Stina Lindenblatt)

on FEAR (Veronica Roth)

on FORMATTING: .doc vs .docx (Agent Mary Kole)

on your IDENTITY as a writer & beyond (Liz Writes Books)

on JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and TRANSITIVE VERBS (Livia Blackburne)

on MONEY... How much will you REALLY make as an author? (Agent Mandy Hubbard)

on having PATIENCE before hitting send (Sarah Fine)

on QUERYING: Make sure you've applied these Band-Aids to your WIP first! (Agent Sarah LaPolla)

#VAbook: First Page Critiques

So. I took eleventy bajillion notes during this one panel, Dancing with the Manuscripts, at The Virginia Festival of the Book.

Yes, you read that correctly. ELEVENTY BAJILLION. 

Before you run away screaming with flailing muppet arms, you should know I'm not writing all eleventy bajillion notes out here today.

You will not have to read a novel-length post if you stick around. 

Relieved?

Phew.

INSTEAD I sorted the notes into categories and simplified them into pretty pictures.       And by pretty pictures, I mean word clouds and nothing more.

But first?

An explanation:

Ahead of time, writers could submit their first 100 words to be critiqued during the session. Sadly, I did not discover this until past the deadline. But lots of other people did and I kept track of everything said about THEIR pages.

Winning Qualities for Your First Page

prose = beautiful language, active verbs, clean writing
engaging = good setup, foreshadowing, emotions evoked right away, fun to read, wanted to know more immediately

Red Card Qualities for Your First Page

(Panelists held up red cards if they didn't want to read past those first 100 words.)

prose = bad metaphors, clunky language, too many adverbs
bad description = take too long describing one thing, vague
something interesting : one panelist didn't like an entry because Hitler was referred to flippantly (the MC compared someone to Hitler), because she'd JUST been to a WWII panel, so it hit too close to home for her at the moment. timing really can be everything

Tada! 

Donzo.

In what could have been an epic-length post, I brought you pictures. (Well, really it wasn't me. It was wordle.)

QOTD: What's your favorite number. 

Mine's eleventy bajillion. 

Or nineteen.

The 30 Minute Hat Trick

Whew. I'm gonna be honest here--it is HARD to get back into blogging when you've been away for a while. I mean, I totes needed the break I took, but now that I'm here again? It's frakkin' hard to come up with things to talk about. Like, the only thing I can come up with right now is to tell you I chopped all my hair off (pictures forthcoming)--but who the heck wants to hear about that?

So, instead I thought I'd let you in on a little trick I've been using to yank myself up out of my writing rut.

It's kind of like a pull up.

Pull Up: an arm exercise performed by pulling yourself up on a horizontal bar until your chin is level with the bar (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn) (duh)

I STILL hold the record at my elementary school for the most pull ups done at one time by a girl. I think it's like... 28 or something ridiculous like that? (In case you think I'm full of it: I used to be a hardcore gymnast, the number 28 could very well be erring on the low side.)

Now, I'm (at least, sigh) as old as that once amazing pull up number. And I can't even do one measly pull up. Believe me, I know because Hubster bought an over the door pull up bar for P90X and I can barely even hang from it, let alone lift myself.

That is, until I put a chair a few feet away from where the bar hangs and use one foot on the chair to help pull myself up. Then I can do at least... three. a million. eight.

And that's kind of like the writing trick I'm about to share with you. My flipping amazing CP Cristin Terrill suggested it--almost offhandedly--to me, and it works like whoa. She basically revived my WIP with a toss of casual words that acted as that necessary chair under my foot. And now, it's become my mantra on those days when I. just. can't. make. myself. want. to. write. I call it The 30 Minute Hat Trick.

Hat Trick: a clever or adroitly deceptive maneuver. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hat+trick) 

Original image (and other REALLY cool optical illusions, found here:
http://www.dullsheep.com/tag/optical-illusions/

I used to set word count goals for myself. Like, on a day when I really didn't feel like writing, I'd tell myself I'd just get 500 words in, and then I could be done. Except on those days, every single word felt like squeezing blood from a stone (um, and stones don't bleed, fyi). (Double duh.) And one day, I was complaining about explaining it to Cristin and she threw these little words out that completely changed me:

I stared at her for a minute and I'll admit, I was doubtful. Thirty minutes? How can I call myself a serious writer if I only write for thirty minutes? I'll probably get like... six words done in thirty minutes. Sheesh. But then, thirty minutes are better than no minutes. They're better than spending all day trying to squeeze out 500 words and then feeling like a failure. This way, I could meet my time goal and still feel like I accomplished what I wanted to do--even if I only wrote 6 words.

But guess what happened when I tried it?

Before I started, I spent a little time rereading what I'd written the past few days. Then, I looked at the clock and it was 12:47 (or something like that) so I told myself I just had to make it until--

*pauses to do the math* 

--1:27.

--1:17.

The first fifteen minutes or so weren't easy. I won't lie: getting those initial few sentences or paragraphs written is HARD when your creative juices aren't flowing. But then--all the sudden--I looked up and it was 1:13. I only had four minutes left and then I could be done!

Except, I didn't want to be.

And I didn't have to be. I passed my goal by THREE hours--and a few thousand words--that day. And I've had similar success every single time I've used The 30 Minute Hat Trick. I think there's something about that 22 to 26 minute mark where everything clicks into place and the words begin to flow.

So, to make a (holy cow how did this post get so) long story short--when you're struggling to find the motivation to write, try giving yourself a 30 minute goal. And then see how far you end up getting :) 

Then, come back here and let me know how it worked!!

Question of the Day: What are your weekend plans???

Why Bother?

Every creative person will have a bad day. A bad week. A bad month. It's inescapable. Creativity isn't like... I don't know... math, where there's always the right answer. It has to be nurtured--and given breaks. Sometimes it'll take a beak on you before you're ready. And that's okay. Because you're a creative person, and it's going to come back.

You'll face disappointment. I'm sure you have already. Maybe you're sick of getting rejections; maybe your book didn't sell as well as you wanted it to; maybe your publisher didn't love your second book as much as they loved your first... I'm sure the list could go on and on--and all of those things are extremely disappointing. Give yourself time to process them, because that's life: you have to face the downside sometimes.

If you wallow too long in disappointment though, it can slick right over to the dark side. Because when you concentrate so hard on the things that aren't going well, it casts a shadow over everything else. Negativity is a tumor that sits there and grows and grows and grows until it consumes you--until it's a complete barrier in your path to creativity. And the more you let it go, the harder it is to push it back. And you know you know what I'm talking about.

So, if day after week after month, you're stuck on the things that haven't gone well for you, or the things you're worried won't go well, or if you're paralyzingly frustrated about how unfair you think everything in this industry is--it's time to snap out of it. Because if you're stressed and worried and unhappy more than you're happy... Well then, this is where the title of the post comes in.

Why bother?

Writing is a job you choose for yourself. There aren't many people out there who began writing because they were in dire straits and needed to provide for their family. If you're struggling financially, you're NOT gonna pick up a pencil or type out a story thinking it'll bring in the income you need by the time you need it. You don't have to write to live.

Okay, and it's quite possible you're sitting there thinking: Why is she writing this post? It's so negative! But it's not, I promise!

My point is that it's much easier to focus on the fear than on the hope. And I think that's a bad route to take. Yeah, self-doubt is natural. Disappointment is inevitable. But you wouldn't be writing if you didn't believe in yourself, because like I said--you don't have to write.

You choose to write. So reward yourself for doing so, for taking the risk. Keep your focus on why you do it. We write because we love to write. We write because we're storytellers--or, at least, we aspire to be. It's what makes us happy.

Concentrate on how good it feels when the words are pouring out of your fingertips. And if you're having a spell when they're slower to come, have faith that they'll return--because they will.

Remember it only takes one agent to fall in love with, and champion, your story--and some of the greatest authors out there had hundreds of rejections along the path. If you follow in their shoes, it's not such a bad thing! Same with editors. Different people have different tastes, and there's nothing you can do about that, so try not to dwell on it. Just believe in yourself, and believe that someone is going to love your words enough to buy them.

Write your book. Make it the best one you can. Then make it better. And again after that :)

Enjoy the process, don't let it bury you. Because when you let it bury you, it stops being fun. And why on earth would you choose to do this if it's not fun?

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But when I force myself to keep a positive attitude (because, yes, sometimes it is a decision rather than a natural process)--or when I at least force myself not to be negative--things really do go better. I don't struggle as hard to make the words flow, and life is just more fun in general.

So try it! If you're feeling down about about any part of the process, snap yourself out of it. Force yourself to remember the things you love about writing, and then focus on those things. Let everything else fade away.

Concentrate on you and the words and the creativity that makes you who you are. Do this the majority of the time.

That's what I try to do, anyway :)

Thanks for stopping by!!
♡Sara

Writerly Sacrifices

I love football. Love it.

Love my Redskins. Love Sunday games. Love Monday nights.

Love my ECU Pirates. Love Saturday games. Love Thursday night games. (Well, it's a close call between college games and Grey's Anatomy, but still...)


Plus, I love all the little extras that come along with football season. Beer, wings, Sunday parties with friends, trash talking, and omg I LOVE fantasy football. Seriously, most years I'm the commissioner of my own league. My team's name is... can you guess it? (Team Saradise, duh)

But last year, I gave it all up. I wanted to write--and holy cow you can get SO much writing done on Sundays when your husband's out with friends and all the TVs are off.

And I'm giving it up again this year. I'm revising one manuscript and after that, I'm halfway finished writing a new one. And if I spend my Sundays (and Monday nights and Saturdays, etc) writing instead of drinking and watching games, I'll finish that much quicker.

In the grand scheme of things, giving up football is a small sacrifice in comparison to some of the other things that I won't forfeit. For instance, my sister's in town from Miami and we spent all day Saturday hanging out. We went with my family into Maryland to GO APE (remember this post?) It's a treetop adventure site where you complete obstacle courses 40 feet up in the trees and swing on Tarzan swings and zip-lines...and it is SO much fun!

And it was okay, because I wrote on Sunday (first at Starbucks, with my friend & beta Cristin Terrill! and then at home, on my desk), instead of watching football, and got that much closer to finishing.

Of course, I also reward myself. For instance, when I finish this huge revision? I'm totally taking a weekend off from writing and watching hours and hours of football! I even pre-ordered this fun embellished Redskins hoodie, in preparation :) (Okay, and honestly, I'll wear the sweatshirt on Sundays, even if I'm not watching... I have to show some support!)

So my questions today are these: What are the things you give up to take your writing self seriously? And what things will you never sacrifice to progress your career?

PS! It's Carol Valdez Miller's BIRTHDAY!!! Make sure you stop by her blog, or find her on twitter, to wish her a very happy one ♥♥♥♥

Thanks for stopping by!!
 

Overheard

@ SCBWI LA! 

"Don't believe everything you hear." - Author Jon Scieszka, in regards to the industry and writing for children.

"The books that take us away from what we expect are what show us the world anew." - Author MT Anderson

"A pitch should include the page/word count, the first 15-20% of the plot, comparison to other writers, genre, and industry questions." - Agent Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown)

Senior Editor (Katherine Tegen Books, imprint of HarperCollins Childrens) Claudia Gabel looks for story inspiration all over (music, TV, movies, magazines, etc) and believes writers should too!

Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary) explained the difference between preempts and auctions. (Preempts are meant to take a book--or books--off the table, an editor makes a bid high enough to keep others from bidding. At auctions, agents allow multiple editors to make bids on the book.)

"The best time of year to submit to an agent, is the time of year your book is ready." - Agent Lisa Grubka (Foundry Literary & Media)

"You want an agent who will aggressively market for subsidiary rights. If a publisher gets them, they take a cut on top of the agent's cut." - Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)

According to Author Gail Carson Levine, some of the best ways to create suspense are: time (pressure), distance (looming destination), thought (character worries turn into reader worries), action, separation, MC flaw, secondary character flaw, isolation, expectation (too high or too low), a test, a disaster, something lost...

"Learning to be a character physically changes the way the character thinks." - Author Rachel Vail

"Everything you do online should be friendly and professional." Agent Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown)

"Don't be careful what you wish for. Be proud of what you wish for!" - Author Carolyn Mackler

"You must know the rules before you can break them, but the rules are beginning to wiggle." - Publisher Francesco Sedita (Penguin Young Readers)

"I'll never tell an editor no if they truly love a book." - Publisher Justin Chanda (Simon & Schuster)

"Great story telling has been around for ages and will continue for ages." - Publisher Jennifer Hunt (Little Brown)

"Most successful authors develop after several books." - Publisher Stephanie Owens Lurie (Disney Hyperion)

"Write what you think is cool and release your inner child." - Publisher Stephanie Owens Lurie (Disney Hyperion)

"Timeless (writing) will always be timely." Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)

"Writing is a BITCH. But In The CHair!" - Author Rachel Vail

"Agents have short attention spans. Grab them early, both in your query and in writing." - Agent Josh Adams (Adams Literary)



Okay. Any questions??

♥ me

Agent Roundtable (VA Festival of the Book)

So this is my final post about this year's Virginia Festival of the Book. Hopefully you're not sick of them yet!!

The last session that I attended was an agent roundtable where four agents discussed what they look for in writers and offered insight into the author-agent relationship. Here's who and what they had to say!

Simon Lipskar (SL) is a partner in and an agent for Writer's House. At Writer's House they work with a boutique approach. He follows passion, not trends, and compared agenting to a marriage. He also explained that the publishing industry is in a tough transition right now.

Jenny Bent (JB) has been an agent since 1992. She recently opened her own agency, The Bent Agency, and was recently joined by Susan Hawk (who reps MG/YA). Susan has 15 years in the publishing field. Some of you might remember that this was not my first time seeing Jenny. For details about the first time, click here!

Laura Rennert (LR) is a senior agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Andrea Brown also follows a boutique approach to agenting. Laura's been an agent since 1998, and specializes in Picture Books through Young Adult. She holds a PhD in English Lit and taught at the college level for 8 years.

Erin Cox (EC) is a part of the Rob Weisbach Creative Management Team, an agency that opened its doors a year ago. Erin has a background in PR (fun! just like me! Okay, well KIND OF. I majored in it during college anyway...) The Rob Weisback Creative Management Team is a group of five people who concentrate on public relations, film, acquisitions for production, and editorial services. Erin prefers literary fiction, memoir, and non fiction.

So here's what they had to say!

About finding an agent:

SL: There are fantastic agents working at every kind of agency. Look for:

• Experience
• Knowledge
• Passion
• Real interest in your work

You should never pay an agent. They make money when YOU make money, not before.

Also, check out the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). Agents who join must follow a Cannon of Ethics. The site's also a good place to find questions to ask agents who offer you representation (there's a list of questions in the FAQs).

About ending agent relationships:

Be open and honest.

Before you leave, try and work out whatever the problem is. Communication is key!

About the agent-author relationship:

LR: Both parties should be honest about what they hope to achieve.

SL: It's a business marriage. NOT an at home marriage--please don't do unscheduled drop-ins, whether or not you're a client.

LR: Educate yourself! (About the industry and the way things are done.) It makes the relationship better.

JB: Have a list of questions to ask.

SL: Don't forget that writing is a job and you should treat it as such.

About QUERIES:

SL: Do NOT say you're novel has movie potential. He's not a big fan of traditional queries--he really likes to know the Voice of the author through the query. If you query him, send it through e-mail. SLipskar(at)writershouse.com

JB: Be yourself, don't lose your Voice. She's a fan of gimmicky queries. She can be reached at Jenny(at)thebentagency.com.  Her website is http://www.thebentagency.com/.

LR: Looks for Voice. Also wants to know who, what, where, and why should she care? For YA, why is the longing different than what's already out there? Do you have visibility? She wants to know if your blog has a large following! She can be reached at LJRennert(a)mac.com, or you can find her at http://www.andreabrownlit.com/.

EC: What will make you stand out? One line opening pitches are good, followed by a short description of what the book is about.  She can be reached at Erin(a)robweisbach.com, or http://www.robweisbach.com/.

SL: It does help to know people. Also, you should spend more time writing a good book and less time worrying about finding an agent.

Other notes:

The first three chapters need to raise questions. Don't wait til chapter 5.

Lots of agents have other day jobs.

Alright, so in the query section--did you notice the repeated word? VOICE. Agents want queries that let your Voice as an author shine through. You know who can help you with that? CJ REDWINE! She offers two week query workshops specifically designed to help your Voice come out through your query. I can not recommend you take this workshop enough. Seriously, by the end? You'll have an agent-ready query. It. Is. So. Worth. It.

Check her query workshop out here: http://queryworkshop.blogspot.com/ And if you get there fast, you could still nab one of the 3 spots left for April's workshop.

PS. CJ didn't ask me to plug her--I'm doing it on my own because her workshops are amazing.

Still reading? Wanna see some pretty pictures of the DC Cherry Blossoms? Check out my other blog! I've been posting pictures all week! http://simplysaradise.blogspot.com/

Here's a sample:

♥ me

Building New Worlds in Every Genre

After the panel on getting published (PB to YA), I attended Land Ho! Creating New Worlds in Any Genre.  The panelists were: P.J. Hoover (The Forgotten Worlds Trilogy), Keri Mikulski (The Screwball Series), Stacy Nyikos (Dragon Wishes), Barrie Summy (I So Don't Do Mysteries/Spooky/Makeup Series), and Suzanne Morgan Williams (Bull Rider).

P.J. Hoover  collects Smurfs, Bicentennial quarters, Star Trek Christmas ornaments, and antique bricks. Plus she can solve a Rubik's Cube in under 2 minutes--AND she has a black belt in Kung Fu. I've just started reading The Emerald Tablet (the first book in her Forgotten Worlds Trilogy) and am definitely enjoying it!



Kery Mukulski: A three-sport athlete in high school and two-sport athlete in college back when softballs were white, Keri worked as a personal trainer, lifeguard, registered nurse, middle school teacher, and high school coach. As an author, she set out to reach athletic students and finally give sporty girls the books they’ve been waiting for.

Stacy Nyikos started off writing a trio of picture books before deciding to take on the challenge of a novel--Dragon Wishes (I got a signed copy and it's sitting pretty close to the top of my TBR!) Next up? A YA novel called Pelorus Jack.


Barrie Summy grew up in Canada on a steady diet of books and tobogganing. She tries to read a book a week and always breaks for tea and cookies at three o'clock. She also cannot have licorice in the house. Or white cheddar cheez-it crackers. Because she won't stop eating them.

Suzanne Morgan Williams has traveled four times to the Canadian Arctic to work with Inuit people, writing The Inuit Franklin Watts, 2003, and has worked with Indian people from various tribes on books and projects. She is known for careful on site research, which for Bull Rider included interviewing professional bull riders, ranchers, and care givers who work with severely wounded veterans.


So with these notes, you'll notice I took a LOT at first and then not so much by the end. Everything was really interesting, but my hand was cramping up like whoa! I type all the time--I do not take notes all the time. So I was really just listening by the end. If you want to know more about the authors' processes who I didn't take as many notes on (especially Suzanne and Barrie), please check out their websites! They were so nice and really interesting!


Stacy was up first. She spoke about her three world building stages:


FIRST: Research. (Emotions/bare bone setting )Figure out the rules of the game. When she was starting Dragon Wishes she had to decide a lot before even starting to write. In her new world, could dragons fly? Speak? Talk to humans? What was the climate, etc. When you make the rules--NEVER break them.


SECOND: Detailed Research. Knock out the details to make sure everything is believable. What are the setting details? 


THIRD: Catch the Howlers. Mistakes. What absolutely doesn't work? What did you get wrong that will make what you've written hard for a reader to believe?  


The piece of advice I absolutely LOVED that Stacy gave was this: Give your imagination full reign before you worry about the details. Because it's SO true. Don't stunt the creativity of your story by focusing on the hows or whys at first. Hammer those out AFTER.


PJ spoke next about the research she does while building her worlds.  Her main point was that writers should GET OUT and feel the world they want to write. She's even (SHUDDER) held a tarantula and a scorpion for research. She does onsite research. To better understand how they work for her story, PJ's visited sewage treatment facilities and recycling plants. 


Find cool places and take pictures. Take it all in. Remember what it looks like. What it smells like. What it sounds like.


The three things a writer should always have?

1. A notebook for notes
2. A camera
3. An open mind

Keri was up next. She mentioned that she lived on the Jersey Shore. I wanted to ask her if she knew The Situation (GTL baby!) but I held back when I remembered that my own friends and family from the Shore don't really think I'm funny when I ask them the same thing.

Anyway. Keri writes sports into stories because, growing up an athlete, she wasn't ever able to relate to characters in books, so she wants to give today's athletic students more of an incentive to read. I think what she does is really cool--especially as a former middle school/high school teacher, I know there are sporty students who would love to read her books. Because, as Keri stated, it's not that athletes don't want to read--it's that there aren't a ton of fiction books out there featuring athletes as main characters, with sports playing a major part in the plot.

Here is a list of things to consider if you're writing a sporty book:

• KNOW THE SPORT. Either play it or confer with an expert. Because if you don't? Your readers will know in an instant.
• Keep it action packed and fast paced.
• And as with other books:
• Have plots and subplots
• A distinguished Voice
• Theme
• Characterization

Suzanne spoke next about the differences between physical landscapes and emotional ones. She made the excellent point that details are what make your fiction believable. For her book, Bull Rider (about how one boy and his family deal with the loss and grief brought on by war), she did a LOT of research. Including learning about TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and soldiers who come home from the Iraq war suffering from it.Did you know that there are 160,000 of them? That number threw me for a huge loop.


And Barrie spoke at the end. She writes humorous Middle Grade mystery books. She spoke a lot about how settings play a role in her stories. She always makes sure that her settings play a part in the mystery clues. She uses a poster board, divided into chapters, to keep everything straight. I wish her books had been around when I was in middle school because from the Voice in the titles alone, I know I would have loved them! Um, hello: I So Don't Do Spooky. Sounds just. Like. Me. 

Okay so that's all for today. Tomorrow will be my last post on the VA Festival of the Book--but it's a good one! Everything I learned from the Agent Roundtable I went to...

♥ me