This is the last week to enter to win one of 5 free PDF Advanced Review Copies of THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER (coming out July 23rd). Click here to enter!
Blurb : Forced by his father into a marriage he didn’t want, Prince Alan soon finds that his bride isn’t the sweet, submissive creature he expected. Morgane has the heart of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she isn’t thrilled about the marriage either. When black treachery threatens the kingdom, Morgane and Alan embark on a perilous journey that has an excellent chance of ending in failure and death for them and all their people.
Excerpt : Morgane advanced on her enemy with deadly purpose. "No!" Alan roared. "She has a knife." Morgane tried to retreat, but it was too late. Aili's knife caught her in her thigh. Blood spurted as if from a fountain. Renweard was closer to her than Alan. His sword rose. Aili breathed her last as Morgane swayed and slipped to the floor. Alan ran across the room and cradled her in his arms. In seconds he was coated with blood. "ʺWe must stop the bleeding!" he cried. "Where are the healers?" ʺI will find one." Renweard left the room at a run with King Bowdyn right behind him. Morgane's eyes fluttered open. "Your arms around me. No heaven can compare.ʺ Alan pressed a kiss to her hair. "I love you, my brave Morgane." Morgane sighed. "I could not let you face this battle alone.ʺ Author’s Note : After spending most of the last ten years writing contemporary romance, I decided it was time for a change. So in the spring of 2012 I wrote my first romantic fantasy, The Enchanted. Several challenges immediately presented themselves. First, I knew that I didn't want the fantasy to overpower the romance which meant I'd have to balance my world building details with the romantic elements.
Challenge two was finding characters who'd fit into my newly created world. I didn't want plastic, stereotypical characters. I wanted real people with warts and human imperfections, people whose lives and problems would draw you in and make you care about them.
My third challenge was to craft a plot that included fantasy elements, yet at the same time allowed my characters to be in charge of their own destiny and in the process grow and change.
I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I enjoyed the experience so much I have another fantasy/sci fi romance in the wings waiting for December and its turn at publication. Given my new love affair with fantasy romance, will I write contemporary romance again? I sure will. I'm working on one right now, and I just love it. It will be my first full length romantic comedy. Author Links: http://www.elainecantrell.com http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com http://www.twitter.com/elainecantrell http://www.facebook.com/elainepcantrell The Enchanted is sold at most online retail outlets. Reviews: A sweet story, easy read, fairytale/fantasy/romance 5 stars. Teresa Cypher on Amazon A wonderful story that has swept into my heart. I will be remembering this one for a long time and reading it again. Tifferz Book Reviews on Goodreads
Ok, so that's more illusion that imagination-- but you get the idea. I love using my imagination to make up stories and-- well- daydream. I'm not great at it. I can do more realistic stories, but when it come to fantasy world where you have to come up with a whole system of goverments, rules, people, animals, my imagination is limited.
A little imagination can go a long way: Seriously, you don't think the guys that invented Apple lacked imagination? Some people say that television sucks imagination out of our kids-- I say depends on the program. My kids love PBS and Nick Jr. They watch the shows, act them out, and then add their own little spin. They are always-- always-- doing some sort of skit ("Mama, watch this!" is a common phrase at my house.) Do you fancy yourself someone with a lot of imagination? What types of things do you like to do (paint, draw, write, make up plays with your kids/church, etc)? Much Love, Kelly
This story is part of the "What if" fantasy blogfest found at http://morganshamy.blogspot.com/. I chose to be on team Plot Twist :)
I hope you like the story... this is Cinderella... with a twist. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cinderella stared at the glass slipper her fairy godmother presented. The tiny shoe, so exquisitely perfect, seemed too good to be true. “Take it, my dear. If you do, tonight you will fulfill your destiny.” Cinderella’s fingers shook as she reached toward the shiny stiletto. Everything she ever wanted laid in that shoe: to get away from her stepmother, to be free of her taunting stepsisters… To be with the prince. Her destiny. Carefully, she took the slipper and gently placed her toes inside. Her fairy godmother’s eyes shined and a smile curled on her lip as Cinderella pulled the shoe to her ankle. “To my destiny,” she sighed, hopes and dreams filling her head. When the glass covered her ankle, Cinderella’s eyes closed, and she pictured her prince. A few seconds passed and she felt her body tremble. In anticipation, she opened her eyes and saw not her fairy godmother, but her wicked stepmother glaring down at her. “You thought you could outwit me, Dear? Thought you could sneak out and steal myprince for yourself?” A chill rose from Cinderella’s ankle, up her leg and into her torso. It clamped around her heart, and she felt a squeeze. “What are you doing?” she gasped, slumping to the floor. “Fulfilling your destiny,” the old witch sang. The last thing Cinderella saw was her step mother’s hateful grin. She closed her eyes, took one last breath, and wished for a different destiny. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ by: Kelly Martin So... what do you think?
Miranda Hardy is doing a cover release this week for her new picture book, Wacky Waddles, and generously offered to share her knowledge on the U.S. tax rate for writers and authors who reside outside the U.S, and for those who are doing a joint venture with a non U.S resident. This is very important information. Thanks, Miranda. :)
* * * Thank you Stina for allowing me to take over your blog today. I hope that I may bring some knowledge to those who plan on doing business in the U.S., but may reside elsewhere.
When I was paired with an illustrator on an anthology project, I had no clue where Maldives was located, but I knew I needed to work with Rimi no matter the consequences. Working with others who reside outside of the U.S. requires knowledge of certain tax laws.
Are you thinking of publishing in the U.S., but live in another country? Maybe you are working with someone else in another country on a collaboration, perhaps even a business partnership? Regardless of whether you plan on self-publishing or going the traditional route, if your work will be published in the U.S., you’ll need to understand certain aspects of our tax laws.
The U.S. government requires companies to withhold 30% of royalties made in the U.S. and paid to entities residing in other countries…unless the U.S. has a tax treaty with your country. Click HERE for a list of the countries in which the U.S. has treaties established. So, what do you do if you’re entitled to an exemption or reduction in the U.S. tax rate? 1.) You need to apply for an ITIN (Individual Tax identification Number) or EIN (Employer Identification Number) with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Applying for an ITIN is a long process, involving sending in original documentation for identification purposes. Click HERE for the instructions.
Applying for an EIN is simpler. International applicants call (267) 941-1099. They will give you the EIN instantly over the phone. Hours are 7:00AM – 10:00PM Eastern Time.
What’s the difference between the ITIN and the EIN? EIN’s are used by employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, non-profit associations, trusts, estates of descendants, government agencies, certain individuals, and other business entities. Since I am a writer, I deduct writing expenses, as well as keep track of my writing income separately; therefore, I’m a sole proprietor.
2.) Fill out a W-8BEN and send it to the company you may be dealing with (Amazon, your publishing company, etc.). Make sure you send the original through the mail to the entity you will be receiving the monies from. This form can be found HERE.
That’s it! You can always, for your reading pleasure, examine the U.S. foreign withholding procedures for yourself with the IRS Publication 515. It’s 64 pages of complicated forms and acronyms. Although my background is in accounting, this post is for information purposes only, and does not constitute professional legal tax advice. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service updates publications often, and tax policies are subject to change.
Miranda Hardy Blog | Facebook | Miranda Hardy writes children's literature to keep the voices in her head appeased. When she's not in her fantasy world, she's canoeing in alligator infested waters or rescuing homeless animals. She resides in south Florida with her two wonderful children, and too many animals to mention.
Rimi Rasheed Blog |Facebook | Twitter Rimi Rasheedis a professional in primary education yet follows a passion in digital illustrating, and much of her work is focused on children. She is well known for her colourful creations of lovable characters, most of which can be found on her blog. She lives in Maldives with her husband and two children.
Wacky Waddles is a rhyming picture book for young readers. Take the journey with Wacky Waddles as he explores his new home.
Paperback available through Amazon. Ebook available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Last year, I reviewed the free version of SmartEdit and loved it. The creators recently asked me if I would test the new version (which isn’t free). In exchange for an honest review, I was provided a copy of the software.
PROS
One of my favorite parts about SmartEdit is the list it generates from your manuscript. It lets you know which words and phrases you use repeatedly. This helps you identify those annoying crutch words and phrases that you might not realize you’re using. And after you’ve gone through your manuscript to correct for this, you can rerun the program to see if you’ve created a new list of crutch words. This is quicker and easier than figuring out your crutch words and using FIND and REPLACE in Word.
SmartEdit not only lists the repeated words, you can click on the word (or phrase, depending on what you’re analyzing) to see the sentences you used it in. You can then edit those sentences that you wish to change directly in SmartEdit (or go back and make the changes in your word processing software).
The program generates a list of potentially misspelled or misused words so that you can ensure you used the word correctly (e.g. breath and breathe), or didn’t accidentally misspell it.
You can quickly check to see if you overused profanity (or a specific swear word), or if you accidentally used profanity when you didn’t want it in the story.
You can analyze your sentence lengths. The results are shown in a chart. If you have an excessive number of sentences at the high end of the scale (e.g. thirty or more words), you might want to consider rewriting some of these sentences.
You can analyze dialogue tags to ensure you aren’t abusing non-said tags.
Another of my favorite features is the feedback SmartEdit provides on the beginning of your sentences. It’s a great way to see if you abuse certain words (e.g. ‘but’ and ‘and’).
SmartEdit shows you when you’ve used too many spaces between words. A life saver for your eyes.
There is a short video to show you how to use the software. I recommend watching it, but I know where are some people who are more hands on when it comes to learning a new program.
If you use foreign phrases or non-English phrases (fantasy anyone?), the program will list them so you can double check that you’ve used them correctly. In the case of non-English phrases created for fantasy, it helps to ensure you’re consistent in their use (or spelling).
CONS
Unlike other editing programs, Smartedit doesn’t tell you how to fix the issue. This enables you to have full creative control of your writing. Personally, I don’t think this is a disadvantage to the program, but it depends on what you’re looking for.
Sorry Mac users (which now includes me), the program is currently only available for PCs.
The program analyzes dialogue tags, but they are only available in past tense. I tend to writing novels in present tense, which means this feature has limited value for me. If I want to analyze them, I have to list the words under custom settings. This requires me knowing what dialogue tags I tend to use. The other issue is that you can’t save the list of words you compile under custom settings for future use.
Overall, I love SmartEdit. It’s the perfect program to help your polish your manuscript. It will definitely be part of my editing process.
Do you use any software programs designed for writers? Are there any you can’t live without? *
I would like to welcome David Farland to my blog today. He often teaches writing workshops, and has trained a number of people who went on to become international bestselling authors—people like Brandon Sanderson in fantasy, Brandon Mull in middle-grade fiction, and Stephenie Meyer in young adult fiction. In addition to being an author of adult fantasy, he has just released his YA fantasy novel, Nightingale (blurb at the end of post).
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Here’s an exercise that I use to help teach authors how to handle an opening scene.
1) Especially at the beginning of a tale, use “resonators” to better tie into your audience's subconscious. "Resonators" are often words that identify your piece as belonging to a particular genre, such as fantasy, romance, or horror. They are part of the secret language that is used within a particular genre to give the writing more power by referring to previous works written in that genre. 2) Avoid the use of “to be” verbs in the opening of your tale. In particular, if you describe an inanimate object, try to do it using only active verbs. It is all right to use metaphors and similes to create motion. For example, “hoary pines guarded the hillside, while an ancient rock brooded at its top.” 3) Appeal to all of the senses--sight (don’t just describe the colors of things or their shapes, but also their textures), sound, smell, taste, touch (hot/cold/wet/dry/ firmness/softness). A great rule of thumb is that if you want to bring a thing to life, really get the reader to focus on it, you need to describe it at least three times, preferably using different senses so that you don’t become repetitious. 4) Create a sense of physical motion in your description. There are several ways to do this. For example, you can have physical motion as mentioned in point two. But you can also have motion nearby. For example, if I were to continue describing the hill, I might place crows flying up from the pines, or a stiff wind that makes the boughs sway. 5) Add a sense of temporal motion in your description. For example, in describing a car you might describe how it has changed over time—from the moment that it was bought new in the showroom, to what it looks like now, to what it might look in another twenty years. 6) Add emotive motion to your description. Describe precisely what your protagonist feels about the place or thing that he is seeing, but pay particular attention to how that emotion changes. It is all right to use internal dialog. 7) Use precise language. That means that if you are describing a person, consider using his name. If you want your reader to envision a pine forest, let them know that it is a pine forest, not just a forest, lest they imagine oaks or palms.
Here is a sample of the opening description from my novel Nightingale (available as an enhanced novel on the iPad, complete with its own illustrations, soundtrack, animations, and author interviews). I didn’t try to use all of the tips listed above, just enough to bring the scene to life. Never make yourself a slave to all good advice:
Sommer Bastian had fled her safe house in North Carolina, and now nowhere was safe.
She raced through a thick forest, gasping in the humid air. Sweat drenched her, crawling down her forehead, stinging her eyes. Dogs barked a quarter mile behind, the deep-voices of mastiffs. Her vision reeled from fatigue, and she struggled to make out a path in the shadows.
Fireflies rose from the grass ahead, lugging their burden of light, lanterns in shades of emerald and citrine that pushed back against the gathering night. Eighty thousand stars wheeled through otherwise empty heavens. Without even a sliver of moon or the glow of a remote village, the stars did not shine so much as throb.
She could run no faster. With every stride, Sommer stretched her legs to the full. A mastiff keened, not far back now. It was almost upon her.
Her pursuers were faster than any human, and stronger than she. At nineteen, Sommer was in the prime of her life, but that made no difference. A desperate plan was taking form in her mind.
The dogs were trained to kill. But she knew that even a trained dog can’t attack someone who surrenders. Nature won’t allow it. And when a dog surrenders completely, it does so by offering its throat.
That would be her last resort—to lie on her back and give her throat to these killers, so that she could draw them in close.
She raced for her life. To her right, a buck snorted in the darkness and bounded away, invisible in the night. She hoped that its pounding would attract the dogs, and they did fall silent in confusion, but soon snarled and doubled their speed.
The brush grew thick ahead—blackberries and morning glory crisscrossing the deer trail. She heard dogs lunging behind her; one barked. They were nearly on her.
Sommer’s foot caught on something hard—a tough tree root—and she went sprawling. A dog growled and leapt. Sommer rolled to her back and arched her neck, offering her throat.
Three dogs quickly surrounded her, ominous black shadows that growled and barked, baring their fangs, sharp splinters of white. They were huge, these mastiffs, with spiked collars at their throats, and leather masks over their faces. Their hooded eyes seemed to be empty sockets in their skulls.
They bounded back and forth in their excitement, shadowy dancers, searching for an excuse to kill.
I can still get away, Sommer thought, raising a hand to the air, as if to block her throat. By instinct she extended her sizraels—oblong suction cups that now began to surface near the tip of each thumb and finger. Each finger held one, an oval callus that kept stretching, growing.
Though she wasn’t touching any of the dogs, at ten feet they were close enough for her to attack.
She reached out with her mind, tried to calm herself as she focused, and electricity crackled at the tips of her fingers. Tiny blue lights blossomed and floated in the air near her fingers like dandelion down. The lights were soft and pulsing, no brighter than the static raised when she stroked a silk sheet in the hours before a summer storm.
She entered the mastiffs’ minds and began to search. They were supposed to hold her until the hunters came, maul her if she tried to escape. Their masters had trained the dogs well.
But a dog’s memories were not like human memories, thick and substantial.
Sommer drew all of the memories to the surface—hundreds of hours of training, all bundled into a tangle—and snapped them, as if passing her hand through a spider’s web.
Immediately all three mastiffs began to look around nervously. One lay down at her feet and whimpered, as if afraid she might be angry.
“Good dogs,” Sommer whispered, tears of relief rising to her eyes. “Good!” She rolled to her knees, felt her stomach muscles bunch and quaver. She prepared to run.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a deep voice asked.
There are more dangerous things than mastiffs, Sommer knew. Of all the creatures in the world, the man who spoke now was at the top of the list.
Grand Prize Winner of the Hollywood Book Festival, placed first in all genres, all categories.
Winner of the 2012 International Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel of the Year!
Finalist in the Global Ebook Awards.
Some people sing at night to drive back the darkness. Others sing to summon it. . . .
Bron Jones was abandoned at birth. Thrown into foster care, he was rejected by one family after another, until he met Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognized him for what he really was--what her people call a "nightingale."
But Bron isn't ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know. Bron's secret may be the most dangerous of all.
In his remarkable young adult fantasy debut, David Farland shows why critics have called his work "compelling," "engrossing," "powerful," "profound," and "ultimately life-changing."
"Superb worldbuilding, strong characters, and Dave's characteristic excellent prose. --Brandon Sanderson, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Facebook Nightingale Website
One of my favourite sessions at the RWA Nationals in New York City last June was on world building by best-selling author Jessica Andersen. Although she writes paranormal novels, her five questions are applicable to other genres, including contemporary (hence the title of her session).
1. What are some major factors that underlie your world? These are big picture items.
2. What are some minor factors that will be focused on in the book? You don’t have to highlight everything. Just what’s relevant to character, plot, emotion, etc. If you’re planning a series, then save some minor elements for later. Too much and your reader might feel overwhelmed.
3. Any cool controversies in your world?
4. Where will your world deviate from reality? You also want to give readers something they are familiar with. It helps them relate to your story world.
5. Why are the events in your story believable? Why is it logical?
Her recommendation is that once you’ve created your world, think how it will impact each character individually.
Question: Do you take into consideration world building when planning your story? Or is this something you thought only fantasy writers had to worry about?
One of the most frequent complaints I hear from writers is that they don’t have enough time to write. My friend and time juggler extraordinaire, Tawny Stokes, has some suggestion as to how she does it.
<<<3 In the last six years, I have written close to 20 books, 10 novellas, several short stories, 5 scripts, 3 TV pilots and numerous blog posts. *grins* So I understand about time management. Often I hear writers say, oh if I only had the time, or if I could find some time I would do such and such. The fact of the matter is we all have the same amount of time in a day. 24 hrs. It’s how you schedule it that matters.
We also all have other responsibilities in our lives. Some of us have day time jobs, or night time jobs. We’re mothers with little ones, or with kids that play every imaginable sport possible and play every instrument ever built, so there are lessons and games we need to ferry them to. I get that. I understand that. Been there, done that, still doing it.
Before I became a full time writer, I had a night job, and I homeschooled my daughter and my niece during the day. During this time I also kept up the domestic chores, because I’m a single parent. And all the while I wrote. A lot. During this time I secured an agent and got my first book deal. So I definitely know what it’s like. I now write full time, but I still homeschool my daughter and am still a single parent who does all the domestic stuff around the house. Like feeding my child. Which I find is very important. I also serve on the board of my local writing chapter, serve on a screenwriting group, and once a month I host a TV writer’s chat on twitter. Oh and I attend monthly writing meetings and go to conferences. Oh and I also do all my marketing for my books myself. So believe me I understand busy.
Here are some of my tips to help you become better managers of your time and be able to produce work.
1. Write every day at the same time, it forms habit, it will train your brain to produce during that time
2. If you like to work on several things at once, like I do, set up time periods for each project, if you have 3 hrs. to write, set aside an hr. for each project, when that hour is up, go to the next project
3. Do all your prep work, like outlining, if you do, character sheets, research on non-writing time, like at night before you go to sleep, or that hour you have at lunch time, or during your commute to work or appointments, or when you are waiting for your child at their dance lesson, use writing time for WRITING
4. Carry a notebook with you wherever you go, for those instant moments of genius, or breakthroughs on plot problems, or to write down snippets of dialogue
5. If you are feeling blocked at the compute or at your laptop, get off it, and grab a pen and paper to write, sometimes the tactile feel of the pen on paper will help your creativity flow
6. Never wait for inspiration, or for your muse to sing out, that is a farce, to be a professional working writer you MUST learn discipline and train your brain into working for you
7. If something is not working for you, for whatever reason, get up and go for a walk, or better yet do some dishes or have a shower, that always helps me move forward, or work on something else
8. Use an egg timer and do writing sprints, or use write or die online, or challenge your friends on twitter to a sprint, you’d be surprised what you can get down in an hour without any distractions and without your internal editor banging on your skull
9. When you are writing, turn off your phone, your email, your internet, and your family, put a sign on your office door that says do not disturb, make sure you set the rules with your kids/spouse that when you are in your office you are working and not to be disturbed, unless there is at least a quart of blood
10. Have fun. If this isn’t fun, then what the heck are you doing it for?
About the author:
Tawny Stokes lives in Canada with her fantastical daughter, two cats, and spends most of her time creating new stories for teens. You can visit her at YA website or follow her on twitter @TawnyStokes. Tawny also writes adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy under the name Vivi Anna. You can find Vivi Anna on her other website or follower her on twitter @authorViviAnna.
Here's a blurb for her new YA paranormal novel, Static, which is on my TBR list. For more info check out her website.
During the summer before her senior year, 17 year old band groupie, Salem Vale, has been following her favorite punk rockers, Malice, from gig to gig hoping that one night she might get backstage and meet the sinisterly sexy guys. She’s been saving her virginity for the lead singer Thane. One fateful evening she gets her wish. It’s a dream come true.
Except the dream turns to a nightmare when she wakes up in a dumpster, tossed away like yesterday’s trash, with no memory of what happened the night before. She feels strange, different, as if something is trying to get out. Soon she realizes she’s changing…turning into something not quite human.
Now a hunger deep inside claws at her to feed, to siphon energy from those around her. Before she can do just that, Trevor, the band’s roadie shows up and stops her from killing. With his help she learns to control the hunger inside, because he’s just like her. And in return he wants her help to do one little thing…
Believability is extremely important when writing fiction. Characters, plot, actions, concepts, fantasy elements all have to be believable if you want your reader to read the book instead of hurling it across the room in disgust.
But how can you make sure everything is believable? Research.
Why do it?
I’m going to use my novel, Lost in a Heartbeat, as an example why it’s important to do the research. The story deals with a seventeen year old who was raped by a guy she met at a party. She never tells anyone what happened (for numerous reasons).
I was sexually assaulted as a teen. I never told anyone. It was late at night and I was coming home from work. I knew if I told my parents, my mom would force me to quit my job. I didn’t want that to happen because I was saving to go to Finland the following summer. That was my motivation to keep silent. That, plus I was humiliated enough as it was without telling them.
In addition to my own experience, I know several females who were raped or sexually assaulted as teenagers. Each had a different story. Each dealt with it differently. I also did tons of research on rape and post traumatic stress disorder.
A few things I discovered:
• The majority of rapes don’t happen in a dark alley with a strange. Most of the time the female knows the individual (e.g. date rape, abusive relationship)
• Depending on which stats you’re looking at, between 50-80% of survivors of rape and sexual assault don’t report it.
• Some females develop trust issues when it comes to guys. They don’t want to date or be intimate with anyone (including their boyfriend or spouse).
• Some females figure sex must be all they’re good for, and start to seek it out just to prove themselves right.
When you create your character, it’s important that you know the facts to make sure she’s believable. Remember, you’re not writing for the reader who’s never been in the situation. You’re writing for the reader who has. She knows what’s believable. You don’t want to alienate her because you wrote your story and characters based on your assumptions.
Beta Readers
This leads me to my next point: beta readers. I had a beta reader who told me it was unrealistic that my main character never told her parents. The individual assumed because she would have told her parents everyone else would, too. This same issue occurred with an instructor through a writing course I was taking at the time. And let's not forget the critique of my query, during a contest, that resulted in this post. The benefit of researching the topic first was that I was able to prove that it was realistic for my main character not to tell her parents.
If you’re beta reading a project and you question the believability of the character’s actions, definitely mention it. Unless you know for certain the writer’s done the research, you might point out something she was fudging, hoping it was right. This will force them to do the research. And maybe they have done it, but they need to strengthen this element in the novel.
Credibility
It doesn’t matter what your story is about, make sure you’ve done your homework. You never want to assume anything. If you do and you’re wrong, you’ll lose credibility. And in the publishing industry, it’s something you don’t want to lose.
As you may remember, a few weeks ago I won a blog contest. My prize was a ten page crit and a five minute phone conversation with Joanna Volpe (agent). This is NOT a transcription of the phone call. I scribbled some notes and as soon as I hung up, I was typing the answers like crazy.
1. What are your biggest pet peeves when reading the first chapter? (Note: Joanna doesn’t request sample pages with the query. Her manuscript requests are based on query alone.)
• When the writer starts at the wrong point in the story. Maybe she should have started on page three or on chapter two.
• When the story starts with forced back story. In other words, the back story doesn’t have to be there for the reader to get what’s going on. It can be delayed until later, if it’s needed at all.
• When a character has powers and the beginning opens with her using the powers just show she has them. It comes off sounding forced, and that’s a big turn off.
2. If you have key background information but don’t want to reveal for awhile to create suspense, how can you do this without driving your readers crazy?
(I’m going to use an example here without naming the book. I was stunned when Joanna knew which book I was talking about. Turns out she had been involved with the project when she was an editorial assistant.)
Example: In the YA book, the main character has witnessed her best friend being raped. She’s the last person to see the friend alive. The main character was drunk at the time and doesn’t report what happens. Her friend goes missing. Near the end of the book, her body is found. However, even though the mc knows about the rape from before page one, the reader doesn’t find out the truth until the climax. (If you want to know which book I’m talking about, send me an email. It’s a great book.)
Joanna’s answer: You have to determine what the main focus of the story is. In this case, it was the main character coming to age, not the rape and disappearance of her best friend. The latter part was the inciting incident, but the story was really about how the main character grew as she dealt with her guilt. Pacing, storytelling, and tension also play a role.
3. What should a writer do if they query an agent and land a request, but before they receive the request, they win a critique from a different agent for a portion of their manuscript? The feedback resulted in substantial changes. Should they mention this to the requesting agent?
If the agent is responding to a query alone, the answer is just send the requested material. But if the writer sent sample pages with the query, she should mention to the requesting agent that the writer won a critique in a contest, which resulted in rewrites to the sample pages.
4. When someone participates in a conference pitch session, how long should the pitch be?
It depends on the length of the session. Basically, the pitch should be half the length of the session. If it’s ten minutes, then your pitch should be five minutes long. It gives time for the agent to ask questions, but it’s also long enough so the agent isn’t still left wondering what your book is about. And it should definitely be longer than a one liner.
Can the writer reader her pitch? Yes. Agents don’t expect you to memorize them. [Remember, you’re selling your book, not auditioning to play a role in a movie.]
5. What do you wish writers would ask you during THE CALL?
She didn’t have any specific questions, though she likes it when potential clients ask how she works so they know if they’ll mesh together as a team. If she’s calling the writer, it means she’s passionate about the book and really wants to represent it. She’s trying to sell herself to the writer.
6. Do you have advice for writers who want to write in different genres, for example MG and YA, or different subgenres within YA (paranormal, contemporary, and thrillers)?
Write what you want to write. It really depends on the writer, and it’s something that the individual and her agent would discuss. It certainly isn’t a problem. Published authors are doing it all the time. For example, Suzanne Collins had a successful middle grade series before The Hunger Games trilogy was published. Joanna pointed out that maybe because Suzanne had the successful series first, the violence in The Hunger Games wasn’t as much of a problem as it might have been if she had been a new author.
She also said that if you write a middle grade fantasy series, writing a YA one makes sense. Your readers will eventually outgrow the middle grade series and will move onto your YA one. Bonus for you.
I hope you found the answers helpful. If you’re interested in querying Joanna (and I highly recommend it. She’s super sweet), check out these sites for more info about her. And make sure you’re querying what she’s looking for.
Mother. Write. Repeat
Literary Rambles
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I’m not a big fan of blogfests. But Steena Holmes is having one you don’t want to miss out on. Why? Because there’s an ultra cool prize for the best logline.
That’s right. Steena is hosting a logline blogfests/contest on Monday (which means there’s no photography post next week) to help us prepare for the MSFV December auction.
Are you, dear friend, frustrated with those pesky commas like me? Has one of your crit partners added or removed a bunch of commas, only for another person to switch half of them back again?
Well, dear friend, I’ve got the post for you. I’ve consulted The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grammar and Style (idiot, that’s me!) and Noah Lukeman’s A Dash of Style to bring you the answers you seek. So grab your beverage of choice (mine being Diet Coke) and some chocolate (believe me, you’re going to need it), and let’s get started.
1. Use a comma after an introductory expression or before a concluding one. What’s an expression? Well, it can be a:
• Prepositional phrase:
Before I could react, Liam jammed his tall footballer body between me and Aaron, forcing Aaron off my towel.
• Participial phrase:
Dressed in swim trunks, he was looking at me with unsettled eyes, his mouth set in a bleak line.
• Dependent clause:
Contrary to Alejandra’s hints, dating was definitely not part of my plans for the summer.
2. Use a comma to set off words and expressions that otherwise interrupt the sentence.
Ryan suspected it was at the very least sprained, and reminded me, once again, to have it checked out by a physician.
3. When your character is talking to someone, and they use the individual’s name, separate the name from the rest of the words in the sentence with a comma.
“Calleigh, you did mention it, didn't you?”
4. Words that give additional info about the noun should be separated by a comma.
The Evil Trio plus one, all wearing bikini tops, miniskirts, and doused in an overly sweet perfume, approached us on their way to the mall entrance, and not so subtly checked Aaron out.
5. Commas are used to separate words in a series. That’s an easy one, right?
I could feel everyone watching me, waiting, analyzing my hesitation.
6. Do you have a clause that can be deleted without changing the sentence’s meaning? Then separate it from the rest of the sentence with our friend the comma. If you delete the clause and the meaning of the sentence changes, then please skip on those commas.
Only Erik was wearing eye makeup, but unlike Taylor, who had a ring through his lower lip and a ring and stud above his right eyebrow, Erik had no facial piercings.
7. Is your sentence complex? Commas will help keep it from being confusing. Confuse the agent or editor, and it’s rejection ville for you, my friend. Remember to use commas before coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet).
8. In dialogue, use a comma to separate ‘said’ from a gerund or when describing the voice. Also, study the punctuation in these two dialogue. I’ve seen some wacky uses of the comma and period when a writer has written dialogue with a tag.
“You know, I really am a good listener,” he said, unfolding himself to his full height, “if you just give me the chance.”
“Well, I’ll keep that I’m mind next time I experience an urge to attend confession,” I said, my tone still terse.
Yes, the comma is a beautiful thing. What? You don’t believe me yet? Well, here’s some wonderful things it can do for you. Thanks, Mr. Lukeman, for enlightening us.
1. The comma can link short sentences together to form a longer one. This enables variation in your sentence lengths. Pretty cool, huh?
2. It helps your reader from getting confused. We’ve all read those sentences in the works we critted or beta read in which you’re left scratching your head, unsure what the writer really meant.
Read these two sentences out loud:
When I woke up my pillow was damp from tears.
When I woke up, my pillow was damp from tears.
3. It allows your reader a chance to breathe (even if she’s reading it in her head). This is why reading your manuscript out loud is a great idea. Did you write a long sentence that leaves you gasping for air? Time to add some commas. However, if your character is suffering from out of control thoughts, skipping on the commas is a perfect way of showing this.
Standing under the steamy stream of water, I scrubbed my skin raw, desperate to remove the stench of his aftershave and everything else about him off me.
Standing under the steamy stream of water I scrubbed my skin raw desperate to remove the stench of his aftershave and everything else about him off me.
4. A comma shows the passage of time. I love this one.
Kevin poured some orange paint into the pan, and handed it to Shaelyn.
This sentence pauses for a moment while Kevin pours the paint into the container, and then resumes again once he’s ready to hand it to Shaelyn.
5. The brilliant comma allows you to cut out words. Of course, if you’re writing a 250,000-word epic fantasy, you might want to avoid this use of the comma.
I whirled round in time to see a man emerge from the trees, his features obscured in the shadows.
Without the comma, the sentence would be rewritten like this:
I whirled round in time to see a man emerge from the trees. His features were obscured in the shadows.
Now there one more thing I want to add. Unlike the other forms of punctuation—you know, the period, colon, semi-colon, etc—the comma is a flexible friend (apparently he took gymnastics as a kid). Which means you have a lots of options as to how to use it stylistically (at least according to Mr. Lukeman). And what does that mean? Well, like everything else in publishing . . . it’s all very subjective. Grrr!
I didn't put together a writing post for today. Instead, I decided to list those authors who I love and who might have influenced my writing. I figured this was easier than listing the books I love since that would be one very long list.
YA Contemporary
Sarah Dessen (Favorites include: Lock and Key, Along for the Ride, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen)
Sarah Ockler (Her debut novel is Twenty Boy Summer. I cried. A lot.)
Lurlene McDaniel (Hit and Run, Breathless, Prey, Letting Go of Lisa. I went through a gazillion boxes of Kleenexes with Lurlene’s books).
Jay Asher (Yep, another Kleenex box worthy author.)
Simone Elkeres (Perfect Chemistry. Definitely steamy. The book inspired me to add some Spanish to Lost in a Heartbeat to make the characterization stronger.)
Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak and Wintergirls)
Bethany Griffin (Handcuffs)
YA Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Lisa McMann (I can't get enough of her Wake series.)
Alyson Noël (Actually, Saving Zoë had an influence on my current novel, Lost in a Heartbeat).
Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instrument Series. If only I could write imagery like she does.)
Richelle Mead (Dimitri. Need I say more?)
Daniel Waters (Generation Dead and Kiss of Life. Brilliant themes. They’re the only zombie books I like.)
Stephenie Meyers (I’ll admit I’ve switched to Team Jacob after seeing New Moon in the theatre.)
Libra Bray (I loved the Gemma Doyle series—The Great and Terrible Beauty, etc.)
This is just a sample of my favorite authors, and I’m discovering new ones all the time. Who are some of your fav authors? Now I’m off now to deal with my Wii injury (strained shoulder muscles). Turns out playing tennis on the system is not the same as playing it in real life. Lovely.
Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve. And best wishes for the New Year.
As mentioned last week, the voice is what grabs your reader from the beginning and keeps them reading. It’s highly subjective, though. What one person may love, may turn another reader off. Oh well. No one said writing was easy.
But what is the narrative voice? According to Jessica Morrell (see recommended reading), it is “the distinct and memorable sound of the writer, narrator, or character.” The voice, in fiction, will depend on who the narrator is. Is she witty, serious, or conversational? Is she more comfortable discussing fashion or discussing Jane Austen (or maybe both)? Is she from an upper class, middle class, or lower class family? Does she swear? A little or a lot? Is she basically happy with her life or depressed? Is she a romantic or a cynic? All of these will shape the narrative voice.
Here are a few examples from teen novels:
City of Glass, Cassandra Clare (fantasy)
Clary had gone straight to the Institute after she’d talked to Madeleine at the hospital. Jace had been the first one she’d told her mother’s secret to, before even Luke. And he’d stood there and stared at her, getting paler and paler as she spoke, as if she weren’t so much telling him how she could save her mother as draining the blood out of him with cruel slowness.
Parties & Potions, Sarah Mlynowski (chick lit)
Do I like red?
I pirouette before the mirror. Yes, the red shirt could work. Red makes my hair look super-glossy and glamorous and goes great with my favorite jeans.
If I do say so myself.
The shirt has a scooped neckline and adorable bubble sleeves. It’s my back-to-school top for the big, BIG day tomorrow—the very first day of sophomore year! My BFF, Tammy, and I went shopping last week for the occasion. I know I could have just zapped something up, but the first rule of witchcraft is that everything comes from something. I didn’t want to accidentally shoplift a new shirt from Bloomingdale’s.
Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen (contemporary)
Ten minutes later, I was slipping out the side door, my shoes tucked under my arm, and getting into my car. I drove down the mostly empty streets, past quiet neighbourhoods and dark storefronts, until the lights of Ray’s Diner appeared in the distance. Small, with entirely too much neon, and tables that were always a bit sticky, Ray’s was the only place in town open twenty-four hours, 365 days a year. Since I hadn’t been sleeping, I’d spent more nights than not in a booth there, reading or studying, tipping a buck every hour on whatever I ordered until the sun came up.
Wake, Lisa McMann (paranormal)
Janie Hannagan’s math book slips from her fingers. She grips the edge of the table in the school library. Everything goes black and silent. She sighs and rests her head on the table. Tries to pull herself out of it, but fails miserably. She’s too tired today. Too hungry. She really doesn’t have time for this.
And then.
As you can see from the examples above, the voice is unique for each one. Cassandra Clare is, in my opinion, the master of imagery. Sarah Dessen has a more formal voice. Both used longer, more complex sentences in their novels. Lisa’s voice is compelling with short sentences and sentence fragments (either the noun or the verb is missing), both of which are used frequently throughout the novel. All four use sentence structure and word choices that fit their voice.
The main thing with the voice is to be consistent. You don’t want to start off sounding like Cassandra and end up sounding like Lisa. Not that you should try to copy their voices, either. Experiment until you find the right one for your character. And make sure it sounds natural and not forced and unauthentic.
But what about non-fiction? Does it have a voice or is that only in fiction? Yes, it absolutely has a voice. Figure out what the purpose of the term paper is, then determine the best voice for it. Theme can also play a role here. Of course, if you’re writing a term paper on Romeo and Juliet, you might want to avoid the snarky voice. When in doubt, ask your teacher first. Some prefer a formal voice; some would be delighted if you write something that sticks out from the pile of dull essays. Again, make sure it doesn’t sound forced. Nothing flops faster than humor that misses the mark.
Exercise: Study different novels, short stories, and non-fiction works (magazine articles, books, newspapers) and see what you like and don’t like in a particular voice. Next try to create a voice for a short story or non-fiction article based on your findings. Don’t worry, it might be a mess at first, but you won’t know until you’ve experimented. And don’t be afraid to play around with different voices. You might surprise yourself.
Recommended Readings: Writing & Selling the YA Novel, K.L. Going
Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us, Jessical Morrell
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King
I love research. I have a Master’s of Science in exercise biological sciences ’cause I love it so much. But doing research for my novels is by far my favorite type so far. There’s a whole world out there begging for you to dive in and explore it.
For my current project, Lost in a Heartbeat (YA contemporary), I investigated the world of dream analysis and animal symbolism. I also poured through books on jewellery design (not that I’m planning to take up the hobby). Oh, and then there was the research on sprained wrists, drowning, and competitive swimming. And don’t forget those YA books I’ve read with similar themes to what I’m writing.
And yes, I loved every minute of it.
The downside? The librarian now thinks I’ve been raped, my husband abuses me, my teenage daughter is struggling with depression, and one of my children has leukemia. Betcha she’s missed all the books I’ve borrowed on writing fiction. I’m thinking of having a T-shirt made saying, “Research is the Fiction Writer’s Best Friend.” What do you think?
But say you’ve come up with a great idea for a story, what comes next? For me, I start off with the basic research. For Lost in a Heartbeat, a story about a teenage girl who has to find the courage to return to competitive swimming after she was raped, I began by searching for associations that deal with rape. RAINN.org (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is a great resource for both the rape survivor and her loved ones. I also borrowed books on the topic from the library. Not all rape survivors deal with rape in exactly the same way, which was important to know when I worked on the characterization for my protagonist.
What’s next? For me, I prefer to outline my novels instead of writing as I go. Everyone, though, is different. As I started to plan the book, I came up with the idea of using dream analysis and animal symbolism to further the plot. Google is a great search engine for that. Just be careful of the information you decide to go with. Depending on what you’re writing about, you want to make sure the source is credible. Wikipedia is a great resource but it isn’t without errors. Maybe you know someone who’s an expert in the subject and you can interview them. If you have a medical or psychological question pertaining to your novel, you can contact H.L. Dyer (paediatrician) and Carolyn Kaufman (charter psychologist) at the Query Tracker Blog. They're a tremendous resource.
And for those of you interesting in writing fantasy and paranormal novels, do you really have to do research? Isn’t it all make believe, anyway? Maybe. But even Stephenie Meyer did extensive research on vampire myths when writing the Twilight Saga. And Melissa Marr is knowledgeable about fairy lore.
Want some great tips on researching for your current or next project? Be sure to check out this link and this link from the Query Tracker Blog.
Remember, even though you’re writing fiction—as in made up—the details are important, as are the credible facts. And you never know, your research may spark an idea for another book.
I know. I know. I haven’t exactly been up-to-date with my YA novel reviews. Anyway, here’s some recommended reads for the summer that I’ve enjoyed. All of them (except for Envy and Handcuffs) are either paranormal or urban fantasy. All have elements of romance.
Enjoy!
City of Class by Cassandra Clare (third book in the Mortal Instrument series)
Envy by Anna Godbersen (third book in the Luxe series)
Evermore by Alyson Noel
Fade by Lisa McMann (sequel to Wake)
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (sequel to Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange)
Handcuffs by Bethany Griffin
Kiss of Life by Dan Waters (sequel to Generation Dead)
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (sequel to The Summoning)
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (third book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy)
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (third book in the Vampire Academy series)
