Archive for the ‘Blog Chain’ Category

Sometimes when I blog, I rack my brain for something to write. Thankfully, this round’s blog chain, is a topic I am very excited to write about. It comes from Sarah who asks:

“Do you work with critique partners? How did you find your crit pals, and what influence have they had on your work?”

Like others on this blog chain, I had mixed experience with crit partners and critique groups. There were those group members who balked at any feedback you gave them, but were free with providing COPIOUS feedback on your work (a lot of which was irrelevant–”Really? You’re having them eat THAT for breakfast?”). Then, there were group members who only came to group to chat–which would be fine if we were getting coffee or just hanging, but not in a situation where I was trying to improve my work. Then, I had those crit partners who critiqued everything based on Reader-Response Theory (meaning, their critiques consisted of commentary of how the piece related to their lives: “Shut up! I love Donuts for dinner too!”). And, of course, there were the crit partners who only wanted to tell you everything that was wrong with your piece, but not provide hints on how to fix or even expand upon their comments (e.g. “Confusing”, “Don’t like” “Sucks”). And, yet, I wanted to keep looking for someone who I could connect with. Where’s the Match.com equivalent for writers?? You know I’m on to something here….

And then I found out my first novel, INCONVENIENT, was getting published. My agent mentioned a group called the Tenners and the rest is history. Well, sort of. A few times, I complained about how I really wanted a crit partner, what could I do to find a crit partner, doesn’t anyone else out there want a crit partner too? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

At this point, Shaun Hutchinson sent out an e-mail (he probably got tired of hearing me whine), saying he was interested in starting a crit group and was anyone else on board. Me! Me! A few others wrote back too, but the idea of the group kind of fizzled. BUT, it connected me and Shaun, and he’s been my crit partner and someone I consider one of my close friends since (I think it’s been 1.5 years now? More?). Shaun has read numerous drafts of various manuscripts. He has given me amazing feedback on my new novel, PIECES OF US (out March 2012), and he’s been there to cheer me up when I’m feeling down or just listen or commiserate or find new ways to say “Wow, this writing thing sucks sometimes” (yes, there ARE many ways to say that. Really.). Having Shaun in my life as a friend and crit partner has been the best thing that has come out of this whole publishing thing. And I love reading his work too. Watching both our writing styles evolve has been so great, and I always look forward to talking with him about writing and other things. In fact, we’re sooo overdue for Skyping…

My other crit partner is my close friend Vinessa. Vinessa is a writer too and we met in a writing class 8 years ago. While we both put aside the books we were working on years ago, meeting each other was totally worth all the money spent on that class. Vinessa not only provides amazing feedback and catches thematic and grammatical things I miss in my work, but she and I are also very much alike. She understands how something writing related can affect other aspects of my life and how an issue not writing related at all can somehow turn into me going off about my writing career. She also has read a zillion drafts of INCONVENIENT, and while the thought of me reading another chapter for the umpteenth time made me nauseous, Vinessa would write me e-mails like, “Girl, where are the pages?? I want to find out what happens!” She read PIECES OF US in many of its stages too, providing line edits and amazing feedback. And she reads my work-for-hire books too. The girl is all kinds of awesome. And, after she gets back from her fantastic (read: I’m so jealous) European vacation, we’re setting up a time to write together weekly. Hurrah!

I’ve been reading posts of others on the blog chain who talk about having many crit partners, and I don’t think I want to go there. I do have 2 or 3 Beta readers who are willing to read my stuff, and I feel the same way about theirs, but it seems these relationships are more on an as-needed basis and that’s fine with me. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed, and I would feel horrible not being able to keep up with everyone’s works. So, for now, I’ll stay with my two peeps above.

For more crit partner love, check out Tere’s post from yesterday, and then go to Shaun’s post (yes, THE Shaun I wrote about!) tomorrow.

Today’s blog chain is brought to you by Shaun.

He asks: “What are three books you would tell people that they need to keep reading even if they aren’t immediately sucked in by the first page?”

I think this is a great topic, but I’m having a lot of trouble with the question. When Shaun first posted, I looked at the blog chain schedule and breathed a sigh of relief because I had two-and-a-half weeks to think of answer. However, each day did not bring me closer to having one. The thing is, I’m THAT person–the one who just won’t give books a chance if I’m not drawn in immediately. I wasn’t always this way. I’d plug along, put a book down, but then pick it back up. I did give up sometimes, but not until I had read at least fifty pages. Then, four years ago, I had my son. And began revisions on my first book. Then did more revisions. Then continued to stay home with my son. And not sleep for two years (no joke–the first time my little guy slept 5 straight hours at night he was almost two). Then, my book sold and more revisions (which included cutting 20K words). And life kept going. When I had time to relax and read (usually on long car trips), I picked books that were a sure-win. Ones I knew I’d like. I made lists of authors whose styles I admired or those recommended by friends. Or even just silly, feel-good reads. And that’s when I noticed something. I’d read a page, two, three, and my eyes would glaze over. But…but…but…this is supposed to be a good book, I’d tell myself. Keep at it, girl. And I tried. I really tried. I made myself give the book ten pages. Sometimes, I’d be rewarded and the book would pick up at that point. More often than not, it wouldn’t. Somewhere, I lost the will to give the poor books a chance.

Honestly? I know it’s a problem. I know I’m missing out on tons of great books out there. But at this point in my life, it’s just how it is. Last week, I started teaching my first college class. The week before that, 3 Sunday school classes to middle and high-schoolers. All require prep and planning and innovative ideas so I don’t bore these poor students. And, I just finished working on a manuscript with a friend of mine, and starting copy edits on Pieces of Us. And I’m still a stay-at-home mom too. Other people with as much on their plates or more have it in them to befriend these books. To not judge them on their first encounters. I wish I could too, but one good thing that came out of this development is that the books I love and connect with, I REALLY love and connect with. They’re like the kinds of good friends that you’re not quite sure how you met, but you know you connected immediately. They’re those friends that make life simple, that you can just hang with and not have to impress. The books I enjoy from the start let me escape immediately, make me smile, and help destress. What more can you ask for in a good book?

Some of you probably DO want more, so if you’re the perseverant type when it comes to books, check out Tere’s post and then read through the rest of the chain for more recommended reads.

Long blog hiatus! (Partially because I blanked on the last topic. I blame Hurricane Irene and the loss of power). Today’s chain is brought to you by Christine. She wants us to be creative! Go figure, asking writers to actually do a story.

She says, “Since we are all writer’s, I thought it was about time for us to stretch our creative muscles and do a little writing. So, take the following topic and go crazy! Show us what you’ve got. Your story can be as long or as short as you choice.

The topic: A dark and stormy night.

And she also wants us to follow these rules:

1. Write for a minimum of 5 minutes… AND THEN KEEP GOING!
2. NO editing. (well.. do the obvious spelling and punctuation.. but nothing major)

OK, then. My piece is below. And I got a little confused and thought we had to start with “dark and stormy night” but oh well. When you’re done reading check out Shaun’s masterpiece from yesterday, and tune in tomorrow for Sarah’s post.

It was a dark and stormy night when Julia found out. She remembered because the lightning illuminated the window just as she read the text. She also remembered because the whole thing was a cliché: finding out bad news when it’s dark and stormy. Like the start of a bad ghost story. And forever, if she told anyone (not that she would), in her mind, whether she started the story that way or not, it would be on a dark and stormy night. She hated being a part of a cliché, hated that her family had turned into a cliché, and she hated finding out about her mom’s affair via erroneously sent text message. That, too, was lame and so two years ago. If her family had to fall apart, why couldn’t it be in a new, trend-setting way. Like maybe her mom could have fallen for a traveling trapeze artist or the guy who played the clown every Thursday at the Dunkin’ Donuts around the corner. That would have at least told her something. Like maybe her mom was zany and she needed something different. But what did it say when her mother’s affair was with an old high school boyfriend? A former bad boy turned accountant. It said her mother was the typical mid-life crisis example. A typical, dark and stormy night, cliché.

I just joined a new blog chain called Pots N Pens (www.potsnpens.blogspot.com). It’s writers who also like to cook and/or eat. Get it? Pots N PENS? We’re THAT creative! In it, we’ll talk about how food inspires our writing and that of other authors. Today, was my first post. Today is also my son’s 4th b-day so I made the blog about his favorite food. Check it out!

Each time I wonder what else we could possibly talk about, someone comes up with another creative topic. This round’s blog chain is brought to us by Michelle. She asks:

“There are so many things we have to include in our storyworlds…characters, world details, settings, etc. No matter what genre you write, your stories are full of tiny details that help create your storyworld. I know that for me, at least, finding or creating all these details can sometimes be a bit tough.”

One site I frequent is babynamesworld.com. I love it because it not only lists names but also the origins of the names and their meanings and it’s very user friendly. While there are some details I can use TK for, names I can’t. If I don’t have a good name, it’s very hard for me to get into the story. For example, I’m working on a new YA right now called LAST KISS. The girl MC’s name, Leila, came to me pretty quickly. The boy MC’s name, however, went through a few evolutions. Nothing seemed to click and it was hard to write the pages. (You could also call it procrastination but it was REALLY difficult for me to envision him without the right name). So I went to babynamesworld.com and found Connor, and it was PERFECT. I had a name and could picture his attitude, his face, everything. It’s kind of like when you meet someone and they then tell you their name, and it just DOES NOT match them. It’s like that for me when I get a feel for my characters. Some names match them and some don’t, but in the fiction world, I can keep choosing names until I get one I like. In the real world, we live with the names we’re given. Like my full name being Margaret, which I hate. Well, technically, it’s Margarita–which I really like–but it was changed to Margaret on all American records and I can write volumes on my theory that having the name Margaret is what prevented me from being popular in high school, but I’ll spare you. For today. Margie, on the other hand, is what I chose to be called when I was in college. And, let me tell you, those years were a BLAST. Coincidence? To me, Margie is fun and perky and you just can’t get mad at a Margie. The name just sounds too nice. Margaret, though? “Hey, do you know if Margaret is going to the party tonight?” “Nah, tonight is the night she puts her hair in a bun and watches Murder, She Wrote Reruns while sipping some herbal tea.”

Setting is another story. I don’t research much when it comes to landscapes because I usually pick areas I know and then put my own spin on them (I’m lazy like that). In PIECES OF US (my YA that will be out March 12, 2012), segments are set in the Catskills. I based that area on the bungalow colonies I went to with my grandparents when I was a kid–only in POU I made them lake houses because people were having trouble picturing what I meant. Other parts of the story, however, took place in Cherry Hill, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. Lucky for me, I have FB and posted a shout-out to people familiar with these areas. They told me about demographics, etc. and I also Googled a few streets in Philly to get a picture of where the teens hung out. Googling is my main MO. I don’t have specific websites I like (other than the names one). My first go-to is to ask someone, and after that it’s googling terms (like when I wrote a chapter book about cheerleading) or landmarks or phrases.

But what happens when you write within parameters of a different world? Coming up with worlds different from our own always fascinated me. Christine talks about this in her post. Check it out!

Today’s blog chain is uber creative. I love it! Kate asks:

“Curses, you’ve been cursed! You can write no longer. The story well has run dry, and you can’t even remember how to type. Now what do you do? Where do you channel your creative energies? And to what lengths would you go to break the curse?”

Not remember how to type?? So that means no e-mail or communication?? Holy. I have to be honest, the e-mail and communicating part was what hit me first. This is a computer world. It’s how I make playdates, it’s how I discuss what’s on my mind, it’s how my friends vent. Not to mention it’s how I get in touch with editor and agent. Yes, they have phones, but my questions aren’t usually urgent so to call them with “Just checking that this is what you meant” would not be, uh, welcome.

It’s funny because the Internet did not really take off (with e-mailing, etc.) until I was a sophomore in college. So we all managed somehow before, right? But now? If I need to look up a fact, there’s no encyclopedia that’s updated to the minute. Words are at my fingertips at a moment’s request. Nope. Not being able to type would not do.

(My hubby, however, I think would be thrilled if I was cursed for a few days. Too much competition between him and my laptop. AND, he’s gotten tired of having me obsessively check mail every few minutes and agonize over my low Word Twist scores.)

On to the writing part. Here’s the deal. If EVERYONE was cursed and unable to write, I’d take it in stride. For a week or so. I can’t imagine never composing a story again or a poem or being incoherent in this way. Writing is my THING. Words are my THING. If you take that away, not sure what my strength would be. Certainly not math. I was going to stay I’d start recording my thoughts, but did that run dry too.

When I first read this topic, I thought, “Hmm…maybe having a break for a little would not be so bad.” But I didn’t realize you couldn’t even compose thoughts. I LOVE telling stories and making up stories and thinking about characters and telling my son bedtime stories. AND, he demands stories every time he goes on his swing too. So EVERYONE would suffer! Oh, and back to the everyone being cursed. If only I couldn’t write, but others could still produce volumes? Uh uh. I need an equal playing field.

But my competitive streak aside, I’d want my words. So what would I do? I don’t know. What are my options? How did this curse happen? What does the evil sorcerer want? As long as it didn’t involve people getting hurt, I’d be open to giving him/her whatever was wanted. My book dedicated to them? Done! Their names in bold letters on my acknowledgement page? Done! (I know I’m giving everything, huh?). Make me an offer, oh evil spirit!

I’ll tell you, though. Until I read this blog chain topic, I didn’t think how horrible writing block could be. And to read more tales of writing horror, check out Michelle’s post from yesterday and Abby’s post tomorrow.

Today’s blog chain topic was created by Abby. She asks:

There are SO many writing rules, but sometimes we have to break one or two, just to keep things interesting. Is there a writing rule you’ve broken on purpose? Why did you choose to break it? And if you want to post a snippet of your writing as an example, even better!

I’ve always been a play-by-the-rules kind of girl. That is, when I knew what the rules were. With writing, it seems that they’re changing daily. When I taught writing, I said to start with something that grabs attention or dialogue or out there fact. Recently, I heard not to start with dialogue? I can understand if it’s not attributed to anyone or if the dialogue is flat like:

“Hi,” I said as I passed John at his locker.

“Hi,” he said.

Yeah…that’s no way to start a story. I’ll even argue there’s no need to have this exchange in the book at all because it adds nothing. But dialogue in itself as a starter is not a problem for me. For example:

John’s dad cracked his knuckles and leaned in close, heart-to-heart style. “You know,” he said, slapping John on the knee. “The last time you looked this bothered was when Rover took a dump in your favorite hiking boots.”

If a book started like this, I’d be all over it. I’d want to know about the dad’s character, what’s bugging John, and why Rover takes dumps in people’s boots.

As for my writing, I just write. I don’t think about rules. I get a voice and go with it. Which means that the first draft has lots of problems. It may start slow. Not all the characters are as developed as they could be. There are holes in the plot. So maybe THAT’S a rule I break. Not outlining, not planning out the whole story, learning as I go. Yeah, let’s go with that.

To see more writing rebels, check out Eric’s post from yesterday and Shaun’s post tomorrow.