Writing with Flare

This month’s post on the WIT site is all about adding some spark to your writing. Check it out here.

Writing Tips

So, I have become a contributor on Nancy Viau’s writing blog–WIT (Writing Info and Tips)!! Each week, a different writer will post a writing tip. My postings appear once a month. My first one was about the “quote sandwich.” It’s a must-see post for students doing standardized tests. Check it out here!

Happy Summers

I just started posting on YA Outside the Lines! This month’s theme is Summer Love. Instead of writing about the romantic love, I wrote about my love of a place. If you read PIECES OF US, you’ll get the summer references. If you didn’t, you’ll like the post anyway. Check it out here! 

Forks in Road

My good friend, Shaun Hutchinson, is getting ready for the debut of his new novel, FML (Simon Pulse). It will be out June 25, 2013, exactly 19 days from today!! I loved this story. It reminded me of a teen Sliding Doors. What effect do all our decisions have? If we chose Door A instead of Door B, where would we be today? The difference with FML and our lives, however, is that Simon, the MC of FML gets to find out. Which scenario is best for him? Will he get the girl of his dreams?

To add to the FML party, Shaun is having a blog countdown of others’ defining moments, complete with prizes!! And, I’m so glad he asked me to be a part of this! My post is about my friend David, and how we became friends. Check it out and win a copy of Pieces of Us. AND don’t forget to get FML. You’re welcome!! 🙂 

 

Blog Chain: The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But…

Sandra is the woman behind the topic this round. She asks:

We all know it’s important to read fiction if you want to write fiction, but what about reading non-fiction? How much non-fiction do you read? What kinds of non-fiction books do you read, and why? Has reading non-fiction influenced your fiction writing style?

First, let’s get this out there: with a 5 1/2 year old, I don’t have that much time to pleasure read. Not fiction. Not non-fiction. Not much. When I do have the time (like, I am desperately trying to finish a book for my book club next Sunday and am hoping I am not THAT girl–you know, the one who never finishes the books?), I like to read books on my list–usually YA novels, I’ve been dying to read (like Barry Lyga’s The Game, sequel to I Hunt Killers, or the sequel to Unwind, or Lindsey Leavitt’s The Back of Sean Griswold’s Head that is currently on my Nook). Gosh, that was such a long-winded sentence, I almost forgot my point. Oh yeah, SO when I DO have the time, I try to catch up on books I’ve been meaning to read OR books that will help me with a genre I’m writing. Non-fiction usually falls under the category of pleasure reading unless it’s something I need for book research. And, if it’s pleasure reading, well….refer to the first line of my response. However, if all stars align perfectly and I have the time to pleasure read, I love biographies and memoirs. I love finding out the nitty gritty behind celebs or historical figures I think I know. Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood by Suzanne Finstad was a favorite read. The Bad Guys Won by Jeff Pearlman about the 1986 Mets was another winner. I really enjoy sports books, and Jackie Robinson’s autobiography, I Never Had It Made, is high on my list as well.

If I love a book and the purpose is pleasure reading, I try to keep it that way and not let the do’s and don’ts of the book get into my head. When you’re a writer, it’s very hard to read something and not take writing notes, but I try. So, good time books will stay just that, and I’ll not let them do something pesky like influence me. 🙂

How about you? Where do you stand on non-fiction? If you missed Amparo’s post, check it out here. And if you missed ANY of the posts on this chain, start with Kate’s blog and catch up.