Category: Blog Chain

Today’s blog chain was started by Tere. She asks:

“So here’s my topic: What conditions do you need to get your best writing done? Closed door, crowded coffee house? Computer or notebook? Can you just sit down to write, or do you need to wait for the time to be right?”

When I was in high school, I picked up my journal when angst hit. Friend troubles, parent issues, boy heartbreak–my journal was my go to place for poetry or short stories (I was never the write down bare thoughts kind of girl; all had to be said through poems or a story). I also never just wrote anywhere. In those down moments, I’d go to my room, close the door, turn out all lights except for a reading light, wrap myself in blankets and write. My family knew not to bother me (but they did anyway). Sometimes, I’d be there for hours, and when I was done, while I never felt better immediately, it usually sparked something within that eventually got me out of my funk.

These days, I can’t do that. I have a husband and a four-year-old and neither would be thrilled if I just picked up and went to write in my room because the mood struck me. Too bad. So I have to plan. I write when my son is in school or if I arrange for a day ahead of time with hubby so he knows he’s on duty. And deadlines are great because they motivate me. With the schedule above, I try hard to produce when I have the set time, but my brain wanders and I can’t always focus. When I have a deadline, I always focus, usually because I have consecutive days where I write.

I did start carrying a notebook with me, though, and when a thought strikes (like when I’m waiting for my son to be done with gymnastics or if his pre-k is running late or Hubby is driving us somewhere) I write it down immediately. Writing by hand has also cleared my head when I’ve been stumped.

But what would I really love? The best way I can perform if given the choice? A weekend writing retreat. I LOVE these and it’s been so so long. It doesn’t have to be formal. Usually, it’s just a friend or two getting together at a hotel or shore house to write, write, write. I want another so badly. Maybe I’ll plan for one soon….

How about you? Share your ideal writing situation then check out Shaun’s post from yesterday.

Welcome to another blog chain. Today’s topic comes from Michelle Hickman. She asks:

This is the month in creating writing goals and making big accomplishments. What is your greatest accomplishment — in writing, your life or perhaps something incidental that had a big effect on you?

For once, I didn’t have to think before coming up with answer. Hands down, my son is my biggest accomplishment. He turned four in July, and teaches me things daily. He has a terrific sense of humor, is very silly, focused, smart, athletic (yep, don’t think he got that from either me or my husband), kind, persistent, and a host of other things. Before I had him, my main goal was getting published. Succeeding as a writer is something that is still very important to me, but being there for my little guy, guiding him, letting him teach me, is EVERYTHING. And, because of him, my professional successes gain new meaning. I want him to know he can accomplish anything he desires as long as he works at it. I want him to know he doesn’t have to settle for one thing–he can be so many things. Right now, he wants to be a construction worker, fireman, policeman, landscaper, ambulance worker, and most recently a cowboy. I’m sure tomorrow there will be a new profession added to the list. Why not?

As for me, I tell him I’m a mommy, a writer, a teacher. I started adjuncting at a college this fall, something I always wanted to do. My first YA came out in Nov. 2010. My next YA will be out in March. He’s been to bookstores with me and has gotten excited when he saw my book on a shelf. And I’m excited too. But not just because the book is there, but because my little man thinks it’s awesome, and HE’S proud of ME. And that makes me feel more accomplished than anything.

Share your biggest accomplishment, and then check out Tere’s post from yesterday and Shaun’s post tomorrow.

Today’s blog chain was started by Matt. He asks:

“Who is your favorite monster?”

I always liked watching scary movies, but can’t say I loved those monsters. But the monster who always creeped me out was The Rack from Buffy. That’s the dude who got Willow hooked on drugs. What freaked me out about him was that he was real as opposed to monster. Yes, he existed in some different realm, in an area that moved constantly and only those who needed the “magic” could find him, but he looked human. And, he was symbolic of a drug dealer. I always found “monsters” who could exist in our world far scarier than those like Freddy or Jason.

Want more creepy? Check out Tere’s fave monster here and tune into Shaun’s spooky pick tomorrow.

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!