Category: Blog Chain

Blog Chain: Writing Challenges and Rewards

Blog chain time again! Wahoo! Today’s blog chain topic comes from Eric. He asks “What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of being a writer?  What is your greatest reward from writing?“

I would have to say that the most challenging aspect is the lack of daily feedback or formal evaluations. When I was a teacher, a student understanding a complicated reading passage or finally getting a grammatical concept made my day. Professionally, my supervisors praising one of my lessens and checking off “4s” and “5s” on their rubric, along with a positive review, gave me a high. As writers, we don’t have that. Yes, we have critique groups and readers, but not daily pats on the back or confirmation that we did something right. To be honest, I don’t need it every single day, every minute, but those days I have a new idea or a passage I totally love or am struggling with whether the last 100 pages were really necessary, an ego boost or some warm and fuzzy wouldn’t hurt. Before I got an agent, I thought that would be enough, that getting an agent would mean my work was worthy. Then I got an agent and she said lots of nice things and I revised a lot too, and then it was all about publication–that’s what would prove it all. If I got published, it would mean I’m a good writer. And now I’m getting published and guess what? Not enough. Shocker. Now my thoughts are that success means lots of books and awesome reviews and on and on and on. Oh yes, the question. Biggest challenge. Validation. But I’m learning I need to give that to myself or I’ll keep chasing forever.

Biggest reward? Being able to do what I dreamed of since I was a kid. My self-esteem issues aside, having a block of time to write undisturbed, experiencing the euphoria that comes with blocking out everything else around me, allowing myself to be transported to my characters’ worlds, still thinking about my characters hours and days later, the feeling of excitement when I’m on to something good with a new idea or fixed an old one that I didn’t think was salvageable. All these things are amazing and make the challenging part of writing more than worth it.

What are your writing challenges and rewards? Yesterday, Christine had this to say. And tune in tomorrow for Sarah’s take.


Blog Chain: What’s Shaking?

Today’s topic comes from Cole. She asks “Are you querying? Gearing up to go on submission? Writing? Revising? I’d love to hear what’s new with you. And if you’d like to share a snippet of your WIP, even better!”

Way to keep us honest, Cole! 🙂 Ok. So where am I at? I finished the first draft of my MG and have a few minor things to fix and then it’s off to my agent in September. I feel really good about it. In fact, the last time project I felt this good about was INCONVENIENT. So here’s hoping that’s a sign.

I also just finished my copy edits of INC. Aaargh! Exciting and scary at the same time because after this, that’s it. It’s off to the printer’s in September. I remember when November seemed so far away. It’s really scary to send that book out into the world. When I was doing copy edits, I read scenes I haven’t seen in months and got to know the characters all over again. This made me so protective of them. Just hope people connect with them like I did.

And now that I’m done with copy edits and the MG, I can focus on YA #2, due my editor in November. I think both he and my agent are scared that I’m not working on that book. But I am! Really! It’s just that I was stuck and needed a break and now I’m back with tons of energy and ideas and have a writing weekend all set up for Aug. 21, in a hotel and everything where it’s writing 24/7 and I plan on pounding out many many pages. I’m very excited to get back to that book. The characters have evolved from my initial vision and I think this will make all the difference.

So that’s it for now. Back in my house after the AC/mold debacle. And it’s my birthday today! Wahoo! I love birthdays!

To see what’s grooving with others else in the blog chain, check out Kat’s post from yesterday and Sarah’s post tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Rollicking Revisions

Today’s blog chain is brought to us by Sarah Bromley. She asks: “

How do you handle revisions? Do you revise as you’re writing, or do you wait until you’ve gone through beta readers and crit partners to revise? How soon after you finish do you begin your revisions?”

This is such a timely topic for me right now. I just finished the first draft of my MG and am still working on the first draft of my YA and doing copyedits on INCONVENIENT. So it’s revisions galore! I usually revise once the first draft is done. At one point, I made the mistake of giving people pages to read very early in a project’s development, and it completely threw me off course because it conflicted with my writing process. As I’ve said in the past, I detest outlining. I get a story, characters’ voices, and conflicts. If something is not clicking, I brainstorm with my crit partners (and anyone else who cares to listen) by talking/writing out my issues with the story. Once I smooth out the kinks, I begin writing. The more I write, the more the characters come to life. I may think I know where a character’s personality is headed but fifty pages in, I can be proven wrong. Basically, I work out my novel as I write. So when I sent out those early twenty pages, I didn’t fully know where the story was headed or the nuances of each character and I got many conflicting views and didn’t know where to start. I never did finish that project and won’t. I know better now.

If I’m truly stumped, I wait until I finish the first fifty pages before soliciting outside opinions. With the MG, I went back and forth with my readers about problems I was having before actually giving them the pages to read. Once I finished the first draft, I reread the pages, made notes of what was working and what wasn’t, compiled a list of questions and sent to my readers. With the YA I’m working on, I sent to readers after the first 50+ pages because while I knew where I wanted the story to go and had a clear vision of each character, I was out of ideas of how to get from point A to point B. After getting feedback, I put the manuscript aside for two months, and after finishing another project finally see what I need to do. Now, I’m going to write and no one will see it until I’m completely finished. I’m really energized about it again, but wish me luck anyway. 🙂

Share your revision process and be sure to check out Eric’s excellent post from yesterday.

Blog Chain: Your Writing Space

Today’s blog chain is brought to us by Bonny. She asks: “Is there a place you like to write that’s extra special? Have you carved out a writing niche? Is there a certain time of day (or night) when the words fall into place, and your brain is focused on nothing but writing?”

I have 4 places that I write, but I wouldn’t call any of them special. But they’re more important than special; they’re functional. And that’s all I need these days.

The first place is the local library, but I haven’t been there all summer because its hours got reduced due to lack of funding. When I did go there, there was a room in the back that was my favorite writing spot. There was no door but it had plugs for my laptop and a desk and it was quiet. Perfection.

The second place is the library in the next town over. It opened a whole hour before the library in my town, and while there was no separate room, there was this section all the way in the back that reminded me of a little greenhouse. Big windows provided light and there was a variety of plants around. When my son goes back to school in the fall, I’ll be at this library again which is around the corner from his school–another bonus.

The third place I write, and it’s probably where I have written the most, is the local Panera. There’s internet service, food, coffee (mucho coffee), and plugs. It’s always open, and I only have to remember to bring a sweater in the summer since they turn down the temps to iceberg levels.

My house is the fourth place. And I don’t even write in an office, just the family room on the couch. I only write here at night or when my son is in camp. If he’s home, it has to be one of the 3 places above. I tried writing home once while my husband watched the almost 3 year old. It involved a lot of crying and banging on the office door. And that was just from my husband. :-p

Before I was a mom, I liked writing in the office, sometimes in a park to break things up. Now, it’s more anyplace I can. Anytime I can. There’s no “best” time because anytime I get a free moment, that’s the best.

But if we’re talking ideal place to write, like my dream place? It would be a house on the beach or log cabin, hands down. I’ve completed drafts in these environments and was so productive. The quiet and atmosphere was so inspiring and taking a break to hike through paths or walk/jog amidst waves keeps my creativity flowing.

For more writing space inspiration, check out Christine’s post from yesterday and Sarah’s post tomorrow.


Blog Chain: Finding the Muse

Today’s blog chain is brought to you buy Shaun “THE DEATHDAY LETTER” Hutchinson. Yep, that’s really his middle name. Pretty freaky that it’s also the title of his debut novel.

He asks, “From where do you get your inspiration for stories?  Give me the oddest, coolest, things that have inspired you.”

I wish I had a spunky little fairy who perched herself on my shoulder and whispered ideas in my ear. Maybe it would be better if she shouted because it sometimes requires a few takes before I notice an idea that’s been there all along. She could also fly and fetch me little cups of espresso (she’d be too tiny to carry mugs) and use her magical sparkly dust to create pages while I slept. The possibilities….

What was the question? Right, a muse. Don’t really have one. In fact, I don’t have a specific method wherein I get ideas either. I wish I did because it would save me gobs of time working on stories that have no promise.

Ideas are everywhere. INCONVENIENT came to me after finishing a 360 page adult novel. It wasn’t working and my readers and I had trouble figuring out why. The pacing was off but the characters were there. The writing was good but something about the story didn’t click. Ok, LOTS of things didn’t click. Then, I saw that the section that was my favorite and my readers’ favorite was the one with a teenage MC. I didn’t think of writing YA before that (had nothing against it, just not an idea I had at the time). So, I thought of revamping the novel and making all characters teens. Then I thought of doing the story from just the teenage girl’s POV. Yep, this is where a fairy would have REALLY helped. She would have just told me to bury the manuscript, be thankful I found a salvation point, and start anew with a YA. I got there eventually, but it took a while.

The MG I just finished came from watching my husband and son play. I was thinking about what a good dad he was and all the things he and Little Guy would do one day. And things took off from there. There’s more to it but being that my agent hasn’t even read it yet, I don’t want to give anything away. 🙂

Other ideas come to me from just everyday happenings. I think it’s that way for most if not all writers. One novel plot came from bird watching with my son. The YA WIP I’m working on stemmed from the summers I spent at bungalow colonies with my grandparents. Another idea that’s currently in my head–about a girl who is manic depressive–came from issues I’ve had with depression.

Reading this over, I guess I do have a pattern. My stories start in truth–even if from a small element. They come from the world around me, the things I observe, the encounters I have–and then they take on a life of their own. I suppose the world is my muse. What’s yours?

For more muse talk, check out Christine’s post from yesterday and, tomorrow, mosey on to Sarah’s blog.


Blog Chain: Motivating Factors

Welcome to another blog chain! Today’s question comes from Amanda. She asks,

“What do you do to keep yourself motivated when you feel like you’re not making any progress in your writing career?”


This may sound corny, but it all comes down to my parents. Growing up, not succeeding wasn’t an option. Sure, at times there was a lot of pressure (e.g. “90? What happened to the other 10 points?”), but the main thing they were trying to instill was that if you worked hard enough, you could accomplish anything. From their perspective, if they were able to bring us to America with literally nothing and take any job they could to obtain a better life for my sister and me, then we better make good on all opportunities we were given. So I grew up thinking that as long as I worked my butt off, the sky was the limit.

Sometimes it was crushing–like when no amount of studying would change the fact that my brain just didn’t get physics. Usually, though, it served me well. In h.s., I entered writing contests even when I was told there was stiff competition–and won. I applied for afterschool jobs where supposedly you had to know people for it to matter (I knew no one; I got the job). In college, I didn’t care what the “in” sororities were. I rushed the ones I liked, the ones people said only took few (I got bids from them all). And after college, when I was applying for teaching jobs, I applied to all districts that interested me. I didn’t care that they supposedly only took friends of the superintendent. I knew from past experience those things weren’t always true.

This is the attitude I took with me when I quit full-time teaching after 8 years in the profession and decided to pursue freelance writing. There was that same attitude of no one being able to break in, that you had to know people, etc. I didn’t buy that. I took classes and pitched and pitched and pitched until stories started getting picked up. It was just about the odds. When I wrote my YA and then sold my YA, everyone asked who I knew, how I got published. I told them about my great agent. Many assumed I knew someone to get her. Nope.

What’s been instilled in me is that you work until something happens. And I really believe if you keep at it, it will happen. This could be naive or corny, but that’s how I feel. I also learned something else. It’s easy to think that it won’t be you who gets hired for that dream job or that no way will you be the editor of the lit magazine or that contest will be won by anyone else but you so why bother? But that’s all fear. If you don’t enter, if you don’t apply, you can’t say you were rejected.

I had felt like that before. For a while, it stopped me from submitting any of my essays or stories to magazines. Writing was THE dream for me. Always. And submitting something and then being rejected made me think that that would be the end of the writing dream. So I did nothing. But if you never try, that’s worse. Especially if trying can make the DREAM a reality.

So motivation? I know what I want. I want a writing career that lasts. I want to write books forever. The only way that’s going to happen is if I stop doubting myself (and that happens plenty), stop comparing myself to others (again, plenty), and just get moving. Finish those sets of ideas, that novel that’s been “almost finished” for weeks. Not succeeding is not an option.

Check out Christine’s Gleektastic post from yesterday, and tune in tomorrow for Sarah’s post.

Blog Chain: Writing Influences

Today’s blog chain idea comes from Christine. She asks:

“Which author or authors have most influenced your writing and how?”

I was thrilled to see this question because I have been asked this a lot. And if I’m not asked, I like to share anyway because 1) I feel I need to credit these authors for providing inspiration and 2) If people are familiar with the writings of those who motivated me, maybe they’ll understand my book’s style better (which saves me the trouble of repeating “No, this book is not like X at all. It’s more like Y.”)

The books I loved reading as a teen were realistic fiction by Norma Klein and Norma Fox Mazer. Whenever the subject of writing came up and people asked what kind of books I wanted to write, my answer was always the same: “Like the kinds the Normas write.” Not only was their writing style beautiful but they were the first books that I read that addressed real problems teens faced that didn’t always revolve around boys or romance. The other thing I loved was that they had characters of different cultures who just co-existed. A stepdad or entire family just happened to be Jewish. It wasn’t central to the plot or anything, just was, like in real life. I loved being able to identify with characters on this level.

The first YAs I read as an adult were those of Laurie Halse Anderson (SPEAK), Sarah Dessen (DREAMLAND), and Deb Caletti (QUEEN OF EVERYTHING). I loved the narrative style, the beautiful language, the focus on serious issues, the moving stories, and character development. These women were my inspirations as I began writing my own YA. I noticed my writing style and voice were similar, and it was empowering to know I didn’t have to sacrifice my technique or tone down the heaviness of the topics to conform to what others thought YA should be.

I don’t just read YA, but I admit that is the genre I gravitate to most. I feel it speaks to me the most and it’s my go-to material for insight on character or story development because the authors I like best in this genre draw the reader in immediately.

There are authors who write with adults in mind who inspired me as well (e.g. Maeve Binchy for her fantastic story-telling, setting development that makes readers feel like they are in Ireland as well, and her ability to create relatable and absorbing characters), but I think I will write an entry focusing on them another time because their impact on me is different from the authors above.

Share your writing inspirations and check out Sarah‘s sensational post tomorrow!