Gobbling fiction

They say you should read your genre. They say that a lot. In fact, "they" get pretty chatty, but in this case they're right. If you write mysteries, you should read as many mysteries as you can lay your hands on. Write horror? Read horror. If you write YA fantasy, as I do, you should read it. I'm a big believer in reading everything - whatever interests you. You'll clearly learn a lot from authors of all sorts, but I think you'll clearly improve your craft as it relates to voice and the tastes of your audience if you read in your genre.

Oh, and the same thing applies to taking advice from other writers, apparently. Nicola Morgan's got an interesting blog post that touches on the subject. Advice is a good thing, but the most valuable, and probably most difficult kind to lay your hands on is advice from a published author in your genre. #1 - They're published. #2 - They're published in your genre. Would I take advice from Stephen King? You betcha. What am I, an idiot? Would I like advice from Suzanne Collins or Christopher Golden a bit more? Yup.

So in this spirit, I've been catching up on the YA fantasy genre as quickly as I can, given how slow I read. I've got a book by my bedside, and an unabridged CD set in the car. I've recently finished both CD sets for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. *LOVED THEM* Check my blog for my lame mini-review of the latter. Earlier this week, I finished listening to Eoin Colfer's, The Supernaturalist. That was really quite fun. Now, I'm listening to James Dashner's, The Maze Runner. This surely starts off at a breakness pace.

As for the old bound pages approach to reading, I ripped through Coraline last week and now have Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves', Interworld on the night table. The Graveyard Book and Coraline are my first two Neil Gaiman "reads". He's certainly got a distinctive style. Stuff is just plain weird, and I like it.

So, anyhow.... The funny thing about books is, when my writing is going well, I don't get much reading done. It's either too late to start reading (the wife would kill me) or I'm just too pooped. But, I have 60 - 90 minutes every weekday dedicated to listening to fiction while I'm in the car.

Oh, and I've got a dog-eared copy of Fahrenheit 451 ready once I finish Interworld. It's not really YA, but it's Bradbury, man. C'mon! Bradbury!

Deleting Scenes by Tamara Hart Heiner

I've had a lot of experience now deleting scenes. It started when I needed to chop 20K from Perilous. That ended up being about 60 pages! At first, it was really hard for me. I cut out some of the scenes that I thought were necessary, some of the extra POVs, and some scenes that didn't flow quite right.

And then I wondered why that was so hard. I'd always thought those scenes didn't flow quite right. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to hit that delete button. Well, let me tell you, after that I became quite delete happy. I cut and cut and cut. And the result was fantastic! The story is tighter, more action-packed, extremely relevant.

Now as I attack Book #2, I find it not even painful. If I don't love it, I fix it or cut it. No reason to hold onto anything less-than-perfect. (Of course, right now I'm more in the expanding stage. But I did cut a scene yesterday. An entire scene.)

So how do I know what to cut? Here's what I've looked for.

Is it realistic?

This was a big problem for me in Perilous, mostly because I wrote this book when I was 13. To my teenage mind, some of the things the girls did were perfectly logical. And who knows, maybe they were, because the girls at the time were also aged 13. But as an adult, I couldn't relate to kids who would act so irresponsibly. I changed the ages to 15 and matured their actions. All of the sudden, a lot of the scenes I had included as a child no longer fit. They simply weren't realistic.

Does the story really need it?

Sometimes I'd write a scene, maybe even an entire chapter, with some exciting event, something to keep the suspense up in the story. The odd thing was, it really wasn't relevant to the plot. If I cut out the entire adventure, the entire chapter, it had absolutely no impact to the rest of my story.

Granted, many scenes we write can be cut out and the story can continue. But some of the scenes we write really do add to the quality of the story. Others drain it. If you're not sure...ask a reader. They'll tell you!

Do I need this character's POV?

As I've stated before, one of my biggest problems was trying to tell the story from everyone's POV. These were some of the hardest scenes to cut, because I wanted to tell the story from that POV. Sometimes I could bring out the relevant information by using another character who was present, showing the incident from that POV. Other times, though, there was no alternative POV to use. These scenes were hard to delete. But it needed to be done for the consistency of the story. I miss those POVs. But the overall quality of the story is better. It felt like a plot gimmick to throw in a different POV for only one scene in the entire book.

Do I enjoy reading it?

You would think this would be obvious, but to me it wasn't. Sometimes I'd write a scene and it wouldn't sit well with me. Every time I'd read it I'd get that uneasy feeling in my stomach. But I'd think to myself, "It's just me because I wrote it. Nobody else will think this." Ha! Well, guess what! They notice it even more than you! When I realized my critiquers were pointing out the very scenes that I felt uncertain about, I realized I didn't always need to ask. If I didn't like it, the reader wouldn't either. This has been so helpful to me and allowed me to cut without even feeling guilty!

One other thing that helps me as I'm cutting is to save my deleted scenes. I have two files, one for each novel. Each is called "Deleted Scenes." I like to think of it as in the movies: some scenes have to be cut. When you watch the deleted scenes on a movie, you can often tell why it was cut. Yet it's still fun to watch. Maybe someday I'll release a 'director's cut' of my books! Then again, I might recycle the scenes into other books!

Demon's Pawn Status Update - SM Blooding

All right, we're into the downhill side of Week 2 NaNoWriMo and Demon's Pawn is looking great! Is it a saleable Draft 1? Do you think I'm nuts?! No. However, it's turning out to be one dangerously good book!

Now, before I started writing, I brainstormed for, oh, about a month or two prior. I mapped out the major characters, the newbies, and figured out how my fmc (female main character) and my mmc (male main character) needed to grow.

Dexx isn't growing very much so far. But he will. Oooooh, yes he will!

I didn't try to figure out all the characters that were going to have cameo appearances, names of all the people I'm going to have killed. No. None of that. That comes on the fly. In Draft 2, I concentrate on making sure that Victim #1's name remains Jessica Finley throughout the rest of the of the book and that her hair remains brown. Right now, I know that she currently has three different names and that she's had brown hair twice, but that she's been a blonde once as well.

I just don't care. This is Draft 1. That's crap. Don't care. It's crap. I'm getting the STORY down on paper.

And the STORY is getting OMG good! Holy COW!

I am, I don't know, 33K into the story? I'm going to be working on Chapter 14 on my lunch hour (guys, please! I beg you! LET me take a lunch HOUR! I need it!) I'm about 8K behind on where I need to be to get a full 100K written this month, but it's no big deal. I'm just pushing to get this book written, not because I have to, but because it's FUN!

NaNoWriMo started off as a way to motivate me seven years ago.

Now, it's just scheduled month to write. All other months except for March, the rare June, and November are dedicated to writing. No revisions. Little reading. NO editing. *shrug* Just writing.

And for those of you who asked, March is the MarNoWriMo that I host on WDC. More details will be coming closer to February.

I. Love. This. Book!

Holy PETE, I do. I love these characters! Paige is wonderful - she's a pain in BLEEP half the time, but she's wonderful. You will love to hate Rachel. Alma, holy crap! I love Alma. Dexx is a total dork as always. Gotta love him. Leslie--just everyone. I love everyone!

Is this book better than Book 1, Demonic Alliance?

Yes, but then again everyone in the industry knows that it's a pretty safe bet that book 2 will be better than book 1. For some strange reason, it took me 3 years to write Demonic Alliance. I can tell. I hope you won't be able to. Two of my critique partners can, but they know me.

Writing all in on lump has it's benefits. *nods sagely* The book just flows sooooo much better.

Interview with Megan Crewe

All right, folks! I know that you’ve heard about this book because I reviewed it and told you how wonderful it is! I highly recommend that you click on the cover to go to Amazon.com and check out her book! It is soooooo worth the read!

Ms. Crewe was kind enough to let me interview her for the blog! Please read through as she has some fabulous answers to a few quirky questions we writers are often concerned with.

And I have to admit that I EEEEEEKKKK’d in my email to her. *shakes head* The poor woman. I probably scared her half to death!

Ms. Crewe: “Crazy fan-girl! I will NOT tell you where I live! You will NOT stalk me.”

Frankie: *angelic blink* Who me? Stalk you? Noooooo.

However, she did not let her fear show. She was super awesome in her interview!

Would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer?

I've always loved stories. My parents are both avid readers and read to me every night, and I couldn't wait to be able to read books to myself, too. I started making up my own stories when I was very young as well. Some of them I wrote down, and some of them I acted out with my toys (my plastic animal figures used to have epic battles between the carnivores and the herbivores). For a while it was just something I did for fun. But as I got older and started seeing how much friends and teachers enjoyed my stories, I began to think maybe I could do this thing I loved as a career, too. I wrote my first novel (and a number of others) and started sending out short stories to magazines when I was in my teens. I didn't have a lot of success then, but I kept at it, and, well, here I am today!

What inspired you to write Give up the Ghost?

I had this idea of a girl hanging out with her ghostly sister, and feeling totally at ease with it, and I wanted to explore that. I hadn't seen a character who liked being able to see ghosts before. Why would she prefer the company of the dead over that of the living? What might come of her friendship with ghosts? How might she re-connect with living people? With so many interesting questions to figure out the answers to, I just had to write a book about her!

Ghosts are almost becoming the new vampire. I know I'm pushing for it. What made you decide not to insert the proverbial vampire?

Now you have me trying to imagine what the book would have been like if all the ghosts were replaced by vampires! Heh. I suppose you'd still have that lingering on after death thing, but vampires would have been visible to everyone, not just Cass, and it would have added a whole lot of other mythology to the story that I wasn't interested in exploring. I think ghosts are actually kind of different from other supernatural creatures. Unlike vampires and werewolves and faeries, there's nothing "special" or inhuman about them, they're just humans who are no longer alive. And I wanted to write about humans, both living and dead.

I couldn’t agree more! Cass is so easy to sync with. She has a very natural Voice. She isn't whiney and she isn't "commercial". Do you have an easier time with characters than plot? Are you one of those writers where the characters are, literally, invisible people with minds of their own living inside of your head? How does that affect your plot?

I'm glad you found Cass very natural! I do think that I'm more of a character writer than a plot writer, though I've been working on my plotting. It takes me a while to get to know my characters, but once I do they can act almost independently. I used to imagine Cass sitting in a chair across from me, dictating the story to me as I wrote, which I think helped me "hear" her voice clearly. Being a character-focused writer means that my plot lines tend to be driven by things that the characters do and want rather than stuff happening that pushes its way into their lives.

Do you outline? Do you pre-synopsis? Or do you just sit down and write?

I outline pretty thoroughly. First I spend a while letting the idea simmer and jotting down lots of notes. Once I have a solid idea of the beginning, middle, and end, and the major characters, I write out a scene-by-scene outline on index cards from start to finish. That helps me see if there are any major plot holes (and if there are, gives me a chance to figure out how to fix them) or issues with character goals and motivation. But I'm always figuring out new things about the characters and their story as I'm writing, so deviations from the outline are frequent.

About how long does it take to get Draft 1 written?

I'm a fast drafter--I like to build up a lot of momentum once I start writing and just get it all down, especially with that first draft. It usually takes me 1-2 months.

You’re part of an in-person writer’s group. How many books did you write before you sought out other writers? How have you grown since finding your group?

When I first started writing books, I was in my early teens, and the internet was only just starting to be widely open to the public, so I didn't have many opportunities to seek out fellow writers. By the time I was in my late teens (and had written a few more books), a lot more people were on the 'net, and I formed an online critique group of teen writers. It ended up shutting down after about a year, but afterward I continued to look online for critique partners.

I first sought out an in-person group about five years ago, shortly before I started writing GHOST. Mostly because as great as the online world is, there are certain parts of social interaction you just don't get that way, and I wanted to connect with other writers in person. And I'm glad I did! Critiquing is very different in-person than online. I find in my group we focus more on individual chapters than the whole book (whereas online it's the opposite) and it allows for a lot of discussion and brainstorming that doesn't happen quite as easily online.

How did you land your agent? We always hear about how many times a book was rejected before it was finally received. Did you keep track?

I found my agent the traditional way: sent out queries, and then partials and fulls when they were interested in the manuscript, and after about five months of searching I got The Call. :) I kept clear records of my agent search, but GHOST was still out with several when I accepted my agent's offer of representation. I'd gotten a couple dozen "no"s at different stages in the process.

How much effort did you put into your platform before you were published?

I'm not sure I have a "platform"--that's a word I associate more with nonfiction. I did think about how I wanted to portray myself as a writer. What was the common theme amongst my ideas? Which is where the tagline for my website, "another world, not quite ours," came from. I like to write about realities a lot like ours but with a little speculative stuff thrown in, and I wanted my website to show that.

In terms of just letting people know about my book, I've had the website since before it was published, so it was just a matter of keeping it updated. I started a blog aimed at readers which I post on regularly (my previous blog was more targeted at fellow writers) and joined a few groups for debut authors like the 2009 Debutantes and the Class of 2K9 for emotional support, information sharing, and group promotion. So I'd say I put a fair amount of effort in, mostly online.

How much effort is put into it now? Do you have people to assist you on this?

I handle all parts of my writing career (well, other than the stuff my agent and publisher handle) myself. I've kept up my site and blog, held giveaways, and participated in interviews. It's important to me to try to raise awareness of the book. But ultimately what's most important is writing the next book, and the one after.

How has your life changed since you’ve become published? (Yes, this is me with the big, dreamy eyes looking at you adoringly and saying, “One day, I will be like her. Yes, I will be like her.” And, yes, I AM clicking my dust covered steel toed boots. LMAO!)

Hee hee.

I don't know if this will be a disappointment, but honestly, I don't feel my life has changed that much. It's incredibly exciting to be able to walk into a bookstore and see my book, and to have people talking about it online and wanting to interview me (like you!). And I do feel more... "official," and more confident calling myself an author and telling people what I do. But I'm still working at the same job I was before the book came out, and while my friends and family ask about the book from time to time our relationships haven't changed. I've always taken my writing very seriously, even before I had a book published. So it's like the same life, just with some extra added bonuses. Thanks for the fun interview!Megan


Thank you,

Megan!


This has been supremely wonderful! Thank you so much!

Now, the book cover is clickable. I highly recommend reading this book. And her picture is clickable. It takes you to her website. Please enjoy and help me thank Ms. Crewe for stopping by and spending some time with us.

My First Ever Book--Kurt Chambers

I have always considered myself as a late starter compared to most authors I know. I started writing my Truth Teller series at about the age of thirty six. The idea behind my story was to write a traditional fantasy story that would appeal to a younger audience. Some of the best fantasy tales were aimed at an adult audience, and as a youngster I found them a little heavy on the reading. Not being the best reader in the world, I always thought it would be good if these classic tales could be written in a more 'reader-friendly' format especially for stupid people like me ...lol...This idea stayed with me, and one day developed into the idea behind my middle grade fantasy novel series. A traditional fantasy story written especially for a younger audience.

Now, I thought that as I was thirty six when I wrote this, it made me a late starter in the writing game, but it turned out that this wasn't the first time this ingenious idea had occurred to me. During a conversation with a friend of mine this week, I was reminded of a time when I was really little and my teacher read a story to the class at Lodge Farm Infant School. It was James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. I really loved the story, but I was too little to read it myself. So, being the resourceful person I am, I came up with a great idea. I would write out the story in my own writing so I could understand it. And this is what I did. I wrote my first book.

Many, many years later when my mum had to sell her house and move in with me for a while, I was helping her clear out her house. Emptying the cupboard at the top of the stairs, I stumbled across a bag of paperwork that my mum had kept from when we were children. I had a look through the bag and found my book. I recognised it immediately even though I had children of my own by then. It had a blobby thing drawn on the cover in orange crayon that was obviously meant to be a peach. What a fantastic find! I opened it up and browsed the pages. The funny thing was, I couldn't understand a single word in the whole book ...lol...

The best bit about this story is I discovered I was writing books even before I could actually write :D I guess I'm not a late starter after all.

No NaNo for me - Jay Eckert

The title of this says it all. There will be a distinct lack of NaNo for this writer. Isn't nano nano what Mork from Ork said by way of greeting and goodbye on one of my all time fav TV shows of years ago - Mork and Mindy? Cool. I got a Robin Williams reference in here. And whatever happened to Pam Dawber, a.k.a Mindy?

This is by no means a knock or a dig on any writer participating in the November event. I envy the ker-billion folks who are participating. Frankie. Mireyah. You guys are my heroes. I can't even imagine being that productive. It's just not in my DNA.

I simply don't write that quickly. Think Thomas Harris without all the talent. That's me. I take forever. 50k words don't come easy, or fast. I'm thrilled to death to get 500 words spun in a day. 2000? *shudders* My brain is sludge when I get home from work, and it takes all my will to conjure up complete sentences with which to engage my family in conversation.

My writing time is generally from 9pm - 11pm, and requires that I pound some Starbucks. At 2000 words, I might need two or three more cups. I don't think I'm supposed to have that much caffeine at night, but I do anyway.

Writing is an art form. That stories come out of my head is a small miracle. You can't rush a miracle. I am totally with Frankie, though. I can write crap. It's okay to write crap. Crap in quantity is better than nothing at all. You can revise crap later and turn it into a thing of beauty. You know the notions of lipstick on a pig or polishing a turd? The idea is that... well you're not supposed to do those things. They don't hide the problem. Isn't it weird that the writing/revising process entirely contradicts that notion? Then again, you can't polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter. Out of the muck comes a masterpiece, they say. Or was that me who said it? Either way, I think it's true.

What was I talking about? Oh, yes. I'm not participating in NaNo, but good luck to those of you who are. I'm proud of you, am jealous of you and am somehow rooting for you.

And so, in conclusion, thousand points of light. Stay the course. No new taxes.

... Dana Carvey, parodying George H.W. Bush

The Joys of NaNo - SM Blooding

Holy Pete, how'd it get to be Thursday already? Whew! Boy, is the world moving at a fast pace.

You know...for as much as we whine and complain and whine and complain about how tiring NaNoWriMo is, it is...super cool! I mean, we're on day 5 and I'm at 12K and I'm going to get more done tonight at a local writathon. The words are just STREAMING from my fingertips. The dialogue is great! It's so good to be with old friends (my characters) in a NEW book. *rolling eyes* Oh, the woes of working on a book for 3 years. GADS! The grief!

It. Feels. Great. To. Write! Holy Hades! It does.

I love writing. I love it, I do. The months of March and November are wonderful for me. There's no revisions. No second guessing. No editing. No research (unless it's to see where the Texas Ranger Dallas Division Headquarters is located). It's just me and my characters and this plot line that I've been brainstorming on for the last two months.

I love November. I hate Thanksgiving. I love NaNoWriMo.

Oh, and for those of you who follow me on Twitter, I still hate light fixtures, though that has NOTHING to do with this post.

We NaNoers put ourselves through this because we love to write.

I love the one hour a day (now that I know how to write 2.5K in 53 minutes).

I love writing every day for an entire month.

I love not editing.

I love not revising.

This is the month where I can shout at the top of my lungs:

I am a writer!