My last post was about seven months ago. I hope you haven't given up hoping that I'd post again (I'm sure you were desperately worried), but I'm sure also that whoever was holding their breath gave up awhile back. And yet, I'm back, and hope to stay back, perhaps every Saturday if I'm good.
I'm in South Korea. Again. I lived there between the ages of 23 and 27, and feel that it's (at least technically) where I became an adult. It's a country I love deeply, but not the one where I'd expected to stay, and I think it took me a while to process the idea that my life had brought me back here.
I came back on December 1st, right after Thanksgiving (which I insisted on spending at home rather than come early, but mostly slept through). Now it's been almost two seasons, and summer is coming.
I was surprised at how natural it felt to be back in Korea. I stepped off the plane, and felt like I was coming back to Incheon after any other vacation--no time seemed to have passed. And yet I'm different, and (I hope) my life is different, than the first time I was here. I plan. I arrange. I make lists, check them, review them, and analyze them with an eye to improving efficiency. It's an enormous process, consuming reams of paper and enormous amounts of time, but I think it helps.
I don't know when I'll go back home. It's not in my immediate plan.
I came back for various reasons, which I'd rather not go into. I miss my friends, and family, in the States--but here, too, I have dear friends, and getting to spend so much time with them is a blessing I never anticipated. In a way, Korea is also my country, and I like it, and I hope to do well.
My job is a lot like the one I did before. I'm in Seoul, though, which makes a huge difference. (In fact, the district where I work is quite close to the notorious Gangnam.) My hours are pretty long, and there was a learning curve, but it's a good job and I hope to keep doing it. My students are adorable. My colleagues, who hail from various countries, are interesting. I live quite far, but in my commute I've been listening to lots of new music, and have discovered some lovely new groups. (The XX and Of Monsters And Men are at the top of my list at the moment, but I've also listened to things as diverse as Concha Buika and Malice Mizer.) I have a place, I can buy clothes, my cat is sleeping next to me. I've gone to a lot of Meetups, and even started one, and am making lots of wonderful friends that way. I'm even doing a little life drawing, which is one of the most fun, relaxing things I've ever tried. On the whole (knock on wood), I am very happy.
For now, I'm going to keep teaching English. I'll write, edit, and probably self-publish (I keep seesawing, but I think ultimately it's going to turn out right for me.) I really want to finish more short stories, which I plan to put out in a bundle somewhat like this one (though hopefully much better). The first will be free--I haven't been giving you anything to read, and that's really not fair considering this is supposed to be a writing blog. And I hope you will read it, because I've been reading some wonderful stuff, and I really hope my writing will improve.
If you want to follow, I'm on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. (I'm also on DeviantArt, but I'm not telling you my ID till my art gets better.) If you'd like to contact me, that's the best way--or you can leave a question here, and I'll try to answer. And I think that's all for right now.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Saturday, October 26, 2013
NaNoWriMo 2013
Because I am quite mad, I have decided to participate in NaNo this year despite having no less than four other projects up in the air at the moment. My username is Katherine Pearl, and my profile is here. If you have any plans to participate, I hope that you'll add me as a friend.
I participated in NaNoWriMo from 2005-2010, and "won" the last of those two years. It's a really great way to come up with a very inventive, seat-of-your-pants first draft. Unfortunately, back in 2009 I hadn't yet practiced rewriting a novel, and I fear that SNOWBERRY--dearly as I love it--is not destined to see the light of day, at least in its current form. HAUNTED HOUSES, the most recent effort, was actually a second attempt at one of the earlier NaNo projects. It, too, is probably lost to time.
Over the last two years, I have been working--with varying amounts of dedication--on a young adult novel, THE WOODS AND THE CASTLE. (They make you write it in all caps if it isn't published yet.) I've written a full three drafts of that book, and am four chapters away from finishing a final edit of the third. Ideally, I'll finish those edits and this year's NaNo project at more or less the same time. That would leave space for NaNo '13 to slide smoothly into the editing spot. But time will tell.
One complicating factor is one of the aforementioned side projects. It was meant to be a Halloween short story, but--like so many drafts--got way too big for its pants. I'm hoping it will come out at around 20,000 words. Tentatively, I'm planning to self-publish it, priced at 99 cents like Five Stories. (If you haven't read Five Stories yet, wouldn't Halloween week be a terrific time to do so? I... sort of... kid.) It would be nice to put out at least one thing like that every year--I'm still on the fence re: self-publishing, but it was a really fun project, and I'd like to improve my cover-fu. The novella, currently titled "The Tongue of the Dead," went over quite well with some very respected beta readers, and I'm having a wonderful time writing it.
Other than that... waiting on something big, but I feel like if I tell you I'll jinx it. Feel free to speculate! And stay warm.
XOXO,
Kate
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Are "Children's Classics" Any Good?
I've sat on this post for a while, deciding if I still agreed with it, but I think I do:
For several months recently, I worked as a clerk and book-buyer at a used bookstore. Shelving books was a major part of the job, and a lot of the shelving was in the extensive children's section.
The store had a pretty good selection, including three or four shelves of children's classics. Most of these books were actually "special adaptations"--simplified versions that contained most of the important plot points (at least the child-friendly ones), but none of the tone or spirit of the original writing. For example, the Great Illustrated Classics version of The Wizard of Oz begins, "Dorothy lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a small farm in Kansas." In Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the actual first sentence reads, "Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife."
The more I see these adaptations, the more annoyed I get. It's bad enough that the series creators decided to dumb down classic children's books like Peter Pan and A Little Princess. Readers of these books, who probably won't know any better, won't get to experience the authors' original styles, and may miss out on important plot points that add emotional subtlety to the narrative.
Worse, though, is when companies like this produce watered-down versions of Moby Dick and Pride and Prejudice. These stories were meant for adults, and you can't pare them down enough for children to digest without really gutting them.
I'm not saying kids shouldn't read the original novels. If they can understand the writing, and appreciate some of the themes, then that's awesome. But by reading these adaptations, they're only getting the plot--and the same basic plot can tell a lot of different stories, depending on the author's motivation.
Look, for example, at the first pages of Great Illustrated Classics' Pride and Prejudice adaptation. It's missing all its sarcastic humor--all Mrs. Bennet's silliness, and all the restrained nastiness of her husband's barbs. You'd never guess it was meant as a piece of social criticism. Boiled down like this, it's not a work of literature anymore--just a story.
Thinking about this, I came to the idea that a reader who can't handle a work of literature in its original form isn't ready to receive the story's message. When I was seven or eight, for example, I read an abridged version of A Tale of Two Cities. I felt very smug for having read such a famous book, but I couldn't tell you what it was about--I could barely follow the plot. As far as I know, it made no emotional impact; all I have is the vague memory of someone swimming across the English Channel, and of a woman knitting secret messages in a corner.
Of course, I do hope to read the book again someday. It's pretty far down my list, though: the abridgement did nothing to pique my interest. Really, should an eight-year-old be expected to grasp the themes of something like Huckleberry Finn, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?
I understand that "kids' classics" are meant as a sort of introduction, but do they serve their intended purpose? How many kids who read things like the Great Illustrated Classics series are going to read the original works as adults? I'm sure many do, but I'm sure many don't. I could be entirely off-base, but my gut feeling is that there's not much good to be said about any form of bowdlerized art. If you can't appreciate the work in its original form, then you're not ready to read it. Such is my opinion.
Anyway, I had a lot more about translations that I was going to write here, but the post kind of exploded, so I decided to split it in two. What do you think about children's adaptations? Have you read an adaptation, then come back to the original work later? How do you think it affected your reading of the original?
Let me know--
Kate
Image credits: Wonderful Wizard of Oz cover via Wikimedia Commons; others via Karen's Whimsy.
For several months recently, I worked as a clerk and book-buyer at a used bookstore. Shelving books was a major part of the job, and a lot of the shelving was in the extensive children's section.
The store had a pretty good selection, including three or four shelves of children's classics. Most of these books were actually "special adaptations"--simplified versions that contained most of the important plot points (at least the child-friendly ones), but none of the tone or spirit of the original writing. For example, the Great Illustrated Classics version of The Wizard of Oz begins, "Dorothy lived with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a small farm in Kansas." In Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the actual first sentence reads, "Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife."
 |
| I still haven't read this book. Can you believe it? |
The more I see these adaptations, the more annoyed I get. It's bad enough that the series creators decided to dumb down classic children's books like Peter Pan and A Little Princess. Readers of these books, who probably won't know any better, won't get to experience the authors' original styles, and may miss out on important plot points that add emotional subtlety to the narrative.
Worse, though, is when companies like this produce watered-down versions of Moby Dick and Pride and Prejudice. These stories were meant for adults, and you can't pare them down enough for children to digest without really gutting them.
I'm not saying kids shouldn't read the original novels. If they can understand the writing, and appreciate some of the themes, then that's awesome. But by reading these adaptations, they're only getting the plot--and the same basic plot can tell a lot of different stories, depending on the author's motivation.
Look, for example, at the first pages of Great Illustrated Classics' Pride and Prejudice adaptation. It's missing all its sarcastic humor--all Mrs. Bennet's silliness, and all the restrained nastiness of her husband's barbs. You'd never guess it was meant as a piece of social criticism. Boiled down like this, it's not a work of literature anymore--just a story.
 |
| "And they all lived happily ever after." |
Thinking about this, I came to the idea that a reader who can't handle a work of literature in its original form isn't ready to receive the story's message. When I was seven or eight, for example, I read an abridged version of A Tale of Two Cities. I felt very smug for having read such a famous book, but I couldn't tell you what it was about--I could barely follow the plot. As far as I know, it made no emotional impact; all I have is the vague memory of someone swimming across the English Channel, and of a woman knitting secret messages in a corner.
Of course, I do hope to read the book again someday. It's pretty far down my list, though: the abridgement did nothing to pique my interest. Really, should an eight-year-old be expected to grasp the themes of something like Huckleberry Finn, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?
 |
| Something about a squid...? |
I understand that "kids' classics" are meant as a sort of introduction, but do they serve their intended purpose? How many kids who read things like the Great Illustrated Classics series are going to read the original works as adults? I'm sure many do, but I'm sure many don't. I could be entirely off-base, but my gut feeling is that there's not much good to be said about any form of bowdlerized art. If you can't appreciate the work in its original form, then you're not ready to read it. Such is my opinion.
Anyway, I had a lot more about translations that I was going to write here, but the post kind of exploded, so I decided to split it in two. What do you think about children's adaptations? Have you read an adaptation, then come back to the original work later? How do you think it affected your reading of the original?
Let me know--
Kate
Image credits: Wonderful Wizard of Oz cover via Wikimedia Commons; others via Karen's Whimsy.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 3/14/13
Random song of the week:
1. "SFWA De-Lists Hydra; Random House Responds." Drama! The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have decided that Random House's new e-imprint, Hydra, will not count as a qualifying market for SFWA membership. Random House feels they're being unfair. Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware reports at SFWA's website.
2. "Losing interest." Fantasy writer Patricia Wrede discusses some things that can make a writer want to abandon a story halfway through.
3. "Query Letter FAQs (Part II): 10 More Questions Answered." Chuck Sambuchino of Writer Unboxed gives some tips to writers approaching the dreaded query process.
4. "Omniscient." An interesting post by Ann Leckie on the rarely-discussed subject of third-person omniscient point of view. Worth reading!
5. "Why Not to Register Copyright for Unpublished Work." By Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware. Basically: it's probably a waste of time and money, and it might get you spammed by vanity presses. Those self-publishing, or publishing with small presses, on the other hand, should at least look into it. (Thanks as always, Ms. Strauss!)
6. "Publisher as Prestige Brand?" Wendy Lawton of Books & Such has an interesting speculation: that publishers are going to focus more and more on branding, creating recognizable consumer experiences like big design houses now do for fashion. Which I guess would put authors in the position of in-house designers? I don't know. It's odd to think about, but makes a certain amount of sense.
Steve Earle: "Copperhead Road"
This song came on the radio a few days ago, and I realized it was one of the first songs I ever remembered hearing. My mom confirms that my dad bought it a few days after it came out (I would have been about five). If I were to make a playlist of songs illustrating important aspects of American culture, this one would be on it.
Links:
1. "SFWA De-Lists Hydra; Random House Responds." Drama! The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have decided that Random House's new e-imprint, Hydra, will not count as a qualifying market for SFWA membership. Random House feels they're being unfair. Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware reports at SFWA's website.
2. "Losing interest." Fantasy writer Patricia Wrede discusses some things that can make a writer want to abandon a story halfway through.
3. "Query Letter FAQs (Part II): 10 More Questions Answered." Chuck Sambuchino of Writer Unboxed gives some tips to writers approaching the dreaded query process.
4. "Omniscient." An interesting post by Ann Leckie on the rarely-discussed subject of third-person omniscient point of view. Worth reading!
5. "Why Not to Register Copyright for Unpublished Work." By Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware. Basically: it's probably a waste of time and money, and it might get you spammed by vanity presses. Those self-publishing, or publishing with small presses, on the other hand, should at least look into it. (Thanks as always, Ms. Strauss!)
6. "Publisher as Prestige Brand?" Wendy Lawton of Books & Such has an interesting speculation: that publishers are going to focus more and more on branding, creating recognizable consumer experiences like big design houses now do for fashion. Which I guess would put authors in the position of in-house designers? I don't know. It's odd to think about, but makes a certain amount of sense.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 3/7/13
"Delirium," Motion City Soundtrack. Language warning (one instance)
I am unfortunately super-way-behind again, so these are a couple of weeks old. I thought they were interesting, though!
1. "My First Year on Twitter: How I Became @erik_kwakkel." Medieval researcher Erik Kwakkel describes the development of his personal Tweeting style.
2. Peter Knapp of The Park Literary Group, LLC says that emotions and relationships are the key to writing a good pitch. Posted in preparation for WriteOnCon's Mid-Winter "Luck-o'-the-Irish" pitch fest.
3. "Utopian for Beginners: An amateur linguist loses control of the language he invented." By Joshua Foer of The New Yorker (via Lilith Saintcrow) Very interesting!
4. "Author As Innovator: The Future of Publishing is Story, Not Technology." By Dan Blank of Writer Unboxed.
For writers, what this means is that innovation is in your hands. How will storytelling or publishing change? Stop looking to “the industry! the industry!” as Porter Anderson would call it, and begin creating it yourself.5. In this interview, Tumblr's Rachel Fershleiser gives some tips for organizing a successful book event. (By Togather)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 2/20/13
Oh, hey, you guys! I got distracted--here are yesterday's links. Sorry for the delay!
Your random song of the week: I've come across this as an auto-play background song on a couple of different blogs, and though I hate auto-play media, I really like the song.
Your random song of the week: I've come across this as an auto-play background song on a couple of different blogs, and though I hate auto-play media, I really like the song.
Half Moon Run, "Full Circle."
1. "Where your time is." Fantasy author Patricia Wrede points out that a writing career takes time, and often comes at the sacrifice of other appealing things (TV, money, a social life...)
2. "The Dreaded Synopsis." Sean Cummings of Oasis for YA says the secret is to write it from your outline, not your manuscript.
3. "What to Do When Our Families Don't Support Our Writing." I'm lucky enough to have a very supportive family (thanks, Mom! I love you!) However, if you have trouble getting your loved ones to support your need for writing time, Jody Hedlund has some suggestions. I especially like the one about considering the first couple of years of unpaid writing a sort of professional education--that's how I've been thinking of it. : )
4. "Bad advice from best-selling authors." By Janet Koboel Grant of Books & Such. It's an interesting read. However, at the risk of sounding snotty, I'd like to see a post extolling the value of literary agents that was not written by a literary agent. Nothing personal against Ms. Grant--it's just that a lot of agents have written posts about how much writers need them, and it comes across as... less than objective.
5. "Too much talent." Patricia Wrede on how talent can actually be a disadvantage on how you don't have the diligence to go with it. This is the same thing that happens to bright high-schoolers who are used to coasting once they get to college and are expected to work. (Not that I speak from experience...)
6. "MFA Programs and You." This... actually sounds amazingly good. I wonder if they'd take my almost-finished novel as an application? Thanks, SFWA!
7. "An Introduction to Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, Part 1: Definitions." Another SFWA post, this one by Malinda Lo. I think this is actually a few weeks old, but I don't remember posting it before; if I did, I'm sorry. (WOODS, if you're curious, is definitely on the edgier side of YA. : ))
3. "What to Do When Our Families Don't Support Our Writing." I'm lucky enough to have a very supportive family (thanks, Mom! I love you!) However, if you have trouble getting your loved ones to support your need for writing time, Jody Hedlund has some suggestions. I especially like the one about considering the first couple of years of unpaid writing a sort of professional education--that's how I've been thinking of it. : )
4. "Bad advice from best-selling authors." By Janet Koboel Grant of Books & Such. It's an interesting read. However, at the risk of sounding snotty, I'd like to see a post extolling the value of literary agents that was not written by a literary agent. Nothing personal against Ms. Grant--it's just that a lot of agents have written posts about how much writers need them, and it comes across as... less than objective.
5. "Too much talent." Patricia Wrede on how talent can actually be a disadvantage on how you don't have the diligence to go with it. This is the same thing that happens to bright high-schoolers who are used to coasting once they get to college and are expected to work. (Not that I speak from experience...)
6. "MFA Programs and You." This... actually sounds amazingly good. I wonder if they'd take my almost-finished novel as an application? Thanks, SFWA!
7. "An Introduction to Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction, Part 1: Definitions." Another SFWA post, this one by Malinda Lo. I think this is actually a few weeks old, but I don't remember posting it before; if I did, I'm sorry. (WOODS, if you're curious, is definitely on the edgier side of YA. : ))
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 2/13/13
Hey folks! Happy almost-Valentine's day. I have lots of links for you today--it was a good news week. (Actually, these are more than a week old, because I'm way behind on my reading. I'm trying to catch up though!
While you read, please enjoy Efterklang's "Mirador." It's beautiful, isn't it?
1. "Shocker: B&N to cut a third of stores over next decade -- WSJ." Writeup by Shara Tibken of cnet. Apparently Barnes & Noble denies it's doing anything differently at all, but in light of this article from a few weeks ago I'm not sure I believe them. I do know that my regular B&N has cut its operating hours by five a week. Something to keep track of, I guess.
2. "Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing: Enjoy the Best of Both Worlds." Jane Friedman interviews CJ Lyons, who has some interesting things to say.
3. "Secret Ingredient for Success." Opinion piece by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield, of The New York Times, on the importance of self-awareness. Not specifically written word-related, but relevant to anyone trying to make their own career.
4. "Pulp-O-Mizer: The Customizable Pulp Magazine Cover Generator" (by Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual." Thanks To Steve Turnbull of the Google+ Speculative Fiction Writers community for passing along this wonderful toy. Here's mine:
5. "Hell is my own book tour," by Adam Mansbach at Salon. This post basically had me at the first sentence. However, the second and third are pretty great, too:
6. "Buying is a hard thing for bookstores to do effectively, and that becomes an increasingly important reality for publishers." By Mike Shatzkin of The Idea Logical Company.
7. "This is a Post about Plagiarism." Sarah of Clear Eyes, Full Shelves explains why she takes a hard line.
8. Miriam Forster, author of the upcoming City of a Thousand Dolls, shows us some lovely promo swag. I hadn't thought about quote cards, but they'd be easy to do, and would work for self- or traditional publishing.
9. "Best Business Advice for Writers: January 2013." Good links from Jane Friedman.
10. Via the above: "5 Ways Authors Can Get the Most Out of Goodreads," by Brian A. Klerns of Writer's Digest. A little chirpy, but does have some good ideas. I decided after my manifesto a few weeks back that I wasn't comfortable leaving negative reviews of books by people I might encounter socially (seriously, there are a lot of authors around here). However, an "Inspirations" shelf is a great idea, and I've been meaning to set up a proper author page.
11. Also via #9: "The complete and unabridged guide to GoodReads for authors: Account set-up, customization, and widgets, lots of widgets." Guest post by John Corwin at Novel Publicity & Co. Seems to be part one of a series.
12. "A Stake Through the Heart." Patricia Wrede on character motivation. Helped me clarify a problem I was having conceptualizing the sequel to WOODS.
13. "State of the Digital World 2013."Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such sums up some of the key points from this year's Digital Book World Conference.
14. "Have You Planned For Success?" Lynn Price of Behler Blog lists things authors should think about before they make it to the "publication" stage. She raises some good points, but I'm not sure an author who's only gotten one offer of publication is going to turn down that offer just because s/he's not happy with the editors or distribution at that house.
15. On Galleycat, via Cuddlebuggery: "Tor UK Now Accepts Direct Submissions from Writers." So there's that.
16. Also via Cuddlebuggery: "Tamora Pierce wince 2013 Edwards Award for Song of the Lioness series and Protector of the Small quartet." Congratulations, Ms. Pierce! The Song of the Lioness quartet was really important to me when I was in elementary and middle school. Alanna was one of the first books I picked up off the YA paperback shelf at the library when I moved to North Carolina. (Two others were The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword.) I was nine at that point, and I think these books had a lot of influence on what heroes, and stories, I looked for after that. So thank you very much, Ms. Pierce, and please keep writing. : )
And I think that's enough for right now, don't you? Have a great day!
While you read, please enjoy Efterklang's "Mirador." It's beautiful, isn't it?
I love weird videos.
1. "Shocker: B&N to cut a third of stores over next decade -- WSJ." Writeup by Shara Tibken of cnet. Apparently Barnes & Noble denies it's doing anything differently at all, but in light of this article from a few weeks ago I'm not sure I believe them. I do know that my regular B&N has cut its operating hours by five a week. Something to keep track of, I guess.
2. "Self-Publishing and Traditional Publishing: Enjoy the Best of Both Worlds." Jane Friedman interviews CJ Lyons, who has some interesting things to say.
3. "Secret Ingredient for Success." Opinion piece by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield, of The New York Times, on the importance of self-awareness. Not specifically written word-related, but relevant to anyone trying to make their own career.
4. "Pulp-O-Mizer: The Customizable Pulp Magazine Cover Generator" (by Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual." Thanks To Steve Turnbull of the Google+ Speculative Fiction Writers community for passing along this wonderful toy. Here's mine:
 |
| Why do they have ray-guns? A better question would be, WHY DIDN'T THEY BEFORE? |
5. "Hell is my own book tour," by Adam Mansbach at Salon. This post basically had me at the first sentence. However, the second and third are pretty great, too:
Fantastic. However, I must point out that Bonobos aren't monkeys.The publishing industry stopped having new ideas out of respect for the untimely death of Ernest Hemingway in 1961, and has been doing everything the same way ever since. Usually without adjusting for inflation.
6. "Buying is a hard thing for bookstores to do effectively, and that becomes an increasingly important reality for publishers." By Mike Shatzkin of The Idea Logical Company.
7. "This is a Post about Plagiarism." Sarah of Clear Eyes, Full Shelves explains why she takes a hard line.
8. Miriam Forster, author of the upcoming City of a Thousand Dolls, shows us some lovely promo swag. I hadn't thought about quote cards, but they'd be easy to do, and would work for self- or traditional publishing.
9. "Best Business Advice for Writers: January 2013." Good links from Jane Friedman.
10. Via the above: "5 Ways Authors Can Get the Most Out of Goodreads," by Brian A. Klerns of Writer's Digest. A little chirpy, but does have some good ideas. I decided after my manifesto a few weeks back that I wasn't comfortable leaving negative reviews of books by people I might encounter socially (seriously, there are a lot of authors around here). However, an "Inspirations" shelf is a great idea, and I've been meaning to set up a proper author page.
11. Also via #9: "The complete and unabridged guide to GoodReads for authors: Account set-up, customization, and widgets, lots of widgets." Guest post by John Corwin at Novel Publicity & Co. Seems to be part one of a series.
12. "A Stake Through the Heart." Patricia Wrede on character motivation. Helped me clarify a problem I was having conceptualizing the sequel to WOODS.
13. "State of the Digital World 2013."Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such sums up some of the key points from this year's Digital Book World Conference.
14. "Have You Planned For Success?" Lynn Price of Behler Blog lists things authors should think about before they make it to the "publication" stage. She raises some good points, but I'm not sure an author who's only gotten one offer of publication is going to turn down that offer just because s/he's not happy with the editors or distribution at that house.
15. On Galleycat, via Cuddlebuggery: "Tor UK Now Accepts Direct Submissions from Writers." So there's that.
16. Also via Cuddlebuggery: "Tamora Pierce wince 2013 Edwards Award for Song of the Lioness series and Protector of the Small quartet." Congratulations, Ms. Pierce! The Song of the Lioness quartet was really important to me when I was in elementary and middle school. Alanna was one of the first books I picked up off the YA paperback shelf at the library when I moved to North Carolina. (Two others were The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword.) I was nine at that point, and I think these books had a lot of influence on what heroes, and stories, I looked for after that. So thank you very much, Ms. Pierce, and please keep writing. : )
And I think that's enough for right now, don't you? Have a great day!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 2/6/13
Queen, "We Are The Champions"
1. "The writing career and all the moneys," or, why it's especially impressive that J.K. Rowling lives in a castle. By Mur Lafferty; via Rebekkah Niles. (I think some of these others are from her, too, but can't remember which. Sorry, Becky! -_-)
2. "The Business Rusch: Editorial Revisions." In a response to this blog post by editor Lynn Price, Kristine Kathryn Rusch is starting a new blog series on the relationship between editors and authors. Very informative.
3. "President of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management Jane Dystel: Agents Unwilling to Adapt Won't Last." Interesting interview with the agent who first represented Barack Obama, and who now represents WOOL author Hugh Howey. Via dbw.
4. "Why online book discovery is broken (and how to fix it)." By Laura Hazard Owen, via paidContent. A short but interesting read that's been going around this week.
5. And, via the above: "Liability vs. leverage: How writers lose when 'piracy' gets harder." By Cory Doctorow, via TOC. Quick, and worth reading.
6. "Are you watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries?" Well, are you? I haven't checked them out yet, but Ana of things mean a lot seems to have excellent taste, so I might give them a try.
7. "7 rules for writing historical fiction," by Elizabeth Crook for Writer Magazine. An old piece (2006), but good advice (though I think I agree with Fraser Sherman, who posted the link, that the first-person thing is mostly a matter of taste).
8. "David Rintoul: The Best, Yet Least-Loved, Mr. Darcy." Another for P&P fans. (I'm not an Austen fanatic, per se--I just really like that particular book.) Shari Perkins of DramaticImpulse argues that Rintoul's stiff, awkward, formal portrayal of Darcy is actually much closer to the book than any of the others--and, when you think about it, she's right. Book!Darcy can be a huge asshole. : ) I actually was not a huge fan of the 1980 BBC Pride and Prejudice when I first saw it, but I like it more every time I watch it.
Et c'est tout. How are you?
XOXO,
Kate
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 1/23/13
Kacey Musgraves, "Merry-go-Round."
1. "How To Fight Book Pirates." Jason Boog of AppNewser gives some tips on how to find out if your book is being pirated, and what to do if it is.
2. "PW Select December 2012: Miami Advice: At the Miami Book Fair, a panel of self-publishing experts talks best practices." Writeup by Andrew Richard Albanese.
3. "2012 Writing Income." Fantasy author Jim C. Hines is kind enough to give the internet details about how much money he makes and where each bit comes from. Thanks to Rebekkah Niles for the link.
4. "Six Degrees of Retelling." Post by Marie Brennan of Book View Cafe on what makes a fairy tale retelling work.
5. "20 Books Every Woman Should Read in Her 20s," by Emily Temple of Flavorwire. These all look incredible. I've got a year--think I can get through them?
6. "The Publishing Quest: Hurry Up and Wait." Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency discusses the delays involved in traditional publication.
7. "Ownshelf Helps Readers Share Their Digital Libraries With Friends."
Ownshelf, a free web service that launched in beta Friday, provides readers with a cloud storage platform to share e-books with friends and family. Think of it as a simpler Dropbox intended specifically for e-books, but with a social element built in to foster discovery. Users sign into the service through Facebook and can quickly upload e-book files to create a digital bookshelf or borrow e-books from their contacts' bookshelves.Via Mashable. So it's like Goodreads but... with sharing? Not quite sure what to think about that.
And that's it for this week! How are you doing?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 1/16/13
Christina Aguilera/Blake Shelton: "Just a Fool"
1. "Don't Make Your Book Launch Like a Trip to the Dentist." Dan Blank of Writer Unboxed reminds authors to build their platforms well before the book is due to launch.
"So how do we avoid this feeling, this panic of the drill in your mouth as you lead up to your book launch? At the most basic level, I would encourage you to answer these questions:2. "Got a cool idea for a story? Now break it." This is a fantastic post about plot creation by Hugh Howey, author of the Wool series, which I've heard incredible things about and need to read. Thanks to M. David Blake for the link.
- Describe to me, in detail what your ideal readers read in the last 12 months....
- Where specifically can you go – online or off – to meet your readers?...
- Who manages or organizes these places[?]"
3. "The wrong goodbye of Barnes and Noble." In the words of Cathy: "Ack!"
4. Autharium. New ebook publishing platform; looks like they intend to compete with Smashwords. Some differences: According to the FAQ, it looks like they take about a 15% cut of what you earn from the various retailers (that's after the retailers take their cut). Also, it seems heavily skewed towards nonfiction--the fiction section doesn't even have genre divisions. Still, it's something to be aware of.
5. "9 Tips for Writing a Really Good 'Shitty First Draft.'" Lisa Cron of "Writer Unboxed" gives hints on how to produce a coherent story on the first try (rather than a Gordian knot that has to be cut to shreds and stitched together again before it makes any sense). My favorite tip is #7, the "third rail."
---
Had a wonderful time at IllogiCon 2 this weekend, and saw a lot of good friends. What's everyone else been up to?
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 1/9/13
Here are this week's links! While you read, check out this song, which has really been in my head this week:
Flogging Molly: "Paddy's Lament"
1. "Writing Like It's 2009." Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses how the epublishing world has changed over the last few years.
2. Via the above link: Bill Bryson is suing his former agent for "misconduct and profound neglect of his duties." You'd think, with a client as big as BB, the agent would have been a bit more scrupulous.
3. "Le Tarzan Napoleon," Part I and Part II. Not strictly a writing link, but still funny: Horror/fantasy author Lilith Saintcrow tells the story of an enterprising squirrel, a squirrelproof birdfeeder, and several baffled domestic animals.
4. "All new & revised: On wordcounts and novel length." Colleen Lindsay of The Swivet provides a very specific, and very handy guide to what length publishers are looking for in each genre. Link from KellaKnits.
5. "Smugglivus 2012: The Airing of Grievances." If you missed any of the book-and-publishing-related drama this year, The Book Smugglers have a good roundup here.
6. "Giving Mom's Book Five Stars? Amazon May Cull Your Review." By David Streitfeld at The New York Times.
7. "Show Me the Money!" Brenda Hiatt is maintaining a Glassdoor-style list of average publisher advances in the romance and YA genres. Note the enormous range! I'm really interested in data like this--does anyone have any other good links?
My own updates for this week: Five of my stories are now available as an ebook on Smashwords, titled Five Stories for the Dark Months. Also, I've made my Goodreads account public (and here's why).
And that's all, folks. Happy Wednesday!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Reading, Writing, and Publishing Links: 1/2/13
Not too many links today. While you read, here's Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American mouth." Yes, I know it's from the Twilight soundtrack. The Twilight movies have excellent soundtracks.
1. "Loved Your Book, Can't Publish It." Lynn Price at Behler Blog writes about the frustration of trying to sell an excellent book that's not currently marketable.
2. "Just Shut Up." An excellent post about loving problematic media.
4. "How Long Should You Keep Trying To Get Published?" Jane Friedman discusses when not to try for publication, when to start thinking about it, and when it might be good to step back and take another look at what you're doing.
5. "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known." Julianne Lee at Book View Cafe talks about things beginning writers should know about the publishing process.
6. "Prophecies." Patricia C. Wrede weighs in on prophecies, why they often don't work in modern fantasy novels, and why they absolutely can work if used correctly.
And that's all for this week! Going off to work on the winter story, and then to edit more of WOODS. Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season, and that 2013 is your best year yet. : )
1. "Loved Your Book, Can't Publish It." Lynn Price at Behler Blog writes about the frustration of trying to sell an excellent book that's not currently marketable.
2. "Just Shut Up." An excellent post about loving problematic media.
3. "Research -- All The Layers." An ode to research at YA Highway.I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, nobody sat down with me after I watched Beauty and the Beast and said, “Okay, this is a movie, and it’s okay to enjoy this movie! It’s okay to think this movie is great! But just so you know, if someone in real life did to you the things the Beast does to Belle, that wouldn’t be okay. That wouldn’t be right.” When my mind was young and malleable, there was no trusted adult pointing out, “This is a movie, and it’s okay to like this movie, but the relationship it shows is unhealthy.” And that’s not because I didn’t have those trusted adults in my life! I was lucky enough to grow up with two intelligent, liberal, kind, forward-thinking, active parents; they didn’t tell me because they didn’t know to tell me. They didn’t tell me because nobody told them. (via not language but a map)
4. "How Long Should You Keep Trying To Get Published?" Jane Friedman discusses when not to try for publication, when to start thinking about it, and when it might be good to step back and take another look at what you're doing.
5. "Ten Things I Wish I'd Known." Julianne Lee at Book View Cafe talks about things beginning writers should know about the publishing process.
6. "Prophecies." Patricia C. Wrede weighs in on prophecies, why they often don't work in modern fantasy novels, and why they absolutely can work if used correctly.
And that's all for this week! Going off to work on the winter story, and then to edit more of WOODS. Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season, and that 2013 is your best year yet. : )
Friday, October 26, 2012
2012 Halloween Story: Over the River
Over the River
by Katherine Traylor
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Sabrina couldn’t sleep with the moonlight shining in her eyes.
Her friends were having no such trouble. Jenny and Mark were sound asleep, cuddled up in their zipped-together sleeping bags. Brian had been snoring for half an hour. But Sabrina, pressed against him, was as alert as ever.
She’d tried snuggling closer to Brian, and moving farther away. She’d unzipped the bag for a breath of air, and zipped it back up when she’d gotten too cold. She’d rolled over, covered her eyes, counted sheep, and tried to meditate. But wherever she turned, the halogen light of the full white moon shone through her eyelids, keeping her wide awake.
At last she couldn’t take it any more. She eased herself out of the doubled sleeping bag she shared with Brian, patting his shoulder when he whimpered in his sleep. Shoving her feet into her old yellow Crocs, she walked to the edge of the woods.
The air was cold tonight. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and stomped her feet. She’d put on sweats over her flannel pajamas, and the socks she wore were the fluffy SpongeBob ones her sister had given her for Christmas, but the wind cut through everything like scissors through gauze. Strange that it should be so cold: usually it didn’t get below fifty this time of year.
She supposed she could go into the house. It would be warmer. But the door was probably locked,and she didn’t want to wake Jenny for the key. Anyway, what if she encountered Jenny’s parents? They seemed like nice people, but she hardly knew them, and she didn’t feel like making small talk. Better to stay out here.
She could stir up the coals and roast some marshmallows, but she’d already brushed her teeth. She hadn’t even brought a book.
Frustrated, Sabrina stared into the forest. The moonlight fell in broad beams through the leafless trees, chasing the shadows from the underbrush. Far below, at the bottom of the hill, the Little River glittered like tinsel. They had walked along the shore this afternoon, before sunset, but the place looked very different at night--fairy-haunted; forbidden.
She paced restlessly around the edge of the campsite, peering through the trees for a better look at the water. Every few steps she saw a flash of moon-bleached sand, a twinkle of water. Then, suddenly, a path came into focus.
She didn’t know how she had missed it. It was a wide, straight track between the trees, leading right down to the water. It looked much more passable than the glorified deer-trail they’d followed that afternoon. She could probably make it in her Crocs without twisting an ankle. And it wasn’t that far: the murmur of the water carried clearly over the chilly night air.
She could go down now, have a little walk, and come back without waking anyone. It would only take a few minutes. She might even be tired enough to sleep when she got back. Still, it seemed wrong to go off and leave her friends without saying anything.
Sabrina turned to wake them--let Jenny or Brian, at least, know where she was going. But they were all sleeping so peacefully--and she knew they’d tell her not to go. It wasn’t safe to wander by herself at night.
Making a quick decision, Sabrina shoved her hands in her pockets and started down the trail.
Sabrina couldn’t sleep with the moonlight shining in her eyes.
Her friends were having no such trouble. Jenny and Mark were sound asleep, cuddled up in their zipped-together sleeping bags. Brian had been snoring for half an hour. But Sabrina, pressed against him, was as alert as ever.
She’d tried snuggling closer to Brian, and moving farther away. She’d unzipped the bag for a breath of air, and zipped it back up when she’d gotten too cold. She’d rolled over, covered her eyes, counted sheep, and tried to meditate. But wherever she turned, the halogen light of the full white moon shone through her eyelids, keeping her wide awake.
At last she couldn’t take it any more. She eased herself out of the doubled sleeping bag she shared with Brian, patting his shoulder when he whimpered in his sleep. Shoving her feet into her old yellow Crocs, she walked to the edge of the woods.
The air was cold tonight. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and stomped her feet. She’d put on sweats over her flannel pajamas, and the socks she wore were the fluffy SpongeBob ones her sister had given her for Christmas, but the wind cut through everything like scissors through gauze. Strange that it should be so cold: usually it didn’t get below fifty this time of year.
She supposed she could go into the house. It would be warmer. But the door was probably locked,and she didn’t want to wake Jenny for the key. Anyway, what if she encountered Jenny’s parents? They seemed like nice people, but she hardly knew them, and she didn’t feel like making small talk. Better to stay out here.
She could stir up the coals and roast some marshmallows, but she’d already brushed her teeth. She hadn’t even brought a book.
Frustrated, Sabrina stared into the forest. The moonlight fell in broad beams through the leafless trees, chasing the shadows from the underbrush. Far below, at the bottom of the hill, the Little River glittered like tinsel. They had walked along the shore this afternoon, before sunset, but the place looked very different at night--fairy-haunted; forbidden.
She paced restlessly around the edge of the campsite, peering through the trees for a better look at the water. Every few steps she saw a flash of moon-bleached sand, a twinkle of water. Then, suddenly, a path came into focus.
She didn’t know how she had missed it. It was a wide, straight track between the trees, leading right down to the water. It looked much more passable than the glorified deer-trail they’d followed that afternoon. She could probably make it in her Crocs without twisting an ankle. And it wasn’t that far: the murmur of the water carried clearly over the chilly night air.
She could go down now, have a little walk, and come back without waking anyone. It would only take a few minutes. She might even be tired enough to sleep when she got back. Still, it seemed wrong to go off and leave her friends without saying anything.
Sabrina turned to wake them--let Jenny or Brian, at least, know where she was going. But they were all sleeping so peacefully--and she knew they’d tell her not to go. It wasn’t safe to wander by herself at night.
Making a quick decision, Sabrina shoved her hands in her pockets and started down the trail.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
How Can You Tell if a Series Has Jumped the Shark?
 |
| Eyyy! |
There's a certain series of books I've been reading for about six years now. They're terrific, usually-- exciting, touching, fascinating. The protagonist is smart and literate, and the fictional world gets better with every book. I usually hold this series up to friends as an example of its subgenre Really Done Right.
However, I read the latest book in this series last night, and it's... really not good.
Maybe the author's just had a rough season. It happens sometimes, and I know s/he's prolific, so maybe s/he just got really busy. The book felt underdone, as if not enough time had been applied to it: it needed to be rewritten and then spend a couple of months marinating in a drawer, in my not-so-humble opinion.
The thing is that until now, these books have been an auto-buy for me. I am by no means able to buy all the books I plan to read, but I do try to support my favorite authors with royalties when I can. Unfortunately, after the disappointment that this book was, I'm thinking of kicking the series off the auto-buy list.
That's why I'm wondering: when can you tell if a series has really jumped the shark?
Monday, May 14, 2012
State of the Book #4: April 13, 2012
Hello, and happy Mother's Day! I hope most of you were able to see and/or talk to your mothers today (or at least kept them in your thoughts). I'm lucky enough to live with mine right now, so I get to see her every day! It's a lovely change from the last four years, when I lived overseas and saw her only on vacations. She's a tough, smart, fantastic lady, and I love her to pieces. XOXO, Mum!
The book is continuing apace. I'm on the last edit of Chapter 3 now-- that's the read-aloud stage I find so vital for a coherent final project. This chapter started at about 10,000 words, but I had to cut a lot of them when I realized they weren't adding enough to the story. Now the chapter clocks in at about 8,000 words, which puts the entire manuscript around 29,000-- about half the expected total.
Meanwhile, I've been reading some fabulous books. Just today I finished The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England, which was an impulse buy I'm quite happy I found. It's exactly what it sounds like-- a fairly comprehensive look at the day-to-day workings of life in medieval England. It's been quite helpful already-- I was using it as a reference for a story I was writing, before I decided I didn't know quite enough about the period to do it convincingly and changed it to a modern piece. With all the "medieval-type" fantasy stories I've read, I was surprised by how many little details about the period I didn't know. For example, did you know that carrots, in their modern form, weren't known in Europe until the 17th century? It's a small thing, but if your characters are eating in a tavern and you put carrots in the soup, you've just committed the sin of anachronism.
Of course, a lot of people think that the "medieval Europe" setting has been way overused in fantasy, and to a certain extent I agree with them. I'm really interested in finding historical fantasy settings inspired by other parts of the world. Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon and N. K. Jemisin's The Killing Moon are two I've got on my to-read list, and I'd love to hear about others if you can recommend them! However, I'm also sure that the faux-medieval-European setting isn't going anywhere for a long time, if every, and there are some fantastic stories written in those kinds of worlds. If that's where your heart lies-- or if you just happen to be interested in the period-- then The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England might be a really good resource for you.
*Edit: I just learned that there's another one! Will definitely have to get my hands on a copy of The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England, as well.
I was going to post about another book I'm reading right now, Zadie Smith's On Beauty. I've had a really hard time with it so far-- not because it's hard, but because it's intensely, mercilessly honest. I think it's going to be one of the ones that really stays with me. I think I'm going to have to wait till I finish to post about it, though, so that I can make sense of what I read before I try to talk about it. Until then, have a lovely week!
The book is continuing apace. I'm on the last edit of Chapter 3 now-- that's the read-aloud stage I find so vital for a coherent final project. This chapter started at about 10,000 words, but I had to cut a lot of them when I realized they weren't adding enough to the story. Now the chapter clocks in at about 8,000 words, which puts the entire manuscript around 29,000-- about half the expected total.
Meanwhile, I've been reading some fabulous books. Just today I finished The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England, which was an impulse buy I'm quite happy I found. It's exactly what it sounds like-- a fairly comprehensive look at the day-to-day workings of life in medieval England. It's been quite helpful already-- I was using it as a reference for a story I was writing, before I decided I didn't know quite enough about the period to do it convincingly and changed it to a modern piece. With all the "medieval-type" fantasy stories I've read, I was surprised by how many little details about the period I didn't know. For example, did you know that carrots, in their modern form, weren't known in Europe until the 17th century? It's a small thing, but if your characters are eating in a tavern and you put carrots in the soup, you've just committed the sin of anachronism.
Of course, a lot of people think that the "medieval Europe" setting has been way overused in fantasy, and to a certain extent I agree with them. I'm really interested in finding historical fantasy settings inspired by other parts of the world. Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon and N. K. Jemisin's The Killing Moon are two I've got on my to-read list, and I'd love to hear about others if you can recommend them! However, I'm also sure that the faux-medieval-European setting isn't going anywhere for a long time, if every, and there are some fantastic stories written in those kinds of worlds. If that's where your heart lies-- or if you just happen to be interested in the period-- then The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England might be a really good resource for you.
*Edit: I just learned that there's another one! Will definitely have to get my hands on a copy of The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England, as well.
I was going to post about another book I'm reading right now, Zadie Smith's On Beauty. I've had a really hard time with it so far-- not because it's hard, but because it's intensely, mercilessly honest. I think it's going to be one of the ones that really stays with me. I think I'm going to have to wait till I finish to post about it, though, so that I can make sense of what I read before I try to talk about it. Until then, have a lovely week!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
State of the Book #3: April 29, 2012
Hello again! I hope you're all doing well out there in the ether. It's been a lovely day here in Piedmont North Carolina-- clear skies, sunshine, warm but not too warm. Since I'm a bit of a vampire, I mostly kept to the shade-- got to preserve my ghastly pallor, after all. I did drag myself to the Y for a Zumba class, though, and while I was there I saw a food-truck festival, part of our local campaign against Amendment 1. I had all my gym stuff with me, so I couldn't stay long, but I did have a Locopop and a nice little walk. I'd like to live closer to downtown someday, so I could get to stuff like that more easily.
As for the book, you'll be happy (I hope) to know that I'm now editing Chapter 3. The new working title is THE WOODS AND THE CASTLE, though that might very well change when I get closer to the end. The manuscript now weighs in at about 31,000 words-- around half the projected total. So far I've been putting out about a chapter a month, but I'd like to do better than that-- it would be great if I could finish before the end of July.
After WOODS/CASTLE is finished, I have decided to get started on the SNOWBERRY rewrite. It looks like it'll be a trilogy-- there seems to be a natural law that requires every YA fantasy writer to produce a trilogy. It's much easier coming up with titles for this project, for some reason: the second book will keep the title of SNOWBERRY, and the first will be called PUCK'S LUCK.
I've also been working on the short story I mentioned last time. I'm on the second draft now. You may recall that I was supposed to have it done three weeks ago? I seem to have a much harder time writing short stories than I do novels-- which is unfortunate, because they're extremely educational. You can read two of my earlier stories here and here.
I'm off to Game of Thrones night now-- missed last week and immediately regretted it-- so that's all she wrote for now. Have a great week!
--Kate
Monday, April 9, 2012
State of the Book #2: April 9, 2012
Sorry, you guys! I did mean to update last week, but Sunday ended up a little busier than I expected. Actually, it looks like that's going to be a regular thing: some friends of mine are hosting a regular Game of Thrones night at their house, and now that I'm actually in the right country to watch it with them I'm happy to spend my Sunday evenings that way! I'll try to do my Sunday updates a little earlier in the day so there won't be a problem. Today was a bit of an exception, since it was Easter: we had a nice (secular) family dinner, and there was a lot of cooking and cleaning and general puttering to be done. Delicious food, though!
The book: she is progressing. Not as fast as I'd like, of course, but slowly and steadily is better than nothing (and probably better than quickly and sloppily, in the end). I mentioned last week that I'm now on the third-- and, I hope, the final-- draft of this story (which still doesn't have a permanent title. Waiting for inspiration!). Tonight I finished Chapter 2-- which doesn't sound like much, but it's out of a projected five or six (I write long chapters!). According to Scrivener, my total word count so far is exactly 20,750, which puts me about a third of the way to where I want to be.
I've also started a couple of side projects. One of them is secret-- you'll find out about it if it works out the way I hope it will. Or if it fails, I guess-- that way I can tell you what not to do if you're attempting a project like this one. The other one is a short story, which I was "ordered" to have finished and submitted by Tuesday night. The order came from a friend of mine-- another writer who knows about my productivity issues and lack of self-confidence. I hope I'll have it at least most of the way finished by the time our writers' group meets on Tuesday!
I've used a lot of exclamation points tonight. I think I'd better go, before the punctuation police show up and tell me not to write anything else when it's so clearly past my bedtime. Happy vernal equinox to all of you, and have a lovely week!
The book: she is progressing. Not as fast as I'd like, of course, but slowly and steadily is better than nothing (and probably better than quickly and sloppily, in the end). I mentioned last week that I'm now on the third-- and, I hope, the final-- draft of this story (which still doesn't have a permanent title. Waiting for inspiration!). Tonight I finished Chapter 2-- which doesn't sound like much, but it's out of a projected five or six (I write long chapters!). According to Scrivener, my total word count so far is exactly 20,750, which puts me about a third of the way to where I want to be.
I've also started a couple of side projects. One of them is secret-- you'll find out about it if it works out the way I hope it will. Or if it fails, I guess-- that way I can tell you what not to do if you're attempting a project like this one. The other one is a short story, which I was "ordered" to have finished and submitted by Tuesday night. The order came from a friend of mine-- another writer who knows about my productivity issues and lack of self-confidence. I hope I'll have it at least most of the way finished by the time our writers' group meets on Tuesday!
I've used a lot of exclamation points tonight. I think I'd better go, before the punctuation police show up and tell me not to write anything else when it's so clearly past my bedtime. Happy vernal equinox to all of you, and have a lovely week!
Monday, March 26, 2012
State of the Book #1: March 25, 2012
Hello, my dears! I've decided to start posting weekly updates on the State of the Book, starting tonight, which is Sunday night. Well, actually it’s Monday morning, but as far as I’m concerned “night” means “the time before I go to bed.” So:
Yesterday (Saturday) I read an interesting post on how to write engaging query letters. Naturally that’s a topic near and dear to my heart, as I hope to begin querying this book in the next few months or so. Therefore, though the novel’s not nearly finished yet, I worked up a bit of query copy:
For thirteen years, eccentric outcast Addie Allen has shared her head with an invisible friend: the brilliant and devoted spirit she calls Julian. Julian is everything she could wish for in a companion: wise, charming, and fiercely protective of her. Every night they meet in a vast and complex dreamworld, where they have adventures the waking world could never compete with.
When an old enemy starts persecuting Addie at school, Julian reveals a disturbing new talent: he can possess the bodies of other people. Unfortunately, sharp-eyed Hector Reed is watching him, and guesses immediately that Addie’s not alone in her mind.
No one has ever guessed the truth about Julian before, so Addie is instantly intrigued. She can’t get him out of her mind, and Julian quickly grows jealous. He imprisons Hector’s spirit somewhere in the dreamworld, then takes over his body. With Hector’s life at stake, Addie is forced to follow Julian to an abandoned house deep in the forest. Now her dearest friend has become her nemesis, and she must fight with everything she has to save a boy she barely knows.
The title should come next, of course, but unfortunately that’s an element I’m still stuck on. As you may remember if you’ve been following for a while, the original title of this project was CREATURES OF THE MIND. It was a very different story then, and the name was appropriate, but since then the novel’s undergone some drastic changes. I thought about ANIMUS, but it didn’t seem quite right. Then I hit on INCARNATE, but it turns out that one’s already been taken. (It looks like a great book, though, and I definitely want to read it!)
So the title is still a blank. Nevertheless, the story is definitely taking shape-- which is good, since depending on how you count it this is either the third or the fourth time I’ve written it.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
RTW #116: Stolen Ideas, and Why They're Okay
This is a post for YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday. I am posting it late because I am a lazy ass and didn't get out of bed until *mumble* o'clock this afternoon. However, there's still time: if you're interested in the topic and want to have your own say, then write your own post and post the results here.
Let me start with a story: When I was in middle school, I fell in love with Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. If you don't know them-- and you should!-- they're a delightful quartet of YA novels set in and around the mythical Enchanted Forest. They're full of fractured fairy tales, but the characters are smart and sympathetic and have real, perilous adventures-- and, also, they teach you that you can melt a wizard in soapy water with a little bit of lemon juice.
This Week's Topic:
What SNI [shiny new idea] were you psyched to work on, but discovered it was too close to something already done?
Let me start with a story: When I was in middle school, I fell in love with Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. If you don't know them-- and you should!-- they're a delightful quartet of YA novels set in and around the mythical Enchanted Forest. They're full of fractured fairy tales, but the characters are smart and sympathetic and have real, perilous adventures-- and, also, they teach you that you can melt a wizard in soapy water with a little bit of lemon juice.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Warmth in Winter (Winter Story 2011-12)
Here is my much delayed winter short story, "Warmth in Winter." It's about sentries, spies, snowshoes, and hungry ghosts. I hope you enjoy it! (You can read my Halloween story, "Under Glass," here. That one is about a girl terrorized by something that lives in her mirror.)
Warmth in Winter
Jenna was glad they’d taken Peter’s body back to town to bury. Eerie as the silence was, the moaning of his ghost would have been much worse. Even so, she wasn’t sure how much more of this cabin and this winter she could stand.
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