Writing Tips

Just read two great articles from author Hilari Bell. Check them out:

Twisted Plots: the necessary change of direction A snippet: "... a good plot twist isn’t just a story event that the reader didn’t see coming, or something that surprises the protagonist.  In order to change the story’s direction, a plot twist must be something that forces your protagonist to change his plan."

Don’t Skin the Cat: better ways to solve a story problem Another snippet: "...sooner or later you’ll be told that something in your story isn’t working and you should probably cut it. But should you? The answer to that is a solid, definite, maybe. Sometimes you can follow Tim Gunn’s famous advice and Make it work!"

Exciting News

Hello!

Somehow it's been two years since I last posted on this blog, which is crazy. I figured it was time I posted an update for anyone who stumbles upon this blog or might be curious what I've been up to.

Since the last time I posted, I sent out a bunch of queries, got engaged, received a revise-and-resubmit from an agent, planned my wedding, quit my day job, got married and went on my honeymoon, packed up everything I own and put it in storage temporarily, started freelancing, traveled across the country and back again, helped my sister plan her wedding, repacked everything and drove it (and our cat) to our new apartment in California, unpacked everything, completed the revisions, resubmitted to the agent, and received an offer of representation!

Of course, all of these exciting changes in my life happened at once, which meant the revisions took much longer to complete than I would've liked. Luckily, the agent hadn't forgotten about my book, and I signed with her at the beginning of June, just three weeks after resubmitting.

For those who wonder what happens next after signing with an agent: more revisions! :) Which is awesome because I'm super-happy to have an editorial agent who is committed to helping me make the book as strong as possible before we go on submission.

For Writers

Be Your Own Book Doctor--Great revision checklist from Janice Hardy.

Strange Chemistry Unagented Submissions--All YA genres. Deadline is October 31.

30 Writing Tips from Famous Authors

Write Tight

One of the most effective ways to tighten your writing is to eliminate thought verbs and sense verbs--the little filter words that provide an extra layer between your character and the reader. Sometimes these words are necessary, but most of the time cutting them will strengthen your writing, making it less wordy and less passive, without changing the meaning.

Here's a list of some of the culprits: felt, think, know, understand, realize, believe, want, remember, imagine, desire, wonder, watch, look, see, hear, listen, notice, spot, figure, seem.

Also watch out for these empty words: start to, begin to, that, just, really, well.

Quick example:
Change: I watched the girl start to walk across the room.
To: The girl walked across the room.
Or even better: The girl crossed the room.

If you can cut a word/phrase without changing the meaning, you should cut it. Check out this great post by Cheryl Klein for more examples.

And if you can't simply cut the thought verb because it's the only verb in the sentence (something like, "I felt happy"), the sentence should probably be revised anyway. Writers are always told to show instead of tell, and unpacking the sentence as Chuck Palahniuk describes in this post is a great way to do that.

For Book Lovers

17 problems only book lovers will understand. Click here.

Another Nice Surprise

Click here to see the winners of the August Mystery Agent contest on Operation Awesome. :)

Contest Update

Check out the winners of the Teen Eyes Editorial contest. Here, here and here. A nice surprise for a Monday. :)

Awesome Opportunities for Writers

3 teen editors on 3 blogs with 3 prizes. 
Submit your logline, query and first page for the chance to win critiques from three teen editors. Click here for details. Submissions end August 7.

WriteOnCon
Free online conference for YA and MG writers from August 13-14. Forums are already open for critiques and more. Click here and here for details. 

WriteOnCon/Reading Room Aspiring Writers’ Competition
Submit the first 500 words of your MG/YA/NA novel for the chance to win $1000. Click here for details. Submissions end August 16.

Quirk Books "Looking For Love" Fiction Contest
Submit your novel-length unconventional love story for the chance to win $10,000 and publication by Quirk Books. Click here for details. Deadline is October 1.

Giant Giveaway on YA Highway

Click here for the chance to win ARCs, books, critiques and more from YA Highway as they celebrate their 4th anniversary.

Writing Tips & Advice

Assorted articles I've saved over the past few months with helpful advice for writers:

The Most Important Error: POV

Guide for Inner Conflict

Taking Away Elements to Fix a Scene

Tangled Beat Sheet

Formatting Titles

6 Simple Rituals to Reach Your Potential Every Day

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins

Anna has the perfect life in Atlanta—loyal best friend, awesome job at a movie theater (her dream is to be a film critic), and things are finally heating up with her long-time crush. But her father takes it all away when he sends her to a boarding school in Paris. She expects a miserable senior year, but she's quickly embraced by a group of quirky friends, including Etienne St. Clair. A boy who is utterly charming—and absolutely taken. Knowing she and St. Clair can never be more than friends, Anna does her best to squash her growing feelings. But in the most romantic city in the world, her chance for love may not be as far away as she thinks.



Reading this book felt like devouring a piece of rich dark chocolate—it's delicious and irresistible. It will make you fall in love with Paris. And it will make you fall in love with love. Charming characters, beautiful setting, perfect pacing. I adored it.

PIXAR's 22 Rules of Storytelling

Shift

By Kim Curran



Description from Barnes & Noble:
When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he's not so average after all. He's a 'Shifter'. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he's ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I snatched up the chance to read it based on the awesome premise, and the story didn't disappoint. It's fast-paced and clever with a likeable main character. It's set in London, written by a UK author, and the language has a definite British slant to it, which I enjoyed. Unlike many YA novels, this is one that will definitely appeal to boys as much as girls.

My only complaints were that the ending felt a little abrupt and there were a couple of plot points near the end that I felt could have benefited from more elaboration to not feel quite so convenient. As a writer, I think I'm overly picky about this kind of thing though, and it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I don't know if a sequel is planned, but there is definitely potential for more from these characters, and I'd love to go along for the ride.

The Scorpio Races

By Maggie Stiefvater

 

This is a book that will make you forgo both sleep and food so you can devour it—without even realize you're doing it. A book that when you reach the end, you'll flip back through to reread all your favorite parts. A book that sits with you even days after finishing it; that eats at your soul and crawls inside you. Full of lines you repeat in your mind over and over because you like the weight and the feel of them. A book you want everyone to read, right now, but you won't loan out your copy because you aren't ready to let go yet.

 

I realize my little mini reviews rarely tell you much about the actual plot of the story. Don't bother reading the jacket copy, because it's rather blah and won't tell you anything either. This is a story about killer water horses, racing, cliffs and the sea, but really it's about loyalty and all kinds of love. And a thousand other things you'll just have to read the book to feel.

 

Like all the best stories, I wish I could live in its world a little longer.

 

Opportunities

Two great opportunities for writers:

Editor Cheryl Klein will be open for unsolicited submissions Aug.  20-24. Check out her blog for more info.

WriteOnCon 2012, a free online writing conference, starts next week. Full schedule here. I participated last year and highly recommend it to all aspiring writers. Lots of great info, opportunities for critique and the chance to get your work seen by agents and editors.

Bitterblue

By Kristin Cashore

This book is lovely, sad and beautiful. Heartbreaking, but hopeful. And full of touches of humor, too. (Check out these bonus letters for extra fun.) Fans of the previous two books, Graceling and Fire, will find many familiar characters, and are sure to enjoy Bitterblue, too.

The story is not fast-paced, but I couldn't put it down. Kristin Cashore's writing has a way of drawing you in and mesmerizing you, not unlike some of her characters. The world she's created is such a rich tapestry, and this book ends in a way that leaves plenty of room to grow, either with these same characters or new ones. I expect there will be more books in this universe, but either way, I'm eager to read whatever she writes next.

Book Recommendations for Hunger Games Fans

Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Matched & Crossed by Ally Condie
Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Surviving Antarctica by Andrea White
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Visit Maggie's blog for more info and a chance to win an ARC.

The Writer's Voice

UNDECIDED
YA contemporary
60,000 words

Query:

High school graduation: Check. College Apps: Check. Actually deciding where to start the rest of your life: Uhhh.

For Ryan, deciding where to go to college is easy: he lets someone else choose. His girlfriend Marcy’s the planner, not him. And he’d rather not think about all the changes graduating and leaving home will bring. Then their chosen school, Texas Central, cuts their soccer program. One more thing he’ll have to give up now that high school’s done. But he doesn’t think there’s anything he can do about it. He’s already committed to both TC and Marcy.

His neighbor Summer learned the hard way that avoiding decisions doesn’t make them go away. Like last June, when she missed her chance to cross the friends’ line with Ryan. She’s spent the last year avoiding him, denying the mistake she made—but that has to stop. She has one more of year of high school, but Ryan’s leaving soon. It’s time she let go of the past and fixed their derailed friendship—especially since she might be the only one who can help him figure out what he wants from the future.

If Ryan and Summer can’t learn to start calling the shots in their own lives, they’ll never reach their goals—and they’ll all end up where they don’t belong. UNDECIDED should appeal to fans of Susane Colasanti and Jenny Han.

First 250:

Summer

His music is too loud—not exactly a problem, except that it’s louder than mine. I jack up my iPod. My tiny speakers can’t drown out the noise.

Especially since they aren’t just competing with music, but laughter, splashing, screams. Fun. That’s what’s on the other side of the fence.

My phone buzzes and skitters across the swing’s seat. Amber’s name flashes on the screen, followed almost immediately by Max’s. Their texts are identical. She’s headed to his house, his parents are headed out, I can come if I want.

Half an invitation from each that doesn’t add up to a whole.

Can’t make it, I text back. Family movie night.

Not a complete lie. The windows flicker with light from a DVD.

I give up the fight with the music and shut mine off. Despite the dark sky, the air is hot.

I could join my parents, but instead I stay outside, between my house and Ryan’s, pushing myself in the swing, digging my bare toes into the grass, listening to the party I’m definitely not invited to.

Until the soccer ball lands in my lap. I clutch it and blink into the darkness, trying to see if anyone’s there to claim it. A head pops over the back fence, followed by a body, which lands with a two-footed thump on my side.

“Nice one, man,” Ryan yells over the fence, then jogs toward me.

I could throw the ball back, but I wait for him to come to me.

Unraveling

By Elizabeth Norris

 

This book is amazing, and that blurb above is a perfect description. A mix of X-Files and Veronica Mars, but also ... and ... and I'm not going not to tell you--because I'm like that. You'll just have to read the book to discover the awesomeness for yourself. So go out right now. Find it. Oh wait, it doesn't come out till April 24. But you can it pre-order it here.