YA Highway

Jeez, I'm a blogging fool today...

So Kate Testerman had a fun little challenge on her recent blog; create your debut YA book cover. Here's how to do it:

1 - Go to Fake Name Generator. The name that appears is your author name.

2 - Go to Random Word Generator. The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 - Go to FlickrCC. Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 - Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in, as desired.

5 - Post it to your site along with this text.

If you want to play along with her contest, post a link to your resulting cover in her comments section and you could win a copy of Alyson Noel’s #1 New York Times bestseller Blue Moon.

So I did it. And it turns out my debut YA book is erotica.

Gay erotica.

1980's gay erotica.

Check it out:

Yep, that's me. Shannon B. Chamberlain. Guess I should start writing this one, huh?

If you come up with a cool one, let us know in the comments section so we can check it out!

Debut Novel Game

Just wanted to let you guys know about a contest over at Carrie's YA Bookshelf. The winner gets two great new books!

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown (ARC)


Release Date: September 1, 2009 from Little, Brown Young Readers

Synopsis:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (ARC)


Release Date: December 1, 2009 from Little, Brown Young Readers

Synopsis:

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


Yes. I would like these. If you want 'em too, head over to Carrie's blog here and follow the directions in her comment section. The contest closes Friday (sorry for the late notice) so go enter now!!!

Contest: "The Hate List" and "Beautiful Creatures"

Borrowing from kt literary's fabulous blog....

Maybe she isn't making Simon's jaw drop, but Scotland native Louise Brown is getting some attention this week.

At 91 years old, Ms. Brown first became a customer of Castle Douglas library in 1946. Since then she has been a regular, reading a minimum of six books a week.

Shall I save you the math?



Right? That's a pretty staggering number.

This article got me thinking about my library days. What with all the traveling the past few years, I've given myself over to ebooks and whatnot, although I still love the feel of a real, honest-to-goodness book in my hands. And I don't frequent libraries nearly as much as I should.

Summer vacation back in my middle school days meant two things: swimming and biking to the library in the neighborhood next to mine. I'd check out two or three books, devour them, then bring them back the next day and check out a few more. Repeat.

That sounds like an impressive number, but these were mostly Sweet Valley High books and the like. (Don't make fun- SVH defined YA back then!)

But to keep that kind of momentum for so long...my hat's off to Ms. Brown. Truly amazing.

I'm sure Simon would agree.

Move over, Susan Boyle!

Nathan Bransford asks a question many writers find themselves wondering from time to time: Am I Crazy? Some of the comments people responded with make great points on why we do what we do, regardless of the hurdles writers face.

Sanity Level Check

This isn't exactly old news, but it's been spiraling through the interworld for at least a week. I'm talking about the cover of Justine Larbalestier's newest YA novel, LIAR. See, the cover features a photo of a long-haired, white (possibly part Asian) teenage girl—but LIAR's narrator Micah is short-haired. And black.

What complicates the seemingly (and literally) black and white issue is that the novel's narrator is a compulsive liar; her unreliability is integral to the book. However, Justine herself says she worked hard to make the "fundamentals of who Micah is"--such as her looks—believable:

"One of the most upsetting impacts of the cover is that it’s led readers to question everything about Micah: If she doesn’t look anything like the girl on the cover maybe nothing she says is true. At which point the entire book, and all my hard work, crumbles."

Though authors famously have little say over their covers, this incident and its attitude-of-the-industry implications are undeniably distressing. The silver lining is that Justine's book has been getting tons of extra publicity—I know I'll be seeking it out.

• What Publishers Weekly has to say (includes quotes from Bloomsbury).

• What Editorial Anonymous has to say.

• What John Green has to say, because he's brilliant.

• And again, because it's most important, what Justine has to say.

So what's your reaction? Note: no book spoilers if you've read it, please.

Book Covers and Bad Judgment

Usually when people hear the word criticism, they don’t think of it as a positive thing. I mean, no one wishes they were imperfect at anything. But we’re all imperfect. That’s just life. I admit that I had little moments of terror every time I hit the ‘send’ button to email my WIP to a beta reader. Would they hate it? Would they hate me because it was such a complete piece of crap? The usual irrational, fleeting thoughts.

But when I get comments back, it comes with a different feeling. Excitement. I know, weird, right? Excitement is the way to go, though, honestly. It's easy to get defensive and hug your manuscript to your chest to protect it from harm, but that won't help you improve.

Should you take every last scrap of advice you receive? No. It’s not really even possible to, because odds are, you'll get some conflicting advice. But should you consider every comment seriously? Absolutely. Because it's only you who suffers if you choose to ignore advice just because it's hard.

In my experience, 99% of the people I’ve come across in the writing community really do want to help. They’re not scheming to sabotage your chances of landing an agent, or giving you horrible criticisms while sitting at home in their Voldemort mask and doing evil laughter. It’s hard sometimes to swallow your pride and accept that your writing or your query or your synopsis isn’t perfect, but in the long run, you’ll be so much better off if you take it all in and accept advice graciously.

If you're someone who struggles with criticism, I recommend dipping your toes in slowly. Start with your mom, or your husband, or a friend. Someone who might comment on a few sentences here and there, but will overall give you positive feedback. Then when you get an actual beta reader, you'll still be floating on your cloud from the praise, and your ego won't take such a hit. And if your confidence is easily shaken, pick betas who will word things gently rather than ones who are blunt. The way someone hands out their advice can make a world of difference.

But above all, remember that when it's all said and done, your writing will be more amazing than you would ever have thought, and you'll be forever thanking those people who made you look more closely and push yourself harder.

Taking criticism

YA Highway contributor Kristin Briana Otts joins us from Teens Writing for Teens, a seriously stellar group blog penned by teen writers of all ages. For more about Kristin, visit our Who We Are page.
Networking. It is by far the scariest word in the publishing world. Query? Oh yeah – the word “query” makes amateur novelists break into a cold sweat. Speak the name of a writer’s dream agent and she gets inevitable goosebumps. But nothing compares to the dreaded N word.

I was terrified of this “networking” concept mostly because I had no clue what it meant. I had a vague idea that it involved stalking well-known writers, sending them candy and pink paper hearts, and begging them to be my friend. This idea appealed to my inner fangirl, but not my sense of dignity, so I eventually decided against it.

Instead, I started a blog.

At first it was a bit of a joke. “Right – because the world really wants to read about a college kid’s journey to publication.” And at first, no one really did. A comment here, a comment there – mostly from long-time friends or family members. I shrugged it off and decided that my original assessment was correct. Nobody cared.

And then an extraordinary thing happened. I stopped caring too. At least, I stopped caring about the popularity of my blog, and I started paying more attention to other things. Like the other amateur writers blogging their way through the publication process. Like the talented teens who were pounding out their first query letter for a fabulous fantasy novel. Like the debut authors hosting contests on their websites. I started talking with these amazing people. I started commenting on their websites, celebrating their victories with them, promoting their books.

And these people returned the favor. My blog suddenly had readers. I had friends editing my manuscript, recommending me to their agents, asking about the status of my WIPs. In short – I was networking.

The internet has made the world a very small place. Nowadays you don’t necessarily have to go to conferences or live in New York City to make contacts in the publishing industry. Sometimes it’s as simple as reviewing a debut author’s book, or offering to critique a friend’s manuscript, or editing a new writer’s query letter. Sometimes it’s simply about looking beyond yourself and asking what you can offer the world. You might be surprised what you receive in return.

--Kristin Briana Otts

(Photo by Hilde Vanstraelen)

Networking for Dummies

If you're a Facebook addict like me, you've probably noticed there's a group for everything. (And I mean everything. Tangled Headphones and Pushing a Pull Door, I'm looking at you.) So a lot turned up when I first searched for groups related to YA, but this one in particular stuck out. Why?

Guest Blog: ChinLin Pan, Ultimate YA Reading Group

Writers have grand dreams. First, there’s the dream of staring at something and realising that it is finished, that somewhere in between going to work, playing spider solitaire and being pestered by animals and children and partners, you’ve created something in its entirety from nothing.

Then there’s the dream where you impress an agent, or several agents, where you don’t just have a hook, you have a hooky hook, something which has such high levels of intrigue that famous agents are falling over themselves to get back to you, and publishers are fighting each other with whatever it is that publishers fight each other with* in order to publish you.

Then there’s the other dream where you have a squillion dollar contract and are on the New York Times bestseller list and are gaining literary acclaim from all corners of the globe. All the people who didn’t like you in high school are completely ashamed of themselves over the whole thing and are apologising profusely for That Time In Drama Class and buying you drinks, and your absolute favourite author in the universe turns up on your doorstep with a bottle of wine and sleeps on your couch for a while, because they figure your house is a good place to hang out. And random people everywhere are utterly blown away by your characters and the luminous prose and the sharp turning plot. You win big prestigious prizes.

Ok. So for a start, no matter how successful you become as a writer, it will never make everyone like you. That’s unavoidable. And not many people win big prestigious prizes. And even more importantly, no matter how ambitiously you dream, there is always the fact that in order to get anywhere at all, you have to actually write something. And the process of actually writing something is not all that easy for most of us.

At the moment I’m embroiled in the stickiness that is writing a first draft. If writing novels is climbing mountains, writing first drafts is the bit where you’re trudging around in the slush at the bottom and wondering if you’re going in the right direction and even if you’re actually at the bottom of the right mountain in the first place, probably while it is raining. There are always a thousand more attractive things to do, such as looking up people who were mean to you in high school on facebook, and feeling pleased when it turns out they’re now a lot fatter than you and have somehow had five kids, all with weird names. And maybe making a start on the dishes, feeding the cats, and reorganising your paperclip collection. Or starting a paperclip collection if you don’t already have one to reorganise.

Anyway, you can remember how beautiful the mountain looked from a distance, before you actually went and tried to climb the damn thing, you remember how much your story glowed in a pale gold vague light while it was still inside your head, and wonder how on earth a vague angelic glowing thing could have suddenly turned into this.

And this is precisely why you should let go of all expectations and let your first draft be terrible. No, really. Perfectionism is brilliant from the second draft onwards, where you can swap things and tweak and polish to your heart’s content – a stage I’m really looking forward to with this project – but in a first draft, perfectionism needs to take its leave. There will be appalling sentences, holes in the plot, people saying things that sound like Days of Our Lives on acid. And all of that is ok. If the choice is between writing badly and not writing, then seriously, choose to write badly. If it’s wrong, you can go back and fix it later. No one even has to know about it.

This isn’t essential, but I write almost all my first drafts by hand in scruffy spiral bound notebooks, and one of the reasons I do this is because it means that any story I write always starts off messy. My handwriting is drunken looking at the best of times, the margins fill up with tiny half-readable notes to myself about ideas for scenes that will come later and small lists of things that I need to buy when I go to the supermarket. When my writing is semi legible scrawl and next to a small list of groceries, I am a lot less strict with myself. I don’t worry about how perfect the sentences are; I don’t go back too much to tinker with everything. If a bad sentence turns up, I just move on to the next one. I often make notes or query marks to myself about various things, like if I’m not sure whether a character would say what I’ve just let them say, or whether I need to add a scene earlier or later which links with this one, or anything that immediately seems very wrong, because my internal editor needs something to do. But I always make the note and move on without dwelling on it, because it’s never worth dwelling on.

I often set time limits on myself as well, so that I have even less chance to be fussy. When I write at work, I have fifteen minutes to half an hour of break time to write a few pages, and when I write at cafes I don’t give myself more than a couple of hours. (And I reward myself with cake, because writing for a couple of hours is hard work.) What’s odd is that in focussing on the positive stuff, on getting writing done whatever the writing happens to be like, I’ve found it a lot easier to write sentences which surprise me and twist and turn and carry the weight of the story with grace. The best things I’ve written are almost always by accident, and I like it that way.

Grand dreams are all very well, but in the end, writing fast and wild is fun, whether the writing turns out good or bad, and following characters as they struggle and find ways forward is better than any grand dream. It takes a long time for a first draft to get anywhere, but being able to enjoy the ride is the best thing of all. You never know what gems will be buried inside all the purplicious prose until you’ve written it. When it goes badly, you remember that it’s a first draft and first drafts aren’t meant to be perfect. When it goes right, there’s something breathless and exciting about the whole thing. You only get one first draft per novel. Enjoy it.



*For some reason I’m picturing those plastic inflatable hammers, the massive ones that relatives buy for your children so that they always have a means of hitting you in the head when you’re doing important things like boiling potatoes on the stove and sleeping.

On Writing Badly

YA Highway is thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Bethany Griffin, author of the Young Adult contemporary novel, Handcuffs. Thanks for joining us, Bethany!

Interview with Bethany Griffin

<--one is never enough when it comes to novels and baby marmosets

Write that next book. It's one of those writing mantras which has been quoted a million times, but never gets any easier to swallow. But it's true. So true. I know, because I've lived it.

Writing a novel is difficult (hi, my name is Kirsten, but you can call me obvious master). Finishing a novel is a massive accomplishment. You've probably spent thousands of hours writing and revising, submerged in a storyworld of your own creation. Naturally, you've woven all your hopes and dreams into your 60,000-word document.

That's why WTNB is so hard to take. Thing is, your first book ever written – in its first form, at least -- is probably not going to be your debut.

A huge mistake writers make is pinning all their hopes on to one book. It's understandable. Believe me, I know how hard you've worked. However, the admirable feat of finishing a novel doesn't come with a ready-made publishing deal. That's because in almost every case, that first novel isn't ready to be published.

That's why you've got to keep plugging forward. Keep reading, learning, networking, and writing that next book. In my experience, it doesn't get easier to write to novel length – but it gets easier to write better.

Which is what will get you published.

So go ahead and query that first book, unless it obviously needs to sit. Querying is a valuable learning experience, even if you don't land an agent that first time around. You might not want to query too widely, in case you revise and query again (see below). But most importantly, in the meantime, WTNB. Not only because your next book will be better, but also because rejections are much easier to take if you're excited about a new book.

And if you decide to shelf that first book -- before or after you query it – that doesn't mean you'll shelf it forever.

See, here's where the good part of my story comes in. I wrote my first book. I wrote my second book. And while I was querying my second book, I went back and tackled my first book with wisdom and skills I didn't possess when I first wrote it. That book is LIKE MANDARIN, which landed my agent within a weekend of querying and was sold to Delacorte at auction a couple weeks ago.

Now, I'm on to my next next book – and in the meantime, revising my second.

YA highway contributors Kody Keplinger and Lee Bross also landed agents for their second books. Their take:

Kody: For me, it wasn't such a conscious decision to move on. It was the idea. I had a new one idea, a new story to tell, and I was passionate about it. Once it was done, I realized that it was a much better, more original, catchy story. My first novel--or my first decent novel--was a great experience, but it wasn't meant to be published.

Lee: I wrote my very first YA in about 4 weeks. In hindsight, it was bad, but I learned SO MUCH writing it--mostly about not questioning my own judgment. I started writing the next book and it flowed. When it was finished and edited, I started subbing. Got five requests within three days, and signed with my agent a couple days later.

Write That Next Book

So many of us (especially those new to the field) spend the majority of our free time working away at our masterpieces. And that's good. Our novels have to be as perfect as we can possibly make them if we want a chance at nabbing an agent. But something I didn't realize when I first started looking into having my work published (and I'm certain I'm not in the minority) is how much writing is a business.

Not only do we have to be concerned with our prose, our characters, and the message in our writing, we have to know the industry. A wonderfully written story can be passed over simply because the concept isn't what's popular at the moment. There could be a work similar to yours that is already in the publishing stage. There might be a flood of work in the genre your book falls into and agents might simply be tired of seeing it. Racking up dreaded 'R's can be disheartening, but expected, as you work toward your goal.

The bottom line is, perfecting the craft of writing is obviously a necessity. But learning how the industry works is also important.

There are several agents who blog on a regular basis, offering tips to improve your chances of getting agented and published. (I know. It's almost like cheating! They're giving us exactly what we need to know to survive the process!!)

Here are a few that offer advice and insight into the industry and are worth checking out.

Jenny Bent

Janet Reid

Colleen Lindsay

Nathan Bransford

Kate Schafer

Rachelle Gardner


And for a good list of many others, check out LitMatch 's Agent Blogs List.
What other blogs do you follow?

Look Who's Blogging Now

I’m a mom.

I’m also a full-time employee, a wife, a writer.

It’s not the plot gaps or the POV switches that make me question my ability to write. It’s not the lack or overabundance of ideas. It’s not the mind numbing fear that “I’m totally kidding myself.” (Well, much anyway)

It’s the balance.

I walk a tightrope every second of the day and with one false step, over I go, into the abyss of self-doubt. Is it really possible to do it all? Not only do it all, but to do it well?

I have visions for my boys. I want them to grow up confident and happy. I see changes in them every day and it makes me wonder where the heck the time goes. When I go into my writers cave, I tend to uber-focus and not come up for air until the urge subsides. I look around, blink at the brightness of the sun, and realize my kids have matured (Or made a mess in the living room!) while I was off in my own world.

The thing I try to come to terms with, is if it’s okay or not. Am I missing parts of their lives or am I showing them that if you want your dreams to come true, you need to work hard. I struggle for balance. I want to be the mom my boys remember as having fun with, hanging out, playing and learning. I want to be the wife who listens when my husband talks about his day, to share his joys and help him get over the humps. I love my day job and want to be a great employee who works hard for the company and be part of why it grows.

That’s a lot of hats to wear. Where does my writer’s hat fit in? Is my closet too crowded for one more accessory? Do I really even need it?

I’ve come to realize I do need it. Having so little time to devote to writing has made me more organized. I have to plan my day. I get up at 5AM so I can work out before I head to work. I write for an hour at my quiet desk. Then I work all morning. Write on my lunch hour. Work for the afternoon. During the school year I pick the kids up and we go home. Snacks, PBS kids and another hour or so of writing among requests for PB&J and milk. Dinner time. Then family time. (Something we instigated recently to help us all reconnect after a busy day) Then its bedtime for the boys, an hour or so of adult time, off to bed to do it all over again.

Some days it feels like I am spinning my wheels. Cleaning falls by the wayside. I forget to stop and fill the car up with gas and have to do it before I go to work. The boys are fighting and even Curious George won’t settle them down. Those are the days I accept I can’t do it all and just let the tide take me wherever it needs to go. Things have a way of settling down after awhile. My muse gets a break and usually will work out scenes in my head, so that when I’m ready, it just flows.

It’s not foolproof. It’s not perfect. I have days where I feel like a terrible mom. A cruddy wife. That I can’t possibly think of writing an entire book until the kids graduate from college. Dishes are piled up. Laundry has taken over. I want to run around the house having a tantrum like my 5 year old does.

OK, so maybe I do do that when no one is looking.

Balance-Possible or a pipe dream for us moms?

Can a writer mom really find balance?

"when I was a teen I didn't want to read about how good we could become, I wanted to read about how "bad" we could be & still be forgiven."

--Courtney Summers, author of CRACKED UP TO BE (via Twitter)

Writing Quote of the Week: Courtney Summers

For those of you unfamiliar with Thomas the Tank Engine, it's a show that has been on for many, many years, helping little ones understand different feelings and emotions while emphasizing the importance of making good decisions.

The show's lessons are great for teaching children, but it struck me as a perfect (and slightly amusing) tool for teaching us 'newbies' what not to do when writing as well.

Examples:

Thomas was cross.
Ahh. this is the infamous telling, not showing. A big no-no. A writer would demonstrate a character's mood with facial expressions, dialogue, and body language.

"I'm ready!" Thomas exclaimed, cheekily.
What's this? An exclamation mark with an exclamatory tag plus the dreaded adverb. My, oh my. A writer would know that exclamation points are to be used with extreme caution and definitely not with a tag already describing the tone. As for the adverb, we already know the general consensus for those.

See? Sometimes it's really that simple.

Newbie word of the day: SNI- an acronym for shiny new idea, a new book concept that suddenly hits you upside the head. Usually while you're in the middle of writing one already.

How Thomas the Tank Engine Can Teach Basic Writing Skills

New YA Highway contributor Kody Mekell Keplinger also joins us from Teens Writing for Teens, a spectacular blog crafted by talented teenage writers. For more about Kody, visit our Who We Are page.

Many, many people will disagree with me, but I am of the strong opinion that characters are the greatest tools a writer can use to drive a plot. Characters can make or break a book. Characters are, in my view, the most valuable piece of the writing puzzle.

So screwing them up can really screw you over.

Being that character building is by far my favorite aspect of the writing process, I have organized a few quick tips for helping you create solid, three-dimensional characters. Don’t look at it as work; look at these exercises as fun ways to release your inner crazy without getting the funny looks at the supermarket. (Hey, if you’re a writer, you know exactly what I mean.)

So here are my ideas:

Character Maps
No, I’m not telling you to go all Dungeons and Dragons or anything, so no need to get out those dice just yet. Actually, the types of character maps I use are quite different. Sit down and come up with some fun categories. Here are some of my personal favorites:

• Favorite Movie
• Favorite Food
• What’s Their Theme Song?
• Deepest, Darkest Fear

Once you have a nice long—or short, your choice—list of categories, try to go through and answer all of the information about each of your characters. Wait, wait! There’s a catch. Because doing it normally would just be too easy, right? No fun. So, instead, answer all of the questions in your characters’ “voices.” Because your character may have a favorite movie, but that might not be the movie they’d tell others. While you might imagine Adam Brody playing your leading man, that said leading man might imagine himself as more of an Orlando Bloom. See what I mean?

Basically, this is just a fun, easy way to get into your characters’ heads and learn fun things about them along the way!

Role Play
Again, I ask that all D&D fans put their dice away. I’m referring to a different kind of role play here. Actually, the best role playing for this type of exercise is found online. My suggestion is that you pick a few characters and join one of the many possibilities for role play activity. Allow your characters to interact with others, forcing yourself to think of how your character would react to situations you might not have foreseen. Not only does this help you get to know and develop your character, but it’s fun, too!

And there are many outlets for online role playing. You could always get to a general role play site, such as Gaia Online, or gather a small group of fellow writers and create a sort of voice game/role play on a forum. I know several aspiring writers who do this. It can be challenging, fun, and incredibly entertaining all at once. Trust me; your characters may surprise you.

Alternate Points of View
Your book may be completely written from Character X’s point of view, but Character Y has an opinion, too. So why not write it? Okay, maybe don’t include it in the manuscript—you might throw a few people off—but do it for your own benefit. During a fight, your main character may have some strong opinions of the bitch she is yelling at. But what about her opponent? What does she think of the situation? This is a very fun way to create believable and interesting villains. Knowing what other characters are thinking can definitely put a spin on a scene. Once you have the other points of view, look back at the original scene. Do these other characters’ thoughts show in their actions? They should.

Remember, plot is important, too, but I have read many books with fabulous, fabulous plots where the characters had no appeal, which ruined the book for me. And, by the same token, I have read books with super cliché, unimaginative plots where the characters took me in with such intensity that the weak plot didn’t matter. Personally, I find loving a character much easier than loving a plot.

So the next time you start to hear a character’s voice in your head or when you just don’t think you “get” them, try one (or all, whatever) of these steps. They’re fun. They’re challenging. They can lead to complete character chaos. But, hey, it’s better than making people think you’re schizophrenic. And who knows? You may learn a few things about your characters that you never knew before. And that’s always an exciting experience.

--Kody Mekell Keplinger

Character Chaos

sFrom the back cover of World Trek: A Family Odyssey...

Back when yaHighway was little more than a twinkle in a moose's eye, I imagined getting in touch with Lesley and Andrea for an interview. At that oh-so-sensitive tween age, life is crazy enough...I had to hear first hand what it was like to trade school dances and pep rallies for cooking lessons in Thailand and cruising the Nile in Egypt! Lesley and Andrea agreed to let everyone at yaHighway in on their experience.


What was your favorite stop on the trip? (Feel free to list several, I know choosing is impossible!)








What was it like returning to school and suburban life after a year overseas? Was the transition difficult?

World Trek: An Interview With Lesley and Andrea Fisher

So I mentioned the other day how I was at that mid-novel point where I am waning and am having a really hard time getting over this hump. This is my M.O. I start out all gangbuster, write like a crazy person, forget to eat, live in my book for weeks at a time, then I come up for air and a PB&J sandwich and realize I am halfway there….and freeze.

It’s like dating. That first date you are giddy and nervous and everything is new and exciting. You anticipate that first kiss and when it happens, you sparkle like SM’s vampires (Okay couldn’t resist that, hehe) but really, its all about the discovery, right.

At the halfway point, maybe he’s sleeping over a few nights a week. Leaving dirty socks on the floor, the toilet seat up, and snoring so loud the neighbors are shooting you dirty looks when you tip toe out to grab the paper. You wonder if you can see it through. If it’s worth it to plow forward. Is there is really man-gold at the end of this dark tunnel?

This is where am. The dreaded middle of my WIP. Trying to decide if this relationship with my characters is worth seeing through. Can I live with the dirty socks and snoring? Can I finish this book and make it into something that can sell? That someone else will want? I go back and reread, do some cleaning up and editing, ie, pick up dirty socks and put the toilet seat down for the bazillionth time.

And then something magical happens. I start getting excited. I read what I wrote and realize it’s pretty good. It’s got depth and life and I am enjoying actually reading it. Suddenly I’m being served breakfast in bed while getting a foot massage. I don’t have to do my hair or put on make-up to impress him. It’s comfortable, but there is still that air of discovery. Of wondering what the next page holds. I have to see it through so I know what happens.

So I sit back down, the words start to flow again, I get enthusiastic about my book again, and before I know it, the thing is complete and I can sit back, smile, look around at my dirty house and think about doing it all over again.

Why? Craziness maybe. Or it could be that new date thrill that comes with every new start. Every new idea. It’s a weird sort of writer’s crack.

What keeps you going? Why do you do it when it’s so easy to throw in the towel and swear off dating for life?

Brick Walls and Dirty Socks

New YA Highway contributor Kristin Briana Otts joins us from Teens Writing for Teens, a seriously stellar group blog penned by teen writers of all ages. For more about Kristin, visit our Who We Are page.

In my small rural town, there is a skate park. This skate park was built about a year ago, and it is the center of much scandal. (Actually, in a small rural town pretty much everything is the center of scandal – but I digress.) Parents fought tooth and nail for that skate park, raising money for years so our town could provide kids with a safe place to hang out.

But somehow, in the minds of a few local townspeople, this skate park is no longer a safe hangout. It’s hell. People have threatened to shut down the park based on “lewd and destructive behavior” (i.e. kids who swear and throw empty bottles on the grass. Shocking, I know.) They’ve suddenly stopped seeing the park as a safe place and started viewing it as the designated human landfill.

And for some reason, this whole scenario reminded me of YA literature.

It seems like there’s been a lot of scandal surrounding YA writers recently. Lots of censorship. Lots of controversy. What is acceptable in YA? Don’t we have a responsibility to young readers? How far is too far? Can I write about sex? Can I write about drugs? Can I write about death?

I have mixed feelings on this subject, but I’m not going to talk about them because they’re irrelevant right now. The point I’m making is this: That section in your local Barnes & Noble? The one labeled “young adult” and plastered with posters of vampires and zombies?

That’s a skate park.

That’s a safe place.

I don’t mean it’s a tame, happy little land of butterflies and unicorns. Books aren’t tame. Sometimes they’re wild and unpredictable and dangerous. If you don’t believe me, I dare you to read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, The Shadowmancer by G. P. Taylor. All young adult books. All very dangerous in their own way.

No, YA is safe because, like the skate park, it is a place where young people can come together and figure themselves out. They can pick up a book about losing a first love and let the main character’s pain help heal their own. They can find a novel about suicide and suddenly understand what a good friend is going through. They can meet characters who resonate with them – characters that are genuine and laughably fake; relatable or otherworldly.

Yes, they’ll run into “lewd and destructive behavior” in YA literature. This is the real world, and unfortunately, it exists. But when you close the park because one kid was smoking a joint – where do the rest of them go? The skaters go back to the streets, where the police track them down, suspend them from school, make them pay a fine. The would-be readers go back to video games or TV. When they want to know about suicide they go to YouTube and watch a kid cut his wrists open on camera. When they want to know about sex they go to the school jock and listen to every lie about his conquests.

You’re not going to like every YA book. Some are going to be controversial; some are going to be stupid; some are going to be terrifying or revolting or just plain wrong. But teens need their little slice of the bookstore. They need their skate park. They need that safe place.

--Kristin Briana Otts

Skate Parks and Other Obscure Metaphors

July 7th, 2009 -- It's official! From Publishers Marketplace:

Kirsten Hubbard's LIKE MANDARIN, about a girl who gets in over her head when the most dangerous beauty in town draws her into an explosive friendship and a pact to run away together, to Michelle Poploff at Delacorte, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Michelle Andelman at Lynn Franklin Associates (NA).

Here's a short synopsis of LIKE MANDARIN.

News! LIKE MANDARIN Sold to Delacorte

One necessary step before submitting to agents and joining in on the lovely query-ride, is making sure your work is as blemish free as it can be. More than just correcting the spelling and grammar mistakes, you'll want to be on the lookout for a few other problems that might keep your work from really shining. It's hard to be objective with your own writing, but learning how to spot the errors is an important step in mastering the editing/revision process.

Renee Collins linked to a great blog piece on something called scaffolding. I had never heard the term, but after reading it, realized it's one of those things that might slip by you because it doesn't make your writing incorrect -- only weighs it down. A must read.

Holly Lisle also has a great method for revising your work. The few steps she recommends can help cover all your bases without giving you the 'burnout' syndrome many of us experience when polishing.

And never forget the helpfulness of betas. A pair of fresh eyes will catch things you won't believe you missed.

Newbie Word of the Day: Query -- A cruel test created by agents to weed out the weaklings. Okay, not really. Just feels that way sometimes. A query is a letter or email sent to an editor or agent which details an idea for a magazine, newspaper, book or other publication, along with an attempt to sell this particular idea, along with yourself as the potential writer (a la about.com)

Before Stepping Up To the Query-Go-Round....

"Oh, please. I'm writing a fantasy, not sci-fi. And if it's fiction, can't I just make it up anyway?"

*headdesk*

For most writers of fiction, this is one of the most frustrating assumptions someone can make. To quote someone from AW: "In that case, Frodo could've just Fed-Exed the ring to Mordor."

Fiction must be believable. For a genre like sci-fi, it's normally assumed that the writer researched like crazy to get all the scientific jargon right. But what about fantasy? Paranormal? Contemporary? The truth is, genre doesn't matter. If you've written a book, you've created a world, and worlds have rules. Most settings from novels of all types are based, albeit loosely sometimes, on some aspect of the world we live in. Medieval England lifestyle. 1950's American fashion. Modern Japanese technology in a early 20th century Bombay setting. The basic elements of any novel have traceable roots.

Enter research. More specifically, research for world-building.

Your world exists in your imagination, and it's up to you to make it believable. No matter how fantastic or outrageous the rules are, reading up on a few things will help you establish that oh-so-important credibility with your readers.

For some writers, this is the worst, the most horrible, most dreaded part of writing. For others (like me), research is so fun it becomes a dangerous and welcome distraction from actually pounding out that first draft. If you fall into the first category, here are a few suggestions to help you not only get the most out of research, but to actually enjoy it.

Use the Block

If you have all these scenes in mind and your fingers are just itching to start typing, then by all means, go! But when you hit that first mid-book wall -- you know the one, about 20% in -- try a little light research. Pick one element from your story, like the setting, an object, a character's job, or a paranormal element, and Google it.

My personal example: in my YA thriller, the characters travel through a dozen major cities across the world. I had a skeletal outline of what happened in each city when I started, but sometimes I felt uninspired for details. Reading up on Geneva via Wikipedia sparked a whole new story element for me, and turned what was shaping up to be a blah scene into one of my favorite chapters of the book!

Of course, it goes without saying that you should take any "information" you find on the internet with a grain of salt. But just reading about something that relates to your story is sometimes enough to get the creative juices flowing again.

*Hint: Follow the links on Wikipedia. They're like a bright blue breadcrumb trail of inspiration.*

Research and Revise

Often, people think of research as a predecessor to writing. But if you have a solid scene in mind, write it while it's hot. Then when it's time for revisions, go through and check the details against reliable sources. If you hate editing, a little fact-checking is a guaranteed way to improve your manuscript.

Set a Timer

Just like the times when you force yourself to sit down and get at least 500 words written, apply BIC and research for at least 15 minutes every day. Try making it separate from your writing time, and just allow yourself to relax and browse through one element of your novel. Have a chase scene in a rickshaw? Maybe you should watch a real one. Writing about Washokey, Wyoming? Do a little research into the amazing variety of animal head trophies in the area. Just like the actual writing itself, research is a discipline. Start training!

Elevator to Narnia

And if you ever find yourself thinking, "it's just fiction", remember: the White Witch didn't win Edmund over with a Snickers bar. Make it unique, but make it true to your world.

For more about using real world elements to create a kick-ass fantasy realm, stay tuned for a guest blog from Janice Hardy, author of The Shifter!

Why Writers Do Research: Or, Why Harry Didn't Take Voldie Out With A Lightsaber

Homophones, or, See Those People Over There? They're Their Worst Nightmare

I had the good fortune to interview Claudia Gray, author of Evernight and Stargazer. I am a huge fan of this series, and if you've yet to pick up Evernight, get your butt to a bookstore!

How did EVERNIGHT come about? What sparked the idea in your mind?

I had a very unusual high-school experience, so I knew from the beginning that I'd never be able to write about ordinary teenage life. When I asked myself what the weirdest, most extraordinary school might be, Evernight Academy was the result.

One of the things I liked most about EVERNIGHT was how you used so much traditional vampire lore. How did you manage to stay true to vampire traditions while still creating such a unique story?

Happily, there is so much vampire lore out there that you can really pick and choose what works best for your individual story. I needed my vampires to have some resistance to sunlight -- but I also wanted to give them real limitations on their movement, which was where the taboo about running water came in. The more you read about vampire legends, the more fascinating stuff you find.

I’m a complete history nerd, so I loved that you included lots of historical facts. How much research did it take to make sure everything was accurate?

I'll tell you right now, the biggest danger isn't the stuff you don't know; it's the stuff you THINK you know. That said, I had a lot of fun reading up on the histories of the older vampire characters.

Your characters are so believable as teens. Was it a challenge getting into the mind of a teen?

I'm glad they feel real to you! It wasn't that big a leap -- I think everyone always remembers at least something of what it's like to go through high school, first love, all of it.

Since EVERNIGHT is the first of a series, I imagine there was some pressure on the second book. STARGAZER definitely lived up to my expectations, but was it easier or harder to write than EVERNIGHT?

STARGAZER was harder to begin -- a lot harder -- but once I got going with it, I thought it came together much easier. I had to rewrite EVERNIGHT a few times to be happy with it, while the first draft of STARGAZER was not so different from the final version.

Did you plan for EVERNIGHT to be a four book series from the start, or was this something that developed as you were writing?

I always planned for it to be a series, but I didn't find out how many books exactly until HarperCollins made its offer. After that, I was able to shape the overall plot arc into four discrete stories.

It’s probably hard to talk about how things are going with the third book of the series, but is there anything you can tell us?

The third book is written and done; I'm working on the fourth book now. As for the third book, HOURGLASS, in many ways it's the odd one out -- we're away from Evernight Academy most of the time and the dynamics have shifted a lot for the characters. Bianca's made some very bold moves, some of which are going to work out for her, and some of which have powerful, troubling implications. And I'll warn you now -- it ends on a cliffhanger. (I'm sorry! Originally the books were going to be issued every six months instead of every year; had I known the break would be so long, I think I'd have found a different way to tell that part of the story. By the time I knew, it was really too late to go back.)

I saw from your blog on livejournal that you have two future projects: the SPELLCASTER series, and a book about Balthazar, who I have to say may be my favorite character from EVERNIGHT. Both sound intriguing, and I definitely have to admit a lot of excitement about seeing Balthazar again. Is there anything you can tell us about either of these two projects?

BALTHAZAR: This book is very much in the rough planning stages. I know that it is going to involve many flashbacks to his past, so we'll finally see where he comes from, what his relationship with Charity has been like, etc. The rough story arc for what he'll do in his book will draw from the fourth EVERNIGHT novel, AFTERLIFE.

SPELLCASTER: I'm so excited about working on this one. Essentially, it's a story about Ivy, a well-meaning young witch who's been left on her own to complete her training. She's smart enough to do it, too -- but then she moves to Fortune's Sound, a small town that holds enormous magical power but is haunted by this terrible darkness. She meets Mateo, a guy who's literally laboring under the town's curse. In other to free him -- and save the lives of everyone around her -- she's going to have to defeat a very powerful sorceress, and perhaps call on darker magic to do it.

What was the most unexpected thing about being published?

How much time promotion takes. I'm shamefully behind on my reader email right now, though when I go FT later this year, I hope to catch up!

What would be your #1 writing tip for anyone who hopes to be an author?

Read everything you can get your mitts on.

Five real fast:

Favorite song of all time?

"This Ol' Heart of Mine" by the Isley Brothers.

If you could transport yourself to any point in history, which would it be?

The early Roman Empire -- I am fascinated by that era and would want to investigate every single facet of daily life. Of course, I'd have to brush up on my Latin.

Most interesting thing you’ve ever seen?

The Roman Forum, actually!

Favorite childhood activity?

Wandering around in the backyard, telling myself stories, or playing with my pug, Isaac.

What spot on your life highway was/is the best?

I enjoyed the summer of 1987 and the six years I lived in New Orleans, but I'd have to say, "Right now."

Interview with Claudia Gray