Category: Road Trip Wednesday!

RTW: Overcoming Writer’s Block

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: How do you beat writer’s block?

Oh, there are many ways…

1. I eat. Sometimes healthfully. Sometimes not. Often Bottle Caps, my drug candy of choice. 

2. I read. Books on craft. Young adult fiction. Entertainment Weekly. Whatever.

3. I exercise. Run, walk, bike, yoga–anything weather appropriate.

4. I hang with my daughter. We color. We play Princess. We make beaded necklaces. Anything creative and fun.

5. I brainstorm with my husband. His ideas are almost always random and unusable, but he’s an amazing sounding board. Very supportive.

6. I write drivel. I type out sweeping descriptions of the setting. I fill in backstory. I let my characters have meaningless conversations. Sometimes they just make-out. This stuff almost always gets the cut, but it often helps to get good words flowing.

7. And, perhaps most helpfully, I plot. Or replot. Because when I’m blocked, it’s usually because I’ve taken a wrong turn. I’ve written something wrong earlier on, and that something needs to be identified and corrected.

And those, my friends, are my magical cures for writer’s block. I’m curious…how do you beat writer’s block?

RTW: Take me to the beach…

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: What is the most inspiring setting you’ve ever visited in real life?

This is an easy one for me: Cannon Beach, Oregon.

The setting of Where Poppies Bloom is fictional Bell Cove, based heavily on Cannon Beach, an adorable little town I used to visit with my family when I was a child. My husband, daughter and I made the drive there last September for a vacation (also, research :)) and it was so inspiring. A charming little town with a laid back, beachy feel. Kites and sandcastles on the beach, taffy and fudge to snack on in town, sunny days and crisp nights. Honestly, I’d love to live in Cannon Beach someday–it’s that perfect. Here’s what it looks like:





So, what’s the most inspiring setting you’ve visited in real life? Don’t forget to stop by YA Highway to see how everyone else answered.

Oh, and have you entered my The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer giveaway? It ends tomorrow, so hurry! :)

RTW: Early Bird? Night Owl?

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: What time do you prefer to do your writing? Early Worm? Night Owl ? Any five seconds you can grab?

Um, can I go with All of the Above?

When my husband is deployed (often), I am essentially a single parent. My daughter does not take naps anymore (*sob*) and she participates in lots of activities (swimming, ballet, pre-school, etc…), activities I get to shuttle her to. On the rare days we’re home and not out and about, I really try to devote as much of my time to her as possible. Sure, I’ll pop in a movie occasionally and get a little bit of work done, but for the most part she dominates my day. (Good thing she’s so fun, right? :))

So, that means I get to do the bulk of my writing, revising, editing, critiquing, and blogging while my daughter is asleep. I wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 every morning (this happens naturally, in case you’re wondering… no alarm for me!) and work until my kiddo wakes up (usually around 7:30 or 8:00). Then I get back to work at bedtime and go until I can’t keep my eyes open. During the pre-school year, I also get a few hours during the week to work, which is such a treat.  (Too bad the Borders I like to go to is closing… Grr!)

So, I claim Early Bird AND Night Owl, and occasionally everything between.

When do you like to write?

RTW: Non-SENSE-ical

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s RTW: The Five Senses… How do you use them in your writing? How are you inspired by them? What books have used them well? Which ones are currently missing from your work? 

I think description is one of my strengths as a writer (hopefully my CPs and agent didn’t just read that statement and think, No, it’s not!) I love writing descriptions, getting in touch with all five of my senses, and hopefully piquing the senses of my reader. Whenever possible, I try to experience something before writing about it. I find it much easier to go into detail and get creative with my words if I’ve actually walked barefoot on that sun-drenched beach, tasted that decadent chocolate cake, or watched that fiery sunset.

The Five Senses* defined, as they relate to writing:

SIGHT – the ability of the eye(s) to focus and detect images of visible light… that generates electrical nerve impulses for varying colors, hues, and brightness.


From my manuscript Where Poppies Bloom: I dream of a cemetery, headstones ashen and crumbling, staring straight ahead; soldiers in a row. The sky is  liquid mercury, churning up thunder and rain. Flashes of lightning illuminate the graves, trees, bouquets of flowers left by mourning family members.

Books that do it well: Chime, Across the Universe, The Sky is Everywhere

HEARING – the sense of sound perception. Hearing is all about vibration.


From Where Poppies Bloom: I need the solitude of laps swum alone. It’s funny—the pool can be both alarmingly loud and serenely quiet all at once. The rush of water in my ears washes away everything else.

Books that do it well: Linger, Just Listen, Freefall

TASTE – the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc.


From Where Poppies Bloom: I pick up my fork and take a small bite of crepe; the blueberries are summery sweet, slippery on my tongue.

Books that do it well: Anna and the French Kiss, Wither, Harry Potter

SMELL – hundreds of olfactory receptors each binding to a particular molecular feature. The odor molecules possess a variety of features and, thus, excite specific receptors more or less strongly.


From Where Poppies Bloom: He plops down in a rocker, still breathing heavy. He smells of cut grass and whatever deodorant he uses, and more faintly, sweat.

Books that do it well: Twilight, Dirty Little Secrets, The Replacement

TOUCH – a perception resulting from activation of neural receptors, generally in the skin. A variety of pressure receptors respond to variations in pressure.


From Where Poppies Bloom: His splayed fingers run the length of my scalp, from the base of my neck to my crown. He does it again and the pressure is amazing. I turn to beeswax, softening under his warm fingers, melting into the fine sand.

Books that do it well: Lovesick, Willow, Firelight, The Body Finder

*Actual definitions from Wikipedia

So, that’s my RTW take on the five senses as they relate to writing. How do you include descriptions that touch on all five senses in your stories?

And, this obviously has nothing to do with Road Trip Wednesday, writing, or the five senses, but I have to share… Four years ago today this happened:

I know I look about 14 in this picture, but I was actually 26, wearing no make-up and fresh from a sobfest.

I’ll resist the urge to weep about how fast time flies and how I sometimes wish I could rewind my life four years into the past so I can experience baby-hood all over again. Most days, though, I’m happy to stay in the now because I get to hang out with my smart, sweet, loving little cutie pie. She never fails to make me smile. Happy Fourth Birthday to my girl! 🙂

July’s Book of the Month

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What’s the best book you read in July?

July turned out to be one of those rare months where I genuinely enjoyed every book I read, though they were all quite different. Here’s my reading wrap-up:

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young – This book grabbed me from the beginning, thanks mostly to boyfriend Harlin. He was so sweet and loving and attentive and HOT, I flew through the pages wanting to read more scenes with him. The story as a whole was incredible and–dare I say–rather inspiring. And the ending… yowza… I’m still sort of reeling from it, but in the best of ways.

Chime by Franny Billingsley – I raved about Chime in this POST, so I won’t bore you with further accolades. I will simply say: I LOVED it.

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder – I’m not sure why I continuously shy away from books written in verse. I always end up enjoying them. This one, especially, was lovely. I’m awed by how much story was packed into one day in Amber and Cade’s lives (only about 20K words), and  I’m seriously envious of Lisa Schroeder’s gift for language.

Forever by Maggie Steivfater – If an author can truly sell me the love story in her book, I can overlook many a flaw relating to pacing, plot, and character development. I ADORE Sam and Grace of the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. They’re sweet and romantic and so respectful of each other, plus,they have subtle but undeniably hot chemistry. It’s because of them (and Cole!) that I didn’t mind Forever‘s fairly predictable plot, or the continued weirdness of Grace’s parents, or the complete implausibility of the last quarter of the story. Forever struck me as a fitting end to this trilogy, yet I still wanted more from it.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – It’s been awhile since I read a craft book, and lately I’ve been in need of some writing inspiration. I’d heard great things about Bird and it did not disappoint. It’s succinct, funny, and honest. My favorite take-away lessons? Be authentic, view the world reverently, and do not be afraid to make mistakes. I highly recommend Bird by Bird if you’ve yet to read it.

And July’s Book of the Month is… Room by Emma Donoghue.


From GoodReads: To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack’s curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer. Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating–a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.

Admittedly, I was hesitant to read this book. While I like stories that are bizarre and/or disturbing, books that include sensationalized violence against women do not appeal to me. Also, Room is narrated by a five-year-old boy. As the mother of a precocious almost-four-year-old, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend 300 pages locked in that mindset. Well, I’m glad to report that Room is neither the lurid account of a tortured woman or the juvenile narration of a preschooler. Room, instead, is about the strength of the human spirit and an incredibly unique mother-son bond.

A comment on Jack’s narration: In my opinion, this story couldn’t have been told by anyone else. Jack is an intelligent, thoughtful boy, and his observations about what’s around him (from Room to his Ma’s sometimes erratic behavior) are eye-opening. His simplicity veils the brief scenes of violence, and he is key to all the action that takes place–we’d miss out if we weren’t in Jack’s head. It’s fascinating to view the world through his innocence. Donoghue did an amazing job capturing the mindset of a child.

I don’t want to tell you too much about Room‘s plot; I think its  impact will be stronger if you travel through the pages uninitiated. While I wouldn’t call this book a “thriller,” I certainly found it to be a page-turner. I was desperate to know what would happen to Jack and Ma as their story unfolded. Yes, I know Room isn’t a young adult novel (I think it’s actually my first adult Book of the Month!), but I highly recommend you check it out.

Tell me… what’s the best book you read in July?

RTW: So Good at Bad

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: Who are your favorite literary villains ? (Or, what makes an antagonist you LOVE to hate?)

Well, the first villain who popped into my head was this creeper:


He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or The Nose-less Wonder. Upon further reflection, though, Voldemort felt a little too obvious. He’s just SO bad. Sure, he has a super complex back story and a true, make-no-apologies heart of evil, but never once during my decade-spanning love of the Harry Potter series did I think, Hey, wouldn’t it be cool of Voldemort came out victorious?

So, I’m going with Ty, the antagonist from Lucy Christopher’s YA novel Stolen.


In case you haven’t read this one (wait–you haven’t read Stolen?! RUN to your nearest bookstore and pick it up! It is AMAZING.) here’s the GoodReads blurb:

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don’t exist – almost.

This book is–for lack of a better expression–a complete and utter mindfuck. I swear, Lucy Christopher gave me Stockholm Syndrome. I was so back and forth about Ty I almost ended up with whiplash. My inner monologue during reading went something like this: Ugh… Ty. What a horrible, deluded man. Well, hold on… now I kind of want Ty to be content. But NO! He’s a kidnapper! Still, though, wouldn’t it be romantic if Gemma fell in love with him? Of course not! He took her against her will and trapped her in the middle of nowhere. But then, he loves her SO much and he’s so sweet and caring. Although, he won’t let her leave his shack of a home, ever. By the time I read the final chapters,  I was rooting for Ty. I wanted him and Gemma to live happily ever after in the formidable Australian Outback. Still, almost a year after reading Stolen, I kind of love Ty.

The mark of a great antagonist, I think, is a feeling of uncertainty on the reader’s part–a sort of push and pull between love and hate. I want to care about a story’s antagonist as much as I care about its protagonist, albeit in a completely different way. In my opinion, the best antagonists are layered, unpredictable, and sympathetic, not black-and-white villains who cackle manically and carry big guns.

So, who are your favorite Literary antagonists? And don’t forget to stop by YAHighway to see how everyone else answered today’s prompt!

RTW: *Mistakes are the portals of discovery…

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What’s the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you’ve made so far?

I’ve yet to do anything colossally stupid or embarrassing (I’m sure my time will come), though I have made mistakes that have slowed my progress. I’ve neglected to research (which explains why my first YA manuscript [a tragically low-concept contemporary] clocked in at approximately 130,000 words). I’ve queried too soon (yes, that same first manuscript), and I’ve entertained the wildly unproductive belief that I am the exception. But my biggest mistake, the one I’ve since remedied and will never, ever make again, is trying to make it as a writer all by myself.


Good news: That first manuscript? The tragically low-concept contemporary? It somehow snagged me a critique partner (the amazingly talented Heather Howland), who tore it up in the kindest of ways . In the process, she taught me all about voice, word choice, and plot, and also hooked me up with some of her writing friends (including my other two amazingly talented critique partners Jus Accardo and AE Rought).

In the interest of inserting myself further into the YA writing community, I started blogging and tweeting and interacting with all kinds of fantastic people (both online and local). Can you guess what happened next? I’ll tell you: Writing became easier. And more fun. I felt less crazy. Less alone. I also learned a lot, and my writing improved in the process.

I’m not sure what I would do without the YA community, and I’m not sure how my sanity survived that first manuscript without my critique partners and writing friends. (My husband might say it didn’t survive. Hmm…).

For more, check in Friday. I’ll share some of my favorite online writing communities. Also, stop by YA Highway to see how other participants answered this question.

Do tell… what’s the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you’ve made so far?

*The wise words of James Joyce.

RTW: Visual Inspiration

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This week’s topic: It’s been awhile since we shared inspiration pictures. Show us yours!

Well, I’m on the downhill slide of revising my contemporary young adult ghost story, Where Poppies Bloom, so it just so happens that I’ve got it on the brain.

I’m a very visual person so once I had an inkling of an idea for the story (late last summer), I began trolling the internet for inspiring pictures. Here are the one’s that had the biggest impact on the initial drafting of Poppies:

The ever-mysterious poppy meadow.
Oregon coast cliffs.
Main character Callie spends her summer at an old Victorian that looks something like this…
The car Callie’s eventual love interest drives. She dubs it the Hippie Wagon.
I took this picture of Cannon Beach, Oregon last fall.
A main character wears a jacket just like this. A lot.
After a long hiatus, Callie attempts to reconnect with her passion: competitive swimming.
Callie’s blonde. There are poppies. And this one’s just pretty.

Now that I’m looking at these lined up all pretty, I’m surprised by how closely I stuck to the story these early pictures inspired. Sure there have been plenty of revisions and edits, but wow… the core of the original story is definitely still there. I’m also starting to wonder how completely random these pictures look to those of you who haven’t read Where Poppies Bloom… I swear it all comes together quite nicely!

What do you use for writing inspiration? Photographs? Music? Something new and exciting? Do share!

RTW: June’s Book of the Month

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What’s the best book you read in June?

In celebration of Contemporary YA Month (the brainchild of the talented authors over at The Contemps), I tried hard to read only contemporary YA stories in June. There were some winners… and some I just didn’t care for. Either way, it was great to immerse myself in realistic YA fiction for several weeks–there are so many choices and I learned a lot. Here’s what I read:

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby – I spoke about this one in great detail in a Debut Love post, which you can find HERE. In short, I thought Moonglass was lovely.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – Incredibly well-written, funny and a totally unique idea, but lacking an intense romantic thread–what usually keeps me coming back for more. If you don’t care either way about boys and kissing and love, and you like your fiction smart and witty, then you’ll probably enjoy Beauty Queens.

Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez – While I think it’s important to portray diverse relationships in YA (these characters are exploring whether it’s possible to be bisexual and what that means in the world of high school dating), this book didn’t do it for me. I found the message to be too heavy-handed and the dialogue unrealistic.

After by Amy Efaw – This one read like a Jodi Piccoult novel, but with a compelling teen voice. It covers the aftermath of a girl who’s had a baby in secret, then ditched the newborn in a dumpster. I bought After wondering how Efaw could possibly make her protagonist sympathetic. She does, and still manages to write a very entertaining novel.

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal – Okay, this isn’t technically YA, but to me the twins will always be young adults. And let’s be honest, they act like the lowliest of overly-hormonal teenagers in this story. I had problems buying into the behavior of pretty much every character populating Confidential. Winston, Bruce, Todd, Steven, even Jessica and Elizabeth… they all turned out to be terribly out of character and really unlikable. Bummer.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti – I liked this one a lot, but I would have loved it had it focused more on Ruby’s out-of-control destructive relationship with Travis Becker, and less on the Casserole Queens subplot. Still, Ruby has some of the best life observations I’ve read in YA. She was a truly likable character despite her sometimes questionable decision making.

The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson – This is the first Maureen Johnson novel I’ve read, and I see now why she’s so popular. The characters were distinct with clear flaws and motivations, and the writing was clean and often funny, but Bermudez lacked the darkness and angst of books I truly love. That said, I’m looking forward to reading Maureen’s upcoming The Name of the Star.

And June’s Book of the Month, hands down, is Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta…


From Goodreads: Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys’ school that pretends it’s coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can’t seem to stop thinking about. Then there’s Francesca’s mother, who always thinks she knows what’s best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.

Melina Marchetta is so incredibly talented. Her stories are real and layered and nuanced and clever, so freaking enviable. I’d venture to say that Jellicoe Road (March’s Book of the Month) is my very favorite YA novel*, and Saving Francesca does not fall far behind.

Protagonist Francesca Spinelli manages to walk the very fine line between endearingly vulnerable and sassy smart ass. She spends the course of the book discovering not only who she is, but who her parents and teachers and friends are, and most importantly, who she wants to be. Thanks to Francesca’s wit and spot-on remarks about life and human interactions, her journey (which isn’t exactly high concept) proves to be fascinating.

I absolutely love how Melina Marchetta is able to take a ragtag group of characters and weave interesting and genuine relationships among them. I adored Francesca’s friends and family. Supporting characters Thomas, Jimmy, Justine, Siobhan and Tara are fantastic, and love interest Will Trombal… sigh. LOVE him.

I recommend Saving Francesca to anyone who enjoys contemporary stories, and especially to anyone who writes contemporary YA. You will love the setting (an Australian all boys’ Catholic school that’s recently [and begrudgingly] opened its doors to girls), the dialogue (smart, funny, perfect), and the characters (engaging, delightful, memorable). Someday very soon I’m going to reread Saving Francesca AND Jellicoe Road–they’re that good.

*Incidentally, I recently told my husband that if we ever have a little boy, I want to name him Jonah after Jellicoe Road‘s Jonah Griggs. My husband immediately snorted and told me to “bury that name deep.” Boo.

So, what’s the best book YOU read in June?

RTW: Fleeing the Flames

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: Your house is on fire and you can only grab FIVE things before you flee. What are they?

Well isn’t this an uplifting question to ponder…

Even if we assume my husband, daughter and dogs are safe, there just aren’t that many material items I care much about. In the end, the five things I’d choose to save hold some sort of sentimental value or have a particular memory attached to them:

Image Credit

1) My daughter’s baby book, full of pictures, newborn memorabilia, and journaling I did during her first year. Irreplaceable.

2) My jewelry box–not because I own tons of expensive pieces, but because each piece was given to me by my husband and marks a certain significant event in our lives.
 
3) My laptop, for obvious reasons.
 
4) My wedding photos, because I got married so long ago I don’t have them on a disc. I don’t even like them much, but I imagine my daughter might want to see them someday.
 
5) My daughter’s big basket of Princess figurines. She LOVES to play with them and would be lost without them.  
 
So, if your house was burning, what would YOU save?