What’s Up Wednesday

August 28, 2013August 27, 201359 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make posting quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. Join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, or a great way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

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Can you believe Ready. Set. Write! is over?! *sob* Not that I’m going to stop goal-setting and writing and participating in What’s Up Wednesday, but still… Our fantastic summer writing intensive is all said and done!

My fabulous co-hosts and I would like to thank you for participating and celebrate your success by offering critiques. Of course, we don’t presume to be experts, but we do know how helpful it can be to get a fresh perspective on our writing. So… Erin, Jaime, Elodie, Alison, and I are offering feedback on the first ten pages of five Ready. Set. Write! participants’ stories. That’s FIVE critique giveaways! All you have to do is enter via the Rafflecopter below…
(Giveaway is international. Open to those who participated in Ready. Set. Write!)

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Best of luck!

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And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Morgan Matson’s Second Chance Summer. While the writing was lovely and the characters were well-drawn and likeable, this was a tough story to get through. The inevitableness of a tragic event is made clear early on, and the entire book is a journey to a heartbreaking conclusion. Yet, there’s a sense of hopefulness that keeps it from from becoming unbearably sad. More next week for YA Book Club. Now, I’m reading The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, which is predictably awesome and packed with beautiful prose. Big thanks to Krispy, who generously loaned me her ARC!

What I’m Writing: Guys, I’m busting through my WiP. I wrote 6,831 words this week, and I think most of them are good words — yay! Since Ready. Set. Write! began a few months ago, I’ve written just short of 50K words, a number I’m thrilled with. The other day I completed what I’m pretty sure is the strongest, most emotionally charged scene I’ve ever written. We’ll see what my CPs have to say down the line, but for now I’m feeling encouraged and successful and really excited about my writing. I’m rolling with it.

Daisy is excited too.

In addition to working on my WiP, I started revising another project I’ve been working on off-and-on for the last couple of years. There are a few issues with the conflict and, with the help of my super savvy agent, I’m going to solve them. In an effort to assess the story’s pacing and reacquaint myself with its structure, I put the Plot Dot Test to use. I love visual aides (and graph paper!).

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Other than reading and writing, I’ve mostly been spending time with my girl, which is sort of funny since she’s in school almost all day now. Quality over quantity, I suppose. We’ve been making the most of our afternoons and weekends, reading books, doing art projects, having special breakfasts, and going on girls-only shopping trips. It’s been fantastic!

Perfect morning beach walk with my favorite girlie. We love California!

The start of a new soccer season. Coordinating practice uniforms are important.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I recently rediscovered Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb while watching my boy Leo in The Departed (love that movie!). Even though this song isn’t country, its tone and lyrics fit my WiP extraordinarily well. Plus, it’s really chill writing music. I’ve been listening to it on loop.

Also, from blogger/mama/Aussie/super creative person Chantelle (AKA FatMumSlim), a very cool compilation of “what to blog about” ideas. A great list to check out next time you’re in a bit of a blogging rut.

So, tell me… What’s up with you this week?

What’s Up Wednesday

August 21, 2013August 20, 201350 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

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First—can you believe Ready. Set. Write! is ending in ONE WEEK?! Not that I’m going to stop goal-setting and writing when summer is all said and done, but still… Our fantastic writing intensive is almost over!

On that note, my fabulous co-hosts and I would like to thank you for participating and celebrate your success by offering critiques. Of course, we don’t presume to be experts, but we do know how helpful it can be to get a fresh perspective on our writing. So… Erin, Jaime, Elodie, Alison, and I are offering feedback on the first ten pages of five Ready. Set. Write! participants’ stories. That’s FIVE critique giveaways! All you have to do is pop in next Wednesday (August 28th) and enter via Rafflecopter. (This giveaway is international and is open only to those who have participated in Ready. Set. Write!)

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And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: For starters, I’m about halfway through a captivating beta read. It’s been awhile since I’ve read any manuscripts but my own, and I’m having a blast spending time with this romantic contemporary YA. I feel so fortunate to be able to read work by such talented writers! On the published book front, I read Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway last week and fell head over heels for Audrey and Victoria and James and all their crazy misadventures. This was a truly funny book with exceptional voice (I’ll talk more about it in tomorrow’s Bookanista post). I also read Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments, an enviably clever and amusing adult novel. I adored Lincoln, and I thought the dynamic between Jennifer and Beth was fantastic. Recommend! Now, I’m reading Morgan Matson’s Second Chance Summer, this month’s YA Book Club selection. It’s lovely so far, though it’s making my heart sad.

What I’m Writing: I have to say, I kind of rocked my WiP this week. My goal was a conservative 3,000 words, though I mentioned I was really hoping for 4K or 5K. I ended up with 6,512 words for the week, which I’m excited about, and I also cleared 50K words. Seeing as how I started Ready. Set. Write! with about 9K words, I’m feeling pretty great about my first draft progress. My goal for this week is to write 3,000 words on my WiP, and to begin working on a light revision of another project, which I hope to complete in the next three weeks.
#GluttonForPunishment

Me and Daisy, my writing buddy.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Oh, you know… melting down about things I can’t control — what I do best. I had a heart-to-heart with my husband the other day and told him all about how I feel like a failure in several aspects of my life, and he (sweetly) told me that there’s something to be said for personal growth. To which I replied, “But I’m growing into a crazy person!”
So, yeah. Living with me can be really fun.

In more cheerful news, on Saturday morning I supervised while my girlie made breakfast. She wanted Blueberry Muffins, so we chose this healthy recipe and they turned out really tasty. I love when blueberry muffins are packed with blueberries, and these definitely were. Yum!

Mostly, I’ve just been spending time with these three, my favorites, and lamenting the end of summer.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Attachments inspired me, and made me think about writing dialogue in a new way — I posted about it on Monday.

Also, I Hate Strong Female Characters, a must-read article from Sophia McDougall, who shares brilliance like this: I want a wealth of complex female protagonists who can be either strong or weak or both or neither, because they are more than strength or weakness. Badass gunslingers and martial artists sure, but also interesting women who are shy and quiet and do, sometimes, put up with others’ shit because in real life there’s often no practical alternative.

And then there’s this fantastic post, In Which I Go Into Cheerleader Mode by Shannon Messenger, which is honest and true and timely, something I totally needed to read this week. It’s almost like Shannon was in my head when she wrote: Like there’s some ticking clock determining how long they’re allowed to be “aspiring” before they must cross over to “published”, and any second someone is going to realize they still don’t have a book deal and show them to the door. If your journey to publication has ever made you feel like a fraud, please drop by Shannon’s blog and read the full post — you’ll feel better!

And finally, I’m finding serious writing inspiration in this quote:

Tell me… What’s up with you today?
{Don’t forget to link your WUW posts to the list on Jaime’s blog this week!}

On Dialogue and Characterization…

August 19, 2013August 19, 201331 Comments

Over the weekend I read a fantastic adult novel by Rainbow Rowell called Attachments. If you’ve read her YA debut Eleanor & Park (and really, if you haven’t, please hurry to your local bookstore and pick it up — it’s amazing), then you’re probably already aware of what an amazing writer Rainbow Rowell is, and you also probably know that she creates lovably flawed characters who engage in awesome, witty, REAL conversations. This, I think, is a gift.

Attachments is a novel with an interesting and unique format. Here’s the Goodreads summary, just so you have an idea of what’s going on…

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period. When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained -and captivated- by their stories. But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart… even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

One of the things that struck me about Attachments was the bond between Jennifer and Beth. Their relationship unfolds in a series of email conversations (read by Lincoln) and that’s all we get from them. We never see them chatting in a coffee shop, or talking in a nail salon, or gossiping in the break room at the newspaper. Their interactions are all email, and they look something like this:

That is to say, there are no inner monologues, no dialogue tags, no descriptive beats, no awkward pauses or long sighs or knowing chuckles — none of the stuff that clogs up conversations in traditionally-written novels. All we know of Jennifer and Beth are the words they type to one another and yet, we get to know them really well. I was sort of blown away when I realized this.

See, I consider dialogue to be one of my writerly strengths. I think I have an eye (ear?) for flow and organic word choice. I think conversations between my characters read like real conversations between real people, and I think it’s fairly easy to get to know them based on how they talk and interact. That said, I definitely incorporate tags and supportive narrative and the occasional adverb (*gasp*) into dialogue I write. These devices are important and I will always use them, but I wondered what it would be like to write conversations like those of Jennifer and Beth. Words, clean and simple.

As an experiment, I tried it with a scene in my WiP. Words, alternating between two characters. Though it was challenging at first, I did not let myself write he said, or she sighed, or he squeezed her hand. There were no inner monologues. There was no supportive narrative. Just words, back and forth — statement, response, question, response, statement, response, etc.

And you know… It was kind of fun. And quick! The conversation flowed more easily than usual. The characters were clever and their banter felt spontaneous and sincere and natural. I didn’t have to try so hard. Best of all, I could truly see who the characters were in the words they spoke.

Of course, I’m not writing a story about inner-office friendships, and my story doesn’t include email at all, so I did eventually go back and insert the traditional dialogue tags and beats and descriptions, all the nuanced stuff that normally has me biting my nails and running for the jelly beans when I’m trying to draft a conversation. Imagine my surprise when, again, this part of the process came more easily. Since I already had the entire discussion laid out, the pieces that needed to be augmented with additional narrative were clear. All I had to do was tuck those bits in, and I ended up with a pretty engaging conversation.

So… I’m thinking I may have a new method for writing dialogue. Huh.

Tell me… Do you have any tips for drafting dialogue?

What’s Up Wednesday

August 14, 2013August 13, 201346 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

{Please make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, other participants can visit your blog and check out what you’ve been up to. In that same spirit, I urge you to visit as many new blogs as you can every Wednesday. The most awesome aspect of What’s Up Wednesday and Ready. Set. Write is that they include a built-in support system. Let’s make sure we’re rooting each other on and offering as much encouragement as we can. Who knows… You might make an awesome new writing buddy, or a find a fantastic beta reader, or hook up with an amazing critique partner!}

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Last week I read Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, a cute (though slightly predictable) contemporary story about a rich city girl who, thanks to the recession and her laid-off daddy), is forced to move in with her grandparents in a small Texas town. She meets people different from herself and has to reprioritize a bit. Shenanigans and profound personal growth ensue.

I also read On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, which I checked out from the library because I’ve heard tons of good things about it. What I knew of the concept (Anna, thirty-year-old teacher, and T.J, sixteen-year-old cancer survivor, engage in a romantic relationship on a deserted island) squicked me out at first. But never fear — Anna and T.J. spend a long time on the island (years) and there’s a lot of maturing and growing and bonding that takes place before they ever consider each other anything more than survival buddies. Hard to believe, but their eventual romance (which is legal and tasteful and pretty darn hot) is totally believeable. I was genuinely rooting for Anna and T.J. until the very last pages of their story. On the Island reminded me a bit of The Blue Lagoon, and the writing is excellent — sparse but emotional. Recommend!

What I’m Writing: Oh, my WiP… What a beast. I surpassed last week’s goal of 3,000 words with 5,004 words, for a total of 43,504. So, that’s awesome. But. The other day on the elliptical, I had this crazy epiphany about two of my main characters. I’m thinking one has too much backstory and too many challenges, and all that adversity is making her muddled and hard to relate to. The other character, I think, has it too easy, and that’s making her an obvious “good guy” in a story that shouldn’t have any clear answers as to who’s right and who’s wrong. So… I’ve got some serious revising in my future, but I’m going to hold off for awhile. I want to think through some of the details, so I’m going to push ahead from here, writing as if I’ve already “fixed” these characterization issues, and then I’ll go back and actually fix them later.

But seriously… My story scares me. This week’s goal? Officially, 3,000 words, but I’m really shooting for closer to 4K or 5K. I’m getting eager to get this draft done so I can dive into revising it and making it as close to my vision as possible.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: My kiddo is back in school–yay 1st grade! We’re all adjusting to our new routine, and I’m adjusting to having the house to myself for the better part of the day. Fun, but weird.

Saturday was National Lazy Day (yes, that’s a thing) and I took full advantage by taking a nap, watching a movie, and dragging my family out for dinner. A few months ago, my husband and I agreed to try our best to only eat out only once a week (we were spending so much money at restaurants!), so now when we do go out, it really is a treat. We savored every bite of our Chinese food.

On Sunday, we took a family hike at Garrapata State Park and it was lovely. My girl is a trooper and hoofed it about five miles (lots of uphill!). Plus, she took that totally awesome photo of my husband and me holding our WSU flag. Cougar pride runs deep. 🙂

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Storytelling is getting formulaic. This is an opportunity, a post by Nathan Bransford, in which he advises writers to know “formulas and conventions. Anticipate what your reader will expect will happen. And then pull the rug out.” Dude. I’m trying. Also, a post called 5 Tips to Creating Believable Friendships, which is especially relevant because my WiP revolves around a pair of best friends. And, finally, I’m incredibly inspired by Breaking Bad, which picked back up Sunday night on AMC. I believe it’s one of the best-written shows on television, and Walt’s character arc is amazingly well done. The entire series is a lesson in making things as terrible as possible for characters. I’m super bummed that “all bad things must come to an end.”

So… What’s up with you this week?

What’s Up Wednesday

August 7, 2013August 7, 201339 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Last week I finished Tiger Lily, and I absolutely adored it. Such a beautiful, bittersweet story. In fact, I’m sort of sad that it was a library book. I might just have to buy a copy for my collection. Yesterday I finished Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (my fiftieth book of 2013!). It’s awesome. The worldbuilding is stellar and totally unique, and The Darkling… what a fascinating character. A big recommend if you’re a fantasy fan, or if you like books that have super high stakes and are full of surprises.

What I’m Writing: My WiP and I have mostly made up. She’s still challenging me at every turn, but that’s what makes writing fun, isn’t it? I’m one scene from finishing my read-through of the first half of the story, which is a pretty great feeling. I’m glad I decided to read and reassess and make adjustments as necessary, even though I’m still very much drafting. I rediscovered bits of the story that are lovely and well-written, and I reconnected with my characters. It’s been a motivating experience, and I feel good about drafting the second half of the story. Here’s a tiny excerpt…

Sometimes Jenna thought of her parents, their expectations and the church’s. Sometimes she thought of Dylan, whether her best friend would ever find the escape she was searching for. Often, she thought of singing. How much she missed it and how, after years of projecting clearly and resonantly from deep within her soul, her song had gone mute in the space of a night.

But mostly, Jenna thought of Tyler. Tyler, who made her feel beautiful and melodic and lucky. Tyler, who, after Saturday night, might very well have written her off.

My goal for the coming week is to add 3000 new words to my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: I spent most of last week planning and hosting my girlie’s sixth birthday bash (even as I type those words, I can’t believe I have a six-year-old). The music-themed party was a big success, and we had a fantastic time celebrating with lots of wonderful friends. Here are a few pictures…

I made that purple guitar out of poster board for a “Pin the Pick on the Guitar” game. My mom made the birthday girl’s super-cute party dress.

Lots of stars and guitars and bright colors. Taylor Swift provided the soundtrack.

I’ve said this about a thousand times in the last few days, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that six years have passed between the days these two pictures were taken. I am *way* too young to have a six-year-old. 😉

And, since I’m blathering about the too-quick passage of time, let’s all pause to appreciate the first day of 1st grade, which is TODAY! Lots of extra writing time in store for this mama!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: This post on the Plot Dot Test by agent Natalie Lakosil, because I love a good visual representation, and this one goes a long way in solving pacing problems. And this link, inviting us to “do nothing” for two full minutes. It’s way harder to relax and zone out than I thought it would be, and probably far more important than any of us realize. Try it! Also, this quote…

What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

July 31, 2013July 30, 201350 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Over the weekend I read OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu. Don’t let the cheery yellow-and-pink cover mislead you; OCD Love Story is a heavy book about teens dealing with sometimes debilitating mental illness, and there are some cringeworthy moments. But there are also moments of humor and a sweet, sweet romance, making this an issue book that doesn’t feel like an issue book. Now, I’m reading Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, which is dark and magical and gorgeous, and I am loving every minute of it.

What I’m Writing: Bleh. I’m mad at my WiP. It’s being uncooperative and troublesome. My goal for last week was to read through the first 35K and revise it according to some changes I’m making to backstory/character motivations. I got a good chunk of it done, but I didn’t finish completely. Boo. The sections I have revised are much improved, though, and I am making progress, but it’s slooooow progress. My goal for this week is to keep plugging away. I WILL finish my read-through/pre-revision, and I’d like to write at least one new scene. That said, my daughter’s birthday party is Friday, her official birthday is Saturday(!), and we’ve got a date with friends at the water park on Sunday. It’s going to be a busy weekend, but I’m going to do my very best to make time for my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Mostly, I’ve been gearing up for my girl’s sixth birthday. She wants a rocker-girl theme, a guitar cake, a piñata, and lots of music. So, that’s what we’re doing. I’ll share pictures next week. 🙂

Last week’s Kenny Chesney concert was AMAZING. He’s such a dynamic performer, and he played all of my favorite songs — I was so happy! John Mayer made a surprise appearance and spent some time jamming with Kenny on stage. So cool! The party bus was also predictably awesome, and we had a fantastic time with our friends. I was beside myself with glee the whole night. 🙂

I also tried a new cookie recipe… Total win. Peanut butter and chocolate are pretty much the best combination ever, and when paired with a frosty bottle of Well’s Banana Bread Beer (YES), well, that’s pretty much culinary nirvana. (I used this cookie recipe, but instead of peanuts, I used peanut butter chips. Yum.)

What’s Inspiring Me Now: My daughter, who met her summer reading goal a few weeks before school started. I’m so proud of what an excellent reader she’s become. Her love of books thrills me.

Tell me… What’s up with you?

What’s Up Wednesday

July 24, 2013July 23, 201349 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

First, and perhaps most importantly, today’s the day Alison Miller, Elodie Nowodazkij, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I get to announce the winner of our Ready. Set. Write! giveaway.

Congratulations… RAVEN MOORE!

You’ve won an amazing Writer’s Care Package! Be on the lookout for writerly gifts from Alison, Elodie, Erin, Jaime, and I, and keep up the amazing progress you’ve made on your WiP this summer. We’re so happy for you!

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, which was harrowing and complex and pretty darn captivating. I also read All I Need by Susane Colasanti, a novel that surfaced just as I was longing for a light, beachy romance — and that’s exactly what I got. Such a cute story! Yesterday I finished Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, a book that came highly recommended by Jessica Spotswood. I loved this one. Main character Josie’s life is brutal, but she experiences moments of such sincere beauty. And the setting (1950 New Orleans) is absolutely fascinating. I urge you to pick it up if you’re looking for a novel that’s historical and gritty and affecting. Now, I’m diving into OCD Love Story by debut author Corey Ann Haydu. Can’t wait to see what’s behind its awesome cover!

What I’m Writing: Before I tell you about my WiP, I have to recommend the following article: 25 Things to Know About Your Story’s Stakes by Chuck Wendig. I came across it at the ideal time, and it’s helping me evaluate my WiP with a fresh perspective. Basically, I need to torture my characters even more. Awesome!

This week I passed my 3K goal with a total of 3,404 words. I reached my story’s midpoint(ish) and did some honest assessing of what I have so far. I decided to make a few changes to some backstory and motivation stuff, so this week I’m focusing on fixing the first half of the story to match the direction the second half will eventually take. So, yes, I’m revising while I’m drafting, but that works for me. Just as I can’t relax when my house is cluttered, I can’t continue to write when I know there are parts of the story that are incorrect or fragmented. So… This week’s goal: Finish revising the front half of my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Um… Just getting crazy-pumped about GOING TO SEE KENNY CHESNEY TOMORROW NIGHT. Guys. I’m a pretty chill person, normally, but I am positively giddy about this concert. With a group of friends, we’ve rented a party bus to take us to the venue, a ride which will be plenty of fun on its own. But then… I’ve seen Kenny twice before and he puts on an amazing show. I can’t wait to be reunited with him and his tight jeans. 😉

I’ve been spending lots of time with my little lovely, who turns six in tens days and starts first grade in just two weeks. She was recently promoted to Level 3 at swim lessons, and has discovered a love for costume jewelry, as evident in the above right photograph. Love her.

The other day I padded my cookie repertoire with a tasty new recipe: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. They turned out sweet and hearty (thanks to the addition of oats), with a cranberry tang — perfect for summer. Even my husband, who claims not to like white chocolate, managed to choke a few down.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Amazing news from my friend Jessica Love: She has a book coming out with St. Martin’s Press! She’s co-writing a YA novel based on the life of Chelsie Hill, one of the featured cast members on the Sundance Channel’s reality series Push Girls. This story… It’s SO inspiring, guys. I can’t wait for you to all read it! Don’t forget to drop by Jessica’s blog to congratulate her!

Also, I’m inspired every time I snack on yummy European treats and wear my awesome new Ready. Set. Write! t-shirt, both courtesy of Elodie Nowodazkij, who is one of the most awesome and encouraging people I know.
Thank you again, Elodie! ♡

Tell me… What’s up with you this week?

What’s Up Wednesday

July 17, 2013July 16, 201354 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I recently read In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell. It was… weird. Very literary and very dark. If you like adult fiction that steps way outside the box, you might want to check it out. Now I’m reading The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, a futuristic dystopian/thriller. It’s action-packed and pretty fantastic so far.

What I’m Writing: Still plugging away at my WiP. I made a Love List for it and, despite all its 1st draft flaws, I do really and truly love this story. I wrote 5,913 words this week (my goal was 3,000) and I’m up to 32,592 total. Considering that I started Ready. Set. Write! with about 9,000 words, my forward progress makes me really happy. This baby is starting to feel like a story that’s finishable! A favorite bit written last week:

He’d just shredded a hole into his already precarious acquaintanceship with Dylan, a hole that could very well be beyond mending, yet here he was, instantaneously and inappropriately enamored with her sexy black underthings. But really… Who could blame him? It’d been months since he’d seen a bra.

My goal for the coming week is 3,000 words, which should be doable. I’m finding that writing at least 500 words a day is becoming a routine, one I definitely want to keep up as the summer begins to wind down.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: I’m honored to have been chosen to help judge the August Pitch+250 Contest held by one of my favorite blogs, Adventures in YA and Children’s Publishing. Submissions will be accepted starting Wednesday, July 31st at 6:00pm EST, and will close August 3rd at 11:00pm EST, or when 50 submissions are received, whichever comes first. If you’ve got a complete and polished manuscript, consider submitting a pitch (not a query) and the first 250 words of your story. All the details of the contest are HERE.

Also, over the weekend, we visited the The Old Mission in San Jaun Bautista. The Catholic church’s construction began in the early 1800s, ending in 18 12. The building and grounds are ornate and beautiful. We also explored San Jaun Bautista, which is a charming little town with some cool antique shops and a fabulous Mexican restaurant, Jardine de San Juan, that we totally pigged out at.

And, finally, I’ve been doing the mom thing, carting my girlie from activity to activity, supervising playdates, giving pedis, and reading countless stories. School starts August 7th in these parts, so I’m already beginning to mourn the end of summer. It’s flown by so quickly!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: My WiP’s new setting, based on a mash-up of a few small agricultural towns near us. I’m calling my tourism “research.”

What’s up with you today?

(If you’re a Ready. Set. Write! participant, don’t forget to enter our fantastic giveaway. Alison Miller, Elodie Nowodazkij, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I will be sending an awesome Writer’s Care Package to one lucky winner. The giveaway closes in one week. Find the Rafflecoptor and more details HERE.)

What’s Up Wednesday (It’s giveaway time!)

July 10, 2013July 9, 201351 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS TO FOLLOW!

What I’m Reading: I finished Katie McGarry’s Dare You To. It was an entertaining read. Beth, despite all odds, grew on me, and Ryan was pretty freaking adorable. If you like Pushing the Limits, you’ll probably like this one too. Now I’m reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, this month’s selection for YA Book Club, hosted by Tracey Neithercott. So far I’m… confused? I’m not sure I like the story, exactly, but I have this funny feeling that the end is going to be amazing and the payoff will be grand. Only time will tell.

What I’m Writing: I smashed last week’s 3,000 word goal with a grand total of 6,183 words for the week. The best part? I think there may actually be some good stuff hidden among all those words. Win! In other news, I’ve decided to change my WiP’s setting (for some reason I set it in a small Appalachian town I’ve never visited. Why, Katy?). I’m going to switch things up and set the story in a fictional California town, one based on a town that’s about an hour from where we live. The change shouldn’t be too drastic; I’ve still got the small town life atmosphere going for me, but I’ll have to do some adjusting regarding weather and scenery and other such details. Sounds tedious, but setting is kind of a big deal to me, so I’m excited about the change. I think I’ll do a better job of writing about a place I’ve actually been to. I like details. 🙂 Goal for next week: 3,000 words, along with some research on a few religious aspects of my story.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: We had a busy holiday weekend (belated Happy Fourth of July to all who celebrated!)…

Fireworks are strictly forbidden in our town which, frankly, is fine by me. So, on the Fourth, we headed to our favorite beach for a barbecue and a bonfire. It was a gorgeous night, and we had a blast hanging with friends, playing in the waves, and devouring delicious food.

I’ve been writing, therefor I’ve been baking. When I’m drafting, I’m usually good for about an hour before I have to get up and do something else (clean, run, play with my girl, whatever). My favorite thing to do is fix a treat because baking is mindless and the outcome is awesome. This week, I made Homemade Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (pictured left — no-bake!) and Oatmeal Bars with Dark Chocolate Frosting (pictured right, recipe from the Linen Napkins to Paper Plates cookbook). I also made a Banana Blueberry Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Nordy Bars. I went through tons of butter and chocolate chips.

On Sunday we hiked the Pinnacles and it was beautiful. We ventured through some caves and found a lovely man-made reservoir. It was about 95 degrees outside, so our hike was cut short by a sweaty, somewhat grumpy five-year-old, but it was definitely fun while it lasted.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I’ve been suffering from a bout of Writer Crazies. Meaning, I’ve been second-guessing everything about my WiP (see the above comments about setting…). Is the story too weird? Too edgy? Are the characters unrelatable? Are they boring? New doubts contradict their predecessors, and then a whole new crop of insecurities emerges. I’m terrified that I’m getting it ALL WRONG, and that’s making me grouchy. But, I happened upon the following quote the other day, and it really hit home:

Lose the fear, Katy. Lose. The. Fear.

Ready. Set. Write! Giveaway

As promised by myself and Ready. Set. Write! co-creators Alison Miller, Elodie Nowodazkij, Erin Funk, and Jaime Morrow, participants in this summer’s most awesome writing intensive now have the opportunity to win a fantastic Writer’s Care Package featuring goodies from all over the world (literally!). Celebrate five weeks of writing productivity by entering to win a journal, tea, a mug, a book on craft, tasty treats, and other fantastic writing-related surprises.

To be considered eligible for the Ready. Set. Write! Giveaway you must have participated in AT LEAST one week of Ready. Set. Write! and shared an update of your goals and progress on your blog (most likely in the form of a What’s Up Wednesday post). To enter, click on the link below and fill out the Rafflecoptor with information about your Ready. Set. Write! progress, as well as any bonus entries you may have earned. The giveaway runs through Tuesday, July 23th. Winners will be announced Wednesday, July 24th. Open internationally.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Good luck, writers!

Tell me: What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

July 3, 2013July 3, 201358 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Jessica Spotswood’s Born Wicked. It’s an awesome book, but the ending! Cate… Finn… My heart! I need to get my hands on Star Cursed as soon as possible! I also read a middle grade story, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, which was absolutely beautiful. Thanks so much for recommending it, Tem! And in a jarring change of literary pace, I started Dare You To by Katie McGarry, which is pretty darn good so far. In fact, I think I like it even better than Pushing the Limits. Plus, there’s a fantastic scene-related playlist that includes tons of country music — yay!

What I’m Writing: I’m glad I scaled down my word count goal for the last week. Because we had family visiting, I knew my writing time would be limited, and I didn’t want clouds of guilt and pressure hovering over my head while we had company. I was shooting for 2,000 words and ended up doubling that with 4,012 words. The surplus is courtesy of a few bouts of insomnia (boo!), but I passed the 20K mark and I still like my story, so I can’t complain. In the next week, I’m hoping to add another 3,000 words to my story. Here’s an excerpt:

It’d been a weird month. Despite his parents’ not-so-subtle discouragement, Tyler had managed to leap into a new relationship just weeks after moving to Clayton City. This thing he’d started with Jenna was good, new and different and intoxicating, but it was far from effortless. The girl was sweeter than honey and the mere sight of her got him all hot and bothered, but her mood was precarious at best. She was never bad-tempered, exactly, but her timidness had a way of blurring into unjustifiable panic, and that scared Tyler shitless.

He was polite and considerate, had always heeded signals and treated girls with respect. He’d learned by example: Tyler had never heard his father utter a discourteous word in his mother’s direction. But when it came to Jenna, good manners fell just short of enough. Tyler was always on his toes, endlessly aware of and adjusting to her moods for fear of upsetting her.

He took off his hat and ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. Jenna… She was wound tighter than a monkey’s nuts and she made him anxious as hell, but she was exhilerating in a way he’d never experienced—a prize just out of reach. They’d been making out for a month and the kissing was really freaking good, but Tyler wanted more. Of course he did.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: I’ve gone a whole week without baking, so no tasty recipes to share, but I have been keeping busy with other things…

For starters, last week I hit a big running benchmark: I ran my 1,000 mile of 2013. I’ve been keeping track of my distances each day (whether they be on the road, treadmill, or elliptical), and as I inched closer and closer to the 1K mark, I started pondering physical locations 1,000 miles away that I could have run to. For example, Monterey Bay to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Or, Monterey Bay to Spokane, Washington. Not that I have a burning desire to go to Santa Fe or Spokane, but still… Fun to think about.

We had a wonderful visit with family last week. My daughter enjoyed plenty of cousin time, and we did lots of fun touristy things: the aquarium, Carmel, the beach. We also ate lots of yummy food and indulged in plenty of treats and laughs. Just look at those smiles…

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Lately I’ve read a couple of craft posts that have been both helpful and inspiring. First, Why the Hero’s Journey is a Tourist Trap by Lisa Cron (at Writer Unboxed), about focusing on your story, trusting your intuition, and continually asking why?. And second, Trouble Shooting Deep Point of View and Voice by Susan Dennard (at Pub[lishing] Crawl) about understanding your POV character’s world view, and the questions you can ask to get to know that character on a deeper level. I highly recommend both articles! What else…

A cool new book-related Instagram photo challenge, hosted by RaeGunRamblings. I’m having all kinds of fun with this one!