Category: The Writing Process

Deja Vu Blogfest

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Today, thanks to inspiration from DL Hammons, Katie Mills (Creepy Query Girl), Lydia Kang, and Nicole Ducleroir, I give you my post for the…

This post is from September, 2010. I was just beginning the first draft of the manuscript that eventually landed me Agent Vickie, and I was clearly going through a bit of an identity crisis. I like this post, though, because most of us have been in this place of uncertainty and insecurity, and it makes me feel like I’ve grown up a bit. I also like The Family Guy clip at the end. 🙂

I have to admit, I’m something of a closeted writer. Other than my online writing friends, only my closest family members know that I’ve written a few stories and am in the process of seeking representation for my work.

Don’t get me wrong: My writing isn’t a secret, exactly. I have a blog (obviously) and a Twitter account. If someone were so inclined they could Google me and they’d know all about what I’ve been up to. But, I don’t really like to bring my writing up in conversation. It just doesn’t feel REAL yet. I talk to my husband (at length!) about my projects and querying and submissions, but he’s really the only one.  

Part of it is that I feel a little pretentious and a lot insecure telling  people I’m a writer. Inevitably, their next questions is, “What have you written?” Well, I’ve written a lot of stuff, but you can’t buy it. It’s not in the hands of any publishers yet. I don’t even have an agent. In fact, I’m still incredibly early in the process.

And then there’s that weird obligation to update the people who ARE in the know, which at this point is a lot of, “She asked for a partial,” or “He requested the full,” or “She passed.” It’s all exciting for ME (well, except when they pass), but to anyone else, it probably seems that all I do is a lot of emailing, then waiting… and waiting… and waiting.  

I know I’m a writer. It’s what I’ve spent the last few years consumed by and stressed over and excited about. Pretty much every emotion in between, actually. I know I’ll continue to write, even if it takes years to meet my goal of publication. But at what point do you get to CALL yourself a writer? When your first manuscript is complete? Or when you land an agent? The day you sign your first book deal? Or maybe on release day, when your literary baby is born into the world?

When did you come out as a writer to your friends and family? (And is being out better or worse that being in hiding?) 

An aside: I do not watch The Family Guy (I actually don’t watch any cartoons, ever, unless they’re stamped with the Disney seal of approval), however my husband and younger brother are big fans. In fact, my brother and I have a running joke involving Stewie (the baby) and Brian (the dog and aspiring novelist). Just about every time we talk he asks me (in very exaggerated, Stewie-esque tones) about my novel and protagonist and whether my story has a beginning, middle and end. Check out the clip below… it never fails to makes me laugh. 🙂

Now wasn’t that little blast from the past fun? Please do visit the Deja Vu Blogfest headquarters to check out the rest of the under-appreciated but awesome posts!

Looking for more blogfest fun? Why not check out the one I’m co-hosting with Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, and Alison Miller? The Class of 2011: YA Superlative Blogfest is a fun and interactive way to highlight and share your favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements published in 2011. It will span four days, beginning Tuesday, December 27th and culminating Friday, December 30th. Click on the banner below to find out more and to sign up!

On My Wish List: Writing the Fire!

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I’ve made no secret of my love for yoga around here. I do it almost daily, and on the rare days I skip, I feel like crap. Clearly, Yoga + Katy = Love.

One thing I love just as much as yoga is writing (duh). Thanks to my blogging friend Kirsten Lopresti, I’ve now learned that yoga and writing MIX. Have you heard of this book?

Writing the Fire!: Yoga and the Art of Making Your Words Come Alive

From Goodreads: Writing the Fire! offers writers a new and visionary practice: using yoga to release the body’s inner intelligence and then support, shape, and inform the creative process. Indeed, “writing is yoga,” declares Gail Sher, introducing the “writing asana”—an invaluable new tool for every writer’s routine. Her insightful and lyrical book, organized around eight thematic “immersions,” plumbs yoga’s wisdom heritage. As Donald Moyer, director of the Yoga Room in Berkeley, comments, “She encourages writers to approach their writing with the clarity and presence of yogis, and teaches yogis how to temper their awareness with the heat of words and images.” Writing the Fire! celebrates the fullest expression of our being.

It’s almost as if Writing the Fire! was written just for me. I’m a big fan of using exercise to mentally work out all kinds of writing snags, but I’ve never thought of it as a way to “release the body’s inner intelligence.” I’m on board though, and I’ll definitely be picking this book up. Who’s with me?

Do you incorporate exercise into your writing routine? Tell me about it!

A few more catch up things, since it’s Monday and all…

  • Two fantastic posts I’ve come across in the last few days: Jessica Love’s Query Advice, and Anne. R. Allen’s How to Blog and How Not to Blog. All three are full of helpful information no matter what stage of the game you’re in.
  • I’ve been fully immersed in the Christmas spirit all weekend, and it’s only December 12th! In the last few days, I’ve wrapped zillions of presents, and these things have also happened:
Many Christmas cookies have been baked…

Santa Claus has been visited…

And gingerbread houses have been decorated!

  • My daughter has her preschool holiday performance tonight. She’s singing a Walking in a Winter Wonderland solo, and she’s playing the part of Mary in the nativity bit. Can’t wait to watch, and I’m promising in advance some super cute photos from the event. 🙂
  • One more important note: Please do make sure to sign up for the Class of 2011: YA Superlative Blogfest. It’ll be TONS of fun, plus a great way to highlight all the exceptional books you’ve read this year. Click the button below for the official post, and to sign up!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and here’s to a wonderful week ahead!

RTW: Wonder (Writing) Woman

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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 are your writing/publishing superpowers (drafting? plotting? writing queries?) — and what’s your kryptonite?

This is SO me!

This is such a tough question–especially the superpower element! Why do I have such a hard time pinpointing my strengths?

I suppose my writing superpower would be in the details. I’m a big description girl. I think I excel at painting a picture with words and really helping my readers to envision exactly who or what I’ve written about. I often find my first drafts so FULL of descriptions and sensory details that I end up having to go through and hack big chunks of them. Sometimes I probably don’t cut enough; someone once told me it was almost as if an attic I’d written about had become a character in and of itself, thanks to the million-and-one details I’d included. Still, I’d rather write too much and have to edit later than struggle with descriptions and ways ground my readers in a scene.

As far as kryptonite goes, mine definitely involves stakes and tension. I have such a hard time increasing the pressure, torturing my characters the way they need to be tortured to craft an engaging, exciting page-turner. My natural instinct is to make things easy for my characters (I love them!), not harder, and that seems to be the critique I get most often: Up the stakes, bump the tension up a notch. Believe me… I’m working on it!

Tell me… what is your writing superpower? Your kryptonite? And don’t forget to visit YA Highway to see how the other Road Trippers answered today’s question!

Surviving Revising…

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Ah, another round of revisions is coming to a close. Good news: I just have this feeling that I’ve made some super successful changes… yay! Sort of bad news: The whole thing has been quite a challenge. As I’m sure most of you can attest to, the revision process is full of musing, second-guessing, doubt, and tons of hard work. I feel like I’ve been staring at my computer for ten days straight, and thinking about this story nonstop.

Oh, how to deal? Well, there are a few things I  do to survive the madness of revisions. I’ve compiled my best tips and tricks to share with you today…

Sleep on it. Feedback, I mean. If you’re anything like me, the first reading of a revision letter is met with a certain degree of mental resistance. We want to believe our work is perfect as-is, but deep down we know it’s not. That’s we why ask for feedback in the first place, right? I find if I take a night or two (or a week–whatever works) to absorb and ponder revision notes, they feel a lot less personal and a lot more helpful. My mind starts to mentally work out the problems that need addressing, and suddenly I’m excited to dig in.

Set a completion goal date. If I don’t give myself a deadline to work toward, I’ll procrastinate for hours (or days!) before I ever get down to being truly productive. When I’m really struggling with motivation, I take goal-setting a step further and break my workload into days, like: Revise 30 pages on Monday, or Address supporting character (Chelsea) on Tuesday.

Draft a scene-by-scene To-Do List. I’m intrinsically organized and an enthusiastic list-maker, so seeing all the work I need to do in bullet points makes the revision process a lot less daunting. If I can trick myself into thinking it’ll be easy, that it’s totally manageable, then I’m able to dive in with a whole lot more confidence. Also, I make a point to highlight each scene on my list as I compete it. It’s so encouraging to watch each item on my list transition to bright yellow, one by one!

Tackle the big stuff first, but keep a running list of “little things” to go back to later. This works for me because it keeps me on task. I find as I’m revising overall story elements (theme, pacing, character arc, whatever), little things consistently pop up that also need altering. But it’s a serious waste of minutes and momentum to stop, back up, and take care of a tiny detail. Still, I don’t want to forget about these important bits, so I keep a separate list  at the bottom of my scene-by-scene To-Do List. It’s something of a reward to run through and change each one as the revision comes to a close.

Sign off. Like, from everything BUT your manuscript. I know, I know… it’s so hard NOT to check Twitter and email and Facebook. It’s no fun to cancel social engagements because you have to work. It’s annoying to see all your favorite TV shows backed up on your DVR. It sucks to watch a fine layer of dust accumulate on your coffee table (okay, that might just be me). But I have to let go of all those outside distractions in order to get into my revision mindset. The only real “breaks” I give myself are quality time with my daughter (obviously), exercise, reading (but just a little!), and the occasional blog post.

Enjoy that final read-through. When I’m “done” and it’s time to begin my last overall read-through, I try to ditch Revising Writer Katy and settle into Casual Reader Katy. This way, I’m able to catch problems I might not have noticed otherwise. Little things, like a slight voice inconsistency or an overuse of a character’s name. Also, it’s an incredibly pleasant and gratifying experience to read through all my hard work as an eventual book-buyer might.

When all else fails, have a treat. This healthy little faux brownie got me through this latest revision. I ate one nightly, and I didn’t gain even a pound!

1. Spray a microwave safe bowl with Pam.
2. Combine 2 egg whites, half of one mashed banana, and 1/4 pumpkin puree.
3. Add 2 T almond meal, 1 T Stevia, 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (I love Hershey’s Special Dark!), and 1/4 t baking powder.
4. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
5. (Optional) Add a sprinkling of bittersweet or dark chocolate chips. (I love the Ghirardelli brand). Combine.
6. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on your machine and altitude.

This recipe yields one enormous faux brownie that can be enjoyed on its own, or topped with peanut butter, almond butter, whipped cream, or ice cream (depending on what kind of day you’re having :)).

So, how do you endure the challenges of revising? Any tips to share?

RTW: A Winding Road (And congrats, YA Highway!)

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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: YA Highway’s Road Trip Wednesday has reached the 100th mile marker. How has YOUR writing journey gone so far?

One-hundred Road Trip Wednesdays?! Huge congratulations to YA Highway and its contributors on their longevity and all their success. Thank you so much, Highway-ers, for bringing your genius to the YA community, for doling out wisdom and expertise, for sharing insightful, informative, diverse, and entertaining posts, and for inviting aspiring authors like me to participate your fantastic Road Trip Wednesdays. I’ve met tons of incredible people since I first joined in over a year ago, and I’m so thankful for this outlet, and for this chance to belong to such a friendly and supportive community. Here’s to another hundred Road Trips!

Um… my writing journey? It’s going. 🙂 I’ve met some goals, for sure, and I’ve set some new ones. I’ve grown in many areas, and I’ve identified others I’d like to improve upon. I’ve signed with a brilliant agent. I’ve made some amazing friends. I’ve read some inspired books. I’ve written some beautiful words. I hope my writing journey continues in its forward motion (no reverse, please!), and I hope it continues to give me a sense of self and accomplishment no matter where my final destination may be.

How’s YOUR writing journey going?

Links (Because I’ve Got Nothin’)

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Guys. I’m smack in the middle of incorporating a change into Where Poppies Bloom that has me absolutely giddy with its awesomeness. Unfortunately, all this revising has completely zapped my creativity and wit, so I’ve got nothing new or unique or valuable to contribute to the blogosphere today. BUT… lucky for you, my writing friends have managed to come up with some amazing posts and news, which I’ve compiled in the tidy little round-up below. Visit. Peruse. Comment. Enjoy. 🙂

This post on Suspense in Writing by the lovely Katharine Owens, complete with stills from some classic Alfred Hitchcock movies. Kat’s post is compilation of tips from Simon Wood’s original article for Writer’s Digest, which you can find HERE.

This bit of fabulous from Alison Miller on Reading for Pleasure.  “Look, I’m as busy as the next person, but reading is a priority to me.” Yep, I couldn’t have said it better myself, Alison. Not only is reading fun, inspirational, and relaxing, but for a writer, it’s crucial to professional development.

My CP Jus Accardo‘s debut Touch is available in eBook today!

You’ll have to wait until November 1st for the paperback version, but if you’ve got an eReader, you can find Touch at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Books on Board. And do check back here for more about Touch and an interview from Jus in the very near future!

And, finally, we’ve got an October novel for Tracey Neithercott’s Fall Book Club!


Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.  Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When one of the strangers–beautiful, haunted Akiva–fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

I couldn’t be more excited about this selection!

We’ll be discussing the book on Friday, October 28. If you have a blog, post your thoughts on the book there, then leave a link to your blog over at Tracey’s on October 28th. If you don’t have a blog, leave your thoughts in the comments on other members’ blogs, which you can easily get to by clicking the links on Tracey’s post. I hope you’ll participate!

So, that’s what I’ve got for you today. Do you have anything writerly, readerly, or otherwise interesting to share?

Have a lovely Monday, and I’ll see you in two days for Road Trip Wednesday!

On making it yours…

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You may have seen my tweets about the local writing seminar I attended on Saturday (Sumner, Washington’s Write in the Valley, in case you’re wondering). It was a fun event; small and intimate, with a diverse panel. There were traditionally published authors (Kimberly Derting! Love her books!) and self-published authors, authors of fiction and nonfiction, and a Book Doctor who shared all kinds of useful information.

The audience was full of writers, both starting out and experienced, and some fantastic questions and conversations came up. One topic that seemed to dominate much of the discussion, though, was that of plagiarism. People seemed very afraid of copying another writer’s work (unintentionally, I presume) and getting called out on it down the road. They used gentler words to discuss plagiarism (“borrowing” and “honoring”), but the gist was pretty much the same: How can a writer ensure that their work is original when there’s so much published material already out there? 

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never worried about this. There are hundreds of ghost stories on the market, thousands of books set in old houses, innumerable protagonists dealing with the loss of a loved one, countless teens sent to live with relatives, zillions of girls forced to choose between two boys. Yet, I know my story, Where Poppies Bloom, is unique. It’s told from my perspective, with my life experiences to back it up. My characters are original, the setting is my own creation, and my inimitable author voice carries the story. I did the creative work to draft, revise, edit Poppies, and I’m certain that no one else has written (or will write) a story quite like it. Nobody can tell Callie’s story the way I can.

People have been writing stories since they dwelled in caves. To think that you’ve come up with an idea that’s never been done is a little presumptuous and a lot arrogant. My mom and I were just talking about this the other day: She mentioned that every piece of women’s or literary fiction she’s picked up lately has been about a middle-aged, middle-class woman with a cheating husband who has to rebuild her life from scratch. Gosh, I feel like I’ve read that book one or two (or one-hundred) times.

I mean, really… How many fictional YA girls are there out there who have an exceptional ability and are fated to save the world? How many dangerous paranormal boys have we seen fall in love with a Mary Sue? Was Stephenie Meyer the first author to write about vampires? Of course not. Before her was Anne Rice, and before her was Bram Stoker, and before him was John William Polidori. I’m willing to bet every subsequent author drew inspiration from those who came before them. But did they commit an act of plagiarism? No way. They each gave the old vampire tale a spin of their own. Edward Cullen sparkles in the sun… didn’t you hear?

That said, there are only so many basic plots. I’ve found arguments for the idea that there is only one (ONE!) plot with millions of variations. I’ve also seen research that claims there are three (The Basic Patterns of Plot by William Foster-Harris), seven (The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker), twenty (20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias), and thirty-six (Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti).

We can subscribe to whatever idea of maximum number of basic plots we want. What’s important is that we embrace that fact that, when boiled way down, there are only so many original ideas. Every story, at its very core, can be sorted into one of these: man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. the environment, man vs. machines/technology, man vs. the supernatural, man vs. self, or man vs. god/religion. It’s what we DO with the fundamental “plot” we choose that makes our stories innovative and imaginative and  memorable and ours.

Tell me… What, in your opinion, makes a story unique? 

Friday Fun: Where I Write and What You Eat…

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First, a Friday Five from Paper Hangover, a fantastic group blog offering writing tips, book reviews, weekly blog topics, and teen interviews. Here’s today’s prompt:

Oh, sheesh… pictures? Do you really want pictures of various locations around my house? I’ll try to mix it up a bit. Here’s where I like to write…

1. My La-Z-Boy. It was a pregnancy gift from my husband (he may have been a *tiny* bit tired of hearing me complain about my aching back when he bought it five years ago :)), and it’s the most comfortable seat in my house. It’s where I most often write.

2. The kitchen table. Lame-o, but yeah… it’s certainly the most functional sopt for when I need to spread papers and notebooks and index cards out.

3. Target. Weird? Maybe. I used to go to Borders to write during my daughter’s preschool hours, but of course Borders is closed now. So, I’ve recently discovered that Target’s little cafe area is quiet and relatively empty from 10:30-12:30 every day. Also, there’s no free Wi-Fi, is a blessing in disguise. My productivity while a Target is through the roof.

4. Tully’s Coffee. True confession: I really dislike Starbucks. I find it to be very yuppy-ish. Also, the Starbucks near me is always cold and loud. (Why, incidentally, do mothers organize play-dates at Starbucks? Your toddlers aren’t having fun there.) Tully’s, on the other hand, is quiant and adorable and they serve amazing coconut chai tea. I work there every Friday while my daughter is at her Spanish lesson. Look how cute!

5. My desk, but honestly I use this space more to sew. I only work here when I want to feel like a “real” writer. Real writers work at desks, right?

I showed you mine… Now what are your favorite writing spots?

And, a totally unrelated, completely frivolous, sort of funny Would you rather…?

Would you rather give up eating meat forever, or cut all carbs from your diet indefinitely?

Yeah, this is totally a no-brainer for me. I rarely eat mean anyway (and usually only chicken or fish), so I’d gladly lose it in favor of pasta and bread and rice and pastries. That said, I’ve been trying hard to cut back on carbs, and when I do eat them usually go for whole wheat.

Usually… not always. 🙂

Have a fabulous weekend!

RTW: Recurring Literary Elements

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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 themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?

For my non-writer readers, let’s begin with a few simple definitions (thank you, Wikipedia):

THEME – the unifying subject or idea of a story.
SETTING – the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story.
MOTIF – any recurring element in a story that has symbolic significance, a repeated theme or pattern.
SCENE – a unit of drama, provide the building blocks of plot for short stories, novels, and other forms of fiction. 

Themes I tend to favor: overcoming guilt, first love, romantic heartbreak, reclaiming happiness after loss. Settings I love: the Pacific Northwest in general, any location near a body of water, cars (why? not sure…), and I certainly lean toward stories set in the present day. Favorite motifs: water, windows, sweet foods, fire. And scenes I always include: a first kiss,  a first fight, and a first make-up. 🙂


What elements of literature recur in your stories?

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?