Category: *Writing Resources & Communities

Campaign Challenge #1 – Last Kiss

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The Writers’ Platform Building Campaign, hosted by Rach Writes, is cool way for writers and active bloggers to reach out and network with other like-minded people, thus building our own platforms and helping others to build theirs. The Campaign runs from August 22nd to October 31st and will include three Campaigner Challenges, the first of which is TODAY! Here are the parameters for Campaign Challenge #1:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open…” These four words will be included in the word count. If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: “…the door swung shut.” (also included in the word count). For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

First thought: OH MY GOD I’VE NEVER WRITTEN FLASH FICTION IN MY LIFE! Second thought: TWO-HUNDRED WORDS? CAN’T BE *THAT* HARD.

Two hours later (two!), and I’ve come up with exactly two-hundred words of flash fiction. Holy crap–writing in past-tense is such a challenge! So is characterization within such a tiny word count. I’m, like, really nervous about posting this, but here’s my best effort, entitled Last Kiss…

 The door swung open. He was there like I knew he would be, searing eyes and rain-soaked hair. He didn’t speak—he’d always been better at quiet—but he reached for my hands and pulled me forward like he owned me. 

He did—I’d been his since the day we met.

I let my cheek fall against his shoulder and inhaled his soap-and-spice scent, soaking up a million memories with rain that fell relentlessly from the slate sky. His t-shirt was drenched and then so was mine, but I didn’t care. I’d never cared about the consequences of being with him. I craved his strength and weight and intensity.  

His breath was heavy, ragged, when his cobalt eyes locked on mine. The moment unfolded, stretching into eternity. I foraged for words to make him stay, but they were elusive. Always elusive.

His wet hands were slippery on my face. His mouth found mine, raw, insistent, tasting of regret. Breathing was suddenly impossible. I gripped his t-shirt, kissed him back, but the ache of loss was inevitable.

“I’ll miss this,” he said when he’d had enough.

He pushed me back into the house. My heart shattered as the door swung shut. 


Like my flash fiction? Want to read Challenge #1 entries from other Campaigners? Pop on over to Rach Writes to check out the list of participants. 🙂 

The Campaign

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I recently learned about a very cool blogging opportunity from my friend Alison Miller. It’s the Writers’ Platform Building Campaign, hosted by Rach Writes. The Campaign is cool way for writers and active bloggers to reach out and network with other like-minded people, thus building our own platforms and helping others to build theirs.

The Campaign will run from August 22nd to October 31st and will include three Campaigner Challenges:

  1. First Campaigner Challenge – Monday, September 5
  2. Second Campaigner Challenge – Thursday, September 22
  3. Third Campaigner Challenge – Monday, October 17

If you’re interested in finding out more about this opportunity, visit Platform Building Campaign THIS WEEK for more detailed information.

Friday Fun: Neville and Writing Communities

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I spent last night at a Harry Potter double feature: Deathly Hallows I at 9pm, and then the Deathly Hallows II midnight premier. Holy hell… it was amazing! Even more awesome than I’d anticipated… a perfect end to the series, in my humble opinion.

Now, thanks to last night’s 4am bedtime (well worth it!), I’m in the process of recovering my wits and my sleep, but let’s take a moment to appreciate this…


When, might I ask, did Neville Longbottom get so hot?

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


1) Savvy Authors – Can’t say enough about this one. Fantastic resources, forums, workshops, chat rooms, boot camps, and more… My CPs are members too, and I pretty much live in Savvy Chat while I’m drafting. I can always use the support and the sanity boost great writing friends bring.

2) YAHighway – Who doesn’t love YA Highway? These girls write posts that are super informative and often a little cheeky, which makes them all kinds of fun to read. There are interviews and book reviews that I’m always excited to check out, plus, YA Highway hosts the weekly Road Trip Wednesday. I’ve met some pretty amazing writers through this “blog carnival.”

3) YALITCHAT – Not to get too cheesy on you, but for me, this is where it all began. About eighteen months ago I had a complete manuscript that had never seen the light of day. Seriously. I had never heard of betas or CPs or gotten any thoughtful, unbiased feedback. Then I stumbled into the First Pages forum at YALitChat and lucked upon one of the greatest CPs ever (Heather Howland). Of course, YALitChat offers much more, so definitely check it out if you haven’t all ready.

4) SCBWI – Not just an online community, of course, but an opportunity for writers to meet up with and get to know others in their area. SCBWI offers mail out bulletins as well as zillions of resources on their website, at their conferences and their more casual social events. I’ve been a member for two years and plan to keep it that way.

5) Oasis for YA – I like the kind of chill, positive atmosphere the girls at Oasis offer. As well as writing tips, book recommendations and interviews, Oasis host a Thankful Thursday meme that’s always fun to reflect on and participate in. Oasis for YA is taking a summer hiatus, but do check it out in the coming months.

*And a big honorable mention for Paper Hangover! While I’m still getting to know this community, I love what I’ve seen so far and fully intend to continue following!

Three cheers for the weekend! Tell me, what are your favorite writing communities? Also, did you see Harry at midnight? Did you love it?

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.

Friday Five… Must Follows

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I’ve recently discovered Paper Hangover, a fantastic group blog that offers writing tips and advice, book reviews, weekly Friday Five topics, and teen interviews. I highly recommend you spend some time exploring the site–they have so much to offer! Today I’ve decided to give Paper Hangover’s Friday Five a shot. Here’s the prompt:

And here are my Must Follows (Click the links to be redirected to each Twitter page):

Savvy Authors – An online writing community for writers of romance, offering tons of diverse workshops, forums, and pitching opportunities. I met a few of my super talented CPs at Savvy.

YA Highway – A group blog focusing on (duh) everything young adult lit.

Gayle Forman – YA Author (If I Stay and Where She Went… LOVE) who always has thoughtful, witty Twitter contributions and awesome blog posts.

Georgia McBride – Founder of YALitChat, extremely knowledgable, host of Wednesday night YA Twitter chats, and overall awesome.

Vickie Motter – My agent… Hello! Of course you should be following her!

*BONUS* If you like reality TV of any kind, you follow Andy Cohen – He’s got nothing to do with writing or publishing, but he’s Bravo TV Royalty, and he’s absolutely hilarious!

Tell me–who are your must follows on Twitter?

Current Must Reads…

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There’s been so much action in the YA blogging world over the past week or so. In the past few days alone, I’ve read several excellent posts that I’ve 1) Found profound/interesting/thoughtful/helpful 2) Caught myself thinking about over and over and 3) Want to share with all of you. Without further ado…

Writer Natalie Whipple’s What to Expect When You’re Submitting, a cohesive post covering every angle  of the one step of the publication process we don’t often hear a lot about, including: dealing with the internet, waiting, and your mental state… Submission can do a number on your sanity. I like to call it “pendulum swings.”

Triangles of Love, in which literary agent Sarah LaPolla says: A good love triangle should force your main character to ask, “Who do I want to be?” not simply, “Whom do I want to be with?”

Author Gayle Forman’s wise post on Jealousy and how she deals: I have two choices: give in to the insecurity and feel jealous of other authors’ virtuosity or give in to my better angels and rejoice in these wonderful books and tell the world about them.

An Extremely Honest and Scary Post by author Kirsten Hubbard, who talks candidly about debuting as a midlist author: But knowing my book wasn’t given a full chance to soar in this all-important first quarter — even if wasn’t because of its content or quality, but because of its genre (contemporary), my author status (debut), the economy (brutal), and publishing climate (insanely competitive) — it hurts.

Author Barry Lyga’s On the WSJ, YA, and Art, in which he shrewdly refuses to play into WSJ’s Meghan Cox Gurdon’s game: As long as there has been art, there have been naysayers and lack-a-wits jeering from sidelines, mocking the efforts of those who create. I’ve dealt with these nincompoops my entire life and I’m just too old to give a damn what they think or say anymore… I refuse to justify my art.

Subplots–Where to Find Them and How to Use Them from writer Amanda Hannah at YA Highway. I look at subplotting like braiding. We have a couple different threads, it’s just a matter of introducing them into the story at the right time and weaving them together.

So, that’s what I’ve got today. Am I missing anything? Do you have any fantastic links to share?

 

 

June: Contemporary YA Month

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The Contemps is one of my favorite YA group blogs. If you’ve never visited, please do. The published authors who post there are all about highlighting contemporary young adult literature, and they feature some fantastic books!

In an effort to give contemporary books the focus they deserve, The Contemps have declared June Contemporary YA Month! I, for one, LOVE this idea. My general To-Read pile is out-of-control, but my nightstand is especially packed with contemporary titles. To celebrate Contemporary YA Month, this June I’ve decided to read only… Contemporary YA!

Here’s what I’ve got:

The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
Fall for Anything and Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Caleb and Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby (Finished this one yesterday. It was lovely.)
Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
After by Amy Efaw
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Half-way through this now… not sure what genre it technically is, to be honest, but for lack of a better classification, I’m calling it Contemporary with a Wink.)
Teach Me by RA Nelson
The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal (Technically not young adult, but Jessica, Elizabeth and their and crazy Californian shenanigans? I’m pretty sure it’ll be reminiscent of YA.)


In more awesome book news: One of my other favorite group blogs, YA Highway, is celebrating two years in existence with a Huge ARC Giveaway! The girls are offering some much sought after titles–definitely worth checking out. Contest closes June 10th, midnight EST.

So, what are some of your favorite contemporary titles?And what contemporaries will you read for Contemporary YA Month?

Help, Harry, and Hiatus…

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First and most importantly, the lovely Kate Hart is heading up an effort to help tornado victims in the south.
 
From the Help Write Now site: Over the past two weeks, record-breaking storms have killed over 300 people and destroyed countless homes, neighborhoods, and towns. Tornadoes tore across the south, fires raged across Texas and Oklahoma, and flooding continues to affect communities all over the country. The writing community has rallied before to raise funds for many worthwhile causes, and we’re hoping you’ll show your support for the areas affected by one of the worst weeks in national weather history.

 
Starting today, you can bid on signed books, manuscript and query critiques, swag, web design, custom art, and more. Please do check it out!
 
On a lighter note, my vacation is coming to a close. We’re headed home today, and while I’m ready to sleep in my own bed again, this trip has been wonderful. My husband’s graduation from Ranger School was amazing. Ft. Benning, Georgia–and the South as a whole–is beautiful. Orlando was fantastic. We met all the Princesses on my daughter’s list, and got to see Hogsmeade. What could be better?!
 

Me at Hog’s Head, with Butter Beer. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, for the record, is GLORIOUS!

On the subject of vacations, I’ve decided to take a brief break from blogging… I will be spending the next few weeks soaking up lots of time with my husband and daughter. And, the rest of May and the first few weeks of June will be spent writing the first draft of Bus WIP!!! While I may post a few times during the next several weeks, I intend to be back in my multiple-posts-a-week routine by mid-June. Until then, Happy Writing/Reading/Blogging to you!


And try not to miss me too much. 🙂

First vs. Third

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Exciting news: I’ve written the first scene of what will hopefully be my next manuscript, a little project I’m affectionately referring to as BUS WIP!!! (yep, with three exclamation points–not sure why, but every time I type BUS WIP!!! they’re there).

I’ve actually written this first scene twice. I’m experimenting, you see, with the POV I want to use for the story. I’m pretty sure I want to “hop heads” and my original instinct was to do dual first person POVs. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m starting to think that close third person might be more effective and, and I don’t know… professional sounding? The problem is this: I’ve always sort of thought I was incapable of writing in third person and honestly, I have a bit of an attitude about third person in general, especially in YA books. Often, it feels too distant.

Recently thought, I read Lisa McMann’s CRYER’S CROSS. In it, she used third-person, present tense and I thought it worked brilliantly. The right amount of distance for a creepy, horror kind of story, and an urgent, quick pace that worked really well for the subject matter.

While BUS WIP!!! is no horror story, I do intend for it to have short, suspenseful, action-packed scenes and a fast pace (whether I will actually pull this off is to be determined :)). So, present tense feels right. And shockingly, so does the close third person POV, but only after I wrote this first scene in first person, then converted it to third.

Confused yet? Here are the first few (tentative) sentences of BUS WIP!!! –

In first person, present tense: 
        When I first notice Jace Bryant peeking at my Chem test, I can’t quite believe it. He’s supposed to be this all-around brilliant guy—Mr. Upstanding. He always seems to know everything, excels at anything he attempts. He wouldn’t possibly copy off me. Would he?       
        But then he does it again, this subtle stretch of his neck that allows him the perfect view of my test packet. He makes a mark on his paper, taps his pencil eraser on the desk a few times, then goes about the whole show again. Jesus! He is copying.

And in third person, present tense:
        When Lia Bonelli first notices Jace Bryant peeking at her Chem test, she can’t quite believe it. He’s supposed to be this all-around brilliant guy—Mr. Upstanding. She’s sure this is some kind of fluke; Jace always seems to know everything. He excels at anything he attempts. He wouldn’t possibly copy off Lia. Would he?      
        But then he does it again, this subtle stretch of his neck that allows him the perfect view of her test packet. He makes a mark on his paper, taps his pencil eraser on the desk a few times, then goes about the whole show again. Jesus! Lia thinks, enraged. He is copying.

So? Opinions? Which POV works better based on these little samples? Which POV do you prefer when you’re writing?

In case you’re interested in reading more about the positives and negatives of different POVs, here are a few links that discuss the subject in greater detail:

Tara K. Harper’s First Person or Third
Novel-Writing-Help.com’s First vs. Third Person Point of View
Janice Hardy’s First Vs. Third: Point of View and Character Development
Ingrid Sundberg’s Five Advantages of Third Person Omniscient POV
James Scott Bell’s Understanding the Effects of Your POV
Write It Sideways Which is Best: First or Third Person Point of View?
Tami Moore’s Close Third Person Point of View (I found this one particularly helpful.)

Thankful Thursday – I Heart Goodreads

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Oasis for YA knows that the surest way to get good things in life is to be thankful for what you have.  So why not encourage a group thankful-fest once a week in which we all send out good energy and hope to get some back in return? Plus, participating in Thankful Thursday is a great way to connect with other writers.

Here are the rules:
1.  Do your own blog post on what you’re thankful for today.  It doesn’t have to be book or publishing related (but it can be!).
2.  Be sure to grab our badge and include it in your post.
3.  Post a link to your blog in the comments here so that others can find you.
4.  Go forth and share your gratitude!  (And when friending new blogs, be sure to let them know you found them because of their participation in the meme.)

This week I’m taking a moment to sing the praises of one of my very favorite social networking sites…

My sister-in-law introduced me to Goodreads about a year ago. I started an account, listed some books, and promptly forgot about the whole thing. Then, a few months ago, I discovered that there was a Goodreads app. I downloaded it and have checked in literally every day since then. I’ve organized my shelves and listed as many books as I can recall reading. While I don’t post reviews (I do write book recommendations here though!), I star books and my Read list has become a journal of sorts. My To-Read list has grown by leaps and bounds and is now a book shopping list that I carry with me and consult every time I set foot in a Borders. I check out my friends’ updates daily and often add their new additions to my To-Read list.

When I hit a bout of insomnia (which lately has happened more often than I care to admit) I often turn to Goodreads reviews. When I dislike a book, I quietly commiserate with the people who wrote unfavorable reviews, and when I really love a book, I have an inward celebration with those who left glowing reviews. I also sort of love reading (thoughtful) negative reviews of books I’ve enjoyed. I’ve found that I learn a lot from fresh, differing perspectives.

Yep, Goodreads makes me very happy. You can find my profile HERE. I’m always happy to make new book-loving friends. 🙂


So, what are you thankful for today?