Thoughts on Writing A Series

Hey everybody,

First, I'm sorry for the long blogging absence. At first I was just exhausted from the Thorns launch (which went fantastically well, guys, and it's selling really really well). Then I went to the beach on a week-long family vacation with my in-law, during which I did little except eat, read, and sleep all day.

Then, a few days after we returned from the beach, my husband had ACL replacement surgery using a donor ACL (hardcore!) and we've just been dealing with that since his recovery time was about a month of crutches and leg-straightening machines, not to mention the weeks of physical therapy he still has ahead of him.

Annnnnd....this past weekend I've been sick...I actually had to go to the ER because I got too dehydrated. But I'm feeling much better now, and I've been working VERY HARD yesterday and today on the first draft of the manuscript I'm still calling FROST 3, as it doesn't have a title yet.

I've been thinking a bit lately about how I feel about writing a series, since I'm smack dab in the middle of book 3 of The Frost Chronicles. Normally I've always preferred to dream up ideas for stand-alone books. I haven't been a huge series advocate because it requires a (very intimidating to plan) overarching plot or goal, plus all the self-contained plots and goals of each book, and honestly in the past the thought has always been a frightening prospect to me. But...surprisingly, I really like it. I like being able to return to the same world and play with the same characters. I like seeing them grow and learn and stretch into new places and directions. It's very rewarding. I think planning really pays off in this instance, because I've had some things in mind all along and I've been able to let them happen gradually over the course of several books.

So, it's a happy discovery. And when The Frost Chronicles is finished (some of you have been emailing me to ask how many books there'll be--I honestly can't say for sure, but right now I'm anticipating 5), I'll be sad to see it go.

I've got some other books up my sleeve, of course, ones I've been working on here and there. Most of them are NOT series, however. But we'll see...now that I like it so much, I might not be able to resist.

So...what do you guys prefer to read (or write)? Standalone novels, trilogies, or long series?

This Week Online...

So I've been thinking that maybe I should do a weekly roundup of great book or writing or reading-related articles I've found around the internet. I always stumble across great things, and I tweet a lot of them, but it might be nice to have them all in one place.

Lauren Conrad caused a stir online when she used some books to make a craft project, which resulted in this thought-provoking article, Books Are Not Sacred Objects. And I agree--I used to absolutely shudder at the idea of destroying a book, and maybe people I know refuse to even get rid of old books they don't read anymore. But books themselves--and by this I mean the binding, cover, pages--are not so special. Perhaps if you have a first edition or a rare signed copy, you could argue for treating the container itself as something of value. But it's the STORY inside that matters most. (My perspective on this changed when I became an author, because as I handed different version of my own books I realized the story is the true magic, whether it's read on my laptop or my Kindle or from a print copy, or even if it's listened to as an audiotape or shared aloud by one reader to listeners.)

Speaking of different ways and mediums to consume stories, I read this fascinating article about the history of paperbacks. There's some pretty strong parallels between the emergence of (and initial opposition to and snobbery about) paperbacks and ebooks that I find fascinating. History repeating? Here's another article on How Paperbacks Changed Popular Literature.

Also, for those who are interested in writing - How to Use Foreshadowing to Jazz Up Slow Scenes
Read anything good online this week?

Interviews and Updates!

Hi everybody!

Sorry to be so AWOL lately. I have been slaving away at Thorns, but.................I think it's finally finished! I sent the revised draft to my editor yesterday, and when I get it back from her I'll do the final edits, then the book will be formatted, proofed, and made available for sale! There's no hard and fast release date this time since I don't have a launch party or blog tour lined up specifically for Thorns. But I am aiming for the very end of August or early September, so stay tuned.


Other fun news--I took part in a really fun interview with the Goodreads group Never Too Old for YA Books a few weeks ago, and it went up today. I really enjoyed this interview--the questions were intelligent and fun to answer, and I thought it was a good balance between questions about me/my books and general writing advice. I'm also answering questions in the comments, so be sure to head over and check it out!


Besides Thorns, I've been working on a manuscript I started last year, one that never quite made it to the publication stage. We'll call it my "super secret" book. I'm rewriting some parts, and maaaaaaybe I can manage to find time to work on it this fall. I've decided to generally not make promises about publication dates if I can help it, as so often my best intentions about projects come to nothing. My muse is a fickle lady, ya'll. But it's a really fun story and I want to share it with you guys. I'll give you the slightest hint of what it's about: sci fi thriller amnesia story.

Hope everybody's having a great week so far!

A Very Important Message

I watched this amazing video today and wanted to share. I know I've been guilty of this. I remember commenting on a blog post while I was feeling a bit heated, and later realizing I'd hurt someone with my words. I've done the same on forums and other online spaces. Even though we interact with others online through machines, there are real people being affected, and I have no idea what those people are going through. What if someone is being a bit testy, but I don't realize that they just lost their job--or their mom? It's a sobering thought.

Anyway, this video is a good reminder.

It's so easy to forget that the person on the other end is just that--a person.

Video by Derek Sivers.

Writing Is Hard

It's funny to me how I sometimes flat-out forget things sometimes.

Like the fact that writing is HARD.

I am currently working on what will be my fourth published book, and there's this part of me that thinks, subconsciously perhaps, that by now I should have it all together. By now I should be able to sit down, stick my fingers on the keyboard, and produce something perfect the first time I try.

Ha!

Such a thing is never gonna happen.

But still, when it inevitably doesn't, I end up getting discouraged.

So I read two posts recently that slapped me upside the head (in a good way). I think everybody, writers or not, should read them:

Embrace That You Are Doing Something Hard (Natalie Whipple)

My Lack of Pixie Dust (Amanda Hocking)


WRITING IS HARD.

Don't get me wrong--there are high points where the words flow like music and the glowing reviews pour in and I'm busy in that way that makes me feel energetic instead of tired. And then there are times when every sentence is lifeless and the characters just glare at me, tapping their feet and waiting for better dialogue, and I want to tear my hair out and the clock on the wall ticks too loud and there's so much blank SPACE...on the page and in my head.

At times this journey is thankless, exhausting, and emotionally draining. I often wonder if I'm nuts for pursuing this dream, especially given the fact that I have a mental disorder that makes the whole independent author thing feel completely impossible sometimes. But I keep doing it, feeling like a failure the whole while because "success" is about as easy as swimming through wet cement.

HELLO. Writing is hard. Finishing a novel, even a crappy one, is an accomplishment. Heck, writing a decent essay or short story is an accomplishment.

I think I need to give myself more freedom to struggle...and more freedom to not feel bad or lesser or incompetent because I'm struggling.

And this could be applied to any area of life, not just writing. If you are struggling, remember that life is hard. Good things worth doing rarely come easily. Difficulty doesn't make you a failure. If anything, you're proving that you have the strength and bravery to keep going in the face of struggle. And that's really awesome.

...or the zombicorns will eat you. Just kidding. Kind of.

Don't give up!!

I Am A Dork

SPOILER ALERT: This post spoils a 60-year-old movie, ya'll ;-) So be forewarned.

So, this might be news to some of you guys, but... I am kind of a dork.

Case in point--I was hanging out with these people who are all about 25% cooler than me, and they were teasing our mutual friend because he was irritated over an article spoiling the plot point of a movie that is at least ten years old (but he's never gotten around to seeing yet).

I joined in the fun.

See, I like to think I'm like Lorelai Gilmore or something, snapping out these pithy pop culture references a mile a minute. But when I try to do that, usually this happens:

If life ever needed a hashtag, it's now. #fail

I have also accidentally referred to David Bowie as Jim Bowie, as in the Alamo guy.

I know it in my head, but it just comes out wrong.

Do you ever have any dorky moments of #fail?

PS ~ Captain Nemo looked over my shoulder while I was writing this, saw the first picture, and said, "Hon, it's ROSEBUD."

Me: "Yes, I know..." *sigh*

I Think My Family Is Tired of This Speech

Every time I hear someone say that the book is always better than the movie, I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying this:

Romeo + Jane Eyre = Major Literary Shenanigans, People!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It's Valentine's Day, the day we come together as a culture with our significant others, friends, or family to celebrate love, romance, red and pink balloons, and all the other glitzy lures of this Hallmark holiday. (Or, if you're cheap frugal like Captain Nemo and me, you might be celebrating Valentine's Day on WEDNESDAY because that is when all the chocolate is on sale and the restaurants are less crowded).

Anyway, in honor of all this February 14th lovefestery, I thought I'd play a little game. I saw this idea on BookRiot a month or so ago, and then again yesterday someone brought up the subject on KindleBoards. It's...

Fictional Character Mashups, baby!

It's pretty simple. Take a character, any character, and pair them with another character from a completely different book. Explain your reasoning about why you think they'd make a good match. You aren't limited to the same time period or genre, either. It's fun!

I thought I'd pick some literary characters and play match-maker! I've even included obnoxious helpful shipper names for you guys!
 
Sydney Carton (A Tale of Two Cities) and Emma Woodhouse (Emma), AKA Symma

Symma!

Sydney Carton was one of my first literary crushes. He is handsome, brilliant, clever, caustic, and desperately in need of love. I wept like a baby at the end of ATOTC when I read it in high school, and I think it's high time Sydney found some love. He loved Lucie, but I never really cared for her--she was a little too much "conventional sweetness and happy homemaking" for my taste. I think he needs a woman with a little fire, someone as sharp and clever as he is, someone who will appreciate his intelligence while also inspiring a little gentleness in him. Emma is clever and snarky while still being a bit of a "girly girl," which I have a feeling Sydney likes given his attraction to Lucie. I think they could really enjoy each other's company.

Alternate option: Elizabeth Bennet, AKA Syzabeth (those Austen ladies... what can I say?)


Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) and Valek (Poison Study), AKA Katlek 

Who (besides Peeta and Gale) do you think would make a good match for this fearless heroine? She's tough as nails and capable of taking care of herself, but I think she needs someone who could be a good partner for her, equal to her strength and skills. She also probably needs someone who can deal with the fact that she's been through so much, plus gracefully handle her celebrity status. I think Valek fits well because he is clever and ruthless like her, but her fierce love for her family would probably soften him a little. Since Valek was a former assassin, Katniss won't have to take care of him in dangerous situations, and as the right-hand man for the Commander of Ixia, he won't be star-struck by her fame, either. Win-win situation.

Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) and Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre), AKA Jomeo

Okay, this might seem like an odd pairing. But I've always felt that Juliet was disappointingly passive. Rather than run away with her new husband that she's secretly married, she stays with her family while he is banished and then FAKES HER OWN DEATH rather than fess up to to her 'rents that she's been, well, previously claimed. I can't say that I really blame the girl, given her age, the time, and the circumstances, but... I think Romeo might have benefited from a slightly more stalwart lady. And Jane is pretty spunky in a way that doesn't completely defy all convention, AKA she's clever, so she'd be totally sneaky about it too. I can totally see her climbing down that balcony to Romeo and running off with him under the cover of night.

Harry Potter (Harry Potter) and Katarina Bishop (Heist Society), AKA Karry

Okay, I know what you're thinking. This list is getting more and more ridiculous. But admit it. Harry falling for a muggle would really throw a wrench into things. Would it even work? I confess I'd really love to find out. And Kat is no ordinary muggle, either. She's a brilliant thief--practically magical. She's smart, spunky, and cool during a crisis. And if you're dating the Boy Who Lived, that last quality is a MUST.

Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) and Huck Finn (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), AKA Hanne (with an "e")

Shut up, people. They would be AMAZING together. She's totally the spunky dreamer, and he's the scruffy bad-boy who would probably find himself simultaneously repelled and fascinated by her. It WORKS.

TEAM HANNE WITH AN E.

Somebody needs to make me a .gif with that, STAT.


Happy Valentine's Day, folks!


--------------------
 PS


(upon reading the draft of this post)

Captain Nemo: I think you've used the word "spunky" to describe every girl on this list.

Me: Duh. That's because SPUNKY LADIES ARE THE BEST!!

This Always Happens To Me...

A lifetime of reading, and yet somehow I've never learned to not start a book before bed.

My sleep schedule hates me.

How Some People Think Books Are Written

I swear, I spend more time changing stuff and doing stuff over than anything else combined... but I guess before I can write the book, sometimes I have to figure out what it's not.

PS ~ If you haven't entered to win a SIGNED copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, you can do so here! Giveaway ends Tuesday, January 31st!

The Weird Parts of YouTube

Of course I am ALWAYS a diligent, dedicated author and I always work very hard and never procrastinate.

*cough*

But SOMETIMES I like to waste time on YouTube. And then this happens...

YOUTUBE: A SAGA

Or, Faces You Make While Watching YouTube

A Musical

(not really)

I am bored. I think I'll browse cute videos on YouTube.

*CLICK*

Aw, a cute kitty doing something cute.

*CLICK*

Double the kitties! Double the cute!!

*CLICK*

Can't... handle... the... cute!! MOAR, I say, MOAR CUTE!

*CLICK*

I've been *RICKROLLED* ? ...Very funny, internet.

 *CLICK*

Back to the cuteness... Oh, what is this a video of?

*CLICK*

That was not cute. That was... painful looking... What is this "weirdest thing ever" video?

*CLICK*

Is that Photoshopped? Please tell me that is Photoshopped...

*CLICK*

IS THAT AN ALIEN???


*CLICK*

GIANT CRABS ARE REAL?? THESE THINGS EXIST???

WHAT IS SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN...!

Congrats, YouTube. You have broken my brain.

Has anybody else every gotten lost in the weird part of YouTube?

It is scaaaaarry...

SOPA and the Internet Blackout

In case you weren't aware, today numerous websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, ICanHazCheezburger, etc are participating in a blackout to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act).

I don't exactly have enough regular content to participate in a "blackout," since I don't post every day, but I would like to use my blog to raise awareness and point people in the direction of more information.

I am against piracy, yes, but I think this bill is a very bad idea, and I am very concerned about the impact it would have on the internet and the expression of ideas. Instead of solving the problem, I think this bill will create a myriad of new ones.

Read the information and decide for yourself.

What Is SOPA?

More About SOPA and PIPPA

Sign The Petition

Please take a few moments to educate yourself about this issue today!

Some of My Favorite Quotes About Writing

"I want to write books that unlock the traffic jam in everybody's head." ~John Updike

"It should be noted that there are two blissful things about writing novels: making them up and seeing them finished." ~ Ann Patchett

found here

“Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.” Virginia Woolf

"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they never happened." ~ Willa Cather

"It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive." ~ James Baldwin 

“The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the 1st time unlike, say, brain surgery.” R. Cormier

found here

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." ~Hannah Arendt

"If there's a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison

"Writing books is the closest men will ever come to child bearing." - Norman Maile

"If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." ~Lord Byron

You and me both, Lord Byron. You and me both.

What's your favorite quote about writing?

A Really Awesome Thing Is Coming...Super Secret Giveaway Soon!!!!

GUYS.

I am SOOOO EXCITED about this super super awesome thing I'm going to be doing around Christmas this year on the blog. A giveaway, if you will, although right now it's all super secret!!

(c) Sarah G

Inspiration

It's been a while since I posted! Sorry about that. I've been on two (yes, two!!) trips already this month, with another one looming, and I am absolutely swamped with stuff to do. 

I am ALSO hard at work on my new novel (which is yet unnamed, but I am working on that!), and I thought I'd post a few inspiration pics to whet your appetites. This WIP has lots of shadowy forests, crumbling ruins, and magic. Loads of magic. :)

Here are today's inspirational pictures:

(c) Roberto Verzo

(c) erwlas

(c) thomas.clarkey

(c) my_urban_life

Happy Monday, everyone!

I'm an Indie Author Rockstar!

You may remember that I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was a contestant in the Indie Author Rockstar competition with The Curse Girl.

Well...

The Curse Girl won!

*fireworks*

Well, we tied for first actually. Which is just as exciting. DOUBLE the excitement, really.

I am November's co-reigning indie rockstar along with author Dan Holloway for his book The Company of Fellows.

Congrats to Dan, and yaaaayyy!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Don't Give Up

Writers, what keeps you going when you get discouraged? What one thing motivates you to keep telling stories, to keep putting the words on the paper even when you want to quit?

Is it the love of the craft, the thrill of seeing your name on the cover, the pleasure of knowing you've created a world other people can get lost in for a few hours? Do you write from a sheer need to do so?

(c) ganesha.isis

It's all of the above for me, but most of all I think I keep going because of those moments when someone tells me they loved what I wrote. It's a powerful feeling, like a creative hug--we've collaborated together to tell a story. Me by writing it, the reader by reading and imagining it.

I love sharing stories.

Happy writing, all! 

Just Keep Writing

As a bunch of us start NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and others of us try to finish old projects, and others of us just try to stay afloat in all the work to be done, I have only one piece of advice.

Just keep writing.

Simple advice, right?

But it's sooooo hard, I know.

Sing it to yourself to the tune of "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo, if that helps. Visualize yourself as a dancer instead of an axe murderer, if that helps.

Remember. You can revise later. You can bemoan how awful the story is later. You can wish you'd never learned to write later.

For now, just keep writing.

I'm hoping I can take my own advice this month, as I have a bunch of projects on my plate...

Good luck and best wishes to everyone who's doing NaNo!!

A Dancer And An Axe Murderer

I love this fantastic (and hilarious) advice about learning to balance drafting and revision in this excellent article The Seven Habits of Successful Writers:

(c) liakapelke (Not Pictured: Axe Murderer)

"Nurture your inner schizophrenic. When you have written a draft of your story and it’s time to revise, you have to be able to look at it with a cold eye and take the ax to it as needed. . .You’re actually not one person, but two: a dancer and an ax murderer. Love both of these people who live in your brain, but keep them apart."

In other words, allow yourself to be unfettered and creative during your first draft. Don't get into editor mode until it's time to edit.

This is brilliant advice.

So write away, my friends--and keep those axe murderers and dancers separate!

Other news!!

I was interviewed on Kindle Author a couple of days ago and forgot to post it before now. Check it out and maybe leave me a comment? I've also added it to the reviews and interviews tab.

Hope everybody has a happy and safe Halloween!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Some things just inspire me to to tell stories.

Gardens

(c) Tony Crescibene

Glass Houses

(c) xlibber

 Old Statues

(c) Oh Paris

Snow-Covered Bridges

(c) hozinja

Waterfalls

(c) kilgarron

Mossy Rocks

(c) frumbert

Wild Skies

(c) Brian Uhreen

What things inspire you?