Conversation vs. the "Writer's Voice"

When I was a kid, I used a lot of big words (and was generally harassed for it). I was a walking dictionary, and I wasn't afraid to whip those SAT words out in conversation.

But I wanted more. I loved language. Sometimes I wished I talked more like the stories I read--colorful metaphors, strong verbs, and vivid descriptions.

Unfortunately, it felt awkward whenever I tried it, like I was reciting lines in a play. 

Plus, I was pretty sure it would go down like this:

So instead I talked like everybody else, and now I'm pretty sure I am irrevocably stuck doing so:

Sometimes I think I don't really "sound" like a writer. But usually I'm glad I keep the poetry on the page. It just sounds false to me otherwise.

What do you think? Do writers talk differently than everyone else? What about poets? Do you ever order your words in a conversation the way you'd do in a story?

Interview on Kai Strand's blog Strands of Thought!

Hello, everyone, and happy Wednesday!

Author Kai Strand has interviewed me about The Curse Girl for her series Three Times a Charm, so head over and read/leave a comment if you'd like!

I'm also going to be announcing some news about upcoming books in the next few weeks if everything goes well. I've been hard at work, and it's been a long summer full of starts and stops, but I think I'm finally making good progress with Darkdweller (and some other projects that sort of came out of nowhere).

Anyway, have a lovely day everyone!

The Eternal Question

Maybe this never happens to anybody else. But it happens to me. Inevitably, someone who is offended by monsters, zombies, or other kinds of fantasy elements asks about my books ...

 

I just don't know how to explain my books to some people . . .

Do you get the dreaded summer doldrums??

Every summer this happens.

Does it involve lying halfway on the floor, moaning? Yes, yes it does.

I call it the summer doldrums.

And not even ice cream cake can save me from it.

My creative spark shrivels up like a worm on a hot sidewalk, and writing turns into a hair-pulling exercise in willpower and patience.

It sucks.

I mostly blame the heat and the angle of the sun as it slants through my window. Yeah, I know. That sounds nuts. Captain Nemo thinks I AM nuts.

Me: "I can't write because of the heat!"
Captain Nemo: (calmly) "Turn down the thermostat."
Me: "But also--the sunlight, it has a weird glow in the summer, there's no slant! It's too bright! It messes with my muse!"
Captain Nemo: *shakes head*
.
But there is something about the Georgia summer that makes my desire to write (along with most of my good ideas) just go *poof* ... it's like magic. Very, very bad magic.

Does this happen to anybody else? How do you cope?

So far my methods have been "plant butt firmly in chair, force self to write." But despite my best intentions, the words trickle out of me like the last couple of drops in my watering can.

*Sigh* At least in the South we have A/C.

I am really looking forward to fall!!

If You Liked ... ?

Beth Revis did this great post a few weeks back about recommending books, which basically talked about how just because someone liked a book with zombies doesn't necessarily mean they'll automatically like another zombie book, because there are multiple elements to each book that you can use to make recommendations. She did a cool little chart that broke it down and everything. Mostly I think she was focusing on how you can't also recommend one book based on one similarity, because not everyone liked the first book for that reason, but I loved the idea of breaking down the various elements and relating them to other books--or even movies--like that.

It's kind of like Netflix or Pandora for books.

Anyway, I liked it so much I thought I'd start doing it whenever I recommend something to you guys. I decided to try it out first with my book, The Curse Girl.

(Although yes, some of these things are movies).

If you liked . . .


Resourceful, sassy heroines struggling to break a curse?

A whimsical, magical modern world?

A romance where the guy and girl fight their initial attraction to one another with lots of sarcasm and witty banter?

If you liked any of these things, you might also like The Curse Girl. 

My 5 Tips for Writing Every Day

These are 5 tips that work for me in my quest to write at least a thousand words a day (my goal for the rest of the summer). I've been using a lot of them lately, and thought I'd share! 

1. Write before you get online (or watch TV, or whatever you do to unwind and waste time). Set a daily goal and be firm--make yourself write X number of words before you can log on to Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, etc. If you have time to be on social networking sites, you have time to be writing.

2. Read before you write. This one may not work for everybody, because I know some people don't read while they're working on a novel, but for me, it ends up being very helpful creatively if I soak myself with other people's words before producing my own. Reading reminds me of why I write--a love of stories and beautiful verbal expression--and helps me get in the right mood for handling words for a few hours. Stephen King advises that writers read 1 hour for every 2 they write, and I wholeheartedly concur.

3. Listen to music beforehand. I usually have a playlist for each WIP, and it helps me to sit with my eyes closed and just listen to a few songs that capture the mood of the scene I'm working on before I start. That way, my creative juices are flowing as soon as I start, so I don't sit there staring at a blank page.

4. Leave something for tomorrow. Don't write until you're completely drained of ideas. That's the best way I know to get writer's block. Leave something to think about and chew over creatively, so when you sit down to write again, you're mentally prepared to start. Usually for me, the story takes over from there, and I don't waste a lot of time sitting around staring at the screen.

5. Eat ice cream cake! (or whatever comfort food you prefer) I find this very helpful for difficult scenes.

What helps you write every day?

First Draft Frustrations

Right now I'm working on the rough draft of my next novel, and I am at that point where I'm ready to tear my hair out.

TEAR. MY. HAIR. OUT.

This is how my SOUL feels right now. This.

I think some of my frustration stems from the fact that I'm trying to get it perfect the first time (haha). I'm trying to nail every character, every scene, every line of exposition before I move forward. This is a mistake I make with a lot of manuscripts, unfortunately.

I gave myself a stern lecture about it last night. What I need to do (or at least, what has worked fabulously for me in the past) is write as fast as I can, getting down the bare bones of the story, writing the necessary scenes, capturing the raw emotions as best as I can, sketching out the setting--but not worrying about making it perfect yet. Then I can go back, reread, take stock of what I've done, and add what I need to strengthen and clarify the characters and the story. 

This take-off-running-and-don't-look-back strategy is how I manage to write a first draft quickly. It's also how I avoid copious amounts of stress (because that agonizing-over-perfection thing KILLS me) and it's how I keep from stalling out and never finishing the book.

I found this marvelous quote on Twitter today, and it is perfect advice for me right now:

"No thinking - that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. ~Finding Forrester

I just need to write with my heart, I guess. Get all that emotion down first.

But UGH. It is HARD. Hard, I tell you!!

Is anyone else going through first draft frustrations right now? What works for you?