Up-And-Coming Authors

This Saturday I will be 40 weeks pregnant.

Monkey models how I've been feeling lately.

I realized last week that the writing was NOT going to happen for me any more during this pregnancy. I needed a break. So I turned to Twitter and my amazing CP's and said,

"HEY! Who has something for me to read?"

The response was fan-freakin-tastic.

Let me tell you a little about some stories I've read just in the past WEEK by my amazing friends and critique partners.

FORGET HER NOT by Heather Marie
Heather described this to me as a YA Mystery/Thriller. I don't read those very often, but I have a mystery-book-idea myself, so I thought it'd be nice to see how someone else does it. The setting is basically high school / small city life, so it's something we're all pretty familiar with. The characters were... honest. They felt real and genuine. The main character, Alice, is a girl we can all relate to, with a terrible experience in her past that has affected her in ways even she doesn't understand. The end, the twist, was one I never saw coming. Maybe it's because I don't read these type of books, but it was definitely a surprise to me. Well written, and a great job by Heather.


LOVE IN REAL LIFE by Angi Black
This is an Adult Contemporary piece that I really loved. Again, not a genre I read in very often, but I really enjoyed. It switched POV between Josey and Alex, who seem to have an unreal, unexplainable attraction for each other. You know the kind, the buzz in the air, the heat at a touch, the enthrallment you feel just wanting to know the person better. It's a very well written relationship from both perspectives. The only problem is, Josey's married - to a good man that's not Alex - and has a beautiful daughter - who she loves. Throughout the entire story I was torn. I am a married mom, so I can completely relate to Josey's home situation, and yet part of me was rooting for an affair with Alex because they seemed so perfect for each other. I can't tell you how it ends, Angi would probably kill me. But it was... sweet and bitter, happy and sad, a cliffhanger and full of closure all at the same time.


CHILDREN OF THE GODS: LUCAS by Tristina Wright
This manuscript is SO incredibly unique, I can't even tell you. Tristina categorizes it as YA Mythpunk Romance. I don't think I've ever even heard of such a thing, but let me tell you - it WORKS. And it's AWESOME. This is the story from Lucas's point of view, of how he meets Pandora and what they are destined to do for their people. I don't think I should say any more than that on the plot. The place where they live - New Orpheus - is inhabited by Titan descendants and Olympian descendants, who are forced into segregation by the Fates. They have trains, computers, automatons, etc. It's a mix-up that you wouldn't think could work, but Tristina does it SO well. I can't wait to read the next part.


So that's what I did last week! What about you?

-DC


P.S.
Pregnancy update: we had a "false alarm" on Tuesday. My contractions were pretty close together, so we went into the hospital. I wasn't progressing very much, so I got a shot of morphine (to help me sleep) and was sent home. Now we're back to the waiting game :-)

Story Corner: Plotting

First of all I want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my Fairytale Madness post! I appreciated all of the feedback, praise, and the many oh-my-gosh-I-didn't-see-that-coming's. It made me very happy!

Writing - start 'em young.

Today I want to tell you about a new little method of outlining/plotting that I learned about this weekend. I curiously clicked on a tweet from Paul Dorset ( @jcx27 ) who (to my understanding) is quite a successful self-published author. It led me to his blog, where I began clicking on post after post of writing tips that literally just spoke to me.

We all know that there is NO ONE WAY to write or get published. There are so many paths and options on that journey that trying to give advice or guidance can be tricky. You don't want to make people feel like your way is the only way, because it's not.

For me, when I read posts and articles on writing I try to take what I relate to, and implement it, leaving behind what doesn't ring true to me. The way my mind works, I have to outline - I have to plan - I can't just dive into an idea and have a finished draft in three weeks like some people... (Leigh Ann, Cait, and a few other pantsers come to mind).

Anyway, the system. When Paul gets an idea for a novel, he makes certain decisions, which effect others. What genre is it in? How long should it be? Etc. Based on those things, he breaks down his novel into plot points. In a post called Creating a Book - The Condensed Version, he says:

I know from personal experience that for every plot point I create, I will write somewhere between 400 and 600 words of story. This means that if I want to write an 80k word book, I’m going to need about 160 plot points. That’s a lot of things happening in a story! My first job – before I write a single word – is to create at least half (preferably two thirds) of those plot points. This gives me a firm basis and direction for my book and also allows me to add other storylines as the book develops and gets ‘its own life.’ Then I write the book.

This was an incredible realization to me because my stories tend to run short. I never have enough happening in them to reach the "accepted" word count. I need to have a certain number of plot points happening for my story to be a certain length, depending on how much I write per-plot point.

Now, you might say, well that's not true, because a book should only be as long as it needs to be! But let's be honest... a debut author is NOT going to get signed for a Fantasy novel that's only 50K words, nor a contemporary/paranormal whatever that's over 200k. Agents are looking for specific things. Once you're established, you have a bit more freedom, but at the beginning we need to play by the rules.

So my next question was, what makes a plot point?

I think the easiest way to describe it is SOMETHING is HAPPENING. Whether it's a conversation, a discovery, a conflict, an argument, or what have you. Then realize that some points will take up more words, and some less, but they ought to balance out to your average - whatever that is for you.

I know the pantsers probably won't relate to this, but I hope my fellow outliners will benefit :-D

I'm working on TARGET this week, preparing for my baby party on Saturday, and hoping we'll have a new little person around here before too long.

Happy writing, friends! I'm off to plot.....

-DC

Be Inspired

Boy, these things sure make for easy blog posts...

Hello my awesomely fantastic readers!

Today I'm excited to participate in the Be Inspired Bloghop Meme. Thanks to Amanda for tagging me!

Here's how it works... I get to answer ten questions about my Manuscript, then tag some other people to answer the same questions. Since we all love talking about our WIP's, this should be fun!

1. What is the name of your book? THE SIGHT

2. Where did the idea for your book come from? Initially, it came out of nowhere. I decided one day I'd like to try to write a book, and I started writing. A lot of the inspiration for where it went though, came from my friend Ashley, who wants to work for Disney as a princess but has been turned down a few times because she's short (4'11''). So I decided my story was going to be about a really short princess.

3. In what genre would you classify your book? Fantasy... Young Adult Fantasy, definitely.

4. If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition of your book, who would you choose? I'd choose Ashley to play Kolina (she is an actress, she does a lot of stage shows), and maybe... one of the Sprouse boys to play Gunnar... or someone like them. I had a hard time finding young blonde boys, especially ones with curly hair. I would love for Dusan to be played by Jim Broadbent - he'd be perfect. And Ian Holm as Grampa Ton. Other than that, it would be a matter of finding the right person for the part.

5. Give us a one sentence synopsis of your book. Kolina, discovering she possesses magic and is heir to a neighboring kingdom, must follow a vague prophecy to reclaim her family's throne and save her people from oppression.

6. Is your book already published? Not yet :-D

7. How long did it take you to write your book? First full draft took five months, plus 3-4 months of polishing and editing. I'm actually in the process of re-writing it entirely because I feel like I've grown so much as a writer since I finished, AND I had some new CP's point out some very heavy flaws in the story that needed addressed, and required a huge overhaul of the work.

8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to? (Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours?) My first reaction would be to say ERAGON, mostly because I haven't read much else that compares to what I'm attempting with THE SIGHT. I'm creating an entire world like Paolini did.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book? David Eddings played a big part, his Belgariad and Mallorean series are my favorite books ever. Also my friend Hero London, who has written many books and is working on getting published. Lastly, of course, J.K. Rowling is amazing with the way she weaves together her incredible world. There are more, but those are the big ones. :-)

10. Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book? It has a strong, very relate-able, heroine, a hero who is humble and determined, and a really fun cast of characters to help them along the way.

TAG!

Hero London (DO IT!)

Heather Marie

Tamara AKA Feaky Snucker

Amber Mauldin

Dahlia Adler

Y'all better do it, because I want to hear about your MS's!

-DC

Story Corner: World Building

Hello friends!

Looking for my fairytale madness entry? GO HERE!

Having been up late at night and early in the mornings with contractions recently, I've taken to watching special features on the extended editions of Lord of the Rings.

It amazes me how detailed these stories are. So much so, that the filmmakers were able to take descriptions directly from the text and create the sets, the props, the characters, etc.

On the other hand, I dislike how wordy Tolkien is. It's a brilliant book, but not one that I'd call "light reading".......

As I've watched these clips and listened to people talk about the books, I had to ask myself, what is required when it comes to building a world? How does a writer balance plot and dialogue with description?

The logical answer is to describe unknown things as you come across them. I think J.K. Rowling does an amazing job of this. She sometimes will even call a thing by one name until Harry actually comes across it, and only THEN give it a description. (I'm referring specifically to Dementors, which are called "Azkaban Guards" up until Harry sees one on the train.)

For me, the worlds I've created so far are very similar to our own. Forests, trees, fires, castles, etc. So I haven't seen a huge need to go into a lot of detail regarding those things. The other elements of a world (culture, economics, religion, magic, etc) I try to explain as they become necessary. But somehow I still feel like I'm doing a poor job... perhaps it's BECAUSE my worlds are so familiar.

In a very different world, like in MISTBORN for example, the prologue alone builds a good third to one-half of the world. We see the life of those living on plantations both from the Lord's eyes and from his slaves'. We also get a feel for the government system, and the desire people have to be in the capital city. We meet one of our main characters and immediately like him. Then chapter one shows us how the underground criminal system works in major cities, while introducing us to another main character. We don't really interact with much of these things for the rest of the book. But we know they're there, and the author can reference them at any point throughout the story knowing we'll understand what he's talking about.

Then there's another thing... I've been told (and have had it drilled into me by agents and fellow aspiring writers) that a story needs to capture our attention from the beginning. I see it all the time: show, don't tell; no info-dumping; start where the real story starts.

I guess it just takes practice to know the difference... and I'm not sure I'm there yet.

Maybe it's because I'm such a plotter. I focus so much on the characters and the things happening to them that I get caught up. I forget to explain the world around them, or don't realize when I should be doing so.

To that end, I have two questions for you today...

1. What elements make a world?

2. How does one balance describing those elements with the events taking place?

I'd love to hear how YOU do it!

-DC

WHAT IF? ~Fairytale Maddness Blogfest~

I am SO EXCITED to participate in this.... because I already had one of these written. Hehehe!

I'm joining Team Plot Twists, judged by Cassie Mae.
*I hope I win!*

Without further ado... my story...

By sunrise, exhaustion threatened to claim her. The same thoughts continually tumbled through her mind: her parents dead, her house in flames, the lord of her land likely chasing her in an attempt to make her his mistress. She found a stream and dismounted to drink. 

SNAP!  

She stood and nocked an arrow in a flash. “Who’s there?” 

From the brush came a man who towered over her. She stood her ground. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace, but her arrow remained steady. 

“Who are you?” she demanded. 

“Jeffrey,” he said. “And you?” 

“What are you doing in the middle of the forest?” she said quickly. 

He shrugged. “I live here.” 

She shook her head. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” 

“I have no reason to lie,” he said. “It’s just us out here.” 

“And that’s meant to inspire confidence?”  

He snorted. “I s’pose not so much. What brings you here?” 

“Don’t question me.” 

Jeffrey smirked. “You know, it’s not often we get the company of a lady out here in the woods –” 

An arrow suddenly pinned his sleeve to the tree behind him. When he looked back, the girl had a second nocked and aimed. 

Jeffrey eyed her warily. A possibility came to her. 

“How many are you?” 

“Eight,” he said. 

“I’d like to join you until my danger passes. I can hold my own, and I won’t be a burden. But if any man dares touch me, or even attempts it, they will find themselves intimate with an arrow.” 

Jeffrey nodded. “Those are acceptable terms. We could use your aim. You’ll be the only girl, but you seem to be made of strong stuff.” 

They regarded each other. Then he asked, “What’s your name, miss?” 

“Robyn. My name is Robyn.”

Hehehe! Hope you liked it!

-DC

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while.... I mentioned on Tuesday that I've been really "out of it" lately, and I realized that I haven't been expressing gratitude. It's always been a hard thing for me to remember to do, but I truly believe what this quote from Marci Shimoff says, that "Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life."

Our family, 2010

Gratitude is part of Faith, and Faith requires belief and action.

I believe that I can write a book and get an agent, and be published.

........when I type that, I don't think I really believe it.

But I've had some seriously amazing experiences in this area recently, and I'm writing this post to remind me that it works...

See, if you'd told me two years ago that I'd be living where we are now, I don't think I'd have believed you. We went from a tiny one-bedroom apartment into a three-bedroom that's nearly two thousand square feet. And we can AFFORD it!

This is a miracle to me. And it happened because I started being grateful for the little one-bedroom place we had, AND told myself that we were deserving of a better place. I focused on that. I didn't really believe it at first, but I came to. And then, literally out of nowhere, it happened.

On the writing front, I'll say this: I've written a novel. It needs work, but I DID IT. And you know what, I have like TEN other ideas for books I want to write. My mind is overflowing with them. I love writing. It's hard sometimes, but I truly enjoy it.

Along with that, I've been blessed with amazing CP's and Beta readers, as well as incredible friends who are supportive and encouraging. I have a loving husband who believes in me, and a son who loves me, not to mention another little boy I'm about to bring into the world, who I hope loves me as much as I already love him.

I have a lot to be grateful for. I just need to remember that on the hard days.

What are YOU grateful for this week?

-DC

LOOK!

I really want to rant and rave at how neglectful I've been in so many areas of my life, writing and blogging included... but my husband would disapprove. Suffice it to say, pregnancy is putting me off my game.

Monkey LOOKing down the slide :-)

I was tagged by the amazing Tamara (AKA Feaky Snucker) in a little game called LOOK! It sounds fun, so here it is!

RULES:

If you are tagged, do a search for the word "look" in your work in progress. Copy that paragraph, along with surrounding paragraphs, to your blog, to keep the game afloat. Don't forget to tag others.  

Here's the thing... I have two WIP's at the moment. Pregnancy is making it hard for me to stay focused on one or the other, so I keep jumping back and forth. I'll do a little bit from both for ya. Also, this is a word that... surprisingly... I use a lot. So I picked sections that I hope you'll find interesting :-)

THE SIGHT


At the base of the stairs, the three men leading them turned to the right. Gunnar began to follow, but noticed Kolina was not with them. He backtracked, going to the left of the stairs. He found her through a carved archway. The small room beyond held a pool that shone with the same whiteness as the lanterns. Cool mist filled the room, but the bumps on his skin weren’t from that. Kolina stood at the edge of the water looking down into the light.

For a moment Gunnar allowed his emotions free reign. She was too beautiful to be allowed. Her clear skin shone like the sun after a storm, and the depth in her dark eyes revealed a determination – and acceptance – that he’d never seen in her before. Whatever lay ahead of them, he was sure of one thing: his devotion to this young woman was unwavering.

She must have sensed his presence. She looked up at him then with a glint in her eye. He half-smiled at her. Yes, she had steel inside, it was only a matter of her finding it for herself.


************

TARGET


Under the sack, Lex rolled his eyes. How could he have been so careless? He’d spent so much energy avoiding towns, and here he fell into the hands of bandits.

Before he knew it, the sack was ripped from him and he was slammed back against a tree. His head ached with all the sudden movements, and he longed to be able to defend himself.

Lex looked around, shaking his head and blinking in the firelight he now saw. But what he saw next confused him even more.

A girl stood facing away from him, a bow drawn, an arrow nocked. She was dressed, not in a lady’s gown, but in trousers, tunic, and jerkin. A twist of golden hair was knotted at the base of her neck.

To Lex’s left a man cleared his throat.

The girl turned. Lex felt time slow. She had a half-smile on her face, and kind eyes. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, not like the ladies at court. Well, he thought she might be, if she wasn’t so dirty. But there was something to her presence that made Lex’s mouth and eyes hang open.

Suddenly her eyes went hard and dark as onyx.

She raised her bow, aimed her arrow directly at Lex, and released.


************

Hehehe...

Hope you enjoyed! Now I get to tag a few people... We'll go with

Hero London
Stephanie Diaz
Angi Black
Sarah Blair
and
Gina Denny

Can't wait to see what you all have to share!

-DC