Writerly Wresolutions

Yay!! My first post of 2012! How exciting!

Anyways, enough rambling...I've posted a bit about having goals (see HERE, or HERE). I think in every aspect of your life, you should always make goals. They help to keep you on track, they help you to look at where you are and then....






..Where you want to be (see how big that distance can be? Yikes!).


So, it is officially 2012, and yea, the world may end. But...my car also may not start in the morning. The world is full of "What if"s and really, we don't have time to sit here and worry about what's going to happen. This is what I know right now:

*I want an agent
*I want to get published
*I want to attend as many writing conferences as humanly (and budget-ly) possible
*I want to write another novel. At least one.
*I want to be able to edit more of the novels I have written
*I want to be better at speaking in front of crowds (or reading out loud)
*Blog more (sorry I was slacking this year!)

So...Those are my goals.
Now, I'm gonna say they're my Writerly Wresolutions. Because...we all need something to keep us focused.


Happy 2012, guys. Hope this year is better than the last!

Books I Got For Christmas

If you're unaware for some reason, I really like books. HERE and HERE are some previous posts on books.

Now....For the big moment. The books I waited all of 2011 for. The books I'd find in Target, and sit in the aisle and read until people looked at me funny (Or, in some cases, books I'd see on Amazon, and never stop talking about):

From Top to Bottom:
Marya Hornbacher-Wasted (I'll get to meet her at AWP this year, hopefully)
The Pocket Muse; Writing prompts and things! SCORE!
Jennifer Brown-Hate List (This seems intense)
Daniel Quinn-If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways
Gayle Forman-If I Stay (Finally!)
Lauren DeStefano-Whither (Finally!)
Gayle Forman-Where She Went (Yayy!!)







I am super excited about all of these books, but now I'm a little overwhelmed because I don't know where to start! But yay! I got books! Hope you guys got awesome stuff, too!

Change of Dialogue, New Paragraph

Okay, so I might be wrong about this. But, I also may not be.

I've been Beta Reading the last few weeks for about three people. Most have been stellar accounts, and small things to fix here and there, or me just adding suggestions or clever remarks like "Ohhh, I hope these two fall in love!" (Because I'm a nerdy romantic like that. And hey, a girl with commitment issues can still root for cute romances.)

But...the one that has come up in all three:

Change of dialogue, new paragraph.

What does this mean? (If you already know what this means, scroll down to the cute picture, because I haven't posted one recently.)

This means:
James said, "No, I don't want to date you. I'd rather vomit on your face." Change of dialogue, new paragraph. Sarah stepped back, "But James, I thought you loved me."

This is incorrect, my friends. Why? Because Sarah is not James. She is a different person.  So, this is how that should look:
James said, "No, I don't want to date you. I'd rather vomit on your face." 
Sarah stepped back, "But James, I thought you loved me." 

There are some instances where I'm not completely sure where the paragraph break is. In example, when one person talks, another reacts, but the first person continues talking. Most times, I still have that in the same paragraph. (It's one of those you have to be careful and gauge types of things. If all else fails, consult other writers/blogs, etc)  But as soon as the second person talks, new paragraph. Every time there is a new person talking, IT'S A NEW PARAGRAPH.

K?
Thanks.

And a cute picture for you:

I went to go to sleep one night, and found this monster on my pillow. Adorable, no?

Siccckkkkk

So...Sorry I haven't been updating too much, the real world has swallowed me again...and now I'm sick. So I'm just popping in to say:


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Information Dumping

Before we get this going, I'd just like to tell you all that the only reason why I keep updating so regularly is because I've been getting sick of writing. Not actually, but...I like to space out. It's how I write...so...I'm having a momentary lapse of ADD. Sorry.

Plus, this is how I'm usually writing..or his head is right in my lap. Right now, we're on the bed.

Anyways, so this is another round of advice from PNWA.

The Book Doctor talked about the Information Dump (Gahhh, run away screaming!!!!) which takes the reader out of the novel. Why does it take the reader away from the novel?

Because:
Jamie and Sarah are having a huge fight. Just as Jamie goes to ball her first and strike....
She thinks back to the time when she was five years old, and skinned her knee. Don't worry though...her mom came to put a band-aid on.
BAM. The fist hits Sarah.
(Get it? Don't give your characters ADD)

The information dump occurs when:
*We are too lazy to be creative
*We are too lazy to write another ten pages, strewn about the novel, and letting people in
*We decide to give back-story at the wrong time
*We're telling rather than showing

An example of the information dump (this is real life, by the way. This was actually in Igniting a Firestarter, in the first five pages nonetheless. No wonder it kept getting rejected!):

Typically Mirrors try to have minimal contact with Firestarters because we can char and burn right along with the flames they throw at us  We can feel their insides, we can absorb their fires. It hurts to be around them. The other down side about being a Mirror is that sometimes, rather than deflecting the attack, we reflect it. We are supposed to be healers. Sadly, most times Mirrors interact with Firestarters we harm them. It’s safer if we adhere to avoidance. Even a hand wave can have repercussions.

When you’re born you’re assigned to your legion. A tattoo is placed on your right foot and inside your left wrist bearing your symbol, your coven, if you will. Generally, your powers are determined by genetics, but sometimes bastards emerge. These complexities can arise from parents sleeping around or an anomaly, but either way, they exist.  Rather than showing you what happens, say...using an interaction between the two different types, I just dumped this on you.

So, now...I have to go through this entire effing novel and cut the heck out of it.

Give examples, friends. It's easier to show the first time around than go through 200+ pages and try to come up with ways to show people what you're talking about.

Happy Holidays!

Length

If you're writing Young Adult novels...there are usually some guidelines to follow. Mainly the length guideline.

Most YA novels fall (from what I've read) between 60,000 words and 100,000 words. The good news is, if you're a little over, or a little under that's usually okay. But try to aim for those guidelines. I've heard that 40,000 is usually too short, and over 100,000 is usually way too long...but we're writers.

There are always exceptions to the rules.

Usually when I start writing, 60,000 is my end goal. Sometimes, I fall a little short of that, but that's okay...rough drafts (for me) are usually significantly shorter then the ending product. But it's nice to hit 30,000 words and say "I'm half way done! Wooo!"

So, as of today, I've finished My Sister's Memories (woo! Huray, my NaNoWriMo project is finished!), however, I'm at 54,338 words, approximately 200 pages. Which even to me, feels a little short. (There is one more scene I technically need to write in, but I'm really tired right now, and I can feel my creative juices dwindling). The good news is, a round of editing will probably give me about another 10,000 words.

Just wanted to pop in and tell you guys I finished, and throw some length guidelines out there for those of you who weren't aware of them.

Have an awesome night!

A Character Christmas Party

Sarah Belliston was hosting a giveaway that involved blogging about what your characters would want for Christmas, and though I may be a little bit late for the contest (it had to be in by today, so I'm not sure if posting today means I have an entry, but I may as well try and harass her anyway), I thought it sounded like an awesome blog prompt...So....


Novel being written, My Sister's Memories:
Sarah would want nothing more than for her sister (Allie) to get her memory back. Ideally, she'd like to reverse time and make it so the accident never happened and have everything normal again...but she's getting to the point she can accept the grief...plus, the people have stopped staring in the hallways at school, so...
Now, she just wants her sister to remember her life. That's all.


Allie would want her memory back, too....but unlike her sister, she's starting to throw the towel in. So, rather than the intangible, she'd like anything that's neon colored, or shiny. The cool thing is, both descriptions can fit into a frisbee to play disc golf with. Or, if she can't have any of that...she'd like to at least start remembering that cute guy...shit..what was his name again?


Jordan would like both Allie and Sarah to just be happy. And maybe his sister, Melanie. She's already lost one friend this year and she still seems to be struggling with it....but Allie and Sarah were hit the hardest. If that's not a possibility, then he'd really like Sarah to attend his college next year. Like, he'd really...really like that. And then...if neither of those are possible....he'd like some video games for the next time Sarah gets drunk and beer tears at his apartment. (He's kidding, he's kidding....sort of....)


I'd write about my novel that's currently in the agent game, but it's in the agent game...so hopefully ya'll will be able to read it and tell me what you think they'd like.  (By the way, wouldn't that be an awesome giveaway for when I get published? Tell me what you think these guys would like and get *Fill In The Blank* from me! Yay!!!)


Anyways, hope you guys are doing well! Happy Holidays!