It’s a party!

I’ve had the recent pleasure of being invited to contribute to Old People Writing for Teens (OPWFT). A great blog jointly authored by eight great writers, the OPWFT boasts a host of interviews, reviews, and writing advice for people looking to write and publish young adult fiction.

Dual blogging…

Of late, I have been posting on another WordPress blog I own called Stop, Drop & Plot.

Since both blogs deal with similar topics, I will likely cross-post some of those entries here.

If you happen to read both blogs and see a familiar entry, don’t worry, I’m just borrowing from myself (Douglas Adams would thoroughly approve).

On the subject of outlines

I’ve never been good at adopting a completely carefree attitude. I’m not uptight but I am the type of person who checks MapQuest before going on a trip and who always packs extra underwear and socks.

In complete contrast with that, I can’t follow a recipe to save my life. I get bored and whimsical and I almost always abandon measurements within the first few ingredients.

When it comes to writing, I do what I call a quasi-outline (there may be a big technical term for it but I’m not fussed about knowing what it is). I sketch out the opening, the ending, and the major plot points that drive a character from act one to act two and from act two to act three. I never feel confined, but I always feel like I have a basic route to follow.

Some good news for those writing UF

Interesting post on Tim Holman’s blog about urban fantasy sales and the percentage of UF titles being published. Hopefully, the percentage of titles being published will grow to align more closely with sales.

NPR’s Scott Simon on how to tell a story

Aimed at reporting but can be applied to almost any type of writing or communication.

Who’s your buddy?

Nathan Barnsford recently asked readers one (not so simple) question: Who is your favorite character of all time.

What surprised me was the fact that my favorite characters are not necessarily from my favorite books. Also (and somewhat less surprising), I found it almost impossible to narrow it down to just one favorite – one bestest friend, if you will.

My top five (novels only):

Ford Prefect from The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy
Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones Diary
Marcus from About a Boy
The Velveteen Rabbit from the Velveteen Rabbit
Elizabeth from The Paperbag Princess

Back in the saddle (sort of)

In the midst of taking a quick break from my ms, I found a new apartment. With packing, planning, cleaning, and a regular desk job, my poor little ms has been completely neglected.

Hopefully, I’ll at least begin the tedious editing process of doom this week.

In the spirit of geekiness, I’ve created a scene spreadsheet. The column headings are “Scene Description”, “Chapter #”, “Pg Start”, “What Scene Accomplishes”, “Necessary? (Y/N), and “Issues”. Hopefully this will help me make sure my scenes are working rather than just hanging about eating my food and watching bad movies on cable.

The Forest For the Trees

I’m beginning to think that some sort of advice label should be put on books about writing and getting published – a warning that reading further than the title page might sap your spirit and wound your soul. Perhaps they could go the route of Canadian cigarette packaging and put an image with the warning – an aspiring writer curled up in a little ball, mewing for his mother.

Betsy Lerner doesn’t sugar coat the business (and never forget that it is a business) of books but any panic she might induce is quickly forgotten in the face of wit, style, and the bird’s eye view she has to offer. The editor-turned-agent’s book The Forest for the Trees isn’t a how-to manual, rather it’s a series of engaging anecdotes with the occasional bit of seasoned advice thrown in for good measure.

Though I didn’t agree with some of her characterizations of writers, I did find it an immensely entertaining read and often found myself reaching for my highlighter. Some of the most inspiring portions of the book dealt not with the practicalities of dealing with publicists or the production cycle but were, instead, stories of well known authors who have stumbled, dusted themselves off and persevered.

Reading The Forest for the Trees is a bit like having a series of fascinating lunches with a charismatic editor – time well spent for anyone who dreams of writing or who just plain loves books.

Writing in the rain…

Photo by abductor.

There are times when I wish I did keep a pen and pad of paper in the shower. Twenty minutes ago, I found a solution to a query dilemma I was having (cutting a character who doesn’t really need to be there) while my hair was full of soap.

Great entry on crafting a synopsis

Janice Hardy has posted an entry (author of The Shifter) has posted a great entry on how to write a synopsis. Well worth checking out (especially if, like me, the synopsis is something you struggle with).