The Write Path --

 I'm about halfway through a new WIP right now, and this morning when I woke up, I knew there was a problem with an aspect of the plot.  A serious problem....

I've been struggling to find my enthusiasm for actually sitting down and writing this story -- it's there in my head, yelling to get out; but when I write, it's heavy, hard, sad.

Now I'm wondering now much of that was because of this one plot element -- it's not a huge change.  The end result is very much the same, but when I realized that aspect couldn't happen, that it wasn't realistic (at all) -- I started brainstorming about what else I could do.  And I came up with the perfect solution -- in so many ways.  It's as if I misinterpreted that part of the story that someone was telling me (my muse, I guess you could say, hehe) -- and now that I've figured it out, I'm not feeling as heavy about it all.

I find that very interesting -- almost like the story was telling me, "No, you're doing it wrong!" as I wrote, and that's why I struggled and fought.  Even though the topic itself is still difficult and sad, today, as I consider how I will write and work in the correct plot point, I feel lighter, much more enthusiastic.  Weird, huh?  Anyone else have that happen to them?

 Ever hear of Restless Leg Syndrome?  My mom has this (sadly), so I know something about it.  I think I have RWS -- Restless Writer Syndrome.

I want to write, but I can't seem to get my thoughts together enough to focus and actually get something coherent down on the page.  I want something to happen in my journey toward publication (which is still a journey of waiting to hear back from...everyone), but I've done my part, and now I just have to sit and hope that it was good enough.

I think RWS is common among writers -- even published authors, working on their second, third, etc book(s).  There's always that moment, when one thing is finished and the next not quite in the zone yet.  So does anyone have any relief for RWS?

I eat chocolate, distract myself with other things (like cleaning my house), try to stay away from my computer and my e-mail, brainstorm for future books, etc.  I'm not sure it's that effective, however...you?

Sometimes writing really is like pulling teeth.  Not that I ever tried that (way too much pain) -- but writing can be painful too.

Right now I'm working on putting a paranormal thread into my contemporary camp story...and yeah, it's a little painful.  I have the ideas, and I know they'll make the story stronger (let's hope) and more interesting (they better).  But actually sitting down and yanking the words and rhythm of the story apart to fit in new words and rhythms...well, yeah, pain.

I'm the kind of writer who loves it when I begin a book and it just pours out of me.  Who am I kidding -- we all love that!  But that seldom happens for more than one draft (sometimes not even for more than one paragraph).  The story came out, and now I'm adding, adding, adding.  I think I'm tired ;).

I have to focus on how thrilled I'll be when it's all together -- and all that's left is rereading and making sure everything fits together, just so.  Ahhh...I'm picturing it now.

How do you revise?  Is it like pulling teeth?

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you started but did not finish.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them


1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (only started Book 1)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (complete except for maybe two plays and some sonnets)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons (but I've seen the movie...does that count? ;)
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (I love The Lost Prince & A Little Princess)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Yikes, that's only 21 (of course, Shakespeare, Lewis, and Rowling were all more than one book, but still) -- not a whole lot better than 6!  And I certainly stop reading a lot of books, don't I?

 I've been reading the Bookends blog for a while now, and yesterday Jessica Faust followed up on an earlier post about bad books.  She doesn't believe there are any bad books out there, and I suppose I'm inclined to agree...mostly.

The wonderful thing about reading is that we all have such diverse tastes -- and there are a ton of diverse books.  So for me to say something is 'bad' based on content or genre is incorrect:  it's not bad, it's just not my taste.  Therefore, in my definition, a bad book would only be a book within the boundaries of my taste that didn't satisfy...right?

I can honestly say that I seldom read something and think, "Man, this is a truly awful book."  But there are times when I'm seriously disappointed -- and it's usually (always?) because of the writing itself.  I've been fortunate enough to read a number of pre-published books, and the quality of writing (and interest-level) is very high amongst those.  So when I pick up an already published book and find lazy writing, poor editing, and a loose/poorly developed plot...well, to me, that's a bad book.  Can I think of any off the top of my head?  No.  Because when I see anything like that, I generally put the book down right away.  (I've even returned a couple to the bookstore after realizing this.)

There are a few books that I've thrown away (gasp).  Books that I wouldn't want anyone else picking up to read because they were, imo, so awful.  Most of these were published through small Christian imprints.  Now there are some very good books that have been published by Bethany House and Zondervan (the two largest protestant imprints to date -- though I'm wondering if that will change as a couple of the secular houses have started 'faith' imprints); so I'm not trying to smear the Christian publishing industry, by any means.  I think it's improving (from what I hear from friends/family who still read a fair amount of Christian fiction) even.

What do you think?  What makes a book 'bad' for you?  

 Even from a very young age (probably around nine or ten), I wanted a love story in all my books.  At that age, I wasn't looking for kissing and such -- but I wanted some indication that the MC liked a boy and he liked her back.  I think the first book I remember loving at that age which had some kind of romance in it was THOSE MILLER GIRLS and its sequel THE MOTORING MILLERS.  I reread those two books probably a dozen times before I turned ten!

Another early favorite was LINNETS AND VALERIANS, which is still one of those magical books that will always hold a special place in my heart :).

By eleven or twelve, I was ready for 'real' romances, stories with girls who actually fell in love and dated/courted and kissed.  THE KEEPING DAYS series and MEET THE AUSTINS series quickly moved into position as my favorites in those days.  

As I started my teens, I was reading Agatha Christie mysteries (most of which have a hint of romance) and Mary Stewart.  I also liked Trixie Belden (at a slightly younger age) for the mild romances there.

So I guess it's no surprise that every book I write has a love story.  Perhaps that's why I don't write middle grade -- it's hard for me to put any kind of love story in those because even though classics like KATIE JOHN manage to have the school-girl crush done well, I'm not convinced I could do it.

But YA love I think I can do :).  My first YA was actually based on a romance -- that was the goal of the story.  It evolved into much more and I don't know if I'll ever return to it and get it into shape for publication, but that got me started.  My latest WIP is also all about the relationships (moreso than most of my others, that is).  But this time, I feel like I know enough more about writing that it's working better -- and even though there's not a ton of action in the book, it holds my interest every time I go through it to tweak and revise.

What are some of your favorite books that have love stories in them?  I'm always on the lookout :).

Most writers are also critiquers -- not only of their own writing (which is challenging, to say the least), but of their writing friends'.  I started critiquing well before I knew what I was doing.  Although my first manuscript exchange partner (<lj user="shaelise">) is always gracious when mentioning my early efforts, I wonder how helpful I truly was.  

I taught for nine years, all of them in general education -- meaning that I taught math and english (and grammar).  I've read writing from all ages, from five up to eighteen, and after a while, I got used to looking for the details while still finding the big picture.

Still, when I started critiquing, I don't know that I remembered all that.  It's taken time, but usually I feel that I'm offering helpful critiques these days.  Thankfully, I still have that teacher's eye for details.  I've had to work on seeing the big picture, but after receiving my own critiques from some very skilled critiquers (most of whom are here on LJ), I've learned better how to watch for that, to see the themes and to follow characters and their personal arcs.

What do you look for in a good critique?

Here are my goals when I'm critiquing (and what I also look for when I receive them back):

1.  Find the overall arc of the story -- and then watch for the natural ebb and flow of that arc
2.  Keep an eye on the characters and their development and responses (this is probably my weakest area of critiquing, btw)
3.  Edit misspellings, grammar misuses, and note awkward phrasing (things that actually pull me from the story) -- but try to ignore nits like comma usage and other stylistic structural approaches (I think those will be changed -- if needed -- at the agent/editor stage)
4.  Always make note of questions that I have, either about the way a character is developing or the areas of the plot that don't mesh for me.  This is the most important part of critiquing, for me, because it's been through questions that I've discovered the biggest weaknesses in my own writing.  Thanks again to <lj user="shaelise">, who has used this method on me for three years now :).
5.  Last, but definitely not least, always begin and end with the things I liked -- the strong points of the book.  I do my best to be honest with everyone, and just as when I was teaching, there's always something good in another person's writing.  And I found that pointing it out (especially to newer/less experienced writers) will often cause them to bring out those aspects even more -- which makes their writing that much better :).

How about you?  Care to share?

It was the summer of 1988, and I was 19 (almost 20) years old.  I went off to Catalina Island to be a camp counselor there at an Intervarsity Camp called Campus by the Sea.  It was my first time away from home -- in the sense that although I had completed my sophomore year of college, I went to CU, a mere 20 minutes from my parents' house (and still went home most weekends to be with them).

And boy, did I have a lot to learn! :)  Mostly I learned about relationships...here are some of those lessons:

1.  There are always ways around no PDA (public displays of affection) -- and my partner (we'll call him G) was quite skilled at them.  First he tried it on me (and I fell for it for a while), then he turned his attention to a couple of the campers (oops -- he got in big trouble for those -- and yes, I was the one who turned him in on one of them, because I was worried about the girl).  G was good-looking, extremely charming, and very, very clever about women.  Honestly I feel for the girl (woman) who finally married him -- a long life of following someone else's rules and whims, I'm afraid.  But you never know -- maybe he finally met his match (or grew up)!

2.  Abuse can happen in any relationship -- during one of the weeks, I noticed two girls being rather affectionate with one another.  I didn't say much, other than to remind them of the 'no PDA' rule -- until I began to suspect that one of the girls was being pressured.  I finally pulled her aside and asked her bluntly, "Do you want to be with this girl?"  She started sobbing, and the whole story poured forth.  Turned out the other girl had a restraining order against her back in their home town -- the mom didn't realize that girl would be at the camp.  She was hoping for a safe place for her daughter where she might meet some less manipulative people.  The girl with the restraining order was sent home that day.  I've often wondered what happened to the two of them.

3.  Watch out for the younger woman! -- tee-hee.  There was another girl who fell head over heels for my second partner (who took over when G had to leave for college football training).  C was the antithesis of G, thankfully, so I got to experience the joy of working with someone who respected me (and all women) and treated me like a human being instead of a little girl who needed constant coddling and watching.  One of the campers also noticed his honest charm, however, and she decided she was going to win his affections.  She started with little things, like trying to sit by him during meetings.  When that didn't work so well (he was pretty shy and always sat by me), she moved on to faking illnesses and even fainting (trying to get him to carry her) -- however, I carried her (I'm stronger than I look); I watched her after the fake illness while C went with the other teens; I basically foiled all her plans.  At first, she was furious!  She yelled and screamed...but then she latched on to me and followed me around like a puppy dog.  She was a nice girl, in the end, who'd learned early on that manipulation worked.  Hopefully she also got an idea that honesty is even better.

4.  Friendship is shown in many ways -- my college roommate, who was my best friend at the time (like Anne and Diana, I used to say), wrote me a long letter every week.  I wrote her back, of course.  I missed her horribly!  But I also made friends at the camp.  I was one of the youngest staffers there, but the older girls were friendly and open -- and soon there were four of us who hung out together.  I remember the paradox of happiness and wistful longing that came when I got their wedding announcements throughout the following years...they were all at least three years older.  I think about them every now and then, and I'd so love to have a staff reunion of that summer to see how they're all doing.  Living with someone day in and day out for ten weeks creates a pretty strong bond -- but being separated from them from then on definitely breaks that down.

5.  No kissing before marriage?!? -- this was the theme of the relationship seminars that were hosted by the director and his wife.  It certainly led to a great deal of discussion -- and for those of us who'd already kissed at least a few people by then, you can imagine it was heated at times.  But the director believed that true understanding of another person was all about emotion and thought and spirit -- and that the physical would naturally follow.  So he and his wife had their first kiss on their wedding day.  The thought (in all honesty) horrified me!  I couldn't imagine doing that...there were a few staffers, however, who agreed and wanted very much to be completely chaste on their wedding days.  Granted, this was a conservative group of Christians, for the most part, and the director did make a strong point when he discussed the difference between no sex before marriage and tied that into waiting to kiss, as well...I still didn't agree, however, even though, interestingly enough, I was one of the few virgins on staff.  Go figure. :)

So yes, being a counselor taught me far more than the campers, I'm certain.  I suppose that's why camp holds such a fascination with me -- and why I'm writing a book about a girl who's a camp counselor, faced with all kinds of relationship issues.

When did you first learn something new (and perhaps startling) about relationships?
 

My current WIP is about a camp, and it's brought back all sorts of memories of my own experiences...

1.  As a younger camper, I always wished I could be the one in control, one of the counselors, who seemed to have all the fun.

2.  I always wished there were horses at my camps; instead we had archery and fishing and lots of just wandering around.

3.  Band camp, which didn't come until high school (and was for a community group) was great fun.  I got my first kiss (which wasn't so great, but that's the way it goes sometimes) at band camp.

4.  My first job as a counselor was on Catalina Island, and it was every bit as great as I thought it would be -- perhaps even better.  I enjoyed the teens I worked with, and I truly enjoyed the other staffers...and all the free time where we took a skiff and went into town to have fun.  Back then, I didn't get seasick, thankfully.  The only parts I didn't love were the outdoor toilets (ick), the lack of showers, and the insects (double and triple ick).  I was fortunate, though, to be the only staffer who didn't get stung by a yellow jacket all summer -- most of them got stung twice, even...but I've never been stung, so apparently I don't give off that kind of scent :)

5.  As an adult, I've also been a counselor.  It's not as fun when you're older, imo.  For one thing, the lack of sleep really slows you down (well, it does me), and I was so much more emotional about the kiddos (of course, it was a camp for abused and fostered kids).  I was a counselor at that camp for six years running before I finally had to call it quits.  Too much emotion, too much stress.  But I'm very glad I had the experience.

So you can see that I've seen camp from both sides -- the counselor and the camper.  My first camp was when I was ten; my last when I was 32.  I've sung silly songs, led hikes, practiced with the orchestra outdoors, gone tubing and ice skating, and even snorkled.  Camp can be a great experience -- and hopefully I will capture some of that in my book :)

If you've ever been to camp, what are your most prominent memories?  Care to share? 

There are many people out there who will insist that if you're going to be a writer, you must also be a reader.  In all honesty, I was one of those people for a very long time -- until I met a friend of mine who is a writer (most definitely), but she's not a strong reader.  It's not that she doesn't like to read -- but reading is a struggle for her.  It doesn't come naturally as it does for me and most writers I know.

And yet, she's a wonderful writer.  I have no doubt she'll soon be a published author, as well.  

So why do so many insist we must read in order to write?  Well, I can only answer for myself.  When I was little, I started reading by four-ish.  By the time we moved to a 'big city' with a real library (around the age of 8), I'd exhausted the school library.  After six months or so in our new home, I'd read almost every book in the children's section of my new library.  My mom took me every week, with a large cardboard box in tow.  I checked out approximately 40-50 books and had them all read by the time we returned seven days later.

When we had writing 'tests' in school (beginning in third grade), I never had any problems.  With the abundance of stories running through my head at almost all times, I could begin and finish the test in fifteen minutes or less.  While the kids around were still staring at a blank page, their eyes beginning to cross, I was done and pulling out my free reading book.

So I definitely feel that being a reader made me a stronger writer.  In high school as sophomores, we had to take another writing test that would place us in the writing program of the school.  I tested 'out' as a college post-graduate.  They weren't quite sure what to do with that, so they told me to take the advanced writing class...and then I was done with writing.  About a month before graduation, the counselors talked to each of us seniors, going over our credits to be sure we'd fulfilled the requirements.  The counselor looked over my stats and classes -- then stopped in shock.  "You've never taken the required grammar class," he said.  "You won't graduate!"

Well, I did graduate and right on time.  I simply had the counselor talk to the honors English teacher, and she explained to him that I knew plenty of grammar -- probably more than most kids who'd taken the class.  And it was all from reading -- instinctive grammar, I called it.

Reading made me a good writer...but I'll be honest.  When I look at my friend who's not a natural reader, I feel like she's a natural writer, instead.  Whereas I'm a reader who can also write.  She has the ability to get thoughts and emotions down on paper in a free and exciting manner -- it's not as instinctive for me, I don't feel.  I have tons of ideas for stories; I never have to strain for the next book -- but if I had to place myself on the side of natural writer or natural reader (assuming one can't be both -- which probably isn't true, as I know some people who probably are both), I'm a natural reader, not a natural writer.

What about you?  Do you think you are both?  Or do you definitely fall on one side or the other?

Today I got to go to the library, a truly perfect experience.  I think most writers agree that being surrounded by books is one of the best places to be :)

While there, I was perusing the young adult section (of course), when I noticed a young girl (around twelve) picking up random books, skimming the flap, and putting them back.  After a few minutes, her mom joined her, and I shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation.  "I know you like historicals," the mom said.  "How about this one?"

"I don't like the picture.  I don't think I'll like it," the girl said, sounding discouraged.

As someone who never hesitates to share books, I immediately jumped in.  I grabbed Gretchen Laskas's The Miner's Daughter and handed it to the girl.  "You might like this," I said.  "I've read it, and it's really good.  I won't be hurt if you put it back, however."  Then I turned away and pretended not to pay any attention as she read the flap.  When her mom returned from the other side of the stack, the girl handed the book to her.

"She gave it to me," she said, pointing to me.

So again, I joined in.  "I kind of know the author -- in the online sense," I said.  "It's a very good book."

The mom's eyes lit up.  "Thank you so much.  Do you happen to know of any others?"

Silly question :)  "Well, if you like historicals, you might want to try MIss Spitfire by Sarah Miller," I said.  "It's about Helen Keller."

"That sounds perfect," the mom said.  "Where do I find it?"  

So I sent her back to the middle grade section and began looking in the new arrivals.  They joined me a few minutes later.  "Are any of these good?" the mom asked.

I hadn't read any of them, sadly.  But I did recommend the newest Jean Ferris, simply based on another of her books.  The girl wasn't interested in the underground railroad, however.  So we parted ways, the mom verbally grateful for my help.

As I was ready to check out, they approached me again.  "You wouldn't happen to know of any scary books?" the girl asked.

"Like RL Stine?" I said.

Her face lit up.  "Yeah.  Just like that."

Hm.  A challenge, as I've never read a single RL Stine.  "Well, I do know of stories that are quirky, maybe a little on the strange side like some of those might be."  I headed back to the middle grade section, looking for Joni Sensel.  All checked out (good news for Joni; not so good for this girl).  Then I remembered William Sleator and pulled out a couple of his.  While the girl read the various backs, the mom wrote down Joni's name, along with Eve Bunting and John Bellairs.  Hopefully those will be close enough ;)

I came home with a stack of books, but more than that, with a feeling of benevolence to all young readers out there.  I love getting good books into the hands of kids who will enjoy them, don't you? :D

Why do I think critique partners are important?  Let me count the ways ;)

1.  They aren't afraid to say, 'this is crap' when it really is crap.
2.  When they praise it, you know you finally got it!
3.  Sometimes their comments open your eyes to things you hadn't considered before -- and you make an incredible break-through in the story.
4.  You learn firsthand that you can't please everyone.
5.  You find your own vision for the story -- and it usually comes when you dig in your heels about something they wants changed.
6.  They bring peace-of-mind that this story isn't going out into the world without being torn to shreds and taped back together again.
7.  Their insights will always be different from your own, thereby giving your story added dimensions.
8.  Very many times, your weaknesses happen to be their strengths :)
9.  They can view your baby with objectivity, and thereby suggest fixes that you would never have considered (but now you will, of course).
10. Very many times, they become wonderful friends, not just amazing critique partners!

I'm very fortunate to be a part of two online critique groups, and to have a number of ms exchange partners -- many of whom are published in the children's lit world.

I think most writers will agree that we were born storytellers.  I'm one of those who didn't actually write much of them down, however.  I preferred to tell the stories to myself, in my own mind.  Here are some of the places/occasions where I enjoyed these stories:

1.  At the symphony.  My parents tried to take us about once a year, and as a child, I didn't really get the beauty of symphonic music (now I can't possibly tell stories -- I'm too enraptured by the music).  So many a good story kept me awake during those long evenings.

2.  On a hike.  This is still the case today -- there's something about the beauty of nature that just gets my creative juices pouring.  When I was younger, I'd always push myself to move more quickly than my mom so I could invent the stories without interruption (my dad was usually in front of me -- a family sandwich -- and my brother was pretty quiet).

3.  In the shower.  I don't remember making up stories in the shower when I was young, or even before kids.  But now, the shower is one of the best places for inspiration (unless, of course, my 4-year old is taking a shower with me).

4.  On trips.  Again, this is only when I'm not driving -- though if we're driving through the Mojave, a story can work.  Until I was in my 20s, I actually read in the car.  Now it makes me sick...so if I want a story, it's gonna come from me.

5.  After reading a good book.  One of the best places to get ideas -- and something I've practiced for as long as I can remember.  Once I'd finished the book, I'd continue the story in my head, usually with myself inserted into the action somehow.

6.  When trying to sleep.  Another practice that must have started with birth (hehe).  The worries/stresses of the day have always done their best to steal sleep from me.  Only a really involved and intriguing story will keep them at bay and allow me to sleep.

So, where are places/occasions that stir up tales in your mind? 

One of the great things about childhood (and teenage-hood -- nice word), are all the firsts that come our way during those years.  Today, as I cleaned my house (it does happen on rare occasion), I found myself thinking about some of those firsts:

1.  First night panic attack -- I was maybe 10 or 11, and my parents had gone out to dinner (a rare occurence for them -- we were on the poor side); the babysitter was still at our house, and my mom said she'd be home by 10:30 at the latest.  By 10:35, I was wide awake and convinced they were dead.  I sobbed as I tried to figure out what I'd do to take care of my brother (who's only 16 month younger), to decide how we could move to CA to live with our other relatives, to create a way to earn money.  By 10:45, my parents were home.  It took me a long time to get to sleep, and little did I know that I'd have many more of those ridiculous (and completely unfounded) panic attacks in the night.  Yeesh!

2.  First crush -- I was 6.  My best friend dared me to kiss him, but I'd been taught that kissing was wrong at that age, so instead I chased him on recess and licked his elbow. :)  Gotta love how kids reason -- anyway, he punched me in the face and got detention.  I felt really bad, because I knew it was all my fault.  Needless to say, I don't think he liked me back, he-he.

3.  First witness of a scary event -- I was 13 or 14.  Although I'd seen another injury of my brother's at a younger age (maybe 11), this was the first time I remember feeling deep fear and that rush of adrenaline that seems to always accompany it.  My brother was having a cup of tea -- and seconds after he poured the boiling water into the cup, he sat in the rocking chair and lost his balance.  The scalding water burned right through his jeans (my mom showed me the hole later) and cut a quarter-sized hole in his skin -- barely missing his important boy parts.  He jumped up, screaming like I'd never heard anyone yell before, and tore into his bedroom.  He wouldn't let anyone but my mom near him; my dad and I went to the store to buy an aloe vera plant (on my mom's orders).  I remember seeing my dad's hands shaking and realizing (perhaps also for the first time) that he was just as scared as I was.

4.  First flutter of attraction -- I was 16.  He was 14.  I know I had many crushes and such before this, but this was the first time that I liked a boy who liked me back -- and when he held my hand for the very first time, I actually felt butterflies in my stomach.  

5.  First kiss -- also 16, but different boy.  This one came first, believe it or not.  He took me for a walk during band camp (I'm serious -- I didn't play in the band, but I was a flag girl).  In a little gazebo, he kissed me.  I'd like to say it was a positive experience, but sadly, it wasn't!  He slobbered a lot; it was a french kiss; I had no experience at all -- and I thought I was going to vomit.  Fortunately for both of us, I didn't.  That was the end of our very short 'relationship' -- I told his best friend what had happened the next morning, and the friend yelled at him.  (I think the friend liked me, in retrospect).

6.  First headache -- I was 8.  I probably had them before this, but this one was a doozie, and therefore I remember it better.  It was so bad I couldn't see straight -- and my parents decided to take the entire family off sugar (my dad has hypo-glycemia).  So from the ages of 8 to 18, there was no sugar in our house, not even in our ketchup (my mom bought it from the health food store and it used honey instead).

7.  First tenderness from a boy -- I was 17.  I had a headache (yes, I still got them -- and I still do).  We were on a choir trip with the jazz choir in high school.  My head hurt so badly that I couldn't keep my eyes open (it was nighttime and the headlights were torture).  So on the school bus, I was leaning my head against the seat in front of me.  The guy sitting there -- someone I'd never really paid any attention to -- reached over and massaged my head.  I was stunned.  I'd never met a guy before who was that sensitive.  We went to my senior prom together (even though he was a junior).

8.  First serious boyfriend -- I was 21.  He was younger (seeing a pattern here?), only 19.  We met in a writing class (how apropos is that?!).  After our first date, he tried to kiss me and I turned away.  But he did get that kiss -- and boy, we were good kissers together.  We dated for 3 1/2 years.  He broke up with me three times; I broke up with him once (the last and final time).

9.  First time I knew I was going to marry my husband -- I was 29.  I was riding my bike home from work (which was my school, at the time).  It was raining (in April); I cried the whole way, because I knew I could never go on the way I had before, as a content, single person.  He'd changed my life, and now I couldn't walk away.

10. First time I knew I would be a writer -- I was 35.  Even though I'd been writing my entire life up to that point (mostly in journals, but also curriculum, plays, poetry, etc), it never occurred to me that I could actually write a book.  But that summer, when my son was 2 and my daughter 8 months, my husband said, "Why don't you write a book?"  So I did.

What are some of your firsts? 

So yesterday afternoon, I backed the car into the garage door (oops).  In my (lame) defense, I had a migraine (which meant I probably shouldn't have been driving in the first place -- but my kids were very exciting about our trip, and I knew I could handle it...once I got out of the garage, that is); normally the kiddos push the garage door button -- and the few times they don't, I notice because of the darkness.  But yesterday, they didn't push it and our other garage door was open, so there was sunlight filtering in.

Yeah, still pathetic, I know.  What does this have to do with writing?  It could actually have many, many things to do with it.  I'll start counting -- lets see how many I can think of :)

1.  People make dumb mistakes -- and in order for our characters to be believable, sometimes they have to make dumb mistakes too.

2.  There are always reasons behind mistakes -- a good writer will show (or at least hint at) those reasons so the reader can connect with the characters.

3.  Pain is distracting -- this is a good one for me, because I often will have my characters in pain, and yet their actions are pretty normal.  That's not realistic -- and what's the point of pain if you don't use it right.

4.  We all think we can do more than sometimes we can.  This is something I do all the time with my characters -- they often seem stronger/wiser/older/etc than they should be.  I need to remember to show their vulnerabilities and give reasons why they are the way they are.

5.  It's okay to do be human -- I felt really guilty when I noticed I'd bent the door.  But my husband handled it very well.  He wasn't thrilled, of course, but we worked together and fixed it.  You can still see the daylight through the gap, but at least it shuts now -- oh, I got distracted. :)  The challenge (for me) of writing believable characters is putting them in difficult situations where their humanity is unveiled -- and actually allowing them to be human.  My crit partners point out time and again that my characters aren't really changing their actions because of their circumstances -- and they should be.

Wow, that was tiring :)  I could go on, but I bet I'll get better ideas from others anyway...so, anyone else care to share how driving into a garage door is like writing?

Funny how when I get up the courage to actually mention what it is I want to do (what I'm working toward), the typical response is, "Oh."  Then the person will nod and say, "Well, that's good.  It shouldn't take too long, and you get to choose your own hours and kind of do your own thing all day long."

Right.

Before I started writing books -- before I knew anything at all about this business -- I did a little research.  Because truly, I was just like everyone else.  I thought you wrote a book, mailed it out to some publishers, got some money and went on with your life.  But during my research, I happened to visit Tamora Pierce's website (because she was my favorite YA author -- still is, in fact).  Somewhere there, she said that it takes the average writer nine years to get published.

I stopped and stared.  "Nine years?  Surely that's a misprint," I thought. 

But it's not.  The stories that I've heard since then only support that idea.  An average, of course, means that some people are faster...and some are slower.  So I know of an author who had her first book come out about four years after she started writing (a different one, I might add.  I dont' know the statistics of getting your very first ms published -- but I'm betting it's not a frequent thing).  I know of another author who now has an agent but is going on 6 1/2 years since she started her first ms -- so even if she sells tomorrow, it'll be at least another 18 or so until her book comes out.

I started writing during the summer of 2004.  My daughter was not nine months yet; my son was 2.  I had to have something that was my own.  When I began my first book, in September, 2004, I wasn't even sure I could finish a book.  Despite the fact that I'd been writing books in my head for probably 20 years, putting them down on paper takes discipline -- and I knew I wasn't a patient person.  But there was something in the process that really sucked me in.

Here we are, the winter of 2008.  It seems like I could be on the brink of something -- what exactly that something is, I really don't know.  Best case scenario:  I get an agent and sell a book before June, 2008 (yeah, wouldn't that be funny?).  I'd be looking at six years for my journey -- that's if things start popping right now.  I'd be one of the lucky ones, one of those who didn't have to struggle the entire 9 years before that first book publication.

Maybe I should have picked a different vocation...what do you think? :)

I think all writers are readers first -- most of us, anyway.  Here are my top five authors (very hard to pin down, btw) and a brief reason why I continue to love them, perhaps even more now that I'm also a writer.

1.  Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time was the first book I remember a teacher reading aloud to us -- I was enthralled from page one.  Soon thereafter, I asked my mom to take me to the library so I could find other books by L'Engle.  Although WiT will always be a favorite, it's not my most favorite of her books -- either A Ring of Endless Light, or A Swiftly Tilting Planet would take that honor.  Why do I love her writing?  She not only sucks me in to the story through an amazing (and yet logical) imagination -- but I relate to the main characters.  Vicki, Meg, Charles Wallace -- I love them all!  And I get to be them when I read her books.

2.  Norma Johnston/Nicole St. John - These are the ultimate teen books, imo.  I love how she addresses what it feels like to be a teenaged girl while avoiding many of the cliches and fluffier situations that I see so often in contemporary books -- her books aren't edgy or dark, but to me, at least, they're real.  My favorite of hers?  Either A Nice Girl Like You or If You Love Me, Let Me Go.

3.  Tamora Pierce - I started writing because of Pierce.  Truly -- never before had I read about 'sheroes'...and the second I finished Alanna's quartet, I was hooked!  I love the empowerment she gives her girls; I love that they're strong, smart, capable...and I love the stories themselves.  My favorites?  The Protector of the Small Quartet and Emperor Mage.

4.  Mary Stewart - I'd say Stewart is the queen of romantic tension.  Even though it's not very PC these days, I like how her heroines often come across as a little weaker than the men -- how they men feel they must protect them -- and how the women rise to the challenge by the end.  I really like all her mysteries, except for the last few she wrote.  Perhaps my favorites are Touch Not the Cat and Wildfire at Midnight.

5.  Mabel Esther Allan - Very few people (especially Americans) have heard of this author.  But I discovered her as a pre-teen, and I've found most of my favorites of her books here and there (some even in Hay-on-Wye in Wales).  Her books are very British, and I so love the view into a slightly different cultural mindset.  My favorites are Time to Go Back and Tomorrow is a Lovely Day.

My dream as a writer is that someday, I'll make it onto a list like this ;)  Happy dreaming!  (And feel free to list your top five or three or whatever in the comments.)

Not the nighttime ones ;)  I'm talking about hopes, goals...dreams for our future.  I've talked about this topic a couple of times before various groups, but here's the organized version.

I think there are four steps to finding our dreams.

1.  Dreaming outside the box...so many people I know say they have dreams and hopes -- but they don't really.  They're afraid to move outside their comfort zone, afraid they'll fail, afraid they'll become too attached the idea of the dream so that if they don't realize it, they're lost.  But true dreams must be outside the box.  My dream?  When I was a teenager, I realized I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder -- I wanted to teach in a one-room school.  That may sound ridiculous, but sometimes dreams do sound that way.

2.  Being an active participant in your dream...dreams don't come true by imagining them and then sitting back and waiting for it to land in your lap.  Too bad -- sounds kind of nice ;)  But if we're not willing to get out there and do everything we can to make the dream happen, then it probably.  I knew so many people when I was in my late teens and early twenties who did this.  They weren't afraid to reach for the stars -- but they were afraid to find the rocket ship that would take them there.  And because of that, they never realized their deepest hopes.  Obviously I couldn't actually become Laura Ingalls, nor were there any one-room schools around.  But, I realized, I could start one.  It took a lot of work on my part, and a lot of faith on the part of those first 13 children and their families -- but it happened.

3.  Learning selective listening...there will always be dream-killers out there.  They don't usually mean to destroy our hopes -- they're often practical and thoughtful and concerned.  But that doesn't mean we need to listen.  Only you can know how possible your dream is, or even how much it means to you.  No one else knows your heart -- so don't let the nay-sayers stop you.  I had a number of 'mentors' who repeatedly told me I was being foolish and stubborn in wanting to start a one-room school.  They said (and they were right) that I knew nothing about business, about zoning, about the problems that would occur.  But I was determined -- and I learned all that stuff.  The school ran for eight years, coming to an end only when I decided it was time for me to follow a new dream.

4.  Continuing to dream...don't stop after one dream comes true.  In fact, don't even assume that the first dream you have will always be the dream for you.  As we grow and change and encounter different circumstances and people, our hopes naturally vary, reform, become something completely new.  That's normal -- and allowing our dreams to evolve as we do is the key, in my opinion, to truly finding peace and joy in our lives.

Happy dreaming, my friends!

Every writer has aspects of creating a book that are challenging.  My specific challenge comes with character depth.  After a number of books, I can see that I'm improving -- but boy, it's not easy.

My process for writing is as follows:

1.  I come up with an idea; I let it simmer for a while (however long it takes) until it forms into some sort of plot with a beginning and an end

2.  I find a character who fits the story and I start writing.

3.  When I reach the middle, rather than let myself get bogged down, I usually try and do something completely unexpected -- this has led to some of my favorite parts of the books.

4.  I race to the end.

5.  Now the real work begins.
5a.  First I have to go through and make sure the plot doesn't have any holes in it.  This can take one or two (or more) read-throughs.  But I usually do this first because it's the easiest for me.
5b.  Now we've hit my challenge point...so often I'll set it aside.  Not for a good reason, of course -- but rather because I have to really push myself to look at the characters with critical eyes.  It's so tempting for me to let it be and assume that the readers will see what I see in my mind.  (Don't tell anyone, but I can be a tad lazy, heh.)
5bi.  It's still sitting there, taunting me because I'm not doing anything.
5bii.  Sigh.
5biii.  I give in and force myself to come up with a character arc.  This is hard for me -- and it almost always feels contrived when I first do it.

6.  Whew -- I have the character arc in mind.  Now I can revise.  

7.  I send it off to my trusty readers -- and usually their first comment has to do with the characters :)  (Although I can smile, usually their comments aren't that positive -- more along the lines of:  I don't like this character; or I don't see enough growth here; or this action doesn't seem consistent with what happened before.)  More sighs ensue.
7a.  I take a couple of days off to pout.
7ai.  Once the pouting is done, I return and almost always see what they're talking about.  I go back to the story and try to dig deeper, peeling away the layers of my MC, making her more accessible and understandable.

8.  In the end, especially with my last two books, I think I've found a decent balance.  My plots are stronger than the characterization, but I believe the characters hold their own enough to give me a chance.  And with every book, I'm learning more about how to strip those layers earlier and more completely.

What are your weaknesses, and how do you attack them?

I didn't look and see what the original meme looked like, but here's my version.

I'm taking five of my books and recalling the biggest change I had to make to each of them before I felt they were ready for others' eyes.  

1.  Autumn Gold -- two things here:  I heard from my CPs that the characterization at the beginning wasn't clear.  To revise this, I had to understand for myself who Darcy was at the beginning of the story, and then figure out who I wanted her to become.  As I revised, I wanted her changes to be gradual but understandable.  I've only gone through the first time -- now I'll go back and reread and see if I accomplished that goal.  

The second thing was the story arc.  I knew when I first started it who the 'bad' guy would be, and I had a vague idea of how Darcy would learn this.  But it was fuzzy enough that the first two endings I attempted just didn't quite do it.  I recently completed the third ending, and although it might not be in its final form yet, it's definitely along the lines that I want it to be.  Again, I'll look for that in my reread, as well.

2.  Tides of Change -- this book was all in the character growth.  The plot stayed pretty much the same from the first time I wrote it until the twelfth (or so).  But I just couldn't nail Hannah.  The first six or seven versions made her too weak, too whiny.  No one liked her.  One of my CPs made the comment that clicked with me:  Just let her be herself.  Duh.  Seems so obvious, doesn't it?  Now I like her, and that's important ;)  And I feel like her true personality is coming through so much better.

3.  Saving Destiny/Destiny's View -- here's another one that didn't quite the character growth/depth that was needed.  You're probably seeing a pattern here ;)  I can see the characters in my mind very clearly, but getting them down on paper is definitely my greatest struggle.  With Ev, so many readers said she seemed too adult and distant -- unrelatable.  Of course, she's British and living in 1939.  I wanted to get that aspect across clearly, and I think I did.  With my last revision, based on comments from an editor this time, I tried to make her goals more obvious, and at the same time, less stereotypical.  And her emotional arc needed to be clearer.  The editor who suggested these revisions is currently considering it....

4.  Rise of the Wisper Sun -- well, this revision changed Dance of the Wisper Air into a trilogy -- eek!  This revision came at the suggestion of an agent.  But I love a challenge :D  So I went through and split the story arc into 3 parts, then made sure the first one (at least) had a nice rounded look to it.  The agent didn't end up liking what I'd done overly much (though she claimed it was an improvement, and I'll agree) -- but I'm pleased with the result.  This remains my first love of my books; an editor is considering it right now, and I hope they pick it up!

5.  This is my summary point -- the area where my revisions seem to focus:  character depth.  Even when I'm tweaking the beginnings/endings (TOC had about a dozen different beginnings -- sadly this isn't an exaggeration; AG had three different endings and two different beginnings...so far), I'm usually doing this because I'm working to reveal the inner character of my MC.  Anyone have any tips on your strengths and weaknesses in revision?  And how do you dig down into the MC's heart?