Focusing on the Right Thing

I’ve seen this kind of sentiment whispered around the blogosphere from time to time, and I’m sure we’ve all had it cross our minds in one form or another. We see a book, sometimes even a really popular book, and think:

That got published? I can write better than that!

And that attitude can all too quickly snowball into:

I can’t believe what the industry is coming to. Look at the crap that gets through these days. Why aren’t agents, editors, readers paying attention to me when my stuff is so much better than this dreck!?

This is a big mistake. Huge. Besides the fact that all those negatives aren’t true, is that really what we want to focus on? Really?

Why waste our time and energy bad-mouthing people when we could be focusing on the other side? On those authors we admire. The ones who make us want to stretch ourselves and teach us how to get to that next level in our writing.

It’s a much healthier cycle to find a new book and say:

Wow, that got published. Someday, I’m going to write like that!

Reintro'ing Myself

Hi everyone,

Today I’m taking part in the Re-introduce Yourself Blogfest hosted by Mark Koopmans, Stephen Tremp, Elise Fallson and C.M. Brown. Some of you know me a little already, and I know some of you, but we don’t all know each other, so this is a fun chance to break-out the nametags and say “Hi.”

Here’s a quick snapshot of what I’ve been up to lately:

• I started this blog a couple years ago because I love writing (and reading) and being able to discuss it with people who share that joy.
• I write fantasy and have several novels either completed or in the works. Epic fantasy is my first love, but my current WIP is a space opera and next up is an MG series, so I like to mix it up.
• Last fall, I took the e-book plunge and published a pair of short stories called Running in the Dark. Check ‘em out here.
• I’m a PR Counselor by day, an MBA student by night and…oh yeah...in between, I find time to write. I’ll be done with the MBA in May – woo hoo!

For more basic stuff, check out my author page of the blog.

Review: Cold Days

One of my goals this year is to do more book reviews. I love ‘em, and it seems like a lot of you guys do, too, so watch for at least one a month. I'll be sticking to the fantasy genre.

First up, Cold Days by Jim Butcher, #14 in the Dresden Files.  

*Beware, spoilers follow*

I came late to the Dresden Files. As in, fall of 2011 late (12 books in), so this was the first in the series I actually had to wait for. You probably remember me talking about it last November when it (finally!) came out.

It was worth the wait!

Boy, was it ever. Fans of the series will know the previous book tied up a lot of the questions about Harry’s “death” at the close of Changes (#12), but Ghost Story (#13) ended with all of Harry’s friends still thinking he was dead. So, I was really looking forward to the “Hey, guys, by the way, I’m still alive. Sorry I put you through hell.” scenes in Cold Days.

Butcher doesn’t disappoint. We get to see lots of great reunions, including with Harry’s brother Thomas (My favorite of the bunch!), his apprentice Molly and, of course, with Karrin Murphy. I would have bet money going in that Murphy would punch Harry over the whole situation, but I like the way Butcher brings them together again even better. He shows us a new side to the characters’ vulnerabilities while keeping their classic banter intact.

The other slight concern I had going into this book was the overall bad guy landscape. Butcher had thrown the author’s equivalent of a nuclear bomb at it in Changes, and Ghost Story seemed poised to go in an entirely new direction. I wasn’t quite ready to say bye to all the favorite old villains, and I’m glad to see several of them return here. Top of which was Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness herself.

I’ve always thought Mab was a fascinating character, especially in the Dresden Files, but holy cow, I love how Butcher brings it to a whole new level in this book. He simultaneously makes her colder, more manipulative, and yet amazingly more human all at the same time! In the world of scheming faeries, I must say…I was on Mab’s side the whole time. It was endearing and heartbreaking to see her “motherly” wisdom at the end. But I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Other things I loved about this book:

• The set up of the massive warfront against the Outsiders. This one was great for a couple reasons: 1) It means Harry has a legit reason to maintain a balance with the world of Faerie and, let’s face it, you know that’s gonna lead to all kinds of cool plot threads down the road, 2) We get a glimpse at the Gatekeeper’s role in battle. 
• Mac finally opens up…a little. Like three words. Still, I’m really intrigued to see where this one goes.
• Harry and Murph. 'Nuff said.

Have you read Cold Days? What did you think?

Editing Encouragement

Editing is never an easy process, so I thought I’d share some tips. If you're anything like me, you're always trying to whip one MS or another into tip-top writing shape. 

Supply list: Get together your printed MS, notebook, highlighter 

My own process:
It's different for everyone, but here's how I go about it.

• I do a first draft, often re-reading sections and editing as I go (Draft one).
• I set it aside for about a month, then go back in and smooth everything out. At this stage, I read it through chapter-by-chapter, and jot down areas I want to improve, questions, etc.
• Then, I share it with my crit group (We do 20 pages/week, so I also edit each section again prior to submitting it for critique).
• I do another draft that incorporates any appropriate edits from the crit group (Draft 2).
• Let it sit for about two months and work on other stories.
• I go back through it again, mostly focused on tightening (Draft 3).
• I send it out for another beta read among a small group of critters who have never seen it before.
• By the time I get it back, about 4 months – I read through it again for a final edit (Draft 4).

Be patient: It’ll take several drafts to get it right, and it should. You change, your perspective on your WIP changes. 

Layer it: Trying to edit the entire manuscript at once can be overwhelming. Edit in layers, focusing on one thing at a time (by chapter or the entire book) so you can focus and not get distracted.

More advice and encouragement: The woman who owns my local writing studio likes to say, “The second draft grows…because you’re adding information you’ve now realized you need, worldbuilding, character details, add’l scenes to fix plot holes, etc. The third draft begins to shrink…because you now have all the info you need, and you’re just focused on presenting it at its very best, in powerful, streamlined language.”

Good luck everyone!

Jillian Michaels Does BIC

I’ve been watching The Biggest Loser lately, and I can’t help but wonder what would happen if Jillian were standing over my shoulder during a writing session. Talk about the ultimate Butt-in-Chair workout!

It might go something like this:

*After hours of writing, my butt shifts slightly in the chair, as if to rise*

JM: “What are you doing?”
Me: “I…well…”
JM: “What. Are. You. Doing?”
Me: “I…”
JM: “Do I look like I’m in a tolerant mood? Sit down.”
Me: “But, I have to go to the bath—”
JM: “You don’t get it do you? This is life and death. You literally…left your characters…to die.”

*Gulps*

JM: “Is that what you want? You want them to die?”
Me: “…No?”
JM: “Do. You. Want. Them. To. Die.”
Me: “No!”
JM: “Then get your butt back in that chair and write.”

*Sits, stares at blank screen in fear for half a second.*

JM: “Write! Now. Not later. Now! You think you’re going to walk up to the NYT, and they’re going to reward you for quitting? Show me you want this. Go, go, go. I need to see more. Not less. More!”

*Fingers fly over the keyboard, no longer caring if words make sense*

JM: “If you don’t want this, I guarantee you somebody else does. So stop wasting my time if you’re not. Going. To. Write.”

*Fingers…cramping. Doesn’t…matter.*

JM: “Better. Okay, see, that’s how we do it. Now, go ice your fingers.”

*Glances at screen in giddy delirium.*

Me: “Huh, look at that. I wrote 40,000 words. In one sitting. She really is the greatest trainer in the world.”

Hopping Around with Revealing Covers

No, the blog is not experiencing a wardrobe malfunction. But I AM hopping around, and I DO have an awesome cover reveal for you.

First up, I'm guesting about "writing for a living" over on J.C.'s Fighter Writer blog. Check it out!

And, you've probably all seen Christine Rains' tour stops for 1302 - The Alpha. Well, it's time to make more room on your shelves, because we're unveiling the shiny new cover for Christine's third book in the series, The Dragonslayer.

Title: 1303 – The Dragonslayer (The 13th Floor series, #3)
Release date: February 13th, 2013

On the rooftop of a neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

I'd get it for his name alone! Plus, you guys know I'm all about the dragons.


Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has four novellas and eighteen short stories published.

Website: http://christinerains.net/
Blog: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CRainsWriter
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4017568.Christine_Rains

Coloring the Page: Precious Stones

For the last entry in the Color Thesaurus series, I thought it’d be fun to look at hues and descriptions for precious stones. These are great not only as descriptors, but as possible inspiration for stand-alone objects or trinkets in your story.

Agate: Fine grained and fibrous with color banding or irregular clouding; can occur in a variety of colors
Amethyst: Purplish to violet transparent quartz
Basalt: Volcanic rock, often has a gray porous appearance
Beryl: Pale green to olive yellow
Carnelian or Cornelian: Vibrant orangeish red
Chert: A milky white stone, sometimes with veins of rust or brown
Chrysoprase: Apple green gemstone
Diamond: Naturally colorless or white crystal
Emerald: Brilliant green beryl
Garnet: Usually a very dark rich red
Jacinth: A red to reddish orange
Jasper: Rusty brown
Onyx: Features a variety of color bands, from flesh-tone or white to pure black
Opal: Translucent, often milky gemstone with a variety of other colors within
Quartz: Hard and crystalline; can occur in a number of colors
Sapphire: Brilliant blue, sometimes approaching deep indigo
Sard: Deep orange red to brownish red
Sardonyx: Alternating reddish brown and white bands
Topaz: Often golden in appearance
Turquoise: Blue to greenish blue

Author Interview: Kristen Winiarski...er, Judy Garland

I'm so excited guys! One of my closest writing friends is taking over the blog today. Kristen's working on a historical fiction about Judy Garland, and she's got some great insights to share.

What first inspired you to write about Judy?
I started my historical fiction novel based on Judy Garland during my last semester of college. It was for an Advanced Writer’s Studio class. I was inspired to write about her due to the fact that most people only know two things about her; one that she was in The Wizard of Oz, and two that she died from a drug overdose. I feel that these two things overshadow the rest of her life and her true talents as a singer and an actress.

This seems to be especially true of those in my generation. Many people don’t appreciate the golden era of movies and the stars of that time and are missing out on a lot of great movies. There are so many fun facts and circumstances surrounding her movies that I feel should be shared with the public.

For instance, there were a lot of issues surrounding The Wizard of Oz. Knowing the behind-the-scenes troubles and triumphs help appreciate the movie even more. She is often misunderstood, and I wanted to show another side to her that many don’t know. She was an amazing talent and, despite her demons, produced marvelous works of art in her movies.

Since Judy Garland is a very well-known person, how do you blend your own fictional voice with historical fact? What sources do you use to do your research?

As I write her, I find myself reflected in certain aspects of her personality. All writers know that it’s almost impossible to keep flecks of themselves completely out of their characters. I wonder sometimes if she sounds too much like me, and that I am exposing pieces of myself that I wouldn’t want others to see.

Being that it’s written in first person, it takes a lot to put myself into her head. It can get exhausting to both understand her and put myself in her place. Research tells me what happened to her, but it’s up to me to figure out how that affects her so I can make her thoughts believable.

I pull my research from many different sources. There are three books that have been especially helpful which are Get Happy; The Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke, Judy Garland; The Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Legend by Scott Schechter and Life is Too Short by Mickey Rooney. Both Clarke’s and Rooney’s books tell great stories of what happened to Judy.

Schechter’s book gives literally a day by day account of what happened in her life. It is invaluable for figuring out when filming began and ended for what movies. This helps to match up her personal and professional lives.

I also take inspiration from her movies themselves, as well as the movie adaptation of the book Me and My Shadows, by her daughter Lorna Luft. IMDB.com is great for finding additional movie trivia.

What's your advice to other aspiring writers?
Know that you’re going to feel like you’re failing. I have been struggling to finish my book about Judy for years now. It doesn’t get any easier, but you need to just keep pushing through it or take a break or two and work on something else. Writing is by no means easy. It’s hard work and sometimes I don’t want to do it, but the pride I get over knowing that it’s something I created is amazing.

Also, don’t be afraid to send out stories. I just had my first short story called “Wishful Thinking” published. It’s hard to start sending stuff out, but you have to do it. Once you do, it doesn’t seem so scary anymore. When I got the acceptance, I had the thought, “Wow, I guess I really can write!”

What's your favorite part of writing? Most challenging?
My favorite part about writing is creating something that I want to share with others. I want to make it the best I can, which is a huge driving force behind finishing something. At the same time, that is also the most challenging: calling something “finished.” I tend to come up with a lot of ideas, which pulls me back and forth between projects so I have a hard time finishing one thing. I’ve also noticed that half the battle is just simply opening the file on my computer, because once it’s open, I want to work on it.

Since I've known her, Kristen has always loved the old classics, whether it's movies or books. Her short story on Frank Sinatra, called Wishful Thinking, was just published at Allegory. You can read it in its entirety here.

Coloring the Page: Metals

Last year, we covered all the colors of the rainbow in our “Color Thesaurus” series. I’m bringing it back for two bonus entries. Today focuses on the metallic hues we might use in our writing, and next Wednesday will be gemstones.

These posts aren’t synonyms in themselves as much as they are mini-descriptions of these items so we can use them as color synonyms.

Brass: Between brown and gold
Bronze: Moderate yellowish to olive brown
Copper: Reddish brown metallic
Iron: Silvery gray, lustrous
Lead: Bluish gray
Nickel: Silvery and hard
Platinum: Bright silvery gray
Silver: A lustrous white
Tin: Silvery metallic
Zinc: A bluish gray, slightly brighter than lead

A Story & A Tribute

23 Years in the Making...

Yesterday, the last book of my childhood hit the shelves. Robert Jordan’s uber-epic (I think 14 books qualifies as uber) Wheel of Time comes to an end with A Memory of Light.

It’s one of those books I’m torn about reading. Do I rush out, buy it and devour it in one night because omigoshican’twaitanymoreit’sabouttime!? Or, do I hold out for as long as I can, because this is it, no more new words, and that kind of makes me sad?

See, this was the series that made me want to write fantasy. I’ve sung praise (probably ad nauseum) about how much I love the characters and the world, and how much Jordan inspired me, so today I just want to share a story:

In 1994, a few years after The Eye of the World was first published, Tor printed a promotional mini-version. Brandon Sanderson tweeted a while back that this was at Harriet McDougal’s (Jordan’s wife and editor) request, and the promo book only included the first 18 chapters.

A couple more years passed. Enter my grandma, who is, to this day, the consummate rummager (Seriously, ask her to find something and she will have it the next day!). She stumbled across this mini-version at some local rummage sale and knew nothing about it, except that her crazy book-obsessed granddaughter loved fantasy, and this novel with horses and people carrying swords on the cover might be a good match. She bought it for something like fifty cents, which is funny because I think the promo version was originally free, and gave it to me.

I also knew nothing about it—I think I was twelve—but I read it. And loved it! It was an adventure, a well-written, complex, intricate adventure with characters who were funny and loyal and sometimes clueless, just like me. In short, I was hooked. I got to the end of the promo and felt a little subconscious nudge urging me to see if the story had ever been finished. I simply had to find out what happened to these characters!

I was pretty much beyond words when I realized there was not only one completed book in the series, but about eight more by that point, too. I didn’t know authors could do that, not to that extent. I didn’t know there were stories that cool someone would let you continue to tell them. It was like a dream come true.

I had started high school by then and told my friends about this series. Every single one of them is now hooked in one way or another. My friend, Andy, owns a heron-marked blade. I devoured all of the next thirteen books, still loving the characters, being heartbroken when Jordan died with his masterpiece unfinished, cheering when Brandon Sanderson took over, and now, at long last, watching it come to a close.

I owe an awful lot to the fact that my grandma happened to pick up that particular book at a rummage sale (She teases me that she had no idea the type of monster she’d create). And it leaves me simply wanting to say thank you. Thank you to Robert Jordan for dreaming this up. Thank you to Harriet and the team at Tor who believed in it and made it possible. Thank you to Brandon Sanderson for doing a breathtaking job of revitalizing the series while staying true to its core. Thank you to Big Guy upstairs for letting me discover Wheel of Time and my own love for writing—they happened so closely together it’s hard to mention one without the other.

I’ve learned so many lessons from studying WOT over the years that I joke with friends that I won’t truly know how to write a final scene until I see how Jordan does it. I guess we’ll see…

What Makes You Love a Character?

You know that feeling you get when you find a new favorite character? He (or she) suddenly seems like an old friend. You know their strengths, their weaknesses and you love them anyway. You’re ready to stand up beside them and tell those bad guys, “Nuh uh, back off. You mess with this character, you mess with me.”

When does that happen? And what’s a realistic level of reader loyalty after the first book vs. several books into a series?

Harry Potter is maybe the best example of what I mean. After the first book, most of us were probably intrigued by the characters. We liked ‘em, we wanted to know more. But by the third and fourth books, we were stark raving fans (admit it). We were absolutely loyal to Harry, Ron, Hermione and the gang, and we championed their cause as ours.

Yet, it wouldn’t be realistic to expect that level of loyalty at the end of the first book. We’ve only been introduced to the characters at that point. We need time for them to grow on us.

As I’m working on my own series, I find myself wondering how to make that transition, how to make readers love a character a little more in the second book, third book and so on. My gut tells me it just happens naturally if we write dynamic, multi-faceted characters and put them in a variety of challenging situations to allow readers to discover how they react.

But, still, I’m curious.

What makes you latch on to a character? What makes you like them more as you read more? Is there a limit to what an author can accomplish in terms of reader loyalty toward characters in Book One alone?

Call for Crit Submissions

I’m thinking of adding something a little different to the blog this year. Critiques!

Need a fresh set of editing eyes? Want to make sure your characters come across? Got specific questions?  I’m opening up the blog, twice a month, to 300-word excerpts or queries.
 

Take the crit plunge!

Here are the details:

• Before you send, make sure you’re comfortable with me posting your excerpt, plus my crit, on the blog (I’ll always give you a heads up before it would go live).
• Send your submission to Nicole [dot] r [dot] singer [at] gmail [dot] com.
• In the subject line, include “Crit Me” and your genre.
• Let me know if there are any specific questions or concerns you want me to watch for during the crit.
• Limit your excerpt to about 300 words (Yes, plus or minus a few sentences is fine). If you want a query critiqued, feel free to send the whole thing.
• I’ll post the crits on Fridays a couple times each month and will let you know before your piece goes live.

And, here’s what you’ll get:

• I'll critique the piece from the viewpoint of a reader. That means I’ll let you know my overall reactions to the scene as I'm reading, what I think works, where you might be able to improve, and suggestions for how to do that.
• I’ll mark grammar, tense and punctuation edits if they pull me out of the story.
• I’ll respond to any of your specific questions or concerns.
• Though I’m not a professional editor, I like to think I have a little cred. I write and edit for my day job in PR (including a couple books), and I’m a crit partner for multiple folks who seem to like me. More importantly, I adore reading and writing, and I love, love, love helping people hit that perfect tone for their scenes.

 

If that sounds like it’s for you – send your stuff my way! And, if I’ve missed anything and you still have more questions, leave ‘em in the comments trail and I’ll see if I can make up some answers.

Shortly after I drafted this post, I saw Misha's awesome idea of "Paying it Forward" for her blog. I've always thought sharing insights, edits and encouragement through crits was a great way to help other writers get closer to their dreams. Goodness knows, it's definitely helped me along the way. So I'm really looking forward to this.

Gooooaaals!

 

Now that you're done envisioning an over-enthusiastic futbol announcer, let’s kick in the New Year with some shiny new writing goals, shall we?

I stumbled across my 2012 goals while cleaning out my room over the holiday break (shows you how much I looked at them throughout the year, doesn’t it?). But, guess what? I did pretty good. Of my two biggest goals—I achieved them both.

You know what else though? I realized I’m just a tad overambitious. See, those goals were two of about eight. I’d actually planned to draft two or three novels. Um, yeah. I did one.

So…this year, I’m reining in the focus. Not too long ago, I read this fantastic quote about making resolutions:

There are only two resolutions that matter.

1) Keep going

2) Pray more

That’s how I want to measure this next year.

And, just for fun, I picked three (only three!) specific writing goals:

1. Complete a draft of Rules of Valor book 1
2. Query Windfarer and Rain Reader
3. Continue blogging and short story marketing

What does 2013 hold for you?