My Writing Process Blog Tour

© Anei | Dreamstime.com

The lovely Margo Kelly invited me to join in the "My Writing Process Blog Tour," so today, you guys get an inside peek at what I'm working on and how I develop my stories.

Be sure to stop by Margo's blog and thank her!

1) What am I working on?
The sequel to my space opera, Rain Reader. I'm so excited about how it's coming together and hope to have the draft done by summer! Next up will be the YA steampunk that's been rolling around in my brain these last few months and an MG portal story with a twist.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I'm a character writer. My characters are the first aspects of a new story that come to me, and they're what drive my books and win the hearts of readers. Yes, the plots are twisty too, but it's the characters that keep it interesting--what they value, what they choose, what they're willing to fight for or give up when faced with dire odds. I want to create characters that stay with people long after they've read the last page.

I also love the idea of making fantasy more accessible. It's my favorite genre, and I always want to draw in new readers. There's so much great happening in YA right now, but I'd love to write a bridge that pulls some of those folks into adult fantasy as well!

3) Why do I write what I do?
Haha, well I sort of started my answer to this one already. For me, spec-fic takes the best elements of other genres—romance, history, suspense—and adds a touch of wonder and magic! It has adventure, love, big glorious good-vs-evil showdowns, and characters that make us feel like we’ve known them all our lives. Writing it is a pure joy!
 
4) How does my writing process work?
It usually starts with a character who's suddenly THERE! The character's name and backstory typically come to me in that first bolt of inspiration, and then I spend a few weeks playing with scenarios and plot lines and letting it swirl in my imagination while I write whatever I'm currently working on.

I'm not an outliner, but I do let stories develop pretty thoroughly in my head before I begin writing them. Sometimes, I'll also do a few character sketches, jot down the plot highlights and firm up any worldbuilding details. Then I jump into the first draft and go! My goal at this point is to get the story out. I don't necessarily write in order. If a scene is screaming at me, I'll go with my gut and write it in the moment, then come back to fill in around it later. On the first draft, I also allow myself freedom to leave some parts in brackets, describing what I want the scene to do, but not necessarily worrying about the exact language and pacing yet. I do a little bit of editing along the way, and I have the advantage of an every-other-week crit group which gives me a nice recurring deadline to make sure I refine things enough for beta feedback.

After the first draft is done, I edit out all the rough edges, finalize the scenes I left loose, and delete anything unneeded. This is when the story really tightens and begins to pop. I LOVE editing!! No, seriously, I do! If I'm loving the story at this point, I know I'm getting really close.

I usually do a couple rounds before setting the latest draft aside for a few months to begin something else. During that time, I'll also start working on the query and any other pitch materials. Then, I come back for another round of edits - I like to print it at this stage. After that, it's final rounds with beta readers and prepping for the query stage!

I'm passing the tour baton on to my writing buddy, Kristen. She's writing an awesome historical fiction on Judy Garland, so tune in to her blog next week and check out her writing process!

What I've Been Reading!

Here's the stack I've tackled in the first three months of 2014. Lots of great reads in there! I knew I would love A Memory of Light, and it delivered in a big way. Lady Thief was amazing--seriously, you guys, I cannot sing this book's praises enough--and These Broken Stars shocked me with how much I  liked it!

What have you been reading lately?

It's almost heeeere! My theme this year is Story Songs, so stop by and enjoy the alphabetical awesomeness.

Coin of the Realm

© Anna Chelnokova | Dreamstime Stock Photos

We fantasy writers love to add currency to our worldbuilding tool belt, and our crazy imaginations have given us some pretty out-of-this-world coinage.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and, let’s face it, it’s fun, so you totally should!) – match up the fantasy coin with its correct realm.

1.    Crown                                               A. Chronicles of Narnia
2.    Lion / Crescent                                 B. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Cycle
3.    Galleon / Sickle / Knut                     C. Sanderson’s Mistborn Series
4.    Clip                                                   D. Paolini’s Inheritance
5.    Kalganids                                          E. GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire
6.    Copper Jot / Iron Drab                      F. Harry Potter
7.    Silver Stag                                        G. Asimov’s Foundation series
8.    Flanian Pobble Bead                        H. Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles






Key: 1-D; 2-A; 3-F; 4-C; 5-G; 6-H; 7-E; 8-B

Did you win? Reward yourself with a hefty purse chock full of your currency of choice! Or sign up for PayPal Galactic.

And, just for fun, got any made-up currencies in your own novels? You’ll need galacs or helons to trade in my latest star system.

Insights from Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson is one of the writers I most admire. He was in town this weekend for a signing, and my friend and I got to listen to his talk during the event. He shared lots of fantastic insights on his own publishing journey, and I wanted to share two that particularly struck me:

1. He advised writers not to pigeon-hole their current book by pressuring it to be the game-winning home run--maybe it will be, and that's great--but more likely, it's akin to training and batting practice so that in the future, you CAN hit that game winner. Write for the joy, write to develop your skills and become a student of the game.
2. He also said something like, "If I die with 150 unpublished novels in my closet, I'll be a happy man, because I'll have WRITTEN the stories I believe matter, the ones I believe in." It was such a refreshing view of success!

 Hope those words bring a little encouragement for any of you who need a boost.

Funny Failsafe Blogging Tips for Writers

Or, you could rely on the luck o' the Irish!

1. Keep it short
I love me a nice thick door-stopper series, but save ‘em for the book shelves, not your blog.

2. Be consistent
Blog on a regular basis and try to stick on a common theme – even if it’s a broad one.

3. Lists are your friends
A) They help you keep things short. B) They can be applied to just about any topic. C) Everyone loves a good countdown. See what I did there?

4. Use photos. Especially funny photos.
Readers love these, but be careful to use them responsibly. Either use your own or make sure the ones you do use are rights permissible, and always give credit.

5. When all else fails, mention Firefly and/or Joss Whedon.
Seriously, this is like catnip for us sci-fi and fantasy folks! We sense when it’s out in the blogosphere and will flock to blogs that have anything remotely related in their post titles.

How about you? Got any tips up your sleeve?

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!

Top 10 Ships (Space and Nautical) of All Time

So, it occurs to me that I must really like ships. My first series features a fleet of tall ships—I toured several and sailed in one as part of my research—and now I’m in the middle of a space opera…with ships of a different kind! I even have a secret query ship, but that’s a story for another day. There’s just something grand and cool about how a ship can take you away.

And, of course, when I realized that, I couldn’t resist a countdown. Here are my favorite fictional sea and space vessels. What are yours?

10. The Boru Karn, Gabriel’s Ghost and Shades of Dark
Props to Linnea Sinclair for making me love a ship I’ve never seen on the big screen. She’s got great description not only of the ship, but of how it moves through space. And, like so many others on this list, it’s got a charismatic captain!

9. The Sky Vessel, Stardust
It’s a tall ship. It flies. It catches lightning. That’s the trifecta! Throw in its colorful Captain Shakespeare, and you can’t lose.

From IMDB

8. The USS Enterprise, Star Trek
Before people get all feisty, this ranking says more about me than the ship. I came to the series late and have mostly only seen the new ones, so I feel like I can’t *really* do the ship full justice. Though it is one awesome ship!

From IMDB

7. The Indefatigable, Horatio Hornblower
My mom loves this series, and I got hooked on the VHS’ before I got the DVD player set up in my apartment. It’s partly the inspiration for the name of my most recent spaceship.

From Goodreads

6. Shield’s Helicarrier, The Avengers
Why has no one actually created this yet?! It makes the list for sheer awesomeness of concept.

From IMBD

5. Serenity, Firefly and Serenity
They made this ship come alive! It felt like a home to the characters, and I couldn’t get enough! She’s scrappy and beat up, but still kickin’. Just like Mal.

From IMDB

4. The Inferno (AKA One-eyed Willie’s ship), Goonies
The one that started it all for me. I adore this movie, can quote every line, and when the ship sails free at the end I want to pound my chest in joy just like Sloth.

From Goonies.Wikia

3. The Millennium Falcon, Star Wars
C’mon, it made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs and gave us Han and Chewie. What’s not to love?

From IMDB

2. The Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean
You may have heard of her captain, the incomparable Jack Sparrow. Plus, this is just a downright gorgeous ship.

From Pirates.Wikia

1. Moya, Farscape
She’s a living ship. She gives birth to a baby warship. Game, set, match!

From Farscape.Wikia

Clocks

Did anyone else read Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s The Grand Escape as a kid?

I loved it!

It’s about two cats, Marco and Polo, who escape from their sheltered home life and into the rainy streets, where they have to prove themselves to join a club of alley cats and find their way home. One of the riddles they’re given along the way has always struck me with a grain of hard truth.

The question is: What runs humans?

The answer: Clocks.

Boy, is that ever true! Lately, I feel like I need 30 hour days just to keep up with what I need to do, much less what I want to do. Sometimes, I think we run a little too much by our clocks (I know I do), and while we can never fully be rid of that instinct, it’s wise to take a breather every now and then.

We can’t make more time, so we’ve got to allow ourselves to slow down and take it whenever we can.

Is Skynet Already Here & Writing Poll!

With all this talk of book-delivering drones and the internet of things, I think it might be time to give props to writers of Terminator’s idea of Skynet. (For non-Terminator aficionados, Skynet is the highly-advanced AI computer system that becomes self-aware, takes over the world and produces Ahnold).

Just for fun, if Skynet is here, which tech giant do you think it’s masquerading as: Amazon or Google?*

Me? I’m off to do more pull ups!

From TotalFilm.com

 

You Tell Me: How Will You Know You've "Made It"

Here's a fun one inspired by last night's Oscars! Break out the hairbrush acceptance speech and tell us how you'll know when you've "made it" in the writing world. 

For me, it's all about reaching readers...and, boy, it'll feel great to hold my book in my hands one day too!

How will you know you’ve “made it?”

*Disclaimer: To anyone fearing or hoping otherwise, computers have NOT actually taken over the...Oh, look, the Amazon drone is coming for me!