Tag Archives: editing

TNWSY

12 Replies

PM_Announcement

Hey, remember that time I got a book deal? Yeah I’m still riding on that excitement.

!!!!!

So! I’ve gotten a few questions about the book, and since the deal is finally announced, I figured I’d share. (I’m a bit private when it comes to writing, as it happens.)

1. What’s the book about? 

SPARKLY VAMPIRES! No, not really. Above is the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement for TNWSY. I think Michelle summed up my book extremely well in one-sentence. I tried, and ended up with a paragraph. That’s what happens when you’re a wordy writer I suppose. (Also, HOW EXCITED was I to see the official announcement? EXTREMELY.)

2. How did you come up with the title?

It’s one of the lines from the book, and it kind of kicks off the plot. I had a few ideas prior to it, but when that came to  mind, I was like YES. THAT. DONE.

3. Is it based on real life? 

No, not at all. The high school is loosely based on the high school I went to, and some of the places they visit mirror places here in Orlando, but the experiences and characters are completely made up. Though, they are definitely the kind of people I would have been friends with in high school (and through today).

4. Are you living a glamorous writer’s lifestyle now? 

Let me tell you – after getting the news…I went right back to work. I mean, I was ridiculously teary-eyed for the rest of my shift, but I still worked. And the next day? I painted the cabinets in my house. I know. Rockstar life right here. (And as a follow up to that, no, I don’t plan on becoming a full-time writer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a librarian, just as much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a writer, and I don’t think my life would feel full with one part missing.)

5. What happens now? 

Now I get to start editing! I’m really excited to see where Karen will help me take the book. I know it can only get better from here. And, in the midst, I’m writing, writing, writing and loving it.

6. Any advice? 

WRITE! Don’t look back. Don’t doubt yourself. Even if what you come up with is gibberish (I can’t even explain how bad my first drafts are), it’s something. And something can always turn into amazing with a little bit of work.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your kind words. Thank you for going on this strange, new journey with me. I can’t wait to see where it leads. xxx

Writing

Leave a reply

A few of my friends have asked me how I find time to write between a full-time job, reading for said full-time job, moving, and, generally, life.

The truth is – I just do.

When writing – real first draft writing – I’m always planning. If I have an idea for a scene, I write it down. During downtime at work (shh), moments before meetings, waiting at red lights (also, shhh – I do not recommend this). I’ll always find time to jot a few things down on my notebook. And then in the mornings, or at night long after work, I’ll get out my laptop and write everything. As much as I can. As fast as I can. That’s how I write best.

And then when editing? I bring my laptop with me to work and edit during breaks, during lunch hours. I make myself do it, even when I’d rather hang out with co-workers and laugh about the day’s events.

The truth of the matter is – yeah, sometimes it is hard to find time to write.

But I just do it anyway.

Because I can’t not do it.

So for you trying – don’t try to find time. Make time in those small moments. They amount to a lot in the end.

NaNoWriMo

Leave a reply

November brings lots of things – cooler weather, Thanksgiving, pumpkin everything, my birthday…

It’s also National Novel Writing Month.

The event has a special place in my heart. It’s during NaNoWriMo that I finished the first draft of TNWSY. It’s because I was deliriously committed to finishing those 50,000 words in time that I pushed myself further than I’ve ever gone and completed a book.

And since then I’ve completed two more manuscripts. I go into each story knowing I’ll finish them now, not wondering if the last page will ever be dreamed about. I thank my competitiveness. My intense drive. My need to write. But mostly, I thank NaNo.

So with October 10 days gone, I’m approaching November with wonder and excitement. Will I compete again? I’m not sure. I’m in the middle of editing, and that’s more important to me at the moment.

But should any other writer do it? Absolutely. Because it forces you to write and not look back. It forces you to put your fingers to the keyboard and type without correcting spelling and grammatical errors. It lets you add parts that say “make this scene more interesting,” and continuing on to the next scene. Really, it forces you to write and believe in yourself. Because once you finish that first manuscript, truly, it feels like anything is possible.

And isn’t that the whole point of writing?

Who’s done NaNoWriMo before? Who’s doing it this year? 

Last Lines

2 Replies

A bit ago I discussed the pain of picking out a first line for a book. The first line is important, it reels the reader in. But you know what’s just as frightening to write? The last line. The last line is how the book will be remembered, it’s the last chance the author has to connect to the reader before the book is closed and the story completed. These moments before the end? It’s those that we live for.

For me, a last line can make or break a book. Sad isn’t it? I feel very strongly about last lines. I’ll adore a book, but if its last line is…meh…it loses some points. That’s not to say I’ve read a lot of books that have mediocre endings, I’m just, well, picky.

But it’s hard because we can’t all have “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” (The Sun Also Rises)

We can’t all have “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” (The Great Gastby)

(I won’t reveal other last lines as I don’t want to spoil books for you.)

So, there’s pressure. Lots of pressure to accurately sum up the book into one simple sentence.

The last line for TNWSY came to me in a migraine-induced haze. I don’t recommend this to anyone. I was lying on the couch with my eyes squeezed shut (lights hurt) and the last page, the last paragraph, the last sentence came to me. And I couldn’t not write it. So I let the light in, opened my laptop back up, and typed as fast as I could. And I was so happy with it. And even after edits and revisions, that one last line has never changed.

For TSWB, I hate my last line. Hate it. I’ve only done one round of revisions, so I can’t say much, but it just feels forced. I know something better will come eventually, but I felt the pressure to make it good. So I kept trying different things until I was moderately happy.

With Book 3, I just typed. I didn’t think about it, didn’t even know how the last page would end. I typed and poof it came to me. And it’s so incredibly cheesy, but I like it. I find it sweet and fun and sentimental and kind of like the book itself.

So in three attempts I haven’t found the best way to choose a last line. But i’m working towards it. Because if any of my books are ever published, I want that line to mean something. I don’t want readers to put down the book and go “meh,” I want them to high five it for its attempt at giving them the truths they were looking for.

How do you write your last line? Is it planned, or is it just improvised? What are some of your favorite last lines? 

Lessons

Leave a reply

I’ve learned quite a bit from each of the manuscripts I’ve written.

With TNWSY, I learned that I can do it. With drive and passion and faith I made it through to the end in less than a month. It was crazy and overwhelming, but it was possible.

With TSWB, otherwise known as Book 2, I learned that I can beat roadblocks and keep going. That I can trust myself to make it to the end. That negativity and doubts don’t really get me anywhere.

And now, with the yet untitled Book 3, I learned that the entire process can be ridiculously, unpredictably fun. That while it is a serious business, writing, it’s also unexpected at times.And, yes, while all of my other books were fun to write, sometimes you need to push away the stress of being good enough and just write what you want. Even if it isn’t good. Even if it isn’t much. Just get it out there because you want to, you need to.

That said, as I’m sure you’ve assumed, I’ve finished writing Book 3! It’s crazy to think a year ago I had just random snippets of books I so badly wanted to write. And now, almost a year later, I have three manuscripts. One is with an agent. The other two are sitting on my hard drive, slowly being edited. No, it’s not just a want, it’s a need that pushes me to keep going. Because I have to write. And I love it. 

SO! Book 3 is done. Is it good? Oh boy does it need work. It’s like a half-baked cake. It’s still soggy in the middle and may poison you from the raw eggs if you try it, but there’s a shape and there’s potential. And i’m so incredibly excited to put it back in the oven, frost it and show it off to my friends.

I’ve waxed on about this quite a bit, because I find it to be the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever read, but here goes once more - keep going. When in doubt, keep writing. You never know what you may be able to accomplish. And when you get there? When you type the last words on the page? The feeling is magical.