You know what’s hard? Starting a new book. That first sentence, that first word, just feels so important.
I’ve been talking to a very cool blog friend about writing lately, and upon reading her latest message, I remembered how hard getting that first bit of writing down is. How exciting and nerve-wracking it could be.
For TNWSY, I stressed over that first sentence a lot. I wrote one, and then analyzed it from every angle. Was it good enough? Memorable enough? Will it bring readers in, or distract them? Will it catch their attention or bore them? I became obsessed. Crazed. That is, until I finally realized “eh, I can change it later.” So I forced myself to move on and you know what? That line didn’t feel as important after I was a few paragraphs in.
So here’s what I’ve learned – just write. That first sentence may not be perfect, but at least you’ve got something. Something concrete. Something to work with. Because in the end, you’ll probably change a lot, but you’ll never get to that moment if you don’t just write.
Oh, and my first line? It was changed twice prior to querying agents.
The winner of The Mockingbirds is…COLURE! While her answer is not the title of Book 2, I’m considering re-naming it now. I mean, how could “Three Serious Wacked-Out Babies” NOT sell?
Congratulations Colure!
Thanks to everyone else for entering. Expect a new giveaway soon!
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Now, I would have announced the winner sooner, but I had a slight problem this week. I’ll explain.
Over the past few months, I’ve developed a bit of a morning routine. I wake up at 6 am, shower, eat breakfast/drink coffee/write until I have to finish getting ready for work. It’s really great; I love starting my day so relaxed and creative. For me, words flow easier so early.
Anyway, Thursday I was doing my routine, getting a few words down for Book 3 (YEP! I’m holding off on editing Book 2 right now–rather let it settle and get this new sparkly idea down) when all of a sudden my coffee falls. Onto my laptop.
I screamed.
Have you ever seen a wet laptop? It’s the saddest thing. The liquid rolls down the screen creating tears. TEARS. I felt like a mother that just dropped her baby.
I went into SAVE THE LAPTOP mode and tried to clean it off as best as I could. S did some research and we took apart some parts and cleaned out others. Then, all we could do was wait for it to dry. So I went to work, saddened. When I got home, the laptop wouldn’t turn on. It wouldn’t the next morning either. It was dead.
I took to to the Mac store and was pretty much in tears. I mean, it was over four years old, it had a good life, but still. I wrote my books on it. It still worked really well. It was my child! (Okay, not really, but you know.) Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. So I had to say goodbye and buy a new laptop. (Thank goodness for savings.)
So here’s what I’ve learned from this experience: back up everything (thankfully I did, and then the Mac people showed me how to convert my old hard drive – which worked! – into an external hard drive); have extra money lying around in case you do something stupid; and never, ever, ever drink around a laptop.
Ever.
So, goodbye MacBook – you were a great friend and loyal electronic device – and hello MacBook Air. You’re cute and tiny and I’m excited to get to know you. I promise to take care of you, and not allow a beverage within a one mile radius.
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that yesterday I finished writing Book 2. To say I’m excited is an understatement.
Here’s a visualization of what happened after I finished typing the last line:
There were also tears and high fives and whatnot.
I’m really excited because, unlike TNWSY, I did not write this manuscript in a month. It took a bit longer, and I was really worried that it would be a million times harder, scarier. I finished one book, what if I wouldn’t be able to finish another?
But the thing is, I needed to write it. It was never a choice. I needed, wanted, loved to do it.
So, yes, it’s done. It’s a first draft, so it’s clearly a mess. I changed an ethnicity of a character halfway through. Two minor characters have the same name. One part actually says “WRITE ABOVE CHAPTER BETTER BECAUSE, COME ON, THAT WASN’T GOOD.” There are also hundreds of grammatical errors, probably, and many cliche moments. So, a lot of editing will be needed. But writing, getting out, the first draft is always the hardest part for me. The hardest part is now done!
TO CELEBRATE…I’m hosting another giveaway! As you may recall, I like buying books from my library to give away on this blog. This way I’m supporting my library while celebrating my readers.
This time I’m giving away The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney! Daisy is a beautiful writer, and all around lovely person. I’m thrilled to be giving away her debut book. (The sequel, The Rivals, came out earlier this year, so if interested, pick it up!)
A bit about the book:
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.
In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.
It really is as great as it sounds. Here’s the copy up for grabs:
It’s the original hardback cover. With the exception of a few bent pages, it’s practically as good as new.
TO ENTER! As you know, I like to refer to my manuscripts my their initials. Book 2 finally has a title and it’s abbreviation is: TSWB. To win, guess what the title is! The best, craziest, funniest, favorite answer (as judged by my husband, not me) will win. The deadline is Friday, May 18th at midnight.
When I was in high school, my friend always repeated the same mantra:
Expect the worst, hope for the best.
As a cynical teenager, I loved the phrase. I repeated it too because I liked knowing that if something went wrong, I was already prepared for it. This way I was never disappointed. And when something went right? Well, it was just perfect.
(And then came my second favorite quote: “If you start out depressed everything’s kind of a pleasant surprise.” Thank you, Lloyd Dobler.)
Over time, though, my cynicism was lost. I hated the idea of looking at situations negatively. Why would you do that? Why would you prepare for something bad to happen?
Which is why I’ve decided to change the original quote. I don’t want to expect the worst anymore. If you expect the worst, why try for something great? Really, it’s setting yourself up to fail.
So how about this: “Know the worst, but shoot for the best.”
With this, you understand the worst that can happen. You can analyze it from every situation and, in a way, still be prepared. But you’re not settling. You’re not telling yoruself that it’s okay to fail. You’re still going for the best in the situation.
Because rather than looking at things cynically, I’d rather be positive. I’d rather see the best in my future and do everything I can to reach it. Sometimes, I’ll even throw away the worst feelings. Leave them at home with all other doubts, and just keep climbing until I get what I want.
Because I’m done being prepared. I want to reach and hope and shoot and keep going and actually believe in the best. Because I know it can come.
I wanted to highlight a few books I’ve recently enjoyed. Here goes!
The Rivals – Daisy Whitney
[Since this is a sequel, I won’t say much about it. But as a background, The Mockingbirds is about a secret student-run justice society that helps watch over the students at a private school. Really great first book.] Admittedly at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted a sequel to The Mockingbirds. I really enjoyed the first novel, and thought it stood alone well. However, after finishing The Rivals, i’m glad it was written. It was nice seeing what happened after the fact, and seeing how past experiences, although sometimes horrid, can help make a person stronger.
So Shelly – Ty Roth
As a Literature major and former English teacher, I so loved seeing Byron, Keats, and Shelley as modern-day high school students. A really neat idea for a book, that intricately wove historical details into a new story. Very neat.
Warm Bodies – Isaac Marion
So much more than a the zombie-love story people think it is! I neat story told through the eyes of a zombie who kind of has a thing for a human girl. I liked how it gave a new reason for the zombie-apocolypse, and made you feel for a zombie. Honest!
Spin – Catherine McKenzie
A journalist goes under cover at a rehab facility to get the scoop on a struggling celebrity. I read this book in about two days. It was quick, easy, and really, terribly fun. I wanted so much more at the end, and have already reserved the author’s newest book at the library.
Lauren Gibaldi 