Tag: writing

Doing

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Hello, I'm a Mac

When I got my first personal computer in 2001 (a high school graduation gift), my favorite thing to do was change the background image. I really liked the idea that a simple picture could change the entire look of a screen.

Since then, I changed my background rather routinely. That is, until March 2010. Around that time I discovered Smashing Magazine’s desktop wallpaper calendars. For three months, starting in January, changed my background to one of the site’s beautiful calendar images. I loved them. But, again, I stopped in March 2010.

That month, I found a background that just seemed…perfect. A simple tan background, it had the quote…

Are you doing all you can to become the person you want to be?

At the time I was trying to write a book. I was starting and stopping and starting and stopping and nothing felt right. So I kept the background to push myself forward, to give myself the inspiration to keep going. Keep writing. Because that was who I wanted to be…a writer. (And, as it turned out, a librarian. But more on that later.)

You all know the ending of that story. I didn’t become a major author that year, but I did finish a book a year and a half later and today I have an agent. It’s lovely, really.

So yesterday, looking at my desktop background, I considered changing it. Why would I need something to push me to write? I do it easily now. I became what I wanted to be.

But to me? That’s not enough. I want to keep going, keep pushing, keep being. I want to remind myself to keep trying no matter how tough it gets. Because I want to continue doing all that I can. Because it’s not always easy, but man is it rewarding.

What do you want to be? And what are you doing to get there? 

Teens of Today

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At the library, the majority of our volunteers are teens. They’re all really sweet and really helpful and pretty much only know me as that stereotypical librarian (complete with glasses and cardigan. I am a walking stereotype). So it’s fun when they ask me something and my answer surprises them. I was a drummer? I was in the circus? Yeah, like that.

So today I was talking to one of our volunteers, and mentioned being obsessed with pop punk when I was around his age. To my delight, the genre is still around and while I don’t know any of the current popular artists, I’m happy to know people still like it. So he jotted down some bands for me to check out, and I told him I’ll come back with recommendations of my own.

And that – just that – is why I write young adult novels. Because while times do change (I didn’t have a cell phone in high school; Facebook wasn’t invented; Leonardo DiCaprio was the dreamiest – okay he still is), basic things don’t. In high school there will always be the jocks, the cheerleaders, the geeks, the drama kids (me!), the artists, the guys in bands.

But also? There will always be heartbreak so bad you don’t know if you can go on, best friends who you’ll give your life for, crushes that are dreamt about in class over and over again, embarrassments that you think will haunt you forever, pressure that’s beyond overwhelming, songs that feel like they were written just for you, and moments you know you’ll remember forever.

Yeah, I’m a decade older than those teens, but I know what they’re going through because I went through it, too. And knowing that – knowing how things really don’t change – is really kind of great, isn’t it?

Distractions

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Sometimes, when writing, I just need to get up and get away from the document for a handful of minutes. I lose interest, strength to go on, and know that if I keep typing (not writing, typing), nothing good will come. I need to stretch, take a breath, and not allow myself to not scream “I’M THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD.”

Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.

Anyway, I used to clear my mind by doing the normal social media rounds (Twitter, Facebook, GReader, etc…), but realized that instead of clearing my mind, they distract me even more and 10,000 clicks later I’m nowhere closer to coming up with a witty retort for my main character. So I’ve stopped doing that (for the most part…) Since then, I’ve been trying different distraction techniques to see if anything could let me breathe for five minutes without fully sucking me in. A quick yoga stretch? Running around the apartment to let my energy out? Singing to whatever Glee song happens to come on my iTunes?

The other day I tried polishing my nails. They were short, brittle, so why not spice them up. And then this happened:

Me: I put glitter on my finger nails! See?
S: Why’d you do that? That’s dumb. (pause) Oh wait, you meant to. (pause) They look great!

And then we laughed. And then I got back to writing. He means well, he really does.

What are some of your mini-distraction techniques? 

Editing Agents

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I did a ton of research before querying agents and learned something interesting. There are, apparently, two types of agents: ones who offer editorial suggestions/revisions and ones who don’t. What I wanted most was for my MS to be good, so I decided to only query agents who mentioned that they would work with me to perfect my MS, and offer editorial suggestions prior to submission.

Let’s just say that it was the best decision I could ever make.

My agent is amazing. After agreeing to work with her, within a week she sent me a document that basically outlined a few areas I could beef up and/or improve. I loved reading her advice, and loved applying it to TNWSY. Because everything she suggested was spot on. They made my book so much better, deeper, more complex. It’s like she opened up my idea and fluffed it up a bit.

Now i’m onto line edits and while opening my track changed document was a bit jarring at first (what? so much is bad?) I saw quickly that her changes were all for the better, and, honestly, there weren’t that many big ones. (It’s like seeing the red pen on an essay. You just assume everything written is bad, and don’t look for the compliments buried within.) She had grammatical suggestions, places to emphasize, places to stretch out. And as I accepted the changes, I saw how it all worked really well. And how she’s totally right about nearly everything. And I know it’s not required to accept every suggestion, every edit an agent offers, but I actually love everything she’s done. Truly.

So! My advice is this – when looking for agents, decide which kind you want to work with. If you’d rather just go straight to submissions, that’s fine! But if you’d rather get down to the nitty gritty and uncover diamonds in the rough, perhaps go with an editing agent. I adore mine, and I hope you’ll like yours, too.

Easter Eggs

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I love inside jokes. The little things that mean so much to just a handful of people, and nothing at all to others. Small mentions or glances that can tell a whole story. It makes you feel in on something, makes you feel part of it.

I suppose that’s why I love when authors make references to previous works in their novels. Paige Toon is fantastic at it. In each of her books, she’ll have one of her previous characters show up. It’s never an important role, and it doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t read her other books, but for those who know, it’s phenomenal. Sometimes it’s just a mention (for instance, in one book, the main character picks up a poster of a rock star. Simple enough, right? But if you know, the rock star was the main character from an earlier novel.) and sometimes they’ll actually show up and answer a question lingering from a previous book (one book ends with the question of who’s the father. The question is actually answered one book later when the mom and child walk down the street. Merely pass by, but there’s one sentence that details the child’s eye color and that makes all the difference.).

(That was the longest, most run-on sentence in the history of sentences, wasn’t it?)

Sarah Dessen does it really well, too. Instead of just mentioning a character, though, she creates a whole world. The same shops and restaurants are visited. Characters pass through, unremarkable unless you know. I love it so much. Vikas Swarup did it too, bringing his two main characters of Q&A (the book Slumdog Millionaire was based on) into his second novel, Six Suspects.

I guess, much like inside jokes, I enjoy these Easter eggs because they make me feel in with the book. Like I’m sharing a joke with the author and becoming more connected to their world. Perhaps i’m the only one who feels that way, but every time I see another reference, it’s like a wink in my directions, a thank you for sticking around.

So i’ve decided to do that, too. In a very minor way I’m making a small mention of a main character from TNWSY in Book2. If you get it, awesome. If not, it doesn’t matter. But man, writing that scene? It was so much fun. It was like bringing my character into a new world, and seeing how he’d do. And I loved it. And I hope others do, too.

As a reader, do you like when authors do it? What are some other examples? (And as a writer, have you ever thought of doing it?)