Write On!

From the Trenches: Taryn has an Agent!!!

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! Some of you probably follow my blog and saw this post on Monday, in which I announced that I am now represented by Vickie Motter, thanks to a contest here. All sorts of yay-ness and the whole story can be found in the aforementioned blog post.

Over here, I just want to talk about the whole teen aspect of the agented thing.

I only queried 15 agents, received 8 full requests, and ended up with more than one offer. Most of the agents who passed said things like "I'm so impressed by the things you've accomplished at your age."

(On the other end of the spectrum, I got one pass from an agent who clearly didn't know my age. She said "YA is definitely your genre...you nail the teen voice...")

But part of being young has nothing to do with writing. When did you write your first full length novel? I was 11. When did you start looking seriously at publishing? I was 16. It's a common saying that you aren't publishable until you've written 1 million words of fiction. Whether it's true or not, I've definitely hit that threshold.

In writer years, I'm mature.

Just because someone else is 28, that doesn't mean they're somehow more deserving of being a serious writer. Writing takes practice, just like anything else.

There are freak stories out there in which someone writes a novel, fixes some typoes, sends it out, gets an agent, and gets a book deal (Michelle Hodkin comes to mind), but most people? Most people are like Natalie Whipple and Beth Revis and the countless other authors who work really really really hard and face many many many setbacks before finally getting to where they are, where we would consider success.

If you're here, reading this blog and learning more about publishing, you're already steps ahead of most adults. Doesn't that feel great?

FROM THE TRENCHES: MAD

2012-02-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

I really hope all of this makes sense. I have no idea what I sound like to other people when I blabber…

As I prepare to go on sub for the first time in my life (!), I’ve been thinking a lot about the best tool a writer can have, and it isn’t material, like a spiffy laptop (I dealt with a laptop for months that shut off every five minutes and demanded its own personal fan, and I was extremely tempted). In my book, it doesn’t even involve other people.

I think the best tool a writer can have is a good attitude.

I mean, when you think about it, your attitude can affect your success as a writer in a ton of different facets.

If you don’t have the perseverance, you may never reach that one agent who falls in love with your work, no matter how much work it might still need, because you let those rejections bog you down.

If you’re not open to critique and correction, you might never reach your full potential as a writer, and your writing might not be as good as it could be. There are enough people out there resting on their laurels. Being one of them doesn’t really get one anywhere.

On the other hand, if you’re willing to leave your ego at the door, keep your head down and work hard, asking for opinions and thoughts on your writing, you’re going to be a much better, and much more humble, writer.

I know that my writing has improved tons since I’ve dropped the whole “I don’t need crit partners” crap and really buckled down and seen my work in an unbiased light. Now I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I know how much hard work and persistence can pay off, guys. With aikido—my seven month anniversary is this weekend, and I couldn’t be happier—I work extremely hard, and when I say I work hard, I mean I WORK HARD.

I’m there every week, for every class. I get there early and I practice, practice, practice. I ask my fellow students (who are above me) and my sensei to nit-pick me and to constantly tell me what I can improve on, because I WANT TO GET BETTER. I’m willing to lay my faults out there and have someone tell me how terrible something was, and then how I can fix it.

The best part is that all of my hard work’s paying off. I’m 6 months ahead of schedule with rank testing, and I pretty much know everything below black belt because of how hard I’ve worked. Not only does it make me feel good, but it gives me an advantage on future tests.

I give all of the credit to my success in the martial arts to my hard work, and nothing else.

My point, guys, is that the only thing you really need to worry about with your writing is your state of mind. Everything else will take care of itself.

Does that make sense?

Author Interview -- Kate Constable

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's TIME! Another wonderful author has agreed to an interview, sharing insight and encouragement. WOTeens, meet Kate Constable!

KATE CONSTABLE

"Kate Constable was born in Victoria but spent much of her childhood in Papua New Guinea, without television but within reach of a library where she 'inhaled' stories. She studied Arts/Law at Melbourne University before working part-time for a record company while she began her life as a writer. She has had stories published in Meanjin, Island and other literary magazines. The Singer of All Songs, The Waterless Sea and The Tenth Power form the Chanters of Tremaris series and were her first books, published by Allen + Unwin with very successful overseas sales, followed by a stand-alone novel set in the same world, The Taste of Lightning. She has also written a junior fiction book, Cicada Summer, as well as two books for the popular Girlfriend Fiction series - Always Mackenzie and Winter of Grace. Kate lives in West Preston, Victoria, with her husband and two daughters. She blogs HERE."

____

MAGGIE: You're the published author of more than one book. Tell us a little bit about the inspiration for your stories, in particular the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy (which I've read, and adore!)

KATE: The Singer of All Songs (the first book in the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy) was my first attempt at writing fantasy. I'm not a big fantasy reader though I loved fantasy books as a child, so I really came to the whole genre without much baggage. Having said that, there were three big influences on the world of Tremaris:

1) The Earthsea books of Ursula Le Guin. I read these in one big gulp just before I started writing Singer, and it shows (at least I hope it does). I absolutely loved Le Guin's complex world-building, and her thoughtful and compassionate philosophy. I deeply admire her writing, with its serious, spiritual core.

2) The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley was a favourite book for me as an adolescent and young woman, and I reread it several times. I loved the whole idea of the Arthur myth being retold from a female perspective, and I was very attracted to the notion of a women's community dedicated to the learning of magic. Calwyn's walled home, Antaris, was strongly influenced by the descriptions of Avalon and its priestesses.

3) Blake's Seven was a cheesy British sci-fi TV series which I adored when I was a teenager! It was very dark, very witty, but very cheap... all about a gang of space outlaws on the run from the evil Federation in a dystopian future. For ages I flirted with the idea of writing my own space opera with a similar rebel gang, who eventually morphed into the characters of Calwyn's motley crew in Singer. Darrow was actually named for the actor Paul Darrow, who played the character of Avon, who I swooned over in Blake's 7, though my Darrow is LOT nicer than the cold and calculating Avon!

Chanters of Tremaris trilogy

MAGGIE: Super awesome! You've created such a beautiful world. How do you worldbuild? What are your tips, tricks and methods for bringing the places in your mind to life?

KATE: I decided quite early on that Tremaris would be a society without literacy, so no written language, and also no accurate time-keeping. So instead of writing 'a second later...' I would have to write 'a heartbeat later...' or 'In the space of a breath.' I think having to remind myself about that as I wrote helped to preserve the 'otherness' of Tremaris. I worked out the Nine Powers, or different kinds of magical chantments, before I did anything else, which was fun, and that dictated some of the shape of the story as it unfolded. I'm the kind of person who likes to make rules and stick to them!

I also relied quite heavily on a fascinating book called The Year 1000, by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger, which describes what daily life was like for English people in the year 1000 - a largely pre-literate, pre-industrial society not unlike Tremaris. So I picked up a few tips from there too.

I tend to have a very vivid mental picture of the places where I set my characters - sometimes based on real locations, or places I've seen on TV - but tweaked for my own purposes. But many of the place-names, cultures and architecture of places in Tremaris drew on worlds and countries and cities I'd dreamed up as a teenager and written down in notebooks when I was supposed to be doing my maths homework - so all that daydreaming wasn't a waste of time, after all.

MAGGIE: You have one of those casts of characters that we as readers fall in love with. (Or at least, I did!) What are some pointers on bringing characters to life? And what inspires your characters -- people in real life, movies, etc.?

KATE: I guess I put my characters together with little bits from everywhere - characters I've seen on TV or known in books, people I know in real life - though I try not to base anyone too closely on someone I know, because that can get embarrassing!

To tell the truth, I'm not too sure exactly how characters come to life for me. I think this might be part of the writing process that happens unconsciously in my case! One thing I do try to remember is that no one ever believes they are doing the wrong thing - everyone has a reason for acting the way they do. But people's reasons clash and conflict. That's what makes the world interesting.

MAGGIE: So true. Most of us here on Write On! are not (yet) agented. What's your finding-an-agent story? When did you decide that it was time to stop fussing and start querying?

KATE: I must admit that I didn't ever actively hunt for an agent, in fact I'm not entirely sure what a query letter looks like! I was very lucky that an agent contacted me after I'd won a prize in a national magazine's short story competition. At that time I had only ever written short stories, but she took me out for a coffee and said 'If you ever write a novel...' It was a wonderful encouragement and when I did later finish a novel manuscript, I sent it to her. That novel ended up unpublished, but my next one was The Singer of All Songs. I was very, very fortunate to be spared that whole gruelling process, it all happened very organically for me.

MAGGIE: Wow! How awesome and lucky! So, you have a very sumptuous writing style. Does it come naturally or is there a trick?

KATE: Ooh, sumptuous! I like that, thanks very much! In fact, as time has passed, I have worked on paring back my writing style, so Singer is about as sumptuous as it gets for me. Almost the first thing that my first editor said to me was (quite sternly), 'Too many adjectives, too many -ing words.' I try to write quite plainly now and not let the scene get too cluttered with 'describing' words - you know what writing teachers always tell you -- a strong verb can do the work of ten adjectives, or something like that... But I do love my adjectives and adverbs and I have to be careful that they don't take over! So I guess the answer is that it does come naturally - maybe too naturally!

MAGGIE: Good advice! It's true adjectives are easy to over-use. What are some of your favorite books and authors?

KATE: [Here Kate listed 12 wonderful books*, and then proceeded to choose one (or some) to focus on.] I'm thinking I might pick the Green Knowe books, partly because they're fresh in my mind as I'm currently reading them to my ten year old daughter and loving them all over again. They are gently magical, written with a wonderful sense of poetry that really benefits from reading aloud, and a lovely awareness of the way history runs through a place - in this case, a very old house and its garden and river - which is a particular favourite theme of mine. In fact a few of the books on my favourites list share that same theme.

MAGGIE: Awesome! I'll add them to my to-read list. What's the hardest part of writing for you (i.e. editing, drafting, huge revisions, etc.)? How do you tackle it?

KATE: Actually I really love redrafting and editing! That's my favourite part of the process, polishing and chipping and recrafting to make the material as good as I can. What I find most difficult is coming up with ideas - is that peculiar? I'm certainly not one of those writers who has notebooks overflowing with ideas for books and can't choose between them! I am quite methodical, I like working my way through one project from beginning to end, then moving on to the next thing.

What I enjoy most is the part where the hard work of thinking up and structuring the story is all done, I have a rough draft in front of me, and I can concentrate on just seeing the action in my mind's eye as it unfolds, and describing it as best I can.

MAGGIE: Neat! Are you writing anything now?

KATE: I'm working on a YA novel set in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s, just before the country gained independence from being an Australian-run territory. It was an interesting time, historically, but not many people in Australia know much about it. And of course I'm interested in it because my family was there (though I was a lot younger than my main character). I've been working on this novel for a long time but it's finally starting to come together. It's tentative titled Independence.

And I've just had a new book come out in Australia called Crow Country, which has been pretty exciting!

MAGGIE: How exciting! And now, to wrap everything up, what's the best advice that you can give to young aspiring authors?

KATE: The only advice I have is to read as much as possible, and as many different styles and genres as you can -- try not to get stuck always reading the same kind of book. If you normally read fiction, try non-fiction. If you usually read fantasy, try some sci-fi. If you only like realism, try some fantasy -- mix it up a bit!

And of course, write as much as you can. Apparently you have spend ten thousand hours practising any skill before you can hope to become really good at it, and I suspect writing is no different! So start clocking up those hours! And good luck. Everyone needs some.

*The Green Knowe books by Lucy M. Boston

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

A Vicarage Family by Noel Streatfeild

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S.Lewis

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WRITE ON!

2012-02-07T15:39:00.002-05:00

One year ago, Write On! emerged from its shell and jumped out of the nest to fend for itself in the big, bad World Wide Web. To our delight, it was received with warmth, open arms, and excitement, growing from an empty blue and green blog to a tight-knit community of young writers -- all in the course of 365 days.

As we celebrate our first birthday, we'd like to thank YOU for making us what we are today. Without your tweets, forum posts, blog comments, Facebook likes, participation, enthusiasm and support, there would be no Write On!. So today is really a day to celebrate you-- our community.

Here's to another year of more growth, change and excitement. If you have any ideas for the future of Write On!, or would like to help in any way this coming year, head over to the Contact page and drop us a line. We read every email we get.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WRITE ON!

And never stop being awesome, Write On! teens.

Happy Writing! (And reading.)

From The Trenches: Maggie -- Comparing Writers to Shoes

2012-02-06T20:32:00.000-05:00

I feel like I apologize a lot on the internet -- usually for my lateness for something or another. Well, this is one of those times. I am late to post this, but this time there is a real excuse; I've been out of town twice this month, and everything normal and organized in my life has gone out the window and been chopped to bits in a jet engine.

All (slight) dramatics aside, I'm writing today on the uniqueness of writers, because it's something I've thought about at length, and I feel like I may have something for a few of you who need to hear this. With that incredibly long sentence out of the way, I'll jump right in with italics, to emphasize my point.

Every writer is different.

You've probably heard it before. Or thought it before. Or something. But I'd like to elaborate on just how true this is.

Let's compare writing to shoes.

Think about all the different feet in the world-- big feet, little feet, (here I ignore the temptation to quote Dr. Seuss), narrow feet, wide feet. Then think about all the different styles of footwear-- sandles, chucks, boots, flats, heels, vibrams. Now think about everyone you meet. You're bound to meet more than one person that share a particular size, or prefer one kind of shoe. But at the end of the day, everyone is different in what they wear and like-- what fits their style, yet is comfortable or effective in one way or another. I believe it's the same with writers, and the way that we tell stories.

There are some basic 'sizes': Pantsers, plotters, in-between-ers.

There are some basic 'styles': Speed writers, organized drafters, slow writers, fast writers, scrambled writers

And, just like shoes, there is a size and style for you. However, I think the most important thing is NOT finding where you "fit in", or trying to map yourself to a specific "writer personality type." While that's fun, it has the potential to drop a couple boulders on your path of creativity. Trying to conform to one size or style isn't, ultimately, going to yield original, stylized, personality-infused novels.

So.

My advice to you, O Writer Who Needs To Hear This, is not to go Perfect Fit Hunting, but to try on several pairs and find what's most comfortable, while still being effective. Something that gets the job done, but does so in a way that doesn't hamper with your creativity, or dampen your personal flair.

That's all I've got for today-- and it's been a long one!

For the comments, what gets the job done for YOU? Do you like to draft in a week and tear it to shreds later? Do you write in 100-word chunks? Do share! Your words may encourage someone else. It helps to know you're not the only one out there.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, and KEEP WRITING!

Vote for Miss Snark's First Victim!

2012-01-25T08:34:00.003-05:00

There's a Top Writing Blogs Award going on, and now's the time to vote for the blogs you think are best! Authoress, the fantastic founder of Write On!, is on that list! Let's show our love and give her blog, Miss Snark's First Victim, as many votes as it deserves.

CLICK HERE*

*Link doesn't work? Copy & paste url: http://blog.ecollegefinder.org/writing-blog-award/

Register for next week's AGENT CHAT!

2012-01-20T16:58:00.003-05:00

The dates and details are HERE! Want to spend an hour chatting with a real LITERARY AGENT? Have questions you want answered? Looking for ways to learn as much as possible about the publishing industry? Here's your chance!

Next week, we're hosting an hour long chat with guest agent Danielle Chiotti! Grab a seat, because it's going to rock.

WHEN: Thursday January 26th beginning at 7PM EST sharp
WHERE: In a separate chatroom, available only by registration! (We email you the link.)
HOW TO REGISTER: CLICK HERE*

Please remember this is ONLY for teenagers, ages 13-19, so if you don't fit into that age range, please step the other way!

Tweet, Facebook and email the word! Your teen aspiring author friends will thank you.

*Link doesn't work? Copy & paste: http://writeon.forumotion.com/t503-agent-chat-with-danielle-chiotti-thursday-january-26#5350

FROM THE TRENCHES -- MAD

2012-01-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

*If this doesn't make sense, I'm on very little sleep right now. I blame that.

With 2012 already here, it's got me thinking a lot about resolutions, and goals both practical and lofty.

For me, my resolutions for this year are to make more time for my writing and art, take at least 2 aikido tests, get an agent, and sleep more. Notice how every goal is dependent upon my effort output except for getting an agent. That is out of my control simply because it's subjective.

That's what I'd like to talk about today: lofty goals.

Personally, I think we all need a few lofty goals as writers, to keep us going when things get tough--which they will, no doubt. Getting an agent or becoming a bestselling author are great goals, but they're also not entirely in out control, so that's where the practical ones come in to keep us sane, like higher word counts and less purple prose. BUT, the lofty goals, while we achieve our practical ones along the way, help to keep us striving for better things.

All goals make us better, I think, lofty or not.

SO.

Tell me. What are YOUR goals, lofty and otherwise, writerly or not?

From The Trenches -- Maggie: Should teens be published?

2012-01-06T18:07:00.002-05:00

I know this topic has been chewed to the bone in the blogging/writing world, but I want to add my voice to the crowd, and what better place than Write On!? I'll just dive right in.

The question is: Should teen writers be published?

This stands back to back with the question "Can teen writers be published?", which, in my opinion, has only one answer. And that's yes. Obviously. It's been proven and done. There are teen authors out there (way to go, guys!). That's not the question I'm tackling in this post. This brings our attention back to the "should" in my first question.

Should they be published?

I don't think there is one, solid answer, to tell you the truth. It is completely dependent on that writer, both as a person and as-- well, a writer. The way I see it, the deciding factors of whether or not you (as a teen writer) "should" be published are as follows:

Your maturity. Can you handle a book deal? Can you handle a professional relationship with your agent, publisher, and editor? Are you prepared for the life of an author (book signings, tours, readings, etc.)? Are you prepared for both success and no success? All those questions should have a very confident "yes", with agreement from the older, wiser people in your life (peers, too) before you consider taking the road of publishing. If they don't, one of them might come back to slap you in the face, later.
Your work itself. Is it well-written? Has it been read/honestly critiqued by your critique partners /writing peers? Is it at least a third draft? (I'm sorry, but you have to be extremely lucky and/or incredibly talented to have a presentable draft that's anything earlier than a third.) Is it properly punctuated, edited, and clean of all grammar mistakes? And (possibly most importantly) do you love it? If you pass all those tests, and you have something that's tight, squeaky-clean and that you're head over heels in love with, then you're totally ready to start asking the questions in #1.
Your readiness and willingness not to give up. This is a hard one because it's so easy to become discouraged. Ask any author who's queried (well, not counting those amazing ones that land deals on their second try) and they will tell you that it's quite a ride. It's not going to be easy, and you're definitely not going to be offered a rainbow bridge or a flying unicorn to the Land of Published Authors. (Unless, of course, you are one of those amazing second-try deal-landers.) It's good to be prepared for rejection, to remind yourself often your vision for that novel (a.k.a why you wanted to publish it in the first place), and to be able to separate the opinions of agents from fact about you and your writing. That goes hand in hand with humbleness and being ready to back down and admit -- after the eleventh agent that says something -- that maybe your main character really isn't likeable.

While all the above is totally my opinion (do keep that in mind!), there is truth to it. I know this, having followed more than one writer in their journey toward publication. Some have succeeded, some are still trying. And what separates those (mostly adult) writers from us teens?

Nothing but a few years.

So my overall, summed-up answer to "Should teen writers be published?" is why not? If you are ready in all aspects mentioned above, and then some, then what should stand between you and success? Age is but a number. If you're ready, your novel is amazing, and you're surrounded in loving and supportive writer friends (hey, even if you're not!) GO FOR IT. And I wish you all the best.

Just my two cents.

For the comments, I'd love to hear your opinion! Do you agree or disagree with what I've said? Are you a teen author with a goal of publication? What are the things YOU think should be deciding factors of whether or not teen writers should query, and ultimately, aim for publication?

Until next month!

More teen shout-outs!

2012-01-05T11:39:00.001-05:00

Two more teen, end-of-2011 blog posts, both including shout-outs to Write On!, and the teens that make it awesome.

Kaye shouts out to the Write On! teens.

Maggie thanks the Write On! teens for being there when she needed them most.

If YOU have a blog post where you mention how we impacted you last year (or any time!) send it to us.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:23:00.001-05:00

A very Happy New Year to you, from Write On! Here's to hoping the coming year is your best yet; full of surprises, challenges, changes, growth, dreams come true, and plenty more writing! (And reading.)

For the comments, what's your New Years resolution? What are your plans for 2012? And in a word, how would you sum 2011 up?

A Write On! teen shares!

2011-12-30T13:24:00.001-05:00

Check out this awesome post by one of our very own Write On! teens. She talks about how Write On! was a big part of her year and what it's done for her as a writer.

If YOU have a Write On! story on your blog, email us a link! We'd love to hear from you.

Critiques, comments, and feedback!

2011-12-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

We've had some awesome comments going on around our eleven Are You Hooked? entries. Thank you to everyone who's given honest, helpful feedback to our brave writers!

Just a reminder not to take any of the feedback personally. Critiques are to help us grow as writers, and have nothing to do with us as people. You all know this already, but sometimes it's good to hear it again, since honest critiques can leave you feeling pretty deflated.

Now go take what you've received and fly with it! We believe in you.

Until next time!

Are You Hooked? -- Entry #11

2011-12-17T07:28:00.003-05:00

TITLE: Blink
GENRE: YA speculative fiction

Cold potatoes sitting in a pool of butter. Echo pushed her plate away; she never had an appetite when her parents were fighting.

“Fifty dollars!” That was her father’s voice, coarse and angry. “You didn’t ask.”

Celeste was crying. “Ace, I—”

“FIFTY DOLLARS!” Something shattered in the living room. “You are never to touch my money unless I tell you to buy something.”

“I’m sick of it, Ace!” Celeste’s voice rose shakily. “I can’t even buy a stick of gum without your permission! We are husband and wife—”

“And the money’s mine!” Ace roared.

“So I’m not allowed to buy a dress that I—?” A slap, and Celeste cried out.

“I’m the head of this house.” Something that sounded disturbingly like a body hit the wall. “If you don’t listen to me, I will make you!”

Echo lunged across the table and grabbed little Coraly off the stack of books that served as a high chair.

“Look at me, Coraly,” Echo crooned, aware of the tremble in her voice. “Look at Auntie Echo! That’s my Sweet Pea.”

But Coraly wasn’t listening. Her eyes were large and frightened. “Gamp angry?” she asked, voice soft and tentative.

There was another crash from the living room and Celeste yelled, “Go away! Just get out of here!”

Echo squeezed Coraly tight and whispered, “It’s a game, sweetness. It's only a game.”

Are You Hooked? Entry #10

2011-12-17T00:18:00.000-05:00

TITLE: COLLIDE
GENRE: YA Paranormal romance

P R O L O G U E

The rain falls fast, impacting against the metal of the playground with a ricocheting ping. Loud and echoing, it reminds me of bullet casings hitting the ground, like they do in the films my brothers watch. Just as unforgiving; just as final.

There was a time in my life when rain meant nothing much to me. A time where the speed with which it bounced off the ground would not have captured my attention. That was before he came into my life. He took everything I knew, and ripped it up. The way I see the world, my perception of everything, it's all changed. He taught me to see the world through his eyes, and through his eyes, rain fell like bullet casings.

Everything has a violent edge with him. There's always a hint of danger, a gleam of fear. Even the most passionate moments we've shared - our most intense kisses - had an edge of anger to them. Finally, I understand where that comes from. I understand why, in the same moment that he gathers me tenderly in his arms, he’ll be gazing at me with hell in his eyes.

It's all in his mind. It's inside of him. Half of him loves me, completely and utterly. The other half, the side merged with danger and anger, hates me. Despises, loathes and is repulsed by me. By us. By the love we share. The side that torments him.

I stalk him with my eyes, as he does me, from across the empty field.

Are You Hooked? Entry #9

2011-12-17T00:16:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Suckered In
GENRE: I'm not quite sure... YA, maybe?

I first met Thomas O’Rourke at the Maidstone Country Club.

I was on the Club’s golf course, about to tee off on the thirteenth hole when he approached by himself, carting around a heavy golf bag. Not being the type of country club to admit any old person off the street, I dismissed him as a simple caddy. I positioned my golf club next to the small white ball, and was about to strike when the caddy spoke.

‘Excuse me, dear sir, you wouldn’t happen to have the time, would you?’ the caddy asked me in a quaint Irish accent.

My own caddy answered for me. ‘Quarter past three,’ he said gruffly. ‘Now move along, go find your golfer.’

‘I am a golfer,’ Thomas O’Rourke replied. ‘I’m here to play golf.’ To me, he asked, ‘do you mind if I play this hole with you?’

My caddy began to tell the man to get lost, Lord Charles Hensley didn’t share the green with a common man, but I interrupted with a raise of my hand. ‘Settle down, Jethro, the man only wants to play golf! Besides, it’s a lovely day! You can’t blame a man for wanting to play golf on such a fine Saturday afternoon, can you?’

Of course, if I had known then who Thomas O’Rourke was, I would have demanded Jethro throttle him right there on the field.

‘No, sir,’ Jethro said humbly. He moved aside for the man to join me.

‘I’m Thomas O’Rourke,’ the man said, thrusting out his hand. I took it and he shook energetically.

Are You Hooked? Entry #8

2011-12-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

TITLE: POINT BLANK
GENRE: YA Futuristic Thriller

The Phoenix is watching. As the walls of the virtual simulation room flicker around its flames, the legendary bird stares me down with its scarlet, ruthless eyes, as if it knows what I have planned.

Quickly, before its image can fade away, I get out my pistol from my pocket and fire, again and again, taking revenge for all those years I spent alone because of it, for all those people that died in the fire it caused. The beast shrieks and takes flight, but despite this reaction, doesn’t seem at all harmed by my flurry of bullets.

I pause, and then continue to shoot at it, aiming at its head this time. The flames that make up the phoenix’s feathers bristle for a moment, crackling like a hungry forest fire before quieting down like nothing happened. The phoenix’s fire somehow absorbs the bullets, just like it absorbed all the heat and energy from the bomb, the grenade, and the rocket that I’d used against it in previous simulations.

The gun had been my last resort.

There’s got to be a way to kill it. I try to remember the list of weapons in one of the books about primitive warfare that I’d read before entering this simulation. After mentally going through that list, I decide on one of the weapons.

I then do what my weapons-instructor told me never to do in the midst of combat.

I drop my gun, and wait with my hand outstretched beside me.

Are You Hooked? Entry #7

2011-12-17T00:12:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Defiance
GENRE: YA Fantasy

Birds are free. Birds go where they want, when they want. Why can't I?

Lexa wished she could stop, unpack her wings, and fly with the flock cruising above her party. Riding north––on a raining horse, of all things––was a miserable alternative.

"Lexa Warbler, you've been chosen as the honored new bride of the recently widowed Thane Jacom, heir to the Isovian throne."

Honored. The perfect word to keep her from arguing with the flock leader's ultimatum. She wouldn't anyway. The leader's word was more than law. It was the way of life. You don't oppose life.

A stab at her side pulled a yelp from Lexa; she instinctively squeezed her legs, forgetting she sat on a horse. It took a moment before she regained control; she shot Palonsy, her nest mother and only companion from Moa, a look.

Palonsy wielded a small branch like a sword, her black eyes gleaming. "We're almost to the human's capital. Why do you fantasize when you should be straightening yourself up?"

Lexa longed to watch the birds more, but she kept her gaze on Palonsy.

"Should you poke me? I hear humans care for some people more than others. When we arrive, we mayn't be on equal footing, you and I."

"Oh, please. I don't care who you're marrying." Palonsy rolled her eyes and stretched, mussing Lexa's hair. "I will always be your nest mother, chick. Where we are is a technicality."

Are You Hooked? Entry #6

2011-12-17T00:10:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Bound In Blood
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy

-Miles-

Across the street, blinking red letters glowed in the fogged up window: Open. From my spot on the steps of a building, I had a clear view inside. The long glossy bar and the empty leather stools positioned in front of it; the bartender standing behind the bar, with thick, tattooed arms folded and the man he was glaring at.

I lit another cigarette and waited. Out of all the late-nighters, the man had been there the longest, sitting at a table in the back. I’d lost count of how many refills he’d ordered, how many hours he sat there, frozen, with a tumbler of amber liquor in front of him. I only knew that it was long enough for my legs to grow stiff, for rain to come and go, and for the evening sun to fall out of the sky.

Now, the street was dark. The street lamps lining the sidewalks were either broken or flicked at intervals, leaving the sidewalks shadowed except for a circle of golden light that spilled out of the bar window.

“Last one,” the bartender reminded the man, his voice a deep bass that reverberated through the window and into the still night. My hand brushed over the knife sheath strapped to my hip. I wouldn’t kill the bartender, not if I didn’t have to. It was more of an instinct, like my body recognized the warning and tensed for a fight. But at this point, if I had to choose, I’d probably kill the man. He was just in the way.

Are You Hooked? Entry #5

2011-12-17T00:08:00.000-05:00

TITLE: A Cursed Performance
GENRE: Horror

Prologue

Janik walked down the hallway, looking to the left and right anxiously. In her hands was a sword of pure gold. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she tried to creep through the darkened corridor.

Why did this have to happen? She thought. All I tried to do was write a play, better than I have ever written before. And, in addition, I just happened to unleash a demon! I never wanted this to happen!

Her thoughts went back to the happiness that she had felt the night she had finished. She had finally been able to write something she was proud of. She never imagined that the deal she had made in order to do so would unleash a demon.Her guilt grew as she thought about that fateful night, the night before the performance. They had just been finishing up the final dress rehearsal when HE came. SKARTRIST, the Soul Stealer, the demon she had unleashed upon the world. He killed everyone, all of the cast members … All except her.

Her quaking hands tightened their grip on the golden sword. It was the only thing that would kill a demon, if it was weak enough. If they were too powerful, it would only wound them. Janik hoped that SKARTRIST wasn’t too strong. Otherwise, she would have to use her OTHER plan. The one that was risky, but might have to be done.

Suddenly, creaking sounds and footsteps were heard as Janik's breathing became more erratic.

Are You Hooked? Entry #4

2011-12-17T00:06:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Spider Silk
GENRE: High Fantasy (mostly; think Narnia -- Earth kid goes to another world)

I slouched in my chair and stared at the puckered white line on the back of my hand. The clock ticked. Rustling pages chased each other across the therapist’s desk. Every so often, a pen squeaked against Dr. Rush’s lined yellow notebook.

We looked up at the same time; the doctor’s glasses reflected my eyes, and his greying eyebrows arched above the frames.

I dropped my gaze to the stack of paper on the desk. A hundred forty-two pages of memories no one believed.

“Well,” Dr. Rush said.

I didn’t say anything, which happened at a lot of my therapy sessions.

“Well.” Dr. Rush leaned his seat back and propped his feet up on the desk. His bony ankles peeked out from his old-man shoes. He pursed his lips. “It’s done then."

I half-shrugged a shoulder. “Five years… Don’t know what more I can do with it.”

“Ah, yes.” The old-man shoes bobbed up and down on the desk, ruffling the top sheets on the pile. “Today is the anniversary. Five years since…”

“Since that,” I said through gritted teeth, nodding at the stack of paper.

“Right,” said Dr. Rush. “Not your kidnapping. Your disappearance into another world. The ‘Toppling Kingdom’. And David, I’m not being condescending. If you believe this…” He gestured at the papers. “I’ll believe too. However, this account did leave me with some questions.” He smiled thinly. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not,” I said under my breath. “You’re a shrink. I expect it by now.”

Are You Hooked? Entry #3

2011-12-17T00:04:00.000-05:00

TITLE: The Slavemaster
GENRE: Epic YA Fantasy

Mahran dropped the dagger from the throat of his invisible opponent, hiding it behind his back as the scuff of footsteps entered.

Kessa rolled her eyes. "You are such a child."

“‘You are such a child.’ So what does that make you, little girl?”

She grabbed the sack of clothespins off the wall and left the shed, muttering under her breath.

Mahran returned to his battle—the enemy he’d killed had allies, and they wanted revenge. He slashed through the humid air, dodging their nonexistent attacks, and his short blade connected with the center post, metal biting deep into its wooden victim. Tugging the dagger out, he examined the edge for injury.

“Rajmahran, son of Rajmah, you get here now!” Ma called.

He sighed and sheathed the blade, trudging outside. The sun pounded his head immediately after leaving the shelter of the storeroom, and he squinted to see his ma hanging a pair of trousers on the clothesline.

“Yes?”

“You were being—” Kessa began.

“Kessati, quiet. Both of you, be good to each other. What does the Great God want us to be?”

“Good,” Mahran muttered, Kessa echoing him.

“Yes, good. Now go—visit your friend down in the village. I have a box of needles for you to play with if you run out of dangerous things to do.” She paused. “Go on—go.”

Mahran groaned and started walking. “Come on, Kessati. Do you have money?”

“Yes. You could pay for once.”

“Aph is my friend. That would be…weird.”

Kessa said something he didn't hear and followed.

Are You Hooked? - Entry #2

2011-12-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Extraction
GENRE: Ya dystopian

When Logan finally arrives, he's holding a flower that could kill me.

I stop tapping my nails on the fence and stare at the green stem, at how the petals glint silver so they almost look like metal.

“What the hell's wrong with you?” I shove his arm away and back up so fast I ram into our shack's windowsill, but the pain doesn't faze me 'cause I've felt worse.

It's been eleven years since I've seen petals like that. Silver aster flowers are genetically manipulated to calm the mind, but I’m severely allergic to their pollen.

Logan chuckles.

Leaning down, I sift my fingers through the dirt, find a rock, and throw it at his shoulder. Hard.

His laughter dies. “Jeez, Clementine.” He lifts a calloused hand and tears off a flower petal. Thin silver wrappings fall away, leaving behind the blackening blue of a common aster. It’s grimy, of course.

Everything’s covered in grime on the Surface.

My cheeks grow hot.

He smiles. “You didn’t seriously think I’d sneak into the Core to find a silver aster for you? God.”

“Oh shut up, Logan. You’re such an idiot.”

He tosses me the perfectly ordinary flower. I scowl, but sniff it. Smells like dust, same as everything.
“You ready to go?” he asks.

I snort and flick a red-orange curl out of my eye. Of course I’m ready. I’m wearing my only dress, light blue with faded pink flowers speckled across its fabric. I’m even wearing shoes.

Are You Hooked? - Entry #1

2011-12-17T00:00:00.003-05:00

Title: Sparked
Genre: YA Science Fiction

The only thing that stood between me and absolute, unhindered freedom was one thousand miles of desert and mountain in every direction. Aside from that little geographical obstacle, I was practically home free.

A hand touched my shoulder. I turned and saw Aunt Beverly standing there, wearing a housecoat that might have once been a shade of lavender but was now sunbleached white. “Daydreaming again?” she asked, brushing a wisp of blonde hair back.

I nodded. “As always.”

She sighed. In the distance, I saw huge black masses floating, suspended in thin air--or space--looking curiously flat and obtuse. The planes--giant steel behemoths--often liked to ruin my view. When you live in the realm of space that I do, though, the view is the last thing you worry about.

Aunt Beverly crossed her arms. I glanced over my shoulder to see her, her eyes focused far in the distance and mouth drawn tightly. After a moment, she said, “Your aptitude results arrive tomorrow. Are you nervous?”

I shrugged, “No. They don’t determine anything. They’re a compass, not a predestination.”

She smiled, her eyes sparkling from the setting sun. “True.” she paused. I could sense that she wanted to say more, but didn’t.

We stood and watched the sun slowly slip beyond the boundary of the earth. When it passed, she touched my shoulder again, “I need to deal with some dough. Come in before it gets too dark--there’ve been rumors of Duskers sneaking around lately.”

ARE YOU HOOKED? -- Entry window CLOSED!

2011-12-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

The entry window is now CLOSED! Thank you everyone for your submissions! Entries will be posted on the blog tomorrow morning.

Please remember that we ask all participants to critique a minimum of 3 other entries.

Have fun!

Tiny change

2011-12-12T08:26:00.004-05:00

There's been a slight modification to the rules for the ARE YOU HOOKED? crit round. You must now include your AGE beneath your screen name, just so you can verify that you are among our awesome teen group. It won't be posted on the blog.

Happy entering!

ARE YOU HOOKED? -- ENTRIES OPEN!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ready to get some feedback/critiques? ARE YOU HOOKED? critique round entries are NOW OPEN! Take a moment to review the rules and then GET SUBMITTING!

The submission window is now open! It will close on Friday December 16th at 7:00PM EST or when we have 15 entries--whichever comes first. (We'll be sure to notify you via a blog post.)
You may only submit if you're 13-19 years old. Sorry, grownups!
You may submit the first 250 words of your novel, whether it is a completed work or a work-in-progress (WIP).
You may only submit one entry. Subsequent entries will be disqualified.
All entries will be posted anonymously. (Your age will not be included, either.)
By entering this critique round, you are giving implicit permission to have your work posted and publicly critiqued.
By entering this critique round, you agree to critique a minimum of 3 other entries.
Send your submission to writeon.submissions@gmail.com.
You will receive a reply email with your post number. Please be patient; unlike the critiques on Miss Snark's First Victim, this contest is NOTautomated. Mad will be taking care of submissions by hand.
Format your entry EXACTLY AS FOLLOWS:

SCREEN NAME: (type it here)
YOUR AGE: (type it here)
TITLE: (type it here)
GENRE: (type it here)

(type your first 250 words here)

Good luck!

FROM THE TRENCHES-- MAD

2011-12-09T11:53:00.000-05:00

I learned a lesson this week, when my GED results came back, and I think it resonates very well with us as writers.

Here goes…

I’ve been waiting for my GED for months. I took it mid-October, and here it is, early December. Needless to say, I was biting my nails over it all, because even though I had taken my time, and at the time of the test, I’d felt pretty good about how I’d done, during the waiting period, I let that little voice get the best of me.

You know. We all have one. It’s that voice that says we didn’t do well, that we’re not good enough. It’s that voice that tells us that we’re foolish to think we’ll ever make anything of ourselves.

That has been my pitfall since I got my scores back. I walked around thinking I was going to have to retake the tests. I thought I didn’t do very well. I was really depressed about it. I was beginning to doubt my intelligence, and trust me, you don’t want that. (No one is stupid. I don’t care what anybody says.)

Then my scores came, and I realized that my worries were unfounded all this time. I passed everything; I had worried too much, and it was a worry fueled purely by my lack of confidence, and the ever-encroaching doubt I had in myself.

I felt so good about how I did that I stuck a copy on my fridge and I still find myself stopping in front of it many times a day just to look at my scores because I’m proud of how I did. But, I also know it makes me no better than anyone else; test scores aren’t everything. That’s where the keeping-yourself-in-check part comes in.

So I think there’s a real delicate balance that we need to strike between being confident in ourselves, and being proud of our accomplishments, and letting our egos taint that. Everyone should be able to feel good about times when they do well.

The trick is not letting it go to your head, and I think if we, as writers, constantly try to keep our heads on straight, and stay humble throughout the praise we’ll all get eventually if we keep working hard, we’ll have better careers and we’ll be setting better examples for everyone around us.

That’s my two cents. :)

Second In-House Critique -- ARE YOU HOOKED?

2011-12-06T09:59:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for some honest feedback? Want to know if your opening paragraphs are strong enough to draw in a reader, make them crave more?

Now's your chance to find out! Get some feedback/critique on the opening page of your novel in our second Write On! ARE YOU HOOKED? critique round!

Rules:

The submission window will open on Monday December 12th at 7:00AM EST, and will close at Friday December 16th at 7:00PM EST or when we have 15 entries--whichever comes first.
You must be a teenager! 13-19 years old.
You may submit the first 250 words of your novel, whether it is a completed work or a work-in-progress (WIP).
You may only submit one entry. Subsequent entries will be disqualified.
All entries will be posted anonymously.
By entering this critique round, you are giving implicit permission to have your work posted and publicly critiqued.
By entering this critique round, you agree to critique a minimum of 3 other entries.
Send your submission to writeon.submissions@gmail.com during the submission window.
You will receive a reply email with your post number. Please be patient; unlike the critiques on Miss Snark's First Victim, this contest is NOT automated. Mad will be taking care of submissions by hand.
Format your entry EXACTLY AS FOLLOWS:

SCREEN NAME: (type it here)
YOUR AGE: (type it here)
TITLE: (type it here)
GENRE: (type it here)

(type your first 250 words here)

There will be another post on December 12th to repeat the rules and announce the start of submissions. Any entries submitted before 7AM on December 12th will be deleted. Please only submit within the timeframe given!

Any questions? Leave 'em in the comment box below.

Happy manuscript-preparing!

We need your vote!

2011-12-01T07:08:00.000-05:00

Take a minute to share! Your feedback is super helpful for planning future Write On! chats.

<a href="https://writeonteens.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k1/" title="Write On! Chat Nights">Fill out my Wufoo form!</a>

From The Trenches: Maggie - Goals and Methods

2011-11-27T15:03:00.001-05:00

I DID IT!

First off, a quick apology for the lateness of this. No, there isn't an excuse, other than I forgot. Twice. But here it is, better late than never.

Since it's November, and many of us have been consumed by NaNoWriMo (key words: have been -- it's pretty much over!), I thought it was a perfect time to discuss goals and methods. More specifically, writing goals and methods. They go hand in hand.

I think it's really important when you're writing a novel -- particularly when you only have 30 days -- to have a battle plan. I'm not talking about plots or backstory or beat sheets. I'm talking about the end picture and how you're going to get there.

goal (n.) - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

In the beginning, ask yourself this: What is it you want to accomplish?

For example, when I began NaNo this year, my goal was to write a novel in 30 days, with a minimum word count of 50k. I knew what I was looking toward (shiny winner buttons, bragging rights, a purple word meter) and I knew what I had to do to get there.

I had to write.

While that sounds simple, I don't need to tell you that it isn't. At all. We all know how easy it is to get off track. Life happens. There's homework, jobs, family, relationships, friends, commitments, holidays, trips-- you name it, it's there to stand between you and your goal.

This is where your method comes in.

method (n.) - a procedure, technique, or way of doing something, especially in accordance with a definite plan.

How are you going to tackle this? When will you make time to write? How much are you going to write every day? Where will you write? For how long in a single sitting?

For a lot of people (me included), this is the hard part. Goals are easy. You know before you begin. You can just see it. Giving your great-grandmother a novel dedicated to her. Sending that query on July 14th. Printing that manuscript out, and hugging it while it's still warm. (I may or may not have done that last one.)

So how do you make it happen?

There are many answers to that question. Take baby steps. Don't look at the whole, just look at each day. Tape inspirational quotes on your wall. Print out a schedule. Make a spreadsheet. Hang a daily checklist above your bed.

Too organized? It's okay. Schedules don't work for everyone.

Maybe you need a big graph with boxes to color in? A reward system where you treat yourself to your favorite Starbucks latte every Saturday, provided you've met your goal? Have a friend text you to check up on you. Get involved in a writing group (like Write On!). Have people around you to cheer you on.

But most importantly, you need MOTIVATION. See your goal. Want it. Strive for it. Get determined.

The power of the human spirit is pretty much limitless. When we want something badly enough, we'll do anything to achieve it. Even if that means losing two hours of sleep to meet your goal, or giving up your free time, or missing an episode of your favorite show. (Hey, it'll be on Hulu later.)

So how badly do you want to win NaNoWriMo? How badly do you want to give that to your great-grandmother? Get serious. No more excuses.

Set your goal. Decide a method.

Achieve it.

Happy Writing!

For the comments: How do you meet your goals? What are your tips, tricks and methods? Share your motivational stories and wisdom.

From the Trenches: Names

2011-11-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been thinking about ensemble casts and how to keep characters straight. Part of this is because I recently read A VIEW FROM SATURDAY, and there are about 50 characters in there, and each of them has a weird connection to, like, everyone else. But none of them are characterized enough to be easy to remember.

Fast forward to the next week, during which we read Harry Potter. Over the course of that series, we are introduced to hundreds of characters, and we love them all. Games like this illustrate how rabid we are as fans.

But how does Rowling make us care, and distinguish, that many characters? Even though most of us probably can't name the 200 for which they ask, you'll recognize the names when you see them. (I just took it in the middle of class, and I got 80 in 8 minutes before I decided to start paying attention to the earth's crust again.)

It's all about the names. (Well, mostly. Part is the quirks to distinguish, but that's a post for another day.) She uses unusual, but simple, names. I can't stress how important SIMPLE is. We recently read the sequel to A WRINKLE IN TIME in my adolescent lit class, and some of the names in there are ridiculous. I would share them, but I can't remember them. And that is not what you want your reader to say.

What makes names memorable?

-No names too similar. Exceptions: When you're trying to make characters connect in your reader's minds, example: Fred and George Weasley
-Alliteration. Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, all the founders
-A connotation, such as "Filch" or "Draco." Filch brings to mind someone kind of slimy, someone you don't want to like, and Draco is kind of presumptuous.

But beware of introducing too many names at once. Make sure your characters are introduced with the name you will call them in the narrative, because nothing is more annoying than changing from Jim to James to Mr. Potter all on the same page. (Believe me. I read Russian lit, and Russian authors are notorious for that.)

How do you pick your names? How'd you do on the HP quiz? Do you agree with this?

From the Trenches: Mad

2011-11-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about our being under the influence as writers--and no, I don't mean this in the DUI sense!

As writers, we're all influenced by something, whether it be by choice or enviroment. For me, I grew up on a steady diet of cop stories, and watched a ton of CHIPS and COPS. Now, I write solely about cops. I would actually be a little concerned if I wrote anything else. I'm in my element with the thriller and mystery genres.

So you tell me: what has influenced you as a writer?

New pages!

2011-11-10T20:17:00.001-05:00

Our navigation bar is sparkling with the addition of some new pages. Check 'em out!

The forums page got an update, and so did the About page!
The Things To Do page is brand-new, and shows you everything Write On! has to offer.
The old "Events" page is now Calendar. (But the inside hasn't changed)
All-New Share Write On! page gives you all the tools you need to spread the word.
The Chatroom page now has a schedule beneath the room. You'll never miss another chat.

Happy link-clicking!

Registration for 8th Agent Chat is open!

2011-11-08T23:06:00.003-05:00

It's that time again! Our 8th Agent Chat is nigh, and this month we'll be joined by Laura Bradford. (Yes, her name is clickable. Isn't that convenient?)

It takes only two minutes. CLICK HERE to register now!

Rules and details:

The chat is only open to TEENS ages 13-19.
It happens on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 starting at 6pm EST.
It will be ONE HOUR long. Get your questions ready!
Not sure if you can make it? REGISTER ANYWAY. Better safe than sorry.

Even if you have no questions, it's still a great learning experience to sit back, read along, and maybe even ask questions about her answers to other peoples' questions. (Did you get that?)

Hope to see you there!

NaNoWriMo Support Group!

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today is officially Day 1 of NaNoWriMo 2011! Woohoo!

For those of you Write On! teens who are participating this year, we have a special NaNo support group set up! It's an official thread on the forums that's at your disposal throughout the NaNo experience. Come share your joys and sorrows, triumphs and defeats.

Also, in honor of NaNo, the chatroom is going to be open for use all the time (that means you can feel free to use it to chat with your peers as you write together) and during our set "NaNo chat time", which will be every evening in November beginning at 6pm EST.

Good luck to all, and Happy Writing!

Author Interview -- Erin Bow

2011-10-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

We have a special treat for you today. An interview with author Erin Bow!

ERIN BOW

"My name is Erin Bow, and I'm the author of Plain Kate (Scholastic 2010), which just -- HUZZAH! -- won the TD Canadian Children's Literature award, one of the top Canadian awards for kidlit. I also write poetry, and have two books of poetry published under my maiden name, Erin Noteboom. They won prizes too. I'm married to James Bow, also a YA novelist, and we have two small daughters. We live in Kitchener, Ontario. I tweet at @erinbowbooks, and have fun website with a blog HERE."

__________

MAGGIE: There's a story behind every book, and you're the (published) author of more than one! Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind your books, in particular Plain Kate (which is an absolute must-read!)

ERIN: I think all writers have something that they don't work on, something that's a gift. For me, it's characters, and some "original equipment" for the story: a bit of premise and set up. I don't usually know where these things come from, but with Plain Kate, I at least remember when it came.

I was on an airplane. In fact I was heading home from a trip, and I was very tired. I'd also just read a big collection of Russian Fairy Tales. I leaned my head on the window and watched the plane separate from its shadow. The plane rose and the shadow stayed on the ground, getting thinner and stranger. I imagined that happening to a human shadow; it struck me as so Russian, so Fairy Tale. And suddenly, from nowhere, this character waltzed into my head: Katerina Svetlana, called Plain Kate, a wood carver and the daughter of a wood carver (I'd also just been talking to my dad about his woodworking). A fairy tale girl, by which I mean a strong girl in a tight spot. I knew she'd be forced to sell her shadow. And I knew that she'd have a talking cat.

That was all I knew -- the "original equipment" of the story -- and it took some time to find out more. But the first few pages, that I wrote on the plane that day, remain almost untouched in the final draft.

Erin's Books

MAGGIE: How cool! Characters rock. I really enjoyed your characters -- especially Taggle, who was his own character -- throughout Plain Kate. Do you have any advice on characters? How do you bring them to life?

ERIN: You're going to hate me, but I really don't have advice about characters. I don't work at them, I don't design them. Now, PLOT I work on, because I'm not very good at it, and so I have a hundred tricks to compensate. But characters are just given to me. They come real and I have to try to keep true to them.

One general trick I have is to read everything you write out loud. Read it while you're drafting and read it again when you think it's finished. It's easier to spot anything that rings false that way -- and particularly easy to spot where a character's voice has drifted a little. Voice is key. Dialog is the scene-by-scene heart of getting characters to come to life.

MAGGIE: Well, it's totally working. That brings me to the next question: voice. Voice is so important in a novel, and you've really got yours down. What are a some tips for teen writers on voice?

ERIN: I think having a voice as a writer is mostly about confidence. It's sort of the same as public speaking: you want to sound like some version of yourself, not nervous or stilted or artificial, as if you were about to faint at any moment. People will feel bad and awkward and want to leave. That confidence might come naturally to some people -- I think many writers have never thought about their voice at all -- but for many of us, it has to be earned.

How do you earn it? Two things, I think: practice and play. Practice is just writing a lot -- and particularly finishing things. Most young writers start things and don't finish them. It's so hard to push those early stories or poems forward. Ira Glass said something amazing about this -- that writers get into the game because they have taste: they know good writing when they see it. And then, because they have taste but don't yet have skill, they dislike their own writing. They can see all its failures. How do you keep going when you're failing like that? Well, first know that everyone fails at first. Ray Bradbury said you have to write a million bad words before you write one good book. Let's hope he's overestimating that, but still, take it from Ray: everyone fails. But it's by making yourself finish, keeping going at things, that you'll fail better.

The second way to earn confidence is to play. Just lower the stakes for yourself. It doesn't have to be the next New Yorker short story, it just has to -- and here you should fill in the blank. Be a fairy tale told from the villain's point of view. Be a soap opera that's so over the top it will make people laugh. Use rhymed couplets. You can't succeed at a whole novel/play/book of poems all at once, but you can probably do this, and it will hone your skills and sharpen your confidence. Pick new forms, play games with them. Fan fiction, frankly, is a great set of training wheels. My husband (he's also a novelist) and I both wrote fanfic, and he wrote A LOT of it. Probably a million words.

MAGGIE: How did you know (each time) that your novels were DONE? In particular the first time, when you decided to start querying?

ERIN: I committed a terrible terrible querying sin, actually: I queried on an incomplete manuscript.

In my defense, it's not quite that simple: I queried on picturebooks and mentioned that I also wrote YA, and had two manuscripts in progress. The agent said: "The picturebooks, not so much, but could I see the YA?" I said: "Well, PART of them." She read part of them and said: "Can I see this the second it's done?" My second book, Sorrow's Knot, sold as an unspecified "book two" when I sold Plain Kate; I acquired a deadline before I even had a draft. So, learning when a thing is "done" is not yet a skill I have had to have.

It is, though, one I urgently need to develop.

Just now I am faced with a big revision letter Sorrow's Knot. Because of my deadline, I sent my editor a draft that, though a long long way from a first draft, was not yet as good as I knew I could make it. I had ideas for things I wanted to change to make it better, but I felt I didn't have time to pull the manuscript apart and try them. And now I have those leftover ideas for changes, along with my editor's ideas and concerns, and it's hard to see where and how to pull those two things together. I have totally lost the steam and the thread, and am in general finding this very hard.

In the future, I'm going to live by this rule: I will pass on a book when I have made it as good as I can. Not sentence by sentence good -- one could noodle endlessly. Maybe not even paragraph my paragraph good. But when I'm out of big ideas, ideas like "tighten this chapter" "change that character from a friend to a sister" "ditch that subplot altogether" --- when I've sorted through all those ideas, I'll be ready to let the book go.

(Happy side lesson: you can commit the cardinal sin of query letters -- querying on an unfinished manuscript -- and still end up with a hot shot agent and an eventual six figure deal. Queries are worth stressing over, but the writing itself will out.)

MAGGIE: Do you listen to music while you write?

ERIN: Most of the time. Each of my books has an iPod playlist, and those 20 or so songs get played to DEATH. For Plain Kate, I mostly listened to this moody Norwegian fiddle-driven folk group, Bukkene Bruse. This, for instance, is the Plain Kate theme song. Cheery, huh? But beautiful, and puts me right into the fog and birch trees and grandness of the story.

My current novel in draft takes place in a future where they've lost the suburbs, the cars, and (apparently) the electric guitar. There's a lot of bluegrass going on there. I never did find quite the right music for Sorrow's Knot, which may be part of my problem as I struggle to crack it back open.

MAGGIE: Awesome! Music rocks (I just LOVE the song! It's beautiful!). Most of us here at Write On! aren't agented or published authors yet. Is being a published author as wonderful as it seems?

ERIN: I suppose that depends on how wonderful it seems!

The best part, far and away, is that people are actually reading the book. I had two big dreams for Plain Kate. One was that it would be THAT book for someone, the book they fell in love with as a young person and read over and over, a book that really stuck. It's too early to say if that's true, but the people who love it really seem to love it, so I have hopes. The second dream was that someone would adopt a pound kitty and name him Taggle -- and I learned recently that someone did.

There are hard parts too. I've always wanted to make a living writing, and I'm hugely privileged and thrilled to get to do so (more or less: I recently got a part-time job that was too cool to turn down, and stopped taking in freelance stuff). But it is a bit tricky getting paid once every 18 month or so. And it is hard not to put your heart on the line, you know? Hard not to take all the reviews and reactions personally. Hard not to feel like a failure when you're asked to revise, which of course happens over and over in the course of making a novel. Hard not to feel like a fraud on the days when writing doesn't go well, which is frankly most days.

But then there are days when you actually create something -- when something actually comes to life. There's nothing like that. Few greater joys in the world, and I say that as someone with a lot of joys: a happy love affair turned long marriage, a couple of fabulous kids, the kitchen, the garden .... Writing is the equal of any of these.

MAGGIE: Favorite books (and authors)?

ERIN: At this point I'll confine myself to YA and not tell you about my obsession with cookbooks or that I think Mary Oliver is a poetry god.

My THAT books books -- the ones I read young and keep returning to -- include The Lord of the Rings, The Last Unicorn, and The Wizard of Earthsea. I think if you were to mix those books together you might get something like Plain Kate.

Let's see, though, the best handful of YA books I've read in the last few years might include Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now, Geraldine McCaughrean's The White Darkness, Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon, Jandy Nelson's The Sky is Everywhere, Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall ... I'm sure there are others that just aren't snapping to mind.

MAGGIE: Three reasons why you love being a writer?

ERIN:

1. Because geekily researching weird stuff like, say, the ethnobotany of the North American prairies makes me happy.
2. Because writing itself, word by word, makes me happy.
3. Because I'm not particularly good at anything else.

MAGGIE: Chocolate or vanilla?

ERIN: Chocolate! Dark chocolate with orange and chilli. Or caramel and fluer de sel.

MAGGIE: Excellent choice! And to wrap things up, what is the best advice you can give to an aspiring teen author?

ERIN: First, God bless you.

Second, listen: Everyone is going to tell you that this is not a good way to make a living, and everyone is right. Be prepared to keep your day job. Be prepared to eat lentils. Be prepared to keep your day job and lentils, because your developing tendency to gaze at the wall and talk to fictional people may make you unemployable anywhere better than Burger King.

But do it anyway. If you really want to, do it anyway.

Start now. Read everything. Fill notebooks with stories or just with compost -- you'll need a lot of compost to grow a few good stories. Finish at least some of what you start: poems, stories, whatever. Edit and make them as good as you can make them. Find someone to share them with -- a few someones, maybe other writers, people you can both learn from and teach. People you can lean on and really trust. And then maybe think about publication. But even if you don't publish -- and many don't -- write. Because you want to. Out of love. Write, write, write.

MAGGIE: Thank you so much for doing this! You've been awesome.

And to the rest of you at Write On!, if you haven't already, go grab yourself a copy of Plain Kate! Trust me, it's worth it.

From the Trenches: Living

2011-10-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

I posted a while back on my personal blog about how teens who write are awesome, basically because we do it because we love it, without pressure. If we're unagented/unpublished, we aren't worrying about deadlines. We don't have bills to pay. Sure, in the hazy future of "sometime," we want to be supporting ourselves on a writer's salary, but right now? Right now we can float along with what-ifs and dreams.

Here's the second part of why teens who write are awesome: adolescence.

"What?" you're saying. "Adolescence SUCKS! Everyone hates me. I spend all my time wanting to cry in my bedroom. I can't wait until I grow up and people take me seriously!"

Notice the dramatics?

I feel for you, oh outraged writer-friend. I really do. But look at your problems and your drama and your angst through your writing lens, and you'll see something very interesting:

Plot.

Premise.

Characters.

Emotion.

All that lovely stuff that makes a novel. And, if you're writing YA (like most of you), take advantage of the years you are the same as your characters. Of the moments when you, too, are going through the highs and lows that you likely will not have as an adult.

Right now it feels like everything is the end of the world. Channel that. Next time that boyfriend who cheated on you spends an hour talking to you after school, alone, messing with your head, and you see him the next day making out with the girl with whom he cheated on you, take that shot through the heart. Remember how it feels.

Next time your coach tells you that you aren't going hard enough, memorize how frustrated, angry, despressed you are. Think about how much you hate him, yes, but also how much you hate yourself.

We aren't alive because we walk, talk, breathe.

We are alive because we feel.

And as teens, with hormones and firsts of everything, we feel the most.

So go on. Live.

If you spend your life curled in front of your computer, how will you ever write realistically?

Tell me: do you think you spend a balance living and writing? Or are you skewed one way or the other?

From the Trenches: Mad

2011-10-14T12:00:00.002-04:00

Guys, you should be very jealous of me this weekend, because I get to take an 11-hour GED test. I'm scared to death. O_O

Ahem. Moving on...

Last week, in some depth or another, I talked about the fact that when you send off queries, the only person you’re really competing with is yourself. Today I’m going to elaborate on that.

When you send out queries, you’re not competing with anyone else. None of the other writers matter, because not all writers are equal, and they’re not just unequal because of talent—it has just as much, if not more, to do with timing, the agent’s personal tastes, and pure luck.

That’s why you shouldn’t worry about the competition, because when you look at it like this, there is no competition. Most things about the publishing business rely solely upon subjectivity anyway, the way I see it.

So, in my eyes, the only thing you should be worried about is yourself and your work. Have you taken the time to polish? Have you researched your agents until you consider yourself a stalker?

That’s really all you can do. Just roll the dice and hope you don’t get snake eyes.

Question for the comments: what do you guys think of my little theory? Agree or disagree? Talk to me.

The Basics: Clean Writing

2011-10-04T15:52:00.001-04:00

Davinia held the flower in front of her eyes and peered at it closely. "As I suspected." Her mouth stretched into a long grin. "It's been bugged. Just like every other flower in this place. They're all bugged!"

Can you tell me what's wrong with the above excerpt?

(Okay, it's not an excerpt. It's an off-the-cuff example. But pretend it's an excerpt.)

Basically, the writing isn't tight. There are too many words, and the result is clunky writing that is in desperate need of pairing down.

Better:

Davinia studied the flower. "As I suspected." She grinned. "It's been bugged. Just like every other flower here."

Sometimes, when we're trying to be creative--to say things in a different way--we get carried away with prose that should've been shot before it drew breath. After a while, we learn NOT to be in love with our words (easier said than done), and even our first drafts are cleaner than they used to be. But it's a skill that doesn't happen on its own; we have to be willing to learn how to discern what stays and what goes.

Example of using too many words:

She took several clumsy steps... (She stumbled...)
His voice erupted with laughter... (He laughed...)
He sat down on the chair across the table from... (He sat across from...)
She opened her mouth and produced a barely audible melody... (She sang softly...)

Mind you, there are times when a bit of embellishment will make for a more original or more beautiful turn of phrase. We don't want our writing to be so stark that it lacks imagination. But BE CAREFUL. For the most part, the simple equation is the best choice. Choose your words carefully, and remember that, most of the time, less is more. Say what you mean to say without running around it in circles.

Prepositional phrases are often the culprit (as you'll notice in most of my examples above). Remember that you don't have to detail EVERY SINGLE THING when you're trying to place a character or his action.

Example:

Byron stood beneath the willow at the entrance to the park on the east side, near the place where Janelle had been murdered. (too many prepositional phrases!)

Byron stood beneath the willow near the place where Janelle had been murdered. (better!)

Here's your challenge: Take a look at the first chapter of your WIP or completed draft. Cross out anything that could be said IN FEWER WORDS and rewrite. Cross out any prepositional phrase that is UNNECESSARY. Cross out EVERYTHING that is remotely redundant. Then see what's left.

Chances are it's a lot tighter and cleaner than when you started! Use this approach as you edit, and also as you draft. The more experienced you become, the better you'll be at writing more cleanly SOONER.

Which means less editing later!

(Note: I didn't say less REVISING. I said less EDITING. So don't get too excited.)

Finish the challenge and report back!

From The Trenches - Maggie: The Classics

2011-09-30T10:26:00.002-04:00

The past few weeks (as assigned reading) I've had the irreplaceable joy of reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

Okay, that was totally sarcastic! I have a bit of trouble with Dickens's wordiness and it may just be among the slowest books I've ever read, but I'm still enjoying it to some degree. I like the depth of his characters and his dry humor, and I'm really appreciating the rich language. Hence, this post.

I speak for myself, personally, when I say that it's very easy to fall into a pattern of reading YA and nothing but YA. It's easy to get used to the quick pace, the easy language, and did I mention the quick pace?

It's even easier to overlook the classics, the more difficult reads, etc. For me, this is the first classic I've picked up in months! And I didn't even do it of my own accord.

It got me thinking about classics in general, and the language they use (vs. that you find in YA books) and how it would probably be better for me, just as a writer AND reader, to read a classic now and then. For the sake of my vocabulary, if anything.

So, my questions to you are: What are your favorite classics? How often do you read classics? What's your general opinion (of classics)? Should we read them more or less? Why?

I'd love to know!

And I want to offer a quick apology. I feel like my FTC posts haven't been the most imaginative, and that's mostly because I wait until the first day of the month to scramble and think of something to post. So I have a plan: I'm going to write out several ideas/posts, so I always have one at the ready!

See you next month!

NOTE: Ooops! I had my dates wrong. Today was the 30th of September, NOT the 7th of October! From The Trenches will resume on the 14th. Sorry for the mistake!

From the Trenches: Taryn - Taking Advantage

2011-09-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

I've had a lot of people ask me how I've gotten my internship at a literary agency, so I figured I'd answer that here. If you're reading Write On! it's likely that you want to be involved in the publishing world, whether as a writer, or an editor, or a librarian, or something else book-related. You probably know what an agent does (if you don't, an agent acquires authors as clients and shops their novels to editors at publishing houses who are probably otherwise closed to submissions). You probably think it's really cool to get to read books all the time.

(Note: that's totally not all we do. Well, it's all I do, but it's not all Agent Lady does.)

So! My story!

I basically prostituted myself.

Whenever I saw an opportunity to speak with an agent, I jumped on it. I hammered in the point that "I'M A TEEN, if you take me on AS A TEEN, I will be valuable AS A TEEN in the area of TEEN fiction that you work with, and did I mention I'M A TEEN?"

Because, ya know, all teens are really experienced in publishing and editing and critical reading. *rolls eyes*

But my babbling started to pay off this past summer. I learned that a prominent romance agent had kids who swam in the same area as me, and we chatted at a swim meet. He showed me some things about the business, and allowed me to use him as a reference. Then I learned a woman I worked with had a mother who is a non-fiction agent, and again we chatted. She had much the same reaction as the last agent.

Suddenly I had experience and names to drop.

So, when I met Agent Lady at a conference this past summer, I was comfortable with her. And when she called for an intern, I showed interest. Next thing I knew, she was sending me some "test" manuscripts, and I was in heaven.

She liked me. I liked her. And sometimes that's all it takes.

Take-away Tips:
-Put yourself out there.
-Don't be scared to use your advantages (like your age).
-Spend a lot of time reading and figuring out specifically what you did and didn't like about that book.
-Cultivate relationships, even if they aren't exactly what you want to do.
-Stalk people.
-Learn a lot about the agent looking for an intern before you apply, because a lot of it is whether your tastest match to his/her.

You Tell Me:
-Do you want to work in publishing? Why or why not?
-Do you have any questions about agents you want me to answer?
~~-Have you ever prostituted yourself?~~

The Basics: Authenticity

2011-09-13T22:44:00.000-04:00

Recently, I posted about the authenticity of teen sexuality in YA novels on Miss Snark's First Victim.

The idea of authenticity in writing is much broader than that, though, and bears mentioning. You may have heard the old expression, "Write what you know." Now, obviously that doesn't apply to things like spaceships and volcanoes erupting and any number of things that you can sit down and research. But when it comes to CHARACTERS and RELATIONSHIPS, your writing isn't going to be authentic if you can't "get inside" a character's head/motivations because, frankly, you have no way of relating to what you're character is going through or who he is.

Let me explain.

Let's say you have this great idea for a story about an eighteen-year-old girl who just got accepted to the college of her dreams and, at the same time, finds out she is pregnant. If you are only sixteen, have never applied to a college, and have never even kissed a boy, it's going to be awfully hard for you to create a character who is having experiences beyond your ken.

Yeah, but what if I write about someone getting murdered? I'm not exactly planning on killing someone just to see what it feels like.

Good point! But that's where you tap into emotions instead of actions. You may not know what it feels like to kill someone (well, I hope you don't), but you can certainly get in touch with feelings of rage or jealousy or revenge. And you can research the mechanics of killing someone, to make sure that aspect is believable.

Hence the "write what you know." If you give legitimate emotion/motives to the words and actions of characters who might actually be experiencing something you have not experienced, it's going to be a lot more believable. But be careful. If you're only fifteen and you're writing about someone's wedding day...or if you've never been in an airplane in your life and you're writing a story about someone's first transcontinental flight...or if you're a vegetarian and you're writing a story about someone who specializes in fifty ways to prepare bear meat...well. You get my point.

Look carefully at your characters in each scene. Is their EMOTION authentic? Is their MOTIVATION authentic? Is their DIALOGUE authentic? If the answer to all three questions is a resounding YES, then your scene--and your characters--will be believable. And that's what you want!

From the Trenches - Mad

2011-09-09T21:22:00.001-04:00

Hey guys! Sorry this is so late. I haven't been home all day and this is coming from my phone. Plus, I'm getting ready for bed because I have to get up early for aikido.

So here goes...

Writing is tough. There are lots of drafts and edits and betas to go through. It's easy when you don't have an agent to think you'll never get published. The stats are against you, right?

Wrong.

Why, you ask? That comes next week. ;P

Last week, I asked you why you wrote. This time, I want to hear what you write and what, if you remember, got you hooked on that genre.

Yeah, I know my post is lame, but I promise to lurk in the comments tomorrow! :)

The Basics: Chapter Endings

2011-09-06T20:52:00.000-04:00

In all honesty, I'm not sure there's actually a way to TEACH the writing of decent chapter endings. It's something that the sensitive writer will develop over time, as a result of LOTS of reading and LOTS of writing practice.

The most helpful thing, I think, is to give you a few rules of thumb.

1. Each chapter ending should propel the reader forward. That DOES NOT mean that every chapter ending is a cliff-hanger. If you do that, you'll end up sounding like a Hardy Boys knock-off (have you ever read Hardy Boys books? Ugh!). The trick to a chapter ending is CONFLICT, the same way CONFLICT plays such a vital role in the OPENING of a novel and THROUGHOUT the novel. It's CONFLICT that will propel the reader to the next chapter. And that may or may not be a typical cliff-hanger.

2. Chapter endings should not all follow the same formula. Of course you're going to want some cliff-hangers thrown in there, but if you do that at the end of every chapter, your readers are going to start to roll their collective eyes. The key is variety--a careful balance of endings that keeps the story moving forward.

3. Quiet chapter endings can be as compelling as tense ones. In fact, sometimes the quiet chapter ending hints at more terrible things to come by presenting a false sense of calm. So don't shy away from quiet endings just because you think every ending has to have a huge BANG. It doesn't.

In the end, it's all about balance. Pay attention to the overall rhythm of your story, and craft your chapter endings accordingly. And be sure to KEEP READING WELL WRITTEN BOOKS. I can't stress enough how much we learn simply by reading the work of others. GOOD work, that is. Be discerning.

Honestly? I spend a lot of time on my chapter endings. A LOT. I craft them very carefully, whether they're heartstopping or calm. I won't move on to the next chapter, in fact, until I'm completely satisfied with the ending of the chapter before.

To me, it's just that important.

Now take a look at your chapter endings. Do they carry CONFLICT toward the next chapter? Are they well balanced, so that they're not cookie cutters of each other? Or do they sound more like my all-time Favorite Dorky Schlocky Badly Written Hardy Boys chapter ending of all time:

A blunt object connected with the back of his head. Joe pitched forward and blacked out.

Oh, yeah. Good stuff there.

Changes In Write On!

2011-09-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

There have been a couple semi-major changes here at Write On!, and we want to make sure everyone is in The Know.

1. Our main Twitter account is now strictly Write On! tweetage, so you will hear no more of Maggie (perviously Lizzy)'s personal thoughts and random statements. You can still get those at Maggie's twitter.

2. We have a brand new Write On! email! Direct all Write-On!-related messages to writeonteens(at)gmail(dot)com. It couldn't be easier to remember. Personal messages for Maggie/Lizzy can still go to lizzy.skye(at)gmail(dot)com.

During this time of transition, it's okay if you still contact lizzy.skye(at)gmail(dot)com or tweet @WriteOnTeens to contact Maggie or Write On! in general.

Happy tweeting! Or emailing.

From The Trenches: Maggie - On Feeding Inspiration

2011-09-02T10:51:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday! And Happy September, too.

It took me way long enough to figure out what I wanted to write for my From The Trenches post. I finally decided to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while now.

Inspiration.

There's inspiration in every kind of art. Writing is an art, just the same as painting, filming, or dancing. To create, you must first be inspired. But I've noticed inspiration can be hard to come by, when you're looking for it, and it often pops up at the most unlikely times, and in the most unlikely places.

Personally, my inspiration is often affected directly by my life and what I'm doing/feeling. If I'm stressed out or angry or letting life get me down, my inspiration level will be -- you guessed it! -- on the low side. Sometimes even nonexistent. And it pretty much sucks; especially when you're just dying to write!

I think it's important to remember to kick back, relax and try to detangle yourself from the stress of life. Inspiration is fed, so read good books, watch good movies, listen to music, and maybe even go outside and get some exercise. It works for me. Especially movies and music!

Today in the comments: What keeps you inspired? Where do you turn to find fresh inspiration? Has life/circumstances/something else ever been in the way of inspiration before? What did you do to fix it?

Here's to hoping you have LOTS of inspiration soon! That is, if you need it. If you're revising or something, then here is to MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE!

I'll leave you with a quote.

"The power of imagination makes us infinite!" -- John Muir

The Basics: Verb Tense Consistency

2011-08-30T20:19:00.001-04:00

I think we should call this one a Very Basic post. Which doesn't mean it's not important; on the contrary, it's VERY important. But it's something that's usually evident in the writing of Very New writers.

Notice I didn't say Very Young. Because this isn't an age thing. It's an experience thing.

So, a quick lesson on verb tense:

There are three simple tenses:

PRESENT TENSE (action is happening now)
PAST TENSE (action has already happened)
FUTURE TENSE (action has yet to happen)

Most novels are written in PAST TENSE, with an increasing number showing up in PRESENT TENSE.

There are three perfect tenses:

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
PAST PERFECT TENSE
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

The above tenses are used in the context of the three simple tenses, to clarify when certain actions occurred in relationship to other actions. I'll save the perfect tenses for a separate post.

As a writer, it's IMPERATIVE that you understand all six tenses.

Here's the basic message: You've got to nail the tense of your story and STICK WITH IT. I can't tell you how often I've read the work of "newbies" who seem to have no grasp on basic verb tenses. Just a few weeks ago, I read the opening of a fantasy novel in which the tense flipped back and forth between past and present tense. Constantly.

I pointed out to the author (ever so gently) that he had a tendency to switch tenses. I lightly suggested that his writing needed some "basic training."

His response sounded something like this: "Yeah, some other people said something about the way I switched between past and present tense."

Um, hello? TENSE IS IMPORTANT! You can't ground your readers in a story that doesn't have any sense of time.

Try this:

Melodia sank to her knees and wept. Her village was gone, her sword was broken, her comrades missing. She didn't know what to do.

A crash sounds in the distance. Melodia gasps and spits out her chewing gum.

"Who's there?" she called.

No one answers.

Silently, she creeps to the edge of the forest, where she discovers several naked hippos dancing. She tiptoes through the trees to get a better look.

The hippos screamed in embarrassment and trampled her to death.

Yes, it's a totally dumb example. But what makes it hard to follow is the constant tense-switching.

Verb tense is one of those things you simply have to grasp. And use correctly. ALL THE TIME.

More on verbs another day. (Don't you just love verbs??)

The Basics: The Appositive

2011-08-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today we're hitting upon one of my biggest-biggest-biggest pet peeves--namely, unnecessary commas around single-word appositives.

But let's start at the beginning.

What's an appositive?

An appositive is a noun or pronoun used with another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.

Appositives are easy to find because they ALWAYS directly follow the noun or pronoun they're identifying or explaining. You use them all the time, even if you never knew what they were called.

Examples:

Mrs. Twitch, the tenth grade science teacher, has a blue wart on her chin.

In the above sentence, the tenth grade science teacher identifies Mrs. Twitch. It's an appositive. And because it is made up of more than one word, it needs to be set off by commas. ALWAYS.

My dog Stinkypaw caught a flying raccoon.

Here comes the pet peeve: NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF WRITERS WILL UNABASHEDLY PUT COMMAS AROUND "Stinkypaw." And it's WRONG. The commas are totally unnecessary and serve nothing more than to clutter the sentence.

Look how crowded this is:

My dog, Stinkypaw, caught a flying raccoon. <------ AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

*composes self*

I don't honestly know what the compulsion is among writerkind to put commas around single-word appositives. And it's everywhere--newspaper articles, blog posts, published novels.

Take note. After a while, it'll pop out at you. And, hopefully, annoy you!

More examples:

Ferdinand, my husband, is a bull fighter. (CORRECT)
My husband, Ferdinand, is a bull fighter. (INCORRECT! Ferdinand is a single word--no commas needed.)
My husband Ferdinand is a bull fighter. (CORRECT)

Sheepy, Shiela's pet sheep, is sheepish. (CORRECT)
Shiela's pet sheep, Sheepy, is sheepish. (INCORRECT! Sheepy is a single word--no commas needed.)
Shiela's pet sheep Sheepy is sheepish. (CORRECT)

Got it? Awesome!

From the Trenches: Mad - Introductory Post

2011-08-19T21:40:00.001-04:00

The reason this post is so late is because my poor little dog had teeth pulled today and I've had zilch minutes for myself. I've been too busy watching her stumble around, keeping her from falling down the stairs, and watching her tongue hang out. Also, my laptop's not cooperating, but Lizzy could give you a dissertation about that piece of crap.

OK.

This time, I SWEAR, I'm going to introduce myself without sounding like a crazy person, which, obviously, I am.

*Grin*

Certainly you all must have at least HEARD of me by now. My name used to be AWriterGoneMad until the lovely Lizzy started calling me "Mad," which has a dual meaning because it just so happens that I really am mad. I lived in obscurity until the wonderful Authoress asked me to become her assistant and revealed on Twitter that she had been stalking me.

Naturally, I hyperventilated. :)

I love reading and writing and aikido, and those close to me can probably tell you that I stay up way too late way too often to watch Criminal Minds. I have the morbid love of watching surgeries, and I like shooting and rifles and I've been writing for adults since I was fifteen. I turned eighteen in July.

My life basically looks like the following:

One thing I often talk about when I'm asked to do a post is the importance of always moving forward, no matter how many rejections you get or how many times you feel like you need to revise or polish something. It might get a little monotonous, hearing it from me all the time, but I really feel like it's just so important. I think it's so easy to get hung up on an aspect of the writing process that we can forget why we really do it. So to end this post that won't format properly, I will ask: why do YOU write?

From the Trenches: Taryn - Introductory Post

2011-08-12T00:54:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Taryn :)

~~Authoress is now too lazy to write her own posts and is making teens who don't know any better do it, so~~

Oops.

No, I'm really excited that she's allowed us this opportunity, because hey, what's another blog? Ahem, I'll stop rambling now. I'm Taryn; I'm 18. I blog here, founded the collaborative blog Noveltee(n), and tweet here. As you can see in the sidebar, I'm kind of an overachiever.

I think Authoress asked me to do this because of my experience in publishing. Not only have I queried extensively, but I am also a (new) lit agency intern! Yay!

Between reading for pleasure, reading for my critique partners, my new editing service, and my internship, I spend a lot of time reading. My to-be-read pile:

Nah, just kidding.

Lizzy asked you last week what was in your TBR pile, so I'll ask something else. Ummm . . . other than words (reading+writing+blogging+writer friends), what are your hobbies?

I'll go first. Other than words, I swim (collegiately), cycle (collegiately), do Crossfit, have a fulltime job (lifeguarding+swim instructing), and don't have a social life.

How bout you?

The Basics: Manuscript Formatting

2011-08-09T18:06:00.001-04:00

As requested in last week's comment boxes, we're going to chat about formatting.

MECHANICS:

The basics are simple: Double-spaced, 12-point font, normal margins. I like to start each new chapter 10 lines down, but you'll hear different schools of thought on that.

As for italics: Use them. Old school thought says "convert them to underlines." But in this age of advanced word processing, that's no longer necessary.

PARAGRAPH RULES:

There are two things that warrant the start of a new paragraph:

CHANGE OF TOPIC, ACTION, SCENE

and

NEW DIALOGUE

Dialogue tends to trip people up sometimes. The basic rule is that EVERY TIME somebody new speaks, it's a new paragraph. Period.

Beats go with the person who is speaking, NOT in the paragraph before or after the dialogue.

EXAMPLE:

"I hate you."

Mary fiddled with her top button. Wouldn't look at Daryll to save her life. He sighed.

"At least I know where I stand." Mary looked up as he turned away.

"And don't come back."

The above example is ALL WRONG. Mary's beats belong with Mary's dialogue, and Daryll's beats belong with HIS dialogue.

CORRECT:

"I hate you." Mary fiddled with her top button. Wouldn't look at Daryll to save her life.

He sighed. "At least I know where I stand."

Mary looked up as he turned away. "And don't come back."

There are also times when, for the sake of cleanliness, it makes sense to start a new paragraph even though the same person is talking. I'm especially referring to situations where there is a lot of beat action going on after the initial words are spoken.

EXAMPLE:

"My chicken exploded." Juliet burst into tears, the grisly scene playing itself over and over in her brain. She felt Greg's pimply arms go round her, tasted the saltiness of her snot as she rubbed trembling palms across her face. It was hard enough facing life without red beets; the exploding chicken threatened to undo her. Destroy her. She buried her face in Greg's AC/DC tee shirt and wished it didn't smell like sauerkraut. "I'm sorry I wouldn't marry you," she whispered.

In the above example, the final line of dialogue would work just as well in its own paragraph. It's correct the way it is, but it would be cleaner -- and have more emphasis -- if it were separate.

"I'm sorry I wouldn't marry you," she whispered.

FINALLY, A QUICK NOTE ON PUNCTUATION:

Punctuation goes INSIDE the double quotes of dialogue:

"I love you," Vladimir said.

Not

"I love you", Vladimir said.

Quotes INSIDE quotes should look like this:

"What does 'sort-of girlfriend' mean, exactly?"

If they're at the end of the sentence, they should look like this:

"I'm not in favor of your little 'plan'," Huffy said.

Also? It's okay to have a small desktop reference for this sort of thing, until you don't need it anymore. I adore Lynn Truss's EATS, SHOOTS, AND LEAVES for basic comma and apostrophe wisdom. And all writers should own a copy of THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE.

GRAMMAR GIRL is pretty awesome, too.

And there you have it -- this is as basic as it gets! Hope it's helpful.

From The Trenches: Maggie - Introductory Post

2011-08-05T19:39:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! And Happy First-Friday-of-August.

I'd like to take a minute to introduce myself a little better. That sidebar doesn't say much. First, I'm an aspiring author, and my name is Maggie (previously known as Lizzy). I'm a tad new to the blogging sphere, and only just started my first open-to-the-public blog a month or so ago with Constance, so a little grace would be very much appreciated as I adjust to posting for Even More People.

I'm really excited (and a little nervous!) to participate in From The Trenches. It's an honor, to say the least. Thank you, Authoress! I'm happy to contribute whatever I can to your amazing blog, and I hope I won't disappoint.

Anyway, enough about me.

I think I'll start things out with asking YOU some questions to break the ice.

Let's talk BOOKS.

I've been enjoying some particularly good books lately (the most recent being Graceling by Kristin Cashore) and I'd love to hear about you.

What books have you been reading/finished lately?

What are some of your favorite books and genres?

I'll be in the comments and willing to discuss and banter. Hopefully I'll meet you in there. Looking forward to a future of First-Fridays!

*smiles*

The Basics: Possessive Pronouns With Gerunds

2011-08-02T18:19:00.000-04:00

This is a fine-tuning sort of grammar lesson. As in, this sort of error is easily overlooked, only glaring to those of us who know better.

But writers should MASTER their native language. (I really believe this. I do!) So here's the deal:

GERUND: A verbal (verb-form-that-is-not-being-used-as-a-verb) that ends in -ING. In short, it's a verb that's been made into a noun by adding -ING.

Writing brings me great joy. (WRITING = subject, which means it's a noun. But its real name is "gerund.")

So. What about sentences that have a gerund modified by a pronoun?

INCORRECT: I was annoyed by him arriving late.
CORRECT: I was annoyed by his arriving late.

In the above example, ARRIVING is the object of the preposition BY. Which makes it a NOUN (because objects are always nouns or pronouns.) But its real name is GERUND -- a verb ending in -ING that is being used as a noun.

Now. If it's a NOUN, and we're saying to whom it BELONGS, that dictates the use of the POSSESSIVE NOUN OR PRONOUN.

(To whose arriving late are we referring? To HIS arriving late.)

That's why the second example is correct. The possessive pronoun HIS tells us WHOSE "arriving late" is annoying me.

HIM, on the other hand, is an OBJECTIVE PRONOUN. That is, it's a pronoun that's used as an object in a sentence. NOT to modify a gerund or any other substantive.

CORRECT EXAMPLES OF OBJECTIVE PRONOUN USAGE:

Please give the manuscript to him.
I would like to sit with them.
Beth stood behind me in line.
The audience laughed at us.

Capiche?

Examples are the best way to learn, so here are some more right-and-wrongs for modifying gerunds:

INCORRECT: Are you angry at me singing off key?
CORRECT: Are you angry at my singing off key?

INCORRECT: Lulu was embarrassed by him acting goofy in the restaurant.
CORRECT: Lulu was embarrassed by his acting goofy in the restaurant.

INCORRECT: Brutus the Blogger was saddened by them always leaving negative comments.
CORRECT: Brutus the Blogger was saddened by their always leaving negative comments.

INCORRECT: The petulant writer lamented us hating her terrible novel.
CORRECT: The petulant writer lamented our hating her terrible novel.

Got it? Good!

Side note: I learned this in eighth grade as part of the "gifted program." (Insert eyeroll here.) Three of us--the Gifted--sat at a round table in the back of English class with a young, balding dude who handed out copies of Edgar Allen Poe and taught us about using possessive pronouns with gerunds. I'm not sure what the connection between Poe and grammar was, but I do know I've never forgotten the pronoun thing.

I still don't understand why the whole class didn't learn it, though. There's nothing particularly "gifted" about a possessive pronoun.

Ah, well. Consider yourself gifted!

The Basics: Dangling Prepositions

2011-07-26T20:29:00.000-04:00

"Who are you going with?"

"Which box did you put it in?"

"Who's the letter addressed to?"

Do the above sound perfectly correct to you? Well, they're not. They're certainly accepted in everyday speech, and it's fine if your characters talk that way. But each of the above is technically incorrect, because each one ends with a preposition devoid of its object. In short, it "dangles."

(Side note: If you were never forced to memorize your prepositions, DO IT NOW. I had to memorize them in seventh grade, and I've never forgotten them.)

When using prepositions, they must always -- ALWAYS -- be followed by their objects. They may not stand alone. (Remember, too, that certain prepositions can be used as other parts of speech, so it's important to understand HOW they're being used before assuming they're prepositions.)

Here is the CORRECT way to write the three examples above:

"With whom are you going?" (Preposition WITH followed by its object WHOM)

"In which box did you put it?" (Preposition IN followed by its object BOX [which = modifier])

"To whom is the letter addressed?" (Preposition TO followed by its object WHOM)

My above examples are all interrogative (questions), which doesn't need to be the case for this rule to apply:

"I'll let you know for whom to ask at the front door." (Preposition FOR followed by its object WHOM)

Got it?

And as an added bonus, here are the prepositions for you to memorize. *grin*

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at

before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
but
by

down
during

except

for
from

in
into

like

near

of
off
on
onto
over

past

since

through
throughout
to
toward

under
underneath
until
unto
up
upon

with
within
without

The Amazing LIzzy

2011-07-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

You've all seen the "Ana doll" by our own, talented Lizzy, haven't you?

HAVEN'T YOU?

HERE IT IS!

Fan art is an added perk for any author. What love and devotion for one's characters, yes? And it would appear that Lizzy has gone above and beyond. I mean--who knew a Barbie could be transformed into a beautiful protagonist?

Way to go, Lizzy!

The Basics: The Muddy, Meandering Middle

2011-07-19T21:01:00.001-04:00

There isn't anything SPECIFIC I'm addressing today. Really, this is more of a warning about one of the biggest pitfalls in novel writing -- particularly by those with less experience. It's the dreaded muddy, meandering middle.

Sometimes it's really easy to come up with a SUPER inciting event. We're all, "Wow, what if THIS happens, and it leads to THIS! I mean, WHOA!!"

Sometimes it's really easy to come up with an amazing, satisfying ending that began with our super inciting event. "WOW! It'll all explode and come together JUST LIKE THIS!"

Thus, armed with an amazing beginning, an amazing ending, and some ideas in between, we write the novel. Heck, we might even have an OUTLINE first. (Well, not if we're ME, we won't.)

But somehow along the jeweled way, the middle of our story loses focus. It meanders. Stumbles blindly along. Rambles about nothing. Expounds on minutia.

In short, it's a train wreck.

And honestly? It's more common than you might think. More often than not, the author is the last one to realize there's a problem. But when crits come back with comments like, "Huh?" Well, you've got a problem.

So here are some important things to think about:

1. MOTIVATION Everything your characters say and do needs clear motivation behind it. If, for instance, your villain is motivated by an insatiable need for revenge against your main character for stealing his girlfriend, then everything this villain does is going to be motivated by that. Everything he does will MAKE SENSE. Without clear motivation, characters meander. And then the whole story does the same.

2. LOGIC This has everything to do with story arc. Event A needs to lead logically to Event B and so on. When your story devolves into a series of (albeit brilliant) non-related events, your arc is broken. Logic is also directly related to MOTIVATION, because a character's motivation makes his actions logical.

3. GOALS Your characters--good guys and bad guys both--need clear goals. And especially from the viewpoint of the main character. If your MC doesn't know EXACTLY what he wants, EXACTLY what he's doing, and EXACTLY why...well, he's not going to propel the story forward. At worst, he will utterly confuse the reader, or cause the reader to lose interest. We can't root for a MC if we don't know WHY we're rooting. Without clear goals, we won't have a clear story trajectory.

4. PLOT POINTS--CLIMAX--RESOLUTION The story tension should build via a series of logically placed events, culminating in a climax that is exciting AND believable. The tension shouldn't let up until the wind-down at the end, where we get our happily-ever-after (or not). A quick search on line will reveal a wealth of information, including all sorts of cool graphs and pictures, that will help you *see* the basic shape of a story. It's fairly fail-proof.

I guess this was more specific than I realized it would be! Bottom line? GET GOOD CRIT PARTNERS. A slumping middle-of-the-story is a diagnosis that will come from fresh, unbiased eyes. And if the diagnosis does come? Don't despair. MUDDY, MEANDERING MIDDLES ARE REPAIRABLE!

There you have it. Nothing's impossible to fix when you put your mind to it.

On the Horizon

2011-07-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

Hi folks!

I know, I know. I still haven't got my act together around here. But I do have an announcement that'll prove I'm at least PLANNING things for you.

Starting on the first Friday in August, WRITE ON! will boast a new feature called FROM THE TRENCHES! These Friday posts will be about life as a teen writer, covering everything from daily struggles to plotting techniques to dreams of greatness and beyond. And, since I'm not a teen, I won't be writing them. Here's the schedule:

FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH: Lizzy
SECOND FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH: Mad
THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH: Taryn

Look for our first installment on Friday, August 5.

Happy weekend!

The Basics: The Passive Protagonist

2011-07-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

It seems obvious--a protagonist should be strong, propelling his or her action forward by decisions and actions born from motives and goals that make sense.

Yet writing a passive protagonist seems to be one of the insidious traps that writers-in-training (and even writers-with-lots-more-experience) fall into.

Recently, I read a YA novel in which the protagonist pretty much waited around for others to tell her what to do. Mind you, it wasn't that blatant. She had strong emotions, so she didn't seem passive. But when it came right down to it, she didn't really do anything, so I never really cheered for her.

She allowed a tough-girl character to lead her around, and didn't demand answers when the girl refused to answer simple questions (such as, "Where are we going?").

She followed her (jerky) boyfriend around and didn't argue when he had questionable behavior (like getting drunk and sort of forgetting about her at a party).

She had hard questions she needed to ask certain people, and she never really came out and ASKED them.

You're probably nodding your head as you're reading this, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to write protagonists this way. We make things *happen* to them, which makes us think that things are all kinds of exciting. Except, when things are happening to our protagonist without any definitive action from him, we've got a passive protagonist.

Boring. Non-cheerable.

So, what to do?

Well, take a hard look at important scenes in your story--major plot points, revelations, twists, etc. What is your protagonist DOING? Following someone else's lead? Running away? Waiting for instructions? Asking for help? Engaging in long, mind-numbing internal dialogue?

Or is he DOING something? Is he asking hard questions? Demanding answers? Is he making a hard decision and sticking to it? Running into the thick of the fray? Killing someone? Saving someone's life? Saying "no" when everyone expects him to say "yes"? Or visa versa?

A protagonist doesn't need to be a superhero (unless, yanno, you've written a superhero story), and, in fact, won't be believable if you try to make him into one. But he's got to be bigger than life in the sense that he propels the action--makes the choices--brings on his destiny. Nobody wants to read the story of a mamby-pamby wallflower. (And even if your story is about a wallflower who succeeds against all odds, you can still make him ACTIVE instead of PASSIVE--by giving him the actions that propel the story, instead of following the supporting characters and all their shenanigans.)

So revisit your protagonist! Make sure you've written a character for whom we WANT to cheer. Who draws us in and makes us think, "Why don't I think of things like that?" Not someone who climbs down the fire escape because her best friend told her to.

Got it? Now go make sure your main character is positively kick-butt!

Back to BASICS next week...and a big, squooshy I'M SORRY

2011-06-28T16:35:00.000-04:00

Okay. I should have said good-bye before I left. But that's not the squooshy apology part. I mean, I figured most, if not all, of you follow Miss Snark's First Victim and knew I'd be leaving for vacation.

What writer wants to be redundant, right?

Anyway...I'M BACK! *big, cheesy grin*

Here's the apology part: I haven't done much around here! Other than the weekly BASICS, I mean. I've got all sorts of ideas and even a plan or two, but to be honest, running two blogs is more overwhelming than I'd anticipated, even with the AWESOME HELP I'm getting around here.

*pauses to beam at MAD, LIZZY, and TARYN*

Anyway, I'm sorry. Remember a month or two ago when I asked you to tell me your favorite MG/YA authors? That's because I'm going to start trying to round up a few of them for interviews and other fun things around here. And we're going to do more in-house critting, too; we just need to grow our community a little more first, so we don't keep reading the same things from the same people. Over and over.

The FORUMS are the lifeblood of this place, at any rate. I AM BLOWN AWAY BY THE AWESOMENESS OF THE COMMUNITY YOU'VE CREATED THERE. Seriously!

So. Bear with me. And keep being your amazing selves.

(Have I mentioned how cool I think you all are?)

Also? Please use this comment box for sharing your dreams and ideas. What would you LOVE to see on this blog? What would help/encourage/stretch you as a writer? What would entertain you? What would make you dive out of bed head first every morning JUST to see what's been posted?

Share! Share lots! I always read everything you have to say.

The Basics: The Inciting Incident

2011-05-31T22:04:00.001-04:00

We're going to move away from grammar this week (try not to weep) and focus a bit on story structure. Because, yanno, that's important, too.

You may or may not have heard the term inciting incident. In screenplay terms, it's known as the catalyst. Basically, it's the THING THAT HAPPENS that creates CHANGE and STARTS THE STORY.

Notice I said CHANGE and not ACTION or CONFLICT. Of course you want conflict from the get-go; it's what creates tension and intrigue in your opening pages. But it's the incident that creates CHANGE for the main character that drop-kicks your plot forward. And it's important to time it well. As in, no later than the end of the second chapter (which seems to work well for me).

Some familiar examples:

The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis: Lucy discovers that the wardrobe actually leads to Narnia.

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by Rowling: Hagrid tells Harry he's a wizard and says he's come to take him to Hogwarts.

Hunger Games by Collins: Katniss takes her sister's place as the District 12 tribute.

Admittedly, it's easier to pick out these Moments of Great Change in novels that have already been written. But it's important for you, as a writer, to identify the PRECISE MOMENT when something in your main character's life changes dramatically, thus setting the rest of the story in motion. The event is life-changing in some aspect, and without the event, the story wouldn't happen. So it's important to know exactly what this incident is, and how it leads to the unfolding of everything that happens afterward.

Examples of inciting incidents:

Someone dies
Something is won -- or lost
Something is discovered (not any old something -- a life-changing something)
Something happens that is the exact opposite of what was expected
Something is decided (by the main character) that changes the course of his life

Once you've got this incident nailed, it acts like a springboard. Sure, it's easy to get derailed or defocused even if you DO have an excellent inciting incident. But that's the beauty of this journey--we just keep learning and growing, one step at a time. So make sure your inciting incident is clear and well-placed. The rest of your novel depends upon it.

The Basics: Antecedents and Pronoun Placement

2011-05-24T22:43:00.001-04:00

You're dying to talk about pronouns some more, right?

Actually, this one's pretty easy to cover. It has more to do with clarity than with grammar, though there's a bit of grammar involved, too.

Here it is: A misplaced pronoun causes confusion. That is, the random use of "he" or "she" or "they" when the reader has no idea who he, she, or they might be.

Pronouns always have what's called an antecedent. An antecedent is that which comes before. So the antecedent is the word (usually a proper noun) that comes before the subsequent pronouns that refer to it.

To wit:

Deborah burst through the door. She realized at once she was in the wrong bathroom.

Deborah is the antecedent for both uses of she above. Without the "Deborah" in the first sentence, we would not know who "she" was.

Note that the antecedent is not necessarily found in the same sentence as the pronouns that refer to it.

Pretty clear, right? Things start to get muddy, though, when there are more than one character in a scene, and the hes and shes begin to proliferate. That's when we have to be especially careful with pronoun placement.

For instance:

Maria stared at the woman on the porch. She raised her hand to her left nostril in the ancient greeting, hoping she would understand.

In the above, there are two antecedents: Maria and the woman. When we get to the second sentence, we don't know if the first "she" refers to Maria or to the woman. Which one is raising her hand to her left nostril? And then, of course, we don't know to whom the second "she" is referring, either. The entire thing is unclear.

In this instance, rewriting is probably your best option, because you don't ever want to start two sentences in a row with the same word:

Maria stared at the woman on the porch. Maria raised her hand to her.... (You see my point.)

Instead:

Maria stared at the woman on the porch while raising her hand to her left nostril in the ancient greeting. She hoped the woman would understand.

Another tricky business is dialogue tags. There are times when "he" or "she" can be perfectly clear. There are other times, however, when we may not know who is actually speaking. So be careful with that.

It comes down to asking yourself, "Am I being clear?" It's easy to forget, sometimes, that we know EXACTLY who we're talking about, but the reader does not. So be extra careful in the placement of your pronouns, and extra picky when you go back to edit your work. Any time you've got a sentence with only pronouns in it, go back and FIND THE ANTECEDENT. Does it come DIRECTLY BEFORE the pronoun? (Note: That doesn't mean it the word right in front. It means the NOUN or PROPER NOUN directly before the pronoun.) If it doesn't, your pronoun reference is most likely unclear.

The Basics: Singular-Ending-In-S and Plural Possessives

2011-05-17T19:33:00.000-04:00

Ready for some more apostrophe fun? Let's talk about possessives some more.

1. Singular nouns that end in "s"

It tends to confuse people when a singular noun ends in "s" but needs to show possession. Often, the temptation is to simply stick a dangling apostrophe at the end of the word. The CORRECT thing to do, however, is to add the apostrophe-s to the end of the word, just as you would if the word did NOT end in an S:

Rufus's backpack NOT Rufus' backpack
the boss's wife NOT the boss' wife

There are 2 notable exceptions: It is generally accepted that JESUS' and MOSES' are correct possessive forms, simply because Jesus's and Moses's sound like you've got a speech impediment.

2. Plural possessives

A plural possessive is a word that shows ownership by more than one person. Here are the rules:

If the plural noun ends in an "s", simply add the apostrophe at the end.

girls' (belonging to more than 1 girl)
teachers' (belonging to more than 1 teacher)
friends' (belonging to more than 1 friend)
foxes' (belonging to more than 1 fox)

If the plural noun has its own, special form, add an apostrophe-s the way you would with a single noun.

children's
women's
firemen's
brothers-in-law's

That about covers it. I highly recommend Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots, and Leaves for an entertaining and definitive source of apostrophe (and comma) wisdom.

The Basics: Possessive Pronouns

2011-05-10T18:49:00.001-04:00

Time to call out another extremely common mistake:

ITS vs. IT'S

It boils down to a simple rule. Which is: POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS NEVER USE APOSTROPHES.

Admittedly, this rule means nothing to you if you don't know what a possessive pronoun is. So let's spend a minute on this:

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS are pronouns that show ownership. As in, something BELONGS to someone or something.

In a sentence, a possessive pronoun acts as an ADJECTIVE, because it will always modify a noun:

HER novel
THEIR team
MY chocolate

So, here they are, in all their glory:

First person:

MY, MINE
OUR, OURS

Second person:

YOUR, YOURS

Third person:

HIS, HERS, ITS, THEIR, THEIRS

There it is, right in the middle of the last list: ITS. Meaning, "belonging to it." NO APOSTROPHE.

NONE of the possessive pronouns have apostrophes. NOT EVER.

So, what is IT'S all about?

IT'S is a CONTRACTION that stands for IT IS. The apostrophe in a contraction always takes the place of missing letters. In this instance, it takes the place of the letter i.

IT'S raining today. (Meaning: IT IS raining today.)

IT'S hard writing novels. (Meaning: IT IS hard writing novels.)

Clear?

If so, you'll see why it's ridiculous to say:

The baby fell asleep in it's crib.

The meaning of which is: The baby fell asleep in IT IS crib.

And there's your litmus test. Since IT'S always means IT IS, check by substituting IT IS for the IT'S in your sentence. If it doesn't make sense, YOU'RE WRONG.

Because...POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS NEVER GET APOSTROPHES.

I understand why it's confusing. "Normal" nouns get an apostrophe-S to connote ownership:

Authoress's chocolate
Lizzy's chocolate
Mad's black belt

But if you can remember that POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS NEVER GET APOSTROPHES, you will never use IT'S when you're supposed to use ITS.

Capiche?

Whom Do You Love?

2011-05-05T07:38:00.000-04:00

Okay, it's time to grab the comment box and tell me who your favorite contemporary YA and MG authors are. (As in, they're not dead and they're publishing books right now.)

I'd like to invite more authors here for you to learn about and ask questions of, and I'd love to supply you with folks you really WANT to see here. Obviously I can't promise you JK Rowling, but I can do my best to rope in a few authors who aren't richer than the Queen of England.

Post 'em! I'll be reading with interest.

The Basics: The Subjunctive Mood

2011-05-03T19:08:00.001-04:00

Did you know that verbs have moods?

Yes, they do. Which makes me feel better about my OWN moods. *grin*

So one of my (many) pet peeves is the misuse of the SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. In fact, I'll bet you've all made this mistake countless times, both in your writing and in your speaking. The misuse is so common that most people don't even realize it's a mistake.

But you are all WRITERS. So you want to do things right. Right?

So. I give you THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD:

Basically, the subjunctive mood is used when something is being declared with a WISH or a DOUBT. In other words, if the outcome is uncertain, our verb gets MOODY. The word "subjunctive", in fact, means DOUBTFUL.

So if the verb in your sentence has "IF" or "WISH" before it, it needs to be in the subjunctive mood.

As always, examples work best:

*WRONG* He would be taller if he was older.
*CORRECT* He would be taller if he were older.

*WRONG* I wish I was a better writer.
*CORRECT* I wish I were a better writer.

*WRONG* If it rains tomorrow, our plans will be ruined.
*CORRECT* If it should rain tomorrow, our plans will be ruined.

*WRONG* He spoke as if he was the only one in the room.
*CORRECT* He spoke as if he were the only one in the room.

*WRONG* If you are quiet, you will hear the baby birds.
*CORRECT* If you be quiet, you will hear the baby birds.

*WRONG* If it is hot, we'll go swimming.
*CORRECT* If it be hot, we'll go swimming.

Okay, I'll admit it. The last one sounds like pirate speak. I mean, who TALKS that way? Yet technically it's correct. One hundred percent. (However, if you make your characters talk that way, I'll have to glue your fingers together for a while.)

But really, the most common error is the was/were confusion. The rule is: If "if" or "wish" comes before the verb, than it is "were" and NOT "was".

Clear as mud? I wish there were a simpler way to put it!

Andre's first 500

2011-04-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Shaye scowled up at her arrest warrant. It was twice as large as any of the others pinned on the bar wall, and printed in large bold letters.

WANTED: ALIVE AND UNHARMED
Shaye.
Bounty hunter. Female. Black coat. Dark red hair. Scar on left cheek.
Armed and extremely dangerous.
5,000 Bax Reward

The warrant was short and to the point, providing just enough information for someone to identify her, and more than enough money for someone to try. Far more than enough. Five-thousand bax was a number to bring every bounty hunter in the city down after her. There were no details of where Shaye had to be delivered, but the signature at the bottom was enough for anyone with a modicum of brainpower to understand. Mireya.

Shaye turned away from the wall and surveyed the bar, looking for anything suspicious. Scruffy men sat around dirty wooden tables, laughing uproariously at each other between swigs of ancient beer. No one appeared to be paying attention to her, which was good. Hopefully none of them would connect her with the obscene amount of money being offered.

Striding across the room, Shaye sat down on the stool at the far end of the bar. It creaked complainingly beneath her, but managed to not fall apart. Her muscles tensed automatically when the bartender caught her eye and hurried over, his large belly jiggling. She had known the man ever since she could lift a gun, but that only meant he would be aware of the warrant on the wall. Anyone was an enemy when enough money was involved.

“Shaye!” he hissed, casting furtive glances in every direction, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for this man,” Shaye said calmly. She pulled a photo from her coat pocket and slid it across the counter.

“I haven’t seen him,” the bartender said, giving the picture only the briefest of glances, “but you shouldn’t be here! You’ve seen the amount of money the East is offering for you, and if the Enforcers find you…” He trailed off. His flabby jowls wobbling as he gulped, staring at something behind Shaye. Shaye didn’t bother looking around. She had already heard the footsteps, and judging by the sound of them, the man now standing behind her was large, beefy, and weighed over two-hundred pounds. Likely all muscle and no brain, but Shaye didn’t like to make assumptions.

“You want to sit down?” she asked, still not looking around. “Drinks on me.”

Behind her, the thug grunted. “Not likely,” he said. “You’re coming with me.” He grabbed her shoulder with one thick hand and Shaye reacted instantly. Leaping up, her stool was sent flying as she spun, bringing her elbow up and slamming it into the man’s face. The blow - already strong enough to fell most men - was strengthened by the metal bar strapped to her forearm and hidden in the sleeve of her coat. Her would-be abductor was sent sprawling flat out on the floor.

Before he could move, Shaye yanked a pistol from the holster on her waist and cocked it at his head.

Around them, the bar had fallen completely silent. Everyone was staring at them. From his position on the floor, the man glared up at Shaye and spat out a glob of blood before speaking.

“You can’t threaten me,” he said, “I know who you are. Shaye. The bounty hunter who won’t kill.”

Shaye’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t need to kill,” she said, and shot him in the leg.

The Basics: More on Point of View

2011-04-26T15:00:00.002-04:00

Last week's Basics focused on avoiding POV errors. As a response to some of the comments left, I thought it might be a good idea this week to better define the common POVs. (With the constant thought, however, to never get hung up on terminology.)

FIRST PERSON

First person narrative is written with "I" or "we" and the narrator is a player in the story. Everything in the novel is filtered through this character's eyes, and there is no way the character can know the thoughts of other characters unless these characters choose to share them.

First person narrative can be written in present (I run through the corridor) or past tense (I ran through the corridor.

THIRD PERSON, LIMITED

Third person narrative is written with "he", "she", and "they." The narrator, while not a player in the story, remains close inside the main character's head at all times. We experience the story from "inside" the main character, but he is not actually telling the story.

This is also referred to as "THIRD PERSON, CLOSE" and "THIRD PERSON, SUBJECTIVE."

Third person limited narrative can be written in present (He grabs her by the arm) or past tense (He grabbed her by the arm).

THIRD PERSON, OBJECTIVE

This particular voice is better suited for non-fiction writing (newspaper articles, essays, etc.). The narrator is uninvolved in the narrative, maintaining a distant and objective view throughout.

THIRD PERSON, OMNISCIENT

In omniscient narrative, the narrator knows everything that's going on, including the thoughts of all the characters. In recent decades--particularly in YA and MG literature--this viewpoint seems to have fallen out of favor, though historically it was popular, evident in the novels of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and other classics.

Classic fairy tales are written omnisciently as well. Crack one open and you'll see what I mean.

[It's important to remember that the novel, as an art form, isn't static. In order to be viable in the modern market, our writing needs to reflect what is acceptable and preferred in our own era. That doesn't mean the omniscient viewpoint should never be used (for instance, the first chapter of each Harry Potter book is written in third person omniscient, but then switches to the inside of Harry's head, which makes it third person, close). But by and large, today's readers (YA/MG) want to be inside the main character's head.]

One can also write in first person omniscient, but I'd say that's fairly rare, and probably not something you want to try while you're cutting your writing teeth.

Anyway. We could go into a lot more detail about different voices and voice/tense combination, but I don't really think it's necessary. In the end, it's probably going to be wise for you to stick with third person limited, whether you choose to write in present or past tense.

While you're writing, ask yourself, "Would my character KNOW this? Can he SEE this right now?" If it's not humanly possibly in the current scene, then you probably have a POV error. And they are usually easily fixed.

That's that! Next week we'll get back to some good, juicy grammar. *grin*

Winner of the 500-word critique!

2011-04-26T11:42:00.000-04:00

It's.... ANDRE!!

Andre, please send the first 500 words of your manuscript (finished or in progress) to Mad at awritergonemad.submissions(at)gmail.com. We'll post it on Thursday so our readers can offer you critique!

Your Silly Story

2011-04-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

The llama was definitely dead.

"What are we going to tell Uncle Bif?" Daisy prodded the stiff animal with her toe, hoping the slightest twitch from the llama would prove them wrong.

Nothing.

Daisy's older brother Gaff shrugged and squatted by the llama's head. "It's a week's worth of meat."

"But he's a vegetarian," Daisy whined.

"Llama's a vegetable."

"No it's not."

Her brother was an idiot. Worse than that, Uncle Bif liked the llama more than either of them. It was in the will, and now that it was dead, she and her brother would be out on their butts.

"What if we bury it?" Gaff suggested.

"He'll notice it's missing."

"We could make a new one."

Daisy blinked, then raised an eyebrow. Sometimes she doubted her brother wasn’t actually an alien, despite the fact that his head was strangely antannae-free. “Make a new one?” she repeated.

"Sure if we shave its hair off and use glue and newspaper like we did to make planets in first grade. Oh, we'll need chicken wire and some sticks..."

"You've been eating Gran's killer pepper jelly again, haven't you?" Daisy pulled her brother's bottom eyelids down to see if his eyes were bloodshot.

"Oh yeah Killer pepper strikes again.' Daisy lets his lids snap back into place. "Think you can see straight enough to get the darn jacket off the goat."

"Think you can see straight enough not do that again?"

"Just get the jacket. Oh, and the shoes too!"

She smiled. Gaff would fit the disguise perfectly. His webbed feet might be a little hard to conceal... but he was the same size as the llama. They'd often shared fashion tips.

"Now, where can I find some SuperGlue?"

It would take a lot to cover up his pesky feathers.

"You used it up when you glued these dumb feathers onto me," Gaff said, giving her a death glare.

Daisy scratched her ear. "It was necessary to get you through security at Duck Palace. But that's irrelevant now that the great Dali Llama is dead. Our quest to bring him..."

Weekend Contest: Story Extraordinaire!

2011-04-22T17:22:00.001-04:00

The contest: Add to the ongoing story-in-a-comment-box below.

The prize: The winner (drawn randomly from all participants) gets to post his/her first 500 words on the blog for group critique!

The rules: Write the next 50 words of the story. Keep the protagonist's name the same, but FEEL FREE TO CHANGE THE GENRE AT WILL! Keep it clean. And don't write more than 50 words, even if it means stopping before the end of a

You may add to the story as many times as you'd like, but please don't enter consecutively. (In other words, let someone else write something before you jump in again.)

Okay. Ready? This contest will be open until 11:59 pm on April 24. Which happens to be the very end of my birthday. *grin*

Here we go!

STORY EXTRAORDINAIRE

The llama was definitely dead.

"What are we going to tell Uncle Bif?" Daisy prodded the stiff animal with her toe, hoping the slightest twitch from the llama would prove them wrong.

Nothing.

Daisy's older brother Gaff shrugged and squatted by the llama's head. "It's a week's worth of meat."

The Basics: Point of View

2011-04-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

Funny, the things you just don't know when you write your first novel. After I wrote mine, I handed it to my husband, who gave it to a friend of his to read. (My first official "beta reader" and I didn't know it!) This guy was an avid fantasy fan and voracious reader, so I was very interested in his opinions on my Masterpiece, which happened to be fantasy.

(I should, like, pay him for the pain of that experience.)

Anyway, he mentioned something in his notes about being in different heads when people were talking, and I really didn't know what he meant. So, like any intelligent aspiring author, I ignored him.

Then I sent some chapters to a WRITER friend (different animal, that). Who promptly told me I had point of view (POV) problems, and recommended I get myself a copy of Self Editing for Fiction Writers (I did).

Yeah. I had no idea what it meant to "stay inside my protagonist's head." Even tried to defend myself a few times while this guy was pointing out my errors. (I shudder to remember.)

So what, exactly is POINT OF VIEW? And why is it so important?

POINT OF VIEW (POV) is the story as viewed (or experienced) by YOUR MAIN CHARACTER(S) or WHOEVER IS TELLING THE STORY. In the modern novel, it's standard practice to give the POV to your protagonist, whether you're writing in first or third person. (That's "I" or "he/she".) Any time you write anything outside of this intimate experience, you're violating the point of view, and the writing either is rendered unclear or isn't logical.

Examples are the best way to learn, so here we go:

1. Junebug is the main character:

"Oh my gosh." Junebug turned ten shades of red as he stood in the bathroom doorway. "I didn't know anyone was in here."

Since the story is being told from Junebug's perspective, HE WOULD NOT SEE HIS FACE TURNING TEN SHADES OF RED. He is INSIDE his face, not looking at it. It's a POV problem.

Correct:

"Oh my gosh." Junebug's face grew hot as he stood in the bathroom doorway. "I didn't know anyone was in here."

2. Celia is the main character. Dave is the boy she likes.

"No one's asked me to the dance." Celia lowered her eyes.

Dave's tee-shirt was sticking to his armpits and his breath was coming too fast. It was like he fell to pieces every time Celia talked to him. But he couldn't tell her that. He cleared his throat.

"Will you go with me?" he asked.

In the above example, we jump right out of Celia's head and into Dave's, where we should never be. First of all, Celia has lowered her eyes, which means she's not looking at Dave. So even if his sticky armpits were visible, she wouldn't be looking at them right now. The paragraph also talks about what he's feeling on the inside, and Celia wouldn't have any idea about that, either, unless she's some sort of creepy mind-reader. So the entire paragraph is a POV error.

Correct:

"No one's asked me to the dance." Celia lowered her eyes, listening to Dave's too-fast breathing. She wished she hadn't mentioned the dance.

Dave cleared his throat. "Will you go with me?"

3. Teresa ("I") is the main character.

"Here ya go, Teresa."

Roland handed me the keys and stuck his hand back into his pocket. Satisfied, he flashed a smile I'd grown to hate. My eyes reflected the annoyance that never seemed to go away.

"It'd be nice if you'd check with me next time," I said.

The middle paragraph has two egregious POV errors. First of all, Teresa would not know that Roland is satisfied. She might observe satisfaction on his face, or perceive it in his voice, but to simply say that Roland is "satisfied" is a POV error. Secondly, Teresa cannot know what her eyes are reflecting. She can FEEL the annoyance, but she can't know how it's being translated on her face.

Correct:

"Here ya go, Teresa."

Roland handed me the keys and stuck his hand back into his pocket. Smug satisfaction laced the smile he flashed. So annoying.

"It'd be nice if you'd check with me next time," I said.

And there you have it. It's a matter of being careful as you write. Ask yourself: Can my main character KNOW this? Can he SEE this? Can he HEAR this? Everything your main character responds to has to be something he CAN respond to. And if it's his own facial expression or something that only another character could know, then it's a POV error.

Interestingly, novels from earlier eras tend to use a more OMNISCIENT point of view, instead of sticking inside the protagonist's head. Jane Austen, my favorite novelist, doesn't tell Pride and Prejudice, for instance, solely from Lizzy Bennett's viewpoint. She pretty much jumps into the heads of whomever is in the current scene. In the hands of a skilled writer, this can work just fine. But I would caution against attempting this for two reasons: One, it's a difficult thing to pull off, and can end up confusing your readers. Two, modern readers are used to the modern POV, which is limited to the protagonist (as in the above examples).

So as you write, remember that the story is unfolding AS YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS LIVES AND PERCEIVES it. Make sure everything you say is coming from inside his head.

And don't ever ask to see my first novel. Just sayin'.

The Basics: Too Many Modifiers

2011-04-12T18:25:00.001-04:00

Last week, we talked about misplaced modifiers.

Okay. Last week, I totally forgot to post The Basics. So two weeks ago we talked about misplaced modifiers.

Modifiers are a double-edged sword: We need them. And too many of them will weaken our writing.

For those of you who need more clarification on what, exactly, a modifier is:

Modifiers are words that BELONG TO other words. They fall into several categories:

ARTICLES: the, a, an These are the only modifiers you can never do without. (They fall under the umbrella of "adjective," but it makes more sense to list them separately.)

ADJECTIVES: They modify nouns and pronouns.

ADVERBS: They modify verbs, adverbs, and adjectives.

Adjectives and adverbs can present as single words, phrases, or clauses:

The red bird fell off the perch. (single-word adjective)
The bird on the end fell off the perch. (adjective phrase)
The bird, which seemed a bit drunk, fell off the perch. (adjective clause)

The man ate hastily. (single-word adverb)
The man ate with gusto. (adverb phrase)
The man ate while his wife danced the cha-cha. (adverb clause)

So, how can too many modifiers, which clearly add spice to our writing, be dangerous?

The long and short of it is this:

When it comes to ADVERBS, there is almost always a STRONG VERB that would better serve your sentence than a VERB+ADVERB combination.

To wit:

She ate hungrily. (weak)
She devoured. (strong)

He cried noisily. (weak)
He wailed. (strong)

Devin placed the box firmly on the table. (weak)
Devin slammed the box on the table. (strong)

Also, I think it's a common failing (at least I find this in my own early drafts) to use adverb phrases when we really don't need anything at all:

Sheila noticed an empty place beside Treela, so she hurried over and sat down at the table.

The prepositional phrase at the table isn't necessary because we already know she's sitting down at a table. The context of the story (and most likely the sentence or two that would precede this one) would let us know that.

(I encourage you to check your own work for extraneous adverb phrases! I tend to delete a lot of these when I am editing.)

Adverbs of degree, such as very, quite, extremely, etc., are particularly to be avoided. These adverbs modify adjectives or other adverbs, and it's a better idea to use a stronger adjective or verb to get your idea across:

The princess was extremely pretty. (weak)
The princess was beautiful. (strong)

He laughed very obnoxiously. (weak)
He guffawed. (strong)

As for adjectives? Of course we need to know when something is cold or frightening or blue or delicious or creepy or fascinating or dead. But we need to choose our adjectives carefully, or we'll end up with prose that is six shades of purple:

Lorenda reached her long, slender fingers toward the ethereal, undulating, purple, silken strands that draped from the dark, rough-hewn, Romanesque archway.

*grin*

I won't insult your intelligence by correcting the above.

She stroked his cheek with tentative, shaking fingers. (weak)
She stroked his cheek with tremulous fingers. (strong)

Oh, and a word about your friendly neighborhood thesaurus: DON'T USE IT UNLESS YOU ARE SERIOUSLY STUCK ON FINDING A PARTICULAR WORD. It's way too tempting to replace a common, easily understood adjective or adverb with something that ends up sounding ridiculous.

A faint blush tinged her cheeks.

Not:

A faint polychromasia tinged her cheeks.

And there you have it. Choose your words carefully. A STRONG VERB over a verb+adverb combination whenever you can. A STRONG ADJECTIVE over an adverb+adjective combination almost always.

Now dive into your manuscripts and see what you can kill.

Yo! Looking for 3 Beta Readers

2011-04-08T17:03:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's right! I've just finished a clean draft of my new YA paranormal, and I'm looking for 3 teen beta readers.

NOT JUST ANY READERS, though! If you're interested, please consider the following:

You must fall into the 14-to-18 age category.
You must be an active member in good standing on the WRITE ON forums.
You must REALLY ENJOY YA paranormal. (Otherwise, this won't be fun for you.)
You must promise not to discuss the story with anyone except me (or I'll send someone to slice your fingers off).
As such, you must be willing to "sign" a non-disclosure statement via email (cool, huh?).
You must not put any of your other obligations at risk (i.e. school work, chores, your own writing).

PLEASE NOTE:

I am not asking for critique. As such, I am not looking for "critique partners" or people to swap work with. I'm simply looking for beta readers in my target audience. Which happens to be you.
For your parents: My books do not contain sex or sexually explicit scenes. There is occasional mild swearing (no f-bombs or anything like that). There is occasional violence.
Ideally, I would like to hear from my teen beta readers within the next 3 or 4 weeks. Please don't volunteer if you know you're too busy. I promise I will ask again in the future!

INTERESTED?

Email me at facelesswords(at)gmail.com. I WILL ACCEPT THE FIRST 3 PEOPLE WHO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.

And thanks in advance. One of my favorite local teen readers happens to be a guy. And this novel maps more to girls. So I'm not going to torture him. *grin*

Once I've accepted your offer to read, I'll send you an email with more details on what I'm looking for.

That's it, really!

Have an awesome weekend.

UPDATE: I've got my 3 readers. THANKS SO MUCH!

A Pep Talk From Our Very Own Mad

2011-04-05T22:44:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a few well-timed words from one of our peers makes all the difference when we're feeling discouraged or questioning whether we should keep pressing on.

Let's face it--this writing thing IS NOT EASY!

So here's a little pep talk for you from my illustrious assistant and your very own A Writer Gone Mad:

MAD'S FIRST PEP TALK

The Winners!

2011-04-01T17:42:00.001-04:00

That's right -- I've settled on TWO winners because I seriously couldn't decide between the two. So, without further ado:

WINNER #1: AMANDA THE ASPIRING

Despite the fact that "alright" is not a word (not that that's a pet peeve or anything), this entry made me laugh out loud. The whole "Isn't is gumshoe?" is incredibly dry and funny. The whole thing is tightly written. (All of Amanda's entries were tightly written, but this one's my favorite). Well done!

“Alright, shoehorn, come look at this.”

“Isn’t it gumshoe? I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be gumshoe.”

“Whatever. Come.”

The junior detective sidled up to the spot on the wall. “It’s a smudge. So what?”

The senior detective raised an eyebrow. “Not just any smudge. Look closer.”

The junior detective leaned nearer.

“What do you smell?”

“Is that chocolate?”

“Precisely. And what’s more? A chocolate fingerprint.”

The junior detective took out his notebook and wrote something. “So this is some real important evidence, right?”

“Shoehorn--consider our culprit already caught.” The senior detective smiled and went to the car.

Winner #2: Renée the Editor

The original 100 words, with the humorous 3 choices at the end, stand alone as a winning entry. But add the 3 additional stories, one for each of the 3 choices, and you've got an epic win. This is beyond clever and I adore it. Well done!

You are standing in the footwear aisle. Your three-year-old son, Charles, sits in the basket, sipping his chocolate milk. You bend over to try on a pair of sneakers, a shoehorn in hand.

Charles can no longer see you. Crying, he throws his milk down, spilling it everywhere--but mostly on you. Your hair and prospective sneakers soaked in the chocolate mess, you groan. A young employee sidles up to you.

"Ma'am? I'm sorry, but you're going to have to pay for those."

You:

A) Throttle her.
B) Politely decline, using customer-knows-best policy.
C) Pay, but put Charles up for adoption.

A) "No!" you scream. Grasping the employee's neck, you violently shake her. When she pushes you off, you stab at her with the chocolatey shoehorn. She jumps back and calls for help. Charles continues to cry. Security sidles up and grabs you, taking you to their office, and the police are summoned.

Charles goes home with your concerned-looking husband. You spend a night in jail, where you're, thankfully, allowed to take a shower before changing into a jumpsuit. Your case is seen immediately by a judge, and you plead innocent, claiming that you "had a bad day." You are let off with a warning.

B) You sigh. "Miss, I don't think you understand. This isn't my fault." Chocolate milk drips from your hair.

She gulps. "B-be that as it may, it was your child who ruined the shoes, so--"

"Then have him pay for it." You gesture to Charles with the shoehorn.

She stutters some more, and you interrupt her again.

"Customer's always right--I'm not paying for them."

"I'm getting my manager."

You smirk, sidling towards the nearest exit. "You do that." She goes off in a huff. As soon as her back is turned, you run out of the store with Charles.

C) The shoehorn drops from your fingers with a clack as you fumble with your wallet. You hand the employee the money, too ashamed to face the registers, and sidle towards the door. Charles cries, wanting his milk, you know.

You return home, ignoring your husband's exclamations at your downtrodden state, and rush to the bathroom to clean the chocolate off of Charles. You dress him in new clothes, and take him to the office. Placing him in front of the webcam, you snap a quick photo and put up a listing on Craigslist. Three-year-old to patient home, $2.

Congratulations to both of you! You've each won a first chapter line-edit of your completed novel. Please send the chapter as a .doc attachment via email to facelesswords(at)gmail.com.

HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE

2011-04-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

....for ALL the entrants in our 100-word story contest. Each one of you was brave and creative, which is a wonderful combination (and imperative for anyone who aspires to be a professional writer!).

I just wanted to congratulate ALL of you before I make the winning announcement later today. Because you all deserve it.

This is NOT an easy choice to make. Just so you know.

I really think someone ought to send me chocolate...

The Basics: Misplaced Modifiers

2011-03-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

I know you're REALLY excited to know that this week's Basics is a grammar lesson!

Know what? Grammar is important. You may hate it, but if you don't have it mastered, it's going to water down your writing. Absolutely.

Good grammar, when all is said and done, is about CLARITY. In other words, you want the reader to understand exactly what you are saying. Poor grammar mucks things up.

So, let's jump right in! See if you can determine what's wrong with the following sentence:

Running down the palace hallway, the orb leaped from my hands and exploded in a shower of sparks.

*Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock*

Time's up! Here's the answer:

RUNNING DOWN THE HALLWAY is an ADJECTIVE PHRASE that is supposed to be modifying the subject of the sentence. (The subject is always a noun or pronoun, which is why it will always be modified by an adjective.) In the above sentence, the subject is ORB.

As in, ORB LEAPED. (That's the simple subject and simple predicate of the sentence. Noun plus verb. Are you with me so far?)

Now, the orb was NOT running down the palace hallway. However, that's EXACTLY what you've got happening in the above sentence!

Here is the correct construction:

Running down the palace hallway, I dropped the orb, which exploded in a shower of sparks.

In the above sentence, the subject is I, which is now correctly modified by the adjective phrase.

Seems obvious, doesn't it? But this is a VERY COMMON ERROR that I see time and time again in the writing of teens AND adults.

Here's another example:

Having told everyone to leave her alone, the ringing phone caught Marlene by surprise.

PHONE is the subject in the above sentence, and I'm fairly certain it didn't tell everyone to leave her alone.

Correct construction:

Having told everyone to leave her alone, Marlene was surprised by the ringing phone.

MARLENE is the subject in the above sentence, and it is correctly modified by the ADJECTIVE PHRASE.

There are all sorts of other ways to misplace modifiers, of course. But for some reason, this one seems most common.

It also annoys the gajonkies out of me. A total Writing Pet Peeve, if you will.

And after all is said and done, this particular sentence construction--one that begins with a gerund phrase modifying the subject--SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY.

In fact, lots of starts-with-gerund sentences in a manuscript is one of the hallmarks of an inexperienced writer. No, really. So check your work and make sure it's not proliferated with this sentence construction.

And when you do use it? MAKE SURE IT'S MODIFYING THE CORRECT WORD.

Here is the actual GRAMMAR RULE to follow:

Place an adjective phrase or clause immediately before or after the word that it modifies.

Remember, it's all about clarity. Nail this rule, and you'll immediately strengthen your sentences.

Unless, of course, you're using TOO MANY modifiers. But that's a whole separate post...

CONTEST: The 100-Word Story

2011-03-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

Let's have some fun!

Overwriting is probably THE most common problem among new or inexperienced writers. (And it creeps up on the more seasoned among us sometimes, too!). So let's do something where we're FORCED to use as few words as possible.

THE CHALLENGE:

Write a 100-word story! Make sure it has a beginning, middle, and end. (A 100-word description of a sleeping ferret does not count as a story.)

You must use the following words in your story:

CHOCOLATE
SHOEHORN
SIDLE

(Entries that do not include these 3 words will be disqualified.)

And clean language and themes only, please.

THE PRIZE:

The story that makes me laugh the most, or delights me the most, or that is absolutely the cleverest thing ever stated in 100 words, gets a FIRST CHAPTER LINE-EDIT from yours truly.

That's right. I will line-edit and offer notes on the first chapter of your novel.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

How can I say this delicately? Um...THIS CONTEST IS FOR TEENS ONLY. Please respect this. Grown-ups get lots of good stuff, and this one's for the younger set.

HOW DO YOU ENTER?

Leave your 100-word story in the comment box below. You may enter more than once, but PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ENTRY.

This contest opens NOW and will close at midnight, EDT, on THURSDAY, MARCH 31.

The winner will be announced on APRIL FOOL'S DAY.

(Hee.)

(Yes, it's a real contest. I promise.)

Oh, and please don't comment anonymously. Sign in with whatever name you use over on the forums.

Have fun!

Go Forth and Crit

2011-03-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

It's occurred to me that some of you might need a gentle nudge to head over to Miss Snark's First Victim and join in the critiquing during this week's Secret Agent Contest.

Don't be shy!

The only way to get good at critting is to...crit! If you haven't done it before or truly don't feel ready, just head over and READ. You'll be amazed, I think, at how much you will learn simply by reading the critique of others.

Keep your eye out for the Secret Agent's appearance, too! It's a golden opportunity to glimpse the inner workings of an agent's mind.

You are warmly welcomed to pop over and join the party!

The Basics: Dorky Dialogue

2011-03-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

Last week we talked about the Invisible Said.

Learning to use "said" instead of ridiculous, sometimes-ostentatious alternatives is an important step in crafting clean dialogue. But if the dialogue itself is stilted, unbelievable, or, well, dorky, it's going to throw us out of the story.

Think about it. If a character in a novel sounds like he's reading cue cards published by a local chapter of Thesaurus R Us, nobody's going to BELIEVE that character. They might even laugh. Or at least roll their eyes.

If we want our characters to be REAL, they need to talk like real people.

Wanna know the best way to figure out whether your characters sound dorky? READ YOUR DIALOGUE OUT LOUD. I am utterly and absolutely serious. I don't care how weird you feel doing it. Your ears are your friend when it comes to dialogue.

Wanna know the even BETTER best way to figure out whether your characters sound dorky? HAVE SOMEONE ELSE READ YOUR DIALOGUE OUT LOUD TO YOU.

Painful? Yes. Embarrassing? Most decidedly. Helpful? Beyond measure.

My dear, darling (longsuffering, glutton-for-punishment...) husband is my number one Picker-Outer of Dorky Dialogue. Fortunately, as my writing has seasoned, there are fewer and fewer instances where he needs to ridicule something I've written.

Yes. Ridicule.

Way back in the first draft of a middle grade novel I wrote several years ago, there was a line of dialogue that was so stilted and incomprehensible that Mr. A scribbled it on a piece of paper and STILL QUOTES IT TO THIS DAY.

You're dying to read it:

"Strange, for silence so long unbroken to be disturbed twice in succession."

*pause for effect*

Go ahead. Read it out loud. Let it roll off your tongue. And then try to figure out what it means.

Yeah. It's REALLY BAD.

Of course I defended it at first. The line was uttered by a merman, after all. He was supposed to be, yanno, mysterious.

Um. Mysterious DOES NOT EQUAL unclear. And you should hear my husband's dramatic renditions of the line. Belly-laugh inducing.

In fact, I can't tell you how many times I've ended up belly-laughing at my husband's reading of my dorky dialogue. Feels SO GOOD to laugh. And then it feels just as good to get rid of the bad dialogue.

So here are some anti-dorky dialogue tips:

1. PEOPLE OFTEN SPEAK IN SENTENCE FRAGMENTS.

Think about it. How often do we speak in fully formed, grammatically correct sentences? Our speech is peppered with phrases, half-thoughts, and single word responses. Your characters' should do the same.

DORKY:

"Where are we going to go this afternoon?" Marie asked.

"We are going to go to the mall as soon as we have finished lunch," Mother said. "After the mall, we are going to drive to Aunt Myrtle's house so that we can return the silverware we had borrowed."

NON-DORKY:

"Where are we going?" Marie asked.

"To the mall, right after lunch," Mother said. "Then we're going to Aunt Myrtle's to return the silverware."

2. PEOPLE USE CONTRACTIONS.

Unless you're writing a historical novel in which contractions would be inappropriate, it's important to remember that modern people use contractions as a matter of course.

DORKY:

"I do not know what you mean," Sibelius said. "I was not anywhere near the parking lot, and I would not be surprised if you have imagined the whole thing."

NON-DORKY:

"I don't know what you mean," Sibelius said. "I wasn't anywhere near the parking lot, and I wouldn't be surprised if you've imagined the whole thing."

3. PEOPLE DON'T GENERALLY TALK IN HUGE CHUNKS OF TEXT.

This is tricky when you've got a lot of information you need to pass on to the reader. But I think it's important to avoid huge paragraphs spoken by one character, which screams INFODUMP. Break it up, make the info-sharing happen naturally in the course of conversation.

DORKY:

"As you know," Felixia said, "the fairies and horned bucktooths have coexisted for centuries. It wasn't until the reign of Fairyqueen Molustinchi'nasa that things turned sour. The Fairyqueen had decided she wanted to marry Prince Ux, but he ran off with a bucktooth maiden, which didn't sit well with the majority of the fairies, who really loved their queen. After Prince Ux's mysterious death, which some say was an accident but others say was more nefarious, his half-horned fairytooth son decided he would vie for the Fairyqueen's throne. His arrogance led to years of strife between the races, which lasts to this day. And that is why I cannot go with you to Broodshead. When they see my half-horn, they will know that I am the blood-spawn of Prince Ux's son."

NON-DORKY:

"I thought the fairies and horned bucktooths used to get along," Samsam said.

"They did," Felixia said. "But things turned sour during the reign of Fairyqueen Molustinchi'nasa."

"What happened?"

Felixia sighed. "She fell in love with Prince Ux, but he ran off with a bucktooth maiden. It didn't sit well with most of the fairies. And of course, when he turned up dead a few years later, most people believed it wasn't an accident."

"So the fairies and bucktooths blamed each other?"

"Yes," Felixia said. "But things got really bad when Ux's half-horned fairytooth son showed up, claiming the Fairyqueen's throne. The fighting went on for years, until he was finally captured and put to death. But the races have never gotten along since."

Samsam rubbed his thumb along his jawline. "And that's why you won't come with me to Broodshead."

"I'm sorry. As soon as they saw my half-horn, they'd know I was the blood-spawn of Prince Ux's son."

4. PEOPLE GENERALLY USE THE SIMPLEST WORDS POSSIBLE

DORKY:

"Can you verify that he was telling the truth?"

NON-DORKY:

"Can you prove that he was telling the truth?"

DORKY:

"Of course I will assist you."

NON-DORKY:

"Of course I'll help."

DORKY:

"I cannot fathom what you are talking about."

NON-DORKY:

"Huh?"

And there you have it. Bear in mind, too, that each of your characters needs to have his own "voice." If, when you are reading your dialogue aloud, you can't tell the different between who is talking, then you're going to have to spend some time individualizing each character's speech patterns.

To check yourself: Cover the dialogue tags, or retype the section on which you're working without any tags or beats. Can you tell who is speaking with just the bare dialogue? If not, you might need to revisit the way your characters talk.

Remember this, too: Dialogue is FUN! Good dialogue propels the story, engages us in the characters' interactions, and makes the characters REAL. As you un-dorkify your dialogue, your story will come to life.

Go to it! Grab a friend, feed her some chocolate, and ask her to read for you. Get ready to laugh. Then, get ready to write some really sparkling dialogue!

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #7

2011-03-19T09:12:00.002-04:00

Title: Through Closed Eyes
Genre: YA Paranormal

   "We're trying to find him," I blurted out. I sighed and shrugged further into the couch, hoping that their expensive cushions would swallow me up.

   "Who?" Christian asked dumbly.

   "John, who the h*** else?" I snapped impatiently. "I told you the truth, now you give me what I came for," I commanded as I placed my hand out in front of me. He smiled down at me and shook his head.

   "You didn't tell me the full truth." He said it slowly, as if I was a kindergartner who kept cheating at a game and he had to keep retelling me the rules.

   "You can't know the full truth," I said in a slight mimicking tone. I placed my lips in a pout.

   "Pouting’s not pretty," he laughed, he touched my lips lightly.

   "Neither is being a jerk," I muttered, reconsidering the whole killing angle.

   "Yeah, but I'm a guy. We don't care about being pretty."

   "Who's the liar now?" I giggled, rolling my eyes. Now, Gabriel doesn't care about being pretty, but I know almost every other guy does. Or, well, I suppose they prefer the term hot, pretty is an insult to their manliness. Ha ha.

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #6

2011-03-19T09:10:00.013-04:00

TITLE: Darkblood
GENRE: YA Fantasy

Sabin and Zaida are running from yovi, servants of their enemy. Now, they’re visiting Sabin’s old town to find someone Sabin says can help them, but secrecy is key; there are posters of their faces everywhere. This is the scene where the gatekeeper — who recognizes Sabin — lets them in.

A heavy lock clicked behind the door and it creaked open a crack.

“Who goes there? We said we… oh.” It opened wider. “Sabin!”

“Shut up,” Sabin said quietly.

A middle aged man slipped out of the door and shut it behind him. “What are you doing here? The yovi arrived this morning said they were looking for two dangerous runaways. Your face is on posters right now! No one could believe it was—”

“Save it for later. I have to see Evin.”

“Not now you can’t.” The man seemed genuinely agitated. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Sabin glanced at me. “I can’t explain. Just trust that things are finally going the right way.”

The man seemed to notice me for the first time. “Zaida. She’s here too? Look, if you bring the yovi down on all of us…”

“Trust me, all right?”

“Your word is all I’m on.” The man opened the door and hurried us in. “Make this quick. Last I saw her was in the Inn ‘bout a week ago.”

Sabin cursed. “If she’s not here and we have to leave, tell her I came as soon as you next see her, all right?”

“Will do. Only be careful.”

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #5

2011-03-19T09:08:00.002-04:00

TITLE: OBLIVIOUS

GENRE: Thriller

A homicide detective is spending Christmas at his parents’ with his siblings. He is playing the piano with his wife before dinner when she expresses her concerns about his passion. Raynaud’s is a disorder that causes blood vessels to constrict at stress/strong emotions. (A Writer Gone Mad actually has this disorder.)

Her hands fell from the keys, fingers white. I prayed it wasn’t the Raynaud’s again. Not in my haven. “Do you think you’ll ever stop?”

I stole a glance at her, stumbled and then caught myself. “Playing the piano?”

“Letting yourself get so engrossed in these cases, Jack.”

I pulled her close before she could finish and I could think, abandoning the piece. Her thumbs slipped through the belt loops of my jeans. “Of course, I will Abs,” I said. “Someday, I’ll have to. Why would you-”

“I’m just wondering,” She pulled me closer, put her head on my chest. “What if you’re killed before you stop?”

I didn’t say anything; there was always the possibility that it could happen. It almost did three years ago, and she knew it. I couldn’t forget what she had said to me. What if you’re killed?

I was grateful Naomi had stuck her head in, her hands lost in a paper towel, to brake my train of thought. “Hey lovebirds, dinner’s almost ready.”

I looked at her over Abby’s shoulder. “We’ll be right there.”

The expression on her face asked me what she dared not say out loud. Is everything alright?

I just looked at her. I don’t know.

The chandelier was on for the first time since I’d been back, throwing familiar shards all over the walls. I said grace, and felt the safest I had in years. Maybe that was dangerous.

Ethan raised his goblet for a toast and said, “To family, for without it, we’d all be insane.”

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #4

2011-03-19T09:06:00.001-04:00

Title: The Tale of the Pie-Rats
Genre: Fiction (I'm not sure what the sub-genre is)

This is a short story about a group of Pie-Rats (Pirate rats who eat pies) that are on a ship searching for buried treasure.

“Hoy, Squeaker, what’s the matter with you? You look all giddy and out of sorts. Has Bulky been teasin’ you again?” Thomas said as he sat down next to a small, skinny rat.

“Oh…no Thomas…it’s just a little bit of indigestion…I don’t do so well with all these seafood pies…you know…sets my stomach all a ‘tumble’, thinking about fish…” replied Squeaker in a small, quavering voice which matched his small stature. All the rats were eating supper in the dining room below deck, after a hard days work.

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll be mighty glad when we reach Shell Island and can stock up on some meat. I hate all these salty, fishy, pies.” Fusser said from across the table. He was the kind of rat who was very particular about the taste of his food.

“Shut up and quit complain’ or I’ll use my fists to quiet you down. You need a good beating what with all your pickiness and complain’,” called out a rat in a deep voice; everyone knew him as Bulky, the strongest, biggest, meanest rat on board the Star-Sail.

“Now, now Bulky, lets not be too hasty, I meant no offense. I’m just a little tired of tasting the sea in everything I eat, that’s all,” Fusser replied quickly, suddenly afraid of the idea of Bulky harming him.

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #3

2011-03-19T09:04:00.004-04:00

TITLE: THE NIGHT
GENRE: Epic YA Fantasy

The prince/keralealon, Taeon, and his manservant, Ghale, are preparing for their mission, to capture a fugitive and bring them back to the capital.

Ghale pulled a set of gold, ruby-encrusted ceremonial robes from the closet. “Perhaps these shall be of some use to you on the journey, sire.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Yes, I agree.” Taeon turned back to reading the details of the mission. “Find a good place for them among the saddlebags. Wouldn’t want them to become wrinkled.” Ghale knew perfectly well what he ought to be packing.

There was a clinking of metal on metal. “Master Taeon, what are these for?” He held three silver arm bands, each about the width of two fingers.

“My father has decided he must have a hand in what I wear. As if the people concern themselves with such trivial things.”

“Must be popular with the keradealas.”

Taeon gave him a look.

“Maybe he hopes you’ll find a wife during your travels,” he continued with a sly grin.

“Ghalen, we’re to be chasing dangerous fugitives from the law. I doubt we’ll take the time to attend any keraden banquets. If you’re coming solely to chase maidservants, I suggest you stay home.” Not that the boy had any choice in the matter.

“Already have a girl in mind, then, sire?”

“You are dismissed, Ghalen,” he said without looking up. “And when I say dismissed, I mean permanently.”

Ghale placed one more item on the pile, then assumed a sullen expression. “As you wish, my keralealon. I will go pack my things.” He left.

Taeon shook his head. If he ever truly wished to dismiss Ghale, he wouldn’t take him seriously.

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #2

2011-03-19T09:03:00.001-04:00

Title: Splashback
Genre: YA Thriller

Lottie and Maureen are top-level swimmer frenemies whose jealousy has finally boiled over. Lee is their coach.

Rolling my eyes, I turned to her. "Get over yourself, Maureen. You're just pissed I'm beating you in practice again. Newsflash--I've always been faster."

"Lottie . . ." Lee sounded disappointed, but I ignored him. She needed this.

"I'm treating you the way you deserve to be treated," Maureen snapped. "Everyone has treated you like you're Michael Phelps for the past year and a half. They all tip-toe about like I'm about to Tonya Harding their a**, while you--you can do no wrong." She stood up, towering over me for a rare moment. "Except you can and you do and you never have to fix it!"

"Maureen!" Lee's cries were background noise.

I stood too. "I can't help that people like me because I actually care! I care about others, okay, and I care what they think of me--it's polite!"

"You care so much about yourself and your appearance and your reputation! Just shut up and swim. You're going nowhere in life with your looks--except maybe onto a pole!"

"GIRLS!" Lee slammed his fist down on his desk. "I don't know what has gotten into the two of you, but I can't have you guys fighting like this. My senior group has fourteen swimmers, and they all look up to you every day, sometimes twice a day. The rest of the team looks up to you during meets. You can't set a bad example."

"Little Miss Sunshine won't ever set a bad example," Maureen said, glaring at me.

"Little Miss Raincloud doesn't know how to set a good example," I returned.

"Talking Heads" Critique Session Entry #1

2011-03-19T09:00:00.004-04:00

Title: Short Swords
Genre: YA fantasy

Sophie and Brent live in the Under City where food is scarce and children are forced to live on the streets. To survive they must steal what ever they can get, however, if caught by the Street Sweepers, punishment is harsh. Sophie has joined Tommy's children's street gang, of which Brent is a member, but Tommy has set her up for failure.

“Who’s coming?” she tried not to yell in her panic and began wiggling faster.

Brent took hold of her shoulders and pulled. “Tommy spilt the beans. Told the Street Sweepers ye would be here. I’m sorry Soph, it’s my fault.” His panicked tugs were more hindering than helpful.

“Brent let go, I can do this myself. And it isn’t your fault, you were trying to help feed me.” She grunted in pain. “Will Tommy hang?”

“Tommy?” Brent froze. “Hang? Oh no Soph ye dinna understand. They dinna catch him. He volunteered the information. He only let ye join ‘cause I insisted but he dinna like the way ye talk.”

Sophie kicked her feet trying desperately to find something to push against. The blood in her temples was beating so hard her eyes watered, “He doesn't like the way I talk?” she whispered. “I can’t help that my grandmother made me learn fansy Upper City speech.”

New foot steps echoed down the ally. Two more men had arrived.

“Brent go!” yelled Sophie. She knew there was no point hiding now, sped was their only remaining hope.

“But?”

“I’ll be out in a moment, just get out of here!” Sophie redoubled her struggles as, with one last look, Brent melted into the darkness.

“Well well well, what have we here?” asked a new voice and a pair of filthy shoes appeared in Sophie’s vision.

She stopped moving as all feeling left her limbs and old terrors took over. Twice already the Sweepers had caught her, a third time would mean death or transportation.

Call For Submissions: Talking Heads

2011-03-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

Submissions are now open for your dialogue-rich excerpts. (In other words, mostly talking.)

Guidelines:

You may submit a 250-word, dialogue-rich excerpt from your novel, whether it is a completed work or a work-in-progress (WIP).
You may include a BRIEF lead-in (that is, a sentence or two to set up the scene).
The submission window will open at 4:00 PM EST today, and will close at 4:00 PM on Friday or when we have 10 entries--whichever comes first.
You may only submit one entry. Subsequent entries will be disqualified.
All entries will be posted anonymously.
By entering this critique round, you are giving implicit permission to have your work posted and publicly critiqued.
By entering this critique round, you agree to critique a minimum of 3 other entries.
Send your submission to A Writer Gone Mad at awritergonemad.submissions(at)gmail.com. (Replace the (at) with an @ sign.)
You will receive a reply email with your post number. Please be patient; unlike the critiques on Miss Snark's First Victim, this contest is NOT automated. Mad will be taking care of submissions by hand.
Format your entry EXACTLY AS FOLLOWS:

SCREEN NAME: (type it here) (this is whatever name you use when you leave comments here)
TITLE: (type it here)
GENRE: (type it here)

(type your first 250 words here)

The Basics: The Invisible "Said"

2011-03-15T12:06:00.003-04:00

My husband is not a big reader. (Gasp!) So when his mom handed him a book written by a friend of hers, he was not inclined to read it. Not even to be polite.

So, naturally, he handed it to me.

Admittedly, I wrinkled my nose. The book was published by PublishAmerica. (This is something you never want to do. Never.) For the uninitiated, PublishAmerica is a vanity press. You pay them a lot of money and they print your book.

So I knew immediately that the book had not been professionally edited and would probably...well, stink.

(Disclaimer: Self publishing is a viable option for authors. I self-published a non-fiction book before I started writing fiction. But PublishAmerica is BAD NEWS. 'Nuff said.)

Anyway, I didn't exactly read the book. I sort of skimmed through. And, yeah. It sucked. I can't comment on the plot, since the skim was just that. A thin, quick, oh-my-stars-is-this-bad skim. So I can only comment on the writing.

You know what stuck out the most? The author's nearly complete avoidance of the word SAID. As though it were a bad word.

What did I see instead?

She exclaimed.
He retorted.
She shouted.
He declared.
She screamed.
He demanded.

You know. All the ridiculously over-descriptive words that want to be, simply, "said."

Want to know something else interesting? The author was a retired English teacher.

I shudder to think of the HUNDREDS of writing students she trained, over the years, to avoid the word "said" in their creative writing.

Here's the thing about the tiny word "said": It's invisible. We know the characters in a novel are SPEAKING when we see quotation marks. We don't need a lot of reminders that that's what they're doing. "Said", when used sparingly, melts into the background, reminding us gently that, yes, the characters are having a conversation.

That's what it's meant to do. That's how we need to use it.

TOO MANY SAIDS

Of course, one can overdo. We don't need to see this:

"I'm so embarrassed," Dee said.
"You should be," Mary said.
"I mean, what was I thinking?" Dee said.
"Exactly," Mary said.
"And he'll probably never talk to me again," Dee said.
"Probably," Mary said.

Yeah. That's ridiculous, right? We don't need a "said" after every line of dialogue. What we DO need is a beat or two. You know; those little bits that add some action to the exchange, let us know a little more about our characters' state of mind:

Dee pressed her palm against her forehead. "I'm so embarrassed."
"You should be," Mary said.
"I mean, what was I thinking?"
"Exactly." Mary started toward the exit.
"And he'll probably never talk to me again," Dee said, following.
"Probably."

THE OCCASIONAL USE OF OTHER WORDS

Of course, there are always occasions when a word other than said is called for. Naturally, you don't want to do this very often. As in, almost never. The one exception to "almost never" is the word ASK. Because when your character needs to ask a question, he is, technically, ASKING and not SAYING. So you're allowed to write,

"What's bothering you?" he asked.

Other "occasional use" words include:

WHISPER (When there's absolutely no other way to describe it.)
YELL or SHOUT (When there's absolutely no other way to describe it.)

You get the idea.

In short, be judicious about your use of words-other-than-said. Sometimes a delicious synonym will be JUST RIGHT for the moment.

"Sleep now," she murmured.

And sometimes a synonym will NOT be delicious. It will be ridiculous.

"I'm leaving now," she verbalized.

WORDS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE USED BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE

Another mistake new-ish writers tend to make is to attribute impossible actions to characters in what is yet another avoidance of the beautiful, invisible "said." For example:

"I don't believe you," he laughed.

One cannot "laugh" the words, "I don't believe you." Go ahead. Try.

"You're not serious!" she gasped.

Nope. Gasping an entire sentence isn't something most normal people can do.

"It really hurts," he groaned.

Um, no. A groan is a low, guttural sound. He might groan first and THEN speak. But not both at once.

"You're such an idiot!" he guffawed.

Okay. I'm having too much fun here.

IN SHORT

"Said" is your friend. Use it without trepidation. Do not over-use it. And don't let your English teacher talk you into using six hundred synonyms in order to avoid "said". With all due respect, that is the worst possible advice on dialogue that she could give you.

Or he. Not to be sexist or anything.

And now you're ready to write some sparkling dialogue!

Oh, wait. We'll have to talk about Dorky Dialogue next...

Crit Round This Week!

2011-03-14T07:38:00.000-04:00

Time for some more in-house critique!

Submissions will open this Wednesday at 3:00 pm EDT for our first TALKING HEADS round!

TALKING HEADS means just what it sounds like: I want you to find an excerpt from your novel that is dialogue-rich. Maximum 250 words. And that's what we'll be critiquing.

Dialogue is an important part of story-telling. And writing believable, natural dialogue can be challenging. We don't want our characters to sound like B-movie actors, but sometimes they do. So let's expose them when they're talking a lot and weed out the not-so-good stuff.

What mistakes do we sometimes make?

Big chunks of info-dumpy words. Real people don't speak in paragraphs.
Awkard, wordy prose. Real people don't sound like dictionaries.
Bland sameness. Real people have different speaking styles.
Odd spellings, apostrophes, etc., in order to connote colloquialism or accent. Real people do have different ways of saying things, but if we can't read it, we won't know what they're saying at all.

Anyway, the guidelines will post on Wednesday, and we'll take the first 10, like last time. In the meantime, comb your manuscript for a heavy bit of dialogue that you'd like critiqued. And post your questions below!

So I'm Thinking...

2011-03-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

We'll be doing in-house critiques on a regular basis, so that's covered.

We'll continue to have author interviews and other Interesting Things.

And of course, there's ALWAYS something going on in the forums. (Have you been there lately? I mean...they're hoppin'! Lizzy is doing an amazing job running that place.)

But that leaves me with the big question: What else do you need from me?

I'm going to be writing a weekly feature for you. It's going to be called The Basics. And it's going to cover everything about writing that is NOT about the industry. In other words, it's going to be about the WRITING.

As in, writing.

Because, I hate to say it--well, I don't hate to say it, actually, because it's true--but some English and Creative Writing teachers are teaching bad writing habits instead of good ones. They're not doing it on purpose. And if they knew they were doing it, I think they'd stop.

I'm not talking about non-fiction, by the way. I think most of them have the term-paper, research-paper, two-page-report-on-the-boring-life-of-Emily-Dickinson thing down. And more power to them, because I kind of hate that stuff.

I'm talking FICTION. You know. The good stuff. *grin*

To be fair to them (and, for what it's worth, one of the people who influenced me the most as a writer was one of my English teachers), they're stuck with the curriculum. And curriculum does-not-equal the be-all end-all of what it means to WRITE FICTION WELL.

So. I'll attempt to fill in the spaces. Correct the wrong thinking. And help you all to write like AUTHORS instead of like ENGLISH STUDENTS.

If you know what I mean.

How does that sound?

(Oh, and those non-fiction writing assignments you're receiving from your teachers or parents? I WANT YOU TO WRITE THOSE WELL, TOO. I may hate writing them, but I believe anyone who calls himself a writer should take ALL writing assignments seriously, whether they flip your chocolate chip cookie or not. So no slacking!)

Twitter Contest!!!

2011-03-07T11:11:00.002-05:00

If you're not already following me on Twitter, head on over and FOLLOW!

Read HERE to learn all about the fabulous prizes. Then head over to Twitter! First contest window is today from noon to 3 EST.

Cool prizes for writers and readers alike!

LIVE CHAT with AGENT KATHLEEN ORTIZ

2011-03-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

That's right! The sharp-and-savvy (and adorable) Kathleen Ortiz of Lowenstein Associates will be joining us in the chat room on FRIDAY NIGHT from 8 to 9 EST. Come with your questions ready! Kathleen's a load of fun AND a wealth of information.

Kathleen's Bio:

Kathleen Ortiz began her career in publishing at Ballinger Publishing as an editorial assistant and interactive media designer for the young adult section, working to boost the magazine’s online presence through social networking. She then moved on to uwirepr.com as online editor for the features, art & entertainment sections. She has also taught high school classes as a visual media instructor.

Kathleen is currently Associate Agent and Foreign Rights Manager at Lowenstein Associates. She is seeking children's books (chapter, middle grade, and young adult) and young adult non-fiction. While Kathleen enjoys everything from light-hearted and humorous to dark and edgy, she'd love to find an amazing romance from a male point of view or a steampunk with fantastic world building.

Lowenstein Associates believes with the continued demand for online marketing in publishing, a strong online platform is essential for today's authors. Kathleen uses her background in interactive media design to assist Lowenstein Associates’ clients with branding themselves. She maintains a blog on tips for querying and publishing at Neverending Page Turner and may also be found on Twitter.

Ask the Editor: ALISON WEISS

2011-02-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Great news! Editor Alison Weiss has come up with the fabulous idea of hosting a monthly Ask the Editor feature on our forums.

Yay, Alison!

She's excited to get to know you, so don't be shy. Head over to the forums and ask your questions! The thread will open first thing in the morning and will remain open for 24 hours. Alison will pop in periodically throughout the day to make sure your questions are answered.

Don't miss this awesome opportunity!

Alison's bio:

Alison Weiss is an Assistant Editor at Egmont USA. As a kid, it was not unusual to find her huddled under the covers on a Saturday morning with a stack of books rather than downstairs watching cartoons. Reading and writing have always been passions, but sharing that passion with others wasn’t always as easy. That is until she found the children’s publishing world.

Alison has been with Egmont for nearly three years. During that time she’s been fortunate to work with debut authors and multi-award winning, alike. She’s been part of the editorial team on projects by Walter Dean Myers and Todd Strasser, and has worked with authors including Glenn Dakin, Kristin Clark Venuti, Aimee Ferris, and Lynn Kiele Bonasia.

Responsible for Egmont’s Twitter feed (as @EgmontUSA), Alison is regularly involved in sessions where she discusses the publishing industry and answers writer’s questions. And now, she’s delighted to have the opportunity to answer some of yours.

Are You Hooked? Let's Go!

2011-02-26T10:15:00.000-05:00

Okay everyone! The excerpts are up.

KUDOS AND A HUGE WAVE OF APPLAUSE TO OUR BRAVE ENTRANTS!

Here are some critiquing pointers for everyone:

1. Be kind. Language like "I hated this" and "This is an awful paragraph" are not helpful. In fact, they offer discouragement instead of help. And this is about helping each other.

2. Be honest. If something needs work, don't say, "This is awesome!" We will not grow as writers unless we can accept honest evaluations of our work.

3. Please do not sign in as "anonymous." Use a screen name that will help us identify you. Like, yanno, "Authoress." Except that's mine.

4. If you are an entrant, please be sure to critique at least 3 other entries. This is about give and take.

5. If you are not an entrant, we still want your critique!

6. If you are a reader but not a writer, your feedback is still helpful. Let us know that you are critiquing as a potential reader and tell us why or why not you'd like to read more.

Leave your critique at any time over the next few days! Oh, and entrants? Please don't pop into the comment box and try to explain yourself or defend things. Just read quietly and sort through the feedback, deciding what is helpful and what isn't. Whining isn't pretty. :)

**BIG HUGS!!** This'll be fun.

Critique Session Entry #9

2011-02-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Anywhere
GENRE: YA-Historical

Okay, so three words can’t kill you, right? I’m not even going to say them ‘cause I’d said them more times than I already should. They’d been my wish words, but you should never wish on just three words. Best to fill out the spaces. Get into specifics.

So the beginning. It had been a long week and it was scorching hot for the most of it, but I summoned what energy I could for this one thing, holding my ground – what little there was to hold. Let me tell you, doing something like that against my father took way more energy than I had. He’s a ‘back down from nothing’ kind of guy, but I’ve got his blood in me – apparently - and as much as I’d like to think otherwise, we share this one thing in common. I’m not the backing down type either.

Still, expecting imminent failure, I take this as a practice moment, a chance to hone my skills for something more significant, knowing of course, that something significant will one day come. It’s bound to, right? Life can’t just float along simmering at the edges without anything happening.

So it’s the moment of stare down. I’m staring. He’s staring. You’ve gotta try, otherwise you end up this vessel of nothingness, going along with anything and everything and completely loosing yourself to silence, and it’s a quick fall into oblivion once you’ve chosen that route. Why does that instantly make me think of my mother?

Critique Session Entry #8

2011-02-26T09:07:00.000-05:00

TITLE: OBLIVIOUS
GENRE: Thriller

Everything blurred no matter how much she blinked.

Robert Benning answered the front door almost the moment she knocked. This was fate, unadulterated, and she hated it. The timing couldn’t be explained away, and that ruined everything. She took in his eyes and the soft wrinkles around them as best she could. She had missed so much.

“Rebecca’s alive.”

Benning dropped his glass of wine at the words, the goblet sending shards across the entryway. Any inkling of inebriation evaporated, and track marks she didn’t remember were prominent on his arms. The wine at his feet looked like drops of blood. “Is she okay?”

She shifted on his porch steps, the last place she wanted to be. Her knuckles whitened as she fought to see clearly. His features blurred again for a moment. “No.”

“Where is she?” He stretched to look behind her, but there was no one else in the street that was speckled with dim globe lamps. She wondered what he remembered. Trusting his memories was always a gamble; they were fragmented at best, everyone knew.

“Hell.” Drowning in the raw fear in his eyes, she plunged the knife into him without another word; it was easier that way. She watched his spiked blood slip through the spaces his fingers left unguarded. The colors ran together until she wiped her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Critique Session Entry #7

2011-02-26T09:06:00.000-05:00

Title: Chance
Genre: YA

I couldn't believe that I had been talked into driving down here! Megan had sworn up and down that it would be worth it. She claimed that her college was amazing, that I would love it.

"Really," she had said over the phone, "how could you not like it? The parties here are killer, and it's nothing like home! I swear every other guy here is like a ten on the hot scale." Did she mention one thing about the academics? No. Did she successfully talk me into coming anyway, like always? Yes.

It must be nice living on daddy's credit cards. I think Megan thought of classes as optional. To her they were something you went to when you weren't too hung over and daddy was bugging you about the classes you were taking.

The funny thing is that I'm positive that Megan doesn't even know what classes she's taking this semester. Two weeks ago I called her and she told me she was in a still life drawing class, but when I got the class listings a week later I found that they only offer art classes first semester. Knowing Megan, I knew that she would have actually thought she was in an art class, so of course I called her and asked her where in the world she was. Unsurprisingly, she didn't know, which caused me to go into full lecture mode about how she needs to be more careful. There are some crazy people in this world you know!

Critique Session Entry #6

2011-02-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

TITLE: Poseidon's Trident
GENRE: Thriller

Lily Ashwood flashed her identification card and passed through the fence gates into the dig site. A boy walked quickly to keep up. He rushed after her, in his haste forgetting to produce his own identification card, and a gun wielding security guard blocked his way.

'It's alright, Almando,' Lily called to the security guard. 'Gregorio is with me.'

'Sorry, Miss Lily,' Almando replied. 'You know the procedures; he has to show his pass.'

Gregorio hurriedly fumbled through his jacket pockets, then his pants pockets. He at last found it, and held it up for the bulky man to see. The Spanish guard nodded, satisfied, and stepped aside. Gregorio raced up to Lily, and the pair continued on.

'I'm sorry, Miss Lily' the Spanish boy apologised, 'I've never had to show my pass before.'

'It's alright,' Lily replied, slowing her pace to allow her new archaeology student to keep up. 'There was a break in last night, and security has been tightened. Hence Almando's presence.'

The pair sidestepped a pile of rubble and came to a dark cave, guarded by another beefy guard. Lily showed her pass again, and without looking at it, the guard nodded and let the pair in. They donned white hard hats, and Lily swept a strand of blonde hair out of her deep blue eyes and tucked the rogue strand behind her ear. Lily ducked to enter the cave, moving several hanging vines out of the way with her hand. Gregorio followed her and they switched on headlamps attached to the helmet.