Crossing the Helix

But ... I WAS Teaching!

2012-01-30T00:01:00.003-07:00

Funny thing happened the other day. Less "funny-ha-ha" and more "funny-huh?"

My school has this thing where a collection of administrators and specialists rotate around, observing different classrooms each week. Some look at how we're using ASL, curriculum, or technology while others just look at the general classroom experience.

A few weeks ago, I had one such observation. I had a great little activity for my class. We briefly reviewed what we knew about three different types of functions, and I explained the activity. They'd be making predictions about a list of equations, checking those predictions, and then forming some generalizations. I circulated as they worked, dialoguing with them about what they were noticing. It all went really well.

I didn't think about it again until I got an email from the observer a while later. She apologized for not getting any notes to me sooner, but she'd had a hard time writing up anything because she "really had not observed a 'lesson' so to speak." She wanted to schedule another observation when I was teaching a new concept.

Excuse me, what?

I had taught a new concept. I'd taught my class how to recognize linear, quadratic, and exponential functions by their equations and without graphing them. The students were actively engaged in learning the whole time, doing something, rather than sitting there in a lecture-coma as I told them everything from the board.

Clearly, though, she wants to see something that looks more like a traditional "lesson." So she's coming back this week to observe a lesson in my physics class.

Le sigh. I don't mind being observed again. I do mind the fact that I'm trying to follow nationally recognized "best practices" is being discounted as "not a lesson." If it wasn't a lesson, what did she think it was—busy work? That, I definitely mind.

Is it just me? If you were back in math class, would you rather take notes on a lecture or work on an activity that helped you figure out a concept for yourself?

Teachers Don't Always Like Being the Grown-Up

2012-01-27T00:01:00.001-07:00

This is a real shocker, right? Of course teachers take joy in torturing students with mountains of homework and giving detention. They would never want to do anything else. They don't even exist outside of classrooms.

What, you didn't know that? We evaporate if we try to go anywhere the normal public goes outside school hours. Very painful.

Seriously, there are times I think to myself, "I should be more strict and stern. I'm supposed to be the adult in the room." But my students make me laugh too much. (Not all the time, but in some classes, often.) Then I remember that super-strict isn't my style, and in those classes with lots of laughter, the kids are still learning. Laughing while they do it means they often hate math without hating math class. Sometimes that leads to not hating math so much, either. I'll take what I can get.

Here's something students don't always believe: Just like they have days when they'd rather not have to think so hard and work, there are days we'd rather not think so hard and teach. But because we're grown-ups, we suck it up and do it anyway. It's always nice to see teenagers reach that point of realization. "I don't feel good/I'm tired/I'm distracted, but it doesn't matter. I have to get the job done anyway."

There are other times when the knowledge that I'm the adult in the room is a little scary. When a student is upset, or gets hurt, or two of them are spiraling toward a full-out brawl ... I have a split second of "Yikes! I'm the one who has to handle this."

And then I do.

So remember, teachers are people, too. If you're a parent, make sure your children are aware of that little-known fact. And if you're a writer, try not to make every teacher in your writing a one-dimensional caricature. ;)

A Tense Matter of Perspective

2012-01-25T00:01:00.001-07:00

When I started writing my very first novel, it was in third person. A couple pages in, it was feeling awkward. I went back and re-did it in first person, and never looked back.

From then on, the decision of whether to go first or third (and if first, present or past tense) has been a combination of gut instinct and thinking about what the story needed. In one, I chose third person because I needed that tiny bit of distance from the main character so she could keep some secrets from the reader in an organic (not just convenient for me) way. In another, I chose present tense because it only made sense to be in the moment rather than looking back.

I've even braved the "alternating first person" POV ... just for a novelette I wrote on a whim, but I still did it. (One POV I haven't tried is second person, and I don't see myself trying anytime soon.)

My latest Shiny New Idea has been less forthcoming about what it wanted to be. Or maybe it's just less demanding and could work whatever way I chose, as long as I applied the perspective and tense in an effective way. For the scene-and-a-half I've written so far, I went with first-person/past. Feels good so far, so hopefully it'll work.

On a separate but related note, there's something I don't get. I've seen a lot of people say they hate reading first-person narratives. Maybe it's just a matter of personal preference, like the way I'm not crazy about peas unless they're raw.

I used to feel kind of the same way about novels in present tense. The first time I read one, it felt funny and jarred me for a while. But I figured out I just wasn't used to it. Now that I've read several, it doesn't bother me most of the time. In fact, when I notice the tense and think, "Ugh, this present tense is bugging me," I suspect it's a sign that either the writer didn't handle the tense well, or it was just an inappropriate choice for that story.

But first person in general? Is it possible to not be used to that? (Weren't all the Babysitters' Club books in first from the POV of whichever girl had her name in the title? Maybe I'm remembering wrong.) Is there some other reason I acclimated and adapted to whatever it is about this perspective that bothers some readers?

Or is one person's grilled zucchini another person's boiled peas? (I may have taken the metaphor too far there.)

Just curious. Any of you first-person haters want to share?

Mental Math Tips for Your Kids (that Might Help You, Too)

2012-01-23T00:01:00.002-07:00

Every once in a while, I'll try to post some math tips that may or may not be helpful to people. We'll start with a couple of simple ones this time, and you'll have to trust me when I say I'm not using a calculator for any of the examples.

Multiplying By 12

I never memorized the multiplication facts for 12 when I was a kid. Why bother? It's easy to multiply by 11, then just add one more of whatever number your multiplying by. For example, for 12 × 7:

11 × 7 = 77
77 + 7 = 84
so 12 × 7 = 84

In third grade, I was able to do that process quickly enough to still complete the timed multiplication tests, so my teachers never knew I hadn't actually "memorized" those facts. (Do they still do those timed tests in elementary?) Of course, that assumes you can add a single-digit number to a larger number without counting it out.

What if you need to multiply something by 12 that's beyond the typically memorized math facts? It's a little trickier, but in a pinch, you can still do it in your head. Multiplying by 10 is even easier than 11. Then you just double whatever you're multiplying by, and add the two together. For example, 12 × 15:

15 × 10 = 150
15 × 2 = 30
150 + 30 = 180

Maybe that one was too easy. Let's try 12 × 43:

43 × 10 = 430
43 × 2 = 86
430 + 86 = 516

Again, this requires some mental addition ability. So let's look at one of the simplest cases of this to start with.

Adding (or Subtracting) 9

As crazy as it makes me to see teenagers in advanced math classes add by counting on their fingers, it's the worst when they do it for something as easy as adding or subtracting 9. Our base-10 number system is a marvelous thing. It makes adding/subtracting 10 super-easy. To add/subtract 9, just do 10, then move one space back the other direction.

For 27 + 9:

27 + 10 = 37
37 - 1 = 36

For 82 - 9:
82 - 10 = 72
72 + 1 = 73

Yes, pretty much all of us have cell phones with calculators these days. But seriously, for simple calculations, I bet you can do it in your head more quickly than you can take out your phone and punch it in. ;)

I'll see if I can come up with more tips and tricks another week.

But Don't They All Speak English?

2012-01-20T00:01:00.002-07:00

From the Strange-But-True file: Sign language in the U.S. is not the same as sign language in England.

Shocking, isn't it?

Here, we use American Sign Language (ASL). There, they use British Sign Language (BSL). These facts seem to blow a lot of people's minds. Both countries speak the same language (well, roughly), so surely the sign language used should be essentially the same.

There's a fallacy in this reasoning. It presumes sign language is a visual-gestural representation of the spoken language. Not so. Sign languages are languages in their own right. If you get into the history of it, ASL has a lot of linguistic roots in French Sign Language (LSF).

And in case you don't believe me, just try the alphabet. Many Americans know the ASL fingerspelling alphabet. All one-handed.

The BSL alphabet requires two hands for almost every letter, and looks completely different from ASL. (Other than the letter C ... that one's just special.)

There are a variety of different sign languages used in the world. Chinese, Swedish, Thai, etc. Canada uses ASL, except in Quebec, where they use LSQ. Someday I'd like to learn some of another sign language, but I think for now I'll focus on keeping my ASL up to scratch.

Levels of Response in the Publishing Game

2012-01-18T00:01:00.005-07:00

As I wade through the waters of Trying to Get Published, I find there are a lot of things the general public doesn't know about the process. Since most of us start out in the general public before moving into Wannabe-Writer-Ville, we come into the process as clueless newbies.

The first thing we learn about is the query letter. That's a tricky beast all in itself and deserves weeks of study. But with the magic of the internet (and cool sites like AgentQuery Connect), we get up to speed on how and why, and work out a query letter that's considered ready to go.

We carefully read submission guidelines, send out a batch or two of queries, and we wait.

As a newbie, we may not know how many possible responses there are. Let's break it down.

SILENCE
First, has it only been ten minutes? If so, chill out. (If the agent promises an auto-response to confirm receipt, check your spam folder, wait a little longer, then try again.) If it's been a few weeks/months, there are questions to answer. Does the agent have a stated "no response means no" policy? If yes, move on. If no, and there was no auto-response, do a little digging to determine whether the agent typically responds and how long it usually takes. (QueryTracker is a great resource for this.) If it's been unreasonably long, and the agent always responds to queries, might be worth resending.

FORM REJECTION
This can vary from a super-brief "Not for me, but thanks," to a very politely worded paragraph that means the same thing. Don't agonize over every syllable. Just move on.

PERSONALIZED REJECTION (on query)
This is pretty rare, but occasionally happens. Sometimes it'll look personalized, but a little research shows it's a form. If you really do get a personalized reply, glean what you can from it, but again—don't agonize. Move on.

PARTIAL REQUEST
Yay, they want to read some of your manuscript! First, a partial typically means three chapters or the first fifty pages. In my experience, agents are pretty clear with what they want and how they want it. Follow their instructions. Once you send it off—don't agonize. Your query seems to work, so send off a few more to celebrate.

FULL REQUEST
Yay, they want to (potentially) read the whole thing! Some agents go straight from the query to this point, skipping the partial in-between. Same advice goes—send as instructed, don't agonize, and send off some more queries.

SILENCE (on requested material)
Ugh. Hold on! Has it only been two weeks? Chill out again.

Many agents state that they respond to full manuscripts within X amount of time. Wait that length plus a few weeks (or an extra month), then try a politely worded nudge. Sometimes you get an apologetic note that things got crazy and you're next on the list, or there's been a technical problem and could you please resend ... and sometimes you get more silence.

FORM REJECTION (on requested material)
Ouch. This sucks, because you often can't even tell how far they read. This is where I most often see the "I just didn't love it enough" wording. Frustrating, because it doesn't really give you something to act on, other than trying to find the agent who is going to love it enough. Check with beta-readers and critique partners to see if they have ideas about making it more "loveable" but ... don't agonize. Send more queries and get back to work on your WIP (you do have one, don't you?).

BRIEF REJECTION (on requested material)
A little better than the form, and may give you a touch of direction on revisions. If the feedback resonates, act on it. But don't agonize. Get back to work.

DETAILED REJECTION
This can hurt the most but be the most valuable ... maybe. The agent cared enough to type up 3-5 paragraphs on what they liked and didn't like, but ultimately, they don't want this story. Often this type of rejection includes a statement like, "Please keep me in mind for any future projects." Make a note of that. If this story doesn't pan out and your WIP gets to querying stage, I highly recommend starting your new query letter to these agents with: "In (month and year), you were kind enough to read the full manuscript for (insert title)."

A rejection like this warrants a little agonizing. You need to look over their feedback carefully. Let it sit for a day or two until the sting is gone, then read it again. What resonates? What could make the story better? This may be the time to dive into some big revisions. But if the feedback doesn't resonate at all, or contradicts what other agents have said they liked, it may be yet another occasion to move on.

REVISE AND RESUBMIT
There's nothing relaxing about this type of R&R. This often looks a lot like the Detailed Rejection, but it's actually a hefty step above. It generally includes the same types of feedback, but includes a clear statement from the agent that if you're willing to revise, they'd be happy to look at it again.

Agonize. By all means, agonize.

Again, make sure the feedback resonates on some level. Come up with a game plan for addressing the agent's "problem areas." Take your time (but not forever) working through your manuscript. Run it through your must trusted critique partner(s) again. Polish the now-rough edges where things got cut and scraped.

Send the new version. Then stop agonizing. Send a query, write on the WIP, do something.

And finally ...

CAN WE TALK?
I've experienced all of the above levels thus far, except this one. This is where the agent wants to talk to you in real-time, usually meaning on the phone. It may or may not end in an offer of representation. Depends on how you and the agent click, how they feel about other projects you have (old or ideas for new ones), if you both have the same vision for a working relationship and your career, etc.

If/when I get to that point, this thread (and the links within it) will be my guide, definitely.

And as I wait for that phone to ring, nothing will stop me from agonizing. I'll keep some chocolate handy.

Did I miss any? Do you have any advice on handling the various levels of response?

Ooh, Look at the Pretty Numbers!

2012-01-16T00:01:00.006-07:00

I'm a little OCD. Have I mentioned that before? Not to a degree that it interferes with my life, just noticeable in a few areas. Like when I leave my class with a substitute and everything's out of place the next day—and that can be something as little as the books on a not-quite-full shelf being shoved to the right instead of the left. *shudder* Annoying.

As a math teacher, it's only appropriate that one of my little quirks relates to numbers. Some are prettier than others. It's not that I can't function when "ugly" numbers come up. I just feel a little warm fuzzy when they're pretty instead.

So, what are some of my "pretty" numbers? Palindromes are definitely way up there. Those are numbers that read the same forward and backward. When I look at a digital clock right when it's 12:21 or 8:18? Love it. Catching when my odometer hits one? Love that, too.

Numbers that fall in order or in a pattern are nice, too. Speaking of my odometer, it recently passed 123,456 miles. (My car is well-loved.) That was awesome.

Then there's my car stereo. The volume increments are pretty small, but anything much over 40 is usually permanent-damage-to-the-hearing range. Within the "safe" range, I get a little weird with settings that are and are not okay ... and it has little to do with whether it's loud or soft enough. In general, prime numbers = yuck. That means even numbers are mostly good, but something like 38 (a prime times two) isn't as pretty as 35. Multiples of 5 are very pretty, as a rule. Multiples of 3 aren't bad, either, which means 39 is slightly better than 38, but why not go the extra notch to 40, which is prettier than both combined?

I'm nuts. I know this.

Funny thing is, none of this matches what I mean by "pretty" and "ugly" numbers in my classroom. Rational numbers are pretty. Irrational numbers are ugly. Simple as that. If my students get a pretty answer, they know they should either write the exact decimal or the equivalent fraction. If they get an ugly answer, they should either round it appropriately, or leave it in square-root form (or as a multiple of pi, whatever applies).

I imagine that definition makes a lot more sense. But it doesn't mean I'm not very much looking forward to twelve minutes after noon on December 12th of this year.

C'mon, guys, 'fess up. What weird little quirks do you have that make you look just a little bit crazy?

Tracking vs. Self-Esteem—Where's the Line?

2012-01-13T00:01:00.002-07:00

I don't know about all of you, but when I was in elementary school, they split us up and shuffled us around to different rooms during certain times of day. Math, for instance. Sometimes for reading.

It's not hard to figure out who's who. 'Smart' kids, average kids, and strugglers. And that can be a lousy feeling.

I can see a lot of good cases for heterogeneous grouping. With the right curriculum and solid teaching practices, the strugglers can make up ground, the 'smart' kids can be challenged, and everyone can learn.

On the other hand, there are situations where it just doesn't make sense.

My current school has a full range of students ... and I mean full. Everything from kids above grade level to kids with severe disabilities, and everything imaginable in-between. We don't have them all in the same classes.

We do, however, have workshops.

It's an ongoing frustration. The entire high school gathers for workshops every other week on a variety of topics. Here's what happens:

Half the students can't believe they have to listen to things they've known since they were eight years old.

The other half are lost.

End result: No one likes workshops.

We've talked about splitting them up into smaller groups (size-wise, that'd be better anyway) so their specific needs can be addressed more. Same topic but different levels. For some, the very basics. For others, more of a discussion, letting them talk about what they know and what issues are important to them.

Sounds good, but we haven't done it. There are logistical reasons, but there's also the fact that the kids will know they've been somehow labeled. "Ha, I'm with the smart kids. You're with the dumb kids." Boy, wouldn't that be fun.

Maybe there's a way we can avoid or lessen that effect. Or maybe there's another alternative we haven't thought of. Some way to make sure all the kids benefit, but not making any kids feel more defeated than they already do.

Any ideas?

Telling Teenagers that Revising Rocks

2012-01-11T00:01:00.011-07:00

On Monday, I had the opportunity to talk to a writing class in my school about the feedback/revising process. I'd been talking to the English teacher at department meeting last week about some revisions I was about to get started on, and she said, "Oh, please, can you come to my Composition classes and talk about how that works for you?" (I'm talking to the second class this afternoon.)

Turns out some of the kids get very reticent, uptight, and defensive when it comes to criticism and making changes in their work. Some feel like it's not theirs anymore if they make the changes suggested by their teacher. Some say straight-up, "But I want it to sound this way, not that way."

It's always fun to get out of my classroom and say, "Hey, look at me pretending I'm NOT a math teacher!" So I threw together an entertaining little PowerPoint and headed over. (It helped that with my teeny-tiny school, there were only five kids in the class—not so nervous-making.)

The kids were good and engaged, and honest about their feelings. Through the presentation and ensuing discussion, we came to two key points.

She's not the boss of me.

I told them about one of my critique partners (Mindy McGinnis, yo), and noted that just because she suggests something doesn't mean I have to make that exact change. Or any change. And if I choose not to, it doesn't mean she's going to scream at me and stomp her feet and never ever EVER talk to me again.

Same goes for the teenagers and their English teacher. We discussed that some feedback is the Just Fix It kind—errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or facts. But the really valuable feedback is the Ponder and Figure It Out kind—when passages are boring, awkward, confusing, or annoying. Suggestions on how to fix those issues are just that—suggestions.

And that leads us to the second point:

Find your Q.

This was just part of a little scenario I put together. Mindy notes something doesn't work and offers suggestions X, Y, and Z for fixing it. I go ahead with X, work in Z-with-a-twist, and come up with Q all on my own. When I run it by Mindy, she knows I didn't use Y, but that's okay—she says, "Yeah, Q totally works."

Surprisingly, the group kind of latched onto that concept (teasing me about bringing mathematical variables to English class). Some of the students had been stuck in a mindset that the teacher's word was law, so her suggestions had to be followed to the letter. Thus their feeling that the writing wasn't theirs anymore.

Through the discussion, we kept coming back to, "And there's that situation where you need to find your Q—find a way to modify it to address the problem the teacher pointed out, but that still stays true to your voice and characters and story."

What about us?

These reactions and mindsets aren't unique to teenagers, or to those who write only because they have to for school. Those of us who want to (or do) write professionally go through cycles of the same thing, I think.

I don't care who you are—finding out something you thought was great doesn't work can sting. I think a key part of my presentation was when I admitted to the students that I've gotten feedback where my initial feelings were all, "I suck! The story sucks. There's no way I change that in a way that will work. I'm too stupid."

Feeling that isn't a problem—as long as we take the next step, which is rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.

Like I told them, you don't wipe some mud off a car and call it polished. Polishing takes time and effort.

And like Mindy added, exercise doesn't necessarily feel good (or look glamorous) while you're doing it, but the results feel great.

Math Rant: Yes, Elementary Teachers, Math is in Your Job Description

2012-01-09T00:01:00.005-07:00

Yikes, long time, no post. Not the first time it's happened, but hopefully the last, because I've finally figured out a posting "schedule" that I think will work for me. What do you think?

Mathematical Mondays

Writerly Wednesdays

Free-For-All Fridays

You know I love my alliteration. Hopefully I can keep thinking of fitting topics each week.

So, that makes this a Mathematical Monday, and we have another math-rant. First, a disclaimer. Some elementary teachers are awesome. Some don't match anything I'm about to say. I hope we get more of those.

Here are some actual quotes I've heard from elementary teachers.

"I hate math."

"I wish I didn't have to teach math."

"I was lousy at math in school, but I figure elementary math is easy, so I can teach that."

I have yet to hear an elementary teacher say they hate reading, wish they didn't have to teach reading, or are lousy at reading. Many elementary teacher training programs are heavy on the literacy courses, and light (or non-existent) on the math pedagogy.

Don't get me wrong. Reading and writing are hugely important. (Hello, I'm a writer!) But so is math. Even if a student will never have to divide fractions or graph a linear equation once they leave school, the associated thinking skills are valuable no matter what they do in life. They need a good math education to develop those skills of logic, problem solving, and number sense.

And guess what—when the teacher doesn't like math, the kids know it. Doesn't matter if the teacher doesn't explicitly say so. It comes across.

It's socially acceptable to say you're bad at math, but this is something that needs to change, especially with the way technology is developing so rapidly these days. It used to be only the elite knew how to read, and now no one wants to admit being bad readers. (And yes, we need to keep working on ways to help those who have difficulty reading.) It's time for math skills to have the same status, and it starts with those who are role models for the teeny-tiny kids—both parents and teachers.

Okay, rant over. Now I can get back to looking for ways to bolster the math skills of the elementary teachers at my school so they can stop making excuses. ;)

Are you a math-phobe? What led to you feeling that way? If you're a math-lover, how did that happen?

Getting the Right Consistency

2011-11-27T14:46:00.001-07:00

You're all thinking this is another post about how Food Network rules my life, right? Wrong. That's not the kind of consistency I'm talking about.

Every time I have a long enough break from school, I drive to visit my family over 500 miles away. That's a lot of driving, and it's given me a chance to develop very specific road-trip pet peeves. Two of the biggies are related to consistency, but at opposite ends of the spectrum.

The first annoyance is the driver who can't seem to maintain speed on the highway. Not everyone has cruise control, and not everyone who has it wants to use it. That's fine. But when they vary as much as 15 or 20 mph due to nothing other than their own distraction, I get annoyed. Especially since they always seem to go fast when I could pass them, and drag their wagons when I'm stuck behind them indefinitely.

The other problematic drivers are consistent when they shouldn't be. They go one speed—say, 65 mph in a 70 zone. The highway cuts through a small town, so the speed reduces significantly, maybe down to 45 mph. They keep going 65. Too slow when they should go fast, too fast when they should go slow.

Okay, time for a writing parallel—why not?

Driver #1 is like a writer not maintaining consistency within the plot or characters. Yes, characters grow and change, but not out of the blue, and not just because it's convenient for you. Don't make your readers slam on the brakes for no reason.

Driver #2 is like a writer plowing through the ms with the same level of tension throughout. There should be peaks and valleys. Sometimes the reader needs a relative breather. Don't blast through the scenic village at the same speed you cruise through the desert.

Now I'm off to check my ms for both varieties of consistency.

Any tips, tricks, or thoughts related to consistency ... in writing, life, or anywhere else?

My YA Manifesto

2011-11-21T17:59:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about writing a post like this for months, ever since my From the Write Angle blog-mate J. Lea Lopez wrote her Erotica Writer's Manifesto. Finally, it's time.

Every once in a while, I run across someone who thinks writing Young Adult novels is easier than writing for grown-ups. That YA work isn't as complex, doesn't go as deep or dark, or is otherwise somehow "lesser" than its adult counterparts.

I've even heard it once or twice from other YA writers. They write YA because it's not as demanding—they don't think they could cut it as a writer for adults. Or they write YA because it's a stronger area in a struggling market.

I am an unabashed writer of young adult literature. I chose it before I knew anything about publishing markets, before I knew anything about novel-writing in general (other than my opinions as a reader). So, here's my own personal manifesto as a YA writer, the standards I'll hold myself to.

I will write YA only as long as I love it—reading it, writing it, talking about it.
I will respect my readers. Young does not mean stupid.
I will avoid Stupid MC Syndrome at all costs.
I won't be afraid of vocabulary, but will also keep it authentic.
I will write female characters with interesting quirks, strengths, and weaknesses.
I will write male characters who are more than utter hotness. (This does not preclude potential hotness ... but yeah.)
Combining the above, when characters fall for each other, it will be for reasons other than instinctive attraction or destiny.
I will generally keep adult characters out of the way, but will not operate under the presumption that all grown-ups are stupid. Teens know that only some of us are stupid.
I won't be afraid of complexity—complex situations for my characters, complex issues to tackle. Teens' lives are complex. They deal with it.
I will hope my readers learn something from my novels.
I will not dictate what that "something" they learn should be. I hope it varies from person to person.
I will keep in mind that even teens who think they have no personality and aren't special show the truth in their actions. Even the quietest teen is interesting if you really watch.

There should probably be a few more items in this list, so perhaps I'll add to it over time.

What do you think, YA writers? What do you strive for (or strive to avoid) when writing in our chosen category?

Update: A-NaNo-ing I Go

2011-11-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier this month on From the Write Angle, I'm currently participating in my very first NaNoWriMo. In my case, it seemed like a nice excuse to try something a little different. I'm writing my first YA contemporary—a story about a hard-of-hearing girl who transfers to a school for the deaf and finds herself caught between the Deaf and hearing worlds. So far, it's been a lot of fun to write, and is stretching different writing muscles than my usual speculative fiction.

Not sure whether it'll be any good. It'll definitely need some editing (I've already made some notes of things I know need fixing). But I'm ahead of the pace so far, so it looks like I'll get at least the 50k words done by the end of the month.

In other news, I made it through the slush pile for the Baker's Dozen Agent Auction over at Miss Snark's First Victim. Log lines and first pages will be posted on December 2nd, and the "auction" will take place December 6th.

I participated in the same event last year. While making it through the slush is a great feeling, my entry didn't receive a single bid. That was pretty rough. Hoping to have better luck this year.

Meanwhile, I'll keep myself busy with this NaNo project. :)

Maturity is Eating Your Vegetables

2011-10-28T19:20:00.001-06:00

** This presumes you're the kind of person who doesn't like vegetables. I'm not that kind of person. I rather like most vegetables. But it's a metaphor. Just go with it. **

When you're a little kid (who doesn't like vegetables), your parents know you should eat veggies, but you don't care. You don't care that they're good for you. You don't care about those wonderful vitamins and all they can do for you. You don't care about the nasty things that can happen if you have a deficiency of those vitamins. You only care about how marshmallows and popsicles are better than asparagus and broccoli, just because they are.

Our parents bribe, cajole, and threaten us so we eat our carrots and Brussels sprouts. At some point, though, we accept that we really can't live on Pop Rocks and root beer. We really ought to eat those things that came out of dirt. Once we open our minds to them, we may even find they're not so bad.

This is one of many cool things about teaching teenagers—and no, I'm not really talking about diet and nutrition.

With the ages I teach—and particularly because I've stuck with many students over several years—I get to see a lot of them making transitions to self-aware maturity. The kid who used to blow off everything academic starting to take things more seriously, even looking back and saying he wished he'd buckled down earlier so he could've learned more. The girl who voluntarily comes in during lunch for extra help, even though we both know she'd rather be chatting with friends than torturing herself with math.

I don't get to see the transition for all of them. Some come to me with a very grounded worldview already in place. Some leave my class still thinking life will be a party—they'll put it together later ... or maybe not. (I'm pretty sure some on-paper adults are still patently immature.) But when I do see it, it's very cool.

A current example: If you recall, I teach deaf kids. That means they all have IEPs (Individualized Education Plans, required for any kid with special ed services). This month has been IEP season at my school, so we sit down for a meeting with each kid (and a parent or two) and discuss where they're at, where they want to go, and what they need to do to get there.

Most teenagers are counting down the days to graduation. "Come June of (name-the-year), I'm outta here!" My students are generally no different. Technically, though, they can stay with us until the year they turn twenty-two. Most shudder at the thought.

But then some of them take a realistic look at their goals. Maybe they want to go to college, and they look at their reading and writing levels. Not good enough ... but right in a range where an extra year of high school, really working on it, could make the difference. And they say, "Yeah, I think I should learn more so I'm ready, because college is hard."

That's not just going for the carrots—that's reaching for a big scoop of the whole vegetable medley.

I love that moment.

And I'll keep trying my best to make those veggies tasty.

Coming Soon! - WAE Network

2011-10-26T11:48:00.000-06:00

Okay, this looks potentially cool. A social network for writers, agents, and editors. Check it out.

Coming Soon! - WAE Network

Avoiding Authorial Convenience

2011-10-17T12:43:00.001-06:00

This is something that's bugged me forever.

When you're reading along and something happens that makes you think, "Oh, Author, you totally wedged that in just because it's convenient to the direction you want the plot to go in. Lame!"

Don't get me wrong. We all do it. We all contrive events to shape the story. I've even discussed the joys of throwing wrenches into the works, just to mess with my characters. The problem is when the reader can tell that's what you're doing.

So, how to avoid? I think one key is consistency. If you get halfway through the rough draft and decide making Character X your MC's brother (plus he knew it all along, but kept it secret) is going to solve all your problems, great. But realize you're going to have to go back through and reshape Character X's early behavior. Not enough to give it completely away if it's a big twist, but enough that looking back, the reader can say, "Oh, yes, I see now!" (Foreshadowing/Hinting vs. Telegraphing ... have I done a post on that yet? No? Hmm, I probably should.)

When things come out of nowhere—even when there's nothing in the text to explicitly preclude them—it's just annoying. As a reader, it makes me feel like I'm being jerked around. I don't like that feeling.

What if the twist or turn comes in a later book in a series, though? What if earlier books are already published, thus establishing "canon"? That's trickier. I guess all you can do is try your best to make character and plot choices that are reasonably organic to what's already set in stone.

This is one of those things that I'm right on top of as a reader (and a hyper-critical one at that), but worry that I don't know how to avoid/spot/fix in my own writing. So if anyone has other thoughts or suggestions on how to prevent your readers from rolling their eyes, please—let's hear them!

Reading Spree: Conquering the TBR Mountain

2011-10-04T19:45:00.007-06:00

Last week, on a whim, I made a little poster and put it up in my classroom. It's my TBR (To Be Read) Mountain. There are seventeen books on it, and my stated goal is to finish them all before the end of 2011.

Yeah. Seventeen of them. During the school year. And while working on writing stuff at the same time.

Good thing I'm a fast reader. Double-good thing I have a full week off at Thanksgiving.

I posted it so my students could see me setting reading goals, and they'll be able to watch my progress as I note the date I complete each book on the poster. Hopefully it'll be a fun little side thing to talk about in class ... y'know, other than common denominators, derivatives, and quadratic functions.

While I'm at it, I might as well make my goals even more public, so here's the list and the little bit of progress so far (in no particular order other than the order my brain remembers them since I'm not at school):

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness—finished 9/30
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld—finished 10/5
The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Everwild by Neal Shusterman
Everfound by Neal Shusterman
The Death Cure by James Dashner
The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan—finished 10/13
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan—finished 10/17
Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill by Heather Brewer
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie—finished 10/10
Crossed by Ally Condie
Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick—finished 10/7
Possession by Elana Johnson

And really, I'm just impressed that I remembered all 17 titles.

We'll see how this goes.

Do you guys have any reading goals?

Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from ... Food Network??

2011-09-25T16:15:00.001-06:00

I admit it, I've been completely addicted to Food Network lately. (You'd think it'd do damage to my waistline, but I've found when you see all this extravagant, wonderful food that's far better than anything you can get your hands on in real life, you don't actually eat that much.)

In particular, I've watched a lot of the competition shows they have: Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef America, Chopped, Sweet Genius, etc. And I've learned a couple of keys about being classy while competing against your peers.

#1 Don't Compare Really, I already knew this, but I've seen just how ugly it is when it doesn't happen on these shows.

The classiest competitors talk about what they were going for, how they went about it, what inspired them, and so on. They don't even mention what their fellow contestants did. The focus is on what they did, and is it good enough?

Inevitably, someone comes along who makes some remark (either blatant or backhanded) about another chef's dish or execution or style, or how their own is better. Every time, I want to mute the TV. It makes me cringe and grit my teeth.

This applies easily to the writing world. It's harder when I'm in the fight, rather than watching from the other side of the television, but it's still important. The important thing is my writing. How I pull it off, whether it's good enough ... not whether it's better than Writers X, Y, and Z. And if I must have such thoughts, I should keep them to myself. Or at least vent them in absolute privacy.

#2 Don't Talk Back to the Pros Oh, when contestants (on ANY reality show) talk back to the judges, I want to scream at them and run away, all at the same time. You don't have to agree with them. You don't even have to take their advice if you don't want to. But you should respect that there's a reason they're sitting in judgment and you're not. They have expertise, and have earned the right to be publicly opinionated.

Again, obviously applicable to writing. How often have we seen people bashing agents, editors, and publishers? Posting comments to their blogs about how they're outdated dinosaurs and no one needs them anymore? Or those horror stories about writers who send scathing replies to form rejections of their queries?

Yeah, publishing's changing, but really? That's no excuse for dissing people who DO know a thing or two about the industry. Have some respect, and behave professionally. It'll make YOU look better, and who doesn't want that?

So, thank you, Food Network, for reminding me not to be a full-of-myself jerk as I attempt to navigate the world of getting published. I'm sure everyone who has to interact with me thanks you, too.

Math Rant: College Professors

2011-09-17T18:47:00.001-06:00

The subject of this particular rant is a few years behind me, but the effects linger. And now, the horrors are being inflicted on my former students, and it's enough to make me want to inflict something of my own—a forceful *headdesk* on the perpetrators.

Through my undergrad and graduate schooling, I encountered a number of college mathematics professors. Here are two facts:

#1 Many of them are absolutely brilliant mathematicians.

#2 Hardly any of them can teach to save their lives.

I even had a few classmates who were likely to join their ranks in the future. Kids who could do multi-variable calculus without breaking a sweat and thought abstract algebra was a great weekend activity. Kids who could not teach it.

Make no mistake. Doing math and teaching math are two entirely different skill sets. Thing is, the teaching skill requires the doing skill, and then some. (Do I get tetchy with the old "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach" line? Don't get me started.)

A former student came by to visit the school the other day and we chatted about how her first semester at a new college is going. Because she has issues with test-taking, she didn't do so hot on her placement exam, which landed her in a math class that's dirt-simple for her. She understands the material, but then the teacher goes and confuses her by insisting she use his methods, which she didn't understand. She tried to ask a question to clarify, and he cut her off.

Okay, this particular girl is very assertive and kind of blunt, so maybe she could have handled the exchange better. I don't know—I wasn't there. Then there's the fact that he tried to hold her interpreter back after class to talk to the interpreter about the student needing an attitude adjustment. (Grr... don't get me started on that, either. That's a rant for another time.)

Bottom line, this student didn't expect the same kind of bend-over-backwards-to-help teaching she got in high school. She just wanted to understand.

If there's one thing I remember about several of my college math classes, it was the clear undercurrent: If you don't understand the magic I'm performing on this blackboard, it's your own fault, because you must be too stupid to grasp it. No one ever said it in words, but you felt it.

Thankfully, they're not all like that. I found a handful who didn't just want to get their teaching hours out of the way so they could get back to their "real" work. The kind you could ask a question, and they didn't just repeat their last two statements. They elaborated on the in-between step, or what justified some conclusion.

If you find college math professors like that, add them to your Christmas card list for life. They're rare, but they're also golden.

Math Rant: Subtraction

2011-08-26T19:46:00.001-06:00

This will not be a rant about how even some kids in advanced math classes have to count on their fingers to subtract (or add). I'll save that one for another time. (For the record, with deaf kids "counting on fingers" is fairly equivalent to tapping on the desk and counting in your head.)

No, this rant is about the failure of someone (or several someones) earlier along the line failing to address both types of subtraction.

Two types of subtraction? Whatever are you talking about, Miss Lewis?

Yes, two types.

If you think of beginner's subtraction, what do you think of? Probably the idea of "take away." Johnny has 10 apples, and Jimmy takes 4 of them away. How many does Johnny have left?

Nothing wrong with that. Totally valid interpretation of subtraction. But it's not the only one, dagnabbit!

There is also the HOW FAR perspective. And I don't have the stats to prove it, but my gut says this is the more frequently useful angle in real life.

Take the problem 11 minus 8. Here's what I see over and over in my classroom:

*holds 11 on one hand, then starts counting off on the other*

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. I counted 8 places before 11, and the answer is 3.

Why? WHY? Even if you must count, here's all it takes:

*hold 11 on one hand, start counting off on the other*

10, 9, 8. I've arrived at 8 and it took 3 steps to do it, so the answer is 3.

To me, this says these kids were taught a procedure for subtracting and memorized it without really going deeper. So I need to dig in and do some remodeling in their heads.

Even better is when they see 11 - 8 on the paper and borrow. So the tens place becomes zero and the ones place becomes ... 11. Fortunately, that's a little more rare.

*sigh*

Genrefication

2011-08-23T18:03:00.003-06:00

One of my co-workers (an English teacher) has a serious addiction to books. I know a lot of us think we do, but I'm telling you, most of us don't have anything on this friend of mine. In the past year, I believe she's spent thousands of dollars on books ... frequently at bargain prices.

Yeah, it's a lot of books.

That's okay, though, because it means our students have more access to current MG and YA novels than they would otherwise.

She moved into a different classroom this year, so it was a great excuse for getting organized. One day last week, she asked me and another teacher who reads a lot of MG/YA (the other math teacher, ironically) to come over during lunch and help her figure out the sub-genres for the fantasy and science fiction.

It was a fascinating experience. And really hard at times.

Some books I was already familiar with and could immediately declare as steampunk, urban fantasy, or paranormal (we meant largely paranormal romance, but left "romance" off the label so as not to scare the teenage boys away). Some books I could just glance at the cover art and/or title and could guess what it was, then checked the back cover to verify.

Those back covers are where a few less-obvious books gave us trouble. Some looked like a hybrid of more than one thing. Others fell somewhere in-between two genres. For instance, some were clearly high fantasy, others clearly urban fantasy, but there were some that didn't seem "high" enough for high or "urban" enough for urban. What are they? We ended up with a "just plain fantasy" category, which didn't quite satisfy me.

I also felt like Terry Pratchett should have a section all his own. If she'd had more books of his, I might've insisted.

I've critiqued queries before where the writer needed feedback on narrowing down the genre, and it hasn't usually been that hard. Maybe it's due to a fundamental difference between queries and cover blurbs. Even though they're similar and we're advised to use the same mind-set when writing queries, they serve slightly different purposes. Some cover blurbs are much more teasing, with much less revealing detail than a query will often have.

So when someone says you need to clearly identify your genre, it's not just so the publisher knows where to shelf your book. It's so hyperorganized English teachers can categorize it, too.

Do you have any rules of thumb for identifying the many flavors of sci-fi and fantasy? Any favorite genre-breaking examples?

P.S. Our moment of shame that afternoon: We couldn't figure out where to place A Wrinkle in Time. It seems like I must have read it once, but it was when I was too young (and read too large a volume of books) to remember details. And her copy had no blurb.

*crawls under rock*

Guest Post: The Critecta

2011-08-14T22:14:00.001-06:00

In the spirit of critique group collaboration, today's post is by my crit partner Caroline (Skyval on AQC).

Finding the special someone(s) who can complete your writing life is a lot like finding the special someone in your love life—damn hard. Where can you find these excellent people? How do you know when it's a good fit? What should you look for in a critique buddy? And what do you have to offer?

Our little trio met when we serendipitously crossed paths over at AgentQuery Connect, and we quickly discovered that ours was the kind of chemical balance you only find in a room full of professionals wearing white coats. We may all three end up in a room very much like that one day, but that's besides the point. Together, we're going to triple-team the concept of our Critecta—you can see RC's post at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire, and Mindy's at From the Write Angle.

I started writing in September of 2009—much later than Mindy and at about the same time as Rachel. After completing my first draft in thirty days, declaring myself a genius, and receiving the usual “This is amazing”’s from my friends and family, I screwed up my courage and showed my MS to a brilliant writer friend. After three nail-biting days, her verdict. “You’ve got something here, but this needs A LOT OF WORK.”

So while I rewrote under my mentor’s watchful eye, I googled around, found AgentQuery, and started my new career as a lurking wannabe writer spying on the grown-up table. I’ve made many friends at AQ, but was drawn to BBC (Mindy) right off by her sense of humor, spot-on posts, and general devotion to her own craft as well as the time she spends helping others.

It’s been a long time since I had a first date. Okay, okay, a VERY LONG TIME, but finding my perfect Critecta followed that same heart-thumping, palm-sweating course. The from-afar admiring. A judgement call on compatibility. The dance of who will make the first move. The simultaneous reading hoping she doesn’t think I suck and wondering how she got into this. Then, “Does she LIKE me?” “Is she just being nice?” “How honest can I be here?” “Will she hate me if I point out this inconsistency?” “Can I really be myself?” I discovered that Mindy is refreshingly honest, down to earth, and her crit comments are like having a conversation while being doused with cold water and bleach over a cup of my favorite cappuccino. With chocolate.

Rachel came next. We both had entered the WEbook Page2Fame contest and although we had exchanged a few PM’s on AQ, we hadn’t talked about critiquing each other because our sub-genres were so different. Then in the course of the WEbook contest, we each had to rate the other’s first fifty, liked what we read, and decided to give each other a whirl around the dance floor. And what a compatibility it was! I told Mindy about Rachel and our Critecta was born.

Rachel’s technical skills are unparalleled. Mindy’s overall story-telling ability and superior voice and dialog skills are priceless. And me? I’m not sure what I contribute besides being a willing cold reader. We use Buzzword (a great tool by Adobe that allows highlighting and notes) and sometimes when reading Mindy’s work, I leave an occasional comment just to let her know I’m still reading but have been too engrossed to comment. We all contribute to the teen-speak—Mindy and Rachel both work with teens every day while I’ve actually SURVIVED raising two of ’em.

I do recall one bit of commentary of which I’m proud. In Rachel’s FINGERPRINTS, her MC is a brilliant science/techno geek (Hah! Much like Rachel herself...) and in one scene, Lareina and her equally brilliant boyfriend are working on a problem that flew over my head. But I understood it well enough to get that the characters understood it which is exactly the way it should have come off. A genius piece of writing on Rachel’s part and a scene I will never forget.

The other thing that makes our Critecta special is that we drop everything when the others need something read RIGHT NOW. When my girls ring me on email, I’m there. Mindy’s latest was so good and she was pumped late one night to get her query out. Sometimes you are just feeling it RIGHT THEN, ya know? Rachel and I critiqued her query for hours, Mindy sent it out that night, and voila, she got an agent. If I had any small part in making that happen for her, that’s all I need. I can’t speak enough about how much I’ve learned from my beloved crit partners, and although we’ve never heard each other’s voices in reality, we know each other’s voices through our writing. Priceless.

Do have your own Critecta? (Or duo, or quartet, or whatever...) How did you find them? What’s your process, and why does it work for you?

Random Musings: What is Funny?

2011-08-10T21:56:00.001-06:00

Yeah, I know. It's subjective. At the same time, I've often found myself perplexed by what some people find amusing. Something wrong with me? Or them? Or just different strokes?

When someone trips and falls, I don't laugh ... unless they're laughing (because laughter is contagious) or they're goofy and hammy as they get up.

Side story: My first year of teaching, I was trying to navigate down an aisle in my first period class when my foot caught on a backpack strap. Boom! Down to my hands and knees. (Not a total face-plant.) I laughed. My students freaked out wondering if I was okay, especially the very remorseful owner of the backpack. Those were good kids.

I'm not amused by the lewd, crude, and rude. It falls flat for me. This explains why I see very few so-called comedies.

Pranks where the goal is to humiliate the target? So not funny to me.

Lest you think I'm too saintly and need to get back to polishing my halo, I am a fan of sarcasm. But I try to be careful with how I use it, only engaging with people I know well enough. They need to know I'm being sarcastic and that I'd never mean it in a hurtful way.

Witty comebacks and good-natured verbal sparring can be very funny. Clever wordplay. Well-placed irony.

Often what I find funny is the unexpected, the things that come out of nowhere. Maybe that seems like a contradiction, because an algebra teacher getting her ankle ensnared by a wily backpack certainly qualifies as unexpected. Like I said, since I was laughing, I really wouldn't have minded if the kids had laughed, too.

I guess I don't like the idea of being amused at someone else's expense. That makes blanket statements tough, because situations that look similar on the surface might affect the people involved in very different ways.

So next time your math teacher trips and falls, ask if she's all right, give her a hand, and help her laugh it off.

"Get Your Foot in the Door" Contest

2011-08-07T17:35:00.002-06:00

Here's another contest, this one over at Gabriela Lessa's site and judged by one of four Sourcebooks editors (depending on genre). One-sentence pitch and the first paragraph (or two as long as the total is under 170 words). Checking out other entries is part of the fun, so here goes.

UPDATED

One-Sentence Pitch: When telepathic Ziv’s newly normal life is interrupted by a military request, she must decide if she belongs in humanity’s war, or on Earth at all.

Opening Paragraphs: Blades of grass brush my toes, forcing me to suppress a shudder. Textures like this still feel unnatural, wrong. Too irregular and unpredictable. Shouldn’t have worn sandals. Despite my physical reaction, I continue across the lawn toward school. If I force myself to endure it enough times, maybe I’ll finally get used to it.

A familiar voice calls out behind me. As I stop to let Khalil catch up, his golden-bronze skin seems to radiate the warmth of the sun back out to the world. Not for the first time, I wonder if he finds my pale face as cold as I do. The thought is interrupted by a tickle on my foot, different from the grass. A ladybug crawls across my toe, and I reflexively clench my fists, not letting myself fritz out.

The Value of Expertise

2011-08-05T12:31:00.001-06:00

I might get myself in trouble with this one.

As a teacher (and especially when I worked in "regular" ed), I've heard the following line more than once from parents: "I know what's best for my child."

Really? If so, why do we have pediatricians? Dentists? Why send children to school at all, where they'll be taught by someone who is not the parent of said-child?

We trust that doctors know more than we do about physical health. Most of us take our cars to mechanics because they know more about engines and carburetors and serpentine belts than we do. They have something we don't—EXPERTISE on the subject.

Same goes for teaching. I studied enough about mathematics and the teaching thereof to earn two degrees. I've taught just about every level of math that exists in secondary education. Perhaps I know a thing or two.

That's not to say parents (or anyone) should blindly trust the experts. But to make an informed argument, they need to gain some expertise of their own.

Ask questions. Do some research. Try a few different things—that would definitely make you an expert on what has and hasn't worked in the past. Make sure you understand the reasoning behind the advice being given to you before you dismiss it.

Wait a minute. This sounds familiar.

It applies to writing, too.

Writers often say we know what's best for our stories. In some ways, yes ... but in some, maybe not. Does the writer have the expertise to make that judgment?

An editor or agent generally does have that expertise. They've studied, trained, and had experience in the world of writing. They might just know more than we do about what does or doesn't work. (Yes, it's a very subjective industry, but some things are clear-cut enough.)

Agents are too overwhelmed to give much feedback, and most of us don't have access to an editor, nor the means to pay a freelancer. So we're left to gain at least some expertise ourselves.

How can we do that? I have friends who've been through MFA programs, and it shows in both the polish and cohesive structure of their work. But that may not be the route for all of us. There are How-To books of various types. Expertise galore, ready for us to access it.

Reading can be a great way, too, but we can't just read. We have to read on a "meta" level. When we enjoy something, we need to think about why—what did the author do right, and how? If something annoys or bores us, we need to figure out what's behind that, too.

Will all of that ever equal the knowledge and experience an industry pro can bring to the table? Probably not. But that's where strength in numbers comes in. Solid critique partners who've also done their part to gain expertise can have a huge effect on our outcome. (More on that coming on a special post August 15th.)

The bottom line is that we shouldn't plug our ears and chant that we know what's best for the story simply because we wrote it.

Well, really, we can do anything we want in our novels ... if we don't care about getting published.

Math Geek Meets Novelist

2011-07-30T23:53:00.001-06:00

No one's shocked by the declaration that I'm a math geek who happens to write, right? Sometimes the math-geekiness informs my writing with character quirks or the way I apply logic. These are relatively small ways, where creativity and command of the language still play a larger role.

Once in a while, though, the geek takes over, and graphs ensue.

Really, this makes sense. The main reason graphs exist is to give us an instant visual of the big picture. Since a novel is hundreds of manuscript pages, it's pretty difficult to look at it all at once as a whole.

What kinds of graphs? I'll share a couple. (You can click them and get a better look.)

The first is a bar graph I made early on in my writing life to see how much my chapter lengths were varying. (Yes, this was also a case of my number-OCD coming out to play.) Nothing too fancy, just a simple graph in Excel.

I haven't done one of these for my more recent manuscripts, but it gave me some thoughts about overall structure when I was first starting. Interesting note: the manuscript graphed here had twenty-five chapters at the time, but I eventually realized breaking some of them up worked better.

The second is one I just did for the first time this week as an experiment. I was curious how different plot "threads" or themes were distributed throughout the novel. Had I dropped a thread in and then neglected it for too long before it came up again? Were the key themes getting the amount of attention I feel they deserve?

So I listed three key threads, two secondary (sort of) ones, and a trait of the MC I wanted to make sure had been sprinkled consistently through the story. Then I started reading and noting the location where each item pops up or is addressed (shown as a percentage, i.e., 25% of the way through the novel). I made the graph using a middle school statistics program called Tinkerplots (yay for being a math teacher!), though something similar could be made using Excel ... I think it'd just be a little more complicated.

I'm pretty pleased with the results. The three main threads obviously have sections where they each take precedence, and the "sprinkling in" looks pretty much how I want it.

Yes, I'm a geek.

Have you ever analyzed your writing in a "non-writing" way? Have you applied your day-job skills to something unexpected?

If You Think It's Easy, You're Probably Doing It Wrong

2011-07-28T12:17:00.002-06:00

DISCLAIMER: I have not self-published (yet ... I know, I keep saying that). That said, I've gone through a lot of the necessary processes—practicing, if you will. I've played with designing covers, some of which you can also see by clicking the title tabs at the top of the page. I've done interior formatting and had proof copies made. I've made eBooks in both EPUB and MOBI formats (not just preparing my Word doc for some company's automated conversion process—I figured out how to do it myself).

So that's the headspace the following chunk of opinion comes from.

There's a lot of buzz lately about literary agents forming e-publishing wings. Some are set up more to facilitate their existing clients' self-publishing efforts, while others seek to be full-fledged publishers. The latest is over at Bookends, with lots of very passionate responses on both sides of the is-it-ethical and is-it-smart debates.

I'm not going to weigh in on those aspects. People far more intelligent and experienced than I are already doing that. But there's a particular idea in the responses that I've seen many times. Not just there—I've seen it in various writing forums whenever self/e-publishing comes up:

"Do it yourself. It's easy."

Okay, the physical act of uploading your manuscript to Amazon, B&N, or Smashwords is easy. But I've been scoping out the results, and it's clear many writers are missing the truth:

Doing it is easy. Doing it well is hard.

Forget the trials of marketing, getting anyone to even find your book among the many on Kindle. I'm just talking about the front-end job of getting it prepped for daylight. Let's look at the aspects that as a reader make me tear my hair out.

* * * * *

COVERS

Oh, my ... covers. My brother is a graphic designer. I don't know nearly as much as he does, but I've absorbed a few things through conversations with him. And I'm not saying my covers are super-fabulous—remember, I'm just playing and experimenting so far. (But an editor at HarperCollins did compliment my Fingerprints cover. *blush*)

Do you honestly have a good eye for design? Or do you think most things look "good enough"? Scanning the Kindle listings, it's not hard to spot a "homemade" cover. (And I will say, certain smaller publishers aren't much better with their cover designs.) If you've cut elements from different images and stuck them together, have you really made it look like one seamless whole that was meant to be that way?

In most cases, no.

So, what to do? Pay for a graphic designer? Maybe. But if so, beware. I've seen freelance graphic designers with credentials and everything who create crap cover designs. If you're paying far less than $100, you might get a very nice (but basic) cover, or you might get something my high school students could out-do during their lunch break.

If you want something really high-quality, that doesn't scream DIY from a mile away, you have some options. Invest some real money in it. Have/develop the skills and tools yourself. Or be lucky enough to know someone with the talent who's willing to do you a favor.

And for goodness sake, make sure you have the proper rights to use any stock images you need. Just because you found it on the internet and did a right-click/save doesn't mean it's fair game. Same goes for fonts. (You didn't know you can't just use whatever fonts you have installed on your computer? Go do some homework.)

* * * * *

E-FORMATTING

I've already done a full rant on this subject before, so I'll just reiterate a few things.

If you use a meat-grinder, you get hamburger ... not steak.

Maybe you like hamburger. If you do it very carefully and make sure the "meat" going in has everything just right, you might be able to get a five-star, gourmet burger out of it.

Personally, I have a hard time trusting automated conversions, even specialized ones like Kindle uses. I really don't trust an automated process that takes one file and spits out five or six different formats. You don't have to be a control freak like me, but triple-check your results in ALL formats to make sure the result is pristine.

* * * * *

EDITING

Oh, yeah, this is about a story people will (hopefully) read.

This is the biggest roadblock for many. To get the kind of intense, whip-it-into-shape editing my friends with Big-6 publishing deals have gone through, you would have to spend more than $1000. It's not just proofreading, though some of the errors and typos I've seen in self-pub'd works still make me shudder. Here's a little story to illustrate:

Once upon a time, there was a novel posted at an online writers' community. I read the first few chapters and thought it was marvelous. Surely this would be picked up by an agent. Surely it had a better shot than most at being published.

Alas, it did not happen. Eventually, the author decided to self-publish. I remembered loving what I read, so I gladly made the purchase.

As I read the whole thing, I was heartbroken. It quickly became obvious why it didn't make it on the traditional route. Nothing to do with the mechanics of the writing; everything to do with the craft of the story. Repetitive recaps every time a new character entered the picture. Disbelief that could no longer be suspended even by a reader eager to love the story (such as myself).

There are those who say you can edit well enough if you have a good critique group. I believe that can be true. But is your critique group tough enough on you? Do they know enough to spot overarching problems, or are they just good for helping you polish and tighten sentences?

If you can't afford a 4-digit editing bill (and really, how many of us can?) there are other options. Read with a critical eye, not just for the words on the page, but how the story is shaped and woven together. Look at some books on craft until you find some that work for your style, genre, etc. Maybe take a class or two.

And if you're lucky enough to find critique partners who really know what they're talking about and can tear your work apart in a way that makes you thank them for the torture ... dig your claws in and never let them go.

* * * * *

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of what goes into making a self-published book top-notch. It's NOT easy. (Neither is going the traditional route.) It doesn't mean you necessarily have to spend your life savings. It does mean you should work your tail off ... and put in some major time between finishing the "writing" part and putting the product on the market.

Is it worth it? After all, you're probably only charging around $1-5 for your eBook, right? Maybe you're embracing the concept of a pulp fiction revival and are glad to be a part of it.

That's great. But I say you should still respect your readers enough to make sure anything you put in front of them is nothing less than awesome.

Did I miss anything? Other pet-peeves in self-published work? Or am I just way too picky? ;-)

Why Everyone Should Learn Sign Language

2011-07-26T18:44:00.001-06:00

Seriously.

I've thought this before, but it hit me again this morning. Every Tuesday this summer, I've been helping my dad work on their backyard. Today, we cut big landscape blocks in half. (BTW, 12-inch concrete saw with diamond blade? Awesome.) Being good little workers, we wore safety glasses and earplugs.

Have you ever tried to talk to someone while you're both wearing earplugs? Better yet, while a power saw is running? How much easier would it be if my dad knew sign language?

And that's not the only situation where it would be handy. Other times, my dad's been down in the walkout from the basement while I'm above in the backyard, and the A/C is running nearby. Very hard to hear what he's saying.

Then there's my favorite: restaurants. I love going out with deaf friends and colleagues. Doesn't matter how noisy it gets, conversation is still just as easy to follow. One time, there was a full mariachi band in the room, but we kept chatting away. No problem.

When I'm out with non-signers and the restaurant's noisy/the acoustics are lousy? All I can think is, "If only!"

Oh, and if you make the acquaintance of a deaf person (who signs)? Bonus! Easy communication.

To my international friends, though, sorry. Your sign language isn't my sign language, unless you're in Canada (but not Quebec). Yes, different countries have different sign languages. (I know this is a shocker to some.)

Can you guys think of any situations where it'd be nice if everyone involved knew sign language?

Blog Contests: Getting Back on the Horse

2011-07-18T22:04:00.001-06:00

There's a pitch contest over at Chanelle Gray's blog starting today and going until July 25th (or until they hit 150 entries, whichever comes first). First line, two-sentence pitch, and literary agent Victoria Marini.

I got a little shaken up the last time I entered a blog contest (different from this one, and it was ages ago), but it's about time I shake it off and try again. After all, what have I got to lose?

What experiences have you guys had—good, bad, or ugly—with blog contests?

Imperfection vs. Idiocy

2011-07-17T21:57:00.001-06:00

Here's another case where something I noticed as a reader has carried over to my writing. Flawed characters are a good thing. Perfect characters are boring, not to mention severely unrealistic. If characters are perfect and always do the right thing, there's no interest and frequently no story.

Like everything else, though, flawed characters can go to an extreme that doesn't work any better. A student of mine (now graduated) probably shouldn't ever get an e-reader, because judging by our conversations, I think she may tend toward throwing books across the room. Or at least slamming them down on a desk.

The reason? Idiotic protagonists.

This is particularly prevalent in certain YA novels (or at least, that's where I notice it, since it's the world I know). Teenagers are in a stage of life that's naturally more self-centered, and maybe that leads to the idea of making dumb decisions.

Okay, we all make bad decisions. That's normal. But a character's bad decision should be something that a real person would really do under those circumstances. More particularly, the bad decision should be consistent with what's known about the character ... not just something that's convenient for the plot. (Hmm, I think that goes back to my post on front-end/back-end motivation, too.)

Here's the thing. I've only known one teen in my whole life (including when I was a teen) who seemed to be 100% self-interested in their actions. And in that case, a personality disorder was likely. I also have a hard time thinking of any teens who act outright stupid in the way some novel characters do.

A cohort of the super-self-interested character is the one with false selflessness. The one who supposedly does what she does because she loves the boy, or wants to keep her friends safe. But when you look at it, the actions don't match the supposed motivation. The character is just being stupid ... because it's convenient.

So where's the line and the balance? How do we instill our characters with realistic, interesting flaws (and appropriately get them in trouble) without our teen readers thinking we're insulting the intelligence of their species?

Book-Nerds vs. Science-Geeks

2011-07-11T13:44:00.001-06:00

This is one that's been on my mind for a while. While labeling individuals is rarely productive, I often ponder certain categories or types (recognizing the variability within any given category). So first, let's define our terms.

A book-nerd is pretty straightforward—someone who loves books. They devour books, possibly spending more on them than they do on food. Generally, book-nerds are somewhat eclectic in their tastes, sampling everything from literary fiction to romance to horror to non-fiction. They worship the written word.

A science-geek (and for the sake of this post, I'm going to include math-geeks, even though they don't always coincide) is analytical, loves technology, and wants to know how everything around them works. They are often (but not always) big readers as well, possibly to the same extend as many book-nerds.

In fact, there is some overlap between the two groups. I know some science-geeks who are definitely book-nerds. What I want to talk about is another subset of the geeks—those who do read, but don't qualify as book-nerds.

These are people who read voraciously, but probably don't have much interest in Shakespeare, Dickens, or anything else considered classic. Probably not much in the field of literary fiction, either. Doesn't mean they don't appreciate literary qualities, but more often than not, they'll be reading (you guessed it) science fiction and fantasy.

What's important to these readers? For one thing, consistency in all aspects. Heaven help you if you commit a continuity error. For another, worlds and characters worth coming back to—thus the ubiquitous serial nature of the genres. They also want what every other reader wants—a good story with proper development.

It seems like the YA publishing industry is dominated by book-nerds. That's okay, and probably as it should be. After all, they need to make their living on books, so it's best if they love them, preferably in wide variety. But sometimes I wonder if even agents who rep the speculative fiction genres are part of the book-nerd/science-geek overlap and don't necessarily get the straight-up science-geek readers.

It's kind of like the film industry. Traditionally, a sci-fi or fantasy movie will only get respect for effects, makeup, costumes, and maybe music. Some people assume that the fans don't care about good screenwriting or acting as long as there are enough explosions. So the budget goes toward effects and explosions. Character development is glossed over. The end result might make money, but gets little respect.

There is a place for science-geeks in the world of literature, though. And I'm always excited when I find an excellent book that speaks to that part of me (rather than the book-nerd part ... I'm an overlapper in some respects). I'm always on the lookout for more. Books that use sci-fi or fantasy elements as more than window dressing, but still have a great story at the core.

Got any recommendations?

Humility is Sexy

2011-07-09T10:07:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: I'm not a literary agent. I don't really know what they think, beyond the thoughts they put out there on their blogs and Twitter feeds. (I do not listen to the haters who think agents are an elitist clan of devil spawn who take joy in crushing the dreams of aspiring writers.)

But I think they would agree with the title of this post. Let me explain why.

First, you have to understand humility. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't beating up on yourself. It isn't saying your writing is crap, especially right after someone has complimented it. It is not a lack of confidence. I grew up with this simple definition:

HUMBLE = TEACHABLE

You can definitely believe you know a few things while acknowledging there's room to know more. I have a student who epitomizes this. With all her accomplishments, she could easily have the biggest head on campus. Yet bragging would never occur to her. She does what she does, no big deal, but if you compliment her, she'll thank you.

She doesn't tell you all the reasons why your compliment is misplaced.

So, why do I suspect agents find humility sexy? I'm sure they want confident writers who believe in their ability (well, most of the time—we all have moments of doubt) and don't have to be talked down from the ledge every other day. Confidence is not the opposite of humility—arrogance is.

We've all seen arrogant aspiring writers. The ones who lash out at anyone who dares criticize their masterpiece. Who insist it's your fault for being dense if you can't keep track of their fifteen different narrators. Who don't care if you tell them word counts much over 100k make publishing pros twitchy—not a single word can be cut from their 450k word debut thriller. Who say they will never change X about their novel (title, character's name, their vision of printing the whole thing in Comic Sans) no matter what a publisher says.

It ain't sexy.

(Okay, those were extreme examples, but even when you scale them back, I'm thinking they're not too attractive.)

Humble writers do their research on the publishing industry and don't blame 'the system' for all their problems. They handle critique like a pro, not giving in to every beta reader's whim, but being open to possible improvement. They'll aspire for greatness, knowing there will always be more to learn, and never claiming they've already arrived and why haven't you acknowledged it yet?!

Is there anything that helps you find the balance, neither tearing yourself down nor puffing yourself up? Working with my tailor-made, long-term critique partners helps me—more on that soon.

What Writing YA is Really Like

2011-06-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Oh, my. It's the summer of Let's Insult YA Authors, Readers, and Teenagers in General.

First, there was this now-infamous article in the Wall Street Journal. It could have had some valid points, but if so, they got obscured in sweeping generalizations. (BTW, I shop at Barnes & Noble all the time, I live in the YA section, and I find all kinds of books that aren't dark or about "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation." In fact, I regularly walk out with books that just about any parent would find appropriate for a 13-year-old.)

Then there was this rather odd article titled "Writing Young-Adult Fiction" by Katie Crouch and Grady Hendrix (co-authors of The Magnolia League). Their backgrounds are in literary fiction and journalism, respectively, and they got tagged to write their YA novel. The article seems like it should be about what it says—writing YA fiction. By the end, I wasn't sure what it was about, other than their book.

I began to feel like something strange was going on with this line:

It would be creepy if we included explicit sex scenes with glistening young skin and heaving young bosoms, but we keep it on the clean side. This isn't Twilight. No slutty werewolves here.

Um, I've read Twilight—the whole series, in fact. As I recall, there's one off-page sex scene in the fourth book. So I began to suspect that these authors haven't read the books. If they haven't read those, do they know anything about the YA market, really?

Then they mention how odd it is that they're "being paid good money to be literary predators and come for people's children." Now I get the feeling they don't know many (any?) teenagers in real life, either.

Overall, it seems their experience of writing a YA novel was a lot of giggling and silliness and hurry-up-and-get-it-done-ness. Writing their own wish-fulfillment fantasy, the "high-school experience we never had."

Okay, that's their experience. Good for them.

I haven't gotten paid for my YA writing yet, but I think I've done enough now to speak to my own experience. Here's what YA writing is like for me.

I live in fear of letting my students down. My students range from 14 to 21, and they read almost exclusively YA (aside from what their English teachers assign them). They are my little microcosm of the YA market, from voracious to reluctant readers, straight-A students to strugglers, jocks to theater geeks—with a ton of overlap within and between categories.

I've had students literally slam a book down during silent reading time. They hate it when characters do stupid things just for the sake of the plot—and yes, they do notice. They hate feeling talked-down to. They loathe dialogue that feels like a trying-too-hard adult wrote it.

You know what they like? Some actually like a clever turn of phrase, a well-crafted description. One girl asked me to recommend a book that would help push her vocabulary and comprehension. (I recommended The Monstrumologist.) Some want to be writers themselves. They like characters that are complex and twist stereotypes. They like stories that feel real, even (or especially) when they involve fantastic elements.

So I work my butt off. I draft, revise, run it by readers (both students and adult YA readers/writers), and revise again. Whatever I can do to make it real. If you didn't figure it out already, I talk to teens (students, cousins, whatever) about books. I talk to them about life.

I talk to them like they're people ... because they are.

There's the key, I think. I've known some (well-meaning) teachers who talk to teens like they're still in elementary school. Teens aren't adults yet, but they also aren't children. I've found they'll usually live up to high expectations ... or down to low ones.

The best YA authors (and I'm certainly not placing myself among them) have high expectations for their readers. The read can be light or dark, funny or intense, about mermaids or cutting.

Just respect your readers. They're pretty smart cookies ... even the ones who don't like math class. ;-)

Potential Pitfalls: Writing Blind (v2.0)

2011-06-22T22:38:00.001-06:00

Perhaps some of you wondered why this post was labeled "v1.0" ... here's the answer.

There's another way of interpreting "writing blind" beyond an awareness of the audience—awareness of the plot.

If you've been hanging around online writers' communities, you're probably familiar with the terms planner and pantser. It's not so much "either-or" as it is a spectrum. On the extreme planner end you have writers who outline chapter by chapter, construct copious background notes, and have everything clearly laid out before they write the first scene. On the other end, you have writers who truly fly by the seat of their pants. They sit down with just the barest seed of an idea—maybe the main character, or a slice of a premise—and start writing.

At that extreme pantser end of things, we run the risk of writing blind. Having no idea where the plot is going, and thus writing scenes that go nowhere.

Even at that extreme, this pitfall is still only potential. If we recognize that major editing will be required after the first draft, once the story has found its shape, it can work out just fine. But there's a key:

Somewhere along the way, we're not writing blind anymore.

At some point, we have to figure out where we're going. Otherwise, we're going to end up with 200k words of episodic scenes and no end in sight. Characters may still throw curve-balls, unexpected twists may emerge, changes may be required. That's all okay and part of the fun. But we need to get a bead on the main conflict and resolving it.

Of course, being a super-extreme planner ... well, that's another potential pitfall.

All you pantsers out there, what methods do you apply to your madness? What's your editing process like once the first draft is done?

The Hunger Pangs—Bonus!

2011-06-22T15:32:00.001-06:00

Thanks to those of you who've been reading "The Hunger Pangs" over the past couple of weeks. I'm sure my student appreciates the kind comments. She also wrote the following list of Eiffie's Rules of the Hunger Games. Hope you like it!

1. I will not call Katniss “Robin Hood.”

2. I will not ask Plutarch Heavensbee if his house is black and yellow.

3. Gale is not Taylor Lautner.

4. I will not sing “The Hanging Tree” to Katniss’s mom or the Gallows.

5. I will not call Finnick “Percy Jackson” or “Poseidon.”

6. I will not say “crazy” in front of Annie.

7. I will not ask Katniss where her band of Merry Men is.

8. No, Peeta will not make a free cake for you.

9. I will not ask the Gamemakers to play Chutes and Ladders with me.

10. Do not call President Snow “Snow White.”

11. Do not cross out Bird in the book To Kill a Mockingbird and replace it with “Jay” and give it to Katniss.

12. Do not call Glimmer “Britney Spears.”

13. Do not attempt to stand in the rain hungry outside Peeta’s house and hope he will give you bread and fall in love with you.

14. I will not set Katniss on fire and call her “the girl on fire” while she’s screaming.

15. Do not say, “Look! It’s Taylor Lautner!” to [redacted] when it’s actually Gale.

16. I will not call Katniss “Tweety.”

17. I will not wear my “Down with the Capitol!” T-shirt to the Capitol.

18. District 13 is not the setting of Resident Evil.

19. President Coin isn’t on the quarter, and don’t call her “George Washington.”

20. Don’t call Prim “House,” or her mother, for that matter.

21. Don’t tell Cinna that you like Ralph Lauren better.

22. I will not play with Katniss’s bow or Finnick’s trident.

23. Don’t tell Peeta that he can “frost your cake any day.”

24. Don’t call Beetee “Jimmy Neutron.”

25. The Arena isn’t a place to watch hockey.

26. I will not call the Mutts “Scooby Doo.”

27. I will not sell morphling to Johanna Mason.

28. Don’t call Darius “Darius Rucker” and expect him to sing country songs.

29. I will not call the Peacekeepers “hippies.”

30. Don’t try to see Finnick Odair in his underwear.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Nine)

2011-06-20T13:15:00.001-06:00

And now, the conclusion!

Part Nine: The Beginning of the End

A bunch of centaurs with spears charge towards Pita and me, forcing us out of the cave.

“This is the entrance to Narnia! Do you guys belong in Narnia? No!” a centaur rants at us.

The centaurs keep chasing us until we’re by the Cornastupia. Pita and I hide in the golden horn so the centaurs can’t get to us. However, Baito and Blove come towards the Cornastupia since they’re being chased by a pack of werewolves.

“Aaah! We’re being chased by Jacob’s pack of werewolves!” Baito screams.

Sure enough, Jacob and his werewolf pack from Twilight are after Baito and Blove, and they quickly overtake them.

“That’ll teach you to mess with Bella!” Jacob yells.

“But we didn’t mess with Bella, we just asked who she was!” Baito screeches. Baito and Blove are both pretty bloodied up and they look miserable. I take out my bow and arrows. I head over to the pack of wolves and shoot both Baito and Blove in the head.

“Hey, thanks for killing them for us!” Jacob says.

I nod, and soon the wolf pack goes away. Pita and I are the only contestants left. I don’t want to kill Pita. He just stopped being annoying.

“Katnip, I don’t want to kill you,” Pita admits.

“I don’t want to kill you.”

“There can only be one winner,” the voice in the sky says.

I walk over to a bush of berries. They’re nightlock berries, and they’ll kill you when they hit your stomach. I hand Pita a berry and keep one for myself, and we both swallow them.

We die. Take that, Crapitol!

* * * * *

Hope you enjoyed it. And finally: Eiffie's Rules of the Hunger Games.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Eight)

2011-06-17T09:48:00.001-06:00

Do I really need to link to the other parts? Just click "The Hunger Pangs" down in the labels area. ;-)

This is the penultimate chapter! I love the end of this one. Enjoy!

Part Eight: The Hunger Pangs is a Lot Better than Narnia

Pita and I arrive at a cave that should hide us pretty well. I go in to see if it’s safe, and after walking for a few seconds, I arrive in a forest, and there’s a lantern there.

“Huh?” I say, puzzled. Then a little girl on a white horse trots in front of me and stops. “Uh, hi. Who are you and where am I?”

“I’m Lucy, and you’re in the magical land of Narnia,” she tells me.

“What?”

“Yeah, I know. This story sucks, I mean, we worship a lion named Aslan here! How stupid is that?”

“Okay, bye.” I take slow steps back, leaving Lucy and Narnia behind. I go back to Pita. “It’s safe if you don’t go too far.”

He shrugs. “Alright.”

“You know, Pita, you’re actually cute when you’re not singing those Justin Bieber songs,” I admit.

“Really, you think so?” he asks. “Glad to hear it. You know, I’ve actually liked you for a long time.” Pita crawls towards me.

“Okay, I don’t think you’re that cute.”

“I know, but we have to pretend to like each other for the audience.” He raises his eyebrows.

So we engage in this totally phony romance for the audience, and it’s a really boring story. So let’s skip to the part where we’re forced to get out of the cave and go towards the Cornastupia.

* * * * *

Next time, "The Hunger Pangs" concludes with Part Nine: The Beginning of the End.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Seven)

2011-06-15T11:33:00.001-06:00

We're almost to the exciting conclusion! Prior parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Part Seven: Beaver Fever

I lost my ally so I just walk in the forest, awaiting any other dangers. My one ear is still deaf, so I make sure to be extra careful. Then I arrive at a stream, where I take a nice long drink and fill my Barbie water bottle.

“Baby, baby, baby ...”

I hear Pita. I look around the stream, and sure enough, I see Pita lying on top of a dam surrounded by beavers.

“Pita!” I shout. He stops singing.

“Katnip!” he says gleefully. “Come meet my beaver friends. They love my singing.”

I walk over to him and he doesn’t look good. He has a cut in his leg from the batarang and it’s oozing pus. Red lines spread out from it. He must have a blood infection. The beavers huddle around him, keeping him warm.

“Pita, you need medicine.”

“I know, I’m having these singing outbrea—I need somebody to loooove!” Pita sings.

I feel his forehead, and it’s dangerously hot. Then, I feel Pita’s lips on mine. Eeeww! I squeal in my head. I play along, though. Maybe we can get sympathy from the audience.

“There’s gonna be one less lonely girl, one less lonely girl,” he sings once he breaks away.

“Pita, it seems you have Bieber Fever,” I say. I look at the beavers. “Or beaver fever.” I hear a voice in the sky.

“Attention, tributes,” the voice says. “By the Cornastupia, there are backpacks with your district’s name on it, containing something you need.”

I’m already racing for the Cornastupia. Once I arrive, I see Baito running for the backpacks along with the huge guy from District 11. I grab Pita’s bag and I run for it, but the guy from District 11, Plush, is in front of me. He slams my head with his Tonka truck. I ignore the blinding pain and spring for the forest. I hear Plush scream until he falls silent. Plush is dead.

I see the stream ahead of me, and I hand the pack to Pita. I plunge my head beneath the freezing water to numb my injury. I grab a beaver and put it to my head. The beaver doesn’t protest.

Pita takes out a CD player and an AC/DC CD. He inserts the disc into the player and puts the headphones over his ears. The red lines emanating from his cut dissipate, and soon the cut is just a scar.

“Pita?” I check to make sure he’s okay.

“I’m alright.”

“Are you sure? You won’t sing Justin Bieber anymore?”

“Nope,” he tells me. “’Cause I am TNT, watch me explode!” he sings. Oh lord, now it’s AC/DC. At least it’s not as annoying as Justin Bieber. “I’m joking, Katnip.”

I sigh in relief. “Oh good!”

“Today’s announcement is brought to you by Oxi Clean!” the voice in the sky says. I look up, and there’s a projection of Billy Mays smiling next to a bucket of Oxi Clean. “Right now, the only tributes left are the District 2 contestants, Baito and Blove, and the District 12 contestants, Pita and Katnip. May the odds be ever in your favor!” Then, there’s a slideshow of the dead.

I turn to Pita. “Let’s run.”

* * * * *

Stay tuned for Part Eight: The Hunger Pangs is a Lot Better than Narnia.

Potential Pitfalls: Writing Blind (v1.0)

2011-06-14T00:00:00.002-06:00

Like all great potential pitfalls, this one is tricky because it involves a balancing act.

First, my inspiration for this post.

Exhibit 1: Riley Redgate's post on writing what you know (or not)

Exhibit 2: Allison Winn Scotch's post on whether writers must be readers

These got me thinking about something I've come across, and a trap I hope I've steered well clear of—writing a novel with no knowledge of the genre/category.

Yes, I've seen writers attempting a fantasy without ever reading any. Others writing for teens without reading a single book from the YA shelves.

I'm sure if you look, you can find a handful of examples where an author did their own thing without any real knowledge of what came before, and yet was wildly successful. Perhaps I'll do another Potential Pitfalls post on acting like exceptions are the rule. More often, the writer's lack of reader-knowledge is neon-sign obvious.

How so? A common sign in YA is teen characters that feel like they were written by an adult. The voice is off, the actions don't fit—either coming across as a stiff adult in a teen's body, or falling deep into stereotype. Sometimes it's harder to put my finger on, but I have this instinctive feeling that the writer (a) has little-to-no meaningful contact with teens, and (b) hasn't read a YA novel published within the last five years (or even ten).

But like I said, it's a balancing act, because there's another pitfall right across from this one: Unintentional Rip-Off. Oh, and there's one in front of it, too: Authorial Laryngitis (Loss of Voice).

I know some writers that don't read fiction while they're drafting a novel (but may read non-fiction during that time). That's a strategy that makes sense to me. Some of us are susceptible to having another writer's voice seep into ours if we're reading and drafting at the same time.

I guess the bottom line is, know the conventions and requirements of your genre, but find your own voice and story. You know what they say, if it were easy ...

Any opinions on reading within your genre? I didn't discuss reading other genres, but there are benefits there as well. Thoughts?

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Six)

2011-06-13T09:56:00.001-06:00

The catch-up links: One, Two, Three, Four, and Five.

And now, we get some action and drama. Enjoy!

Part Six: Unlikely Allies

I wake up to a sharp sting on my cheek.

“Ow,” I murmur, rubbing my face.

“It’s about time you woke up, Dogbreath!” I hear a squeaky voice say. I turn around and find Rue.

“Rue? Why didn’t you kill me?” I ask. The little, dark-skinned girl glares at me.

“I could if you want me to!” she threatens. I shrink away from her.

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay. Well, I was thinking we could be allies,” she proposes.

“Allies?” I rub my head, which hurts like hell. “Why would you want to be allies with me?”

“Easy, you’re good at shooting that thing.” She gestures toward the bow and arrow. “And I am good with plant identification since I’m from District 11. We would make a good team.”

“Well, alright,” I agree. We shake hands.

“Now, let’s move, Toilet Licker!” Rue commands.

I grab my bow and arrows. “Uh, I have a question.”

“Well, out with it!”

“How many people died at the Cornastupia yesterday? And keep your voice down!” I whisper to her.

“Half, so twelve are left. Actually, now there are eleven since the Cracker Jackers killed stupid Glitter,” Rue tells me. “But I have a plan.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Let’s blow up the Careers’ stuff!”

“Why? The stuff they have is stupid.”

“True, but they’ll find a use for it, and it’s fun blowing stuff up!” Rue squeals, almost jittering with excitement.

“Also true,” I admit. “How will we blow it up?”

“The Careers had a guy from District Three activate land mines from the arena entrances and put them around their supplies. There are some Teletubby figurines hanging off a crate of apples. Just shoot the crate with your weapon and make the figures fall. Then, it’ll go boom!”

“Alright, I like it,” I say.

“Great, I will stay here with the stuff while you go do that. Sound good?”

“Yeah.”

“Then go do it, dum-dum!” Rue screams at me.

So I do. I march over to the Careers’ camp by the lake, and I spot their stuff. I will allow myself only three arrows to make the Teletubbies fall. I shoot the first arrow. It just makes them shake. I shoot the second arrow. They inch closer to the edge. I shoot the third arrow and they finally fall, making the stockpile explode. I’m thrown back and land next to a charred Barney doll. I listen for footsteps. I hear some in one ear, but the other ear is deaf.

I get up and run for Rue. I arrive at the spot where Rue is supposed to be and see her battling a guy in a Batman suit. It must be Marvel, the guy from District 1. Who else would wear a superhero costume?

“Katnip! Help!” Rue yells.

“Cat naps yelp?” I ask, confused.

“No, help!”

“No kelp?”

“No! He—”

Marvel kills Rue with a Batarang, and he throws one at me. I bend over. Marvel takes out another one.

“I’m coming for you!”

I hear singing. Pita! He gets the Batarang that was aimed at me and he throws it at Marvel, who falls to the ground dead. Pita runs away, limping while singing.

“I’ll never let you go!”

Wow, Pita saved me. I turn to look at him again, but he’s gone. I go over to Rue’s body and kick it.

“Sorry you died, dogbreath,” I say mournfully.

* * * * *

Next time, Part Seven: Beaver Fever.

Potential Pitfalls: Dead Horse Beating

2011-06-12T12:59:00.001-06:00

I'm going to start an occasional series on potential pitfalls in fiction. Mostly things I've noticed (and am trying to eradicate) in my own work, or things that irk me as a reader.

First up, the over-explanation, telling readers what they already know. It can happen in a range of ways, including single line statements-of-obvious. I'm focusing more on full explanations in dialogue. It's sort of the opposite of As-You-Know-Bob syndrome. In this case, Bob doesn't know the following information, but the reader does.

And it's really, really annoying to read.

There are times one character needs to explain to another what has happened, what the plan is, etc. I can only think of a few times this should happen "live" on the page.

When revealing information previously withheld from the reader. I have a little of this in one of my novels, where I've only hinted at things, until the MC reveals her secrets later on. Hopefully (if I've pulled it off right), this kind of explanation is rewarding to the reader, verifying their guesses or giving some surprises.
When the explain-ee's reaction is important to the plot. Is this information going to prompt a major event? Divorce filing? Attempted murder? Okay, maybe something a little less extreme could work, too.
When the explain-ee will have new information to add. Maybe the reader already knows the MC's half of the story, but another character may have info to fill in gaps that change the whole outlook.

(Could have sworn I had a #4 in mind. Will add if I remember it.)

An important note: #1 is often the only time you might need to play out the full conversation. Many of these are situations where tell-don't-show is actually the best course. (I summarized everything we knew so far.)

In most other situations where it's necessary to fill in another character, there's one strategy I find particularly effective: the art of the skillful scene/chapter break.

Character 1: "We have a lot to talk about."

BREAK

Character 2: "Say WHAT?" (or other appropriate reaction)

Can you think of other situations where playing out information the reader already knows may be desirable? Do you have strategies for avoiding the for-Pete's-sake-we-already-know-this reaction from your readers?

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Five)

2011-06-11T10:46:00.002-06:00

For those just tuning in: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.

I have to say, I adore the final line of this part. It's just so ... well, you'll see.

Part Five: Cracker Jackers

I climb a tall tree and hide my eyesore of a backpack. Soon, the voices take shape, and I see who they are—Careers, from the wealthier districts. Careers spend their whole lives training for the Hunger Pangs. They think it’s an honor to be chosen. Usually, the winner is one of the Careers. These Careers seem to have made a pact to work together until everyone but them is dead, and then they’ll go against each other.

“What did you get from the Cornastupia?” a guy whose name I think is Baito asks.

“I got this lousy bow and arrow set,” a girl named Glitter answers. I know it’s an odd name; her parents are celebrities.

I want her bow and arrow set, but I’m not sure how to get it. I see movement in the tree next to me. My head quickly turns in the direction of the movement. It’s a girl named Rue from District 11. Man, she’s an angry girl! She tells everybody they’ll rue the day, but no one ever did anything to her.

Rue points to something above me, and I see what it is. A nest of Cracker Jackers. The Crapitol makes these strange animals sometimes, like the Hamburjay and the Cracker Jackers. the Cracker Jackers are shaped like crackers, but they pack quite a sting. They make you feel terrible and hallucinate if you get stung by one.

“Thank you,” I mouth to her. I break off a stick from the tree, but the Careers never notice. I shove the Cracker Jacker nest so it falls on them. Baito and a few other Careers scatter, but Glitter isn’t so lucky. The Cracker Jackers are on her immediately. Hmm, they must hate Bradgelina, her celebrity parents.

I race down the tree and pry the bow and arrow set from her dying hands. Then, I run for it.

I notice I’m surrounded by butterflies. I dance with them, and they start to land on my arms, tickling me. I start giggling. Then, one lands on my nose. I cry out. The butterflies look like Donald Trump!

“Aaaaah!” I scream. Then butterflies cover me, tickling me so I collapse in a fit of laughter and screaming. Then I drown; I drown in a sea of butterflies.

* * * * *

Next up, Part Six: Unlikely Allies.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Four)

2011-06-09T22:46:00.002-06:00

If you're late to the game(s), get caught up: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

Part Four: The Hunger Pangs Begin

The next morning, we are taken to the arena of the Hunger Pangs. I wave goodbye to the Crapitol and sit back in my seat. I’m being sent to my death, and worse, I’m being sent to my death with Pita Hellark. He’s humming the tune “Overboard,” so I plug my ears. After a while, the windows of the plane go black. We’re almost to the arena.

“Pita, you better pray,” I advise him.

Pita closes his eyes. “I close my eyes, and I can see a better day. I close my eyes and pray,” he sings quietly.

“Shut up!” I tell him. Miraculously, he does.

The plane lands, and we are put in tubes that take us to the arena, which is a forest similar to the one in District 12. I look at my outfit which consists of a green shirt that matches my skin color, simple pants, a thin jacket that reflects heat, and my Hamburjay pin. Haysnitch gave Pita and me some advice before we were sent here. I run his words in my mind again.

“Don’t get anything from the Cornastupia. Just run and try not to die,” Haysnitch told me earlier. The Cornastupia is filled with stupid, useless things such a matchbox cars, Windex, or pressed flowers. The list goes on. Sometimes, though, you can find a use for them.

I look at the arena. There’s a lake to the right, and the rest is just woods. Most of the contestants will obviously go to the lake because of the water, so I will want to head into the forest. I observe the items at the Cornastupia. There’s a backpack a few feet from me and a kid set of bows and arrows a bit farther. I don’t care what Haysnitch says. I’m going to get something, and then I will run for my life.

Then something like an elk’s mating call sounds. That must be the bell. Oh dear, I just lost a few seconds figuring that out, so I start moving. I sprint for the backpack, but I feel something hit me. A contestant behind me is pounding a stuffed animal that looks like Big Bird on me. I have to run faster. Death by Big Bird would be terrible!

I grab the backpack and sprint for the forest, but I slam into this huge, olive-skinned boy. He has a Tonka truck hoisted high. I duck before the toy can slam into my head. Then I run as far away from the Cornastupia as I can. When I feel too tired to keep running, I stop and check out my backpack.

“It’s hot pink with Barbie and Ken on it, eww,” I complain. I open it and find a Barbie water bottle, Barbie sleeping bag, Barbie camp chair, and Barbie flashlight. Oh, there’s also a Barbie tent. I think, overall, I probably got a good deal. Normally, few things in the Cornastupia are for camping. I continue hiking until I suddenly hear voices behind me.

* * * * *

Come back for Part Five: Cracker Jackers!

Boundaries of Bashing

2011-06-09T18:54:00.001-06:00

My perfectionism makes me a little critical. (For evidence, see my opinion on eBook formatting or my breakdown of e-reader apps.) This extends pretty much to all areas of my life.

In my day job, I spend a lot of time around ASL interpreters. I frequently find myself feeling conflicted. On one side, I've known some seriously awesome interpreters, and I know without a doubt I can't do their job. In fact, I've had to in a pinch once or twice. One of those occasions sparked a near panic-attack. (There's a reason interpreters usually work in pairs and switch off every 20-30 minutes. When I got to around 45 minutes, I went into vapor lock.)

On the other side, mistakes drive me nuts. Or worse, when I see a completely unqualified interpreter botching up everything. When I'm in a position where I'm signing and an interpreter is voicing for me, I pray to have earplugs. For one thing, it's just hard to concentrate. For another, any little pause or minor misinterpretation convinces me my signing skills are really that terrible.

And I admit, sometimes after enduring something with a really poor interpreter, I have to vent a little to one of my colleagues.

Even then, I try to remind myself at all times that it's an extremely difficult job—one I cannot do. I try to keep my venting to appropriate venues. When I'm in a position to help an interpreter improve, I do what I can. At the end of the day, I respect their effort, their training, and the difficulty of their job. And by and large, the interpreters I've dealt with fall into the Camp of Awesome.

What's my point? Oh, look, here comes a writing connection!

It's likewise easy from the writer's side of things to criticize how others in the industry do their jobs. Gripe about agents' long response times. Claim editors are out-of-touch. Rant about the stupidity of anyone and everyone in the publishing business.

There are certainly valid criticisms and discussions to be had on many publishing topics. When it crosses into agent/editor/publisher-bashing, I get a yucky feeling. It just ain't pretty, and it's definitely not professional.

Yes, I'm sure they make mistakes. I'm sure there are things they could (and maybe should) do better. Everyone on this planet has room to improve, even (especially) in our areas of expertise. But respect the job, respect the effort, respect the experience and training. Bashing is never the result of respect.

And for more on handling ourselves professionally, check out this post. Yeah, I'm even critical about responding to criticism.

Where do you draw that line between criticism/accountability and straight-up bashing?

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Three)

2011-06-07T21:40:00.002-06:00

I'm back with another part of the parody by a student. Make sure you read Part One and Part Two first. Enjoy!

Part Three: William Tell

In the morning, Pita and I meet our mentor, Haysnitch Aberskunky. He is the only living District 12 victor. When we meet, he’s drunk and smells like a skunk.

“Yo! Aberskunky! What do we do for training?” I ask.

“Uhhhh. Don’t show off,” Haysnitch slurs. “Nobody should know your talents.”

“Okay, so I’ll go light on the archery, and you...” I look at Pita. “Don’t irritate anyone.” Pita nods. I guess he finally figured out that his singing sucks.

Pita and I march off to training, where some tributes are already practicing with the weapons. They scare me, so I drag Pita over to the plant identification training station.

“Helloooo! My name is Billy Mays! Would you like to see my ad for Oxi Clean?” the trainer inquires.

“Uh, unless Oxi Clean is a plant, no thanks,” I tell him.

“But Oxi Clean can make your green skin nice and white again.”

“No, thanks.”

“Awww...Okay, I’ll teach you some plant identification skills.”

Pita and I have to listen to his annoying voice for a full hour before moving on to the next station. We just move from station to station, awaiting our private sessions with the Gamemakers, which will be scored on a scale of 0 to 12. 0 is really bad and 12 is awesome. Of course, District 12 is last so I enter a room full of drunk and bored Gamemakers. I start shooting arrows at the target shaped like a hot dog, hitting the center every time.

“Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog,” a gamemaker sings. I turn around and see he’s singing with an apple on his head.

“If I were you, I’d pay attention!” I scold him. I shoot an arrow at the apple on his head, but instead, I hit his Adam’s apple. Eh, close enough. The gamemaker chokes on his own blood and dies.

“Hey!” another gamemaker calls to me. “Good job! We hated that guy!” I smirk and go out of the room. Pita goes in next and is out of there shortly.

“Eenie meenie miney moe, catch a bad girl by her toe. If-if-if she holla let her go!” Pita sings. “I heard you were a bad girl!”

I think of how I shot the gamemaker’s Adam’s apple with my arrow. “Yeah, I had a William Tell moment.”

We wait for our scores, and I get an 11. Yeah! I rock! Pita gets an 8 and I’m surprised. “What did you do to get an 8?”

“I sang. They told me if I stopped singing, they would give me an 8!” Pita answers.

I can only shake my head.

* * * * *

Up next ... Part Four: The Hunger Pangs Begin

Wrenches! I Need More Wrenches!

2011-06-06T13:34:00.001-06:00

Yeah, I know, everyone reads that as "wenches" the first time. I don't write that kind of fantasy. Thus the visual cue.

You ever get that feeling that you just aren't making things rough enough for your characters? Like things are moving along a little too swimmingly and it's time to throw another wrench in?

(I know, it's called conflict. I find I do better if I approach writing in more figurative terms than analytical. I could analyze the crap out of my writing ... and in doing so, I'd analyze the life out of it, too.)

This has been particularly on my mind lately since my current WIP is an expansion of a short story. The short has ended up being just a launching point, more or less, and I know where the general arc is going. But to get this to novel length, I realized I needed to pull several wrenches that were still sitting comfortably in the toolbox. More speed bumps and detours for my MC, all tying together to shape the final conflict. (Hopefully.)

I've also noticed I tend to opt for smaller wrenches when larger ones would be more interesting, powerful, motivating, etc. Why do I shy off from making things really hard on my characters? Maybe because a part of me always wants things to work out and be happy. (Hello, optimist!) Maybe because I get mad at certain writers for doing things like killing off certain characters. (She knows I'm glaring at her right now.)

But a writer's gotta do what a writer's gotta do.

At the same time, I don't want to do things just to emotionally manipulate my readers. Annoyed as I am with that writer, I know she killed that character for a reason. There should always be a reason, even if it isn't glaringly obvious on the surface.

So my goal on this current project is to go ahead and make things hard for my MC. Give her reason to doubt, reason to despair, reason to possibly make the wrong choice(s). Because hopefully doing so will make the resolution that much more satisfying when she finally gets there.

Do any of you have similar struggles with getting your characters to, well, struggle enough? Do any of you tend toward the opposite extreme from me, using a hefty torque wrench when a little half-inch crescent wrench would be more appropriate? (Does doing so result in a soap opera?) Any ideas about finding that balance between way-too-hunky-dory and letting Murphy's Law become more fundamental than gravity?

Please, let me know. My MC is eyeballing the latest wrench in my hand, and I'm afraid she might try to wrestle me for it.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part Two)

2011-06-05T12:13:00.003-06:00

For those who missed it last time, read Part One of this parody written by a student.

And now ...

Part Two: Oooh! Burn!

I’m whisked off to the Crapitol with Pita (a.k.a. Justin). I wear a Hamburjay pin that the mayor’s daughter, Padge, gave me as a token. Right now, we are getting prepared for the fashion show part of the Hunger Pangs. It’s a preliminary event where we have a chance to garner support from the audience. So we must dress to impress. District 12’s stylist, Cinnamon, along with his three assistants, Larry, Moe, and Curly, come in.

“Hello, we are your stylists, and I assume you two are my contestants?” Cinnamon asks.

Pita croons, “And I’ma be your one guy, you—”

“If you say I’m going to be your number one girl, you’re dead meat,” I warn Pita. “But yes, Cinnamon, we’re your contestants.”

“Great! So, I was thinking. District 12 is all about coal, right?” Pita and I nod. “So, I was going to set you two on fire!”

“We can’t go nowhere but up from here!” Pita sings. I roll my eyes.

“That’s what I was thinking, too!” Cinnamon exclaims. “What about you, Katnip? Do you approve?”

“Why not?” I give in to his plan. Pita resumes singing his Justin Bieber songs.

“He even looks like Justin Bieber!” Cinnamon notices. I agree; Pita does look like Justin with his mop-top but he has blue eyes and Justin has brown. If he wasn’t so annoying, I might actually like him.

***

The fashion show is later that night. Pita has a black suit and I a black dress. Both doused in gasoline. Cinnamon assured us the flames wouldn’t hurt us when he lights us on fire. I look at the other contestants’ outfits. District 4 has kiddie pools circling their waists. District 3 has matching Herbie costumes. The District 2 contestants look like two rubies; even the guy is wearing red lipstick. District 11’s contestants having matching apple tree costumes. Pita and I will totally kill these people. Each district marches on the stage, and finally, District 12 is called. We are always last. Cinnamon strikes a match and sets us on fire.

“Pita, do you feel hot?”

“You’re the coolest girl I know!” Pita belts out.

“I don’t feel really cool now.” Sweat beads on my forehead. People cheer for us as we float onstage. “Okay, now it hurts,” I exclaim. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” Pita is screaming as well. I search for a source of water and head straight for District 4’s costumes. I jump at their waists into one of their kiddie pools. Ahhh. I feel so much better.

“Thank you,” I say to the shocked girl from District 4. Pita is still on the stage flapping his arms like he has wings. “Pita, you dolt! Come over here!”

“I’m coming for you!” Pita sings/screams. He jumps into the other contestant’s pool.

“Oooh! Burn!” the girl says, but then the audience starts clapping. Pita and I get out and bow. I’m going to kill Cinnamon for this. What if those Crapitol idiots actually figure out it wasn’t an act? Pita and I would be so dead. The good news is that we had extra layers under our costumes so we didn’t get burned badly; it just felt like a sunburn.

* * * * *

Next time ... Part Three: William Tell.

Short Story: The Hunger Pangs (Part One)

2011-06-02T22:11:00.002-06:00

And now for something a little different.

The busy stress of the last week of school was lightened when a student let me read a story she'd written—a send-up of The Hunger Games. I had to fight to keep myself from laughing aloud several times, since students were working on final exams.

She's given me permission to post it here and share the joy. I'll post each part separately over the next week or so.

(Remember, this is by a teenage student. Any nasty comments will suffer instant death.)

And so, I give to you...

The Hunger Pangs

by PAF

Part One: Wicked Bieber

Today is the day of the Reaping, and my sister, Nessarose, just had a nightmare. She hates the day of the Reaping.

“Katnip! I just had the same nightmare of when the Hamburgers are chasing me!” Nessarose screeches.

“For the last time, Nessa, they are called Hamburjays, not hamburgers!” I correct her. Sheesh, she can be so stupid sometimes, but I love her dearly. She starts rolling her wheelchair towards me.

“Whatever!” She rams me with her wheelchair, but I just shoot an arrow at her foot. “Ow!”

“Shut up!” I snap at her.

“Children!” my mother interrupts. “I swear, you two are the loudest pair in District 12! Katnip, did you go hunting with Gale?” She struggles against her straightjacket, but she can’t take it off. The doctors have told her to wear it ever since my dad died in a coal mine accident.

“Yes, Mother. I got a whole squirrel and two strawberries for the family. Gale took the deer and the bucket of blackberries,” I answer. Gale Rawthorne is my best friend who I go hunting with all the time. He is eighteen and two years older than I am.

“Wonderful! Now, let’ go to the Reaping.” So we head out the door, not bothering to dress up for it. I have my long, brown hair in a loose braid, and my sister has hers in a braid, too. We are both dressed in our blue school uniforms and mother in her straightjacket. We get to the square where they announce the contestants for the annual Hunger Pangs, a contest where a boy and girl from each of the twelve districts in the continent of Painem fight to the death until there is only one person left, who is the winner. The winner gets riches while the rest of the continent is left to their hunger pangs. Food is scarce on this continent, and almost everybody is poor except for the people who live in the Crapitol, where the government is.

“Happy Hunger Pangs!” Eiffie Trinket screeches from underneath her grim reaper costume. “And may the odds be ever in your favor! Ladies first.” She steps toward the Bingo wheel and pulls out a numbered ball. Kids from the age of 12 to 18 are required to compete in the Hunger Pangs, and each kid basically fills out BINGO and a free space as they get older. Twelve-year-olds just get a free space, and eighteen-year-olds get a full BINGO and a free space. I’m 16, so I have a free space and BIN. Nessa only has a free space since she’s 12. My friend Gale, though, is 18 so he has acquired a full BINGO and a free space.

“Free space 42,” Eiffie announces. A man gives her a piece of paper with a name. “Nessarose Evergreen.”

“What?!” I cry out. Nesa starts pushing her wheelchair towards the stage.

“Take her place, Katnip, you have a better chance than Nessa,” my mother frantically whispers in my ear. Nice to know my mom loves me.

“Wait!” I scream. “I’ll take Nessarose’s place.”

“Yes!” Nessa squeals. Well, don’t try to stop me, Nessa, I think.

“Why, yes, you’re her sister Elphaba, right?” Eiffie solicits. My skin is an evergreen color, and people still confuse me with Elphaba since my sister’s name is Nessarose.

“No, I am not from that damn play ‘Wicked!’ My name is Katnip Evergreen,” I inform her. “And no, I do not defy gravity!” They always ask that.

“Oh. Sorry! Next, our male contestant is I-56.” A man comes over to give her a paper. “Pita Hellark!” I know that kid from school; god, I hate his singing. I prepare for an onslaught of Justin Bieber songs.

“Baby, baby, baby, ooooooooooh! Thought you’d always be mine!” Pita sings.

Yep, the Hunger Pangs have begun.

* * * * *

Stay tuned for Part Two: Oooh! Burn!

Primer #2 on Deaf Can/Can't

2011-05-30T19:29:00.001-06:00

I previously posted on the idea that deaf kids don't have great literacy skills. (Summary: Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, same as hearing kids. They just add a few more variables to the mix.) Recently, some other ideas of what deaf people can and can't do have come up in conversation.

Sidenote: Have I mentioned that if you're calling them "hearing-impaired," you're wasting your breath? The only people I've met so far who prefer that over "deaf" have been folks who lost their hearing in old age.

First off, I'm a big believer in keeping the mindset that my students can do just about anything they want if they work hard enough. Once in a while, though, something comes up that makes me bite my lip, unsure what I should say.

I've had a couple of students who wanted to enter law enforcement—in the most recent case, preferably the FBI. Specifically, not a desk job—an out in the field, gun-toting Fed.

He hears relatively well with hearing aids, and speaks clear as day.

But ...

I can't help but think, what would it be like to be his partner in a dicey situation, where hearing the click of a gun's safety going off can make the difference? Or in a chaotic, noisy environment where they're not in each other's line-of-sight, so communication isn't clean and clear?

Or do I just watch too many TV shows like White Collar?

What do I tell a student in a situation like that? How do you combine being supportive and realistic?

This isn't exclusive to deafness. Sometimes you come across a person who's bound and determined to be a singer. They work hard for years, pay lots of money for lessons, but can still barely carry a tune. At what point do you lovingly say, "Look, hon, you have other talents. Put your energy into those and throw in the towel on this one. You can still sing along to the radio in the car."

Or what about someone who longs to be a published novelist, but just doesn't have the unteachable knack?

Of course, that gets into the argument of whether there are components of writing that can't be taught ... and that's another post.

An "App-ic" Battle (groan)

2011-05-21T17:04:00.001-06:00

Yeah, okay, I admit it—that title's lame. Sometimes we have to embrace our inner cheesiness (ooh, gooey!).

The apps I want to talk about are e-reader apps. Some people have dedicated e-reader devices (i.e., Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, etc.), but smartphones and tablets seem to be taking over the world. There are lots of apps available, so I've been checking them out.

In case you missed it, I'm kind of opinionated about this sort of thing.

All of the apps listed are free (though the books you read may or may not be), and I'm testing them out on my iPhone 3GS.

The contenders:

iBooks (by Apple)
Kindle (by Amazon)
Nook (by Barnes & Noble)
Kobo (associated with Borders)
Stanza (by Lexcycle)

iBooks

Pros: This is by far my favorite when it comes to the interface. Looks and feels "bookish," with page-turning animation that's fast enough, yet smooth. Appearance of the text is comfortable to read. Six fonts to choose from. One-tap access to ToC. Notetaking/highlighting are the easiest of any of the five apps. Easily my favorite for reviewing my own manuscripts. I also like that I can email my ePub file to myself, and my phone gives me the option to open in iBooks.

Cons: Can't lock orientation to portrait or landscape, which can be annoying if reading in bed. You can turn full justification on or off in the main Settings menu, but this often forces things that are supposed to be centered to become left-aligned unless the publisher was very careful in the coding of the file. Also, in certain lighting situations, white text on a black background is preferable, and iBooks lacks that option. (I know, I can achieve it using the Accessibility settings, but that requires leaving the app and turning everything else on my iPhone to a negative image as well. Annoying.) Also, the iBookstore reportedly has less selection than many of the alternatives, though I've yet to come across a title I couldn't find there. (I also haven't shopped much yet.)

Kindle

Pros: This one has the white-on-black option (yay!). Interface is pretty simple. LOADS of eBooks available on Amazon, some free or cheap (often self-published), and others from big-name publishers. Formatting looks good as long as the publisher did their job right (which lots of the self-published don't quite manage, unfortunately). Also able to open .mobi file attachments directly from my email into the app.

Cons: Also can't lock orientation. No choice of font type (though size is adjustable). If there's a way to take notes/highlight within this app, I'm missing it. I know you can on the Kindle itself, but if the function exists on the app version, it's well-hidden. A lot of the books I've checked don't have a linked table of contents, and when they do, it looks like a page of hyperlinks. (Not a problem, just not very pretty.) It can be a problem when the font size I was comfortable reading with turns out to be too small to easily get my finger to tap the right chapter link. Also, if there's a way to specify what type of alignment you prefer (left or justified), I haven't found it.

Nook

Pros: White-on-black option. In fact, page, text, and highlight color are highly customizable. Eight fonts to choose from. This one can lock orientation. Can turn full justification on/off and publisher settings on/off. Note-taking/highlighting is reasonably easy, though it takes you to a separate screen to choose between a note or a highlight, rather than the small, unobtrusive pop-up menu of iBooks.

Cons: The only one I can't open my own eBook file with. As far as I can tell, unless I bought it through B&N's website, I can't read it here. Also, the margins are a bit wide on the books I've looked at, varying from just-a-touch to more-margin-space-than-text-space. The app has a margin setting with two options (narrow/wide), but changing does nothing to most of the books I have, and another book already had too-wide margins on the "narrow" setting.

Kobo

Pros: Lots of options, including page-turning style (page-flip animation, page-fade, or scrolling continuous), alignment (publisher default, left, or justified), orientation lock, and four fonts to choose from. Can open files directly from my email.

Cons: It is SLOW. The "social networking" features and "achievement badges" are distracting, annoying, and possibly contribute to the slow performance. Note-taking/highlighting are done similarly to iBooks, but the page often attempts to turn when I want to highlight (even in the middle of the page), and to highlight more than one word, I first have to get it to select one word, then use the "handles" to expand the selection.

Stanza

Pros: Black-on-white option (in fact, several regular and nighttime color themes and customizability). One-tap access to ToC. More fonts than I care to count. Ability to use your own background image and set opacity. Select alignment (full, left, right, or center ... though choosing full had the effect of forcing my centered scene break markers to the left). Slider control of margins, line spacing, paragraph spacing, and indent. Orientation lock. Choice of page-turn, page-slide, or none. Sliding your finger up and down the middle adjusts the brightness—that's kinda cool.

Cons: Took me a while to figure out how to select something to highlight or annotate. Again, it takes the text to a separate screen, and you have to broaden your selection from there if you want more than one word. Not quite as arduous as Kobo's, but more bother than iBooks or even Nook. The page-turn animation is either jerky and distracting or too slow, depending on the duration settings—just not as smooth as iBooks'. Tapping to bring up the menu options seriously clutters the screen and blocks the text with a "Chapter/Page/Percentage" text box right in the middle.

So, there it is. If someone took these pros and cons into account, they could easily make a perfect e-reader app ... for my personal preferences, anyway. (Doesn't the world revolve around me? Too bad.) For looking over my own manuscripts, I'll stick with iBooks for now, since its note-taking feature is the most comfortable. If/when I get to the point where I'm interested in buying a lot of eBooks (rather than hard copies I can keep on my classroom shelf for my students to borrow), I may reevaluate.

Anyone know of other e-reader apps I should check out? Have more pros or cons to share about those I've listed? Have I missed something in my quest for supreme nitpickiness? Let me know.

Decisions, Decisions!

2011-05-20T18:55:00.001-06:00

I'm starting a new novel, and I'm back at the old crossroads.

First or third person?

If first, present or past?

When I started Fingerprints, I actually wrote several pages in third person before it started screaming at me that it wasn't working. Go back to the beginning, change it all to first person ... ah, that's better. It never occurred to me that present tense was an option. It was my first novel—what did I know?—and I'd hardly read any novels written in present tense up to that point.

Three manuscripts later, I began my Recently Finished New Novel. I'd learned a lot in-between, read a ton of current YA work, and felt like I almost had a coherent idea of what I was doing. The RFNN (uh-huh, that's what I'm gonna refer to it as) is in third person. There was never any question about it, partly because I needed my MC to withhold quite a bit of information in the early parts of the story. I knew from first person, it would've been really obnoxious. Also, I briefly considered telling the story from several POVs, but never from my MC's POV. I quickly decided I wasn't that ~~crazy~~ brave, and I think it worked out pretty well. (We'll see.)

Now, I'm about to embark on a Shiny New Novel (SNN ... yeah). For the first time, I went through this active, conscious, stressful thought process. I could see pros and cons for doing it any of the three ways (third person, first past, or first present). For about ten minutes, it felt like choosing what college to go to: This decision will impact the rest of my life!

Well, okay, not quite. Making the "wrong" choice would just mean major rewriting once I decided it was, in fact, wrong. And depending on how long it took for me to make that decision, the rewriting could be a right pain.

Worse things have happened.

In this case, I started thinking about my MC. Her personality, what it would mean to be right up in her head, or have a little distance. Then I thought about the general plot as it's formed so far (in my head)—what things might happen outside my MC's presence, how to deliver those things if I'm in first person, etc. Settled on trying first person, then thought about whether the plot warrants the kind of immediacy I always associate with present tense. In combination with certain personality quirks of the MC, I think present might fit.

So my decision is to get in there and start drafting. If I get a page or a chapter (or five) in and realize it's not flying ... back to the drawing board.

That's how we learn, right?

How do you guys make these types of decisions? How do you know whether the story will be best with one POV character, or two ... or more? I'm still a newbie (in some ways), so I want all the learnin' I can get.

Character Curve-Balls

2011-05-18T09:59:00.001-06:00

Veteran writers know all about it, but the first time it happened to me, I was floored. A character did something I didn't expect. But wait! I'm the writer! How can something happen in my writing that's not premeditated on my part?

Fact: Fictional characters are the truth behind Invasion of the Body-Snatchers.

They live in our subconscious, and once they've burrowed a nice cozy nook for themselves ... they evolve. And once in a while, they kick down the door between subconscious and conscious, and start making demands.

Or they skip the demanding and just take over.

Sometimes they go a little too rogue and have to be reined back in. Often, though—at least in my experience so far—they make better decisions than I would if I knew I was making them. (If that makes sense...)

So I thought it'd be fun to categorize the various curve-balls my characters have thrown at me thus far.

The "Don't Think You Know Me Better Than I Do" Curve-Ball This was the first I ran into. I was maybe a third of the way through the first draft of Fingerprints when a side character decided to be a snotty brat about a (planned) turn of events. Who knew she felt that way? Or that it'd end up being a critical development for the whole series?
The "Let's Talk Technique" Curve-Ball This one happened after I'd added terms like "POV shift" and "head-hopping" to my functional vocabulary. I had great momentum going, writing the last quarter or so of the new project. Great hook at the end of a chapter (I think), went to a new page for the next chapter and ... it immediately played out from 2nd-Most-Important-Character's POV, not Ms. MC who'd been running the show (in tight third person) up to that point. I think there were good reasons for making the shift, and it ended up helping with a dilemma I was already worried about in an upcoming scene. We'll wait for my critique partners to let me know whether I pulled it off.
The "You Think You're Done With Me?—You're Not Done With Me!" Curve-Ball Another fairly recent development. I thought the Crossing the Helix books were set as a solid trilogy. A couple ideas for short-story or novella length prequels, maybe, but that was it. Then Taz (who's usually been much quieter than Raina—no deaf jokes, please) piped up with an idea for a fourth book, launching a new arc. So it's on the list of possible projects.

Have you experienced these types of curve-balls, or others I haven't mentioned? Did they lead you to the promised land ... or down a certain path paved with good intentions?

How Hard Do You Push?

2011-05-13T19:53:00.001-06:00

People who say teenagers are lazy, don't care whether something's good for them, don't know the value of hard work, etc. don't know what they're talking about.

Okay, I know there are teens who fit that description.

So do some adults. (That's beside the point.)

Here's my evidence: Despite the fact that they want to have fun and don't really like homework (except for Student X, who asks for extra work just because she gets bored at home), I've had a surprising number of students complain about teachers not challenging them enough.

Some teens out there who have nearly a full load of AP classes will wonder what planet I'm living on where such a complaint could be voiced. It's a very small one, where "on grade-level" is pretty much the top of the food chain. But maybe we could push them higher.

After slogging it out for nine months, they want to feel like they've accomplished something—like they've completed their first marathon ... not like they've been doing daily jogs around the local park. They may complain about how hard it is while they're running, but deep-down, many of them seem to want that push.

I have a point, I promise.

I think our characters want to be pushed, too. And they want to push back. Throw a tough situation at them, and get them to slog through it. There's a balance to maintain with believability, but don't make it easy on the little dears. Let their reactions happen in vivid high-def with surround-sound. Challenge the characters. Challenge your readers.

Problems shouldn't be solved too easily. The path of the plot shouldn't be laid out neatly with big, bright roadsigns posted every mile. Emotions shouldn't be consistently lukewarm, only half-felt. Sometimes, a character needs to have a solid freak-out.

And yes, most of this post is directed at myself.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to brainstorm some ways to ~~torture~~ challenge both my characters and my students.

You Think You Know Me?

2011-05-06T22:37:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not talking about you knowing me. The title above is a question asked by our characters. But I also don't exactly mean knowing our characters on an individual level—their likes and dislikes, personality quirks, deeper values, etc. (Incidentally, though, From the Write Angle recently had a couple of great posts on that. Here's one. And here's the other.)

My question is related, yet different. A more global perspective—more demographic, maybe—where knowing our characters and knowing our audience overlap.

When you write about teenagers, and teenagers are your target audience, this is kind of important.

Everyone knows generalizations are ridiculous. You can't say, "All teenagers are like this." You can't even say 'most' are. The opposite, though—where you're pretty sure no teenager would say or do something, or act a particular way—that can happen. When teens read the story, they don't have to think, "Every character's just like me," but they should identify the characters as real ... like some teenagers somewhere.

How do you make that happen?

I consider myself lucky. I'm surrounded by the target audience throughout the workweek. A pretty good cross-section of personalities and backgrounds, too. That definitely helps. Not a possibility for everyone, though. And not a necessity.

What are the other options? Believe what TV and movies would have us believe about teenagers?

I grew up with the running joke of actors pushing (and pulling) thirty playing teenagers on 90210. So, um, no.

Better option for those who don't have a lot of teens in their everyday lives (or even those who do): READ.

Unlike when I was a teen, there are a ton of great YA books out there. Even better is the wide variety of character types you can find. They're not all perfect—some Mary-Sues, some clichés and stereotypes—but if you look carefully and read (a LOT), you can get a feel for the modern teen character.

Personally, I can't imagine trying to write a YA novel without reading stacks of them first.

And if you can find some brutally honest teens willing to beta-read for you and call you out when the adult-writer is overpowering the teen-character ... so much the better.

Any other ideas about getting that reader-character synergy? Experiences where you got it right on ... or way wrong?

Differing Views: Not Black & White

2011-04-24T02:00:00.068-06:00

Hooray! For once I have a clever link between my title and my post, just like Mindy McGinnis nearly always does. One of my greatest friends is both a science teacher and an artist, and she once noted something I found very interesting. Consider the following:

To a physicist, 'white' is the presence of all colors, such as white light broken into a rainbow by a prism.

To an artist, 'white' is the absence of color, a complete lack of pigment.

Their views are about as diametrically opposed as you can get. Who's right, and who's wrong?

That's the wrong question.

Try this one on for size:

Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? From a scientific standpoint, it's definitely a fruit. From a culinary perspective, I'd call it a vegetable, because that's how it's used.

There are some things in life that can be worked out to 'right' and 'wrong,' but plenty of others that depend on your perspective and the circumstances. I'm all for being opinionated (and I am ... oh, I definitely am), but if you're so entrenched in your opinion that you can't even entertain a differing view, you're going to miss out on a lot. If nothing else, it can be a fun mental exercise to try to understand why the other person has the opinion they do. I may still disagree, but that's not the point.

Then there's writing—I wonder if it's possible to be a truly great writer without that ability. How can characters come alive and feel authentic if the author can't shift their perspective? (This presumes all the characters aren't thinly veiled carbon copies of the author ... because how boring would that be?)

And yet I've seen many a mud-slinging fight among writers that came down to one or both sides being unable to acknowledge that a certain topic may not have a right or wrong—just different angles.

If I ever fall into that trap, someone do me a favor and give me a nice Gibbs-style head-slap, okay?

Identity Crisis

2011-04-23T13:33:00.000-06:00

Like most writers (aspiring as well as published), I have a day job. I don't know how many other writers love their day jobs, but I do. I get to hang out with very cool kids, talk about random things, and get them to think differently about mathematics. And I have a built-in test audience for my writing. What's not to love? (Uh, paperwork? School politics? Never mind.)

At the same time, this occasionally leads me into a minor identity crisis. No one really expects a math teacher to be a writer ... or at least not to be any good at it. That's fine, I like turning norms on their heads. But while they do overlap, there are parts of me that are distinctly either math-teacher or YA-writer.

Then the kicker—time allocation. Is the way I taught combinations and permutations last year good enough, or should I spend a weekend revamping the lesson? Revamping means giving up writing/editing time. Where are those 28-hour days we've all been wishing for? No, I won't kid myself. If days got longer, I'd still find ways to overfill them.

I think I've pinned down part of the reason I feel guilty when I settle for "good enough" on lessons. The math-teacher front is where I know I have talent. I'm not perfect, I could definitely improve, but I have solid evidence that I'm pretty darn good at it. With writing, I have some supporters, cheerleading in my corner, and I do trust their opinion. So far, though, I have to take it on faith that they're right.

Of course, the silver lining is in sight. My math-teacher side has mandated down-time known as summer vacation. As I did last year, this will be a time when I let Writer-R.C. dominate. Maybe crank out a short story or two, edit the new ms, dive back into the querying trenches ... and hopefully come that much closer to convincing myself the time is worth it.

Accomplishment vs Prestige

2011-04-06T22:40:00.001-06:00

Some ... interesting conversations I've observed lately had me thinking about the distinction between the two ideas named in this post title. The whole writing/publishing world is changing, with more options readily available than ever before. And naturally, people are making value judgments.

Person A: [This, that, or the other non-traditional route] isn't real publishing.

Person B: Why are you tearing down other people's success?

Person A: You're deluding yourself.

Person B: You're a jerk.

Mud-slinging and childish behavior ensue. Any chance for rational discussion of pros and cons is lost.

Aside from personality flaws I'm not qualified to diagnose, it seems part of the problem arises when one or both parties fail to differentiate between accomplishment and prestige. So I'll stick my neck out and discuss it.

All of the following are accomplishments that warrant unequivocal pride and satisfaction:

completing a novel
writing a query letter that garners requests
securing an agent
landing a publishing contract with a big-name publisher
landing a publishing contract with a mid-sized publisher
landing a publishing contract with a small/niche publisher or micro-press
learning the formatting gymnastics required for self- and/or e-publishing
releasing a book through self- and/or e-publishing
selling books
finally telling your family you're a writer, and surviving the laughter

But the fact is, some of these accomplishments are more prestigious than others, and measuring "success" is complicated. I have a friend who's well into six-figures with advances (Big 6 publishers) and foreign rights sales with her debut novel, and it's not even released until this fall. I have other friends who've been published by start-up indie publishers founded by fellow writers, and some are doing quite well. Still other friends have gone entirely the DIY route, and a few of those are also doing impressively.

If I say that first friend with the Big 6 contracts is more successful than the others, does that mean I'm disparaging the others' accomplishments? Not at all. We can't all be Olympic gold-medalists. Even if some of us eventually achieve the same level of success as my friend, we won't necessarily take the same route. And that's okay.

(Incidentally, all of my aforementioned friends have accomplished more than I have in those respects. I'm still working on it.)

Part of the problem is likely the implication that novels that are self-published or released by a small start-up aren't "good enough" for the big-time. Is that true?

Let's be honest—sometimes it is.

There are other possible reasons, though. Not hitting the right timing with trends. A topic/genre that's more niche than mainstream. Or an author that wants to keep complete control over their product, for whatever reason, so they never even try the traditional route.

I'm in no position to say which category any given book falls into. But my advice to all is to acknowledge that there's always going to be someone "better" and more successful. Compete against yourself. Choose a route, set a bar for yourself, and focus on surpassing it. Next time around, get a bigger contract, or a higher percentage of positive reviews, more downloads at a specific price point, or whatever makes sense to your situation.

Not everyone can be at the top of the prestige tower ... but everyone can improve.

Speaking Up

2011-03-31T21:46:00.001-06:00

When you're part of the majority, you don't generally think about your culture until you find yourself in a situation where you're surrounded by someone else's. I imagine most of the people reading this listen to music and watch TV with the sound turned up—that is, we're hearing.

Did you ever think of using that word to describe yourself? Maybe not, unless you happen to be a hearing person with connections to the Deaf world.

Yes, I capitalized it. That wasn't a mistake.

There are a lot of differences between Deaf culture and the hearing majority, probably enough for another blog post or two sometime. A central feature is sign language. That doesn't mean there aren't people within the community who can and do speak. This can be a sticky issue, though—again, plenty I could ramble on about.

My point right now is that there are individuals who feel caught in the middle, who enjoy being part of the Deaf community, but also feel a connection to the hearing world. They listen to music and express themselves most comfortably in spoken English. This doesn't always go over well with others.

Tomorrow, there's a public "speaking" competition at school. Entrants have the choice of signing or speaking. This year, only a few students have entered ... but they've all chosen to speak, and we'll have an interpreter present. I'm interested to see the kinds of reactions they get. Will everyone focus on the content of the messages and whether they were effective in getting their points across? Will some complain that they should have signed, even though doing so would limit the eloquence of these particular students?

I'm proud of them for having the guts to get up in front of their peers and make a formal presentation—whether in speech or sign, it's not easy. If anyone gives them a hard time, it might be my turn to speak up.

Primer #1 on Deaf Can/Can't

2011-03-13T18:11:00.000-06:00

Every so often, I'll get a particular comment about Fingerprints on critique sites—something about Tasmin (the Deaf character) displaying unrealistic English skills.

These commentators mean well and undoubtedly speak from their personal experience, so I don't mind. I see it as opportunity to spread a little knowledge.

When I was in grad school, we frequently discussed the hated statistic: Most deaf people read at a fourth grade level. Please note that the statistic on that website is actually that the median reading level among 17- and 18-year-olds in the sample was 4.0, so there's one inaccuracy that creeps into the discussion. Generalizing that, half of the individuals in the sample read at or below that level ... and half read at that level or above.

Another thing to note: The literacy statistics among the general U.S. population aren't too great, either. Check here for some stats that those in medical fields should keep in mind. There are a lot of reasons for this, including school performance, education level of parents, and language access.

That last point—language access—is likely the biggest hurdle for deaf kids. The most accessible language is most likely not one that's used in the home when the deaf kid comes along. An exception is when there is a Deaf parent (or two), which does happen, but overall isn't that likely. Some hearing parents dive right into signing classes and/or take other steps, working their tails off to help their kids succeed.

Regardless, a huge number of variables are involved ... enough to make generalizations pretty useless.

What I do know is that I've worked with deaf students on both ends of the spectrum. I've known deaf kids who read above grade level. I know several others in high school who read and write at or very close to their grade level. It happens, and if I see it at our tiny little school, it happens everywhere to one degree or another.

So do I stand by Tasmin's skills? Absolutely, and not just because the character is meant to be unusually intelligent. I chose to focus on the "can" ... and the only thing Tasmin can't do is hear.

All Together Now: Covers

2011-01-15T16:56:00.001-07:00

Quick look at covers for all three. #1 might be changing though--graphic design pro brother wants to play with it. ;-)

ETA (6/2011): Here's a quickie cover I've made for my latest ms, just for fun.

Sleep-Deprivation of Minors

2010-12-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

I was pondering what gives a writer the feeling of, "Hey, I'm doing all right." You could make a big-time best-seller list. You could get a rave review in a major publication, or a bunch of 5-star reviews on Amazon. Can't say I've experienced any of those (yet), but still, I've thought about it.

My favorite? Knowing I'm contributing to the sleep-deprivation of minors.

You know that feeling--when you start reading a book and before you know it, it's three in the morning ... then four ... then the sun's coming up.

Well, with a day job and grown-up responsibilities, I can't indulge in that very often anymore. Maybe on weekends. And professionally, I can't recommend any teenagers do so on a school night.

Still, finding out a 15-year-old started reading my story and couldn't put it down until six in the morning (during Thanksgiving break, boss!) kind of made my day.

Another one on the self-affirmation list: Having teenagers finish reading it and immediately ask, "Where's the next one?"

That's when I think to myself, "It worked."

Two Sides to Motivation

2010-11-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a post on how to get yourself to meet your NaNoWriMo word count goals. This isn't about "get your cursor moving" motivation at all.

This is about motivation within the story--motivating the characters as well as the plot. First, a little background on what prompted this post.

I was reading (and generally enjoying) a pair of books from a particular series. The first red flag came when a side character was killed and I felt nothing. Maybe it happened too fast, maybe it was a failure to develop an emotional connection earlier ... or maybe it was because it "just kinda happened." Moving on, the MC executed an impressive string of "just doing things" for no clear reason other than to conveniently get herself in trouble. That's when I really started thinking about it and the failings of motivation.

Anyone who's tried to write a query letter has probably explored character motivation related to central conflict. What does the MC want and what stands in his/her way? My exploration has taken me from that macro level to the micro level of individual scenes and character actions or decisions. I've concluded that there are two types of motivation. I'm sure someone out there has more technical names for them, but this is how it's worked out in my mind.

Front-End Motivation
This is what triggers a character's actions. Why does she do this? Why does he react that way? It stems from preceding events as well as the character's personality and values. The trick here is to make sure our characters act and react in realistic and consistent ways, keeping them imperfect yet still believably human. If a character's going to make an obviously poor choice, the reader should be able to buy into the reason. Show the doubts or the willful rebellion, whatever it is that drives the decision.

Back-End Motivation
This is why an event/decision/development is worth including in the story. A few random details for flavor are fine, but anything more substantial should have a reason for happening. It may be the resolution of an earlier mini-conflict or the catalyst for something to happen later. In essence, it's what keeps individual scenes connected.

Both types are necessary, and different scenes will have a different balance of front- and back-end. I imagine few could be described as 50/50, but 5/95 (or 95/5) should be likewise rare. What happens when the balance is weighted too far to one side--or worse, when one side of the motivation is missing?

Back-End with No Front:
This dilemma inspires the "Well, that's convenient" reaction in readers and seems to be at the root of my instigating experience--the MC who "just does stuff." As authors, we know what we want to happen, so sometimes we force our characters to jump through hoops, just for the sake of making something work in the plot.

Front-End with No Back:
Scenes with this problem may come across as feeling random, tangential, or even indulgent. I suspect it occurs more when a writer is trying to pad the word count, or perhaps when the plot isn't yet fully formed. The characters do things that make sense given their personalities and prior events, but it doesn't really go anywhere. I'd say it's nothing to be too afraid of in a first draft if you're a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pantser rather than a planner, but definitely something to watch out for in editing.

Neither Front Nor Back:
Sound the alarm and get thee a reality check, pronto! Characters are reacting inconsistently and randomly, and the story is going nowhere. At its most extreme, this isn't a story--it's words spewed onto a page. Might be okay for a free-write to play with dialogue or characterization, but once you're in story mode, these things need to be reined in ... at least to a degree.

So, let your characters be human (even if they aren't human, SF/F writers). People rarely do anything truly random. At the same time, be judicious in choosing which human moments to include in your story, and be mindful of why you've chosen them.

Why Writers Should Be Masochists

2010-10-31T12:17:00.001-06:00

Want to be a writer? Prepare for pain. The pain of sleep-deprivation, the pain of rejection, the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome, the pain of a good face-keyboard smack when things just aren't working ... all of this and more is likely in your future.

That's not entirely why I think a touch of masochism is a prerequisite, though. Those things all come with the package, and we have to find ways to deal with them--like power naps and ergonomic office furniture. The masochism comes in with the pain we (should) intentionally seek: the sting of constructive criticism.

Personally, I love getting feedback specifying certain aspects that aren't working for the reader, but that sting still pricks me now and then. Still, I'd rather endure that minor pain than get a inbox-full of, "This is amazing and should be published right now!" While the latter is nice for the ego, it doesn't actually help me improve, and even if I got a publishing contract tomorrow, I would always have room to grow.

A parallel: In my day-job, an administrator observes my class a couple of times a year for evaluation. I've yet to have an administrator with a math teaching background, so the fact I can teach calculus already impresses them. More often than not, the feedback is something like, "You're doing great--keep it up!" Once in a while they remark on a small item they can tell was more because they were in the room than anything else. (My fingerspelling skill takes a nosedive when other adults are in the room ... definitely gotta work on that.)

I know I'm a good math teacher, but I also know I'm not perfect. I can identify certain areas for improvement on my own, but for others, I could really use an outside observer to tell me if something works or not, or if I'm doing things I'm not aware of.

Same thing with writing. If a reader isn't feeling my MC's emotion in a certain scene, I need to know. If a particular section is boring, I need to know. When those are areas I've worked on and think are great, finding out they might not work that well can hurt. The biggest hurt is when someone clearly doesn't understand my intention. Those are the moments I doubt myself, wondering if I have any idea what I'm doing, assuming my own failings led the reader to misconstrue the concept. But I will still seek out those opinions, weigh them against each other and against my own instincts, and try to incorporate what I learn into making my writing better.

Turning it around, then, writers should not be sadists. When we're offering critique, it's important to be honest--as noted above, glossing things over won't help anyone--but not intentionally cruel or derogatory. Telling someone, "This sucks--you're never going to make it," is no more helpful than gushing why-isn't-this-published-yet praise.

Most importantly, we have to make sure we aren't such masochists that we lock ourselves into the editing/revising phase for eternity. At some point, you have to decide that it's good enough to get out there and submit ... and ready yourself for those darts of rejection.

Learning from Fiction

2010-10-16T17:52:00.000-06:00

There are lots of ways we learn through the written word. Textbooks are the most obvious, though not always very effective in and of themselves. Nonfiction books can be a great way to learn about almost anything you can imagine--cultures, history, technology, or just the lives of interesting people.

We can learn through novels as well. Hard-working authors who do their research can infuse factual tidbits seamlessly into the plot, and we can learn through a character's choices and their evolution through the story.

It recently occurred to me that there's a key difference between the nonfiction and fiction approaches to learning, though. Nonfiction generally sets out to teach--that's the whole point, to be informative. In fiction done right--in my opinion--it's up to the reader to learn, and what they take from the story can vary. The parallels they draw will depend on their own worldview and experiences, and that's what makes it so fun--that feeling of finding your own meaning.

What happens, however, when someone sets out to write a novel with the nonfiction writer's intention of teaching in mind? Does it still work? I'm not sure. I haven't tried it myself. Do you get a "moral of the story" or after-school special feel as a result? If so, that could be a problem. I can't speak for all teenagers, but my students are master cynics. If they sense a story's been contrived to teach them something, brace for imminent eye-rolling.

Does it come down to ensuring Story trumps Message? Is it more a matter of not talking down to your audience? Or are those two related? Something to think about as I dig through the latest YA works to find books to recommend to those charming cynics.

A Touch of Good News

2010-10-16T17:34:00.000-06:00

A few good things that have happened lately:

I made the "Literary Agent Showcase" round on WEbook's PageToFame contest. (See, here's proof!)
While we're talking about PageToFame, "Assumptions" made it out of the Shorts round. (Still waiting to see what that means.)
"Significantly Other" was published by Crossed Genres. (Not bad for my first "serious" attempt at at a short story.)
I survived IEP Intensive. (Not related to writing, other than being the reason I couldn't do much writing for the past month.)

Otherwise, I'm still in the agent hunt, still working on Book #3, and jotting down some pre-writing notes for a brand-spanking-new idea.

I'm also counting the weeks until Thanksgiving break. For the record, it's at five.

YA Work and the Big Bad

2010-09-18T12:39:00.000-06:00

One of the basic elements of storytelling is conflict. Most sources list between four and six main conflict types.

Man vs. Self--the identity crisis
Man vs. Man--"duke it out" (physically or otherwise)
Man vs. Society--the rebellion
Man vs. God/Fate--big-time underdog
Man vs. Nature--the disaster scenario
Man vs. Technology--"Good morning, Dave."

As I look at young adult novels (particularly the sci-fi/fantasy variety I'm so fond of), Man vs. Man is certainly common, as it seems to be across the spectrum of genres. Harry Potter has Voldemort. The Mortal Instruments has Valentine. Twilight has an assortment of "non-vegetarian" vampires. (What's with everything starting with V?) Even The Hunger Games, which is more Man vs. Society, personifies society as a whole in a single antagonist, President Snow.

In general, there almost always seems to be a "bad guy." That probably explains some feedback I got recently, suggesting I introduce a more significant antagonist sooner. I'm still pondering it.

Does the YA formula require the presence of a Big Bad? I conceived my story as a combination of Man (or in my case, Girl) vs. Self and vs. Society. There are a couple of antagonists, but their role (in the first book, at least) is secondary to the main character's struggle with herself and the society she doesn't quite fit into. Is this type of struggle enough? I don't know yet.

I like to think that for teens in particular, Character vs. Self is something they can connect with. After all, they're at that stage where we start to decide who we are--what we want to hold onto from our childhoods and how we want to expand into new things.

It seems to work for the teens I've had test-driving the story so far. None of them have complained about the balance of internal and external conflict. Perhaps that's all the answer I need. Or then again, maybe I should be working to incorporate more external factors without losing the internal struggle.

Anyone have some good examples of YA books (particularly sci-fi or fantasy) with conflict that's less about fighting the embodiment of evil? I'm sure I've read some, but I'm drawing blanks. It would be interesting to look at how authors have successfully handled such a thing.

Playing with Covers: Part Two

2010-09-04T15:32:00.000-06:00

Because I don't have enough to do (?), I started playing around with Photoshop on Thursday night. Here's the result:

ETA: Went ahead and made a matching one for Echoes, too.

These just might be my favorites so far. See the previous versions (fronts only) here.

I still haven't decided to self-publish, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared, right?

That Aristotle Guy

2010-09-04T15:10:00.000-06:00

Oops, kind of a long stretch since the last post. At first, there wasn't much to say. Then there was, but it was more of the same (four fulls and a partial out at one point = more waiting). Finally, it was getting back to the day job, where almost everyone on campus had to relocate due to renovations.

The inspiration for today's post comes from the day job, in fact. We had a professional development day yesterday, most of which wouldn't interest any of you. During a presentation on critical thinking skills, though, came a moment of epiphany ... and it wasn't while my colleagues and I were trying to build a tower out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

Our presenter includes some quotations on a few of her slides, and one particularly caught my attention:

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

-Aristotle

In addition to the implications for educating my little rabblerousers, it struck me as a nice summation of my philosophy on accepting critique. You have to be able to entertain a thought, even unpleasant ones, without (necessarily) accepting it. Once you entertain it, you can make that decision whether it has merit you should act on or not.

This is especially applicable to me recently, as three of my four fulls came back with rejections. One was a form rejection, so there's nothing for me to take from it. Another was a detailed message that felt like the agent just didn't get it--we all view things through our own lens, and hers seems to be polarized at a right angle to mine. The third was a brief but personal message that raised an interesting question.

It's that last one that has me thinking the most. Perhaps I'll expound on it in another post. My book doesn't follow a certain part of the YA sci-fi/fantasy formula. I know that, and in many ways it was my whole point. So I'm trying to entertain the thought planted by that agent without accepting it, at the same time looking for what I can take from it.

Meanwhile, I'm forging ahead--working on Book Three, receiving good news on another front (see if you can spot it in my Twitter feed, post forthcoming), and wondering if I'm ever going to hear back from Agent #1.

Oh, and keeping up with the day job.

Audience ID

2010-07-28T11:56:00.001-06:00

Know your audience. Sounds simple enough. It occurs to me that there are two types of audiences, though—the general audience that's likely to enjoy the book, and the narrower audience that's likely to think the book is the best ever.

At its broadest, my general audience is teenagers. Throw in adults who like smart YA work, too, and there you go. To get a little more specific, I think my novel appeals especially to girls who like math or science, and/or have a bit of tomboy in them.

While at Best Buy with my sister yesterday, I found a succinct description of the sub-population who would most enjoy my work:

Girls who bought StarCraft II

That's why we were there—for my sister to buy the brand-new game. The cashier (female) asked if my sister was buying it for herself. When we confirmed she was, the cashier said, "Finally! Another girl that plays!"

Those girls (or the ones that play their brother's/boyfriend's copy) are exactly the ones I wrote the story for. It turns out other groups of people enjoy it, too, which thrills me. But they're the ones I was aiming for. That's my Audience ID, the quirk that puts them on just the right wavelength.

What's your Audience ID? Something that on the surface may seem to have nothing to do with who they are as a "reader" but describes who they are in under five words. Kind of tricky until you run into the right cashier.

While Waiting: Part 2

2010-07-22T17:25:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I posted a list of things to do while waiting on an agent. Agent #1 still has the full, and now two more agents have it as well. (My latest attempt at a query letter actually has legs!) So, more waiting. Here's what I have gotten/am getting done, and it's nice to see some of these are progressions from the first list.

Finished Book 2 in the series and Book 3 is well underway.
Wrote two "real" short stories that I'm working on submitting.
Packed up my classroom to be relocated this fall when they renovate half our building.
Helped my dad with yard work, woodworking projects, and whatever else he needed a slave for.
Got elevated to Round 3 in WEbook's PageToFame system.
Worked with my sister to design two covers, seen here (just for fun, and in case I end up self-pubbing).
Hung out with my awesomely awesome friend for a weekend (rare treat since she now lives 2000 miles away).
Read a lot of books (Darkest Powers trilogy, Mortal Instruments trilogy, first two books in The Hunger Games trilogy ... is Mockingjay out yet?)

A lot of that looks like work. Here are some additions for the To Do list:

Figure out how and when to get together with the inimitable T.L Tyson (in my country, hers, or another one altogether ... doesn't matter)
Possibly find time to visit my cousin in Mississippi (though the humidity might scare me off)
Plan a trip to Rochester, NY to visit the friend mentioned above, plus anyone else I knew back in grad school that's still there.

Hmm, all of that involves travel and interacting with humans outside of cyberspace. That might be a clue.

Anyone else have fun ways of keeping your mind off the waiting game?

Playing with Covers

2010-07-21T22:47:00.000-06:00

My siblings are graphically gifted, so when I needed a cover image for Authonomy, I turned to my sister. After I finished the sequel, she decided to go a different direction for Fingerprints to mesh better with her take on Echoes. We still have some thoughts about tweaking things. Enjoy.

Original Fingerprints Cover

New Fingerprints Cover

Echoes Cover

The Query Quandary

2010-06-23T15:01:00.000-06:00

Mention queries, and writers of all ages sprout a few more gray hairs. The first rule of #AskAgent chats on Twitter is No Query Questions. I haven't yet come across a writer who looks forward to writing one or an agent who adores slogging through hundreds of them to find a few gems. (If you're out there, give a shout.) [EDIT: Cat likes writing them, just not sending them. So there's at least one out there.]

No one (or almost) really likes them, but I get why they fall under the "necessary evil" category. And it's not like there aren't resources out there to help - enough blogs to overload anyone's browser, for starters.

Even with all that help, we struggle. After doing my best to help critique several queries on AgentQuery Connect and overhauling my own query for the umpteenth time, I thought about what makes it so difficult. Boiling a novel-length plot down to a couple hundred words isn't easy, obviously. But what - above all else - stands in the way?

They say the devil's in the details. I contend that the devil's in determining the depth of the details. (How's that for alliteration?)

Boil down the plot too much, and you get something like this:

An orphan boy discovers he has unexpected power and is the Chosen One who must battle ultimate Evil.

Could be Harry Potter. Or Star Wars. Or possibly dozens of other fantasy works.

More often, though, I think we tend to go to the opposite extreme, thinking every nuance of the story is essential if the agent or editor is to understand the plot. Try this (exaggerated) example:

Milton Dauntless, a shy thirteen-year-old boy with a faithful Chihuahua-Corgi mix named Gargantuar, discovers his parents, Darwina and Ted, weren't killed in the famous So-So Steakhouse food poisoning scandal of '99 as he'd been told all his life by Grandma Gertie. In fact, his father was killed by the evil vampire lord Vladindeath, who has secretly ruled the underworld ever since defeating the werewolf clans seven hundred fifty-two years ago. As the sole survivor of the powerful Dauntless clan, Milton must now learn to harness the power of the Crystal of Purity, find out what happened to his mother when she escaped the bloodbath of her husband's murder with her long-lost brother Sherman, and defeat the vampires once and for all.

(Okay, that was kind of fun.)

That one is obviously bogged down in excess detail, including irrelevant backstory and too many names. (See my earlier musing on the issue of Name Soup.)

Here are some of my conclusions, and I hope others will add to them.

Get Enough Detail

The whole point of the query is to show an agent or editor what makes your story stand out from the others. Part of this can be through voice. But these days, if you're writing about vampires or angels, for example, you've got to show your unique twist.
Make it memorable and leave them wanting more. Again, the point of the query: get a request for more material.
Include details that are snappy, quirky, or unexpected ... without belaboring the point.

Don't Overdo the Detail

R.C.'s Personal Rule of Thumb: Anyone who won't be mentioned by name again in the query shouldn't be named at all.
Avoid backstory. Plenty of time (and more creative ways) to incorporate it into the manuscript itself.
Axe details that can leave the reader saying, "Why should I care about that?" For example, knowing all of that about Milton's dog doesn't really tell us anything substantial about the character (except maybe that he has a silly sense of humor when it comes to naming pets) or the plot.

It's a thin line to walk between too much and too little. No wonder so many of us find it so difficult.

Do you have any pointers for finding that perfect balance?

~R.C.

Update: School's Out!

2010-06-17T19:29:00.000-06:00

The end of the school year was a little crazy. I guess that's what happens when you agree to help some deaf kids edit the music for the graduation video and you have to pack up your entire classroom because the front half of the building is being renovated next year. Oh, yeah, and finals ... I can't forget finals.

That's all in the past now. Summer's here, and I can focus almost exclusively on writing. (YES!) Fingerprints is looking better than ever after I finally rewrote the longstanding opening. Still waiting on agents. Echoes (the sequel) has been through some solid rounds of editing and feels a lot better than it did when I drafted it. The third book in the series is underway and getting some momentum now that I can spend more than an hour at a time on it.

To keep busy, I wrote another short story and submitted it to the Science in My Fiction contest. Results due July 21st. Submitting the earlier story to some other places. A friend pointed out another contest I might consider, if I can write a story under 2500 words in the next month.

All this happens when I'm not getting sunburned helping my parents work in their backyard.

If I need a break from writing, I'll spend some time brainstorming ways to get revenge on the student who dropped a water balloon on me at Field Day. Cue the supervillain laughter.

English Class #1: Required Reading

2010-05-21T20:26:00.000-06:00

A couple days ago I was eavesdropping on the weekly YALitChat on Twitter. It's too bad I was too busy to pick up more than just the comments from people I already follow, since the topic was how teachers influence what teens read. Some statements about required reading lists, curriculum, etc. caught my attention.

I thought back to my own experiences as a student. Honestly, I don't remember most of what I was required to read back then. I remember reading some Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice) and A Tale of Two Cities in ninth grade. My teacher that year was smart enough to discuss the themes in a modern context so the books weren't just old and dusty to us. (There was a particularly heated discussion when he insisted that arranged marriages were the only intelligent way to do things.)

The rest of high school, though? I remember packets of short stories, but I don't remember titles, authors, or the stories themselves. There were probably worksheets involved.

You know what else I don't remember? The popular books for teens at the time. I don't think I read them ... too stuck in sci-fi land back then. Can anyone help me out? What was hot in YA back in the mid- to late-90s? Was there YA as such? I never considered myself a "normal" teenager, so I have no idea what was considered "normal" to read.

Is it the same story now? Nothing but classics, no current works? From the transcript of the chat, it seems to vary widely. I can only talk about what I know firsthand, at my current school.

We're lucky for a few reasons. Our classes are tiny (I think eight students is the biggest), so if teachers want to order copies of a current book, it's not a financial hardship. This year we started giving students two Language Arts classes - one for reading and one for writing. This means a lot more time for covering more novels. I know one of my colleagues tends to alternate - a book from the curriculum list, then one the students choose.

How do I influence my students' reading, especially as a math teacher? We have twenty minutes of required silent reading time after lunch every day. For that, I'm in the "I don't care what they read as long as they read something" camp, particularly because I have struggling readers that period. I happily help one girl understand the articles in fashion magazines and explain new words to a boy who reads online graphic novels.

Other than that, I keep a shelf of loaner YA books (which no one seems to expect from the MATH teacher). They see me reading them, and it's fun to discuss what they did and didn't like after they finish each book. The kids like series, so I've got Uglies, Hunger Games, Darkest Powers, and Mortal Instruments sitting up there.

And of course, students keep telling me to get mine published and add it to the collection.

I'm working on it. :-)

What (Teen) Readers Want

2010-05-14T18:40:00.000-06:00

Since my writing efforts are focused in the Young Adult area, I'm lucky to have ready access to my target audience. In fact, I think I spend more hours conversing with teens than adults. Some will read anything you put in front of them. Others will tell you over and over how much they hate reading, but once in a while a book engrosses them to the "can't-put-it-down-even-for-my-favorite-class" level.

I've had a few conversations with my students lately about books we'd all read, and what they did or didn't like about them. After that, I asked them to describe what makes a book "good." Some interesting responses so far, and I'll add more as I collect them.

From a sophomore girl:

DETAILS! [And after further prompting...] Of characters and settings.

I love that she wants details from authors, but is reluctant to give many herself.

From a junior girl:

I am tired of the dumb chick, the unexplained dude. I think it should cover all types - romance, action, funny, and scary - in some way. I also think it should always keep me guessing!

I had an entire lunchtime conversation with that girl about the "dumb chick" issue - or Stupid-Girl Syndrome. She could have gone on, and so could I, but I'll refrain for now.

From another sophomore girl, an aspiring writer (can you tell?):

I don't really know how to answer, but in my opinion, a good book must have a conflict, complex characters, and a well organized plot. Characters can't not have a personality; readers have to be drawn in by their personalities, good or bad. A well organized plot is necessary - you don't want to confuse people. If you don't have a conflict, it will be a never-ending story, droning on and on. The idea has to be original, too - who wants to read a story that has already been told before?

I'll be sure to tell her Composition teacher she's been paying attention in class. *grin*

More to come, especially some guy perspectives. Anyone else out there have info on what teens are looking for in a good read?

Quick Update

2010-05-14T18:26:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to post for a while, but real life + writing has gotten in the way. (That's a good thing, right?) Here's the latest:

Fingerprints didn't make the semifinal round of ABNA. That's all right, though. I'll have a post discussing my Publishers Weekly review soon.
The first five pages (with the option to read a little more) are available for rating on WEbook's PageToFame contest. More for fun and curiosity than anything else. Rating other people's work is fun, too.
"Assumptions" is being rated on WEbook's PageToFame Shorts contest. Totally just for fun.
I "finished" the sequel to Fingerprints, tentatively titled Echoes. It's been through a few rounds of editing and beta reads, and little sis is working on a cover design (in case I end up going the self-pub route with this whole thing).
The third book in the series (as yet untitled) is underway.
An agent still has the Fingerprints full.
Still working on short story submissions.
Several queries out in the ether.
Oh, yeah ... final exams and graduation are coming up.

Sounds busy enough to me.

School Talk: Jess M. Brallier

2010-04-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

Students at my school (K-12) had a great experience today, hearing from Jess M. Brallier (author of Tess's Tree and involved in the publishing of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, among many other things). This was the culmination of our first Author Illustrator Competition, where kids school-wide wrote, illustrated, edited, designed, and produced books.

Very interesting to hear from "someone on the inside" here in our little school. I loved the beginning, when he introduced the concepts of publisher, author, and reader - especially since our students are deaf and very visually inclined. As publisher, he wore a smart blazer and coordinating hat, very sophisticated. As author, he wore a scary-loud plaid jacket with a fur-lined cap. As reader, he was a regular guy wearing a baseball cap.

After setting up two volunteer students as the author and reader (on opposite sides of the stage), he explained a publisher's role as getting the author's work to the reader. He did a great job explaining how this could involve getting it physically from the author's cabin in Wyoming to a bookstore in New York, or getting it translated into Chinese, or getting it published online.

The best part was knowing how huge this was for at least a couple students who I know want to become writers. Thanks to this, they know more about the process than I did at their age. I think all the students gained some insight into where books come from and how much goes into it.

Interesting note: The student who asked the most (and some of the best) questions was a self-confessed non-reader. I wonder if she was just curious because she knows I'm in the process of trying to get published. ;-)

Anyone else have interesting experiences with school talks by authors (either giving or seeing one)? This was more the publishing perspective, but what other information about writing do you think would benefit students?

ABNA "Vines" Reviews

2010-04-11T20:25:00.000-06:00

Here are the full reviews mentioned here. As with any review, I agree with some points (and made changes to address those a while ago) and not with others. It's probably a good thing the first reviewer didn't get to see more of the story since ... um, yeah, it's sci-fi/fantasy. (Gulp!)

Review #1

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The main characters of this book are well sketched out and intriguing. Not over the top, utterly believable. (I would change the twins' names, though. Tasmin... all I could think of was tasmanian devil. Lareina... how do you pronounce that? It was distracting.) I would think the author has had some experience with the foster care system or with children having disabilities and disorders.    I like that the author stays with the same set of characters from the first to the second chapter, adding new ones in gradually. Every other excerpt I've read jumps from one set of characters to another. The author is spinning out her story from one chapter to the next, building on the growing foundation. It's likely the narrative will follow a well-thought-out arc, not bounce around in episodic vignettes.

What aspect needs the most work?

Although I like all the many and varied characters, there is the possibility of the author going over the top with quirky and unbelievable characters. He/she will have to show some restraint, given the group home setting with the wide range of disabilities and disorders. While it is refreshing to see that these characters are normalized and treated sensitively, I also would not like the author to start imbuing them with extraordinary abilities or senses... like the deaf Tasmin staring off in her trance-like state or the autistic Ryan: "Sometimes I think you see more than we give you credit for."    Also, for what it's worth, I did't like the almost-rape scene. It could have been grittier or more detailed, so I'm grateful the author left something to the imagination, but nevertheless, all I can say is that I think it's uncalled for. Perhaps I'm out of touch with the reality of young adult fiction. I know The House on Mango Street is on reading lists for this age group, and I didn't like the rape scene there either, literary or not. I know the world is a hard place, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I don't feel like we need to shove it in a child's face every time she/he opens a book. (If the scene must be left in, I would rethink it. Lareina gets out from under Jonathan far too easily. She must be outweighed. How does she do it? The author implies Jonathan's in some sort of pain, but I wasn't sure why. What was Lareina doing to him?)

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Of the excerpts I've read thus far, this is the book I'd be most likely to continue reading. The school setting resonates with young adults, as well as the varied peer interactions. The dialog sounds genuine for the age group, and the main character doesn't display any preternatural wisdom beyond her years. The author has given Lareina a sly sense of humor and a natural, though not cloying, sensitivity to others. I'd be happy to spend more time in her company in this book.

Review #2

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

What a novel idea: two twin girls, one hearing impaired, growing up in a foster system, going to high school. The author takes this idea and runs with it, immediately drawing the reader into the story with great storytelling, some gentle ape appropriate humor, and immediate tension towards the end of the second chapter. By then, you are drawn to these diverse characters, and the event that ends the excerpt is truly surprising. This story has the potential to explore some interesting topics not frequently explored in youth adult fiction.

What aspect needs the most work?

My only hope that the attack at the end of the second chapter turns out well for these girls. By this time, you know and like them, and to have something so hideous happen concerns me greatly. I don't want this to be yet another female protagonist victim story, but one of empowerment for our girls.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

This is truly unlike much of what I've been reading; two complete, interesting characters, set in an interesting setting, offers so many possibilities of what can happen. I am drawn to the uniqueness and novelty of the story, and feel that it is in great hands!

ABNA Quarterfinals

2010-03-27T15:02:00.000-06:00

Yes, I made the cut. Look, here's proof. So far I've only seen a summary of the "overall impressions" bit of the second round reviews (the full reviews should be available on CreateSpace soon, I hear), but those summaries look pretty good:

Review #1 This is truly unlike much of what I've been reading; two complete, interesting characters, set in an interesting setting, offers so many possibilities of what can happen. I am drawn to the uniqueness and novelty of the story, and feel that it is in great hands!

Review #2 Of the excerpts I've read thus far, this is the book I'd be most likely to continue reading. The school setting resonates with young adults, as well as the varied peer interactions. The dialog sounds genuine for the age group, and the main character doesn't display any preternatural wisdom beyond her years. The author has given Lareina a sly sense of humor and a natural, though not cloying, sensitivity to others. I'd be happy to spend more time in her company in this book.

The first day after the quarterfinal excerpts were posted was funny. Apparently, I have enough tech-savvy friends (especially fellow writers) that my excerpt got downloaded several times right away. This led to shooting up the Kindle Bestseller chart, topping out at #17. That, in turn, led to some poor souls downloading the excerpt to their Kindle and wondering where the rest of the book was. (I take the fact that they wanted to continue reading to be a very good sign.)

So I'm adding another item to my Things to Do While Waiting on an Agent list: reading the other 249 excerpts in the YA category. I've already done eighteen (took notes, but haven't posted reviews for all of them yet). Not a bad start. I should be finished by April 27th, when the semifinalists are announced, right?

I just hope all the reading keeps me from thinking too much about the fact that a reviewer from Publishers Weekly is reading my full manuscript.

Keeping Busy

2010-03-21T17:05:00.000-06:00

Progress! I have written another short story. I won't be posting it here, because I have hopes of submitting it to a few places. (Imagine if it got accepted - I'd have a publishing credit. How snazzy!) Just under 4000 words, so about four times as long as the first attempt. The first was just a fun little exercise to see what happened if I tried. This one I took more seriously. If anyone's willing to offer some feedback, drop me a line.

I've also gotten back to the sequel for Fingerprints. Wrote several pages, knowing that I was likely to cut most of one scene. I had to write it to get things rolling again, but as a scene, it wasn't going anywhere. SNIP! I hope I can keep pushing forward on it. It feels like it's a third of the way (or maybe halfway) through, so I'm curious how long it'll end up.

Meanwhile, the day job has plenty going on as well. State testing this week, which I have to miss my morning classes to administer every day except Thursday. Seven of my students (including my entire Pre-Calculus class) will be leaving for Europe Tuesday afternoon and will miss the rest of this week and next. Oh, and I've been procrastinating a final project for my professional development class.

All this has helped a great deal in keeping my mind off the next round of cuts for ABNA (happening Tuesday) and the full I have out to an agent. I prefer stressing about things I have some (if little) control over.

While Waiting

2010-03-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

I got my first request for a full on Friday (prompting a weekend-long happy-dance). While it's not out on an exclusive basis, I have various reasons for waiting a bit before querying further. Thus, I find it's time to make a list:

Things to Do While Waiting on an Agent

Work on the sequel (I know, I know ... sell the first one first.)
Try hand at short stories (First attempt seen here, more "sincere" attempt underway.)
Reorganize a closet or two (or three ...)
Do stuff for the day job (Should this be higher on the list?)
Consider learning another language (ASL? Check. French? Semi-check. Spanish, which would be particularly useful? D'oh!)
Watch episodes of Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs (Am I the only one waiting for these two shows to collide?)
Back I've Been Deader (Hey, where'd that come from?!)
Reconsider languages (I wanna learn Welsh ... but why?)
Ponder what would happen if Roombas became self-aware (I mean, really, think about it.)
Read "real" books (Got a stack of seven waiting for me.)

There's my first ten. What do you do while waiting for an agent's response?

There Are No Rules

2010-02-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe there are rules of writing. But not as many as you think, and very few without exceptions. Everything else could be labeled suggestions, guidelines, or generally good ideas.

If you write a novel completely in Yoda-speak, that probably won't fly. Can I unilaterally declare a rule against that?

So, let's look at the so-called rules.

Prologues are prohibited. I've seen many bad prologues - unnecessary, gimmicky, long-winded ... it goes on. Some prologues, however, are dynamite and serve a particular function. For a much more qualified opinion on the subject, check out this blog post.
Avoid adverbs/adjectives. In my cyber-travels, here's what I've learned: It depends. Awkward and pervasive modifiers are a problem. Piling as many as four adjectives in front of a single object bugs me. Audience matters, too. Middle Grade and Young Adult are likely to have more of these words, and particular genres favor them more than others. And let's face it - sometimes they're the best way to get the message across.
"Pass" on passive voice. Constant use of passive voice would annoy me. Even more annoying, though, is when people misidentify something as passive. The presence of a "to be" verb form doesn't automatically mean it's passive. Besides, I've found sometimes I want the passive form to change where the emphasis is placed.
Say only said. Dialogue tags are a big issue. Too many kill the flow. Too few can cause confusion. Then there's the question of what the tag should be. Again, I contend audience and genre are something to consider. I stick to "said" unless I have a reason not to (so I follow the "rule" except when I don't). I've also found when there are more than two speakers, more tags are naturally needed. In that situation, "said" starts to feel really repetitive.

I'm sure there are others, and further comments to make on the ones I've already listed.

Does it have to be this complicated, though? Rather than obsessing over "rules" and how to follow them/when to break them, I ask myself the following questions:

Will the reader spend more time unraveling the sentence than it takes to read it?
Is anything distracting or jarring?
Is anything ambiguous or confusing?
Will the reader look at this section and say, "So what?"

Any questions to add to this list? What are your self-critiquing tips and tricks?

Short Story: Assumptions

2010-01-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

I think this is the first short story I've ever written. (Anything I did in English classes has been forgotten.) Felt like I should try it. Super-short, may qualify as flash for all I know. Enjoy!

* * * * *

Assumptions
by R.C. Lewis

Gunfights and car chases, that’s what I needed. Maybe some gratuitous, reality-defying explosions, too, if I was lucky. The more action, the better.

I’d like to say it had been a good day until I arrived at the movie theater. Until the sneering minimum-wage teenager asked if I meant diet when I clearly asked for a regular soda. I’d like to say the day to that point had been a shining example of why it’s wonderful to be alive. But that would be a lie.

The implications of the greasy-haired adolescent didn’t help, though.

My usual seat, third row up from center, ensured maximal viewing pleasure, taking in the whole screen at once. This showing was popular, but not quite sold out. As the theater filled, the seats to either side of me remained vacant. Surely someone would be joining me, right? Or maybe they worried Crazy-Lady-Who-Goes-to-Movies-Alone Syndrome was contagious.

Speaking of which, was that …? It was. A blind date from three months ago walked in with two friends, laughing about some recent sporting event. Big upset in the college rankings.

I instantly thought of those crime dramas, when the cops make the arrest and the guy shouts, “It’s a set-up!” I knew how that guy felt, because blind dates were the same thing – set-ups. Friends said they were doing it because they cared, because they were certain the guy was just right for me.

Invariably, the dates ended with me alone in my apartment, resisting the urge to scream, “I’ve been framed!”

I prayed the latest accomplice wouldn’t look my way. He’d tried to enlist himself among the few repeat offenders by calling a week later. Since I couldn’t recall his name now, the results of that phone call were obvious.

Not that he wasn’t good-looking. Far from it. If I had a type, he was it, but only as far as appearance. I think he lost me when he spent most of our date detailing how he was God’s gift to the philosophy department at the local university. I would have enjoyed a nice discussion about any of the topics he mentioned, but he was too busy convincing me everyone else was wrong to hear anything I had to say.

It was still an improvement over the set-up prior, who clearly hadn’t expected me to be educated and reasonably intelligent. Maybe I could blame my accent for that one, but it had almost disappeared in the past few years. No great loss, though; the friend who’d done the framing later told me he’d gotten back with his ex.

Mr. Neo-Nietzsche remained too occupied with the failings of basketball referees to notice me, so I relaxed. The previews started, and I got my promised violence and mayhem. Plenty of explosions, too. I particularly enjoyed one involving a propane tank and a mime. You had to be there.

The credits rolled as everyone filed out around me, but I stayed put. An odd habit, maybe, but I always stayed until the end of the credits. I had this image of the poor gaffers and score wranglers and every soul in the second unit who went utterly unknown. They worked hard and didn’t rake in the obscene paychecks for it, so the least I could do was remain in my seat as their names scrolled across the screen – their singular moment of glory.

A bonus was seeing the song credits near the end. Yes, that was Incubus. Thought the voice sounded familiar.

When the lights came up and the cleaning crew rolled in, I was the only one left. More teenagers, but the aggravating soft drink vendor wasn’t among them. They were polite as I passed, and I offered a smile, not envying their task of sweeping popcorn and scraping smashed Milk Duds from the floor.

Out in the lobby, I looked at my watch – too late to think about cooking dinner. My favorite bistro was on the way home, so I stopped there. Not especially swank, but nice and cozy.

I glanced briefly at the menu before ordering one of my favorites. The waitress was new – not one of the girls who knew me as a regular – but she was friendly and pleasant. She brought my raspberry lemonade with a smile and left me in peace.

If any disease was more dreaded than the single woman at the movies, it was the woman sitting at a table for one in a restaurant. I felt the glances of a few other diners, but it wasn’t my first time. The way to avoid scrutiny was to look busy, so I pulled my notepad from my purse.

When the waitress brought my food a few minutes later, I noticed something more than a glance. A few tables away, a male diner – also solo – caught my eye. Tall, dark hair … my usual suspects for distraction, he had them all. Before I could feel self-conscious about staring, he winked and went back to reading a novel. Crime thriller, but one of the better authors in the genre.

Throughout my meal, I compulsively glanced his way. He caught me looking a few times, but I also caught him. The little thrill when he smiled at me … how long since I’d last felt that?

Dinner couldn’t last forever, though, and soon the waitress brought me my check. When she looked at my credit card, though, her eyes widened.

“You’re her, aren’t you? The romance writer! I have all your books. Oh, and wow, today must be your favorite day of the year, huh?”

Under ordinary circumstances, I would have rolled my eyes at such an idea. Today, though … today I looked toward the mystery man across the way and smiled.

“Sure,” I answered. “Who doesn’t love Valentines Day?”

Just for Giggles: Character Transplant Exercise

2010-01-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

In a fit of randomness, I started thinking about my characters and how they would fit into the real world. Maybe other writers (especially of fantasy) do this all the time. It's kind of fun, and has made me think about my characters in-depth, particularly the more minor characters.

I wonder how much you can tell about my book from reading this silliness cold. Hmm ...

Raina would front a rock band, drawing comparisons to Paramore's Hayley Williams, except Raina would mouth off to the press more than she should. There would be a rumor about the paparazzi and electrocution, which sensible people would shrug off.

Taz would make major breakthroughs in computer science and linguistic programming, specifically in the development of signing avatars. She'd be a guest lecturer all over the world, and her company would be puzzled over why she never asked to be reimbursed for her airline tickets.

Niko would take online courses in philosophy while hanging out with Raina on tour, driving his professors to madness with his ability to beat them in any argument. He'd turn down the opportunity to go to top medical schools and become a writer instead.

Vota would be a MythBuster. She loves blowing stuff up, so she'd fit right in.

Genno would be a negotiator, but not in any kind of business sense. Probably law enforcement, hostage negotiation, that kind of thing. His co-workers would think of him as the nice guy, kind of quiet, but they'd also know not to mess with him.

Willet would be a contestant on Survivor. He'd be the guy who tries to win by flirting with all the girls. There would be nasty fights during and after tribal council, claiming that using his shapeshifting to impersonate other tribe members constituted cheating.

Pashti would be a student at the Art Institute of Chicago (sculpture, mostly). By all appearances, she'd be sophisticated and avant-garde, but secretly she'd spend her Thursdays watching Survivor, rooting for Willet. (She'd never tell him, though.)

Anyone else ever tried something like this? Other favorite character exercises? Feel free to post links in the comments.

The Author's Skin: Part 2

2010-01-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I wrote previously about how writers respond to criticism of their work. There's another reason to make sure our skin is thick enough, though: If you're in the public eye, people might go after more than your work.

Think of all the things about you or your personal life people could make fun of or attack. Your appearance, social status, ethnicity, religion ... I've got a mental list of "easy targets" ready and waiting.

I could save the late-night talk show hosts some time and money by writing the jokes myself.

Where do we draw the line between standing up for ourselves and ignoring people who just want to get a rise out of us? How do we keep ourselves from taking it personally when it is personal?

Since I halfway expect it, I think I'd just brush it off as ignorance. I'd also want to try to educate people, to counteract that ignorance, but it's tricky. Of course, I won't really know unless I ever get into that situation, though online communities have given plenty of small-scale practice.

Last thing I want is to become known as the author who blew up over a supposed personal affront.

I'd rather be known as the author who wrote great books and conducted herself in a classy manner. Anyone else?

Name Soup

2010-01-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

How many characters can we absorb at a time?

In working on query letters and pitches, I've become conscious of the "name soup" that can happen when too many characters are crammed into that tiny space. Like a party in a tiny apartment, there's no elbow room and no way to keep track of who's who.

What about in the novel itself, though? How many new characters can we introduce before the reader needs time to breathe and process?

I suspect part of the answer lies in how we introduce them. Don't start a ticker-tape parade for a minor character who serves a limited function for a few pages. Conversely, if the character is important, they need to stand out.

I wonder how much genre and audience play a role. Do readers expect a large cast of players in certain books? Readers of sci-fi and fantasy will be more prepared for strange names than readers of a modern-day crime thriller. What about the number of names to keep track of?

Speaking of strange names, we can make up the craziest names we want, but let's make them pronounceable. Even if the reader might assume a different pronunciation than we intend, it needs to be possible to come up with something. Too many fantasy novels evoke my "Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel" reaction.

Now that I've posed the question, I'm going back to check the first scene at the foster home. Have I thrown too many names in too small a space? Hopefully not.

Blinders

2010-01-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

What is it about our own work that makes it so hard to see problems?

Granted, it's not always the case. I'll often write a sentence and know immediately that I hate it. If I can't figure out a better way to word it at that moment, I'll let it stand, knowing I'll be able to hash out something better when I return.

Sometimes I read others' work and wonder, "How could they not spot that doozy?" Yet I'm sure I overlook similar problems in my own work.

Nothing brings you down to earth like having one of your fifteen-year-old students spot a typo for you.

The scientific part of me wonders exactly what's behind these authorial blinders. In matters of typos and missing words, I'm sure our familiarity with the material causes us to fill in the gaps. What about those big gaps in logic, though? Or glaring inconsistencies?

How do we miss those? And how can we help ourselves by taking those blinders off?

Looking for Logic

2010-01-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

There is some debate about whether any unpublished writer is qualified to critique the work of another. When it comes to genre-specific conventions or highly technical aspects, maybe not. But other areas are fair game.

I know not every writer is also a math teacher. (Okay, hardly any are.) Still, any literate person should be able to identify where logic fails -- things that make you go, "Huh?"

If these show up in my writing, I hope someone would point them out for me. All examples have been made up by me, though I've seen similar in my own writing and others'.

Continuity Errors
With an effort, Grandpappy lowered his aching bones to sit in the comfort of his rocking chair.
[5 lines later, during which Grandpappy does not stand up]
The doting granddaughter supported him by the arm so he could sit in the chair his father had lovingly crafted so many years ago.

Being unemployed was doing a number on Stella's self-esteem.
[a chapter later, during which Stella does not get a new job]
Stella supposed being kidnapped by aliens was a satisfactory reason for missing work.

Contradictory Language
Before he even began considering alternate transportation, Trent developed a variety of jetpacks, maglev skis, and hovercars.
[Pretty sure Trent was considering alternate transportation when he came up with those Jetsons-style contraptions.]

"If you want this done right, I'm your man," Freddie said humbly.
[Do I have a different definition of "humble" lying around?]

Any other examples of things that make you go, "Huh?"

Enter 2010

2009-12-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not a New Year's Resolutions type. If I need to change something in my life, why wait 'til January 1st? I do, however, think the turnover is a nice time to take stock.

What got done this year? What still needs to get done?

I can tell you one thing. On January 1, 2009, I had no idea I'd finish the year with a completed novel, let alone thoughts of getting it published.

This year, I wrote Fingerprints and slowly started educating myself on the publication process. Things shifted into high-gear (and high-reality) when I joined Authonomy and then AgentQuery Connect.

Now I know more than I realized I didn't know before. I've got a decent query letter ready to go out (I hope), a solid synopsis ... and, oh yeah, there's already a promising partial out there. (Everybody, cross your fingers, please.)

What will 2010 bring? No telling, really. But I can hope for an agent and more progress on the road to publication. Maybe entering ABNA (or maybe not). Definitely finishing the sequel to Fingerprints.

There's always my day job, too. Getting more kids to learn math and hate it a little less, if I can help it.

I hope the new year brings lots of good things for all of us ... May we all have the energy we need to get the work done!

Drawing the Line

2009-12-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

As a writer, where is the line between self-confidence and self-delusion?

We must have some confidence in our work. If we don't, why should anyone else? If we want to be published, we need to "sell" it to an agent, a publisher, and ultimately the public.

Feedback shouldn't necessarily lead directly to changes (see previous post). Sometimes we need to stand by what we wrote and the way we wrote it. Sometimes we won't take a suggestion, but it leads us to another idea that we run with. All good things.

When do we cross that line to thinking our book is the best ever, and nothing anyone says gets through our thick skull?

How much harder is it to be realistic when much of your feedback comes from people with ulterior motives? Maybe other authors who want to engage in mutual back-scratching. Maybe friends and family who see everything you do through those wretched pink spectacles. (Note the sorry attempt at avoiding cliché.)

If we refuse to believe it when someone tells us our book needs major work, will we ever get the message? Won't agents hit Auto-Reject, and we'll never know why? What will it do to us to spend years failing to publish the greatest masterpiece of all time?

Where do we find the balance between humility and confidence?

(I think it's safe to say the balance is way off when one refers to their novel using a gender-specific pronoun.)

What do we do when our own blindness is the cause of our failure?

POD, I guess.

The Author's Skin

2009-12-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's got to be thick. I'm thinking rhinoceros-like. Maybe even armor-plated. Constructive criticism can sting the ego, but it's a gift. It gives you another perspective and forces you to make tough decisions that hopefully make your work better.

Unfortunately, some authors seem to be allergic to criticism of any kind. They go into literary anaphylactic shock at the first hint of it. I've got bad news, kids. If you think my feedback is rough, wait 'til you come up against agents and editors that won't even read as much as I did.

Here are some of my ideas of appropriate and inappropriate responses. Take note - considering feedback does not necessarily mean making changes.

Feedback: "This part is confusing."
Appropriate Reaction: Assuming this person is within my target audience and thus has the requisite background knowledge, I'd better check that part. Is something obvious to me because it's in my head, but it's not coming across clearly on the page?
Inappropriate Reaction: This person obviously has no idea what they're talking about. It's all there in black and white. How can they miss it?

Feedback: "This formatting choice is distracting."
Appropriate Reaction: Uh-oh. Last thing I want is for my readers to be distracted by something like format. Why did I choose to use italics/bold/double-quotes/single-quotes here? Can my purpose be served by something less obtrusive? It's only one person's opinion, so I'll keep this as a note to myself. If others comment on it, I might want to rethink it.
Inappropriate Reaction: This is what makes me distinctive. I don't want to look like every other book. If they think my use of reverse-indentation is hard to read, then they're just missing out on my genius.

Feedback: "I had a hard time getting into this."
Appropriate Reaction: Yikes. Is this person part of my target audience? If so, I need to figure out why I'm not drawing them in. If not, I should still consider my hooks and pacing, because it'd be nice to have broader appeal.
Inappropriate Reaction: How dare they attack the product of my blood, sweat, and tears?! Everyone else who's ever read this (i.e., all my friends and family) say it's the greatest thing since [insert name of favorite author here]. This person is clearly just mean-spirited and jealous of my massive talent, because otherwise, they wouldn't be able to drag themselves away from my pièce de résistance.

For the record, I'm only mildly exaggerating.

Good luck in the publishing industry, kids. See you around.

[ETA: Eight months after I posted this, Pete Morin blogged about rhinoceros hide. Check it out.]

Query Blues with a Christmas Twist

2009-12-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's made an attempt to get published knows about the dreaded query letter. Your first thought is, "What goes into it? What are the rules?" The more you research, the more you find that every agent's rules will contradict someone else's.

Someone got clever with this for a song contest. Check out the post at Janet Reid's blog.

I feel better knowing I'm not alone.

The Story Behind the Cover

2009-12-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

When it comes to visual arts, I'm not talented. My siblings are. My sister, in her brilliance, designed the cover image. The thumbprint is obviously connected to the title Fingerprints. (The story behind that is ... another story.)

The rest of the design reflects the following excerpt from the book:

Beyond a grassy slope, a vast city stretched before us. Many of the central buildings reached at least twenty stories, the architecture like nothing I’d ever seen. Yet the most prominent feature was a clear line running down the middle near us, like a wide luminescent street. There was no doubt it was more than the main drag; it was a literal division of the city.

To the right, the buildings were beyond modern, yet somehow organic, twisting and flowing in ways that made me wonder how they could be structurally sound. The colors were varied and subtle, tints of orange blending into pinks, then lavenders and blues. On the left, the buildings were equally beautiful, yet sleek and efficient, with sharp angles and clean lines. That entire side of the city gleamed bright with white and silver, completely unlike the flowing colors of the other.

Not a literal interpretation, obviously, but I like the symbolism.

RANDOM: Musings on Celebrity

2009-12-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

I had this thought ages ago. Might as well document it for posterity.

Every time I go to the grocery store and see tabloid headlines about so-and-so breaking up with what's-his-name, I wonder why I'm supposed to care. Every time I see fans gushing and going into hysterics over the hottie-du-jour, I wonder if they think of him as a human being.

Celebrities are like the popular people in high school. I have the same "outsider" perspective on both, since I'm not famous, nor was I popular in high school.

(I'll pause while you recover from the shock.)

While I wasn't popular, I was friends with some people who were, and I observed the behavior of others. This was easy to do for a quiet, shy person such as myself.

(Okay, I'll give you another minute. I know, these revelations are earth-shattering.)

Bottom line: Some of the kindest people I knew back then were some of the most popular. Some of the social high-rankers were jerks. Scum of the earth. I could only hope they'd either grow out of it, or crash and burn when reality hit.

Their popularity had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of their character. Their popularity told me nothing about whether they were worth knowing. It only gave them a wider audience.

Same goes for celebrities. I don't care about Jennifer Aniston's love life any more than I cared about the head cheerleader's. And if I ever ran into the latest piece of guy-candy, I wouldn't go to pieces any more than I did if some cute guy said two words to me in high school.

(Okay, when cute guys acknowledged my existence, I'm pretty sure my heart rate skyrocketed. The point is, I didn't show it ... I hope.)

So in my perfect world (which I'll run someday), people will be treated as people, regardless of social status.

Now, off I go to the grocery store.

Subconscious Metaphor

2009-12-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

When I wrote Fingerprints, I had certain things in mind. Certain characters had vivid personalities from the beginning, and I knew the general story I wanted to tell. Some symbolism was consciously incorporated.

Then a colleague pointed out a a metaphor that I was not thinking about when I wrote it. Not consciously, anyway. Thinking about it, though, it had to be subconscious on some level, because it was so obvious.

Teks and Tuits. The hearing and the Deaf. Two worlds that some believe to be mutually exclusive.

It had to be subconscious, because I see the pull between those worlds every day. Hard-of-hearing kids, especially ... so often stuck in a tug-of-war. Like listening to music and using spoken English? Too hearing. Can't understand what people are saying at a noisy party? Too deaf.

Can't they be both?

So maybe the story can be a metaphor for a lot of things, groups and labels that the all-knowing "THEY" decide can't coincide.

And as I think Raina would say, "Screw that. Watch me blur the line."

How I Lost My Life (or Found It ...?)

2009-11-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, I thought to myself, "You have a lot of opinions about books, especially in the Young Adult market. Think you can do it better?" So I started writing a story that I would eventually title Fingerprints.

I completed several chapters before telling anyone I was even making the attempt. After I sent the first eight or so chapters to a good friend, she got on my case to send her more. Nothing like an impatient fan to motivate the writing process.

That friend was the first to read the "completed" story as well. She immediately demanded I get going on the sequel. (I have, but it's making much slower progress while I refine Fingerprints.) My sister and mother were the next to read. The opinions of family and friends must naturally be taken with a grain of salt, but their enthusiasm gave me the confidence to go further - to let strangers read it.

So I posted the novel on Authonomy. The proverbial genie was out of the bottle. There's a healthy dose of "reality show gaming" going on, but I've also gotten valuable feedback and even more confidence.

Now, free time is a thing of the past. I've been through the manuscript countless times - tweaking, streamlining, expanding ... and leaving some things just as they are. Spare moments are consumed by attempts to draft a query, wrangle a synopsis, and research agents.

No more free time.

And I love it.