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The Story Siren and Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Tuner came up with an End of 2010 Survey, and I thought it would be fun to participate! (This is me participating!) Basically it's about our reading experience through the year....
1. Best Book of 2010
This is such a hard question. I've read so many fantastic novels this year.... can I narrow it down to just one!?!?! If I had to pick one it would probably be Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. I haven't read the Mortal Instruments series yet, but holy smokes! I am so going to devour them now.
2. Worst Book of 2010
I don't think I read a "worst" book... sure there were some I wasn't too fond of, but none that I'd put under this category. Because that would just be, um, well, mean.
3. Most Disappointing Book of 2010
I would have to say Radiance by Alison Noel. I think I was disappointed because I absolutely adored Ever. Sadly, the subsequent novels seemed to lose a little something until my adoration all but fizzled out. I love the character Riley and I think I was expecting huge giant sparkly snarkly fireworks again. Neh.
4.Most Surprising Book (in a good way!) in 2010
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. I've never really been into mysteries. There's no particular reason. We just never seemed to gel. UNTIL... The Body Finder totally blew me away. Not into mysteries? What was I thinking? Next please.
5. Book You Recommended to People Most in 2010
I would have to say Richelle Mead's The Vampire Academy series or Melissa Marr's books. They have a lot of crossover appeal and I just can't imagine anyone not going completely nutso for them.
6. Best Series Discovered in 2010
That would have to be Holly Black's Curse Workers Series. The White Cat rocked my socks off! Seriously. Red Glove cannot get here fast enough.
7. Favorite New Authors of 2010
Andrea Cremer, Jeri Smith-Ready, Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Beth Durst... and about a dozen more.
8. Most Hilarious Read of 2010
Probably a tie between Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst. Both had spectacular moments of hilarity, yet at the same time, touched on some real and serious issues.
9. Most Thrilling Unputdownable Book of 2010
I'm going to have to go with Nightshade By Andrea Cremer. I don't think I did put it down until it was finished. When I had to take care of those human issues, the book came with me. Yeah, I'm dedicated.
10. Book You Anticipated the Most for 2010
The follow-up book to Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush had me waiting on pins and needles. Crescendo was excellent, but Hush, Hush is still my fave. Also, the release date for Lesley Livingston's Tempestuous finally arrived. I was happy and sad. I love this series. Oh, why do things have to end? *sniff*
11. Favorite Cover of a Book You read in 2010
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce and Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev.
12. Most Memorable Character in 2010
Evie in Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. She was fierce and fun! Oh, what the bleep! I wish I could be Evie.
13. Most Beautifully Written Book in 2010
Plain Kate by Erin Bow. The writing in the novel was mesmerizing. Truly.
14. Book that had the Greatest Impact on You in 2010
Heidi Kling's lovely little novel, Sea. I would like to read more about other cultures and far away places in YA books. I cannot adequately express how much I love this book. You'll just have to read it because if I start to list all the reasons, I'll just gush, I know it.
15. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2010 to Finally Read
Laini Taylor's The Fairies of Dreamdark books one and two. Wow! I will read them again and again. Everything about these books is yummy-yum. I only regret that there are not more adventures to gobble up. Jacksmoke!
So, that's a wrap. Bring on the Elevensies!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
'Tis the Season for Sharing
Because I really needed to hear this...
The Race No One’s Running
By Nova
I used to be in a race. With every writer I knew. With writers who had no idea who I even was. With you. With myself.
I thought I was running toward something and that I had to get there, or else. And I thought how long it took actually determined my worth as a writer.
I used to tell myself that if I didn’t “make it” by such-and-such age, then that would mean I’d failed. That age came and went without a published book from me. So I upped the age. Then that age came and went. I upped the age again and told myself all I needed to not be a failure was to have an agent by a particular age. Just an agent. Just the one thing. Guess what? The day I turned thirty was the day I didn’t make it.
I spent a lot of time comparing myself—unfavorably—to other writers I knew. Many people I knew from the graduate-school workshops I took part in during my early twenties had already published their short-story collections and their novels—quite a few of which I remembered critiquing in class. I was happy for them, I was. But I was very disappointed for myself. I thought I’d never reach the place they did. I thought it was over for me, all because I’d crossed over that arbitrary line in the sand.
I cringed when other authors called out their young ages in their bios, like it made them more worthy because it took them less time to publish. Like they were bragging. Like how long it took them meant anything at all in comparison to how long it was taking me.
And, yes, a lot of this comes from jealousy. It’s hard not to compare yourself to other writers, isn’t it? It’s hard, when you’re treading water and whispering in your own ear that you’re such a failure, to innocently walk into a bookstore and see all your former classmates’ books on display. That sounds childish. But, yes, it’s hard.
I once got what I thought was The Phone Call, while I was at one of my day jobs, from an agent who had been considering my full manuscript submission. This was the second novel I wrote since graduate school; I’d already given up on the first one.
When I got this phone call, my heart was in my throat. I thought, THIS IS IT! I thought it was “happening.” A dump truck of fantasies poured itself out onto me as I closed the door to my office and took the phone call.
But, really, the phone call was only to tell me that my novel (one I have since trashed) had potential and could use some revision and she’d take a look again if I did so.
Then this agent asked me how old I was. I told her. “You’re young still,” she told me. “You have time.”
Time? I thought. How much time? I felt like a ticking clock. I felt like I’d expire soon and never get this shot again. I felt like I could have said the wrong number and she would have replied, “Oh, well, you tried. Too bad you didn’t query me a few years ago.”
This agent—generous enough with her own time over the years to read that manuscript and give feedback not once, not twice, but three times—did not turn out to be my agent. That manuscript did not turn into a book I got published. I stopped revising it. I stopped considering myself “young.”
I also stopped writing my own novels.
And querying agents.
And trying to publish a novel at all.
Yet the clock kept ticking. And so I thought I had to keep running.
The race I was running all alone took me through a detour I didn’t expect, where I did a whole lot of work-for-hire writing under pseudonyms, and where I lost the will and energy to keep trying at my own books, and then the race swept me on another detour, where I got the chance to write Dani Noir, a book I never expected to write, and what a wonderful detour that was, and then suddenly when I thought I’d never get the chance again I was leaping hurdles with the pages of Imaginary Girls and getting the perfect agent and getting the book deal I dreamed of and then I looked around and realized NO ONE WAS TIMING ME.
There is no stopwatch.
There isn’t even any finish line.
Guess what? This wasn’t ever a race.
It didn’t matter how long it took. And want to know how long, if you’re curious?
•First-ever agent query, for a now-deceased novel 4/16/02
•“The” phone call mentioned above 10/30/03
•First agent offer, for Imaginary Girls 4/29/09
It’s taken me many years to learn that life lesson, the one about how we all have our own timetable; we live life at our own pace. The one where it doesn’t matter what other people do or how fast they do it.
So I’ve stopped running the race-that-isn’t-a-race. Dani Noir came out, and I got the agent I always wanted, and Imaginary Girls will be out in about six months or so. Maybe it’ll be successful—I sure hope people like it—but I’m not going to hold it up to other books and compare my experience to anyone else’s.
It took me as long as it took me.
I’m standing still now and just enjoying the moment. I worked really hard and I wrote a book and, soon (SOON, as in next month when ARCs are ready), people will get to read it. That’s where I am. That’s today. “Be Here Now,” my sister and my mom both always say.
I am.
Here.
Right now.
And I don’t care anymore how long it took me.
The Race No One’s Running
By Nova
I used to be in a race. With every writer I knew. With writers who had no idea who I even was. With you. With myself.
I thought I was running toward something and that I had to get there, or else. And I thought how long it took actually determined my worth as a writer.
I used to tell myself that if I didn’t “make it” by such-and-such age, then that would mean I’d failed. That age came and went without a published book from me. So I upped the age. Then that age came and went. I upped the age again and told myself all I needed to not be a failure was to have an agent by a particular age. Just an agent. Just the one thing. Guess what? The day I turned thirty was the day I didn’t make it.
I spent a lot of time comparing myself—unfavorably—to other writers I knew. Many people I knew from the graduate-school workshops I took part in during my early twenties had already published their short-story collections and their novels—quite a few of which I remembered critiquing in class. I was happy for them, I was. But I was very disappointed for myself. I thought I’d never reach the place they did. I thought it was over for me, all because I’d crossed over that arbitrary line in the sand.
I cringed when other authors called out their young ages in their bios, like it made them more worthy because it took them less time to publish. Like they were bragging. Like how long it took them meant anything at all in comparison to how long it was taking me.
And, yes, a lot of this comes from jealousy. It’s hard not to compare yourself to other writers, isn’t it? It’s hard, when you’re treading water and whispering in your own ear that you’re such a failure, to innocently walk into a bookstore and see all your former classmates’ books on display. That sounds childish. But, yes, it’s hard.
I once got what I thought was The Phone Call, while I was at one of my day jobs, from an agent who had been considering my full manuscript submission. This was the second novel I wrote since graduate school; I’d already given up on the first one.
When I got this phone call, my heart was in my throat. I thought, THIS IS IT! I thought it was “happening.” A dump truck of fantasies poured itself out onto me as I closed the door to my office and took the phone call.
But, really, the phone call was only to tell me that my novel (one I have since trashed) had potential and could use some revision and she’d take a look again if I did so.
Then this agent asked me how old I was. I told her. “You’re young still,” she told me. “You have time.”
Time? I thought. How much time? I felt like a ticking clock. I felt like I’d expire soon and never get this shot again. I felt like I could have said the wrong number and she would have replied, “Oh, well, you tried. Too bad you didn’t query me a few years ago.”
This agent—generous enough with her own time over the years to read that manuscript and give feedback not once, not twice, but three times—did not turn out to be my agent. That manuscript did not turn into a book I got published. I stopped revising it. I stopped considering myself “young.”
I also stopped writing my own novels.
And querying agents.
And trying to publish a novel at all.
Yet the clock kept ticking. And so I thought I had to keep running.
The race I was running all alone took me through a detour I didn’t expect, where I did a whole lot of work-for-hire writing under pseudonyms, and where I lost the will and energy to keep trying at my own books, and then the race swept me on another detour, where I got the chance to write Dani Noir, a book I never expected to write, and what a wonderful detour that was, and then suddenly when I thought I’d never get the chance again I was leaping hurdles with the pages of Imaginary Girls and getting the perfect agent and getting the book deal I dreamed of and then I looked around and realized NO ONE WAS TIMING ME.
There is no stopwatch.
There isn’t even any finish line.
Guess what? This wasn’t ever a race.
It didn’t matter how long it took. And want to know how long, if you’re curious?
•First-ever agent query, for a now-deceased novel 4/16/02
•“The” phone call mentioned above 10/30/03
•First agent offer, for Imaginary Girls 4/29/09
It’s taken me many years to learn that life lesson, the one about how we all have our own timetable; we live life at our own pace. The one where it doesn’t matter what other people do or how fast they do it.
So I’ve stopped running the race-that-isn’t-a-race. Dani Noir came out, and I got the agent I always wanted, and Imaginary Girls will be out in about six months or so. Maybe it’ll be successful—I sure hope people like it—but I’m not going to hold it up to other books and compare my experience to anyone else’s.
It took me as long as it took me.
I’m standing still now and just enjoying the moment. I worked really hard and I wrote a book and, soon (SOON, as in next month when ARCs are ready), people will get to read it. That’s where I am. That’s today. “Be Here Now,” my sister and my mom both always say.
I am.
Here.
Right now.
And I don’t care anymore how long it took me.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Ready, Set, Write
Because few things are as frustrating as writing the synopsis, I am sharing this little gem so that I can commit it to memory. Or so I hope.
First, a few "rules." A synopsis is written in third person present tense, even if the novel is not. The goal is to show an agent you know how to plot, convey conflict and stakes, and resolve the story in a satisfying way. You want to show your story and make it active, but a certain amount of telling is necessary due to the nature of the synopsis.
There are usually sixish or so major moments in your story. The set pieces. The stuff that makes up the turning points of the story. Like so:
Opening Scene
Inciting Event
Act One Crisis
Act Two Revelation
Midpoint Reversal
Climax
Wrap Up
Opening Scene:
Introduces the protag and the world and provides a taste of why this person is different or special enough to entice someone to read about them. Try to stick to one paragraph.
The Inciting Event:
The trigger that sets the story in motion. This paragraph covers this event and why it matters. Motivation is very important to show what drives the story and why.
Act One Crisis:
This is when things go horrible, horribly wrong. Your protag has jusst discovered he/she has a big problem and needs to solve it or else. One or two paragraphs should suffice. Don't forget your stakes to demonstrate how problems escalate. Protag had a problem, but now things are much, much worse. Aiiiy.
Act Two Revelation:
Protag has done some digging and discovered things are not what they seem. A secret is revealed that makes it clear that he/she is in way over his/her head. But he/she has no choice but to go forward (say why). Or else (stakes are upped again). Again, one paragraph.
Midpoint Reversal:
Send the story sideways in the middle for a twist. Just when the reader thinks he/she knows where the story is going, surprise. One paragraph to show the world being turned upside down, forcing them to act in a way they swore they never would, or believed they couldn't.
Act Three Disaster:
The race to the climax. Protag has a plan to save the day, but fails miserably. Now he/she is so much worse off now than he/she thought he/she could ever be. Epic fail. One paragraph to show how stakes have risen yet again. A good spot to show how protag feels about it as well, since this will usually demonstrate what they're willing to risk to win.
Climax:
Final showdown with the big baddie. Protag has to face down who or whatever has been making them miserable for 300 pages and because they learned XYZ over the course of the book, they win by a truly stunning and surprising ploy. One or two paragraphs on how it ends and everything is resolved.
Wrap Up:
The happily ever after. Or the burning apocalypse if that's what your into. Tell what the protag will do now that they've saved the day. One paragraph to tie it all up. If there's a moral or something the protag should have learned in the story, this is a good spot to sum it up.
This format will provide a one or two page synopsis. Get it down, then tweak as needed to tighten your masterpiece. Also, have someone else read it. A fresh pair of eyes is a great help.
Name only the key players, capitalizing the protag's the first time it's mentioned. Allow the synopsis to marinate to give you perspective. When you come back to it, those pesky awkward sentences and goofs you glossed over will pop on the page.
Now, write like the wind. WHOOSH!
First, a few "rules." A synopsis is written in third person present tense, even if the novel is not. The goal is to show an agent you know how to plot, convey conflict and stakes, and resolve the story in a satisfying way. You want to show your story and make it active, but a certain amount of telling is necessary due to the nature of the synopsis.
There are usually sixish or so major moments in your story. The set pieces. The stuff that makes up the turning points of the story. Like so:
Opening Scene
Inciting Event
Act One Crisis
Act Two Revelation
Midpoint Reversal
Climax
Wrap Up
Opening Scene:
Introduces the protag and the world and provides a taste of why this person is different or special enough to entice someone to read about them. Try to stick to one paragraph.
The Inciting Event:
The trigger that sets the story in motion. This paragraph covers this event and why it matters. Motivation is very important to show what drives the story and why.
Act One Crisis:
This is when things go horrible, horribly wrong. Your protag has jusst discovered he/she has a big problem and needs to solve it or else. One or two paragraphs should suffice. Don't forget your stakes to demonstrate how problems escalate. Protag had a problem, but now things are much, much worse. Aiiiy.
Act Two Revelation:
Protag has done some digging and discovered things are not what they seem. A secret is revealed that makes it clear that he/she is in way over his/her head. But he/she has no choice but to go forward (say why). Or else (stakes are upped again). Again, one paragraph.
Midpoint Reversal:
Send the story sideways in the middle for a twist. Just when the reader thinks he/she knows where the story is going, surprise. One paragraph to show the world being turned upside down, forcing them to act in a way they swore they never would, or believed they couldn't.
Act Three Disaster:
The race to the climax. Protag has a plan to save the day, but fails miserably. Now he/she is so much worse off now than he/she thought he/she could ever be. Epic fail. One paragraph to show how stakes have risen yet again. A good spot to show how protag feels about it as well, since this will usually demonstrate what they're willing to risk to win.
Climax:
Final showdown with the big baddie. Protag has to face down who or whatever has been making them miserable for 300 pages and because they learned XYZ over the course of the book, they win by a truly stunning and surprising ploy. One or two paragraphs on how it ends and everything is resolved.
Wrap Up:
The happily ever after. Or the burning apocalypse if that's what your into. Tell what the protag will do now that they've saved the day. One paragraph to tie it all up. If there's a moral or something the protag should have learned in the story, this is a good spot to sum it up.
This format will provide a one or two page synopsis. Get it down, then tweak as needed to tighten your masterpiece. Also, have someone else read it. A fresh pair of eyes is a great help.
Name only the key players, capitalizing the protag's the first time it's mentioned. Allow the synopsis to marinate to give you perspective. When you come back to it, those pesky awkward sentences and goofs you glossed over will pop on the page.
Now, write like the wind. WHOOSH!
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