Why Crazy Good Singers Help Me Write

So there's this crazy good singer. She's British. And awesome: Adele.

Then there's this other guy. He's not British. But he's still awesome: Adam Lambert.

So. These two can wail their throats out. Every time they do, I turn into mush. They own me. I have no choice but to listen.

But that's why I love them as a fan. 

As a writer, I still love them for the same reason, but I also take something else into consideration: when they sing, it's their voices that tell a story, not the song lyrics. 

This is how I see it. I can stand in the middle of the street and read the lyrics to Adele's "Someone Like You" like a grocery list. Sure, the lyrics are pretty powerful by themselves, but I'm 99.9% confident no one will be moved by the lyrics alone. I could do the same with Adam's "Whattaya Want From Me", and people will probably roll their eyes.

Both Adele and Adam are what make my jaw drop. Or cry. Or both.

They teach me that, no matter how pretty my prose is, or how kickass that action sequence was, it's all about the voice. The emotion behind what is said and done. That's what pulls people in. 

Next time you find yourself struggling with that connection between plot and character, listen to your favorite singers. Keep your ears open for when they hit those super high notes, then take you back down. That's pacing, but it's also internalization. Some notes need to be higher because they evoke something stronger in the singer, and the low notes are what build up to them (like the complications you've thrown at your MC throughout the manuscript).

So, yeah. Adele and Adam push me to be a better writer. 

Who knew?

Now tell me: which singers help you? What have they taught you about writing?

A Query That Worked

Confession: I love queries. Writing them. Reading them. Talking about them.

That's why I gave a really loud "squee!" when I found YA author Karsten Knight's UH-MAY-ZING query for his upcoming debut novel, Wildefire. Folks, not only did this query land him his (super awesome) agent, Ms. Mary Kole, but it captures the essence and voice of his novel so. Freakin'. Well.

Don't feel like taking my word for it? Check it out for yourself here. 

Read it. Study it. Then go make sure yours is just as wonderful.

I know I'll be working on mine ;)

Now tell me: do queries make you panic? Smile? Both???

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice Part Quatre

I know it's been a while since I've blogged about voice, but today I'm going back to my first love. Some of you might've read my Teenage Dream series, where I give tips on how to hone your YA voice. Well, as part of that series, I'm adding another post.

But not from me *grins*

You see, the ever-awesome Steph Bowe wrote a guest post over @ Randy Russell's blog. She gives similar tips on nailing YA voice, but I think she does a better job than me. That's why you should go here and read what she said. Trust me--it's really helpful. 

Especially since she's a teenager herself *bonus brownie points*

And since I'm currently on the lookout for TONS AND TONS of books to read this Christmas, tell me: which YA novels have you read and loved recently??

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice Part Trois

At last, we've come to the thrilling conclusion of my Teenage Dream series! Woot!!

Okay. Let's recap what we've learned so far, folks.

Tip #1: find lyrics with meaningful teen stories.

Tip #2: read interviews about teens with meaningful lives.

And now, I give you tip #3:

Watch teen movies.

Confession: I have always loved teen flicks. A-l-w-a-y-s. Even when I was too young to understand what the heck they were talking about and had to ask my mom what second base was (best. moment. ever.). Sure, not all teen movies depict reality in a genuine way, but guess what? There are hidden gems out there, folks. If you watch closely, you might just learn something.

How does watching teen movies help you as a YA author? Simple. Pay attention to the problems the characters face. Maybe a girl who pretends to lose her virginity sounds irresponsible to you as an adult, but there's a reason why teens paid to go see Easy A (awesome film, by the way). I like to think that reason has something to do with that ever-alluring what if? factor. What if I went to school one day and everyone thought I was a slut? What if people spread rumors about me to my crush, who thinks I have a halo floating above my head? What if my *gasp* parents get wind of what I supposedly did? 

Problems and actions, my friends--that's what teen movies teach us. What has the ultimate power to mess up a teenager's life, and how he/she will deal with it. That is what YA readers (and moviegoers) look forward to. They want to see how someone else would cope with something that could easily happen to them. 

A few movies you should check out: 

Easy A (duh...)

Juno

American Pie

Clueless
Whip It (you should also check out the book)
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (same here)

Superbad

Adventureland (not exactly teens, but the spirit is there)

Everything directed by John Hughes

So there you have it. Those are my tips to creating a believable YA novel--the teenage dream. That dream is complicated, but not impossible to achieve. I hope my mini-series helped you in some little way to see the light at the end of the OMG tunnel :)

Now tell me: what are your favorite teen flicks? 

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice Part Deux

On my first edition of Teenage Dream, I suggested you find lyrics with meaningful teen stories. For the second part in the series, I'm going with something I've loved for years.

Teen magazines.

Sure, there are tons of articles that highlight what's hot with teens these days, but that's not what I want you to focus on. Think about it: what makes you buy any magazine? Is it 100% the articles you'll find inside? Or is it...

the person on the cover?

I can hear you all shouting together: "what's so important about the person on the cover, Amparo???"

Simple. That person is interviewed.

Teen magazines feature the most popular young celebrities out there. Just like with pop songs, you don't have to listen to them if you don't like them. You read their lyrics and save yourself the agony of enduring the auto-tune overload. Same goes for teen magazines--don't read the whole thing if you don't want, but definitely take a look at the interviews. 

Not all young celebrities are created equal. Different people see the world with different sets of eyes. Want a frivolous, OMG-type of POV? Read Miley Cyrus. Looking for someone a bit more socially conscious and mature? Emma Watson's your girl. 

My point? Word choice makes or breaks your narrative. Interviews are very contained, short experiences where the artist has to come up with *decent* answers at the drop of a hat. You'd be surprised at how well most teen celebrities handle them. They can be smart, witty, or a bit distant (when personal stuff gets thrown in the mix). Not all teens express themselves the same way. Neither should your YA characters. 

So my second tip would be: read interviews from teens with meaningful lives. 

By meaningful, I don't mean those who make trillions of dollars to shake what their mama gave them. I mean teens who know about the world and have an opinion to share. Teens who've seen the worst and have come out of it stronger than they ever expected. Teens who had a dream and turned it into reality.

Teens you'd easily find in YA books. :)

Now raise your hand if you read teen magazines *raises both hands and stands on tiptoes*

The Great Blogging Experiment: Creating Compelling Characters

Yep, it's another blogfest entry, folks. Today I join the Trifecta of Awesome that is Elana Johnson, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Jen Daiker for their Great Blogging Experiment. 

The topic? Creating compelling characters.

There are three things that make a character unforgettable to me. I like to call them the three C's:

1) Their channeling. Voice--we've all heard about it. We've all suffered through the terror of not creating a believable, authentic teen voice. To me, it's not so much that a character's voice has to be believable or authentic in terms of how teens really speak nowadays. It's all about how your main character channels the world around them to your reader. And the best way to create a compelling channeling experience is to see that world from an unusual point of view. 

When I say unusual, I don't mean weird. I mean saying 'it looked like a dog barfed on the stupid thing' instead of saying 'it looked terrible'. Anyone can say something looks terrible. But how does your character say it? How does he/she see what surrounds them? If a character can make me envision setting/action/emotions in a way I never expected to, I'm sold. They stay with me long after I finish their story.

2)  Their choices. Sure, motivation is super important. They're what makes a character move forward in the story. But let's say we have two different books with two different main characters. Character A is shy and insecure, while Character B is outgoing and cocky. They both have the same motivation--to get the girl before senior year is done. That's not what makes them who they are, though. It's what they do to get the girl that matters. It's how they face the seemingly impossible obstacles in their way that makes them jump off the page. Remember that awesome quote from Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? "It is not our abilities that define us. It is our choices." Yep. The old timer nailed it.

3) Their change. Character development is often sacrificed for other things in books. This. Cannot. Happen. Seriously, who wants to stick around with a person who never learns from their mistakes? Who brushes off the hardships thrown at them by life without getting derailed? Not only is this annoying to most readers, it's also reflective of poor writing skills on the author's part. Trust me--you don't want people hating on you because of poor writing skills! 

Let's go back to Characters A and B for a moment. Character A, the shy and insecure dude, starts off in a really sucky place emotionally. As the story progresses, so does he. It can be offering his crush a lopsided grin first, then a full-blown smile, until he finally plucks up the courage to talk to her. How he does that is totally up to the writer, but the end result (the change) has to be there. Same goes for Character B, and for any other character in any other book. 

Static is boring. Change rocks. Remember that. 

Now go write some awesome fake people ;)

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice

Yep, I'm starting another weekly feature. But this one will be for a couple of weeks, though. Don't want anyone to get sick of my rambling :)

Okay. Teens. They're awesome. Why else would we write for them? 

If you're an aspiring YA author, you face the same issues plaguing every other writer: plot, pacing, tension, setting, world-building, blah, blah, blah. But there's a little something extra that might give you a harder time than all those elements combined. 

Voice.

Confession: I am not an expert. I'm just someone who refuses to grow up. Vehemently. So I guess I can shell out some advice on how teens think and sound. 

Tip #1: Music Is Your Boyfriend (or girlfriend)

You know those artists who win those music awards and appear on the covers of those teen magazines? You've sort of heard about them, but can't really name their first single, or their latest. Well, not all of those artists deserve your attention. As far as honing your YA voice, only two artists are worth your time.

a. Katy Perry- You don't have to listen to pop music if you don't like it. You can simply Google her lyrics and read them. This girl writes all her songs, which reflect both her adult life and her high school years. There's a reason she's so popular. People--most importantly, teens--can relate. Humor, rebelliousness, and honesty are her secret ingredients. She's never the same character in all her songs--they're all a different layer of her whole persona. A very weird, funny, and unapologetic persona (my favorite).

Some songs I suggest you study are: "Teenage Dream", "Ur So Gay", "The One That Got Away", "Lost", "Pearl", "Thinking Of You", "One Of The Boys", "Hot And Cold", and "Not Like The Movies".  

b. Taylor Swift- This is the "duh!" artist. She's still young, so her perspective is fresh and untainted. Heartbreak is her specialty. And kissing. Lots of heartbreak and kissing. But she writes about it in unconventional ways. For example, her song "Mine" explores her perspective on love, how her boyfriend changes it, and what he thinks about it himself. Say it with me, people: "depth". I always like to remind writers to go deeper with their character arcs, and I blame Taylor Swift for that. There's a bittersweet innocence to her writing that won't ring true to every teen out there, but her message about not giving up on yourself, or on love, is universal. 

I suggest you check out: everything. Seriously. Read all her lyrics, if you can. Some might even spark a story idea. It totally happened to me :)

That's part one of my YA voice "workshop"--find lyrics with meaningful teen stories. Absorb them. Then write. 

Now tell me, friends: have any favorite songs about teens you'd like to share with me? 

Wanna Write A Breakout Novel? A Literary Agent Shows You How

Attention all writers! Literary agent Sarah Davies, of the super awesome Greenhouse Literary Agency, took to her blog to offer tips on writing a breakout novel.

The tips are split into six different elements every story should have:

An Inspired Concept

Larger Than Life Characters

A High Stakes Plot

A Deeply Felt Theme

A Vivid Setting

The Final Mystery Ingredient (my favorite)

Run over to her blog and enjoy. I did, and I don't regret it.

What do you think of these six elements? Does your story have all six, or just a couple?

How To Be Authentic

Sucks to say it, but most people like to compare--clothing, money, notches on the bedpost, you name it. Nothing is safe from the evil eye of scrutiny.

Then along comes someone, totally out of the blue, who flips the switch. Tongues are wagging. Eyebrows are raised. Opinions are voiced.

Why? 'Cause standing out is the new Hitler. *rolls eyes*

Authenticity--nice word, huh?

But... how do you find it?

Well, here's my honest answer: you don't. It's already found you.

Think about how you wake up in the morning, how you brush your teeth, how you comb your hair and kiss your loved ones/dogs/cats/random strangers you meet in dingy bars. Nobody else can do what you do, no matter what it is. So if you're struggling to find your 'voice', if you're too busy comparing yourself to others who've 'made it', I got a piece of advice for you: stop.

Right now.

And keep writing. Or kissing your loved ones/dogs/cats/random strangers you meet in dingy bars. 'Cause that's sort of fun, too...

Query Letter Wars Part Deux

Okay, peeps. I've discussed the importance of specificity in a query letter (thanks to the fantabulous Nathan Bransford, of course!). Now I'll tackle something bigger. Something that will definitely set you apart from every other aspiring author trying to nab that agent.

Your voice.

Many people have defined voice over the years. I'm no expert (shocking, I know. You'll get over it...). But I do know that a writer's voice needs to be authentic and true to their narrative.

Meaning?

Let's say your manuscript is an epic fantasy about dimwitted dwarves bent on slaying elves (not that I have anything against the dimwitted... they make me laugh...). A little bloodshed here, a bit of political undertones there, and you finish your manuscript, pumped up to go write that query letter. It should be a no brainer, but sometimes we forget that our queries should be written in the same tone as the novel. If your main character is an elf struggling to keep his chastity belt on while a gold-lovin' dwarf swoops in and steals The Hot Elf Girl by bribing her, go right ahead and make your query humorous.

Elf wants to defend his family and the forest of Urganzul from the bloodthirsty dwarves of cave Krltyk? Make that query sound as suspenseful and emotion driven as your plot.

Voice doesn't equate to describing every little detail with a bunch of adjectives, excessive use of adverbs, or snarky humor where it doesn't belong. Plain and simple, voice is how you write your story. That's what sets you apart from everyone else: sentence structure, pacing, and plot are all key elements in your novel, and should be summed up using the same tone in your query letter.

Easy, right?

Ha.

I'm still working on finding my voice. Something tells me I'm not the only one, but that's what makes the writing process so thrilling. As we change, our writing style changes (hopefully for the better!). But no matter how long it takes to develop, a writer's voice will always shine through the pages, and make us fall in love with the story.

Even if the dwarf gets the girl in the end.

Query Letter 101

Hello, there!

As you may (or may not...) know, I'm an aspiring writer. My current work in progress, which I'll discuss in greater detail later, is a YA paranormal romance. It's a far cry from being finished, but I've already taken the time to do research on something really important. Something so important that every aspiring writer should dedicate time to perfecting.

The infamous query letter.

A query letter is the first writing sample a literary agent will receive from you. It's crucial that you make it stand out (in a good way) and make it reflect not only your excellent writing skills, but your voice as well. A great query letter must sum up what your book is about without sounding like a laundry list.

Piece of cake, right?

Eeeeehhhh...

Anyway, since I'm no expert on the subject, I've chosen to post the link to a fantastic article written by Maggie Stiefvater, who I've dubbed the Lady Awesome Supreme (can you tell I'm a fan or what?). Make sure to check it out:

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/147714.html?view=6019586#t6019586
I'll be posting more useful info regarding queries and other great links later on, so stay tuned! Have a rockin' day!

And good luck with those queries!