The Synopsis Post. Or, A Collection Of Posts On Writing A Synopsis That Are My New BFFs.

So. The synopsis. 

*cracks knuckles* 

I've written synopses before, but they still intimidate me. Not as much as they used to, I'll admit. They just take me a while to get right. Aaaaaaa whiiiiileeeeeeee. I'd rather write a gazillion query letters than one synopsis. #fact

The very first time I had to write a synopsis, I scoured the interwebz for advice/moral support/pizza. I found plenty of great resources. There's even more of them now. Seeing as I'm not the only one freaking out over Death By Synopsis, I figured I'd collect my favorite posts on how to write a banging one. I hope they guide you into the mystical land of Ninja Synopsis Writerdom. Word on the street is they have chocolate cake. *packs everything*

Here's my list of faves:

 

 The Sum of the Parts: Writing a Synopsis by author Janice Hardy

Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up by Dee-ann Latona Leblanc

In Short: Writing a Novel Synopsis That Rocks by H.L. Dyer on the QueryTracker blog

6 Steps For Writing A Book Synopsis by author Marissa Meyer

How To Write A 1-Page Synopsis by author Susan Dennard

Hope these help!! :)

Interview: Leigh Ann Kopans, Author of ONE!!!

Today is an exciting day, folks. Why?

Because Leigh Ann Kopans.

She released her debut YA novel, ONE, on Tuesday. I've been dying to read this baby for a while, and now that it's out, I can breathe fresh air once more. *jumps up and down*

Here's le summary:

When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak.

It makes you a One.

Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover.

If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances.

Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other.

Merrin's mad chemistry skills land her a spot on the Hub's internship short list, but as she gets closer to the life she always wanted, she discovers that the Hub’s purpose is more sinister than it has always seemed. Now it’s up to her to decide if it's more important to fly solo, or to save everything - and everyone - she loves.

Amazeballs, right??? So. In honor of ONE's release, I'm sharing with y'all an interview with its awesome author! Here's a little bit more about Leigh Ann:

Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. After earning degrees in Sociology and Hebrew, she went on to become a rabbi at The Ohio State University. Surrounded by college students, she found her niche writing science fiction and romance for teens.

Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio, which sadly lacks superheroes but does have the best football and fabulous ice cream.

And here is le interview:

1) Confession: I LOVE superheroes. Because obviously. I know you're a Marvel fan (as am I, but I can never forsake my beloved Batman), so if you could invite any superhero to dinner, be it from graphic novels or TV shows or movies, who would it be? What would you love to talk about with her/him?

I LOVE SUPERHEROES TOO!!!! Eeeeee!

So, my favorite superheroes are Jean Grey and the Wasp (which is why the main characters of ONE get their last names from them), BUT if I could have anyone over to dinner it would be Mystique, who’s a shape shifter. First of all, JLaw. (Duh.) And second of all, I’d love to talk to her about all the different people she’d been and how she was the same and different each time – how she felt, and how she was treated. And I’d like to know what it feels like, and how it affected her, to be able to change her appearance whenever, and to whatever, she wanted.

2) Speaking of superheroes, ONE is the story of Merrin, a girl who sort of has a superpower, but not really. Which came first: Merrin or the sort-of-superhero premise? Was the brainstorming process fast-paced or a slow burn?

The sort-of-superhero premise had been around for YEARS, ever since I was a little girl watching X-men cartoons on Saturday mornings.  Those shows focused on the people who had seriously awesome powers, and I wondered what it would be like for someone who had one component of a power, but not enough to make them do anything truly impressive. Especially because there was such a heavy theme of social stratification in shows like X-men, I wondered where half-superpowered people would fall, and whether they would fit in anywhere.

I actually wrote chapter 8 of the book first – the scene where Merrin and Elias discover how their Ones affect each other. The rest of the book sort of unfurled pretty quickly from there, with few snags.

3) Whether it's the ability to full-on fly or an internship at the Hub, Merrin is quite the pro at longing for things that are a bit out of reach. But even when things do start happening for her, Merrin has to deal with her wishes not being as awesomesauce as she imagined. Was there ever a time when writing ONE made you feel the same way? Did Merrin's voice prove to be different than how you originally set out to write it? 

Wow, that’s a great question! Yeah, I think all writers can identify with the feeling of struggling to make the words on the page communicate the pictures and characters in your head, right? I think especially because I had loved comics and superhero movies so much, I had this grandiose idea for the story I’d be able to tell. It turns out that ONE is just as much a romance as a story of a girl finding her superpowers, and both of those things have equal bearing on her character.

It’s funny that you asked about Merrin’s voice, because that was the element of the story that underwent the most changes in revisions. Merrin still lives in my head as this fundamentally angry, abrasive girl, which is fine – until she starts interacting with other people. My critique partners and editors helped me realize when Merrin’s personality was spilling over too much and ruining character and story arcs. She’s much tempered in the final version.

4) So. Elias VanDyne. *fans self* I love me some good romance in YA. Because obviously. What do you think makes a YA love interest swoonworthy? Which are some of your favorite YA love interests?

I think, for Young Adult love interests, selflessness and sweetness are two of the most swoonworthy things in a boy. Teen boys aren’t really that widely known for their emotional depth or focus on the intricacies of relationships, so when a boy shows that he’s listening to a girl, that he appreciates her for something other than what’s in her pants, and that he wants to be with her because  he genuinely enjoys being around her, that goes a long way. Making her feel all hot and blushy will take him the rest of the way, whether because of the way he looks, the words he says, or the things he does for her. The reader has to get the impression that there couldn’t possibly be a better boy on the whole planet for this girl – like if they’re not together, something will have gone seriously wrong in the world. (Not that that’s ever true, we just want readers to feel like that at that moment in the story.)

5) Every manuscript begs to be written in different ways. What part about writing ONE differed from your previous manuscripts? Was it harder/easier? How did ONE help you grow as a writer?

ONE was easier than the manuscript I’d written before that, my first one, because the characters were really fully formed in my mind – their motivations, their personalities, the way they looked, everything. I’m really a character-driven writer, and ONE was where I really learned that.

About halfway through the second revision of ONE, I discovered the Save the Cat beat sheet, used it for revisions, and it changed my life. Now I do a beat sheet at the beginning of every manuscript, before I even think about writing a word. From there, I make an outline. That’s right – ONE, in a way, changed me from a pantser to a plotter.

That said, I’ll never forget the magical feeling of having that first scene I wrote in ONE pour from my fingers. I’ve got to figure out a way of getting back to writing passionately, out of order, without making me feel like I’m cheating on the outline.

6) I'm a serious sucker for food. Nutella and Twizzlers rule my world. Is there anything you munch on while writing/revising? 

Coffee and chocolate while drafting, and I’m afraid I’m horrible about munchies when revising. I think that revising is such an anxiety-filled process for me, full of worry over whether I’m changing the right things in the right way, and all that staring at the screen and puzzling with idle hands makes me want to eat endlessly. These days, I’m doing that with mostly popcorn, which I tell myself is healthier than other options.

7) Are you working on other projects at the moment? If so, TELL ME EVERYTHING, WOMAN. 

Yes! I already have my February 2014 book finished, which is a YA romance. I’m in the very early stages of  a spinoff for that one, which I’m planning to publish next summer – that will be a New Adult romance, likely. I’m also in the middle of editing Chrome, which is my futuristic sci-fi retelling of the Exodus from Egypt, and I’m in the early stages of rewriting my first ever manuscript, a time travel romance, as a New Adult novel.

(I love that you were so interested. It made me blush.)

Amparo, I’ve admired you and your work for a long time. It was truly an honor to be interviewed on your blog today – thank you so much for inviting me.

Thank YOU for being so freakin' great (as both author and blogger extraordinaire) and answering my questions, Leigh Ann! *bows down* Want to get a copy of ONE?? Find it here:

Amazon Kindle
Paperback (from Amazon)
Special Edition Paperback with comics (from Amazon)
Barnes and Noble Nook
iBookstore
Signed (from Leigh Ann's site)
Createspace

Praise for One

"One balances a fully imagined, super world with deep, well-crafted characters and took me on a heart pounding, heartbreakingly authentic journey I hated to see end."

~Trisha Leigh, author of The Last Year series

“Exciting, edgy, romantic and beautifully written, ONE is a book from an incredible new writing talent that will leave you longing for more!”

     ~Emma Pass, author of Acid (Random House 2013) and the upcoming The Fearless (Random House 2014)

"I opened One and didn't put it down. On the surface it's a fast-paced superhero story combined with all the wonderful and terrible aspects of teenage life, but beneath that is the story of a girl who only wants to be more than she is. It's a fun adventure cloaking a simple but powerful truth of the human condition."

~Francesca Zappia, author of the upcoming Ask Again Later (Greenwillow/HarperCollins 2014)

Why Robert Pattinson's Twilight Hair Is Like Revision

So. I am revising my WIP. I believe I've mentioned how much I love the revision process. I am, however, rather slow. But in the Land of Why Can't I Just Finish This Draft Already, there is one thing that keeps me going, folks. 

One thing to rule them all, and in the glossiness bind them.

Robert Pattinson's hair in the Twilight movies.

*is ashamed*

*a little*

*okay, a lot*

So. I've come to a realization. You know how revision is all about adding and removing things from your manuscript? And how it's also about looking at your words through a different lens?

Well.

In the Twilight movies, Robert Pattinson can style his hair like this:

'tis an art form to brood. oh, yes it is

Or like this:

 broody mcbroodster, they used to call me

Or like this:

 broody mcbroodster--suburban edition

And his hair always looks nice. 

He always looks nice. 

These are different ways of envisioning his character, but at his core, Edward Cullen remains a messed up stalker vampire who will risk everything to keep his true love safe. My point? Revisions are for changing the way you present your story, but its core remains the same. Take a scene out. Put a new one in. These things will happen during revisions. But remember to ask yourself: why am I making these changes? How do they improve my core? 

In the case of Robert's hair, I think his style evolution is meant to suggest that he goes from boy (bedhead-us maximus) to married man with a kid (tame-us maximus). Or something. 

So. Robert Pattinson's Twilight hair is like revision, folks. It has many ways of looking good, even if they're radically different from each other. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to beat my WIP into submission.

*runs off*

Are you currently revising? If so, any tips and tricks for keeping your story's core?

Blog Chain: Why Change Is... Okay, I Guess

So. For this blog chain round, it was my turn to choose the topic! Here's what I asked:

It's a new year, and some writers have taken it upon themselves to switch things up. *points at self* It might be the genres you write in or your revision process. It might be your main character's voice. What's one thing you've chosen to change in your writing this new year? Why do you wish to change it? If there's nothing you're going to change, why do you think it should remain as is?

Oh, change. How I love you. *hugs change* As of right now, the biggest change has been my revision process. I've committed to one that's slightly different from my previous process, and so far, I'm digging it. Here's an overview:

Draft 2: 

characterization/plot fixes

Draft 3: 

setting/worldbuilding/backstory fixes

Draft 4: 

line edits

Draft 5:

send to crit partners

In the past, I would do ALL the changes in Draft 2, then Draft 3 would be line edits. *cries* I'm currently on Draft 2. Even though it's going slooooooooooooowly, I can tell I've made the best decision for this manuscript. I'm taking my time to really focus on bits and pieces instead of the whole package at once. I'm less overwhelmed. Everything is as smooth as a dollop of whip cream. :)

Here's another revision process technique I've changed:

Revise 10 chapters

Go back and revise them again

Move on to next 10 chapters

For example, Draft 2 is about characterization/plot. I revise the first 10 chapters. After I'm done, I go back and start over, polishing ONLY THOSE ELEMENTS. I do this because I tend to come up with even better changes as I go along, so I have to double back and make sure I put them into the manuscript before the next round of 10 chapters. Seems like a lot of work, and it is. 

But it's perfect for me. At least it is now. 

Make sure to check out what Cole has to say, then stay tuned for Margie's post tomorrow!

Blog Chain: My WIP

First blog chain round of 2013!!! *dances* This time around, Katrina asks the following:

Write about your next writing project. What is the genre? Is is one you've written before or is it a new venture? Do you have it all figured out or is it just a germ of an idea? What did you learn from your latest writing project that will make this one even better?

I've talked about my WIP already, but that's more of an origin story post. This one will be a bit more technical. My WIP is a YA epic fantasy. I have changed its title, and now it's called WE ARE THE DARKNESS. Like I said in that previous post, this is a project I steered clear from for three years. I got the idea in 2009, but sat down to write it in 2012. I'm currently working on Draft 2, so I guess it's an old venture. My hope is to have it finished and ready to query later this year. 

*crosses fingers and toes*

Right now, I have an outline that I'm adhering to, but not at all. I have the beats figured out. Those won't change much. What might change are the dots connecting each beat to one another. Even though I have a thorough outline of what's meant to happen, I often ignore it. I just write an outline in order to feel prepared and less freaked out during revisions. Which is RIDICULOUS since I love revisions more than the drafting process. But there you go.

My last WIP was a YA contemporary with a male POV. I absolutely love it, even in its horrendous, embarrassing first draft state. The voice is what gets me every time. I do plan on editing it in the future, but I don't know when. As for what it taught me, that genre is notoriously tough to pull off. How do you make the ordinary extraordinary? What's so compelling about this character and his problem? Does he sound like a real guy? I had so many doubts about myself while writing that book, you guys. SO many doubts. 

But I also had a blast.

And if I could tackle the contemp genre from a dude's perspective, I could tackle anything.

Tacking it successfully is another story, though. We won't get into that. *weeps* 

My previous WIP taught me that taking risks is the only way to go about things. I've come to the point as both person and writer where I crave new things. Especially the kind of new things that FRIGHTEN me. This epic fantasy? Totally crippled me for three years. I kept writing other stuff in order to avoid facing it. I wrote things I'm proud of, but not OMG obsessed with.

Now? Yeah. I'm totes obsessed. 

Thank you to Katrina for the awesome topic! Make sure to check out Cole's take on it, then stay tuned for Margie's tomorrow!

Operation Awesome's New Year's Revisions Conference Is Here!!!

What are you doing here??? 

No, seriously. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

The party is over at Operation Awesome, where the New Year's Revisions Conference is in full swing! Now go and soak up all the awesome from our wonderful guests!

Happy Friday! :)

Blog Chain: Advice To Newbie Writers

For this blog chain round, the awesome Cole asks the following:

Christmas is a time of gift giving. If you could gift aspiring authors with one piece of advice, what would it be?

I have a ton of things I'd love to say, but the most important is one I've already shared on the Operation Awesome blog: bleed on the page.

What do I mean by that? Well, I explained it to the best of my ability in the OA post, so I'll just go ahead and show y'all what I wrote:

When I say I want you to bleed on the page, what I mean is, whatever you write (short story/poem/novel), please write it from a place that makes you feel. It can hurt, make you laugh till you cry, or both. Doesn't matter. I want you to sit down and write something that costs you. Something that stirs the deepest parts of your core and never. Lets. Go. Most importantly, I want you to write something that forces you to pour everything that makes you you on that page. 

I'm not asking you to seek publication, or to write something suitable for publication. I'm not asking you to follow trends, or write something you think will be a trend in the coming months. 

I'm asking you to write for yourself.

Confession: I wrote for myself this year. I ended up with a (messy) first draft of a book I thought I could never even begin. Now I'm revising it. Horribly slowly, but revising it. 

And I'm the happiest I've been in a while. 

So yeah. Follow all sorts of guidelines in terms of manuscript format, hone your writing craft as best you can, but always bleed on the page. It's hard, but oh is it worth it. 

Thanks to Cole for this topic! Make sure to check out what she had to say, then stay tuned tomorrow for Margie's take on it. 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

On Binders Full Of Women & The Power Of No Intentions In Your Writing

So. Last week, Governor Mitt Romney told the whole world he'd been handed binders full of women to consider as potential members of his cabinet. I'm sadly incapable of reading minds, but I'm 99.9% confident Romney had no intention of starting a Tumblr page mocking his alleged binders full of women. He didn't foresee a Facebook page, either.

And yet they happened.

What does Romney's binders full of women have anything to do with writing, you ask? More than I like to admit. You see, when you write those painful, gut-wrenching words on your manuscript, you do it intentionally. Every word is chosen, whether it's before you even begin the manuscript or during the actual writing process. You want those words to have an effect on your reader, and gosh darn it, you'll do whatever it takes to guarantee that effect.

But you can't control what anyone gets out of your book. The reading experience, like every other experience, is subjective. You might want to convey OMG SHOCK at a certain turning point. One reader might be genuinely shocked. Another reader might've seen it coming a billion miles away. Your intentions matter, of course, but they don't dictate what your reader will feel. 

Ask Romney if he intended to offend millions of women. I'm guessing he didn't. Does that mean those millions of women are wrong in feeling how they feel? Nope. Same thing applies to writing, if you ask me. Which is why I think it's crucial all writers embrace the Power Of No Intentions--your work will evoke things you never meant it to, and that's okay. This isn't to say you shouldn't guide your readers toward a particular feeling. You should, but there's always room for the unexpected. Don't be afraid of it. 

Sometimes, it's the unexpected that makes you and your work memorable.

Happy Monday! :)

Character + Depth Series: Values

So, so, SO sorry for posting the second part in this series later than promised! *slaps wrist* Life, man. It gets in the way sometimes.

ANYWAY. I've already discussed attitudes in part one. Today, let's talk about the second item on the psychographics list:

Values

Here's what the Free Dictionary has to say about the word 'value':

A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable: "The speech was a summons back to the patrician values of restraint and responsibility" (Jonathan Alter).

Similar to attitudes, values deal with your character's past heavily. The present is important, of course, but the road that's led your character toward his/her present matters a whole bunch. I believe values are passed down to your character from the following sources:

1. Family
2. Friends
3. The outside world

What does your character learn from each of them? What are they exposed to on a daily basis? Violence? Love? Fear? Bliss? It's these circumstances that will teach them whether to be hopeful or disdainful, kind or apathetic. But just because your character's faced with a life of torment doesn't mean they'll choose to be tormented--some people rise above their ugly circumstances and seek prettier ones. Same goes for the opposite. Your character might have sunshine and daises for breakfast every day, but with one small flip of the switch, everything is blown to smithereens. Their family might hold on to hope and love, but your character's all about revenge or selfishness.

Similar to the attitudes list, you have to pay close attention to how and why your character processes information a certain way. Here, however, your focus will be on deepening both the how and why through the what if. What if my character hadn't lived this particular life? Would they still be remorseful/forgiving? And more importantly, how does this answer affect your novel? Do your character's values play a significant role in their choices (they totally should!)? 

So there you have it, folks. Values. Your fake people need them. :)

Make sure you stay tuned for next week's installment, which I promise I won't forget to post!!

Now tell me: how do you come up with your character's values? Are they something you enjoy brainstorming or not? 

Character + Depth Series: Attitudes

Last week, I promised to kick off a new series on character and depth with a little help from psychographics. This is part I of said series. Today, we're diving right into the first item on the psychographics list:

ATTITUDES

If we look at the Merrriam-Webster dictionary, we find the following definitions for the word 'attitude':

2:      a position assumed for a specific purpose 

4a:    a mental position with regard to a fact or state 

4b:    a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state

7a:    a negative or hostile state of mind

7b:    a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner

As you can see, attitude isn't one-dimensional. It encompasses three key traits in all human beings:

1. Psychological state  
2. Emotional state 
3. Physical state

1) Within the psychological state, we have the following things to consider:

• what does my character love?
• what does my character hate?
• what does my character find irrelevant enough to not care about at all?

The important thing here is to figure out Things. Plain and simple. This step is all about the what. Your character must be provoked by these Things in some way. A reaction needs to be drawn out by the mere mention, sight or feel of them (these Things don't have to be material, though: it can be abstract notions like love, faith, etc.).

2) Within the emotional state, these are the questions to ask yourself:

• why does my character love what he/she loves?
• why does my character hate what he/she hates?
• why does my character find the irrelevant things irrelevant?

This is where you get to the root of it all. While at first you'll look at the Things, the next step is to look at the Meaning behind those Things. Backstory plays a huge part in this step. Past experiences help mold your fake people into who they are during your story. Each Thing serves a purpose for your character's personality, and that purpose can only be explored further through his or her feelings toward that Thing.

3) Within the physical state, this is what you should be looking at:

• how does my character let others know what he/she loves?
• how does my character let others know what he/she hates?
• how does my character let others know he/she doesn't care about the irrelevant stuff?

This step is all about Showing the Meaning of Things. Your character's words and body are the crucial elements here. Dialogue is effective, but I think blocking your character's movements (using body language to express attitudes) is much more powerful. Your character might say something, but his or her body's suggesting the opposite. Not all your characters will give the same Meaning to a particular Thing. Not all your characters will Show what the Thing Means to them the same way, either. Play a little with those reactions until you find the ones that are: 1) logical based on past experiences; and 2) the most conflicting with those of other characters. Variety is the spice of life, after all :)

So there you have it. Attitudes. Give your fake people some. And stay tuned for next week's Character + Depth installment!

Now tell me: what's your take on your characters' attitudes? Do you search for them, or do they come to you as the characters come alive in your mind? 

Character + Depth: How Psychographics Can Help You Craft Better Characters

So. I've been doing a lot of reading for my upcoming comprehensive exams. The research part of it hasn't kicked in as hard yet, but a few days ago, I did some light investigative work on Le Topics. I discovered something by accident--psychographics.

What are psychographics, you ask?

Here's the definition from The Free Dictionary:

1. (used with a sing. verb) The use of demographics to study and measure attitudes, values, lifestyles, and opinions, as for marketing purposes.

And here's a bit more description from an article called "Audience Targeting 101: Psychographics," published in the Run Of Network site:

At their core, demographics describe who people are, and psychographics describe what they care about.  From a marketing perspective however, psychographics are usually used to explain why people buy a product, and the attitudes, opinions, and personality traits that drive them toward a product.  Psychographics are inherently more abstract than demographics because they are multi-dimensional by nature, and cover subtle elements of what makes a person tick.

As a fan of characters first and foremost, my brain went into overdrive on how I could possibly relate psychographics to crafting better characters. I removed the words 'buy' and 'product', for starters. Then I changed the description to include words like 'goal' and 'motivation'. I think that last line, specifically the 'what makes a person tick' bit, could also allude to fears, which play an important role in setting a character apart from the rest. That's pretty much how I came up with my own version of psychographics for fake people :)

So I've decided to start a weekly series on the subject. During the next four weeks, I'll be discussing each of the factors taken into consideration by psychographics:

• Attitudes
• Values
• Lifestyles
• Opinions

Hopefully, this will help y'all as much as it's helping me.

Now tell me: have you heard of psychographics before? Are there any other non-writing related strategies that help you craft better characters?

The Legend Of Korra And CHEMISTRY

So. There's this new show on Nickelodeon called The Legend of Korra. 

I am absolutely in love with it.

You see, I never watched the first Avatar series, which is what paved the way for Korra's story. But since plenty of writers gushed about Korra and how the characters/writing/worldbuilding was flawless, I decided to give it a shot. While I'm in awe of those very things, I'm also drawn to something else: Korra and Mako's chemistry. 

I've already expressed my views on how I prefer romances in books, and believe me, Korra and Mako are moving along at my favorite pace. When these two meet during the second episode, Mako's in his zone, super focused on an upcoming task. Korra, on the other hand, is super excited about discovering a world she's been forbidden to belong to. She's all energy and he's all zen. 

And they don't exactly get along.

BUT the tension between them? Holy bananas. They never cross the line into cruel and spiteful territory, but their back and forth suggests that, eventually, these two will warm up to each other. Sure, they're total opposites, but they have a few things in common. And the more they spend time together, I think those similarities will win out over the differences. 

*crosses fingers*

So there you have it. I have found another thing to fangirl over. As if I needed any more, right?

If you watch The Legend of Korra, what do you think about Korra and Mako's chemistry so far???

(Worldbuilding) Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

HELLO, blogging buddies!! It has been A WHILE since I've been around. *slaps wrist* No worries. This week, I kick off my return to ze blogging world! I'm aiming toward a 3-day a week blogging schedule, so let's see if I stick to it. *crosses fingers*

So. Today, I'm here to talk a bit about a movie I saw last week that ruled. My. World. And it did so by breaking ALL the rules. 

Folks, this movie is brilliant. Yes, it's a horror movie, complete with your cliche characters and frequent  (at times cheap) scares. But WHOA. It's not your average gorefest. The film, co-written and produced by the uber-awesome Joss Whedon (Buffy! Angel! Firefly! Dollhouse!), is so, so clever. You think the premise sounds familiar, and you think you know exactly what's going to happen.

You are wrong.

Why? Cabin In The Woods is that type of movie that's aware of the genre it belongs to. So aware, in fact, that it takes its rules and conventions, then twists them in a way that's never been examined before.  In appropriating the rules and conventions of the horror genre, Cabin In The Woods creates its own rules and conventions, the kind that no other horror movie's ever had, or probably ever will. 

This is why I liken it to writers worried about the next hot trend and whether they should pursue it or not. To me, you can chase after any trend you want, but if you spit out the exact same thing with different character/place names, nothing will come of it. You want to stand out? Snag an agent and editor? Study the rules and conventions of the genre you're writing in, then turn them upside down. Don't just challenge yourself as a writer, challenge the genre as a whole. Push it toward new, uncharted directions. That, to me, is what makes a successful story.

Now tell me: have you seen any movies/read any books that challenged their genre lately??? Recommendations are always welcome! 

Happy Monday :)

Chemistry: The Adorable Edition

Confession: I am OBSESSED with Once Upon A Time. No joke.

For those of you who don't know, it's a TV show on ABC. And it is awesome.

Anyway. I won't dwell on all the reasons why I think it's awesome, BUT I must point out something that's been on my mind since the show's third episode. You see, there are these two characters who are destined to be together: Snow White and Prince Charming. 

On the show, they look like this:

So. That's them as their true fairy tale selves. This is them in the real world setting, where they're both victims of an evil curse that's wiped their memories:

In the real world, they have NO IDEA they're Snow White and Charming. At all. That's not the saddest part, though--David (Charming in the real world) is in a coma when we first meet him. Mary (Snow) reads to him in her spare time, even though she doesn't know him. Her big heart keeps her coming back to the hospital, spending time with someone who's never had any family members visit. He's alone, and she doesn't want him to feel lonely.

When David wakes from his comatose state, things get reeeeally interesting. I knew he'd wake up eventually. I also knew that he'd be grateful to Mary for how she treats him, and that he'd want to get to know her. I also also knew there would be STUFF that keeps them apart. The romantic tension quota is HIGH, my friends. Oh, so high...

Which leads me to why I wrote this post about two people who are in love on a TV show: the chemistry between Snow/Mary and Charming/David is adorable. It's not the ohmyGodIwantyousobadletsmakeout chemistry. It's not the I-have-always-loved-you-and-now-you-are-mine-forever chemistry. It's just... beautifully awkward. In the fairy tale world, they're enemies who later work together to get out of a bind, and fall in love. In the real world, they're strangers who share a deep connection, but they're so not equipped to handle that connection. They both struggle with accepting why they're drawn to each other, and neither feels comfortable with the idea of being a couple just because there's something between them. STUFF needs to be dealt with first. It's all that STUFF that adds fuel to the awkward fire. They're even adorable when they argue. 

What does this offensively long post have to do with writing, you ask?

Think of your main character and the love interest. Hopefully, you've created enough tension, romantic  or otherwise. Now look at them again and ask yourself: what do they admire about each other? The minute you have your answer, ask yourself another question: how can I make my characters feel uncomfortable about the traits they initially admired in each other? Snow cannot stand the fact that Charming's such an honorable guy, and yet that's one of the reasons why she loves him. Charming cannot stand the fact that Snow does whatever she wants, even if it means risking her life, and yet that's why he loves her. Denial is what makes their relationship awkward to me. Sweet, funny, and beautifully awkward. 

So. Once Upon A Time. Watch it, swoon, and learn something :)

Now tell me: any other fake couples you think are adorable/awkward/awesome??

  

Why THE HUNGER GAMES Trailer Is The Perfect Query

For those of you who still haven't seen it, here's the full-length trailer for The Hunger Games:

So.

Not only is the trailer OMFGawesomeonastick, I think it's a little instructional for writers. After I saw it, I kept remembering the dreaded Q-word: queries. The more I dissected the trailer, the stronger the impression I got that it resembled a perfect query letter. 

Here's why:

 The World-Building

For the most part, the HG trailer focuses on how this dystopian world works. How the Tributes get picked at the Reaping, how they train for battle, how they're groomed for the reality TV-obsessed audience, and what the Hunger Games actually are. And it does so in very little time. The trailer focuses on the key info that's necessary for a general understanding of what the movie's about: cruel government + children competing in a fight to the death = world-building.

The Conflict

Katniss doesn't want to be selected for the Hunger Games, but she's prepared for it. Her little sister, however, isn't. So she has a choice: volunteer on Prim's behalf to save her, or stay out of the Hunger Games. When she steps up to take Prim's place, audiences can see her heart breaking. And when she meets her fellow Tributes, her fear and discomfort are palpable as well--she doesn't want to take anyone's life. But she does want to survive. Katniss's inner and outer conflicts are well defined, which is what agents/editors expect from your query. Above all else, they should care about your characters. Paying close attention to the inner and outer conflicts helps do just that for them.    

The Cliffhanger

The trailer could've shown a bit of footage from the Games. But it didn't. It stops right when the Tributes are racing toward the Cornucopia. Right when the good stuff is about to happen. That's how your query should end--it should compel agents/editors to request pages. It should make them go "Whoa, whoa, whoa... You can't just leave me hanging like this! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT??". Some authors/agents suggest only including what goes down in the first 3 chapters, or first 50 pages, of your manuscript in a query. I'd have to agree, but the key thing to remember is to hint at something big, terrible, and inescapable for your MC. Something that whoever gets your query will only find out if they ask for more.

So. Not only is this post an excuse to watch The Hunger Games trailer for the umpteenth time, it's hopefully a helpful tool for your query writing process! 

Now tell me: do you have any query writing tips to share? Do you like writing queries (like me), or loathe it with all your being? 

Marketing Lessons With Ryan Gosling

So. Marketing. Not exactly my favorite thing to discuss, and I certainly haven't discussed it a lot on ye old blog. 

Folks, there are exceptions.

Ryan Gosling is sure as heck one of them.

Le evidence:

Le marketing lesson of the day: If you want your book to stand out, regardless of genre, do the unexpected.

And don't apologize for it :)

Now tell me: what do you think of the Feminist Ryan Gosling Flashcards??? And do you think they can help you write a better book?