Fess Up Friday: Bravery In Writing

Most days, I am a wimp. There's no benefit to denying that.

Whether it's in writing or real life, I get scared a lot. That doesn't mean I don't take chances, but I spend A LOT of time thinking about whether I should take them or not.

Then there are those other days.

Writing isn't an escape for me. It's part of my reality. But sitting down to write can sometimes scare the crapballs out of me. For example, right now, my WIP feels complicated. Like it's too much for me to handle because of the genre. Two things keep me going: 1) my love of the premise; 2) knowing that when I finish the manuscript, I'll be a much better writer than before. 

So yeah. It pays to be awesome.

*puts on Ninja outfit*

*flips the bird at laptop*

*writes*

Now fess up: is something scaring the crapballs out of you? How do you push through that fear?

Fess Up Friday: A Series I Wish I'd Read Sooner

So. There's this author. Her name is Richelle Mead.

She wrote this book:

And OMFG it is incredible.

No, I am not exaggerating.

It. Is. Incredible.

If you're not familiar with the book, I give you le blurb:

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Confession: I'd known about the Vampire Academy books for about two years now, and I hadn't picked them up. I wanted to read them, but I kept buying other books first. Then my mother bought all six books and read them. AND SHE WOULDN'T STOP HARASSING ME. Or talking about some Russian dude named Dimitri. 

So I read Vampire Academy. 

And my life has changed forever.

I really, really, really wish I'd read Mead's books sooner. Not only do I enjoy her storytelling, but I learn from it. A lot. The characters, world-building and HOLY COW IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING plot twists are what make her such an amazing author to me. And Rose? She's now one of my Top 5 Best YA Heroines of all time. Maybe even Top 3. Maybe even #1. 

Yes. I just said that. Sue me.

Oh, and that Russian dude named Dimitri?

O_O

That is all.

But I'm curious: is there a series you wish you'd read earlier?? Which one? *takes notes*

Fess Up Friday: Will Harry Make You Cry?

Welcome to another edition of Fess Up Friday!!

*throws confetti*

My question for y'all today is: do you think you'll cry while watching the last Harry Potter film?

"Come and get me, Lizard Face!"--Harry Potter

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LIZARD FACE?????"--Voldemort. 

My answer: HELL YES.

I will cry.

I will lose my very soul.

*sigh*

Wake me up when July ends, folks.

*runs off to a corner and sobs*


What about you? Will seeing Harry one last time make you cry?

Fess Up Friday: The Big Bad Wolf

All right, folks. Since I gushed about NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer this past Monday, I figured I'd tackle something similar for this edition of Fess Up Friday.

This week's trend question: Are you sick of werewolves?

Confession: I've never really been into werewolves until I read... wait for it... Twilight.

Yes, I know. I suck at life.

Anyway, now I'm more open to read books that center aorund these particular creatures, especially since authors are changing the mythology in really impressive ways.

So how about you? Sick of werewolves yet?

Fess Up Friday: To Kill Or Not To Kill

Confession: I am a HUGE Southland fan. 

What is Southland? The most awesome cop show ever. 

Why? Because it's awesome.

Okay, okay... I'm not making much sense, BUT trust me. Grittiest streets of L.A. + Flawed yet relatable characters + Emotionally charged plot arcs + Up-close filming that makes you feel like you're in the scene =

AND Ben McKenzie from The O.C. in it. *fist pump*

So. Why I am talking to you about Southland today, you ask? In this week's (super awesome) episode, a character died. A character I l-o-v-e-d. But this character's death was important to move other stories forward. To make other characters change their priorities and reevaluate who they really are. 

Even so, the death hurt me. A lot. *sobs*

That got me thinking about books. Specifically, about creating characters we become attached to as writers, then having to let them go in order to propel the plot in the best direction for the story. 

This week's question: how do you choose which characters to kill in your stories? Do you like dropping the axe on them, or do you sob like me?

Oh, and quick reminder: Operation Awesome's Across the Universe giveaway is still in full swing!!

Fess Up Friday: What Say You About Deus ex Machina?

Plot devices are tricky. Some writers use just a handful and ignore the rest. Other writers use everything they can get their hands on to force sense into their story. 

Here lies the problem: forcing sense.

Not making it. 

An example of this is a plot device you may or may not be familiar with--Deus ex machina. 

Definition from the Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary:

[singular] : a character or thing that suddenly enters the story in a novel, play, movie, etc., and solves a problem that had previously seemed impossible to solve.

In terms of writing, I confess. One of my manuscripts has a Deus ex machina moment. *blushes* But now I steer clear of this device, mostly because: a) it confuses/irks readers; b) it just plain irks agents/editors. 

BUT this plot device is not just a plot device to me. It's something that happens. In life. Sort of.

You see, I believe in signs. Yes, I just said it. Stop looking at me like that...

Yesterday, a sign presented itself to me. A sign to take a chance. A chance that had n-e-v-e-r appeared to me before yesterday. And, to be honest, it sort of came out of nowhere.

My very own Deus ex machina, waving hello at me. *fist pump*

So there you go. Random moments out of Nowhereville can sometimes work.

Now fess up: have you ever used the Deus ex machina? If so, how do you feel about it now?

Fess Up Friday: The Power Of Book Covers

This week brought the unveiling of Lauren Kate's PASSION cover.

Exhibit A:

*drops jaw*

In case you haven't read the first two installments in the FALLEN series, here's a look:

                              

Books #1 and #2

                                

These lovely babies got me thinking about the power of book covers. That's why, for today's Fess Up Friday, I want to know: do book covers sway you to buy the book?

Confession: nope. I love staring at book covers, but it's the story that sells me. If both cover and story rock my world, it is destined to be in my hands. 

What about you? Is the power of book covers strong enough to tempt you???

Fess Up Friday: Epic Things I Learned In 2010

Since the new year is upon us, I figured I'd make a list. Because... you know... lists are cool this time of year and stuff...

So. Here's my list of Epic Things I Learned In 2010:


#1: Blogging is awesome.

#2: The people behind the blogging are awesome.

#3: Writing a book is awesome and evil at the same time.

#4: Blogging about writing a book makes people either: a) think you're awesome; or b) think you're super lame. 

#5: Critique partners are awesome.

#6: Starting a writing blog with said critique partners is awesome.

#7: Getting partial and full requests by agents is awesome.

#8: Getting super kind, personalized rejections by agents is awesome.

#9: Getting into grad school is awesome. It's the staying there and working hard that sucks.

#10: Finally finding myself is by far the most awesome thing that's ever happened to me.



There you have it, folks. 2010 was... oh, what's the word?

Awesome.

2011, don't let me down. :D


And to make sure 2011 kicks off the right way, I've signed up for TWO awesome blogfests. They are:

1) Katrina's New Year's Revisions Blog Party on January 1st

and

2) Frankie Diane Mallis's No Kiss Blogfest on January 2nd

See you there!


And Happy New Year, everyone!!

Fess Up Friday: My Christmas (And Birthday) Wishlist

So. Tomorrow is Christmas. The day after that is Kwanzaa.

And my birthday :D

Here is my wishlist for both occasions: (feel free to send whichever gift you can!)


My husband, Jensen Ackles. (duh)


My lovers, which include:

Jesse Williams

Chace Crawford

Sam Worthington

Garrett Hedlund

Channing Tatum

(there are more, but that would make this post too long. And, you know, stalker-ish...)


Instead of getting those lovelies, I'm stuck with... *epic drumroll of doom*

My five-year-old cousin. Who wants to kill me in my sleep. Or steal my candy. Perhaps both.

*sigh*


Now fess up: What's on your wishlist??

Fess Up Friday: Saying Goodbye To Harry

So. Harry Potter. I love him.

Not just the character, though. His friends. His enemies. His world.

In honor of the Deathly Hallows, I'm taking next week to weep my eyes out. That's right--a full week of Harry related posts. Even though I am SO not ready to say goodbye. I felt super sad when the last book came out, but I knew there were still three movies left, so I didn't feel like I was saying goodbye back then.

But now there's no escaping it. It's time...

*bawls*

This week's question: are you sad that there'll be no more Harry after July? 

*bawls again*

Fess Up Friday: Tweet To My 16-Year-Old Self

Yesterday I discovered a rather awesome hashtag going around on Twitter. It goes a little something like this: #tweettoyour16yearoldself. 

Mouth. Ful.

Anyway, I thought I'd join in on the action for Fess Up Friday. The perfect tweet for my 16-year-old self (who had major issues, mainly because of my undying love for NSync...) (whom I no longer love...) (seriously...) (why are you staring at me like that??) would be this:

shut the f**k up and keep writing

The 'keep writing' part is obvious, right? Right.

First half... not so much. Was I a talker? Nope. I was more of a listener. Still am, I suppose. But I did talk to the mirror a lot. And to pictures of myself. 

What did I say?

Things were never going to get better. Suck would follow me for as long as I lived. Life was just an oversized version of high school, where people look at you weird if you scribble on a notebook outside of class. If you quote your favorite authors. If you write (rather sucky) poems for your friends on Valentine's Day. 

My 23-year-old self has every urge to go back in time, punch my wimpy boo-tay into shape, and tell it to keep writing. Even if it goes nowhere, at least I'm happy. 

Now it's your turn: what would you tweet to your 16-year-old self?

Fess Up Friday: What Makes Fantasy Awesome

Today we have a special guest to the Operation Awesome blog! The wonderful Janice Hardy, author of THE SHIFTER and BLUE FIRE, is stopping by to talk about what makes fantasy awesome! Run over and check it out!

In honor of Janice's guest post, I'm going to throw ya'll a question related to what she shared for this edition of Fess Up Friday. 

Tell me: what makes fantasy awesome to you?

For me, it's all about Janice's #1 and # 10 picks: magic, and the 'anything is possible' attitude.  I love getting sucked into settings that I never dreamed of. The allure, to me, comes in the shape of that ever-awesome 'what if?'

What if dragons really did exist?

What if I could transport myself to the next continent by drinking a potion, or flicking a wand? 

What if Alexander Skarsgaard was shirtless all the time???

Okay. That last one doesn't quite make sense in this post, but it's me, after all. Had to say it...

How about you? What makes fantasy awesome in your eyes?

Fess Up Friday: Scared Stupid

Before we dive into this edition of Fess Up Friday, go check out Nancy Herman's amazing success story over at the Operation Awesome blog!! Our contest helped her land an agent!! Woot!

Okay. Back to business.

Two things led me to pick this week's question. You can blame:

1) The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff 

*shivers*

and 

2) This post by my buddy and crit mate Katrina

Thanks to them, here's what I want to know this week: what do you think about YA horror?

This particular question is haunting me for a ton of reasons, one being that my Shiny New Idea belongs to this genre. Don't be fooled, though--I am the biggest freakin' coward in the universe. And yet, I love reading books that creep me the eff out, as well as watching movies that don't let me get a good night's sleep. Sadistic much? 

*nods*

There's something about ugliness that hooks me. Brenna's book is the perfect example. Here's the blurb:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

If you're a fan of Tim Burton, this book is for you. If you're not, it will turn you into one. Pinky swear :D

What about you, blogging buddies? Have any love for the scary? 

Fess Up Friday: A Blog Award!!!!

My life is pretty cool right now. I won't bore you with details, but I WILL give you a tiny taste.

The super sweet and fabulous Kelly Dexter gave me this:

Yes, folks. I am now the proud owner of the Cherry On Top Award. 

*insert grin here*

This award comes with a question, which I'm using for this edition of Fess Up Friday. 

The question is: If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my life, would I, and what would it be?

My answer: Ha. 

Do-overs are tempting things, albeit impossible. BUT if I had the chance to hit Refresh, I'm not 100% confident I would. Yes, there are a bazillion things that I regret, but if I'd never done them, I wouldn't be here today, right? I had to go through the sucky to come out and meet the good. That whole 'everything happens for a reason' crap? Yeah. I didn't think it was true, either. 

Guess I was wrong.

Now I must pass this baby along to six of my blogging buddies. BUT since rules give me allergies, I'm going to break them and hand out eight. I have chosen the following uber-awesome people:

Carolyn V.

Laura Diamond

Old Kitty

Christina Lee

Lindsay and Katrina

Renae Mercado

Cheyanne Young

Congrats to all of you, ladies!!!

Now tell me: would you go back and change something??

Fess Up Friday: Flipping The Script

No trend questions this week, folks. In fact, I've decided to not always feature them. Spice things up a bit :)

So. Today, I'm fessing up about something else.

My question: are you afraid of change?

Confession: routine is my happy place. Schedules, plans... me likes them. Throw in something unexpected, or something that takes me off course, and I'm stumped. 

But only for a little while.

Whether you're writing an urban fantasy and come up with an idea for a dystopian, or you've been taking the same bus to Wherever, USA and it stops going down your route, change can be scary. The one thing you have to remember is this: it's going to happen anyway, so you might as well deal with it. And you're only going to get stronger after it happens. 

I'm trying to deal with the change that came out left field right now, actually. The next few days are going to be full of moments where I crease my forehead and think harder than usual. In the end, I'll get a fresher perspective on life... and a headache.

So tell me: does change scare the bejeezus out of you, like it does with me? 

Fess Up Friday: Wanna Be Bad?

I promise today's question will make sense soon. Probably next week, when I manage to successfully V-E-N-T about the reason this topic is frustrating me. 

Tell me, friends: do you like it when the good girl falls for the bad boy?

The question isn't only limited to books--it can be movies or TV shows, too. 

I, for one, love bad boys. The more complicated, the better. But he also has to be sweet, considerate, and mature (not asking for much, right???). I loathe whenever writers make the good girl fall for the bad boy just to piss off the hero. That just plain bores me. Or when they give very few good qualities to the badass, and yet the good girl still drools all over him. Does that happen in high school? Yes. But there are limits. Some girls can crush from afar and get on with their lives. Most YA heroines don't, though. They pursue the jerk, or let him pursue her without really understand why he likes her. 

The worst part? Sometimes the reader doesn't understand it, either. 

My future rant (the one due next week) has to do with a good girl and a bad boy. But it's the kind of relationship that I want to see. It makes sense, at least to me. I won't vent because it's illogical or stupid. I'll just scream my head off for another reason (which I can't spill just yet...). 

Until then, make me a happy lil lady and share: love this type of relationship, or are you over it?

Fess Up Friday: Is Three A Crowd?

Okay, folks. Today we're gonna talk about something I've been seeing a lot lately. YA books seem to be flooded with this particular situation, and while I enjoy it at times, there are some stories that could work better without it. 

This week's trend question: what do you think about love triangles?

Edward: "She's mine, Doggie Breath! All mine!"

Jacob: "No way, Glo Stick! She's mine, beeyatch!!!"

Bella: "Uh... I'll just... stand over here and pout for a while..."

Confession: I love me some good romantic tension. But creating a love triangle for the sake of making the main character's life more complicated just doesn't do it for me. There has to be depth in her turmoil, a legit reason she can't choose between two guys. And the two guys need to be three-dimensional, well-crafted characters, not just eye candy. 

Thinking someone is hot isn't enough for anyone to fall in love, my friends. Just sayin'.

What say you, blogging buddies? Love em or hate em?

Fess Up Friday: The Zero Trends Edition

So Fess Up Fridays are all about publishing trends on my blog. 

Not today.

For the Zero Trends Edition, I wanted to fess up about something totally different--fear.

Yes, peeps. I am afraid. Why?

I've just started my Master's degree in Literature. 

My latest WIP idea, as I mentioned yesterday, is in a genre I've never explored.

I have become a plotter for the first time e-vah.

My critique group and I launched a blog to inspire awesomeness in writers.

You're probably wondering why these things creep me out. Well, here's why: I'm afraid of coming up short.

Of not being able to stay afloat in my Master's.

Of totally bombing The Unexplored Genre.

Of not finishing the outline I plan to start next month (after all the research is done).

Of not bringing enough awesome to a complete stranger's life. 

I know I'll get over it, but I figured saying it aloud would speed up the recovery process. Let's hope it works :)

How about you? Any fears eating you alive this week? 

Fess Up Friday: My Fairy Lady

Thanks to all who commented on yesterday's Shocking-Or-Not post. I think the photo is uh-may-zing, but I'm biased, so my vote doesn't count :)

Anyway, it's time for another edition of Fess Up Friday! Woot!

This week's trend question: are you a fan of fairies?

In case you haven't experienced the fairy phenomenon, here are a couple suggestions that have gotten some great buzz from readers:

I've only read WICKED LOVELY and TITHE (shame on me...), but the other two are on my to-read pile. Overall, I dig fairies. Especially if the mythology is twisted into something darker, less Tinkerbell-ish (like TITHE, in particular). Oh, and some swooning romance never hurts.

How about you? Fan of the fey?

Fess Up Friday: It Takes Two

First of all, I'd like to give a round of applause to the awesome ladies who organized WriteOnCon!!! I've learned so much in three days, it's insane. Count on my return for next year. Word.

Okay. Now on to this week's trend question: do you like stories with more than one narrator?

Personally, I love them when the authors keep it simple. Translation: no more than four points of view, please. I love getting into a character's head, then seeing the same thing through another person's eyes. Sometimes it can get a little distracting, sure, but I love a challenge.

Here are two of my favorite dual narrator books:

If you're thinking about writing a story with more than one POV, check these babies out.

Now tell me: are you digging the 'it takes two' approach? Or can you live without it?