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! :)

Need A Critique Partner? Operation Awesome's The Critique Partner Connection Is For You

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Second of all, so. You may or may not know that Operation Awesome is kicking off a free online conference tomorrow. It is called the New Year's Revisions Conference, and it is going to be amazeballs.

But before we start the conference, we at OA decided to host something special for our followers today. If you're on the hunt for a brand new crit partner, hop on over to the blog and check out the Critique Partner Connection! All the rules are posted there, so make sure you read them carefully. I hope you find someone awesome!

And don't forget: the New Year's Revisions Conference is TOMORROW! See you there :)

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!

It's Here! The Announcement Is FINALLY Here!

Remember when I teased y'all about an announcement Operation Awesome was making today? Well, the wait is over!! I have officially released our super secret news over at the OA blog!!

*shimmies*

So be a dear and go check out what I've been hiding :)

And have a great Monday!

Announcement!!! Well, Sort Of...

So. Next Monday. You should be online. 

Why?

Because we over at Operation Awesome have an ANNOUNCEMENT. And it is a SUPER BADASS one. I wish I could tell you rightthissecond what we have to share, but nope. I have been instructed to keep my trap shut until then. Impossible, you say? ALMOST. Which is why I'm teasing you with this post :)

But trust me. The wait will be worth it. Oh, yes it will. 

*shakes with anticipation* 

So yeah. Next Monday. See you then!

Have an awesome weekend!!

CONGRATS To My Operation Awesome Buddy, Angela Townsend!!

Yesterday was a pretty good day, folks.

Why?

Because THIS happened:

Angela Townsend's AMAROK, set in a remote Alaskan town, when a runaway is kidnapped by an evil man and his black wolf, whom she later discovers is a boy enslaved by an ancient shaman; she must find the strength to save herself and the wolf, and in turn discover what love truly means, to Kate Kaynak at Spencer Hill Press, by Jill Corcoran at The Herman Agency (NA). 

*break-dances*

*screams*

*dies*

HUGE congrats to Angie!!! I can't wait for y'all to read Amarok!! And I can't wait to actually hold it in my hands!!! 

You can go congratulate Angie on Twitter, and stay tuned to Operation Awesome for our celebration!!

Mystery Agent Contest: Get Those Twitter Pitches Ready!

Happy NaNo, everybody!!

*tosses confetti*

For those of you not entering NaNo this year, and have a completed manuscript, I've got great news. We're celebrating another Mystery Agent Contest over at Operation Awesome!

To enter, you need a Twitter-length pitch and the first 500 words of your manuscript.

Click here for more details.

And best of luck!!

Read For Relief Auction!

When I was asked by the lovely Caroline Tung Richmond to join a relief effort for victims of Hurricane Irene, I jumped at the chance. Caroline and a few other awesome writers put together Read For Relief, an auction that kicks off today. You can win all sorts of great stuff, including signed ARCs, query critiques by agents, partial critiques by editors, and group critiques by YA Highway!

Me and the ladies of Operation Awesome are also offering a group critique--we'll be giving feedback to the first 30 pages of the winning manuscript! 

So yeah. You SO want to go to Read For Relief right now, and start bidding! 

See you there! :)

Blog Chain: In Which I Talk About Publishing, Ebooks, And Fears

Once again, I'm sending a shout-out to my Operation Awesome buddy, Michelle. She's invited me to join a super awesome blog chain, and today's my first post!

The lovely Sandra chose the topic for this round:

Have the recent changes in the publishing industry affected your writing plans/career? If so, how?

Very short answer: No.

Slightly longer and possibly incoherent answer: Ever since I started writing YA, I've always dreamed of the same thing--seeing my book on shelves. With the booming ebook industry, those shelves are different for a ton of authors. These are people who have taken charge of their careers in every sense of the word. They have the passion/drive/focus it takes to design and market a product. Sometimes it's hard to remember that writing is a business, after all. To me, e-pubbed authors know that very well, and are doing an excellent job of exploring both the creative and commercial aspects. 

Me? I am a huge fan of change. 

But self-publishing isn't for me.

I have a very strong feeling I'll always write. YA fiction, for the most part. It's what makes me happy. While it would be super amazing to have a book of mine out in the world, I don't think I'd be that heartbroken if it doesn't happen (but ask me again in ten years... *winks*). 

We all know the weird truth: not every awesome writer gets published. The traditional route sometimes excludes amazing storytellers. Sucks, but what can you do? Well, if you're like me, being in charge of your career in such an absolute way terrifies you. I honestly feel like I might topple over and faint. Or worse, sell a really crappy book, unlike some of my Operation Awesome friends, who are self-pubbed with really kickass stories.  

Here's my plan: 1) finish WIP; 2) revise x100000; 3) query agents. 

That's as far as I have control of my career. Whatever happens after that isn't entirely up to me.

And for some reason, I'm okay with that. 

Thanks to Michelle and the gang for letting me join in on the fun! You can see Abby's post on the subject here, and check out Christine's blog when she posts on a brand new topic tomorrow!

It's Mystery Agent Contest Day!!!

Once again, Operation Awesome has found a Mystery Agent!! If you have a completed manuscript and a one-line pitch, hop on over to the blog and enter. 

Your prize? A full manuscript request!

And who knows? Maybe our Mystery Agent will pick more than one winner. 

*bats eyelashes*

Best of luck to all who enter!!

How Small Goals And Alexander Skarsgard Help Me Write

Confession: Sometimes I have trouble writing. 

I sit down and stare at the computer screen for an eternity, unable to come up with anything remotely good. Through time, I've discovered my biggest problem--I sit down with the wrong attitude.

Writer Me From The Past was all about cranking out a billion words a day. If I didn't, I sucked. A failure at life. Writer Me From Right Now is a bit more carefree, though. 

And it's all because of two things:

1) Small goals

I promise myself to write a paragraph. When I finish that paragraph, I go, "Hmm. I kinda want to do one more." Then I do one more. And I go, "Hmm. Maybe just one more." Then I do one more. 

Rinse. Repeat.

Why does this trick work for me? 

I get excited about the story. After a little taste of what I can do, I want to see if I can push myself a bit more. But I do the pushing in small bursts, not sprints. Sprints tire me out and make me give up. Most of the time, Writer Me From The Past wrote a lot of Bad Scenes while sprinting. I wrote for the sake of saying I'd reached X amount of words. 

Now? I go slow. Then I keep going till I stop and look back.

At a whole bunch of words.

Not So Bad ones.

2) Alexander Skarsgard (from TRUE BLOOD)

I convince myself that if I write that paragraph, or that scene, ASkars will knock on my door. He'll take me to dinner. To the beach. Or wherever else he sees fit. 

If that's not inspiration enough, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS.

*clears throat*

So. There you have it, folks. Small goals and Alexander Skarsgard help me write. A lot.

I hope they can help you, too :)

Now tell me: any tips you've found useful for writing a lot of Not So Bad Words?

Reminder: Don't miss Operation Awesome's July Mystery Agent Contest!!! Hop on over to the blog tomorrow for your chance at a full request!! 

Movie Trailer Monday: Pixar's BRAVE (Girl Power Included)

*waves*

Hi, there! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

I, for one, enjoyed myself. I finished Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, which I reviewed for Operation Awesome (spoiler: it was AMAZING). 

That book got me thinking about femininity and how girls are portrayed in literature/films/TV.

Then Pixar released a teaser trailer for their 2012 movie, BRAVE.

*fist pump*

Check out the teaser below:

Now tell me: what did you read/watch this weekend??? And what do you think of BRAVE? Are you looking forward to it?

April Mystery Agent Contest Starts NOW!

HURRY OVER to the Operation Awesome blog and enter your one-line pitch in the Mystery Agent contest!! The M.A. will pick one winner, who'll get a FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST. 

And no, it's not an April Fool's joke. Pinky swear.

See you there! Best of luck to everyone!

And have a great weekend! :)

First Page Phobia

Confession: I am terrified of first pages. 

Like, shiver-till-my-nerve-endings-fail-me terrified. 

That's why I've been rereading books in my WIP's genre. And my favorite books in general. I check for overall tone, flow of words, and characterization. To me, the best first pages/chapters give you a sense of everything that's happening and a sense of what's to come later on. Ever heard how agents refer to that opening line as a guarantee? Well, I think the first page strengthens that guarantee. It reinforces the point the author wants to make with the image they create with the opening line. 

No pressure, huh?

*faints*

I guess my my main concern is cramming too much into one place. To me, nailing that perfect balance takes two things:

1) Practice

 2) Patience 

Oh, and critique partners help A LOT, too :)

So yeah, my advice is simple: work x100000000 on that first line/page/chapter/wholemanuscript. Beat the fear with perseverance. And eat some chocolate while you're at it. 

Okay. That last thing doesn't really do anything for your WIP, but... it's... important?

Now tell me: do you have first page phobia? If so, how do you deal with it? 

Oh, and DON'T FORGET: my Blogoversary Book Giveaway is still in full swing! Enter to win a book or preorder from my to-read pile!  

Oh, oh, AND!!! Today I'm discussing YA Boys and Actors over @ Operation Awesome. Go. Swoon with me. 

Mystery Agent Contest Starts NOW!

Hop on over to Operation Awesome and share your Tweet-style pitch!! Our Mystery Agent wants to see the first 75 entries, so hurry up before the slots are filled! 

Best of luck to everyone!! :)

As Promised...

My review of Elana Johnson's dystopian debut, POSSESSION, is up over @ Operation Awesome!

And pretty please check out our Mystery Agent Contest tomorrow! 75 entrants will have a shot at winning a full manuscript request! See you there!

Now tell me: what did you read over the weekend??

Win A SIGNED COPY of Leah Clifford's A TOUCH MORTAL!

You know you want this. Don't pretend like you don't.

Le blurb:

Eden didn't expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

And that's only the beginning of the end.

Wanna know how you can win a SIGNED COPY of Leah Clifford's debut??? Go to Operation Awesome and find out!! Best of luck to those who enter!!

Now tell me: which other books would you love to have signed???

I Want To Make Out With This Book

That is all.



Oh, and next week? I'll be reviewing it on Operation Awesome.

I'll try my best not to make out with it till then.


Now tell me: any books you're dying to make out with on this fine Monday morning???

Mystery Agent CONTEST!

What are you waiting for?? Go nab one of the last spots on Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent Contest!!

Remember: winner gets a FULL manuscript request, and there's a little something for those who don't make the cut. Bottom line? It's worth it.


Good luck!! :)

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!!