Tie Me Up, Baby

I saw a movie this week. Actually, I saw three, but two were on HBO.

The one I went to see at the cineplex disappointed me. Why?

Too many freakin' loose ends.

I spent 30 minutes after the movie was over wondering WTF had happened to several subplots. They seemed to have been forgotten by the screenwriter/director/producers/actors. The audience, however, noticed a couple things were MIA.

How many times has this happened after you've finished reading a book?

How about after you finish writing one?

I've been fortunate enough to read books that tie up a lot of loose ends. As for writing them? Not so much. But I don't call it quits until I wrap everything up. That's when I feel like I'm actually talented--when things are all over the place and I get to organize them. I usually go about it in sections, depending on the significance of the subplot. Little ones go first, then the big kahunas get my full attention later on. After I've finished, I read the whole manuscript again to see if I missed something. If I didn't, I sing all of Madonna's hits around a campfire while playing the ukulele.

Well... That doesn't really happen, but you get the picture...

Here's the deal: you can make the MC lovable, the antagonist swoonworthy, and the plot action-packed, but that pesky brat of a denouement will keep honking your horn until every plot hole's been covered. Oh, the joys of writing...

So tell me, what's your game plan when that loose end keeps screaming 'Tie me up, baby!'?

Parents In YA: Who Would Be Yours?

In the past few months, I've read a ton of posts regarding parents in YA literature. Some readers get sick of "conveniently absent" parents, or the "mentally checked out" ones, like alcoholics/drug addicts/work-obsessed/whateveryoucancomeupwith. Others think creating parents who are extremely supportive and understanding of all their kids' choices is an unrealistic depiction.

I tend to favor parents who make sense in the particular story. If the main character is a teen who breaks curfew and flips off everyone that pisses them off, I like to see: a) parents who lay down the law, if the MC goes through a drastic change at the end of the story because of their teachings; b) parents who suck at parenting, if the MC goes through a drastic change on their own and learns through trial and error.

Bottom line? Characters should fit the story you're trying to tell.

To that end, I've been thinking about who would I choose as my parents if I were in a YA novel.

Not surprisingly, I chose two writers.

Screenwriters, that is.

My dad? Joss Whedon. JOSS. FREAKIN'. WHEDON.

Why? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That's why.

Oh, and Dollhouse. And the Runaways graphic novels. That's also why.

My mom? Diablo Cody.

Why? Juno. Her sarcasm. Her perseverance.

And her hair.

So tell me, who would YOU choose as your YA novel parents?

An Open Letter To All BEA Attendees

Dear BEA (Book Expo America) Attendees,


If you managed to swag this:




Or this:




Or this:




Or this:



Or this:




I. Hate. You.


Sincerely,

An Extremely Frustrated And Envious Book Reader.

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...

LOST. TV show? Nope. Just me.

Confession: I've never watched LOST.

*waits for gasps of shock to die out*

So I guess you could say that I'm lost when it comes to LOST. Am I ashamed? A little. What am I gonna do about it? No clue.

But I wanted to post something about LOST that had nothing to do with the show's finale. I wanted to proclaim my ignorance, wave it in the air for everyone to see, stalling my Draft #4 edits as much as possible.

Some of you saw how the show ended last night. Some of you hated it. Some of you loved it.

And I enjoy scratching my head while I read your reviews.

Why? Beats me. But I have a feeling it's because there's too much going on in my head at the moment. Too much thinking for my taste. And I like the blankness of not knowing about a TV show that's been on the air for a bazillion years. It feels... nice.

There you go, peeps: my review of last night's LOST finale is...

Well, I wouldn't know, would I? But here's my review of myself: I'm lost. And doubtful. And scared.

But I'm still writing this baby anyway :D

Happy writing to everyone!

Congrats, Elana!!!

Epic day, peeps. I'm sure you already know this, but the uber-awesome Elana Johnson HAS A BOOK DEAL!!!!!




Even though she has no idea who I am, I've read almost every article she's written for the Query Tracker website (girl has helped me more than she'll ever know...). Also, I'm a follower on her blog, which makes me just as uber-awesome as she is.

Okay... It doesn't... But whatever...

The point is that Elana's journey can teach every aspiring author sooo much:

Persevere, persevere, persevere!

Set small goals as well as big picture ones.

Learn when to quit on a story, then write a better one.

Read within and outside the genre you write.

Find crit partners who'll help you hone your craft, and return the favor.

And did I mention persevere? :D


On behalf of all us aspiring authors in the universe, congrats, Elana!!!!

What I Found Out In Betaland

After wrapping up Draft #3 of my WIP, I sent it to my trusted beta readers. Both of them have read my first novel, which sucked all kinds of suckiness, and were more than willing to read this new book. I warned them of the differences between my first sucky baby and this next one: third person became first, fantasy became paranormal romance, boy MC became a girl, serious overwriting became slightly humorous brevity.

My betas were more than thrilled with the change (can I blame them???). I expected this mini celebration.

What I didn't expect were my findings after taking the Red Eye flight to Betaland yesterday.

Beta #1: "Hey! I just finished reading the first three chapters!"

Me: "Woot, woot! Whaddaya think?"

Beta #1: "I LOVE this story! It's funny, emotional, and I can relate to the MC a lot. In fact, she reminds me of YOU!"

Me: "Woot, wo- Wait... What?"

Beta #1: "She thinks like you, talks like you, and even hates the same things as you! That is soooo awesome!"

Me: "..."

Beta #1: "Gotta go now! I really wanna know what happens next!" *slams the door in my face*


Head hanging low, I headed over to beta #2's place...


Beta #2: "Wassup? I was just about to call ya"

Me: "Really? Why?"

Beta #2: "I just read the first ten chapters of your manuscript. In, like, less than two hours and stuff."

Me: *raises eyebrows* "Dude, you NEVER read that fast!"

Beta #2: "Sometimes I'm awesome like that"

Me: "So... Whaddaya think?"

Beta #2: "Love it. This chick's da bomb. And you know what?"

Me: *smiling from ear to ear* "What??"

Beta #2: "She totally reminds me of YOU"

Me: "..."


There you go, folks--I've written a clone.

Well, both betas assure me that the MC's waaaay more impulsive (and funnier...) than me, but the similarities are still there.

What say you? Is your MC a clone, a cooler version of you, or someone completely different?