The Spark (And How I Find It)

So. Rewriting. Fun, right?

...

Anyway, I feel like ranting a bit about my current issue. Not surprisingly, it involves my WIP (oh, how you torture me...). I have the scenes clearly outlined in my head. I know exactly how I want to write the darned thing.

Problem?

The scene doesn't want to come out. It's on strike or something. Or it just likes watching me scream (like my dog...).

A blank Word document stares back at me; a pulsing cursor waits to be manipulated by my fingers. But. Nothing. Happens.

I know who's to blame, of course. The Spark. My Spark. It's gone. And it's not coming back.

Well, it is. You see, The Spark does this to me every time I get to the third act of my novel. It runs away every time things get messy. It stops the flow of words from exiting my head.

Until I do what makes The Spark warm up to me again--read another book.

Not just any book, though. It has to be a book in the same genre as the one I'm writing, otherwise The Spark refuses to come out of hiding. Reading something similar in terms of target audience inspires me, gets me fired up to write, and puts a smile on my face. Especially if the writing is great. The plot has to rock my world, too. And just like that, The Spark returns. No more screaming for me.

I'm pretty sure many writers find their Spark by reading, but this doesn't work for everyone. So tell me, what works for you? Does your Spark run and hide like mine, or is it there until the very end?

If it does, I envy you. Writing can suck out loud with inspiration, and it sucks ten times more without it. Whatever you do, my fellow writer buddie, never let it slip away.

Cliches Need Not Apply

Confession time: on February 22nd, the first completed draft of my WIP got deleted.

By magic.

'Cause I still can't figure out how it disappeared.

Okay... That's a lie... It was my fault... God, I hate owning up to mistakes!!

Anyway, my clumsiness led to the death of my first draft while I was in the middle of revising it. Many tears, fistfuls of pulled hair, and shrieking later, I chose to ask myself the following question: will I be able to do it all over again?

The answer at the moment was more along the lines of how-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-do-this?!!, but right now, it's looking like a yes. A yes that took a while to appear, but it did. A yes that almost drove me clinically insane, but it didn't. Lexie's story is shaping up to be what it was, but with far less craptastic writing (I. Hope.).

And what was the reason behind the craptastic writing?

Cliches. Lots of them.

YA stories tend to sway toward similar storylines, but there's always a twist that makes them stand out. There's always something that the other books don't have that makes one story memorable. From what I've read, Lexie's story has a couple of twins in terms of main theme. But what sets it apart is, of course, the hook (which took a while to develop, the darned thing...).

My advice for writers diving into YA waters? Avoid cliches. Young readers have been there, done that with most plots in the market, even though they still respond to them. Try to spice it up or tone it down, but in an original way. Tired of girl-meets-mysterious-boy-and-forsakes-her-dignity-to-be-with-him? Write the opposite--give your character a purpose that doesn't involve being with the cute stranger, even though she's got the hots for him. Don't relish reading about an ordinary MC who turns out to be extraordinary and needs to be shipped off to an extraordinary school? Think about ways to weave an extraordinary MC with our blah world in a way that makes the reader get lost in the narrative. There are tons of possibilities for the creative mind, so don't lose hope if things fall flat in the beginning.

And that's what I've been telling myself ever since February 22nd. Rewriting is tough, but it can be way more rewarding than that first draft. Why? Because it will be better. Hands down.

Now I'm off to write what I already wrote, but kicking way more ass than before.

Best. News. Ever!!!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to give you breaking news:

I got accepted to grad school!!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna get a Master's in Literature!!!!!!!!

I'm in way over my head!!!!!!

But I don't care!!!!!!!!!

Squeeeeeee!!!!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Today I'm taking a break from opening lines and queries to give you a pretty cool link. Diana Peterfreund, author of YA novels Rampant and Tap and Gown: An Ivy League Novel, posted an interesting piece on the four-act structure for writing a novel. Peterfreund uses the story of one of her favorite movies, The Matrix, to show writers how they can break the novel into coherent sections without "sagging in the middle".

Here's the link: http://www.dianapeterfreund.com/in-which-the-author-contemplates-structure/

So spill: are you a fan of the four-act structure vs. the three-act?

Personally, I'm torn. But I hope to find a favorite in the super near future...

Until then, I'm out celebrating!!!

Opening Lines... and a shout out!

First up, I would like to take a moment to thank the uber-smart and insightful Laura Diamond! Aside from having such a cool blog (and YA manuscript that I'm dying to read!), Miss Diamond kindly featured me on her Up and Coming Blogger Tuesdays. Not sure I deserve it, but don't tell her that...

Also, she posted a picture of Jensen Ackles!!! Fangirl scream!!!

Yes, I know he's engaged to someone else (a very gorgeous and talented someone else...). But still, my heart is his. The end.

Anyway, I wanted to talk a bit about something I've been meaning to discuss. Many writers stress over plot, voice, climax, yadda yadda yadda... Don't get me wrong: all of that is important. But something I really look forward to reading every time I pick up a new book is...

The opening lines.

I love them. Sometimes they decide whether I keep reading with enthusiasm or if I just read to finish what I started. Most newbie writers make the mistake of opening their book with the weather, or with a character waking up and brushing their teeth, or doing something action-packed that ends up being a dream.

Trust me, I've been that newbie writer. I am that newbie writer. *shudders from embarrassment*

So, I'm going to share some examples from the published pros I love. My goal is to feature at least ten of them.

Here's the first:

"You never think it will happen to you." --Ghostgirl, Tonya Hurley.

I don't know about you, but I'm left with a million questions right off the bat. What don't I think will ever happen to me? How does the MC feel about this thing that's supposed to happen to everybody? Is it good or bad? Does the story revolve around this mystery thing?

Needless to say, that opening line does exactly what the author wanted it to: get you to read further. It doesn't have to be mouth-hanging-open shocking to prompt you to flip through those pages. Something simple, yet vague, usually does the trick in a better way.

So there you have it, my first favorite opening line. More are still to come, peeps. Pinky swear.

Now off to write!

Song #3

Still with Playlist #1, peeps. As I've mentioned before, this collection of songs reflects Lexie (my MC) at the very beginning of the story. It's not all peaches and cream for her, to say the least. For starters, her boyfriend dumps her on her birthday. She also deals with "job related" issues, which are pretty much the reason why she gets dumped.

Double decker bummer.

Quick recap of the Playlist #1 top two songs:

1) "Someone Wake Me Up" by The Veronicas
2) "Love Is Dead" by Kerli

Aaaaaaaand the final song to round up the top three is...

"Unbeautiful" by Lesley Roy.

Sigh.

Confession: I bawled my eyes out when I heard this song. Super, duper sad--just like Lexie is supposed to be. She feels like she's the one to blame for the split with her bf, and starts devaluing herself to a sickening degree. This song is her anthem.

Until she meets the male antagonist.

And his playlist will be coming soon!

In the meantime, here's the link to "Unbeautiful":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4loBTNvxXiY&feature=PlayList&p=6A467485B326DD38&index=0&playnext=1

Rock on!

Contest!

Gretchen McNeil, YA author of the I-can't-wait-to-read-it! The Witch's Eye, is throwing a contest on her blog. She's kind enough to be offering a query critique, peeps. All you have to do is go to her blog and follow her orders.

I mean, instructions...

Sorry. I've always liked world domination.

Anyway, here's the link: http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/2010/03/gretchens-how-to-guide-chapter-six.html



Best of luck!

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.