Writing Soup

It's Been A While

2011-12-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in four months.

You'd think after living in a new place for seven months I would feel adjusted now, but I still don't. I'm not really sure why. Some days have been better than others, but it's been surprisingly difficult, figuring out who I am now that I've moved away from place that was so much a part of me.

I'm better than I was.

I'll admit, I moped around for the first few months here. I felt so disconnected from what I thought was "my life." Not all the changes were bad, just different, and thinking about that disconnection still hurts. Guess I'm still homesick some days. My job has helped.

I love my job. I love recommending books and seeing kids come into the store to play with the toys and I love wrapping presents and getting ARCs and doing storytime and all around having fun. It's the best job I've ever had, and it's one of the better things in my life right now. I never thought work would be one of the things helping me get through a rough time, but it has.

But.

I don't know where I am as a writer. I don't know if I still want to keep trying, or if I just don't want it enough right now. I don't know what my future holds. I'm struggling with some other of life's frustrations, and all around I just don't feel good about myself as a creative person. I wish I did right now, but I don't.

What it comes down to, is that I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging anymore. I realize this is kind of funny considering I haven't posted on here in several months, but I do appreciate the friendships I've made through this medium, and all of the wonderful people I've gotten to know because of blogs. This isn't a goodbye, but it is me saying that I don't feel ready to come back, either. I will probably post from time to time, but for now I want to be at peace with at least this aspect of my life.

Thank you for your friendship and for your support. Even though I am still struggling with Who I Am after this unexpectedly difficult change, I am grateful for those who love and support me know matter where my life goes.

- Debbie

Squeaky Books Jewelry Giveaway!

2011-08-26T00:00:00.001-06:00

I'm hosting a contest as part of

Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash 2011

Presented by Squeaky Books

From August 22nd until September 22nd Enna Isilee at Squeaky Books is having a HUGE bash to celebrate her birthday! There’s a giveaway nearly EVERY DAY, tons of author interviews, and guest posts from a bunch different YA book bloggers. And I get to host a contest!

I'm giving away THREE pairs of earrings/brooches from my Etsy shop!! Entering is simple, just fill out the form (with optional bonus entries). You have until September 21st at 11:59 MST to enter. All winners will be announced on Enna Isilee's birthday (September 22nd) on Enna Isilee's blog (Squeaky Books). THIS GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL!

If you win you may select ANY pair of my nerdy earrings or a single nerdy brooch from my Etsy store (don't worry, they are ALL nerdy!). Want to check out your options? Head on over to Nerd Goddess Jewelry to choose a potential prize

Without further ado, enter to win! Click below.

Click here to enter

Psst. If you don't win or just want to buy some spiffy earrings right now, you can also get 20% off your entire order if you use the coupon code SQUEAKYBOOKS at checkout! Head on over to Nerd Goddess Jewelry to use it!

New Job!

2011-08-23T19:42:00.005-06:00

I'm not sure why but the desire to blog has not been very strong for me lately. I'm in a pretty weird place in my life right now, and I would just rather keep most of my feelings to myself for the moment. Things are still in transition, George and I are still looking for an apartment, and even though some things are beginning to click into place, I feel far from settled. I guess when I'm feeling more comfortable in my life I'll feel better blogging about it.

The good news is that I found a fantastic job here in Indiana. I honestly didn't think I'd find many positions I would be qualified to apply for, and applied to a few other places when I saw an ad on Craigslist that said 'Bookseller.' I clicked, and wouldn't you know, it was for a Children's book and toy store just 20 minutes away from where George works.

I freaked out a little.

Then I didn't hear back for a couple of weeks, so I just assumed things hadn't worked out. I had a few interviews at a daycare, and felt like they might hire me when I heard back from the bookstore. They wanted to interview me! I freaked out some more and prayed and thought over all of my favorite books and prayed some more and went to the interview. It went well! I was invited back to try out the store to try out a shift, and they liked me (and I love the store!) so they offered me the position. (I never did hear back from that daycare.)

So, long story short, I managed to find another spiffy job in the children's book industry. I am not used to feeling like my knowledge of children's (and teen) literature is slim, but boy does my boss outshine me there! I'm excited about learning more, plus the store is really fun, so it's great just being in a good environment I enjoy.

The only problem I foresee is that I get an employee discount, and I've been tempted so far to buy too many books. And toys. (The dollhouse furniture is especially cute!) I think it's going to be a great job. I'm quite happy to have it.

Read in July 2011

2011-08-03T18:56:00.007-06:00

Here's what I read last month! As always, click on the pictures for a link to the summary.

Entwined by Heather Dixon - There are several re-tellings of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" that have already been popular and have gotten acclaim among fans of fairy tale novels. Even though this isn't a new fairy tale, it's a great new take on it! The prose is hilarious, and I found myself giggling throughout the novel. The characters were all real and well-rounded (even the many sisters!), and there were several great beaus for the girls. It's a pretty thick read, but a fun one, and clean enough for middle grade readers if they were interested.

Wishing Moon by Michael O. Tunnell - A fun, magical sequel to "Aladdin," following the girl who gets the lamp after him. It's a great middle grade fantasy, and I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of it sooner! All around a sweet, enjoyable read.

"The Jimmy Fincher Saga" by James Dashner, including A Door in the Woods, A Gift of Ice, The Tower of Air, and War of the Black Curtain - Before James Dashner made it big with The Maze Runner he wrote this series of middle grade fantasy about a boy who saves the world. He admits on his website that they're not the best-written books (and I concur with that, the prose is a little rough in places, especially in the first one), but they sure are exciting! I read through them a lot faster than I expected to, and enjoyed it for the adventure. These would be a great fit for reluctant readers, since something exciting is always happening, which propels you through the story quickly.

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low - So cute! Historical fiction with a slight magical twist. It reads like a mystery and was a lot of fun. I'm sad that there won't be any more in the series (I've heard that the publisher dropped them, which is a shame because this one was fun!), but it's well worth the quick read!

Also Read in July:
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern
Moon Without Magic by Michael O. Tunnell
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Taming the Wind by Michelle Thompson

What I Needed to Read Today

2011-07-29T14:33:00.002-06:00

Here's a great post about enjoying the writing journey, by author Jody Hedlund. It's exactly what I needed to hear today!

I, like many, have a hard time with patience. Lately I've been wanting things to progress faster, especially with my writing. Why is this draft taking so long to write (well, part of that is because I haven't been writing as much as I should...), why does publishing take so long? Why can't I just be published now? Why is this taking so long?

I've been feeling the same way in life, too. This week I've been busy, interviewing for a job and sending out applications for other places as well. Why won't they call me? When will I find out if I got the job? Why is this taking so long?

And I ask myself the same thing again while George and I are trying to save up the money for our apartment. Why are there so many other bills to pay right now? When can we have our own place again? Why is this taking so long?

That lovely post helped remind me to be a little bit more patient, and to enjoy where I am. Things are changing rapidly for me right now (except in writing, but again, that's my own fault) and I'll be somewhere else with my life before I know it. Right now I just need to take a deep breath, and enjoy things for where they are right now.

Things I've Recently Learned About Myself

2011-07-19T14:26:00.004-06:00

I really, really like cats. Even the grumpy ones. Even though I am slightly allergic I absolutely love having a cat around.
I've gotten into the habit of giggling after I say something that's supposed to be funny. This annoys me every time now and needs to stop.
I'm not the best at keeping secrets.
It takes me a very long time to warm up to people, which is why I haven't made a really close friend in years.
I can survive without all my Stuff. But I do like it. And I can't wait to have it out of boxes, especially the rest of my books.
I send stupid e-mails sometimes. And tweets (a lot of times).
For the life of me I cannot get up early if I don't have something to do, like school or work or church.
I'm really bad at calling people.
I feel a lot less lonely when I'm reading. Or being creative. I'm trying to do more of both.
For the last two weeks I've only been able to fall asleep by playing Dr. Mario at bedtime.

It Will Happen

2011-07-07T17:12:00.003-06:00

So far I've been doing great on my mid-year goal to write every day (except for Sunday, because I figure a break once a week is a good thing). So far I've only missed one day (because I honestly just forgot until really late at night). I haven't worried too much about word count, because I've noticed in the past that when I'm really pushing for a certain number of words my writing quality goes down and I come to resent my writing time every day.

The most amazing thing has been happening, though. I've been enjoying writing! I have to tell you, it's been ages since that happened. Finishing the first draft of Half-Baked Magic was like pulling teeth. I hated the way the story was going, I hated the way I was writing it, nothing seemed to be working, and by the end I was just sick of the whole thing. I think that's why I've been so antsy about writing this year, because the last time I was writing regularly it didn't go very well.

I wouldn't say I've hit my stride on this draft, but I will tell you that it's been better. I changed the POV for this second draft (it should really be called a second first draft, since I'm basically starting over from scratch), and I'm just letting myself enjoy the process. Even the past few days, when I start writing pretty late at night and I tell myself I only have to write 100 words (my bare minimum for the day) I always end up writing more, because I don't want to stop.

That's been wonderful.

I often let my fears get to me when it comes to my writing. Usually if I've taken a long break from it, I get so anxious I feel sick just thinking about reading what I'd written again. I'm trying to not let that happen this time, because you know what? I am a writer. I am writing, and one day, I'm going to be published. I can and will work hard to make this happen, and whether it's five or fifty years down the road my book will be on the shelves for sale. As Rick Walton (picture book author and former teacher of mine) says, "almost everyone who sticks at [getting published] long enough and works at it hard enough, will."

To leave you with some wonderful, amazing news, my internet friend Natalie Whipple announced today that she now has a two book deal with Harper Teen. I can't think of anyone else I know who has worked so tirelessly and for so long to make her publishing dream come true. After five years of querying, rejections, switching agents, and being out on submission for a very long time she's now sold two books to an awesome publisher. That didn't come from luck. It came from hard work.

Natalie is one of my writer heroes, and today I cried a little when I read her post. It wasn't easy, but she worked hard, and she made it happen. I can do that, too.

Read in June 2011

2011-07-02T14:28:00.001-06:00

Holy cats you guys! I read a ton in June! I guess being unemployed/out of school/incredibly bored all day will do that to you. There were lots and lots of good books, but I didn't review all of them both to keep the post shorter and because some books were part of a series. Here are some of my favorites from last month (pictures link to Goodreads for summaries):

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson - I love fairy tale re-tellings, and this one is a new favorite. Based on a more obscure fairy tale (that I always loved as a kid), and set in an India-like country, Toads and Diamonds has just about everything I want in a story. I loved that this story changed the tale, and made what may have seemed like a curse a blessing. The magic and world is rich and the prose is just beautiful. If you like books based on fairy tales go out and find a copy right now!

Where She Went by Gayle Forman - This is the gorgeous sequel to If I Stay, which came out a few years ago and which was an instant favorite of mine. I loved that this story could easily stand on its own, and that the journey is about a different character, but that it still relates to the first book. Forman's writing is wonderful, and it was a great blend of so many wonderful things. There is some profanity/older content, but I'd still recommend it along with If I Stay for any reluctant teen reader.

Divergent by Veronica Roth - Wow, this book was epic! Another great dystopian (there have been so many awesome ones coming out!), this one taking place in Chicago in the future. This book has a little bit more of a sci-fi than post-apocalyptic flare, and it's incredibly gripping, with high stakes for the character and those she loves. I can't wait until the next one in the series comes out! (And my teenage brother-in-law read it so fast, trying to sneak it away from me before I was even done!)

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool - This was this year's Newbery winner, and it did not disappoint! I loved the way Abilene's adventures intertwine with the entire town of Manifest, both its past and present inhabitants. This book is a great example of how to move back and forth between two timelines in a story, while still keeping the reader interested. I didn't realize how much some of the characters meant to me until the end, when we reach a full understanding of the loss they experienced. A beautiful book.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen - This month I read my first Sarah Dessen books, which are great so far. (Amazon had them for cheap, so I bought a bunch). I loved the friendship in this book, which is something I don't think we see enough of in YA. Dessen's writing is smooth and thoughtful, and her characters always feel real and flawed. Even though she deals with some tough issues in this book (like teen pregnancy) Dessen treats them with tact, and I never felt like things were thrown in just to make it edgy. An excellent read.

Also Read in June:
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
That Summer by Sarah Dessen
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa
The Color of Heaven by Kim Dong Hwa
The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

What have you been reading?

Happy Mid-Year!

2011-06-30T11:33:00.005-06:00

Guess what everyone? It's Mid-Year's Eve! You know, that time of the year when you look at the calendar and go "Holy smokes, what happened to 2011?" Where you look at that sticky note with your New Year's resolutions on it with deep guilt and remorse, and you start wondering what has happened to all the time you had in the last six months.

Well I say we should celebrate the mid year! Personally the first half of this year stunk, as far as my goals went. I guess I graduated from college, but as for the rest of the things I wanted to do... not so much. So I'm compiling a short list of Mid-Year goals (you all know how I love me some lofty goals) for the rest of year (though hopefully not too lofty this time), and I encourage those of you who have gotten a little off track to do the same! (Totally not required).

Goals for 2011 Part II:

Write every day. Really. I mean it. I'm going to write every day, even if it's just one sentence, but by golly I'm going to make this a habit, even if it kills me. Well, hopefully it won't kill me.
Finish the 2nd draft of Half-Baked Magic by August 31. This second draft has been seriously taunting me. I've given myself deadlines to finish it at least three times, and that's just silly. This. Is. It.
Do something vaguley exerciseish a couple of times a week. Okay. Not a great goal, but I keep thinking I'm going to commit to a healthy routine and suddenly be running 5ks on the first day, so I thought I'd shoot for something a little more flexible.

So Happy Mid-Year tomorrow, everyone! Eat some corn on the cob and watermelon, and watch the fireflies tonight (that is if you live somewhere where there are fireflies like i do now) before starting in on your awesome new goals! Or, you know, just watch some TV and cheer me on from wherever you are. That works too.

Read-a-Thon Updates

2011-06-17T14:12:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone! For those of you participating in the read-a-thon I'll be posting occasional updates here, and more regular ones on Twitter (@nerdgoddess).

Since I'd like to participate in some of the mini challenges, I will also do those in this post!

Update Friday 10:20 / Report #1 (EST):

Total Books Read: 2 (The Scorch Trials and The Color of Water)
Total Pages Read: 685
Books Read Since Last Update: 1.5
Pages Read Since Last Update: 420
Total Time Read: 8ish hours (I guess I lost count)
What I'm Currently Reading: Moon Over Manifest
How I'm Currently Feeling: Kind of tired, but still good. I was originally planning to stay up real late to read, but since I have some family stuff going on tomorrow that I don't want to be tired for, I probably won't. I'll definitely still read some more tonight, but I think I'll worry about finishing book #3 tomorrow morning.

My favorite thing I've read today: The Scorch Trials. I was surpised at how much I liked it, I think I even liked it better than The Maze Runner!

Favorite Mini-Challenge: Uh, I haven't really been doing these, but I think the 3 book title sentence idea was pretty cool. And the story (obviously).

Favorite thing about the read-a-thon: Totally losing myself in these books!

Least favorite thing about the read-a-thon: Um. I guess I'm just sad that I'll get so behind while I sleep tonight!

Goals Progress: I was hoping to complete 3+ books during the read-a-thon, and I'm right on track!

New Goals: Not really. Tomorrow's going to be busy, so as long as I finish my third book I'll be happy!

Update Friday 4:15 (EST):

Total Books Read: 0 (almost done with my first!)
Total Pages Read: 265
Books Read Since Last Update: 0
Pages Read Since Last Update: 0
How I'm Currently Feeling: Surprisingly good! I have to take breaks or my eyes start hurting, but I'm feeling good about my goal of 3 books for the entire read-a-thon. If I can finish this one (The Scorch Trials) soon, and another book today, plus one book tomorrow I'll be happy with how things went. :)

Mini-Challenge #3 (A 100 word storying using Shaman, Lime, Laser, and Goat):

"I'm no Shaman, but if you keep running around in shorts and flip-flops you are going to end up with Lime Disease."

I rolled my eyes. My Mom acted like every other thing was going to make my eyeballs fall out, but she I figured if every other kid on the block managed to stay away from ticks, I'd be just fine.

"I'll be outside, Mom."

Even though I could feel her eyes like lasers on my back I bolted out the back door before she could stop me--and nearly dripped over a goat.

"If you free me from this rope I will grant you three wishes..." said the goat.

I stared open mouthed. Three wishes? A talking goat? And what was it doing in my backyard?

Okay, so that was more like a vignet than a story, but hopefully none of you mind. :) How are you doing on your reading?

Read in May 2011

2011-06-15T18:06:00.000-06:00

I can't seem to get pictures to post on this computer right now, so just click on the titles for links to the summaries on Goodreads. Sorry this is so late! The last few week have been... um... distracting. (I can't really say busy since George and I are both out of work). Anywho, here are my favs from last month's reads!

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith - This book had been on my to-be-read shelf for ages, and I just kept not getting around to it. I'd heard good things about it, but honestly, my cheap paperback copy always looked less appealing than the new hardcovers I kept buying. Finally I realized I was being stupid and read it on a recent trip. Oh goodness. It was SO GOOD. Crown Duel is actually now two books in one, and I especially liked the second "half," Court Duel, which had all kinds of fun courtly things and pretty dresses which I always swoon over in books. Anyway, if you're looking for a killer, old-fashioned YA fantasy (with just a hint of romance) this book is perfect.

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison - Janette's books are always fun and clean. While My Fair Godmother is her first fantasy book, she maneuvers the genre like a pro. It had me laughing with almost every chapter, and was a great book to read after the rather depressing novel I had read previously. Her books are always enjoyable to read!

Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld - I've always liked Westerfeld's books, and this was a fun-and-slightly-creepy first book in one of his lesser-known series. It's a quick read, and I'm excited to see where the other books go!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - Another excellent dystopian, though not as action-filled as, say, The Hunger Games, has great (and varied) cast of characters, a believable vision of the future, and layers of depth. Though I was hoping this was a stand-alone and was a tad dissapointed to not see everything wrapped up at the end, it's still a compelling and worthwhile read.

Read-a-Thon

2011-06-02T11:31:00.002-06:00

Hey all! I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be participating in my good friend Enna Isilee's Spring into Summer Read-a-thon over at Squeaky Books!

This read-a-thon is going to be so great! It's two days (36 hours total) where you try do NOTHING but read. It's a great chance to get rid of some of those books that have been sitting on your to-be-read pile forever.

But that's not all! There will also be awesome mini-challenges and a TON of giveaways! In fact, just for signing up you are entered to win a $25 gift card to Amazon! SO GO SIGN UP! And if you say that I (Debbie Barr!) sent you, you'll get 5 extra entries to win that gift card! CLICK HERE to enter to win, and know all there is to know about the read-a-thon.

Here's my goal:

I plan to participate on: Both Friday and Saturday (if I can! If not, definitely on Saturday)
I plan to read: 3-5 Books*
I hope to read: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson, Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low, Pegasus by Robin McKinley, and Where She Went by Gayle Forman*

*Totally subject to change

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Some Additions

2011-05-29T14:55:00.002-06:00

Hey all! I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but I added some permanent pages to my blog with some resources. The For Writers tab is a list of my favorite writing/publishing websites and blogs, and the Book Recommendations is a list of my favorite books! Check them out if you'd like and let me know if I should look at anything else to add to the lists.

A New Chapter

2011-05-27T19:29:00.002-06:00

It's always strange when a phase of your life comes to a close. I've just graduated from college and now I'm several thousand miles away from the place I've lived for almost my entire life. It hasn't really sunk in yet that this isn't just a vacation and that I'm not starting school up in the fall along with everyone else.

This move from Utah to Indiana has been stressfl for me. My family is back in Utah. Even though George and I have now movd all of our things, it's in storage right now. We don't have an apartment, we don't have jobs. My mother-in-law has kindly let us stay with her for a short time, but there's so much unknown sitting directly in front of me that if I start thinking about it too much I begin to panic.

I was talking with my sister about this, though, and I realized I haven't quite seen the potential of the situation. She said to me that I should be excited about where we are. My whole life is open to me, there are many paths I can choose right now, and who knows where they will take me? Sometimes I think I know exactly where I am and what my life is going to be about already, when really, I still have so much life ahead of me to live. There's no reason to box myself in and have my path set just yet.

So here's to new beginings in a new state. Here's to finding work and a new routine to live every day. Here's to picking up lost habits and setting new goals. Though I can't see ahead of me right now, I can always have hope that the future is bright and make the best of the present given to me now.

A Visit to Canada

2011-05-17T22:31:00.008-06:00

So, I haven't really been busy moving. (Thinking about it, yes. Actually packing, no). George and I are still planning on leaving Utah before the end of the month, but we've actually been in Canada for the last week and half. So instead of boxes and packing tape there has been this:

Despite some grumpiness from me for part of the trip (this does happen to me when I travel, sometimes), it was still a very nice vacation. George's grandmother kindly took us, and it was fun!

But now we are back and preparing for a big move in earnest. Our apartment contract has been sold, the moving truck paid for, now all we have to do is pack up all of our stuff and drive a few thousand miles with it.

Piece of cake, right?

Read in April 2011

2011-05-05T23:10:00.005-06:00

I've been feeling super apathetic lately. Post-graduation slump? Warm-weather blahs (is that even really a thing)? I don't know. On the plus side, I read a whole slew of books last month, including the last ones I reviewed for my awesome library job. *sniff* I wonder how not having a job where I get paid--partially--to read will affect my reading levels? I guess we shall see. In any case, here are my favs from last month (pictures link to book descriptions):

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - This was classic middle grade, and I loved it! Super-smart children, both boys and girls, going undercover and outsmarting adults? What's not to love? I thought the characters were really fun and unique, with enough action and danger to make it interesting but not too intense for the intended audience. I know I would have eaten this right up as a kid.

The Loser's Guide to Life and Love by A.E. Cannon - A sweet, simple teen romance. Loosely based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream," it was so refreshing reading a YA book that wasn't brimming with sexual tension. Instead the romance was really sweet, "crushy" if you will, which has always felt much more realistic to me, even for teens. It was also really funny! The voice was authentic, and it was just an overall enjoyable read. Just what I needed!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - I absolutely loved Before I Fall, so I was really looking forward to this new book. It was so good. Delirium was a lighter dystopian, meaning that the government hasn't entirely taken over everything, but you can see it's heading that way. I thought the characters were interesting, and even though the romance was an important part of the book, it wasn't the only part of the book, so there's plenty of action and suspense to go around. I can't wait for the sequel!

Supernaturally by Kiersten White - Most of you probably know that I love love loved Paranormalcy, and this sequel was incredibly good as well! Evie has such a fun voice, it's always fun to spend more time with her. Blessedly, Supernaturally did not suffer from "terrible two" syndrome. (Isn't the second book in the trilogy often the worst?) Even though there's a whole lot of "oh bleep, all kinds of bad things are happening" moments, there was no pointless drama! And it resolved well, instead of being like "hahaha, you must wait until the third book to see any ends tied." Basically, it was great. And if you haven't read Paranormalcy yet, go read it! It's awesome!

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black - I read all five books at once, and they're so short it really could just be one long book (especially middle grade has gotten so long recently). Very fun fantasy, with illustrations scattered throughout (I love those), and flawed but likeable characters. I can see why the series has been popular! They'd be great for reluctant readers.

Also read in April:
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund
The Shattering by Karen Healey (ARC)
Janitors by Tyler Whitesides (ARC)
The Bloomswell Diaries by Louis L. Buitendag

What have you been reading?

Moving Again

2011-04-28T14:13:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we're moving in a month, and preparations have already begun. I closed up my Etsy shop to free up some time, and we're still trying to sell our contract. A cute engaged couple came to look at it on Tuesday, and I realized George and I are both terrible at selling stuff, because we did a terrible job and I don't think they'll be buying our contract. *sigh* I guess we've learned for next time, right?

I still haven't been writing (I have no excuses about time now) and I really need to get back on track. It doesn't help that I had to return the computer I've been renting from my school, so now I'm sharing a desktop for my gaming husband, so I guess that's my new excuse. I know, I know, there are no good excuses. My new writing goal is to finish this darned draft by the end of the summer. I have a small writing group now (we took some classes together) and we're all trying to get second drafts done by then, so hopefully that will be good motivation. Right?

Anyway, things are pretty dull around here, but I have been reading a lot, so at the very least I'll have lots of books to review for this month. And I have a feeling May is going to be an awesome month of reading for me. I really need to catch up on my crazy to-be-read pile!

Various and Sundry

2011-04-19T20:34:00.003-06:00

I'm graduating from college on Friday. Yay! I suppose this means I'm now supposed to be a "real" adult. We'll see how that goes.
I sewed a dress this weekend. It was great! Even if the sleeves are still a little funky.
My mother-in-law is flying in tomorrow and will be staying with us until Sunday. I'm so excited! My mother-in-law is seriously awesome. I just feel bad that she's going to be sleeping on our couch.
I recently met Myrna. She is wonderful and sweet. You should read her blog because she is a writer going places.
We are trying to sell our apartment contract. Does anyone know of someone looking for a 1 bedroom apartment near BYU campus that would like to move in late May/June?
So yes, we are moving. To Indiana. In May. Did you know moving across the country is kind of expensive? Also we don't have an apartment there yet. George and I are killer at this planning thing.
This also means I won't be around much for the next month or so. Once we get settled in Indiana, though, I am making writing my job. Seriously. I want to be writing at least 20 hours a week all summer, least of all because I just joined a (small) critique group and we made each other promises.
Writing more also means blogging more. Because the internet = procrastination and I love me some of that.
Speaking of, I still have one more test to take. I just can't seem to find the motivation to study...

Over and out.

Read in March 2011

2011-04-10T13:22:00.000-06:00

It's book review time again! Lots of middle grade this time around. Click on the pictures for links to the summary. Here are my favorites from last month:

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander - I can't believe it took me so long to read something by Lloyd Alexander. I've been giving tours about him for the past year (we have some of his office at the library), but hadn't really known what I was talking about. He is amazing! I wish I'd read this as a child, I would have eaten it up. I'll probably try to read the rest of the Prydain Chronicles this year. If you haven't read them, you should! Great fantasy.

The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone - This was such a sweet MG historical fiction. It takes place in the 1940s (I know the cover makes it look modern) right before WWII. I loved the characters and the sweet, simple romance, as well as the adjustments the main character makes to her new family life. Very sweet, and all kinds of references to Frances Hodgson Burnett, so what's not to love?

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - Another MG historical fiction, about refugees coming to America from Vietnam after the war. It's written in verse, but it works so well with the story. I loved the observations made about America from another culture, like calling Thanksgiving "the holiday where they eat a turkey the size of a baby." An excellent book.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - Paranormal romance done right! This follows the story of a girl who's part angel. I really liked the lore created for this world, and the romance was just right. Even though there was a love triangle, for once it was one I actually believed, instead of spending the whole time thinking just pick a boy already! Plus the prose was beautiful. It does end on a cliffhanger, so I am anxiously awaiting the next book.

Also read in March:
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Drowning Pool by Ross MacDonald
The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
Open Interval by Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon

What have you been reading?

The Common Thread

2011-04-07T15:02:00.003-06:00

I'm at the tail-end of a big family. I have four older sisters, an older brother and a younger brother. My oldest sister is 12 years older than me, and I'm actually closer in age to her daughter than I am to her. I have 9 nieces and nephews with 1 on the way. 5 of us are married. Getting a group of nearly 2 dozen people together is kind of hard. And noisy.

But I love it.

I've always been glad that I had a big family. When I was younger my oldest siblings were just vague grownups that moved in and out of the house, and seemed a little disconnected from my life. After all, some of them were starting college when I was in 1st grade, so it's not too surprising that our relationships were a little distant when I was younger. As we've all gotten older, now, I love that we are all friends. I know I can call my sisters and ask for wisdom whenever needed, and that they'd be happy to impart.

What makes me happiest is that when we're all together, the love is almost tangible. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. Watching the new generation of cousins playing together, or laughing about old jokes, or mourning together there's always an underlying feeling of love when we get together. I don't know where I'd be without my family, and I'm sad that soon I'll be moving far away from my parents and many of my siblings. But I know that we're still joined by blood and by love, and that everything will be all right. I'm glad we are family, and I'm glad we are friends.

Here's a wonderful quote that reminds me of everything about growing up:

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

I adore my family. And today I'm just happy to have them in my life.

Picture Time!

2011-04-04T23:46:00.004-06:00

Oh, hey everyone! So I figured it was high time I changed my profile pic, which has been the cover of Beauty for, like, forever. Which is great, but I am a real person, and I'm supposed to be a grown up now that I'm graduating college (3 weeks!!!) so I figured, let's change it up!

So if you're wondering who this girl is:

No worries, it's just me! (And that is a surprisingly good picture of me, right after my last haircut, and my husband took it with my terrible camera, and I have never gotten my hair to look that good since, but you know, let's pretend I look that cute and smiley all the time!)

And since I'm giving you pictures and all, here's one of me and George (I do talk about him a lot) from our engagement shoot. It's hard to believe it's been over two and a half years since then:

So now you know what I look like (not that it's really a secret or anything) and what my husband looks like (isn't he cute?) And mostly this post was just a procrastination technique, since I'm really supposed to be writing that huge paper due tomorrow that I've put off ALL SEMESTER, but who wants to write papers when I have old pictures to look through?

Bitter

2011-04-01T13:35:00.002-06:00

One of the classes that I took this semester was a one-credit "reading series" where visiting writers come and read for an hour from some of their work. As part of the class, we posted our response online, where other students could read and respond if they desired. Today was the last day, and we had three student writers read some of what they've been working on. While the pieces may not have been as polished as the writing from more established authors from earlier in the semester, it was still a good reading. When I posted my response online, though, to my dismay I found a rather bitter response from another student.

Anyone in the class was welcome to submit some writing for this reading, as did this student. He, though, was not selected. As such, his entire response was about being snubbed, and putting down the students who had been selected, mocking their hard work only, I assume, to make himself feel better. He even admitted the story he submitted wasn't his best work, but despite this, his bitterness over not being chosen was evident.

As an unpublished writer it's easy to feel bitter. Don't people see how much work I've put into this? "That editor must have been an idiot to hate my pitch." "That agent surely doesn't know what she's talking about." Or even worse, "I'm so much better than that other writer."

If we let ourselves feel bitter about the writing process we're eventually going to come to hate it. Writers work hard to get where they are. Even if you don't like their genre, writing style, or characters that doesn't mean no effort was put into their writing. So what if their book is a bestseller? Even if you don't like their book you can still examine what they did right and learn from them.

And actual publishing? It's all subjective. That's a hard to pill to swallow, but if we remember that almost every writer has been rejected, that every rejection means getting closer to an agent or editor who will love our book, it can help keep some of that bitterness at bay.

When the work gets tough what do you do to stay positive?

Winners!

2011-03-30T14:51:00.003-06:00

Wow you guys, I had almost 50 people enter my contest! Totally awesome. And we went way past 85 followers to 98! I know I said I'd give away three books if I reached 100 followers, but 98 is close enough for me! Here are our winners (picked by Random.org):

Hannah who won a copy of Inside Out

Abby Stevens who won a copy of Matched

Jessi E who won a copy of Anna and the French Kiss

(Winners, if you didn't get my e-mail please contact me at soupwriter [at] gmail [dot] com. If I don't hear from you within 72 hours I will pick a new winner).

Matched and Anna were the top contenders, with Before I Fall a close third. All the books got votes except for Shiver (probably because it's been out for so long) and The Search for WondLa (maybe because it's middle grade?)

Fun times for all! Thanks to everyone who entered and shared the contest, and hello to my new followers!

Happy Tuesday

2011-03-29T15:01:00.003-06:00

(Don't forget to enter my giveaway before midnight tonight!)

I feel like I've been going crazy lately, so here's a list of some happy things, to remind me that life is still good:

The feeling of lightness when a big weight is off your shoulders
My really, really fantastic husband who calms me down with just a hug
Winning an ARC of Supernaturally
Baking (cinnamon rolls, pies, cake...)
Sharing books
The way the world is stretching, whispering almost Spring
Seeing my neighbor's sweet new baby, only a week old
Finding out my two little nephews will be getting a new baby sister

Speaking of babies, what about this little cutie?

What's making you happy these days?

Birthday Contest!

2011-03-25T11:04:00.006-06:00

Guess what? My birthday is next week! In honor of turning 22 I'm doing my first giveaway in, like, a year! Yay for you!

I couldn't figure out what book to offer up as a prize, because I've read so many good ones in the last year. So I decided to let you all decide! I chose my top eleven (because I could not make myself narrow it down to ten) books that I've read since my last birthday. They are:

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Lips Touch by Laini Taylor
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Matched by Ally Condie
The Search for WondLa by Toni DiTerlizzi
Inside Out by Maria V. Snider
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

So many good books! How will you ever choose? You have until Tuesday at midnight to decide. I will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday! (If I reach 85 followers during the contest I will choose TWO winners! Edit: You guys are awesome, and we've passed that! If I get 100 followers I will choose THREE winners!) It's really easy to enter. Just fill out the form below!

This contest is over! Thanks to all who entered!

Good luck to all! If you have any questions, please ask in the comments.

Edit: This contest is open internationally, so if you live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or anywhere else you are welcome to enter!

Excuse Me While I Freak Out

2011-03-18T18:17:00.002-06:00

For anyone who didn't see me go all nuts about this on Facebook and Twitter this morning, let me share a link. To this post. On that geeky blog by the author of Cake Wrecks. Who then tweeted about said post. To her 1.2 million Twitter followers.

*dies*

Yeah, it was a pretty awesome moment. My earrings were even featured at the top of the post! I've sold over a dozen pairs of earrings from my shop today, and let me tell ya, I'm pretty happy about it.

So many thanks to Jen (even though she'll never see this, which is good, because I've been saying thank you all over her blog and Twitter) for linking to me. Even though I've made over 600 sales from my Etsy shop, I still feel very much like a beginner in this whole thing! It's always nice to see some good press about what I do.

Discussion: Why Fantasy?

2011-03-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

I'd like to do an open discussion on this post about why there's such a fascination with reading (and writing!) fantasy. It's been a popular genre, especially for young readers (and yes, Paranormal does count as fantasy... sort of) in recent years. Why do you think that is? If you read or write in this genre, what draws you to it?

Here's my two cents, and this certainly doesn't cover the whole topic. Yes, fantasy is escapism in the extreme, and I certainly used books as a child to get away from scary or upsetting things. It was nice to go someplace different when my own world didn't seem quite fair. The irony of this is, of course, that things are never fair in other worlds either, but it was always much more enjoyable to read about some other child's plights rather than my own.

Now as an adult I can see another appealing aspect about children's fantasy. Magic often puts adults and children on the same playing field. This is a terribly enticing idea for kids who, when you think about it, have very little opportunity to make choices of their own. Yet books like Harry Potter or Narnia or Percy Jackson series not only put children at the same level as the adults, but often they are more powerful than the grown-ups around them. Ultimately, it always the kids who save the day in the best chidren's fantasy books, regardless of how well-meaning their parents or teachers may be.

I love that empowerment for young readers, and I think that's part of their addicting appeal. Not to mention that magic is just plain fun.

Why do you choose (or don't choose) fantasy?

Read in February 2011

2011-03-08T04:36:00.007-07:00

I did lots of reading last month, although not as much the last few weeks. It's funny, I felt like I've read hardly anything lately, but I guess that's not true! Here are my favorite reads from the last month, with links to summaries via the pictures:

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson - The second book in The Mistborn Trilogy. Sanderson is pretty much a genius when it comes to world-building, and I think the magic system in these books is amazing! They do take a while to get through (at least for me, since I'm used to shorter books with more white space) but if you like epic fantasy these are a must!

Heist Society by Ally Carter - This book was so fun! I'd never read anything by Ally Carter before, and I thought this was just great. If you're looking for an exciting and clean read, this would be perfect! I loved how smart Kat was, and the relationship she had with her fellow heisters. (Is that even a word?) The sequel comes out this year, yay!

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord - A sweet little middle grade novel by the author of Rules, which I loved. There's was something wonderfully simple about this one, and the setting and characters reminded me a little bit of Jacob Have I Loved, though happier.

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl - I haven't read a historical fiction in ages, so this was a great read! I thought the author did a great mix of real journal entries and letters from the Princess Victoria along with the fictitious texts and characters she brought in. Liza was a strong and spunky heroine, and I enjoyed watching Princess Victoria grow through the events of the book.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis - Murders! Cryogenic freezing! A dystopian-esque society! In space! There was a lot to love about this one, and Beth Revis is so sweet and adorable in person (as she is on her blog). It's been a while since I read a really cool science-fiction that wasn't pure dystopian, and this sure helped satisfy that craving! The sequel doesn't come out until next year, though, but I can't wait!

Also read in February:
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Crazy by Han Nolan
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler

What have you been reading?

Still Busy

2011-03-03T20:18:00.007-07:00

Sorry if I've been a bit quiet this week, but it's been crazy around here! This video pretty aptly describes my life right now, except substitute "graduation" for "the ball":

So if I sound a little nuts (mumbling about midterms and papers) that's probably why. I'm just busy!

Part of this is because my husband's appendix decided to hit the Self Desctruct button, so I spent the weekend in the hospital with him, and a good chunk of my time this week nursing him back to health. He's recovered really well, though, and I'm glad that I was able to help take care of him and be there for him after his surgery.

Now, I'm off to write a couple of papers! I'll try and get my "Read in February" post together for Tuesday. Until then, be well! (And make sure your organs avoid hitting that Big Red Button).

The Man Behind the Curtain

2011-02-24T12:05:00.002-07:00

In my detective fiction class today my teacher briefly mentioned an idea regarding "the man behind the curtain." We didn't go in depth into the discussion, but I liked the idea so I thought I'd talk about it briefly here.

The gist of what my professor said was this: as writers we are responsible for just about everything in our book. We put in a lot of work and effort to make sure every chapter, paragraph, sentence and word is just right. Doing this takes hours and hours of writing and agony to make sure things turn out just right. And what is the main goal of all this effort?

To make ourselves invisible.

That's right! The reason writers put in so much work into our novels is so that our readers can forget we are there. We are the men (and women) behind the curtain, making everything in our book work but--hopefully--staying unseen through it all.

"But wait!" you say. "I want to be recognized for my work!" And it's true that good authors are recognized for their work and given awards, good reviews and all else that comes with what little fame comes in writing.

Let's look at it this way. Searching "J.K. Rowling" brings up about half the hits "Harry Potter" does. This doesn't mean she's a bad writer, though. On the contrary, it's a good thing, because her characters and her story are more important than she is. When someone reads the Harry Potter books they are so involved in the story, so invested in the characters that they forget that it's not real. They forget someone had to write it, that the seamless writing took hours of effort to make it run smoothly, and that the brilliant ideas came from someone's head.

That takes talent and hard work, people. The hardest thing for a writer is to make their job look easy.

Back in Business

2011-02-21T17:53:00.002-07:00

I have a confession to make. Up until today, I had not written anything this year, except for school assignments. This last week I didn't blog at all because I felt like such a hypocrite. Who was I to talk about writing or revising or anything like that? I wasn't doing any of it! In fact, the last few weeks I've felt very dark and unhappy, and I've been wondering if I should just give up on writing. I'd been doing a pretty good job of it so far.

But. I don't want to. This past week I went to a small conference at BYU, and went to a panel about the "writing life." Guess what? All the authors on the panel have to make time to write, too. They have to work on it every day, even the ones that have published numerous books now. It doesn't change, and you have to always keep working on it. I opened my eyes, finally, and realized that I didn't want to give up on my dream.

Yesterday I talked to one of my sisters and she agreed to be my "alpha reader," someone to read my rough work and encourage me (not to be confused with "beta readers" or critique partners). I trust her and her judgment (she has an MLS degree, after all) and I think it will be good to have someone expecting chapters and cheering me on.

I also have a new goal: Finish the Second Draft of Half-Baked Magic by April 30th.

This goal is reasonable and achievable if I write 1,000 words six days a week. It leaves me with wiggle room to miss days for whatever reason, but it's at a pace I know I can keep up with (since I've done it before).

Today I worked on my novel for the first time this year. It felt so good to be working again, and it made me happy. I need to stop focusing on the discouragement and realize that if I can enjoy the process now, published or not.

I was also absurdly happy to update my "progress bar" on the left. It moved up a few pixels! Life is good, and I'm going to meet my goal.

Answers!

2011-02-10T11:59:00.003-07:00

I didn't get a ton of questions on Tuesday, but that means I can just spend more time on each of them! Right? Anyway, here are my answers:

Q asked "What's your favorite thing to cook?"

Tough question! I actually enjoy cooking a lot, but what I love most is to bake, (so I guess it's no surprise that my main character in my WIP is a baker). If the question asked what I cook most often, it would probably be Chicken Alfredo, made from scratch, which is my husband's favorite meal. I also make tacos a lot, because they are easy and delicious. I use my own recipe for the seasoning, though, which makes me feel all cool.

As far as baking goes, I love making pies. It's therapeutic, I think, and they always taste so good! (Sometimes I will eat them for breakfast, because it's a pastry, right?) I also enjoy baking cookies, muffins and rolls. I'm not a huge cake fan, though, so those don't get made as often. All of this food talk is making me hungry!

Myrna Foster asked, "Do you follow recipes, or do you change them when you get a better idea?" and "How did your paper on The Goose Girl turn out?"

I'm actually a pretty strict recipe follower. While I enjoy cooking, I haven't gotten too adventurous yet! I adore my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and I also like finding recipes online. Maybe someday I will feel brave enough to start making things up as I go, but for now (unless it's soup) I usually just follow the recipe.

As for my paper, I actually haven't started yet! We had to pick a book out several months before the actual paper is due, so I'll get back to you in March after I've written it. :)

My fantabulous sister Lizardbreath McGee asked "What new and exciting projects are trying to lure you away from working on a second draft of Half-baked Magic?"

Great question! I have this lovely idea about a fantasy set in an India-like country, which has been fun to do some preliminary research on. The story has young, powerful magic users, flying carpets, battle make-up, and more! There are so many cool elements to this story that I'm kind of afraid to write it. I don't think I'm good enough, yet. But it keeps drawing me in with it's lovely details... perhaps I'll just keep doing research.

I also might start working on a side "for fun" project about a modern-day Jack and the Beanstalk re-telling, full of super secret spy stuff. It's completely different from the other stuff I'm working on, so it might be fun to work on just as a break from everything else.

Thanks for all the great questions!

Questions?

2011-02-08T15:50:00.002-07:00

I'm fresh out of ideas for a new post today. I've been trying to post twice a week (at least until after I graduate) but it's been surprisingly difficult. Unless you all want me to start complaining about homework, I'm going to have to go do something exciting with my life, or I'm not going to be able to keep even this meager goal every week.

In any case, let's do a Q&A! I haven't done one of those in a while, and it will take up two (TWO!) blog posts, which means I can procrastinate creativity for an entire week. I'm so smart like that.

So is there anything you've been wanting to ask me? Just leave a question in the comments before Thursday and I'll answer them on here, then.

Happy Links

2011-02-03T15:31:00.005-07:00

Today's been kind of a bummer, so here are a few links to things that will make you happy!

-Shannon Hale's poem about baby feet, adorable pictures of her twin girls included.

-A cute Valentine's craft that's simple and will make you smile.

-Notes from the SCBWI's Keynote address, given by the amazing Sara Zarr (remember how she taught the workshop I attended last summer? Yeah, she rocks.)

-This commercial, which makes me want to sew up some Star Wars costumes for my future kids:

What's making you happy today?

Read in January 2011

2011-02-01T08:34:00.007-07:00

This year I'm changing up my "Read in..." posts. Instead of writing reviews of all the books I read, I'm only going to review the books that I really liked or loved for that month. I think it's important to stay positive in this community, and I would hate to hurt someone with a few flippant sentences in a dumb little review. At the end I'll share whatever other books I read that month. And if I don't share a book, it might just be because it wasn't for me! It might still be an awesome book, so don't discount out a book just because of something I've said. Now, onto the reviews!

The Maltese Falcon by Dashielle Hammet - I read this for my detective fiction class, and I was actually surprised that I liked it! The main character is definitely rough, and in fact none of the characters are particularly good or redeemable. Still, there's a lot of depth and layers to the story, and it was a fascinating read, especially to discuss in class. This is one of the classics of the genre, so if you're interested in detective fiction it's a must.

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, Illustrated by Tony Fucile - How adorable is this book? (Answer: extremely adorable!) It's a cross between a picture book and an early reader, with sweet, simple illustrations that fit a sweet, simple friendship. A quick read, but one full of humor and delight. I adored it!

Girl, Stolen by April Henry - I was surprised by how much I liked this one. As the book is about a girl who is kidnapped there is a real sense of danger, but nothing gross or disturbing happens, which is a path the book could have taken. It was fast-paced, but the characters had surprising depth. I think it's a great book for reluctant teen readers of any age.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I LOVED this book. The voice, the characters, the setting, the writing... it was all perfect. I read it very quickly, and I couldn't stop thinking about it while reading and for days afterward. However, I do know this isn't for all. There are some heavier swearwords and underage drinking/sexual activity, though nothing explicit. If you don't mind those things, then please read this! It's wonderful.

Also read in January:
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (still reading... it's long!)
Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill
Red Harvest by Dashielle Hammett
The Dain Curse by Dashielle Hammett
Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Learn From the Best

2011-01-27T15:10:00.003-07:00

I think that anyone who has a dream, a passion for something and who wants to better themselves should learn from the best. The problem is this can be hard. As a writer the chances of me having a face to face discussion with J.K. Rowling is unlikely, but there's something I can do to learn from her:

Read her books.

Simple, right? But I'm amazed at how many people who want to be writers don't read a lot. What better way to learn? And if you get the books from your library it costs you nothing.

The best advice I've received from other writers, and that I can pass on myself, is to read. Read tons of books. Read in your genre and out. Read the best books you can find. Read bad books, too. Any book you read will teach you something. Always pay attention to what is working and what isn't working.

In one of my classes this semester we're studying detective fiction, a genre I knew nothing about when we started (and I'm learning from each book!). My professor said this, and it's so true: "You can tell a good writer because their book seems effortless, you can't see how it functions. It's only when there are mistakes [or you look at it more carefully, I might add] that things start to unravel, and you can look at how it works."

Basically, reading is awesome. And if you want to write, it's one of the most important things you can do. What I love about owning my favorite books is that if I'm stuck somewhere I can open up a book that does that sort of thing well and learn, right there, right when I need it.

At the moment I'm currently studying Ella Enchanted, one of my favorite books from when I was young, to see how the pacing and magic works. What books are helping you with your current projects?

Talent and Hard Work

2011-01-25T14:57:00.004-07:00

Sunday on Facebook I asked my friends to comment on or like my status if they wanted to be (or are) a writer. While I had over 20 people "confess," (which was awesome in and of itself) the real gem of the day came from something my aunt said, which is that my writer genes came from both my mother and my grandmother.

While I've known forever about my mother's writing talent (she is one of those amazing people who journals every day, something I never remember to do) I'd never heard anything about my grandmother being a writer. I asked if we had anything she'd written.

My aunt sent me a copy of two poems my grandma had written, one of them being a poem that won a contest when she was in high school. The award? Meeting Robert Frost! Our family still has the signed book of his poems he gave her, which is just amazing.

The poems themselves, though, were what interested me the most. They were lovely and beautiful, in that raw and hopeful way that can only come from a new but talented writer. As I read them I felt this connection to my grandmother, a thin string tying me back to a woman who died when I was too young to remember her.

There's a bit of sorrow with this, two. Those two poems, written by a young woman, are all we have from her. There are many reasons my grandmother never fully developed her writing, but she had the talent to maybe become something great. I so wish we had more poems or stories or even a journal from her, but there is nothing besides a few dozen short lines. The gift that she was given was lost when she passed.

I don't want to be that way. I've seen many people in my life who are "gifted," but who choose for whatever reason to not pursue that gift. Sometimes when we are good at something we forget that in order to achieve the "dream" that goes with it we have to work hard. My grandmother had a talent for writing, but she didn't use it, she didn't put in the work to make that happen. I'd like to think that I have a talent for writing as well, but it's not going to do me any good if I don't sit down and work, if I don't pursue that dream with all my heart.

Writing is hard. Anyone who seriously pursues the profession knows this. I know this. I know some days are difficult, and I want to give up. Sometimes I get frustrated and don't think I'm any good. I don't know if I'll ever be published, but I do know that giving up entirely is not an option.

I will not let my unsaid words die with me. I will always be a writer.

Manuscript Love Lists

2011-01-20T15:34:00.003-07:00

Last Friday Natalie Whipple posted a great guest post on her blog for her weekly "Happy Writers Society" feature. It was about "Love Lists," which I had heard of before but I had never tried. The gist of the idea is to write a list of all the things you love about your novel. It can be long or short, the only thing that matters is that you remember why you loved your book in the first place.

Yesterday Brandon Mull (author of the Fablehaven books) visited my children's publishing class and talked about writing and publishing. Among other things, one of the reasons I love hearing Brandon speak is because he's just so darn excited about everything! You can really tell that he has a passion for what he does, and that he truly loves the stories and characters he writes.

As I was listening to him, I thought, "You know Debbie, you really don't like your book that much. But you must have liked it at some point, right? What made you like it in the first place?" So I pulled out a piece of paper and jotted down a few things. Among them were:

Yummy baked treats
Flint (one of the characters)
Soft, beautiful magic and hard, majestic machines
Tension between two worlds
A nosy, passionate friend
A small town and small people with great quirks
Bittersweet memories

As I was writing my list a funny thing happened: I remembered that Half-Baked Magic has cool stuff in it. Who knew, right? I felt a little tingle go through me, and I realized that I can't give up on this book just yet. Even though I don't like it very much now, and even though I often don't want to write it (and I haven't been writing it for weeks) it's worth going back to. The story has a lot of work to go, but it has good things too, and throwing all those away would be silly.

I'm going back to work on it this week. Even though a big part of me doesn't want to, I'm determined to make this story awesome.

The College Vortex

2011-01-18T16:22:00.002-07:00

Sometimes it's really hard to come up with an interesting blog post idea during the midst of a busy semester.

I mean really hard.

I like to think of it as "The College Vortex," a bottomless wormhole that sucks unsuspecting students in and then encompasses their entire lives. It controls our thoughts so we can only think in the number of pages we have to read or the word length of our next papers. The Vortex shlurps away our sleep hours, so we're wandering around like zombies spouting out math formulas or names of obscure poets as we walk between our classes.

You've seen the signs of it, I'm sure. On Facebook all of your college-going friends/relatives only seem to write statuses about how many papers are due this week, how much homework they have to finish, or how little sleep they got the night before while staying up late studying.

No one else cares.

But us? Those of us lost in the midst of The College Vortex, lost in the deserts of assigned reading and stretched thin between five professors who think their class is the Most Important, we forget. Hearing us complain is boring.

So sorry if I'm strung a little tight, or if all I'm doing is mumbling vocabulary words while trying to catch a nap between lunch and work. I'm caught up in the College Vortex, and all I can think about is school. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish reading a novel, write a response to last week's class, catch up on the reading I missed today and see if I can actually read something before class for next time... you know how it goes.

Books that Change You

2011-01-14T08:46:00.004-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale changed my life. It is one of those defining books of my life that I read as a teenager, and that helped shape who I would become, and is still one of my all-time favorite reads.

When I was in junior high one of my older sisters gave me a copy of The Goose Girl for my birthday. I immediately loved the cover and the weight of the book. It simply looked wonderful. It helped that it was one of the first hard-backs I'd ever owned. I don't remember much about the first read-through other than finishing it too soon and that I loved it. A few months later I got Enna Burning and read through it just as fast.

Around the time Princess Academy won the Newbery honor in 2006 I started reading Shannon's blog and I fell in love with this amazing, funny author who talked about her life and her writing online. There began to be a problem of readers having long discussions in the comment section, so a website called Little Red Reading Hood was started as a place for Shan-fans to chat and discuss Shannon's books. I joined, and before I knew it, I was hooked.

Though I had friends in school who read, no one had quite the same fascination with books as I did. Yet on this forum I met a bunch of other teenager girls with fantastic taste in books, and it's like I was home. I'd spend hours every day on there chatting, talking books and writing and having a wonderful time. I eventually went to my first Shannon Hale signing, and Shannon actually knew who I was when I told her my screen name. I also met Enna Isilee, who has become one of my best book and blogging friends.

Since then I've met other members of Little Red. Many of us are friends on Facebook and follow one another's blogs. Though the forum is no longer used, it helped form deep connections that will last the rest of my life.

There's so much joy that came from loving that book: reading it so many times I've lost count, identifying with a character so well I wish I could be her, standing in the wind and hoping that I could feel that same magic, sharing it with others and having an instant connection with those who have read it. I don't know that I'll ever feel the same about another book in my life.

My greatest wish as a writer, especially as a writer for young people, is that I will be able to write a book that inspires that much joy in a person. Just one is all I need. I hope I can write a book that give someone comfort and happiness when they read it, that they want to share it with the people around them, that feels like home when they read it. If I can do that, then I will be a success, no matter what my book sales look like. I have a long way to go before that happens, but that' a bright point I can fix my future on as I move forward.

Do you have a book (or books!) that changed your life?

Happy Things

2011-01-11T23:05:00.009-07:00

(source)

- The horrible/wonderful feeling of icy cold
- Writing a paper on The Goose Girl (a book that changed my life)
- Reading fairy tales for school assignments
- Coming home to a clean house and washed dishes while I was away (Super hubby points)
- My cute religion religion professor who giggles a lot during her lectures
- Watching cheesy anime
- Giant homemade cookies
- Loving, and being loved, every day

Read in December

2011-01-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my reading list from December! As always, click on the picture for a link to the Goodread's page for a summary. And to mark it as to-read if you like, too!

Yearbook by Ally Condie - Ally Condie's first book, a sweet little bit of LDS (Mormon) fiction, from the point of view of the many people who attend a particular high school. It was a nice, refreshing story amid some of the darker stuff I've been reading, and as far as LDS fiction goes, quite good. I plan to read the other two books in the trilogy.

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh - A very well researched historical fantasy that takes place in a medieval abbey, with lots of faerie lore thrown in. I didn't really connect with it, but others might like it. Be aware, though, that it's the first in the series, with plenty of loose ends to tie up. I thought it was a stand-alone, so that may be why I didn't like it as much.

You by Charles Benoit - A nice addition to the market of YA books with boy main character, this time from the 2nd person. While it took some getting used to, reading a book where "you" are the character was actually really cool. Thankfully, the book didn't just rely on a gimmick, but instead had some really fascinating characters, and a plot that kept me reading. It is very dark, though, and deals with edgier stuff, so be aware of that if you plan to read it.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch - A graphic novel about a made-up orthodox Jewish community, and a young girl that wants to be a dragon slayer. This was also a web comic, though I wasn't familiar with it before I read the book. I didn't connect with this one as much as other graphic novels, and I'm not really sure why. But, others have really loved it, so perhaps I am just missing something.

You are Not Here by Samantha Schutz - Written in verse, this book is about a girl addressing the death of her boyfriend--whose relationship was a secret. She can't mourn with his friends or family, and she doesn't know how to deal with the situation. I found the second half of the book the best, as Annaleah rises out of her misery and learns to move on, and I wish that part had been expanded more. The first half is pretty depressing and dark, though, so it may not be worth getting through for some readers.

Scumble by Ingrid Law - The brilliant sequel to Savvy, full of "talents" which are more like super-powers, adventure, and discovering yourself. I think I may have liked this one even better than Savvy. A great middle grade novel, perfect for that 10-12 age group, or older!

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt - Despite the title, this book is not actually depressing at all! Keturah is a girl in a medieval village who meets death, and makes a bargain with him. She must find true love, win the Best Cook contest, and save the village from the plague all before Death comes back for her. I thought it was different and fun, with unique and charming characters, and an end I wasn't expecting.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder- A totally awesome dystopian that blew my mind. Very gripping with good writing. The main character reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games but NOT in a she-is-totally-ripping-off-that-book kind of way. If you like dystopians, you'll like this. The sequel comes out next month!

Percy Jackson: The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan - There short stories in the Percy Jackson series. They weren't bad. I got the book for super cheap, or I probably wouldn't have read them, but it's a nice supplement for the many fans of the series.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater- The sequel to Shiver, which is a beautifully written paranormal romance about werewolves. I liked the first book better, but Linger was still nice, though a bit slow. I think it's because it's the second book in a trilogy, which often have less action as they are setting up for a big climax in the third book. I will be reading Forever when it comes out as well.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson - Another YA contemporary from a teen boy's perspective. The main character's life is pretty messed up, and it seems like all of his attempts to fix it don't work. There's some dealing with verbal abuse, and lots of emotional baggage the character is dealing with. I thought it was well done, but it was very edgy with some mature themes, so I wouldn't recommend it to a reader that's sensitive to that sort of thing.

All in all, a great month for reading!

Back to School and Some Goals

2011-01-04T15:49:00.003-07:00

Classes started again today, and though I am not looking forward to more homework, I AM happy, because this is the first day of my last semester of college! It's hard to believe I'm almost done, but I'm certainly not complaining. It's been a great 3 1/2 years, and hopefully this last semester will be a good one. So far so good! Lots of reading, though, so less time for fun stuff.

Speaking of, I read six books over Christmas break! Exciting stuff, I know. There will be a new post with my thoughts from December's reading sometime this week. I think.

And finally, (I know I'm late on this) some goals! I always make way too lofty goals for myself, but I don't care. It's good to shoot high, right? My junior high math teacher had a quote on her wall that said "It's better to aim for the stars and miss, than aim for the manure pile and hit."

Last year I tried doing monthly goals, with some overarching ones for the whole year. While that fizzled out around April, I did accomplish some things, which was awesome. The best part of 2010? I finished the first draft of a manuscript! And went to my first big writing workshop! Last year definitely pushed my writing and helped me to focus in and just do the work it took to finish something big, all on my own.

This year my big writing goal is to get that manuscript polished enough so that I can start querying agents sometime in the fall. Yikes! However, I think that even if this isn't the book that gets me an agent or gets me published, the experience that comes with lots of revising and then submitting will be really good for me.

This year I'd also like to blog more consistently and with more interesting posts (sorry guys!), and I also want to be more positive about me, in all aspects. I'm very hard on myself about everything, and I know I need to be better about letting myself make mistakes and not berating myself so badly when I do. I especially need to not get embarrassed so much.

And lastly, I'm trying to be more healthy again. It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since I ran my Thanksgiving 5k. I still was far from my goal weight, but I was in a lot better shape than I am now. I would like to run another 5k in the spring or early summer, so I'm taking steps now to get there! And I'm trying to not eat sweets or anything of the sort for now (which is so so so so hard) because I've just realized I can't handle it. It's all or nothing, there.

Anywho, it's nice to be back and blogging. Do you have any big goals for the year?

Almost Over

2010-12-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Can I just say, I love Christmas break? It's been so nice to just relax and unwind after a stressful semester. School starts up again next week, but for now I'm just enjoying the time off, away from the stress of school and Etsy orders.

Mostly I've been reading a ton (which is good--I had a lot of books to catch up on, and I got even more for Christmas) and working on the new draft of Half-Baked Magic.

It's hard to believe this is my last Christmas break at college. Where has the time gone? It feels like I was just taking Freshman Biology, and now here I am, ready to graduate in April. Strange how fast time can go.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a book and some hot chocolate to attend to.

What have you been doing over your break?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today among all the presents and good food, we should also take the time to remember why we celebrate this day. I know not all my readers are Christian, and I hope that those of you who aren't take the time to appreciate and be thankful for your family today. I know I am.

For those of you who are, I am so grateful for this season where we can celebrate Christ's birth, life, and resurrection. He truly is the Messiah, the Prince of Peace. I've always loved Handel's Messiah this time of year, so here's a wonderful video of the Hallelujah chorus, sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, of course:

Two Happy Years

2010-12-20T09:53:00.003-07:00

It's been two happy years since I married my husband, George. It's still one of the best days of my life, and I am so glad that I made that decision. He supports me, helps me where I need the most encouragement, and has helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. I would not be writing now if it weren't for him, and I am grateful every day we found each other.

So today I say, I love you George! Here's to a lifetime of happy years together.

Read in October/November

2010-12-13T09:18:00.010-07:00

I'm back! There will probably be a few scattered posts through the next few weeks, but don't expect anything consistant until the New Year. I've been surprised how much I missed blogging, though, and it's nice to be back and writing a new post again. I finished my first final this morning (hooray!) with four more left to go this week. Now, onto what I've been reading! Some of these are from early October, so forgive me if I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details.

Spilling Ink by Ann Mazer and Ellen Potter - A fantastic guide for young readers. Lots of tips found in short essays, with "I Dare You" challenges to get writers going! While it's probably more suited for a new writer, even people who have been working on the craft for years might learn a new thing or two.

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld - An unique take on vampires, with a more "scientific" background. Vamprisim is actually due to a parasite that can be passed to another person simply by kissing--or biting-- them. I thought it was pretty interesting, and I liked the voice. However, the characters were definitely rough around the edges, so I'd recommend this for older teens only.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan - A paranormal romance, where the main character is a dragon-person (called Draki) and the love interest is a Draki hunter. The first chapter made me think there was going to be a lot of action and adventure, but the rest of the story mostly feels contemporary, as the characters are falling in love at a high school. If you like the genre and if you go in expecting it to be mostly romance, you'll probably like this book, too.

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George - While the story isn't bad, it felt like the characters were really out of their element. Third in a dragon trilogy, the story takes Creed and her dragon friends out of their country and to a strange island nation. I wish that they had stayed at home, though, because they felt much more like themselves in their own land than when they were across the sea. Still, not a bad conclusion to the series. If you haven't read the first book, Dragon Slippers, you should. It's one of my favorites, especially for dragon fans!
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore - I actually thought this book was pretty well done, although now that I know it's part of the "fiction factory" started by James Frey, I have mixed feelings. The story was interesting, but now that I know it's part of a drive to commercialize the YA genre even more, I won't be reading the rest of the series.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld - I really loved Leviathan, which is a steampunk version of WWI. This continues the story, with the same wonderful illustrations and characters that we love. The plot wasn't as tight as the first, but it was still a fun read.

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen - Set in the roaring twenties, this story follows the lives of three young girls in New York and their adventures. I was surprised at how much I liked it, and I felt much more invested in the characters than the ones in Godbersen's earlier Luxe books. Mature situations make this appropriate for older teens and up.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz - A different semi-dystopian set up in a future where schools are just elaborate "games," run by corporate sponsors who want to make as much money as possible. I liked the voice, and I thought the conspiracy and world was interesting. I also loved that it was a stand-alone! I've been reading too many books that are part of a series lately, and it was nice to read something that was complete at the end.

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce - I loved this author's debut A Curse as Dark as Gold, and I think StarCrossed had a similiar feel to her earlier work. The first 50 pages were really slow, though, I think because they were setting up for the trilogy, since characters introduced then weren't relevant later on. However, once the story got going I really enjoyed it, and I felt like it was worth getting through the slow part to read the rest.

What have you been reading?

Taking a Break

2010-11-19T10:24:00.002-07:00

This probably won't be much of a surprise to anyone, but I think it's time a take a short break from blogging.

This semester has been crazy busy. Tons of reading and papers have taken over a lot of my time, plus it's November which means my Etsy store is in full swing before the holidays, and next month finals start and I just don't have the time to do this right now.

You all know I love blogging, and don't worry, I'll be back! Next semester is my last one at BYU, and though I do have my senior course left, I'm also taking fewer credit hours. Hopefully that will give me more time to blog (and write!) and I'll have a lot more to say and more time to say it in.

For now it's going to be pretty quiet around here. I might pop in a few times if there's anything cool happening, but for now I need to concentrate on school and on my writing. I will probably keep updating my little measure bar on how the first major overhaul of Half-Baked Magic is coming along. I have the first three chapters due for my creative writing class a week from tomorrow, so I will be furiously writing all during the Thanksgiving break!

Thanks to everyone who's stuck around this long, and hopefully I'll be able to make it up to you with real blogging and maybe a giveaway or something when I get back. See you then!

Breaking News

2010-11-15T23:10:00.001-07:00

I started the second draft. 184 words, but at least I've begun.

Revision Woes

2010-11-12T10:12:00.002-07:00

Once again I've been terrible about posting regularly. Ah, well, that's just the way it goes, I suppose.

In any case, I did something big and exciting this week! I finished reading over my the entirety of Half-Baked Magic for the first time. Now, for some writers, this may not be a big deal. There are plenty of writers out there who love to read their words again and again. I am not among that group. I hate reading my stories, which is kind of problematic, since that's a necessary towards revision.

In fact, I have a little secret for you. This is the first time I've ever finished reading a novel I've written! My two other completed novels (well, rough drafts of novels) were from Nanowrimo, and both were so bad I couldn't stand to look at them again. I think I got half-way through one, but I had to give up it was so dreadful.

Reading this time was not any easier. I hit about page 70 (out of 190 pages) and just wanted to rip my hair out. What was I thinking, writing a book? It was terrible. Awful. Good only for kindling, I was sure. What on earth inspired me to write such a thing? The plot was everywhere, the characters inconsistent, I had no idea where I was heading and I was bored. Yup. I was bored reading my own book!

This did not bode well. However, with some (or, um, lots) of encouragement from my husband and with the realization that I will not get any better if I don't learn how to revise a novel, I finished reading it.

It's still dreadful. But it's not quite as bad as I'd originally thought.

Still, after that insightful post about revising in levels last week, I've found myself completely overwhelmed by the size of the task ahead of me. I know I just need three revised chapters in the next month for my creative writing class, but for some reason, the task seems insurmountable.

How do you start your first major revision? Lots of chocolate? Happy music? I think once I get the first page or two down it will be easier, because by then, I'll have already started. For now seeing a 190 page behemoth of awfulness is enough to make me go hide under the covers. This whole writing thing isn't as easy as it looks.

Revision Levels

2010-11-05T10:00:00.002-06:00

Right now I'm taking a class on persuasive writing. It's been amazing how some of the techniques for writing a good argument correlate to all kinds of writing. Or in this case, creative writing.

At the moment we are talking about revision and style. There were some awesome things said in class today, but I just wanted to share a little bit about what our teacher called "Levels of Revision." Basically, we can't expect to go over a paper (or a story!) just once and catch everything. That's impossible. There a revised at multiple times to become truly great. Since his levels referred to arguments, I've tweaked them so they relate to revising a novel or short story (since I have revisions of a short story due on Tuesday!)

Level 1 - Conceptual: In fiction this refers to the major story arcs and character development. Does everything move toward the climax? How is your character changing as the story progresses? I think conceptual revision is the hardest kind, because it requires the writer to visualize the whole story at once, and see how each piece fits in.

Level 2 - Organizational: This focuses on the reader/writer contract and the momentum of the story. What does your character want? What are you doing to prevent him/her from getting it? Is the pacing the way you want it? Are the scenes in the order they need to be, or do you need to re-arrange them? Are you starting and ending in the right place?

Level 3 - Paragraphs: I think we can also fit in dialogue with this level. Is the dialogue all realistic? Is there cohesion and development in each paragraph? How's the description holding up? Is there enough balance between dialogue and action?

Level 4 - Style: This level is all about the sentence-to-sentence stuff. Look at the prose. Does it all flow? Am I using the best possible words? What words can I cut? Does every sentence make sense? Is everything in the voice of the narrator?

Level 5 - Editing: This is the time to polish grammar, punctuation, and formatting. You might also want to give your piece a title, if you're bad at that kind of thing (like me).

Revision is hard work! But it's always well worth it. Just remember that every good book was not written in the first round. Or even the second or third! It's impossible to get everything right the first time, and for most writers, it takes many revisions on their own (and a few more with their editor) to really make a book shine. Even though it's hard, it's well worth the effort. As much as you liked your book after the first draft, it will be ten times better after you've gone through, looking at each of these things.

So, what do you guys think? This is by no means comprehensive. What levels would you add or expand? What do you do in your revision process?

My Job is Awesome

2010-10-29T10:13:00.002-06:00

Have I ever mentioned that I have the best job ever? This is truly amazing, actually, since up until this point my work experience has been... disappointing (think, 5 AM custodial). Thankfully I now have a job that is not only interesting but something that I love doing!

You see I work in my school's library. In the children's section! This means I get paid to be around books all day. One of our work requirements is to read and review two books a month! Pure awesome.

The other part of my job is to help run and promote our blog. It's called Families and Literacy, which describes the subject matter pretty well! Our goal has been to make it a site that parents and teachers will want to visit. We have booklists, featured websites, literacy tips (that talk about more than just books) as well as weekly book reviews.

If you like it, please bookmark it! Yes, I know I am promoting it over here, but that's part of my job, right? And if you can think of ways to make it better (or if you'd like to contribute a guest post) please e-mail me at nerdgoddess [dot] etsy [at] gmail.com. Or you can leave a comment here, too. :)

Sadly I won't be able to keep this job once I graduate. How will any other work experience ever compare?

Some Thoughts on E-Books

2010-10-27T09:07:00.002-06:00

There has been a whole lot of hullabaloo in the publishing industry about E-books. Will real books go away forever? How will libraries function? Is this going to make it easier or harder for new writers to get published.

The truth is, nobody really knows. Everything is up in the air right now, and everyone from editors to writers to readers are seeing where things land.

Maggie Steifvater (author of the fabulous Shiver) chimed in today on the subject. I love what she said, because I think sometimes book lovers get really defensive about all this Nook and Kindle talk.

Here's my two cents: I don't think real, actual books are going away any time soon. Lots of readers love them, myself included. We love the feel of the page and the weight of a book in our hands, smelling the paper and ink, savoring the experience of a book. I am totally one of those people, and I think I will always be buying books, especially ones that I love.

But. I do think there are advantages to E-Readers. I am one of those people that takes a suit case weighing 49.9 pounds on the plane because I always have to bring, like, ten books with me on vacation. Even if I have no intention of reading them all. What if I change my mind? What if I'm in the mood for something else? I'd love to get a Kindle or a Nook if only to solve the problem of bringing too much with me on vacation. But at home? I'd probably stick with regular books.

There are advantages to both kinds of reading, and I think a lot of people will continue to utilize both in the future. I also think we will see a trend in more interactive literature published electronically, which I think will be more awesome than we realize.

As for us want-to-be-published writers, who keep asking the pressing question of "How does this affect me?" (which is asked on many a writing blog and all the time by a certain gentleman in my creative writing class) I say, "Stop Worrying."

Publishing has always been hard to break into. There will always be obstacles. Maybe your genre isn't a trend at the moment, or maybe you have an agent but no publishers will buy your stories, or maybe you're getting discouraged because everyone seems to be talking about E-Books. Stop worrying so much. Write the very best book you can, revise it until you are sick of it, then revise it again. Make it shine. Be persistent and always always always keep trying. Good things take time, and E-Books aren't going to change that.

What are your thoughts on this whole thing?

To Nano or Not...

2010-10-25T22:23:00.003-06:00

It's almost November. This means two things: pumpkin pie and NaNoWriMo! Now that I've got the pumpkin pie out of the way (it was delicious) I have to decide if I'm going to participate in this year's National Novel Writing Month.

I haven't participated since 2007, my freshman year of college, and it was hard. I did write every day, 2,000 words even, but I remember making the time was difficult. Since then I've been too busy to do it again.

Here I am, my senior year of college, and I'm contemplating it again. Am I crazy? Perhaps. Then I try to tell myself I should just do a half novel. Or maybe since I have to re-write Half-Baked Magic in the first person now (it really would just work better) I can count that as my NaNoWriMo? But then, do I really want to write another really bad draft? Because let's face it. National Novel Writing Month does not produce good drafts.

In any case, I'm having a hard time deciding. Who's participating this year?

How to Embarrass Yourself at a Nice Restaurant

2010-10-20T07:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday evening my husband thought it would be nice to go out to eat. We needed to take a trip to the grocery store, but there was only two hours between the end of my last class and meetings we both had to go to, so we figured we'd put off the shopping until today when we had more time.

Now, I should note we can never decide what restaurant to go to. I'm very indecisive and just want him to pick for me, then turn down his options one at a time until I am satisfied. Is that really too much to ask? ;) He gets tired of trying to decide, so we end up aimlessly driving, trying to figure out where to go.

Yesterday, after much debate, we decided to be adventurous and go to a restaurant we hadn't been to before. Well, I'd been to it once, but it was for lunch and many years back, so I had no recollection of the experience other than I think I had a sandwich. We were hopeful, though, that the food would be good.

As soon as we walked through the door things didn't feel right The waiters were dressed super nice, there was soft piano music playing in the background, and the whole place had that classy look to it. We weren't on a classy budget. We were on a diner budget. Still, we let the waiter take us to our seats, and along the way he pointed out the weekend buffet bar, saying we should come on Saturday and try their prime rib.

That's when I knew we were in trouble.

Our worst fears were confirmed when we sat down and looked at our menus. Maybe we could have ate there if we each got an appetizer, but we definitely couldn't afford the entrees. My husband looked worried and embarrassed, especially since he hadn't shaved and was wearing gym clothes. I desperately tried to find a solution, a way we could escape.

"We have to tell the waiter we can't stay" I whispered.

"I've never got up and left a restaurant before" he said, "I don't want to do it"

"Well, we can't afford this right now. Just tell them we have to go."

George continued to look mildly freaked out, especially when the waiter arrived with lovely glasses of water with lemon wedges and some delicious looking rolls. He looked at the waiter. He looked at the rolls. Then he looked at me, expectantly. Guess it was my turn to fix things.

"I'm sorry, something's come up and we have to go" I said.

We darted out of the restaurant like dogs with their tails between their legs, and went to Denny's instead.

It's too bad, really. I'm sure their food is delicious. But there is no way we are ever stepping foot in there again.

I've Been Busy

2010-10-19T08:20:00.003-06:00

I know I don't need to apologize, but I can't help it. I'm sorry I've been a pretty terrible blogger lately.

This semester has been much more difficult than I anticipated. It seems like I'm constantly weighed down by all the homework I have to do (this week there were two papers and a revised short story due, just to give you an example) and it's all been keeping me rather busy. To be honest, blogging has been the last thing on my mind.

Likewise my writing has slipped a bit. I am in a creative writing class, so that's been keeping me going with short stories, but I was hoping I'd be done re-reading Half-Baked Magic by now. Nope. I'm still less than halfway through. This was also more difficult than expected, probably because for the next fifty pages or so I had felt lost while working on the project, so it's more or less my characters doing menial tasks while I tried to think of where the actual plot could go next.

Such fun.

In any case, I'll keep trying to do better. Maybe I'll even post twice in one week! But if I don't just know I'm probably reading philosophy or writing a paper about BYU Football (really) because that's just how my life has been going lately.

Read in September

2010-10-08T19:08:00.010-06:00

My reading has definitely slowed down since the semester began. I only got through four books last month! (Well, it would be more if you counted the reading for my classes, but that's another story). Here's the list:

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt - Turner doesn't fit in with his new town. He's the minister's son and he can't play baseball right. Then, he meets Lizzie, a girl who lives on an island community of former slaves. When the town wants to get evict those on the island Turner learns to stand against what's wrong, even if it's unpopular.

Friend is Not a Verb by Daniel Ehrenhaft - An odd book about a teen boy whose sister goes missing. There wasn't quite enough mystery to grab my attention, and the plot was a bit scattered.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain - When an old crush returns, Grace Divine finds herself having to choose between an old flame and the brother she loves. A beautifully written book, with twists and turns I didn't expect. Can't wait for the sequel!

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi - The first in a middle grade sci-fi trilogy about a girl raised by a robot. When she escapes above ground to look for humans, she instead finds herself on an alien planet. The story is gripping and fresh, with beautiful illustrations on the first page of each chapter. Such a fun read!

Pause, Look, and Listen

2010-10-05T19:14:00.003-06:00

Fall is finally settling in here in Utah, and today was refreshingly cool and windy. I adore Autumn weather, which never lasts long enough but always manages to stir my soul.

This evening as I stood on our balcony (our apartment has a fantastic view of the mountains) I realized I hadn't taken the time to pause, look, and listen lately. Life has been so hectic, trying to keep up with my homework, my job, my writing has taken away a lot of free time. I haven't given myself the opportunity to spend a few quiet moments out in nature, enjoying it.

Though it was only a minute or two, I watched the clouds quickly retreat across the sky, a deep gray in the ever darkening twilight. The mountains stood strong as sentinels, the trees dotting them just blushing into orange and red. There was a soft wind, just gentle enough to brush my cheek and my hair, whispering secrets I can't quite understand.

It was lovely.

So here's to taking pause, stepping outside of our busy lives to look. To listen. It's amazing what we'll find.

Finding the Good

2010-09-28T18:53:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about criticism for the last few days. Part of this stems from being in a creative writing class, one where our stories are critiqued by our fellow class members. But I've also been thinking about it in the context of published work.

When it comes to reading others' writing, I haven't always been nice. In fact, in the past, I've prided myself on being a "harsh" or "mean" critiquer. I'm not sure if I'm proud of that anymore, especially in the instances where I know I've been too hard on someone.

In the classes of taken, it seems my fellow writers are mostly looking for encouragement. Critical feedback is important too, of course, and it helps us get better in small doses. But most of us in these classes are still trying to figure ourselves out as writers. We can't see our own writing in perspective and rely on the opinions of those that read our stories in order to see what's good and what's bad. In cases like this, I think it's best to let the writer know what he or she is doing well, and only focus on one or two things that need work. At this stage, having someone rip your work apart (as fun as that is to do) is not helpful. It's just discouraging.

On the flip side, I've found myself to be a very critical reader. This isn't bad. Writers should read lots and pay attention to what's working or isn't working in a book. However, I've noticed that I tend to focus on the bad. The writer didn't do this, the plot was missing that, the character didn't change enough, or changed too much, or the prose wasn't fluid. There are many things to nitpick about when reading books, and I confess to being a bit of a nitpicky reader.

I'm trying to change that.

What good does nitpicking do for the author who wrote the book? Nothing. They can't change a thing once it's been published, no matter how much we wish they could. These criticisms more often than not turn out to be detrimental. I've heard from several authors how a particularly harsh review on Amazon or Goodreads hindered their writing process, and made them scared to write again, some for weeks, some for months. The are even cases where a writer has quit for years due to especially bad criticism.

I'm trying to change the way I think as a reader. Of course I'll always notice problems in writing or plotting or character. My mind is built that way. But I'm also trying to get it so it notices just as many good things.

I trust that every author worked their hardest to make their book the best it could be. No author sets out to fail. Every writer fell in love with their story at some point, and they loved it enough to give it the work and effort it takes to write it and edit it. An editor also loved that book, and worked with the author to make it the best it could be. And (especially for bestsellers) there are readers out there who love and adore that story and those characters with all their heart.

As Rick Walton said when he visited our writing class, "There's no book for everyone, and no book for no one."

Even if I don't love a book, someone else does, just as every book I've adored has someone who hated it. An author worked hard to bring that book to publication. Every book does something well, and I hope that, as a reader, I can figure out why. It's easy to see why something isn't working. I encourage all of you (myself included!) to push your reading a little further and see how a book works well, how it's reached an audience, even if you don't like it. Trust that the author worked hard. Trust that there's a reader who loves it. And see if there's something to love about that book, too.

Bad Posture

2010-09-21T20:57:00.002-06:00

I have terrible posture. I don't ever remember being particularly good at sitting up straight, so I can easily assume that I have always been this way. In fact, when I was in junior high and high school, the hardest part about orchestra was sitting up straight. When playing the violin, you are supposed to sit on the front of your chair, back straight, in order to play your best. I never did this in class. Or when I was practicing.

But during the performance?

Perfectly straight. With all those eyes on me, how could I do otherwise? It killed my back, though. Usually by the end of the performance there'd be sweat on my brow, my spine beating an ache through my back. My vision would blur, I'd barely be able to concentrate on the notes, and my only thought was to just keep going, because I couldn't exactly stop playing and slouch down in the middle of a concert to get the pain off my back. It was awful, and it only happened when I performed.

Perhaps this is why I'm so bad at keeping up a good posture the rest of the time. Or maybe it's all those books in my backpack. Or all the time I spend slouched in front of the computer.

I've paid more attention to this lately. In class I tend to hunker over the desk, my shoulders up to my ears while I scribble notes down (or doodle), my whole body saying "back off, I don't want to talk!" Then I'll realize I look like Quasimodo, hunched over my desk like a gargoyle, clawing at my notes in protection, so I'll sit up.

For a few minutes.

Then it's back to hunchback pose, because it hurts.

Does anyone else have this problem? Do I just need to get some really uncomfortable chairs and tape sticky notes everywhere that say "Sit up straight!"? Or are there other solutions out there to help me get out of this habit? I'm pretty sure my spine will thank you.

Last Chance to Enter!

2010-09-21T19:28:00.000-06:00

Have you been following Enna Isilee's birthday bash? No?! Well allow me to inform you:

Enna Isilee is the operator of the YA book-blog Squeaky Books, and from August 23rd-September 22nd she's been celebrating her birthday in style with author interviews, guest posts, and giveaways featuring some of the hotest YA titles. It's been a blast so far! CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF EVENTS

The bad news? IT ALL ENDS TONIGHT!

That's right, all FIFTEEN (15) giveaways end at 11:59 pm MST tonight! But don't worry! You still have time to enter! Below I've listed all of the possible things you can win. The winners will be announced tomorrow (September 22nd) on Squeaky Books.

If you live in the US you are qualified to enter every giveaway! Most giveaways are open to Canadian residents as well. Sorry international friends, no contests are open to you. But if you have a friend in the US or Canada that will mail to you then you are welcome to enter!

So? Have you entered yet? NO?! What are you waiting for? Check out the links below and enter to win some wicked sweet prizes!!

Paranormalcy By Kiersten White!

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala!

One of the GORGEOUS UK Versions of Shannon Hale's Books

ARC of Pegasus by Robin McKinley!

Swag and an ARC of Dust City by Robert Paul Weston!

Swag and a signed copy of Spy Glass by Maria V Snyder!

Swag and a pre-order of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer!

Win one of three sets of punctuation earrings!

A signed copy of Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and some Enchanted Ivy swag.

Pre-order of Matched by Ally Condie

UK edition of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Win I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Swag and a copy of It's a Mall World After All, by Janette Rallison

Two different Janette Rallison Books

Pre-read SIGNED ARC of Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Originally from: http://www.squeakybooks.com/#ixzz10DY2Y89r

Is That a Tumbleweed?

2010-09-20T15:15:00.002-06:00

I find it quite ironic that I've gained 18 new followers in the last few weeks, when there has been an absolute dearth of posts around here. Mind you, most of these new readers (hello new readers!) came from Squeaky Books, but still. I find it amusing.

In any case, it seems like school has sucked any desire for writing out of me. I'm taking a couple of writing classes this semester, which means writing something daily. Poor excuse, I know, since I was writing every day this summer, but this is mandatory! And accompanied by tons of reading.

Okay, okay. I have no excuses.

I'll try to do better this week. Maybe write about burning my husband's birthday cake last week, or how I hate doing the dishes, or try and promote the blog I run at work.

OR I could collapse into a pile when I get home from school. Whatever's easiest.

New Ideas

2010-09-14T20:05:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I finished the first draft of a manuscript this summer, and I will begin editing it sometime next month. Right now, though, I'm in limbo, trying to decide what project I should work on next. Fantasy? Contemporary? Spy novel?

What's funny, is that all of these are ideas for middle grade books. I never thought I'd write middle grade. I always figured it would be YA for me, but this summer at the WIFYR conference I realized that I actually write MG.

Huh. It makes so much sense now!

It's been really fun trying to decide what to work on next. Stories seem so perfect when they're that little seed (or sprout) of your idea inside of your brain. Look how cute! Look how lovely! It's only when they grow up that they begin to look like weeds...

Okay okay, let's not get down on writing here. I did that enough over the summer. In any case, it's just been fun to discover new voices and new ideas. Although I do wish I could come up with another strong MG fantasy idea, since that's the genre I want to write in. Instead, a B.O. plagued tween nicknamed "Skunk" is tugging at my shirt, asking me to write her story.

Pretty sure writing is actually a mild mental illness. Sssh, don't tell.

Picture Books are Hard!

2010-09-10T14:31:00.000-06:00

I'm currently taking a creative writing class specifically geared towards writing for young readers. This is pretty much awesome, let's face it. However, we're starting off the unit with picture books manuscripts, and I have gained a new found respect for authors who write them well.

Let me tell you, it's hard!

I came to class today feeling pretty good about one of my stories (we were supposed to bring three drafts). I knew it wasn't perfect, but I thought, "Hey, it's cute" and figured I wouldn't have to do much with it.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

The first thing our teacher did was pick our best sentence, then make it the first in a new story, and see how that worked. That actually didn't do much for mine, so I breathed a sigh of relief and waited for her next set of instructions.

Cut your number of words in half.

What?! In half? But I had already cut out a bunch of words before I came to class! That means I didn't have to, right?

Nope. So I cut and cut, and it was a much stronger story afterward. Then I divided it into sixteen scenes, which meant cutting out even more words, as I realized what didn't belong.

At the end of class, I felt pretty good about it again. I volunteered to get it workshopped on Tuesday, and then I went to the library to go read a picture book I that had some similarities to mine.

It was a humbling experience. I read "King Bidgood's in the Bathtub" which I hadn't read for years. Holy cow people, it was amazing! After spending less than an hour working on my own picture book manuscript, I had already come to a realization of how much work goes into these stories.

Ever single word is deliberate, necessary, and just perfect in a good picture book. Making this happen has been difficult for me. But I hope the practice makes me a better novelist, and reminds just how important it is to focus on the craft of writing.

What's your favorite picture book? I still really love "The Monster at the End of This Book."

Read in August - Part 2

2010-09-09T13:27:00.007-06:00

Here's the second half of the books I read in August! Lots of good ones here. August was a great month of books for me!

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala - Miranda, still trying to understand and deal with her sister's death, find herself pregnant at the same time her friends basically abandon her. Beautiful prose and a theme of forgiveness make this a fresh take on a story about teenage pregnancy.

Matched by Ally Condie - A beautiful dystopian story, set in a world where every choice is made for you. What you eat, what you wear, and who you love are all decided by the Society. But what happens when the society makes a mistake? The prose was absolutely lovely, the characters believable. This one comes out in November, and it's already getting lots of well-deserved buzz, so keep an eye out for it!

Countdown by Deborah Wiles - A fantastic historical fiction set in the sixties during the cuban missle crisis. I especially loved the mixed media, as the book had advertisements, photos, and quotes from the time period mixed in together with the story of Franny. Very well done and an excellent read.

Bruiser by Neil Shusterman - Brewster has a special ability, to be able to take away the pain of those he cares about. But it's a gift and a curse, one with potential for abuse, disaster, and heartbreak. An excellent contemporary YA (with a little twist) that will appeal to boys and girls alike.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Do I even need to review this? I liked it. I know not everyone was a fan of the way the series ended, but it felt right to me. If you haven't read The Hunger Games then for heaven's sake, go out and read it! They're great books, no matter how you feel about the third and final one.

Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis - Ann Dee tells stories in a unique poetic prose kind of way. This story focuses on a girl desperately trying to keep her family together, telling everyone who tries to help that "everything is fine." I especially liked the main character, and thought she had an interesting voice and a quirky personality that made me wonder what she would do next.

Sparky: The Life and Art of Charles Schultz by Beverly Gherman - A nice biography for kids about the life of Charles Schultz. Sprinkled throughout are pictures and comic strips relevant to the story being told. A quick but enjoyable read, especially for "Peanuts" fans.

Read in August - Part 1

2010-09-07T09:16:00.018-06:00

I read a ton in August! Fourteen books in all, which is almost twice as many as the rest of the months this summer. Good thing, too! Now that school has started all my reading time has been taken up by textbooks. I decided to split this post in half, so here are the first seven books I read in August:

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson - An adult fantasy novel following a gang of rebels trying to take over the Empire. I admit, when I started I had a hard time. I read mostly YA, and jumping from so much to so little white space was a little intimidating. I'm glad I kept going, though, because the story was amazing! The magic system was incredibly unique and cool, and the characters are still with me, a month later.

Geektastic by assorted authors - A fun little anthology of stories about Geeks of every shape and size, from many of today's popular YA authors. Some were better than others, of course, but most of the stories were fun and made the experience quite entertaining.

Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan - A middle grade novel about a home schooled girl who has to go to public school after her mother is diagnosed with cancer. She also talks to trees, which is fun. The voice was fantastic, and I really enjoyed Ida B's unique take on the world around her.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger - A perfect book for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid crowd, the story uses cartoons to enhance the text. The plot revolves around a fortune-telling origami Yoda, and the way it changes the lives of a bunch of middle school kids. Definitely a good boy book, with refreshingly little bathroom humor.

Nausicaa Vol. 1 by Hayao Miyazaki - This is one of those classic mangas, following the life of Nausicaa, princess of a small valley. The pictures are gorgeous, and though I'm more familiar with the movie, this first volume makes me hungry to finish the story as it was originally told.

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards - I adored this book when I was in fourth grade. Pretty sure I read it at least three times. It's about an orphan girl who discovers an abandoned cottage in the woods, and the time she spends fixing it up and making it her own. It was a blissfully escapist book when I was young, and was fun to re-read now that I'm older.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - Evie is a "bagger and tagger" for the International Paranormal Agency. She also loves pink, is trying to deal with a crazy (fairy) ex-boyfriend, and carries a taser like a pro. The voice was absolutely compelling, and I read it much too fast. One of the best debuts I've ever read, definitely run out and get a copy if you haven't, yet!

Oh, Hello

2010-09-06T12:27:00.005-06:00

**Be sure to enter the giveaway in my last post! And read my ridiculous short story over at Squeaky Books!**

I did not plan this giveaway well. Knowing that Enna Isilee would be sending over hordes of bookish people to enter my giveaway and follow my blog for extra entries, I should have been filling the last few posts about awesome things! Like books! And puppies!

Instead I talk about school (ew) and ramble about just barely finishing my first draft (not making sense is a specialty of mine).

So I just thought I'd say hello to you new people! I promise sometimes I actually post interesting, relevant topics about writing and books. But only sometimes. Other days I just ramble about silly stuff, but isn't that what blogging is about?

This week I promise to get out a few extra posts. I need to write about the books I read last month (some of them were awesome, too) and possibly a thoughtful post about the problem with "Yes, dear."

For now, you are more than welcome to enter the giveaway and have a look around. Thanks so much for dropping by!

Contest! Part of Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash 2010

2010-09-06T12:00:00.001-06:00

I'm hosting a contest as part of

Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash 2010

Presented by Squeaky Books

From August 23rd until September 22nd Enna Isilee at Squeaky Books is having a HUGE bash to celebrate her birthday! There are twelve contests, tons of author interviews, and guest posts from over a dozen different YA book bloggers. And I'm hosting a contest!

I'm giving away three sets of my punctuation earrings (pictured below)! Note from Enna Isilee: I LOVE these! You have until September 21st at 11:59 MST to enter. All winners will be announced on Enna Isilee's birthday (September 22nd) on her blog (Squeaky Books). Today she's featured me over there, so you should totally go check it out.

Want to see what other brilliant things I have for sale? Click here!

Without further ado, enter to win! Follow the link below.

Click here

Back in Session

2010-08-31T15:02:00.002-06:00

Well, school started back up yesterday. As much as I've been worried about this semester, (especially my ASL class, since I struggled so much with it last semester) I'm actually pretty excited about the classes I'm taking. There's going to be a lot of writing, but you know, that's kind of what I want to do for a living, so hopefully that will be okay.

One of the classes I'm most excited about is my creative writing class. It's specifically geared towards writing for young readers, and I'm looking forward to the different assignments and author visits that will be going on throughout the semester. I have decided if I'll use revisions for Half-Baked Magic as my "personal project" for the semester, or if I'll go ahead and start working on the next story that's waiting in my head. I think for now I'll wait a bit and see what happens. Either way, I'll probably start revising sometime in October.

It's going to be busy the next little while, but hopefully I'll still be making time to write and read on my own, apart from textbooks and assignments. Funny how having less time makes you all the more motivated to do things.

How are you other students and parents doing with the new school year?

First Draft is Complete!

2010-08-28T17:28:00.002-06:00

I finished it! I'm doing some serious happy dances right now! Holy cow! Half-Baked magic is now a complete story with a beginning middle and end! Crazy!

Now for some ice cream. And a break. (At least, from this story).

Answers and Such

2010-08-27T17:10:00.002-06:00

Erm, I haven't really posted anything all week. Sorry about that. I blame it on A: trying to finish my first draft (so close!) and B: freaking out about school starting on Monday.

However, I did promise to answer the questions I got, so here we go!

Zoie asks "Do you still want to do the story about the minions?" Yes! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, basically, when I was in high school, one of my circles of friends referred to themselves as my minions. Yes, it's weird. I don't even remember how it happened, but I've been meaning to do a comic with Zoie (a fairy robot) about me and my minions for a while. Yup.

Miss Erin asks "If you could co-write a novel with anybody, who would it be? (established author or not)" That's a good one! I think I might have to go with Jane Yolen, who wrote the books that really got me into fantasy, The Pit Dragon Trilogy (although I guess it's kind of also a sci-fi plus dragons). She's amazingly talented, has written a ton of books, and is basically all around amazing. I'd love to write a killer fantasy together. With dragons, of course.

Typewriter Heather asks "What is your favorite thing about your husband?" Oooh, such a hard question to answer! I don't think I could pick just one, because there's so much good about him. I love that he has strong convictions (in religion, politics, or anything else) and that he sticks to them. I love that he supports me in all my goals and dreams, and that he'd never try and force me into being someone that I'm not. Perhaps what I love the most, though, is the care and concerns he shows to everyone close to him. To his parents, his siblings, his friends, and to me. Even to those he doesn't know personally.

When I first started dating George my dad told me to watch the way he treated our waiters, the people who gave us our movie tickets, how he talks about his family, etc. "You can really tell a lot about someone by how they treat people they don't have to be nice to." George is always kind and friendly with everyone, and that's one of the biggest things I love about him.

Q&A Time!

2010-08-24T13:21:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to think of a blog post all weekend, with very little luck. Sorry everyone. On the plus side, this means you all get to write my next post for me! Aren't you excited? (I can practically hear the cheers of joy already).

So, any questions you are dying to ask me? Or even not dying to ask me? I'm happy to take inane ones, too. :)

Why I Love to Write

2010-08-19T10:42:00.003-06:00

I feel like my last few posts about writing have been more on the frustrated and negative aspect of things, rather than the positive. So as a good reminder to me, and to show you that, hey! I'm not doing this for torture! I thought I'd jot off a few of the reasons why I love to write.

1. Escapism. This is probably the least important of the list. When I originally started to write in junior high and high school it was pretty much for pure escapism purposes. I wasn't a particularly happy teenager, mostly because I was shy and my friends lived too far away to see every day, except at school. When I got sad because I was lonely I would write. My first book was definitely a story written just so I could pretend I was the main character and ride dragons and fall in love. It may not have been amazing, but it's what I needed at the time.

2. I like to make people smile. My attempts at humor in my stories are, generally, pitiful. Sometimes I accidentally make something funny, but I take it all in stride. Even if I'm not always the best at adding that aspect to a story, I do like to make people smile. Making a person happy while reading doesn't always have to do with humor, though. Perhaps a cute romantic scene or just something entertaining or cool will do it. In any case, I hope that any book I put out there will make the readers smile at some point. The world is too full of darkness to read things that don't make you happy.

3. I feel like it's what I'm supposed to do. This is a bit more vague than some of the other points. I'm a strong believer in talents, and that we all came here to do something. Some people's talents are easier to spot than others', but I think we all have things that we're good at, and that we need to use them to help the people around us. For me, I strongly believe that's writing, and that knowledge helps propel me forward, even when it's hard.

4. And finally... I like it. I know I gripe and complain a lot. Writing is hard. But it's also rewarding, and I love it when a piece I've been working on, whether it's short or long, comes together. Writing makes me happy. Even with all the struggles I've had to deal with in the last few weeks, I've been happier than ever. Writing does that for me. I love to invest in a story, in a character, and watch them grow. I love it when I find just the right plot element, just the right sentence or word to fit exactly what my story needs. And when that happens? All the hard work and angst is worth it.

So readers, what do you love to do and why?

To Revise or to Wait?

2010-08-18T09:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I talked about how good it's been to write every day. This has been wonderful, and has really helped me to focus back on the story.

The only problem is, that since my brain is thinking more about the story, I'm having a much harder time ignoring the fact that a good chunk of it doesn't fit anymore. The other day I had kind of an epiphany as to where the story should go. Unfortunately, about 20k of what I have written doesn't fit that story, and will probably need to be cut.

At this point I'm not sure what to do. Do I keep pressing forward and "finish" 65k? I don't think that the plot will be ready to wrap up at that point, considering I feel like I'm only now getting to what the meat of my story is about. Most of what I've been working on now feels more like back story. Or something entirely irrelevant.

Or, do I just keep writing, pretending like I've been doing what works now all along? Leaving those unnecessary words stuck at the beginning to make for one very long, unnecessary introduction? In that case it's probably going to be about 80k-90k words long, but a good chunk of that will be cut.

Stop it brain! Argh, I feel like everything I've been working towards my mind is telling me to flip-flop. My story is telling me to flip-flop. My antagonist has finally won over and I've decided to turn him into the romantic interest and drop my initial, boring one. My main character is now trying to convince me that maybe she is older, and I can turn this into a YA after all. Which it was to begin with, and then it became a middle grade novel. And my character's best friend? Not her friend in the beginning, but maybe I should change that too, and perhaps her family's business should be failing rather than succeeding, and also can the story be steampunk? It's been asking about that lately.

Gah. You can see why I'm so confused. I know that last paragraph probably makes zero sense to anyone but me, but as you can see my brain has decided to not wait until I'm done with this draft to start working on a major overhaul. I'm pretty stuck. I finally know where the story needs to go, but I'm just not quite sure if I should revise half-way through or stick it out for much longer than I originally intended.

Thoughts? Advice? Or you could just send me some fancy chocolate. That might help, too.

Writing Daily

2010-08-17T10:41:00.003-06:00

It's taken me a long time, but I'm finally, finally getting into the habit of writing every day. This summer I wanted to write an easy thousand words every day. It totally didn't happen. During my internet hiatus I wrote like a champ, but I'd missed so many days before that (and have missed a few after) that it still didn't stick.

Somethings been different in the past week or two, though. Even though I missed two days last week because I was sick, I really feel like I'm now getting into the groove of writing every day. Even when I'm tired. Even when I put it off until 10:00 at night.

There have been so many benefits of finally getting into this habit. For one thing, I'm actually seeing myself getting closer to the end! I've been writing about 2,000 words a day trying to meet my end-of-August goal, which used to feel like so much work, but now doesn't feel so bad. I think that I'm actually one of those writers that needs to write more words every day, simply because it helps me stay in the story a little more, and my mind usually opens up a lot in the last half of the writing session.

Another good thing about this is I actually feel like a writer! I've felt like a total faker all summer. "So, you're writing a book?" "Yeah... but it's been going kind of slow..." *mumbles*. Not super great for feeling like a writer when I haven't worked on my book for two weeks. Now, though, it's nice to feel like, even when I totally resent my writing sessions, I'm at least moving forward.

The most amazing thing that has happened, though, has taken place in just the last few days. I'm starting to think about my story outside of writing! I've been getting ideas about how to make it better, I've been thinking about my characters and my plot, and I've been interested and even -gasp- excited about writing some days. I haven't been this interested in my story since I first started it, and I'm definitely seeing improvements in my writing as my attitude has changed.

My best tip if you're struggling with writing every day (which is so often a problem for me) is to just not make it optional. You must write before you can do such and such thing. For me, it's sleep. And I love my sleep, so there's definitely some motivation there. What helps you to write?

I Love the Dollar Store

2010-08-16T08:13:00.002-06:00

I love the dollar store. Really, I do. I don't fully understand where my deep-seated admiration of a place full of crappy plastic toys and alternate-brand merchandise comes from, but it's there. Let's go over a normal trip, shall we?

You walk into the dollar store and you're blasted with the scent of plastic and overly-scented candles. There are all kinds of people milling about--families with overly excited children, incredibly old people, women who are embarrassed about being there, and college students that are bemused by the setting in general (that would be me.)

As you move forward you are greeted by a haphazard display case generally filled with holiday decorations of some sort and plastic wine glasses. Since you don't have an interest in either, you begin your slow walk down each isle of the store. Dollar stores are like thrift stores in that you have to really pay attention if you're going to get something good. While you pass up on the angel statues and badly woven baskets, you are totally digging the school supply section. New mechanical pencils and gel pens that no doubt produce toxic fumes go into your basket.

Next you have some stinky candles to get. You can't beat a couple of bucks to get enough candles for your tiny apartment. They'll even throw in a spiffy lighter for only a dollar more. After that you hear the siren call of the candy section (theater boxes! For a dollar!) but your eye is caught by that sanctuary, the Best Part of the dollar store, and you drift the other way.

The giftwrap section. It's beautiful. Even the biggest of gift bags are advertised in bright green letters as "A dollar!" And for those small, adorable gift bags? They come three in a pack! Only a dollar! There's wrapping paper rolls (a dollar each!) and big curly bows (a dollar cheap!) and even tissue paper, to stuff into the ten gift bags you've hoarded in your cart (only a dollar!). You're pretty sure wal-mart, with their $3 gift bags is howling in pain right now, but you don't care. It's all about saving money.

Except... at the register, where you're tempted to throw on a pregnancy test from their selection of "tempting" items just because it seems so ridiculous, you're amazed to hear the clerk tell you "25.56." You turn, shocked and amazed, and realize those dollars really added up. But it's too late now. Your 'savings' are in the bag, and as you walk to your car, your shopping high wearing off, you turn one last look back at the dollar store with a sigh.

That temptress really got you again.

Randomness!

2010-08-12T14:43:00.000-06:00

Thanks for sharing your goals with me! It was great to hear what everyone is working on, especially fellow writers!

I'm doing better with my abdomen pain. I went to go see another doctor on Wednesday, and he thought that I'd probably torn some scar tissues from my recent surgery when I went running last week. So no running for a little while now, but I'm going to try and start walking every day once the pain goes away entirely. It's just a dull ache that I'm reminded of every so often now, so that's good.

I also received Paranormalcy in the mail yesterday! And finished it. It was really good, and a great example of good writing. The voice was strong, the pacing was great, and there was always a present sense of what was at stake for the character. I also liked that the danger was intense, and that I was genuinely worried for Evie and those around her. A great example of storytelling on many levels, so be sure to snag a copy once it comes out on the 31st! I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Kiersten White in the future.

Unfortunately, I put my own writing on hold yesterday so I could read all evening, which means if I want to stay on track I should probably write about 3,000 words today. *sigh* Writing large amounts in one sitting is always difficult for me, but I'll have to give it a shot. Perhaps I will make a quick trip to Jamba Juice to help me through it.

A Few Random Goals

2010-08-10T22:26:00.001-06:00

As some of you may remember, this year I started out making monthly goals instead of yearly resolutions. While it worked pretty well for a few months, it's pretty much petered out of existence. I meant well, even if it things didn't work quite as well as I expected.

Still, I think I am a goal-making kind of person. I don't always achieve them (in fact, I probably complete as many as I let go), but I think it's always good to keep refocusing my life and trying to better what I do in any area.

At the moment I have a number of things I'd like to do before the end of the year. They are:

1. Finish the rough draft of Half-Baked Magic by the end of August
2. Finish revising the second draft before the end of the year
3. Run a 5k on Halloween
4. Lose 30 lbs by the end of the year (I'm 4 down already!)

See? Good goals. I'm a tad concerned about #1, because I'm pretty behind schedule for finishing, but I'd still really like to before school starts. I also realize 3 months is kind of a long time for finishing one draft, but I've never done any major revisions before, so it might change as I begin and feel my way through the process.

Any long term goals for you guys? Writing or otherwise?

Sick

2010-08-09T21:38:00.000-06:00

Hey, remember how I had my gallbladder removed a few months ago? Yeah, I figured one traumatic health experience was more than plenty for the year.

Apparently my body is thinking differently.

Since Thursday or Friday I've been having some pretty awful pain in my abdomen. It didn't help that on Saturday I went boating on Utah lake, which was great until a storm came in and the water got ridiculously choppy, bumping me up and down over and over again. That tender pain in my belly turned into a crazy ache that, early Sunday morning, refused to let me go back to sleep.

So George took me to the emergency room at 3:00AM! Oh, it was fun. We were both tired, and we were there for about three hours. It probably would have been shorter, but they were busy and couldn't spend as much time injecting me with medicine or running my labs (which is totally fine, because my case was definitely not as severe as some of the other people there). The doctor tried a couple of different things with little success, but he seemed to think it was Gastritis (inflammation of the intestines/stomach) and sent me home with a prescription for strong pain killers and instructions to take some heavy duty antacids.

I'm feeling a little better today. Part of that was, I'm sure, the painkillers, but I haven't taken any of them since lunch. I'm really hoping that the antacids will help fix me, because I really don't want this to be something worse. Like an ulcer.

In any case, I have an appointment with a regular doctor tomorrow, and he'll probably draw more blood from me and run more tests, and it will all be boring and unpleasant, but hopefully we'll get things sorted out. Having serious pain and not knowing the cause is always unpleasant.

In other news, I've been putting off writing. I've used the pain as an excuse, but I think it's just because I don't really know where to go next. I had a plan, but I've gotten all the way to the end of it, and now I'm a little lost. But I'll figure it out, I'm sure. Once I stop procrastinating.

Some Craft Love

2010-08-05T10:02:00.000-06:00

So... I've realized I don't like controversial topics, even mild ones, like the one we discussed yesterday. It made me very anxious, so I'm moving on to something happy today!

First, check out one of my very favorite craft blogs, Mochimochi Land! She does the most amazing knitting creations, including an incredible series of Tiny Things. To get started, check out the Tiny Taco and the Tiny Toaster!

So cute! Make sure to jump over and check out the rest of her Tiny Things series!

Another craft blog I love is Sarah London. She makes crochet into an art form like nothing else I've ever seen. Her granny squares are absolutely gorgeous, and she has an amazing way with colors, textures, and clean photos. Her blog is major eye candy, and I'd love to get some of her patterns. If I'm ever brave enough to try! Check out these two lovely patterns, available on her website:

And finally, check out this amazing quilt pattern I found the other day! The squares have circles in them! An absolutely gorgeous idea, and one I've got to try one of these days. And that fabric? Gorgeous!
In another post she mentions where she got the fabric: Fabricworm.com! Warning: looking through this site will make you want to buy material like nothing else! Whether you have a project for it, or not. :)

Discussion: Swearing in Books

2010-08-04T23:22:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all the good discussion in the last post! Discouragement and the feeling of "Not Good Enough" is obviously prevalent among many people in whatever field they work. I especially liked my sister Joanna's comment (BTW, she majored in piano performance, in case you couldn't tell):

"My sophomore piano recital was recorded. I listened to it, only once, months after it happened. I've never listened to my senior recital, ever, and it's been almost five years....

I'm terrified to hear myself play. I'm sure I'll only hear the mistakes. But I do remember that my one listen-through, while I cringed for the parts I knew were flubbed, I was surprised at how great the sound was. (It didn't hurt that I was playing on BYU's best piano.) I think the fear of something is worse than actually doing it, as is true with most things in life."

Loved it. Thanks for sharing, Jo.

Now, onto the title and discussion for this post. I've been thinking about swearing in books, particularly in young adult literature. When I was younger I absolutely one hundred percent hated any kind of cursing in stories. I thought it was stupid and, in my mind, showed a weak writing ability. I assumed that the kind of people who swore were the sort of people with no imagination who had nothing better to say than four-letter words in repeated succession.

As I've gotten older and learned (a lot) more about writing, I've realized that, while I still think people who swear a lot need to learn some new vocabulary words, characters that swear are sometimes okay. For example: You're reading a book about a very messed up teen boy. He's doing a whole lot of things he's not supposed to do, and he knows it, but he can't stop. He's addicted to drugs, his girlfriend's pregnant, and his conservative parents are anything but happy. When the time comes for him to confront his them he yells, "Oh darn it, Mom and Dad! Can't you see I'm in deep doo-doo here, and need some help?"

Yeah... not so realistic.

One of the most important things I've learned about writers is that they make each word count. Every. Single. Word. By the time they've gone through draft after draft of a book, they know exactly what needs to be in there, and what doesn't. The best writers don't have characters swear to make the book more "edgy" or more "appealing to young people." Rather, the swearing is used to help make a character that feels as real and as well-rounded as possible.

That being said, I'm definitely not a fan of the F-word, and if an author is sprinkling it through the book (especially the narration) like sugar on a cake, I'm not very likely to continue it. In fact, I feel that way with any swearing/content that's used for the sake of making the book "edgier" for the market and isn't important for the character or story.

So. How do you feel about swearing in books? Do you feel it's okay in adult books, but not in YA? Please discuss to your heart's content in the comment section. As nicely as you can. :)

Not Good Enough

2010-08-03T16:50:00.000-06:00

For the last few days I've been indulging in some bad behavior. In fact, it's probably the last thing I should be doing if I hope to stay productive and happy with my current WIP.

I've been daydreaming about the next book.

I know! It's what keeps so many writers from finishing their first drafts, the call of the New Shiny Story. Even as I've been struggling with Half-Baked Magic, I've started to let myself daydream about what I'll work on when this blasted draft is finished, during the break when I'm done with it and when I begin working on revisions. I have a number of ideas for what to work on next, a couple of fantasies, a contemporary YA, but surprisingly, I found myself thinking about the last manuscript I finished.

It was almost three years ago, and it was the best I've ever done writing every day. It was also my contribution to Nanowrimo, so naturally things didn't turn out very good. I based the story off of an obscure fairy tale, so I thought I didn't have to worry too much about plotting (boy was I wrong) and mostly it just turned out a big mess that I haven't been able to read all the way through since.

Today I've started thinking about going back to that novel and seeing if it's possible to salvage it without starting out entirely from scratch. Sure, a lot is going to need to be changed, but I still like the story, and I think it still has the potential to work.

That got me thinking, though, about why I abandoned it and several other projects from my past. And I think the answer lies in the realm of "not good enough."

By the time I get to the middlish of a project, I've realized that nothing is going the way it should. My plot is everywhere, my characters are flat as a pancake, and my prose is nothing short of laughable. I always think it stinks, and I always psych myself out of being able to re-read it, so I've never been able to revise anything novel-length. It's too hard, I think. It's not good enough.

The truth is, of course it's not good enough! It's a first draft. Most writers write really stinky first drafts. Just like me. And that's okay, because as long as I can revise, I can get there. I always want to move on to something more interesting, because that unwritten book is perfect in my head. It's flawless, a gem of a story with well-rounded characters, delightful prose, and absolutely just what the market will be looking for.

But writing is never as easy as it seems in your mind. Stories and characters have a knack of twisting what you thought they'd be. And that's okay, as long as you keep working, and keep your eyes on a larger goal than making it the story that's in your head. Sometimes the story needs to be written differently than you expected, and in the end, it's almost always better than you'd hoped.

Sorry for the length of this post, I just really needed to sort out some thoughts and remind myself that I'm actually doing good with this draft, even if it's not what I expected it to be.

Read in July

2010-08-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Domlamore - Despite all of the craziness that went on with "white-washing" the original cover, I was actually pretty excited for this story. It sounded intriguing and just the sort of thing I'd like. A girl get mixed up with a robot, a magician, a wife in the attic, and attempts to start a war. It's done in a lovely almost-historical setting that adds well to the magic. However, I was disappointed that it was so short, and was a tad perturbed when I realized not everything would be resolved to make room for a sequel. Hopefully the next book will make up for that.

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs - Um, I pretty much adored this book. It was absolutely adorable, and the best sort of "guilty pleasure" book. All about mermaids, I loved the quirky main characater and her myriad of funny mermaid phrases, and the romance was just too fun. It even had some good character growth in it. But mostly I loved it because mermaids are just really fun, and it made me kind of want to pretend to be one again. This would make a great beach read (get it? Beach? And mermaids? Oh, nevermind.)

Alvor by Laura Bingham - This fantasy had a lot of potential, but the writing was painfully slow at times. It felt more like a "Holy cow, I'm writing a book! Let's throw everything into it as I possibly can!" kind of thing rather than a well thought-out story, as it was all over the place, at times, and I wasn't quite sure why we had to spend so much time preparing and training the characters, when no information was given as to why such things were important. Still, I apprecitate being excited about writing a fantasy and totally loving the world, as seemed to be the case with this author.

Stitches by David Small - A beautiful graphic novel memoir, taken from the childhood of the author and illustrator, David Small. It's definitely dark--full of abuse, neglect, and secrets, but a gorgeous and heartbreaking read. It pushes all pre-conceptions about graphic novels out the window, and shows just how true an art the genre can be.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - Not quite the story everyone remembers from the famous movie, but still a fun read with interesting characters. I'm terribly curious as to all of the political stuff he added into it, though, so I'll have to find an annotated copy or something somewhere.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - Wow. So, I don't always love the Newbery Award winners, but I really loved this one. It's very well written, with lots of clues to lead the reader along the way, helping them unravel the mystery behind the story right along with the main character. The resolution is beautiful, and I loved the way our character had such a good relationship both with her mother and her mother's boyfriend. If you haven't read this yet, you really should. It's well worth the read.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - A gorgeous addition to the paranormal romance genre without all the hot-and-heavy stuff that comes with twilight. This time, the romance happens between a human girl and a werewolf, but it's all done with good taste and wonderful writing. This book has been getting a lot of buzz lately, and the sequel is coming out this year, so check it out if you're looking for something romantic and well-written.

Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson - I loved Mary's more recent book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, so when I got the chance to meet her at WIFYR last month, I snagged a copy of one of her earlier books as well. This is a very much Romeo and Juliet, feuding families story, but the plot managed to not feel overdone. It's very different from Jenna, but still a nice, short read. I read it in just an afternoon.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson - This book series has gotten a ton of buzz, and I think it's great that kids are reading. I thought it was kind of boring at times, though, which seemed weird since it's pretty long for a middle grade. I liked a lot of the twists on Peter Pan the authors used, but some of them felt a little forced, or tacked on simply because they have to be there. Chances are I won't be reading the rest of the series.

Happiness Is

2010-07-29T09:40:00.001-06:00

- Being caught in a terribly frightening thunderstorm, but somehow knowing I would come out just fine

- My husband dragging me to the dance floor, grooving as silly as he could, making me laugh and forget my fears of being seen

- Reaching word count goals

- Reading an entire book in a few, glorious hours

- Fireflies

- The blessed cool of night after a hot day

- Remembering who I was, how I've changed, and thinking towards the person I hope to be

I'm Back! I Won! Life is Awesome!

2010-07-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

It has been a really great week for me. It's amazing how, after taking a cold-turkey break from the internet I've realized how much I use it. I crave it like a drug, constantly wondering if I have a new e-mail, a new reply to my tweet, a new comment. It's bad, and it wastes a lot of time.

And guess what? I spent a whole week away from the internet, and nothing bad happened. My inbox did not explode. My Etsy stored did not crumble and wither away. My blog is still entirely intact. I'm fine. And I did a lot while I was gone, too.

Here's my report for the goals I made. I wanted to read two books and get to 25,000 words on my manuscript. I went beyond and above the call of duty, though, I read four books and reached my word count exactly. Yesterday. So hah.

It felt really good to write so much. I can't remember the last time I was so dedicated in writing. I actually started looking forward to it, some days. (Some days I moaned and groaned as usual). It's been a lovely week.

Also! My Evie Barbie? Yeah, she totally won me an ARC of "Paranormalcy." Which is just cool.

Hiatus

2010-07-19T10:36:00.000-06:00

George and I had a talk the other day, and I realized that I have been spending way too much time on the internet. It's been a problem. I stay plunked in front of his desktop for, pretty much, the entire time he's at work. Then when he gets home and wants to play computer games I flip channels, anxiously awaiting the opportunity to jump back on. And the thing is? I'm not really doing anything important. Just refreshing blogs/twitter/facebook waiting for updates.

Every time I take a break from the internet it helps me to put things back in perspective. So I'm going on a hiatus for a week or two. My Etsy shop is now closed, Twitter and Facebook will be off limits, my blog empty save for a few tumbleweeds bouncing along.

I have two things I really want to accomplish with this break. When I come back I'll let you all know how I did.

First, I want to hit 25,000 words on Half-Baked Magic. I haven't written much of anything in the last two weeks, and that's just sad. It's time to get back into the habit of writing daily.

Second, I want to read two-three books, start to finish, from my bought-but-not-read shelf. Not sure what books yet, but hopefully good ones.

So for now I say, au revoir internet! Tomorrow I will kiss you goodbye until at least July 28, and hopefully by then I'll be able to put our little relationship in perspective. And get some serious writing done.

Paranormalcy Barbie

2010-07-16T11:22:00.000-06:00

I spent several days this week working on my entry for Kiersten White's contest. It has been full of trial and error, as I had to basically make my own sewing pattern for the dress, which as it turns out, is really really hard. However, I'm super happy with how it turned out. I'm not sure I'll win, as Kiersten has many many fans, and there are many other talented people entering, but I'll have my fingers crossed.

So. In case you haven't heard, Kiersten White has a new book coming out on August 31st called Paranormalcy. Here's the cover:

And here's my contest entry:

Yup. That's a barbie. With a dress inspired from the cover of Paranormalcy. And in case you're wondering what that little pink thing is, it's a taser. The main character, Evie, has a pink taser in the book, so you know... she needed one, too.

Today I'm sending little Evie Barbie to Kiersten, (which was just a shoddy excuse for me to get Kiersten's address so I can stalk her) but she was fun to make. Even if I did get super frustrated at the end and basically sewed her into her dress, making the back a huge mess. It's the front that matters, right?

Guest Post

2010-07-15T18:14:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone! I wrote a guest post for my good internet friend, Cuileann. It's all about being an Aunt! Her sister is expecting, and as I am a "long time pro" at being an Aunt, she asked me to write a post for her. Go over and check it out! And look at the rest of her blog while you're at it. She's pretty much awesome.