Answers: Dragons, Picard, and My Drinking Habits

Answers! They are all posted today for your reading pleasure. Hope you all have a lovely long weekend. Nick works Monday, so no fun for me. Hmph.

Morgan Ives: What's your favorite book on writing?
Uhhh, I don’t have one? Sorry. I probably should read a few books on writing, but I’ve kind of lived my whole life seat-of-the-pants. Reading about how to do something sucks the fun right out of it for me.

I mean, I couldn’t even follow the lego instructions as a kid because it felt like they were stifling my creativity.

Everything I’ve learned about writing, I’ve learned by screwing up. A lot. Though I can tell you one thing, everything started to improve once I read this blog:)

Emily White: What is your favorite color pen?
I like blue if I can have it.

Josin L. McQuein: Quick, what's the square root of 672? Just kidding, put down the X-Acto knife.
*puts down knife*

Color's already covered, so gel pen or rollerball?
Gel! Maybe it’s my left-handedness, but the rollerball always gives me trouble.

Erinn: What's the most overrated TV show on TV now? What's the most underrated?
Hmmm, I don’t watch much TV, so I haven’t seen enough shows to really know what’s overrated. Maybe I would say TV in general is overrated? But I will say you HAVE to watch Deadliest Warrior on Spike if you like weapons, history, and talking smack.

Which Manga was better as a manga instead of an anime?
I couldn’t get my hands on manga as a kid. I’m only 26, but just a decade ago you couldn’t just walk into Barnes & Noble and pick up a translated manga. Every time I go there now my teenage self fumes with jealousy.

No, if you wanted manga it was likely in Japanese, and I didn’t know enough to justify shipping it from Japan. Also, I didn’t have the cash.

So I lived on what I could get, and that was mostly anime though not as much as I’d have liked. The internet was still pretty new back then too, so I had to shell out 25 bucks for one VHS tape at the one store that carried it.

Oh, the days.

Thus I haven’t read enough manga to actually know the differences. I hope someday to rectify this. I just bought a couple of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Fruits Basket, so maybe I’ll be getting to know the differences soon:)

C. Michael Fontes: Here is a simple one. Do you use any styled guides, and if so, which one(s)?
I lived on The Chicago Manual of Style when I was doing my editing minor. I haven’t looked it up lately, but that’s what I go to if I have questions.

Jennifer: Do you listen to music when writing?
Yes. I usually have certain Pandora stations for different books. Currently, I’m listening to a lot of Paramore for Transparent. A little Linkin Park, Evanescence, Fallout Boy, Cartel, etc. The ninjas were a combo of Hellogoodbye and Evanescence for the battle scenes. I also listened to a ton of Owl City while editing that one. When editing, I usually opt for “calmer” music.

Talli Roland: Er... do you drink wine? If so: white or red?
I’m, uh, Mormon. For reals. I’ve never had wine. When I lived in CA, I ordered a virgin pina colada and took a sip. It tasted funny. My dad checked it (he’s a convert)—not virgin. That is about the extent of my interaction with alcohol.

Oh, and Nyquil.

salarsenッ: Ugh, Talli took mine. What make of laptop/computer do you use??
I have a MacBook. I love it. I’ve always been a Mac fan. Not a fanatic, but a fan. It’s not like I have an iPhone or iPod, even. But I would love an iPad—I think it’s the first e-readerish device I’ve seen that I’d actually like to have. I won’t go there, though, that’s a full post waiting to happen.

Matthew Rush: Do you drink beer and if so Lager or Ale?
See Talli’s answer above. Basically, I don’t even know the difference between the two.

And do you and Nick ever game together?
We played World of Warcraft for almost five years together. He started before me, when we were dating. Actually, he got it midnight release. I’d watch him play and it looked so fun, though I’d never played an mmo before. I was a playstation/Nintendo baby. I grew up on Final Fantasy and all that.

Then I stole my brother’s WoW account when he left on his mission, maybe four months after the game released. I was hooked.

We just recently stopped playing, but I’d like to play something else if I had time and the game is cool. We also play DDR together, and we jumped around from a few mmorpgs here and there.

Abby Stevens: What is your favorite mythological creature?
Do ninjas count? If not, I really like dragons. All kinds of dragons—eastern and western versions. That’s one book I often think about going back to, my dragon book.

Nick: Kirk or Picard?
Picard. But if you mean romantically then neither. I like Picard because he looks like my dad. That, and I’ve never actually seen a full old school Kirk episode. And of course there's this video:

(new) Kirk or Spock?
Don’t make me choose! They’re both hot. And funny. And smart. Which is a fatal combination for me. You should know that;P

Neurotic Workaholic: How do you decide what to cut out of your drafts and what to keep?
Simple answer: I cut the stuff that sucks.

Longer answer: It depends on the book. Some books I overwrite, so there are scenes that don’t contribute or can be smashed together into one stronger scene. Other times it’s an issue of taking a wrong plot direction, so I have to cut that out and rewrite it better. Or I introduce a character that doesn’t pull their weight, so I have to kick them out and use another character that’s more important to the story.

Recently I, uh, cut the whole book and started from blank document. I chose this route because there were so many changes that it would be easier to do that than go through every chapter and edit, tweak, cut, etc.

It was a scary choice, but I’m very pleased with the results. The old stuff isn’t in the way—I’ve been able to look past it and create the story I believe was supposed to be there in the first place.

Liz: Do you have a critique group? If so, how did you find them?
Yup. I found them through blogging. You might even know Kiersten, Renee, Kasie, Sara, Carrie, and Steph. I hope you do, because they’re way cooler than I am.

There are lots of places to find crit groups, I’ve written a long post about what to consider here.

Myrna Foster: What's the last thing one of your kids did that totally cracked you up?
Dino Boy sings the Imperial March everyday. At one point he’d wake up singing it and come into our room singing it. Talk about an awesome way to start the day. It’s like living with a mini Darth Vader.

Now the Ninja Girl is singing it too, and it’s pretty silly hearing a 2-year-old do that. It kind of sucks out all the menace. I can’t help but laugh.

Nikkilooch: Do you write in chapters or one long story? If it's one long story, how do you divide it up later? If in chapters, do the breaks feel natural or do you just say "Ok, time to stop here."?
I write in chapters. When I think about a story, it naturally comes in these little chunks, almost like episodes for an anime or something, complete with commercial breaks, hehe.

I’m one of those people who gets easily overwhelmed. Chapters for me are something small to focus on. I’d get so turned around and stressed out without them.

Also, I believe there’s an art to chaptering. Kiersten does it amazingly well—I can’t wait for more people to know just how well. Chapter pacing needs to propel a reader forward. Chapters need to be their own complete stories almost, like short stories. They need to have their own rising action and mini climax. I like to have that planned out some.

I also prefer shorter chapters, since as a reader I need lots of small stops with my kids bugging me. So it needs to be tight, compelling, and able to keep me thinking about it when I have to run and get juice.

Pen: What is your favourite weapon of choice in your writing? (assuming you have one)
Ummm, words? Either that, or nunchaku.

I’m not exactly sure what you mean, but if you mean like a story device, I suppose I love the Big Surprise/Twist. I almost always have one in my stories, and I love love love when my readers say, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming!”

Ruth: How do you find the time? For writing, for family, for...everything?
It’s more of that old adage—I don’t find time I make time. I sacrifice things like TV and sleep and sanity. I try to put my family first at all times, but I’ll be honest and say that doesn’t always happen.

It’s a balancing act. I used to have a lot more time to write than I do now, but I don’t beat myself up because of that. I do what I can with the time I have. Sometimes that’s a sentence, sometimes it’s a couple thousand words.

The most important thing is to do something and don’t beat yourself up for all the things you can’t do. We’re human. Even me, despite the rumors:)

Unboundscribe: How do you get inspired when you feel burned out...for months?
I stop trying to be inspired and I just get to work. As I’m working, I often find the spark of inspiration again. Because here’s the hard truth—if you want to write as a career, it’s not about inspiration all the time.

It’s your job to write. Imagine if an accountant woke up and was like, “I don’t feel inspired to do taxes today. I’ll just not work.”

If you write as a hobby, then you shouldn’t feel bad about long breaks or not writing when you’re inspired. But if you want this for a job, you have to treat it like a job. Sadly, the work doesn’t get easier when you’re published—it gets harder. You have deadlines and expectations and people hoping to feed their families off your creative work.

So when I feel burned out (and I talked about one of my worst burn outs here), I give myself a little break to find my center again. Then I get back to work, at which point I discover that I do love what I do even when its hard.

Mary Aalgaard: What's your favorite snack to nibble on while writing?
I’m not a snacker while I write, but I do like to drink something. Usually diet Code Red or water.

The Query

This week I thought I'd write about a few of the workshops I taught at a conference this weekend, since I've never addressed them on my blog.

Yes, that's right, guys. I've never written a post on how to write queries.

I know, that's like a stock post for every writing blog out there, but I've never felt qualified to offer up my querying advice. I never thought I was a very good querier, and I relied heavily on feedback from others to steer me in the right direction.

Then I got asked to teach a workshop on writing queries and synopses, so I had to figure out how to present some half way decent advice. (It only JUST occurred to me that I could have said no instead. Huh.)

Okay, let's get this show on the road.

Query Basics
The query is a one page document a writer sends to agent when seeking representation for a novel. It should contain basic information about the novel (title, word count, genre), a description of the novel, and a short, relevant bio. As for word count, stick around 250-400 words.

Novel Description
For the most part, this is where a query gets stressful. Condensing a novel into an enticing 3-paragraph (the standard) blurb is no small feat. It takes practice, lots of drafts, and feedback from others, but I hope these tips can help you get started in the right direction.

Your query's novel description should mimic the typical arc of every story—beginning, middle, end—and what happens in them. You must introduce the problem, explain the complications, and lay out the stakes if the problem isn't solved.

1st Paragraph: Problem/Stakes. Every novel has a problem, a premise. Your first paragraph should hook an agent with this. It should also get across why this problem is important or interesting at all.

2nd Paragraph: Complications. A novel is basically about a person with a problem who tries to solve it, but things get in the way. The complications are the middle of your book and the middle of your query. Focus on those that most impede your protagonist, whether they be people or events or whatever.

3rd Paragraph: Raised Stakes/Resolution. Once a person has messed up their problem, it's usually much worse than it was initially. Re-establish the stakes and what the protagonist must do to save the day.

Simple, right? Oh, no crying. It's not that bad. This is only a guideline, really. Rules waiting to be broken.

I guess it's only right for me to post my old queries as examples. These are my queries (not edited *cringe*) for my two most successful times in the query trenches: Allure and Relax, I'm a Ninja.

Allure: Keira Connelly didn't think becoming a dragon would be such a big deal. But so far, her gradual change from human to wyrm has only been trouble—the allure of eating gemstones and kissing that forbidden rogue dragon in school are too strong to ignore. And when her dragon family realizes her keen nose is beyond average, they wonder if her complete transformation will make her a fabled Blood Dragon.

Becoming a Blood Dragon will give her leverage, which she wants to use to get out of her arranged marriage. Maybe even persuade the Council to let her marry, Rune, the rogue dragon she loves. But the price for this privilege would be steep. Keira would be bound to hunt and kill the evil of her kind—powerful black dragons consumed with greed and rage.

Before she can fully transform and explore her new power, a black dragon discovers Keira's potential and determines to kill her before she can defend herself. Still in her weakened human state, she must rely on her Clan and Rune for protection until she can fight for her own future—and the fate of the dragon world.

I hope you will consider Allure, a YA urban fantasy finished at 67,000 words.

Relax, I'm a Ninja: Toshiro Ito is a pro at secrets—that's what ninjas do best. He thought no one did it better until he discovered a ninja in the unlikeliest place: a cheerleader's bedroom. Spying on super hot Courtney Petersen was supposed to provide a peek at her bra strap. Instead, Tosh finds his neck at the edge of her blade.

When teenagers start turning up dead around the city, Tosh is certain Courtney's somehow involved. But she isn't exactly interested in spilling information. After several failed attempts to break Courtney, Tosh enlists Amy Sato (new ninja recruit and his best friend's crush) to help. They are determined to make her talk—not an easy task when their covers are role-playing, calculator-toting, uber nerds and Courtney can use her meathead boyfriend as a shield.

After a run-in with the murderer and no luck with Courtney, Tosh worries he and Amy are next on the list. Together they decode the strange events, and Amy's charm steals his heart in the process. Who knew their first kiss would unlock not only Courtney's secrets, but those of an ancient ninja battle raging around them? All he wanted was a girlfriend.

I hope you will consider Relax, I’m a Ninja, a YA novel finished at 76,000 words.

Pep Talk
I wish I could tell you exactly how to write the perfect query, but I don't believe it's possible, actually. It's not a science. What works for one agent doesn't work for another. The most important thing is to be YOU in your query. You don't want a query that will get you just any agent—you want a query that will connect you with an agent who gets your voice and style. That's why you and only you should write your query.

That's not to say you shouldn't get opinions, though. I relied most on the opinions of those who have read my work, which I think is opposite to what many advise. Why? Because my betas know my voice. They know if I'm getting that voice across in my query. Yes, get feedback from strangers to double check for understanding, but I believe having your personality in the query is most important.

Experiment. You don't have to get it all right on the first try. Or even the second. Just like writing novels, your best work often surfaces in later drafts. It's not a long document—write one from scratch if you feel like yours has lost something or isn't doing your story justice.

Also, try not to worry too much. The more time I've spent in this business, the more I've learned that querying and submission are more about connecting than being perfect. Try your best. Do everything you can to improve and be professional. But then remember that you can't control how people receive your work. Sometimes there just isn't a spark and that's not your fault. It's far too comparable to dating. Feel free to concoct whatever analogy you will.

Take deep, cleansing breaths and know it'll happen if you keep trying. Like I've said before, it's only game over if you put down the controller.

(Yes, I totally just quoted myself.)

So that's my official and obligatory post on querying. Now I never have to do one again, right?

Love Stories: Forbidden Love

Okay, I'll admit it. I write love stories. Sure, there are a lot of other elements to my books, but there's always some kind of relationship at the center. So I thought I'd try to look all smart and talk a little about what I've learned from all these books I've written.

I know we all want to think our ideas are the most unique things in the entire world, but there's really only a few kinds of "love stories" out there: the Forbidden, the Reluctant, the Blind, the Deception, the "Traditional." (Huh, the five I'll be covering this week, go figure.)

You can have elements of several in your book, but one will usually dominate. And don't get depressed if these sound familiar to something you've written. These "formulas" have been used for centuries. For some reason, they tug at the human heart—just what you want in a sappy dappy love story. (NOTE: I'm focusing primarily on the romantic element, though every love story has more going on around it.)

So, let's get this show on the road:

Forbidden Love
The Formula: Guy meets girl (or vise versa). Guy can't have girl because outside force forbids it. They get together anyway—drama unfolds in the form of guilt/deception/discovery/punishment. In the end, they either die for their love or they figure out how to be together and they are finally able to love each other freely.

What is it about forbidden love that always has us rooting for the thwarted couple? Really, we know they aren't allowed to be together—that they are going against family wishes, nature, society, or whatever it may be in that particular book. They are being irrational and reckless. It's WRONG...then why is it so right? Do we all, on some level, feel like "love" is made stronger when people forsake their very identity for it? Do we want love to triumph over everything because it so very often doesn't?

Let's jump a looong way back—Romeo & Juliet. I know: it's really a tragedy, they're just horny emo teenagers, blah blah blah. BUT. You wish they were able to stay together, don't you? You know you do. Deep in your gut you just can't help it. Save a few people (like, maybe Ebenezer Scrooge), I'm willing to bet no one was yelling in The Globe, "Juliet, you fool! Pick Paris! Pick Paris!" (I can see the "Team Paris" t-shirts now.)

Fast forward to the ultimate forbidden love on the shelves right now—Twilight. Um, holy crap, it's Romeo and Juliet with a pretty bow ending! I know: it's really a tragedy, they're just horny emo teenagers (okay, one of them is ninety...but work with me here), blah blah blah. BUT. You still want Bella and Edward together—against all your good sense you STILL WANT IT. Ack!

What? The formula STILL works? You bet it does. Whether you like this kind of love story or not—this story sells. A lot, apparently. Everyone likes a good "WHY CAN'T THEY JUST BE TOGETHER?" book. (Alright, that might just be girls.) And if you write love stories, you better bet you'll be using this one at some point.

I did—Allure was my forbidden love story. Keira Connelly falls for a dragon outside of her Clan. They want to be together; they can't. She tries to accept her betrothed; she can't. She finally gives up and picks Rune—abandons her whole life at the risk of death. Things work out after a while. It totally works. I love that story and so did the people who read it (despite it not being polished enough).

So, welcome to the formula. What can you do as a writer to make this not sound like half the books on the shelves? It's all about the characters and world—that "fresh spin" thing. A forbidden love can unravel in so many ways based on the unique characters that fall in love and the world around them. Um, hence the overwhelming success of a vamp falling for his "prey."

Is your MC looking for the forbidden aspect to rebel? Or is your MC a rule abider taken off guard? Does the love interest feel guilty for making your MC risk so much? Or is the love interest reckless and flauting his or her affection? The answers to those question swing the story in vastly different directions, as do all the other things you can bring to a book. Time, place, society, etc. It's about what you can bring to the formula—the new life you can breathe into it.

Sigh, those poor forbidden couples. Oh, the million-dollar angst.

Well, You Asked...Or Didn't

Wow, thank you for asking questions, everyone! I fully expected to be writing my own today. And these are way better than what I was coming up with. This was fun, hope you enjoy the answers. I'm sure you tossed in your sleep in anticipation.

sraasch said...Serious question: What inspired "Relax, I'm a Ninja"?

Honestly, this one is kind of hard to pinpoint. I've always loved martial arts and such, so I started joking around on the blog that I was a ninja. Then, no joke, I saw these Flair buttons on Facebook that had that phrase "Relax, I'm A Ninja." I just thought that was so funny—I decided I had to do some book about a ninja kid. Toshiro's voice almost immediately popped into my head. He started telling me about how people think ninjas run around in black garb, but they're really a lot smarter than that. Kiersten told me to write the first paragraph for Nathan Brandsford's contest (okay, okay, I'll admit there was only a first paragraph when I entered!), and it kinda took off from there.

Not-serious question: If you could be a season, which season would you be and why?

I think I'd have to say Autumn. So many fun things happen in Autumn. And if I was the season, I'd like to watch kids run to their first day of school, see the parents rejoice, smile at all the Halloween costumes, smell the yummy apple pies, and laugh at the leaf pile jumping contests.

Kiersten said...Can you please make up some questions?

Um, sure. But just for you!

What deodorant do you use? Dove, gotta love soft armpits.

What do you eat for breakfast? Usually cereal, lately I've had no appetite and have been going for a glass of OJ and a multi-vitamin.

How well do you sing? As long as the song doesn't go too high, I'm a freaking rock star:P

lotusgirl said...What is your favorite animal?

Pet-wise, I do love cats. I had two (Calvin & Hobbes) growing up and they were great. In theory, dogs are great, too, but I know I'd struggle with the extra "maintenance" they require. Just any old animal? I think horses are beautiful. My little sister rides, and I'm so jealous.

What is your ideal place to write?

Anywhere there aren't kids! What? Impossible? Oh yeah. Um...I usually sit on the couch with my laptop, which I enjoy, or in my bed when I need a change of scenery. If I'm being totally unrealistic, I'd say a house in New Zealand overlooking a forest. With a waterfall somewhere, cuz those are cool.

Never Settle said...Q #1:Would you be willing to play a game of chubby bunny with some of your cult members? Oh, wait. I'm sorry. Kiersten has the cult. You just have regular old followers. ;) So, would ya?

You know, I've never played this game! I'm not a fan of marshmallow or stuffing a lot of stuff in my mouth. Devastating, I know.

Q #2:How many miny tootsie rolls can you smush into your mouth at once?(I can fit 27.)

I have no clue. I am also not a fan of tootsie rolls. A brown, chewy log? Yeah, no thanks. But if I HAD to guess, I'd say like 24. That sounds reasonable.

Kasie West said...Are you more parts ninja or cyborg? Or are you relatively equal in both areas?

Hmm, excellent question. I would actually say I'm more cyborg. Hello? I just hit 55k in ninjas...didn't I JUST finish Sealed? Yeah, I'm wired to write, etc. The ninja training came after that (to defend my allies in the Query War). So technically, I would say I'm a cyborg with some ninja skills.

Renee Collins said...If your books were people, and you HAD to marry only one of them, which one would you marry?

Oh. My. Gosh. Why are you doing this to me, Ren? This hurts. Okay, here goes, I'm going to say that I would marry Void. Why? It really boils down to the message of this book. Coral Starfall is born to a wizarding family, but has no magic. Instead of moping or sitting back and letting people tell her she's damaged, she takes control of her life, goes out on her own, and stays true to what she loves (technology, which is banned in the wizarding communities). She meets a beautiful, flawed boy. And instead of thinking she can change him into prince charming, she realizes that everyone has flaws and she needs to decide which ones she can live with. I'd want to "marry" a book that sends that kind of message.

When thinking/daydreaming about your books, what do you think about? Do you envision future scenes? Work out current plot problems? Dream about your characters in wacky/outlandish situations that will never show up in the story?

Mostly my daydreams about books come in "dialogue form." I'll get key conversations and they'll build up in my head, pushing me to get to that point in the book so they just SHUT UP. Furture scenes will often come (as dialogue), but plot usually unfolds for me as I write, not daydream. They never show up in weird places that don't go in the story...don't know why, that sounds fun.

Whirlochre said...Who could you beat in a bo stick fight?

Man, who could I NOT beat? I'd say anyone but Chuck Norris and...um...Chris Brown I could totally beat in a bo stick fight.

Kiersten said...Does your brain ever, ever turn off?

Unfortunately, no. Not even when I'm sleeping. I have wild dreams every night. I don't think I've had a second of blank thought in years and years. Just saying that makes me tired. I'd take a nap, but well, it wouldn't help.

Do you intend on writing every story worth writing and leaving the rest of us with nothing left to do?

Not intentionally, though it may happen anyway. You can petition my cybernetic programmer if you have any more complaints. They might consider redjusting my chip.

Do you have crushes on your love interests/male leads while you are writing them? (I love Renee's question about marrying one of your books, btw...)

Ha, I'm not sure. Maybe? I do love them, but in my head they belong to their girl, if that makes sense. Keira and Rune, Coral and Luke, Lily and Tuck, Adrie and Ren, Tosh and Amy...they just go together. I could never imagine interferring, though I do "fall in love" with them as I write. Maybe more in a creative way than a crush way.

If you could pick anyone to direct the movie of any ONE of your books, which book would you pick and who would you want to direct?

Um, I don't really know directors, so I don't have a great answer for this one. I think of all my books, I'd love to see Allure on screen. Just for the pure fact that I'd want to see my dragons as "tangible" entities (that would take millions in CG to get right, heh). And if anyone could do that right, I guess I'd say Peter Jackson, as long as he got WETA to help.

Lady Glamis said...Is that picture of you and your hubby (profile pic) at the Castle Theater?

Nope.

Do you ever get jealous of others' writings? Especially in your own genre?

YES. I'm wildly jealous of Kiersten's WIP Paranormalcy. (Don't worry, I've already told her several times.) It's deliciously awesome, and I'm jealous I didn't come up with it because I can't daydream about it. I just have to sit here and wait for her to write and blow my mind away. As for published books, sometimes I'm jealous I didn't come up with an idea because I think I could have executed it better. But only a little jealous. I really do have a lot of ideas of my own...