Four Step Friday: Writing Compelling Characters...

1.  Examples:  

Pull out your favorite book.  Hunger Games, Stargirl, The Giver, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Heist Society, Unwind, Paranormalcy...Whatever.  Yes, Twilight is fine. 

What about this book makes it good?  I'm sure, somewhere in your list of praise...it will include "compelling characters".  

So what about the writing makes us want to know Stargirl, to be Katniss, or fall in love with Edward?   

They seem real.
  

2.   Details: 

What makes a character real is their depth.  You want them to have layers, motivations, emotions, likes/dislikes.  They need to be tangible to you before they can be tangible to anyone else.

Interview your characters:  Have a survey for each one of them.  This is more important than knowing what they all look like (even though your questionnaire can include that).  This is where you discover who they are, what kind of report card they get, how they like their eggs, etc.  Know them inside out and then incorporate their personality quirks in your writing.  

3.  Flaws:

Perfect is boring.  

All Characters need a flaw.  Something they are bad at... even Edward has flaws.  He's just plain stupid over Bella sometimes...

Katniss is an awful actress.

Percy Jackson has learning disabilities.

Connor, from Unwind, has a temper that gets him into fights. 

What I love about these flaws is that they are short comings, but the characters are made more endearing by them...

We love Edward because he's so ridiculously in love with plain ol' Bella.  

Katniss can't fake it, but being herself is all anyone really needs.

Percy may have felt like a misfit because of his learning disabilities but then he finds out his brain is really programmed from Greek...

Connor only fought when he was standing up for something or someone.   

4.  Arc:  

People change.  Characters should too...  but realistically and sometimes subtlety.

You don't want your character to be an entirely different person at the end of the book!  You want your character and their voice to be consistent.  But you want aspects of that character to change, their perspective, or facing a fear or coming to terms with things... This should be gradual in your writing, and is a definite show not tell situation.  Put your characters in positions where they learn something and then stick them in another where they use the wisdom they've gained...    

Back to Connor from Unwind.  I love his transformation because the author, Neal Shusterman, took his flaw:  fighting--made you realize he fought for the right reasons and because he was an alpha--had another character point out that fighting wasn't always the best option and then put him in situations to test what he had learned.  By not fighting Connor was even more powerful and a better leader to the other 'unwinds'.    

Example of a Character Sketch/Interview: 

1.  What's their favorite... food, drink, color, music, hobby?

2.  What kind of personality do they have?  

3.  What's under their bed?

4.  Who do they go to for advice?

5.  What is their biggest strength?

6.  What's their weakness?

7.  Who are their friends/What are they like?

8.  What does their bedroom/locker/the inside of their fridge look like?

9.  How many siblings do they have?

10.  Where is there favorite spot?

Good luck creating your characters, I'm looking forward to meeting them.  

What questions do you like to ask your characters? 

Book Monday: Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy and I texturing the garage.  

I think Evie was having more fun than I was, at least she got to wear  her super cute prom dress...  

Title:  Paranormalcy

Author:  Kiersten White (she has such a great blog go check it out) 

Genre: YA Paranormal :)

Rating: Two Thumbs up

What I thought:

Oh bleep, where to begin.  Loved Evie.  Loved her.  The voice in this novel is so fun.  It was a light, funny read.  Really entertaining.  I really enjoyed the love interest in the story and seeing their relationship develop.  I liked the baggage of Evie's ex-boyfriend.  This is really different than other paranormal books out there.  It's kind of like Men in Black but with a Paranormal twist... There is a government agency that supervises all paranormal activity and Evie is a sixteen-year-old who works for the agency because of a special ability.  I really liked that I couldn't guess where this novel was going.  It was a great read.    

Synopsis: http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/p/paranormalcy.html

(The pic above is for a contest Kiersten has on her blog, it ends on Sept. 12 so go hurry and buy a copy of Paranormalcy and enter the contest) 

WIP: Brainstorm Edition

My last Beta read my MS.  Dun Dun Duuunnnn!

I've got some tweaking to do.  Tweaking's good.

Need to fill out the ending.
Beef up a couple of characters.
Sprinkle in with some minor details.
Play with the idea of a Prologue.

And then Viola... I'll be done and buy a ticket to query land.

Wait what?  A PROLOGUE...but you never even read those... 


Yes I know a Prologue.  I've started sketching out a couple.  IT'LL BE SUPER SHORT I PROMISE.  We'll see how it goes... If I can possibly insert some of the information/story of my villain in a different way--I will do it.  But right now this seems like the most smooth/best way to get 'er done.

What do you think?

Do you like writing or reading prologues?

Are they confusing? Do they add anything?

I'm curious what other people think.  In the meantime I'm going to keep reading this awesome blog I just found:     Between Fact and Fiction--Natalie Whipple

She has amazing insight and has helped me not throw in the towel... go check out her archives with stuff about:  writing a synopsis, critique groups, querying.  It's great.

 I'm seriously addicted to chalk... 

Tuesday Flash Fiction/OOD

This is a writing prompt otherwise known as an OOD or Obect of Day.  I pulled it from the "inspiration box" my sister made me...  I started doing this in effort to keep writing new things, as I obsessively edit my WIP.  Leave your own piece in the comments : )  I've decided to give myself a word limit:  100.  So here goes:  

Postcard 

“If you can hold it...I would,” I said to Suz.

“It’s that bad?”

“I haven’t seen a toilet like that since the rest stop in Amarillo.”

“How far until the next town?”

“60 miles.”

“I’ll take my chances…”  Suz tapped open the door with one finger. 

I strolled the isles of the station and piled my stash on the counter:  water, gum, snickers.  The clerk beeped each item into the bag.  I grabbed a postcard off the rack on the counter.  I wasn’t ready to call Mom.  But at least we could let her know we were alive.          

Awesome Series...

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Rating: pg-13, Thumbs-up
Genre: Dystopian YA

What I thought:  This book was so intense.  It had to be to top off the build-up from the previous books... but I found my jaw dropping frequently.  Collins was so true to her characters and the situation it was amazing.  I couldn't have done that.  She put them through so much pain and really reflected how they would feel.  I felt that the first hundred pages were long because I was so used to Katniss being in the middle of combat, but at the same time it was necessary to the story.  I really liked the turns in the plot...I can't say I was happy at the end of the book because of the emotional roller-coaster I had ridden, but I wasn't disappointed.    

Synopsis:
Book Trailer

Title:  Only the Good Spy Young
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: YA
Rating: G, Thumbs up

What I thought:  This was the best of the Gallagher Girl Series.  I loved it.  The plot was awesome:  Super cute and suspenseful at the same time.  I love the characters, it's fun to watch them grow and change with each book--they are really tangible.  I'm so excited for the next book.  

Synopsis:
http://www.allycarter.com/books/only-good-spy-young/synopsis

Contest: Musings of a Restless Mind

Anyone with a query they want critiqued?

There is a contest on the blog Musings of a Restless Mind... to win a query critique.  

Go enter it!  The better your query the better chance someone will pull it out of the slush.  

  

Dinosaurs, Adoption and Cool Blogs

We're back...

We lived.  It was a stinking long time in the car... First the nine hour drive to San Antonio to see Shamoof (no that's not a typo, my toddler renamed Shamu while we were down there) and back for a total of 18 hours... and then the other trip that was 20 hours in the car... we took two days to get there and two days back (40 hours!), with only three days in between.  So really this August my daughter and I have spent 58 hours in the car!

This pic is before the 2nd ride home...we still look okay. I have to find an after pic--but I think my husband already saved them in some goofy folder I don't know about, because they are no longer on the card.

She started to bawl when I put her in her carseat yesterday.  Can I blame her?  No.  I can't.  I told her, we were just going to the Grocery store.  I don't think she believed me.

As I've started catching up with blogomundo... I wanted to post some blogs that really should be visited.

First my brother and sister-in-law have just been approved for another adoption (Yea!):

They are so cute, here  is their profile--just trying to spread the word, feel free to do so as well.  They are awesome parents to my niece Halle who was adopted in 2008.  This is their adoption blog.

Another awesome blog belong's to my sister-in-law's (pictured above) sister Jenny... are you confused yet?
This is her blog.

And this one 29 not dead but dying, is amazing... Raven Blackmane rocks... and in case you were wondering I don't think 29 is very old.

My little sister also started a blog.  I took this picture... caught her mid boogie wipe :)

I'm trying to catch up, I'll get there soon.  Other things have taken precedence in the moments since our arrival... like laundry, loads and loads of laundry, grocery shopping, putting away all the crap we brought on our trips... it's been crazy.

So anyway--we're back.  And if you haven't seen the movie pictured at the top.  It's a must see.  No really.  It is.

So long cruel blog-o-sphere

Road trip with the sibs... except the youngest...who wasn't born yet.   Yes that is me on the right. 

I'm taking my WIP on a roadtrip.

Yes, I know, I know...we're not leaving until Sunday... but... we've got oh so much to do before them... and one of those things is finish my WIP so I can read it out loud in the car to my husband who said if he'd only read it if I made it an audio book...  (there is a strange sort of irony to that sentence) 

I'm whittling away my fingers just to type this post so I can go back to editing. 

I'm taking a blogging vacation from now until Aug. 18... 

What?

Yes that's right.  Aug. 18

WHAT?

I know, will I be able to live without the internets for that long?  Probably not but I'm going to try...really really hard.  (My internet fast doesn't not include google maps) 

H.A.G.S.--I don't think I've written that since my 7th grade year book...I feel so nostalgic

Yes this probably sums up all road trips in a nutshell... 

WIP Thursday

I'm experiencing burn out...

I want to work on my WIP--I've had more major editing ideas/I'm still streamlining my MS... but it's just not working today.

I think it has to do with sleep deprivation and a busy/unpredictable schedule.

Time to pick out a book and recharge.

Parenting

I had a different blog post in mind, but it seems really trivial now--after I read this about happiness in life and being a parent.

ODD: Glasses

The glasses slid down my nose as I drove with the windows all the way up.  The air conditioning was shot… and so were the small levers that powered the glass up or down.  I was being roasted whole.  I’d never make it to 7/11 in time.  That was my dying wish—a slurpee.  But the car wouldn’t go fast enough.   It sputtered up the hill before stalling out in the middle of the intersection.  I started moving back and forth thinking maybe, just maybe my momentum could get the clunker going again.   A  Jeep full of teenagers flew by and honked at my stopped Buick—they were all holding ice cold beverages…   laughing and guzzling…I envied their brain freeze. 

 I had done something to anger the slurpee god’s and now they were mocking me.       

Book Monday: Unwind

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: YA Scifi
Rating: Amazing!  PG-13

What is Unwind... and Neal Shusterman's Face Book Page...and a Movie?

What I like:  This book was awesome.  There are three main characters, with very different backgrounds--all running from the same problem.  I loved the multiple perspectives, it really helped you understand what was going on from so many different angles.  I loved the characters in this book--they are multidimensional.  Each go through major metamorphoses and learn to turn their weaknesses into strengths...which is essential in their fight to stay alive when the world is trying to harvest their body parts.  I was so impressed with this book I already have a few other Shusterman books in my to be read pile!  Go check it out!  

Synopsis:
The Heartland War has ended--but there are no winners in the second Civil War.  Trying to appease both sides of the pro-choice, pro-life debate--there is a new law in order.   Parents now have the option to unwind their children when they turn thirteen until they are eighteen.  Their lives will not end, but continue...as part of other human beings.  There are many reasons parents have elected to unwind their children:   delinquent behavior, not meeting potential or a religious tithe.  But once the papers have been signed there is no turning back.  

Conner, Risa and Lev are scheduled to be unwound.  Despite their different backgrounds and personalities, they try to band together to beat the system.

This story is so cool--I don't know how else to put it.  If you need a good summer read...this one won't last long.  I couldn't put it down.  It was a one day-er.    

Random Friday--POW

It's time for a Pearl of Wisdom:

Preparation is like a monocle chained to your vest, always there when you need it.

Ideas are like Cowboy boots--you never know where they'll end up.

Earmuffs are love for your ears.

Love is like sunblock, when applied thickly you feel warm and gooey, when spread thin...you get burned.

Most of these came from a writing exercise I did in the class I'm taking with the Flying DutchPig.
It's really fun all you need to start with is a list of concrete items and a list of abstract ones.

Concrete:                                                            
1. Pineapple                                                                          
2. Lemon                                                          
3. Shoe                                                              
4. Bunny Rabbit                                    
5. light bulb                                                                   

Abstract:
1. Hate
2. Love
3. Happiness
4. Peace
5. Success

And then you mix and match until you have a comparison you can throw in your WIP...

Hate is like a lemon, they both do ugly things to your face.
Peace is like a bunny rabbit, soft and quiet.
Success is like a light bulb, the newer it is the brighter it burns.
Pineapple is happiness.  Yellow and sweet.

You get the idea...

OOD: Watch

The watch stopped.  8:44 a.m.  Where am I at 8:44?  I was going somewhere, doing something.  But now it’s stopped.  And not just the watch I’m afraid.  Time is standing still.  I scream as I inch forward.  Time is not still but moving slower than it ever has before. 

The car is stopped, but the pieces are still moving.  I wear metal and glass as the hissing grows louder.  I close my eyes.  Whatever is happening doesn’t matter.  Wherever I was going doesn’t matter.  Breathing matters.  I try to suck in the air.   The airbag so forcefully knocked the oxygen from my lungs.  My neck burns from the seatbelt, my head pounds.  The only thing I can think is “Will someone please turn off that siren?”

Link to an awesome Contest

I really want to read 'Anna and the French Kiss' by Stephanie Perkins... maybe you will too.

This is a contest by Myrna at Night Writer to win a pre-order of AFK and 'Paranormalcy' by Kiersten White 

The contest closes tonight at midnight!  So hurry on over!

WIP

I've been hiccuping on my WIP...

I worked hard for about a week, and then WHAMMO...I haven't worked on it in four days! 

My hiccups have been induced by having some awesome plot twisting ideas... and putting off making the changes. (I've been studying up on "raising the stakes" and character motivation) 

I'm on my 8th draft. 8th. 

And I just realized that I need to add two major threads to my story...

I had just successfully chopped my word count to:

79496 (which is still kind off long, I'm shooting for 75,000)

Bummer, because that's about to go back up.  Here's me putting on my writing hat...and then back to the chopping block. 

Yes.  That is my thinking sombrero and my lucky machete.  

  

Not so OOD

hmm... woke up at 5:30 this morning... too tired too write...

Thale's Folly

 

Author: Dorothy Gilman (Famous for Mrs. Polifax series)

Title: Thale's Folly

Rating: PG, Thumbs up

Genre: light mystery... (yes I just made that up...but I have no idea how else to describe it :)

What I liked:  This book was really cute, I liked the characters, especially the protagonist and his transformation. 

Synopsis: (From back of book)  At the request of his father, New York novelist Andrew Thale tackles an odd assignment--to check out an old family property in Massachusetts, neglected since Aunt Harriet Thale's death years ago. But far from being deserted, Thale's Folly as Andrew discovers, is fully inhabited--by a quartet of charming squatters, former "guests" of kindhearted Harriet.  There is elegant Miss L'Hommedieu, Gussie the witch, Leo the bibliophile, and beautiful Tarragon, who is unlike any girl Andrew has ever met in Manhattan.

Andrew is entranced by these unworldly creatures and their simple life.  Yet all is not well in Thale's Folly.  A thief breaks into the farmhouse, an old friend of the "family" disappears, and Andrew and Tarragon are drawn into mysteries they cannot fathom...

Part 4: Fruit War (go back and start with part 1 first...)

Okay so this last video had nothing to do with Bruce, but while digging through little bro's youtube channel, I ran across this and thought it was so cool...

Anyway, I also wanted to extend warm welcome to Avner--my bro's new pet... who almost made me throw up just thinking about him... really you can ask my parents and brother about it. 

No this isn't really Avner--I think Avner is even bigger and blacker... but both make my skin crawl...

-Pearl

Part 3: Bruce and Matt

And more Bruce...

Part 2: Mattatouie

Pets have been on my mind with all the dog watching/adoption in the extended family...so I couldn't let pass the opportunity to pay tribute to Bruce, my little bro's tarantula of three years.  And even though I couldn't attend the funeral, which I heard was really nice, I wanted to pay my respects and show the best memories I have of Bruce.  

Part 1: A tribute to Bruce

You'd think I was an animal person... we had so many pets growing up though, I think I was cured of it...

My sister, the Flying Dutchpig got a dog within the last couple of weeks.  Her name is Lovey, and we love to visit her, but I'm glad she stays at their house...

Especially after we had to dog sit for the other side of the family for the last two weeks--Meet Marshmallow 

and Gizmo... 

They seems like nice dogs--and they are, but still I'm cured of wanting a family pet (other than our fish) especially after they started fighting when baby-Pearl and I were trying to feed them... Baby was in between them, lets just say it didn't take long for the Mama Bear to pop out of me... I still haven't forgiven them for knocking down/stepping on my baby... 

Stay tune for Tribute to Bruce parts 2-4... 

OOD 5

The string webbed through the mimosa tree, fern like leaves and feather like flowers.  I tugged on the string and the branches shivered, but nothing gave.  The dragon kite was perched on the highest arm laughing at me with bugged eyes and flared nostrils.  I stamped my foot as its tonuge slithered out mocking me.

I pulled up on the lowest branch and kicked at the trunk until I could grasp the next limb.  I shimmied up the tree.

The kite was only five feet above me--I could make it if I was careful.  The limbs grew smaller as I squirmed upward.  The swayed underneath my weight.  I held on tightly, my knees knocking at the precarious situation.
My arms became sore clinging for my life, my hands pinched and raw.  I was stuck.  The kite barely out of reach.  I was too high up to safely climb back down.

I bit my lip holding back my tears.

"Mom? What are you doing in that tree?"
"Robbie!  I took your new kite for a test run.  Go get your Dad--tell him to bring the ladder, the one we use for Christmas lights."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, as I watched Robert run towards home, help was on the way.  Darn kite.  

Query 911, does your query suck?

No my husband and daughter won't respond to Query calls... but the picture is so darn cute.  

Query 911:

Places to send your letter before querying: 
QueryTest (easy to use, fun, lots of response)
Query Shark (not for weenies)
Public Slush Pile (haven't tried this, but response level seems hit and miss)
Ask Daphne (query reviews on Fridays)
Nathan Bransford (does query reviews and first pages weekly)


How to write it:
Elana Johnson--awesome query writer...and gives great tips here, hook--here, setup--here, conflict--here, consequence--here, everything else--here   She just posted about how querying is a game
Pub Rants  goes through successful client queries and why they work
Anatomy of a query letter  by Caren Johnson Literary Agency

Author Query:
Heather Brewer (I found this when I was first trying to figure out what a query is, it's cool that she posted her letter...because it worked)

Finding Agents to Query:
Query Tracker
Agent Query

So I want to know...

What have you done to work on/perfect your query?

Writing Books

Three steps for writing a book:

1. Get idea (let it fester) 

2. Write (at least 500 words a day for about 6 months) 

3. Revise (until it sings) 

See writing a novel is easy... it's the whole publishing thing that seems to trip us up.  As I have not yet queried my novel I'm not sure how well these books work, but they have given me a lot to chew on... 

See Jane Write, a Girls Guide to Writing Chick Lit by  Sarah Mlynowski

This book got me started, it helped me set goals and see that the first step to writing a book is...duh writing it...but so many people quit before it's done, just by finishing your MS you are leaps and bounds ahead of millions of others who want to write a book... p.s. my novel is YA, not Chick-lit--this book can be applied to other genres. 

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

This is a really good book to help you develop your ideas, even if they are lame...into break out novels, by building a breakout premise--making something plausible, conflicted, original, emotional... it can take your writing to the next level--this book has given me so much to think about!  

The First Five Pages: A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman 

I'm still in the editing stages of  my MS and I want to make it the best I can--to do that I need to realize what my story is lacking, i.e. see the blind spots, this book can help you see the areas you are weak in... 

slacking and rejection

So I'm slacking on my OOD posts, I had my writing class Tuesday and I did write one yesterday...I just didn't post it... but I'm still editing my WIP so all is well.

I just read this blog post about rejection and the comments have some good words of encouragement for those going through it!

OOD 4

I popped the quarter in the slot and cranked the metal handle.  I cupped my hand at the bottom of the spout ready for my treasure—but nothing came.  The greedy machine wouldn't give me my candy or the quarter.

I tapped, I turned, I twisted.   Nothing.  I had to find another quarter.  My mouth was cotton, I needed that gum.  I circled around the machine hoping to find some money; the circumference grew as I scoured the pavement.  Around and around I shuffled until I saw a scuffed up quarter.  I bent to retrieve it, but it was stuck I couldn’t remove the money from the asphalt.  I pulled and bent my fingernails, the quarter didn’t budge.

I stalked up to the machine and gave it one final thump with my fist.  I walked away without my quarter, without my gum, but at least I had a nice bruise to take with me.  I rubbed my sore hand and went home.   

     

OOD 3

The mutant octopus slimmed towards us, it’s large tentacles glowing with bubbling yellow toxin.  We weren’t going to make it.  Fin smiled sadly. 

“I’m sorry! It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” I cried.

“What? The neon yellow octopus wasn’t part of the date?”  He was trying to be funny.  It made me sick.  Here we were on the deck of my father’s sailboat, floating in an oil infested ocean with a giant suctioned cupped cephalopod on the deck, and sharks darting around the boat.

I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the sting of the poison as a tentacle hovered over me.  Make it quick, just make it quick.  

    

Thunk!

I peeked open an eye.  A large hunk of octopus flesh sat before me, bubbling and oozing.  The sea creature let out a horrible shriek and turned it’s full attention towards Fin who was now holding a large machete. 

“Where did you find that?”

“It was next to the life jackets and some aerosol can of something…” Fin puffed as he thwacked off another arm.  I smacked my forehead and ran for the can underneath the bench.   I pulled out the sea monster repellant as more octopus chunks flew. 

“Back up!” I ordered Fin.  I sprayed the pink foam over the intruder.  His bubbling skins started to hiss, as orange  vapor poured out of him.  The octopus slid back off the edge of the boat and deep into the ocean.  

“Phew, that was a close one…” Fin wiped his face with his t-shirt.

“Yeah it was, do you want to have our picnic now, or wait until we’re on shore?”

“I’d take some lemonade.”

“Sure thing.” 

OOD2

Stars twinkled overhead as she belted out her favorite tune.  Her cheeks were wind whipped but her spirits were still up as the moon arched it’s way across the sky.  It was only three hours past her bed time, but it seemed to matter less with every s’more she ate.  A belly laugh like a baby tiger, the girl tickled her daddy next to the campfire. 

“Ticka, ticka, ticka.”

“Hmm, I think it’s time for someone to go to bed,” Dada said.

“I no wanna go to bed.”

“Yes but you should.”

“Dada’s right sweetie, if you want to go swimming in the morning you have to go to bed,” Mom started up. 

“I wanna watch a show.”

“Sorry pumpkin, there’s no tv out here.”

“Maybe we should have brought one…” Dada rubbed his head.  His musing was interrupted by a sharp cracking sound in the woods beside them.  Gizmo, the family dog, perked up at the disturbing noise.  An English bulldog ripped through the brush and straight for the beloved family pet.  Dada grabbed up the baby, while Mom kicked off the intruder.   The dog slowly backed away, with low throaty barks escaping through it’s horrible mouth.

“That stupid thing bit me,” Mom grumbled.

“Is it bad?” Dada asked.

“No, I think it only had one tooth, but maybe we should sleep in the car.”

As the family tossed and turned in the car, the little girl requested the Barney song to lull her to sleep.  This is when Dada decided that maybe they should just pack it up and go home.  The family decided to campout In the family room and fall asleep to Blues Clues, making the girl extremely happy.  It was the best camping trip ever.        

Inspiration box...

My sister and I are taking a writing class together, we've only had two so far, but it's really fun.  It's just about getting you writing and using different techniques to get your creative juices flowing.  We did this exercise where we pulled on object off a table and free wrote about it--it was neat to see the kinds of ideas that people got from a tiny random object.

So my sister made me a shoe box full of random stuff... so I've decided to pull out an object every day (we'll see how it goes) and write about it...Beware I will post them, but I'm not going to take the time to edit them...as this is a writing exercise...not an editing exercise.

Feel free to write your own piece to post in the comments or just read along.

-RBP

OOD1: Truck

The wheels spun against the red counter top and the truck slammed into a tall glass of lemonade. 

“You don’t stop messing with that stupid truck and I’ll flush it down the toilet,” Kathryn glared at me—she meant it.  I slowly rolled my truck away from her glass, if the food didn’t come soon I might die.  And now I had no way to distract myself.

I stared at my Styrofoam cup full of milk.  How come I had to drink milk anyway?  Kathryn got lemonade, Mom got sprite and Dad got root beer.  And I got a glass of stupid milk.

Kathryn tapped her blue finger nails against the table, waiting for her cell phone to chime.  She was hungry too, we had been in the car for over five hours, with a bag of carrots and some raisins Mom had packed to sustain ourselves.  And now we were stuck in this lame restaurant while dad was trying to get the car fixed and Mom was outside on phone with Aunt Lou. 

But the worst of it was waiting for over thirty minutes in the sticky booth for my hamburger.  I was about to march in the back and cook it myself.

 

I slowly pulled a sugar packet out of the brown box by the ketchup bottle while Kathryn texted madly.  I bit the end off the white packet and brought the milk down below the table.  I emptied my fifth packet in my milk when Mom startled me. 

“No food yet?” she asked.

“Nope,” I said shoving the emptied packets on the floor.  Mom sat down and a waitress headed for our table with four massive burgers and a mountain of fries.

“Finally,” Kathryn muttered.  I took a swig of milk, just as the waitress set our food on the table… the sugar tingled my teeth, just as Dad walked into the restaurant.

“Well Tyler, looks like you won’t have to push us to the Grand Canyon,” Dad slapped my back.  I choked on the milk most of it spraying over the hot plate in front of Kathryn.  She looked at her plate of soggy hamburger and milky fries.  She didn’t say a word as she picked up the yellow truck and walked to the ladies room. 

     

This is amazing!

Not that it has anything to do with writing or an update on my new "plan"...

but it's so cool.

So I decided to change my time line, I'm doing steps 3-5 all the same time, and hopefully this will save time. So I go through three chapters a day with a fine tooth comb and fix the world building, consistency and cut the fat... it feels like it's going well, I'm really pleased with the first nine chapters I've done.

Hopefully I can keep it up. I'm still giving this segment of the plan until july 11th, but hopefully I'll be moving to the next phase before then.

The Plan...update

So why is everyone trying to get me to finish my book...don't they know it takes time to cultivate perfection?

Besides now I have a plan, I'm going to finish it, for the 7th...maybe 8th time.

My husband just asked me to finish my novel so we can be millionaires and start living the dream...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA!

Oh and he wants that for a father's day gift so, I my deadline has been changed... to June 20th.

Right. I'm on that. Just shut the door and watch the baby...oh and bring me a bag of m&m's because I'm hard at work in here. I've got a deadline!

The Plan

I need to be finished...for my own sanity.

This is the plan:
Part 1:
1. Finish Major Edits (that I'm almost done with, on pg. 202 of 284) 1 week (6/11-6/17)update...finished these Edits 6/12/10, moving onto next phase of plan
2. Re-outline MS 2 days (6/18-6/19) update finished outline 6/15/10
3. Protag. Edits, motivation and consistency 1 week (6/20-6/27)
4. World building 1 week (6/28-7/4)
5. Trimming the Fat... 1 week (7/5-7/11)

Plan revised...I just got edits back from my sister-in-law and they are amazing! So I'm trying to do steps 3-5 plus her edits all at the same time... so it's going a little slower...but I feel really good about it :) So the deadline for all these steps has also change... it's now:  Aug 1st

Part 2:
6. Then send it to my betas and take it on a road trip...(Aug.1-Aug.17)
7. Re-read/re-work query/synopsis/submission material
8. Make Edits
9. Query... September 1st.

I have a deadline. Huzzah.

Fish People

 

We're fish people, not because I want to be...
This post talks all about people and pets and rejection.

Flipped

This looks awesome!  I can't wait to see it, it looks like it might actually live up to how awesome the book is...I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Query Test

This site is so cool, I just found out about it and I'm already obsessed.  You submit your query for other writers to review, it's done on a point system...so in order to submit your queries you have to read and review other queries...it's kind of fun.

I wish that the comment section were larger, because I find I want to give people more advice...but oh well, most people who have reviewed my query haven't left comments, but one was so helpful!

Check it out.

Bedtime stories... abbreviated

Around our house there have been many stalling techniques used lately, by baby pearl, in order to not go to bed...

One of the them is to yell 'Bredfast!' (or Breakfast) and run to the highchair and demand to be fed, only to throw applesauce/cereal/yogurt etc. on the floor.

another is to say 'Elmo Show!', in which I reply--No sorry.

Or the last one is...'Story!', even though we just read three. I am a sucker for books though, so I had to come up with a short cut to make the bedtime routine a little quicker.

Brain Cloud

    title="Wordle: noche">

Wordle is the best thing I've discovered all day. I'm so excited! I found out about it on this blog post in reference to finding out what words you over use...and need to get rid of when editing you MS, so I've been having fun.

It was awesome to put my manuscript in there...I didn't post that one... but I need to review my use of the words:

Back
Picture
Looked
Going/go
time
eyes
around
get
asked
like
Know

So I've got my work cut out for me! But that was an awesome suggestion, because how can you kill your 'little darlings' if you don't know what they are?

This is the word cloud for this post:

It was the best of Birthdays, it was the worst of Birthdays...

Today is my Birthday.  It has been a fabulous day, my husband cleaned the house after I went to bed last night, baby pearl slept the whole night, my friend got me cupcakes from a really good bakery, a billion people wished me happy birthday on facebook, we had a birthday dinner on Sunday with my in-laws, Hubby and baby pearl took me out to eat last night and we played at the park.  My parents/siblings are having us over for a cookout tonight.  S'mores included.  I've gotten calls and cards and presents.  And it's my special birthday...I am twenty five on the 25th.  It's been great.

But it seems even more great in comparison to how the last couple of days have been... Baby Pearl has an ear infection, so we have all been in sleep dept...she woke up at 5:40 yesterday after staying up late and wouldn't go back to bed (it didn't help that husband and I stayed up late watching Hulu).  I dropped a brand new jar of jelly on the ground...it shattered while making Husband breakfast/lunch--he was in a hurry to go to class.  Hubby is stressed with his intersession class he's taking, he's also still working like a dog at his job, he worked a double on Friday, and the night shift on Saturday and still woke up at 7:30 to go to church on Sunday.  I'm pretty sure I broke my pinky toe on Sunday, it's a nice shade of purple--good thing Husband is a Paramedic, he know's how to fix boo-boos, although I'm sure I could have buddy taped my toes myself, it's nice to have a professional do it.  The house has been a massive wreck, because with a screaming kid and a messed up foot, cleaning hasn't been a priority. 

But with all the craziness going on, today has been really awesome.  And I feel so grateful for the twenty five years I've been given...I have so much.  And even though the last few days have not been fun, nothing was ever really that bad...it's easy to get frustrated about the little things, but you look around and realize your problems aren't much to complain about when other people are going through things that are much worse.  I have an awesome husband and daughter, and great friends and family around.  I have an awesome life and can't wait to see what the next quarter of a century brings around.           

I will figure this out...

WIP update, poco a poco

83,661 words

I need to chop more, but I've ran into more plot inconsistencies... which is so frustrating, because if you change something one place you have to change all the others...duh

The real problem when you change those things, you realize it won't work anyway or something is better and you have to go back and fix things again.

And when you miss one that's why you have readers who are like 'what the heck is going on here?' because the whole work is jumbled around in your head...

 Sometimes I can't remember where a scene happened in reference to another and I'm like wait, did he already say that?-does she know that yet?-did meet those people yet?

So the next editing plan I have is to write another synopsis...an updated one so I can keep the plot straight of when things happen and where I need to add things about characters or actions.

I feel like working on this book is never going to end... but I have to remember...poco a poco it will get done.

The giving cake

This is such a cool cake!  I read this and went here to check out cakes with children's books themes... it makes me want to take a cake decorating class.  Who knew books could make cake even better?

Heist Society

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Rating: PG
What I like: This book is squeaky clean, super fun, and really well written. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens with the romantic subplot. I really like the characters in this book, they are definitely three dimensional. I read on her website that the rights have been sold for a movie--and I'm totally not surprised. This book would make a fabulous movie...let's hope they get it right!

Synopsis: (I pulled this off Ally's Website) When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

True Confessions of...

Here's a nod to a sixth grade Freudian slip from Pig-Tail-Peg's Reading/Writing Workshop...

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was one of my favorite books in the sixth grade...I hope the student didn't put the 'Susan Boyle' comment down on a quiz!

Lady Gaga

So I'm not a big fan of Lady Gaga, but this is one of Pig-Tail-Peg's students...and I love his version of Paparazzi:



The internet is an amazing thing... This kid put his video up on youtube and today he was featured in the Ellen show. Craziness.

My WIP

I have edited my manuscript multiple times:

1 wrote it last may-august
2 re-wrote it in the middle of writing it, finished it and gave it to someone else
3 re-wrote it, gave it to someone else
4 rewrote it,
5 then rewrote it again, because I had a break from it, gave it to someone else
6 and rewrote it
7 Now I'm working on tightening it.

After this I have to give it back to one of my editors, and then to my original reader... After I go through those edits, my plan is to send it out to the world... I only hope it's ready, but there is a point when you have to move on, for better or worse and that time is rapidly approaching.

My MS was 87,685 (I still have a few edits that need to be made that will probably add to this word count, but hopefully a few will take away from it) Needless to say my MS feels a little heavy...

I found this really helpful for tightening my MS...

I've searched for:
Just (got rid of 458 words)
Guess (got rid of 253 words)
So (I'm still searching this but I'm up to thirty four words)

Not all words deleted were 'just' 'guess' or 'so' but it helped me tighten lengthy phrases around those words...I feel lighter already...

86942 words, my goal is to get it down to at least 80,000 because that's still a long book--that comes out to about 320 pages... oy! If I can get the story to work in less, that would be great, but I've also heard of people over editing their manuscripts--cutting, tweaking, chopping their words into oblivion...and I love this story too much to let that happen.