for now anyway!
Want a peek at what the revision process is like for me?
I know, I know, SCARY!!
Are you brave? Really, really brave? I'm warning you, watch at your own risk.
If you think you can handle it, My Revision Medley pretty much summarizes the entire process.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Friday Five Courtesy of Donald Maass
From the book WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass.
I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book. I won my copy courtesty of Becky Levine (thank you Becky!!!) and clearly, my guardian writing angel knew I would be needing it and helped Becky to draw my name.
1. "A high-octane plot is nothing without credible, larger-than-life, highly developed characters to make it meaningful."
2. "When people act in ways that are unusual, unexpected, dramatic, decisive, full of consequence, and are irreversible, we remember them and talk about them for years."
3. "What makes breakout characters broadly appealing is not weaknesses but their strengths, not their defeats but their triumphs."
4. "Virtually all readers seek out novels for an experience of human life that is admirable, amusing, hopeful, perseverant, positive, inspiring, and that ultimately makes us feel whole."
5. "A character in trouble is engaging if she has sympathetic qualities, e.g. she is aware that she’s in trouble and tries to change. What we cannot tolerate is willful self-destructiveness."
Happy Friday!
I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book. I won my copy courtesty of Becky Levine (thank you Becky!!!) and clearly, my guardian writing angel knew I would be needing it and helped Becky to draw my name.
1. "A high-octane plot is nothing without credible, larger-than-life, highly developed characters to make it meaningful."
2. "When people act in ways that are unusual, unexpected, dramatic, decisive, full of consequence, and are irreversible, we remember them and talk about them for years."
3. "What makes breakout characters broadly appealing is not weaknesses but their strengths, not their defeats but their triumphs."
4. "Virtually all readers seek out novels for an experience of human life that is admirable, amusing, hopeful, perseverant, positive, inspiring, and that ultimately makes us feel whole."
5. "A character in trouble is engaging if she has sympathetic qualities, e.g. she is aware that she’s in trouble and tries to change. What we cannot tolerate is willful self-destructiveness."
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wondering Wednesday
1 - I wonder why the beginnings of my books basically remain unchanged while the endings always need a lot of work.
2 - I wonder why it always has to rain over spring break.
3 - I wonder why royalty statements are so hard to read and understand.
4 - I wonder why I crave sweets so much, especially when I'm stressed.
5 - I wonder why some books get more buzz than others.
6 - I wonder why some people live such charmed lives.
7 - I wonder why writing one book can be easy and writing a different book can be extremely difficult.
8 - I wonder why some authors seem to know what they're doing and where they're going from the get-go and some authors, like me, sell six books and still have no idea.
9 - I wonder why I can't make a decision about going to Seattle.
10 - I wonder why School Library Journal didn't review FAR FROM YOU and if three months post-release, there's still a chance they will.
2 - I wonder why it always has to rain over spring break.
3 - I wonder why royalty statements are so hard to read and understand.
4 - I wonder why I crave sweets so much, especially when I'm stressed.
5 - I wonder why some books get more buzz than others.
6 - I wonder why some people live such charmed lives.
7 - I wonder why writing one book can be easy and writing a different book can be extremely difficult.
8 - I wonder why some authors seem to know what they're doing and where they're going from the get-go and some authors, like me, sell six books and still have no idea.
9 - I wonder why I can't make a decision about going to Seattle.
10 - I wonder why School Library Journal didn't review FAR FROM YOU and if three months post-release, there's still a chance they will.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Happy Release Day Elizabeth Scott!
I love Elizabeth Scott's writing. Her new book, SOMETHING, MAYBE is out today! With a nice and shiny quote by Sarah Dessen - "The best love story I've read in ages."
And it is great. Elizabeth does such a fantastic job with characters, and this book is no exception. Plus, she loves putting her characters in the strangest places. This time, Hannah, Finn and Josh, the three main characters of the book, all work for a call center for Burger Town. There's a love triangle going on, and although it takes Hannah awhile to figure out the guy who is best for her, she eventually does, with some humorous drama along the way.
Congrats, Elizabeth, on your latest release!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Warming up. Come on, I have to warm up, don't I?
Dear Lisa,
I know you are having a hard time with these revisions. I know this is the hardest book you've ever written and you're trying to make it a gripping, page-turning, spine-tingling read. It's making you moan and whine and snap at your family. I get it. It's bad how hard this book is to write. But you have to stop messing around. Like yesterday. Remember yesterday? You spent two hours making video after video because they were super fuzzy and it bugged you. Well guess what? Fuzzy or not fuzzy, no one wants to see your angst-filled face talking about how hard these revisions are. So stop it. Yes, I know you were trying to say something inspirational, but now is *not* the time to inspire others. Now is the time to inspire yourself so you GET THIS BOOK FINISHED. Do you hear me?
You have three more days off from work. That is precious time. Do not waste it. Take your kids to lunch, play laser tag with them, whatever, time with your kids is not wasting time. But anything else, it IS wasting time.
You can do this. Just think how good you'll feel when it's done. Do you need a bribe? Okay, here you go. Finish this book and I'll treat you to a pedicure. What? That's not good enough? Okay, I'll treat you to a pedicure AND a trip to Powells where you can buy a book. What? Two books? Okay fine. A pedicure and two books.
Hurry. Go. Now.
Your friend always,
Lisa
***
Dear Stephenie Meyer,
My husband watched the movie TWILIGHT with me. He liked it. I think he's sort-of wondering why I don't write books like that. Well, right about now, me and him both.
Love,
Lisa
I know you are having a hard time with these revisions. I know this is the hardest book you've ever written and you're trying to make it a gripping, page-turning, spine-tingling read. It's making you moan and whine and snap at your family. I get it. It's bad how hard this book is to write. But you have to stop messing around. Like yesterday. Remember yesterday? You spent two hours making video after video because they were super fuzzy and it bugged you. Well guess what? Fuzzy or not fuzzy, no one wants to see your angst-filled face talking about how hard these revisions are. So stop it. Yes, I know you were trying to say something inspirational, but now is *not* the time to inspire others. Now is the time to inspire yourself so you GET THIS BOOK FINISHED. Do you hear me?
You have three more days off from work. That is precious time. Do not waste it. Take your kids to lunch, play laser tag with them, whatever, time with your kids is not wasting time. But anything else, it IS wasting time.
You can do this. Just think how good you'll feel when it's done. Do you need a bribe? Okay, here you go. Finish this book and I'll treat you to a pedicure. What? That's not good enough? Okay, I'll treat you to a pedicure AND a trip to Powells where you can buy a book. What? Two books? Okay fine. A pedicure and two books.
Hurry. Go. Now.
Your friend always,
Lisa
***
Dear Stephenie Meyer,
My husband watched the movie TWILIGHT with me. He liked it. I think he's sort-of wondering why I don't write books like that. Well, right about now, me and him both.
Love,
Lisa
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Book Angel Post #3
Thank you, Dawn Metcalf, for your beautiful story. You can read about it HERE.
When I sat down to write the inscription to this girl, I didn't know what I could say. Although I wrote about a character who had lost her mom I can't really know what that's like. I know about losing someone I loved deeply. But I haven't lost a mother. I haven't come home to find my mother dead, like this girl did.
But I thought about my kids. And I thought about what I would want them to know if something happened to me. And so, I took a few lines from the book, changed them just slightly, and used them for inscription to this wonderful girl.
I wrote:
When the breeze brushes your cheek, there's love.
When the stars sparkle and shine, there's love.
When the tulips bloom in the spring, there's love.
I hope the book might help her in some small way.
When I sat down to write the inscription to this girl, I didn't know what I could say. Although I wrote about a character who had lost her mom I can't really know what that's like. I know about losing someone I loved deeply. But I haven't lost a mother. I haven't come home to find my mother dead, like this girl did.
But I thought about my kids. And I thought about what I would want them to know if something happened to me. And so, I took a few lines from the book, changed them just slightly, and used them for inscription to this wonderful girl.
I wrote:
When the breeze brushes your cheek, there's love.
When the stars sparkle and shine, there's love.
When the tulips bloom in the spring, there's love.
I hope the book might help her in some small way.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The Friday Five
1. Are any of you still reading our awesome blog, Author2Author? Lately I feel like I'm talking to an empty room. I know, so many blogs, so little time.
2. A friend over at Livejournal, Brian_Ohio, asked the question, "In this economy, would you rather have a book on submission or a book hitting the shelves?" Then he went on to say, "And I think I'd rather have one on submission. Honestly. The thought of hoping/asking readers to part with money to purchase my book right now is daunting. Really. Maybe some of you authors 'just on the shelf' can shed some light on this. How nervous/anxious are you?"
The good news about the kidlit world is there is not this sink or swim thing thing going on the first 30 days like there is in the adult market. I think I've said this before, but sometimes a book for kids or teens takes time to gain momentum. Because kids read in school, books are often passed between teachers and students, students and students, librarians and students, etc. SO, our books can do well over time even if the first few months aren't what we hope in the retail setting. Those authors who had the foresight to see the need for books like Twilight and got on that a couple of years ago and are hitting this sweet spot right now, their books are no doubt doing incredibly well. The rest of us, we just have to hope our books get noticed in other ways.
And even getting on one state reading list can do wonders for a title. But that takes time - a book may hit a list a year or even two years after coming out, if I'm understanding it correctly.
Don't get me wrong, my friends will tell you I get plenty nervous about sales. And yet, I know I'm so fortunate to have books published and more on the way. Being on submission is fun and exciting at first. It's filled with possiblity. But after awhile, it's not so fun anymore. The waiting is really hard. Well, you all know that!! So, sorry Brian, I wouldn't trade places with you.
And is this a good place to say - if you haven't bought a book in awhile, I think you should go and buy one this weekend! I bought two last weekend!
3. Next week is Spring Break for my kids. My 6th grader has a big science project to work on. I guess they should change the name to "Spring Break - Pysche! Not Really A Break."
4. I'm currently reading Saundra Mitchell's SHADOWED SUMMER. It is REALLY good. I should have finished it by now but I had to stop reading at night because I'm a big wuss and get scared easily. Yes, it's a ghost story if you haven't heard. Which if you haven't heard, where have you been? It seems like everyone has talked about this book and I'm one of the last to do so. ANYWAY, since I do 90% of my reading at night, I'm not finishing it as fast as I'd like. But the writing is excellent, and I'm a sucker for books where there's a little of that Southern drawl going on.
5. Tomorrow morning, I must wake up and go deeper into the revison forest. I received more detailed notes from my editor yesterday. Four pages to be exact. The marked up manuscript is coming today. It's quite ironic that I have to add more scary parts, even though I don't really like scary. So get ready Saundra - ha!
2. A friend over at Livejournal, Brian_Ohio, asked the question, "In this economy, would you rather have a book on submission or a book hitting the shelves?" Then he went on to say, "And I think I'd rather have one on submission. Honestly. The thought of hoping/asking readers to part with money to purchase my book right now is daunting. Really. Maybe some of you authors 'just on the shelf' can shed some light on this. How nervous/anxious are you?"
The good news about the kidlit world is there is not this sink or swim thing thing going on the first 30 days like there is in the adult market. I think I've said this before, but sometimes a book for kids or teens takes time to gain momentum. Because kids read in school, books are often passed between teachers and students, students and students, librarians and students, etc. SO, our books can do well over time even if the first few months aren't what we hope in the retail setting. Those authors who had the foresight to see the need for books like Twilight and got on that a couple of years ago and are hitting this sweet spot right now, their books are no doubt doing incredibly well. The rest of us, we just have to hope our books get noticed in other ways.
And even getting on one state reading list can do wonders for a title. But that takes time - a book may hit a list a year or even two years after coming out, if I'm understanding it correctly.
Don't get me wrong, my friends will tell you I get plenty nervous about sales. And yet, I know I'm so fortunate to have books published and more on the way. Being on submission is fun and exciting at first. It's filled with possiblity. But after awhile, it's not so fun anymore. The waiting is really hard. Well, you all know that!! So, sorry Brian, I wouldn't trade places with you.
And is this a good place to say - if you haven't bought a book in awhile, I think you should go and buy one this weekend! I bought two last weekend!
3. Next week is Spring Break for my kids. My 6th grader has a big science project to work on. I guess they should change the name to "Spring Break - Pysche! Not Really A Break."
4. I'm currently reading Saundra Mitchell's SHADOWED SUMMER. It is REALLY good. I should have finished it by now but I had to stop reading at night because I'm a big wuss and get scared easily. Yes, it's a ghost story if you haven't heard. Which if you haven't heard, where have you been? It seems like everyone has talked about this book and I'm one of the last to do so. ANYWAY, since I do 90% of my reading at night, I'm not finishing it as fast as I'd like. But the writing is excellent, and I'm a sucker for books where there's a little of that Southern drawl going on.
5. Tomorrow morning, I must wake up and go deeper into the revison forest. I received more detailed notes from my editor yesterday. Four pages to be exact. The marked up manuscript is coming today. It's quite ironic that I have to add more scary parts, even though I don't really like scary. So get ready Saundra - ha!
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