Motivational Monday - following the story

"...gut-level reactions--following the story where the story wants to go instead of where you intellectually think it ought to go in order to get where you think you need to be--that's where the cool stuff is! If you shut that out, you can miss great opportunities in your story." - Melissa Wyatt, author of FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE

I really loved Melissa's post yesterday where she talked about going with your gut when you're writing. She talked about writing one scene where she didn't allow herself to do that, and the writing felt like she was simply "moving dolls around in a doll house." Isn't that *exactly* what it's like when we're struggling to make things happen? Sometimes, we have to do it and come back later and fix it, because there's no other solution. But it's SO much better if we can let ourselves move into that space where we are more inside the story than outside of it - living inside the doll house with the dolls, instead of trying to control them from the outside.

When I was writing my upcoming YA novel, THE DAY BEFORE, there was this huge moment that happened toward the end that I hadn't seen coming. It had been a long writing day. A GOOD writing day. One of those glorious, words-are-flowing and things-are-happening kinds of days that you never want to end. And then, from literally out of nowhere, comes one of those magical moments that we live and write for.

I'm typing along and lo-and-behold, this "thing" that up 'til now had just been a fun little thing between the characters became this BIG thing. My main character had this ah-ha moment and it was so real and honest because it was an ah-ha moment for me too!! I couldn't have planned it better if I'd tried. It was a shiver-invoking moment, and one where I literally stopped and whispered, "thank you."

When my editor sent me the marked-up manuscript, at that special spot, she wrote, "Yes! YES! Love how you take us through all this to get to this point. Yes!"

I almost felt like a fraud. Um, wait, I didn't do it! Did I?

Last Friday, Cheryl Renee Herbsman wrote a post in which she shared five reasons why she writes. Number 5 is my favorite. She wrote, "Because the little magical connections that happen all on their own remind me that I am not alone."

So true.

It is hard to not think too hard as we write. To not worry about where we're going, how we're going to get there, if the path we're taking is the right one or not. With every book, every single book, I have these worries. I start out with a general sense of where I'm going, but most of it, I'm on a journey of exploration. And at first I fight it! Everything inside of me says, this is wrong, you don't know what you're doing, this isn't going to be any good, you need to spend more time thinking about this book, blah blah blah.

AND, with each book, there comes a a day, a time, a moment where I get really tired of the doubt and uncertainty and my constant questioning of everything, and I basically say - "Okay. I'm surrendering now. I'm ready to give up trying to know and understand it all right now, and just let it happen."

That's when I set the doll down, look around, and step INSIDE the doll house. OMG, it's so much more FUN in there, you guys!!



Last week, I struggled along on my WIP, trying to move the dolls around. This week, I think I'm ready to set them down and see what happens. What about you? Want to join me!?

Video Sunday

I cannot hear this song without tearing up.

There is something so moving about it. It takes me back to the people and places who helped build me.

And then, amongst all those memories, my heart aches because I miss them.

Desperately miss them.

Mama Curmudgeon and 3-D Movies

I'm sort of a curmudgeon when it comes to 3-D movies. If I don't think it's going to really add a lot to the movie, we see the regular version rather than the 3-D version. I mean, come on, going to the movies as a family is expensive enough, and then to add $5.00 extra per person for the 3-D experience? Examples of movies we could have seen in 3-D but DIDN'T include Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, and How to Train Your Dragon. In those movies, seeing how the story played out was far more important than the visuals, in my humble opinion.

My boys were big fans of Kathryn Lasky's Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. My oldest read at least ten of the books in middle school (he read as far as the series went at the time). My youngest read to about book seven, and then lost interest. Anyway, they were excited to see the film adaptation, Legend of the Guardian. I looked up reviews, as I usually do, and most of them said the the 3-D affects for this movie were fantastic, and some said the visuals were far more entertaining than the story. I sighed and said, "Okay. 3-D it is."



And I have to say - the visuals were stunning. They definitely kept me entertained when the story didn't. My boys really enjoyed the movie, so much so that my oldest son came home and immediately started rereading book 1. I'm glad we saw it in 3-D.

So yesterday, we hear about the next latest and greatest 3-D films coming to the screen.

In our house, I'm pretty sure we have more Star Wars Legos/toys/games/action figures/bed sheets/stuffed animals than we do family photos. George Lucas probably has a vacation home funded completely by the Schroeder family. So you can imagine how excited my boys were to hear about ALL SIX STAR WARS MOVIES BEING RELEASED IN 3-D!!



Mama Curmudgeon doesn't have a fighting chance with this one, folks.

Scene by Scene

"E.L. Doctorow said once said that 'Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you. This is right up there with the best advice on writing, or life, I have ever heard." — Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life)

When I began writing novels years ago, it was daunting. Every page felt so big and with every one I wondered, how can I possibly fill up 200+ of them and string along a story that makes sense? I was constantly thinking and WORRYING about the WHOLE BOOK.

Somehow, I managed to finish that novel. But that was really just me seeing a story through beginning to end. It wasn't a particularly interesting story, and if you asked me what the plot was, I'm sure I couldn't tell you.

Now, I understand the importance of plot. Weaving plots and subplots together is important, and takes time figuring out how to do it well. I still feel like I have a lot to learn with this.

But how I write a novel is different now. I take it scene by scene. With each scene, I ask, what do I want to accomplish in this scene - character development, plot development, or a little of both? I don't think about the rest of the book, I just try and write that scene to the best of my ability. I go along, scene by scene, until pretty soon, there is a part of a book there. And eventually, a whole book.

Isn't it true that usually when we remember a book we loved or a movie, there is a certain scene or two that sticks out in our head? We don't recall chapters or pages or how far into the movie we were. We say - I loved that scene...

Last week, I wrote a bunch of words trying to find my way into a story. Finally, Friday, I found it. Since then, I've written three scenes. I'm excited about writing more this week, each time, just focusing on the scene in front of me.

I'm curious - does E.L. Doctorow's quote resonate with you and your writing like it does with mine?

Winner of THE MOCKINGBIRDS!!

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered the contest.

Sarah S. - you are the winner!!

I'll get in touch with you to get your address and send the ARC off to you.

Thanks again everyone - make sure you pick up THE MOCKINGBIRDS when it comes out in November!!

The season of finding the next story

Last week I joined JoNoWriMo+1.5 (a variation of nanowrimo hosted by author Jo Knowles) with a goal of 50,000 words on a new manuscript.

Yet this week I have:

watched a lot of music videos.

tweeted more often than usual.

read a lot.

caught up on my recorded TV shows (almost).

went for long walks in the sunny afternoons.

scribbled in my idea journal a little bit.

wrote some character ideas in a scrivener file.

and

not written one single word toward that 50K word goal.

In church, we are studying the book of Ecclesiastes. In our monthly newsletter, our pastor said, "Ecclesiastes isn't designed to inspire and warm the heart. It is a book that sees emptiness in almost everything, all the deeds that are done under the sun are vanity and chasing after the wind. (1:14)"

"But within the darkness of Ecclesiastes view of the world, there are two brief glimmers of light. First is the one made famous in popular music by The Birds song in Everything. Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes invites us to both the continuity and the changes at work in the world and to trust there is purpose and design."

To trust there is purpose and design.

"To every thing there is a season..."

As in life, so it is in writing. I am trusting that when it is time to write, I will know it.

In the meantime, in the course of my "work" this week, I discovered the Goo Goo Dolls have a new CD out! Johnny is JUST as cute as EVER!!

Brave writers, speak loudly and MOCKINGBIRDS ARC giveaway

By now most of you have probably heard of Wesley Scroggins and the opinion piece he wrote for the News Leader of Springfield, MO.

He calls the novel SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson "soft pornography," among other things, along with SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE and TWENTY BOY SUMMER.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

He wants these books out of the school district.

He wants teens who might be struggling around issues of rape, which SPEAK is about, or around issues of grief, which TWENTY BOY SUMMER is about, to not have these incredible books to help them know they're not alone.

Why must people feel the need to go out and take away books from other people? I don't understand! No one has the right to decide what my kids shouldn't be reading except ME. No one has the right to decide what your kids shouldn't be reading except YOU. 

There are some incredible posts around the blogosphere about women who were victims of sexual assault, and the shame they felt even though they did NOTHING WRONG.

Check out this brave post by author Saundra Mitchell that made me cry.

Or this heartfelt and brave post by author C.J. Redwine.

Or this brave and sad post by author Cheryl Rainfield.

You can find a round-up of all the various posts that encourage everyone to speak loudly HERE.

SPEAK is one of the greatest books of our time. I'm so glad Laurie Halse Anderson had the courage to write it.

Another author, Daisy Whitney, faced the page with courage, and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of her upcoming novel THE MOCKINGBIRDS, which also deals with date rape. It is SUCH a good book. And I know like SPEAK, it will help countless women as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened to them after being sexually violated.

I want to give the ARC away to someone because this is a book that I hope many, many people read. The more we read, the more we talk, and the more we let it be known that we will not sit by silently while the Wesley Scroggins of the world try to bully us into his irrational way of thinking.



Trust me, you want to read this book. I want you to read this book! So comment and you're entered. I'll draw a name Thursday, 9/23 at 5:00 pm PST. US Residents only please.

Now go and SPEAK LOUDLY!!!