The Mysterious Element

I am a fan of the mysterious element in a novel.

A big fan! HUGE!!!

I think there's something to be said for having something in your story that isn't known to the reader, something your reader might WANT to know, so he/she keeps turning the pages.

Yes, we need to have a likable main character, yes we need to have an interesting plot that makes sense, and yes we must have all of those other important things that make a story good.

BUT, why not have a mysterious something-something too? It adds to the tension, which is a good thing. A very good thing, in my opinion.

Here's what I've done in my own books:

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME - How did Jackson die? Why does Ava feel guilty about it?

FAR FROM YOU - Is Victoria dead or alive?

CHASING BROOKLYN - Why is Gabe haunting Brooklyn?

THE DAY BEFORE - What is going on with Cade?


But we can look at other books too:

13 REASONS WHY by Jay Asher - Why is Clay one of the reasons Hannah decided to end her life?

SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson - What exactly happened to Melinda?

LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green - What's going on with Alaska? And later, did she really ????? (in case you haven't read it, I won't be specific, but if you haven't read it, why the heck not!?)

My WIP has a few different mysterious elements. I don't know if I'm trying to do too much, but I'm hoping at the end, when it all comes together, it will be satisfying to the reader. Before that point, I realize I risk frustrating my reader. It's a fine line, I suppose.

What do you think? Do you think a mysterious element can add something special to a book? Do you think it's hard to pull off successfully?

Monday Motivation - when it's hard to keep going

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."  ~James Michener

I hit 43,000 on the WIP yesterday. I'm thinking I have 10-15,000 words left until I reach the end. The hard part is that right now, I have all these threads I'm trying to weave as I write and it is very, very hard. Things are slow going.

But every time I get discouraged, I remind myself that this is a draft. If it feels messy and very far from being perfect, it's okay! That's how it's supposed to feel.

The important thing right now is to just keep going. Keep walking down the path. Trust that I'll get to the end eventually, and a warm house with fresh-baked cookies will be there to greet me. (Actually, I gain weight every time I write a book. Stress-eating anyone? So maybe I should envision a warm house with a tasty salad waiting for me).

We all know the importance of getting the draft down so the real work can begin, even if the draft is really bad. Because we also know it is impossible to a revise a blank page. And yet, that doesn't stop us from worrying, worrying and WORRYING about the mess that is the first draft.

Some scenes will have to go. New scenes will have to be imagined. Characters will need deepening, pacing will need to be tweaked, and on and on.

But now is not the time to think of any of that. Right now, the goal is to just keep going. Word by word. Sentence by sentence. Scene by scene. There is nothing at this point that's going to make it happen other than sheer tenacity. Sitting down at my desk every day and writing as much as I can in the time slot I'm given on that particular day.

At times, the forest is dark. Cold. Scary!! But you know what they say. The only way out is through. 

Happy Thanksgiving

"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's Thanksgiving week!! Are you ready?

Whatever your writing goals this month, I hope you take time in the coming days to pause, take a breath, spend time with family and/or friends, and eat some pie!

I know that's what I'll be doing.

Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Friday Five

1. I wish I were in Orlando at NCTE! Have fun everyone!!

2. A Texas librarian broke the news this morning - the 2011 Texas Tayshas HS reading list is out and CHASING BROOKLYN is one of the fifty-some books to make the list. Wow, I'm thrilled! The list includes SO many great books, I'm really honored to be included among them. Here's the link to the entire list: http://www.txla.org/groups/tayshas

3. Thank you, Texas Librarians!! I think this calls for some cupcakes!

4. Look what I'm working on - the first pass pages of THE DAY BEFORE! My last chance to make any changes before it goes to the printer to become a book! Yay!!

5. I admit, I enjoy Susan Miller's monthly horoscopes at astrologyzone.com. Today, November 19th, is supposed to be a "dazzling day" for me! Okay... I'm ready to be dazzled! :)

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Letters

Dear HS Teacher,

My son is painfully shy. And so, when he gets the courage to ask a question, or say something in class, I wish you understood how HUGE that is for him. But obviously, you don't understand, because when he found the courage to ask you a question yesterday, you laughed. Maybe the question was funny to you, but my son is struggling to understand some things in your class and he asked the question in all seriousness. Shame on you for laughing at his question. This class is supposed to be for something fun, and I can tell you without a doubt you are making it anything but.

Lisa

***

Dear Son,

I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for asking a question when you didn't want to, but knew you needed to. I'm also proud of you for that other thing you did yesterday that was hard, but you knew you needed to do it as well. I'm sorry people aren't always the way we want them to be. Please remember, when someone responds in a way that is hurtful, it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. And it certainly doesn't mean you are stupid. You must remember that usually a person's response says more about him than it does about you. Hang in there and keep being awesome, okay?

Love,
Mom

***

Dear Donut Shop,

I think there is something wrong with your apple cider doughnuts. They are just way too delicious. Like, I don't think it's humanly possible to make something so completely perfect as these doughnuts. I dream about them day and night. See? There is something definitely wrong.

Love,
Lisa

***

Dear 8-year-old S,

Your mother wrote to me yesterday to tell me your most favorite book in the world is IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. Wow. That means a LOT to me! She said she took you to the book store to get other books written by me and you were disappointed to find they're all for teens. I'm so sorry. SPRINKLES AND SECRETS will be out next September, but I know that's a long time to wait. I hope the list of books by other fabulous authors that I gave your mom to look for in the meantime is helpful, and that you enjoy them!

Love,
Lisa

***

Dear Lisa,

Hurry up and finish the YA novel you are working on that might suck but oh well so you can write another middle-grade novel!! Come on. Hurry up!!

Love,
Lisa

Monday Motivation - on Happiness

 

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~ Charles Schultz

It's the little things in life, isn't it? When I think of my grandma, I think of this extremely happy person because every day, she looked for and celebrated the little things. She told my husband, soon after we were married, that it's the little things that bring joy in a marriage. A walk together, an ice cream cone together, a laugh together. 

On their hunting trips, she had a special spot where she'd go to watch the sun set, in awe, time and time again, by the colors that would fill the sky.

Sometimes in life, we get all bogged down in waiting for the big things. Or we get discouraged because the big things we want don't happen. We tell ourselves, if only THIS would happen, life would be so much better. 

I went to a one-year-old's birthday party over the weekend. There is something almost magical about the way a one-year-old takes joy in every thing he touches. And while I spent time with him, he put me under his spell, and the worries I'd had earlier in the day faded away. 

And as I left, I vowed to worry less. To stop wondering and waiting for what comes next, and instead, enjoy the moment for what it is. Easier said than done some days, yes?

After Ingrid Betancourt was released from her captivity (she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Columbian presidency and spent six-and-half years in the jungle), one of the things she took the greatest joy in was going to the supermarket and buying whatever fruit she wanted. A little thing that most of us probably take for granted.

A sweet, Honeycrisp apple. A colorful sunset. The smile of a child. A warm puppy.

All a reminder to me that happiness is here, all around me, every day. Success that I wish for some days won't bring me happiness. It might bring other things that would be nice, but it won't bring me happiness. That is mostly what I wanted to tell myself today.

The Friday Five

1. 1,000 words on the WIP yesterday!! I'm hoping for another 1,000-1,500 today! I'm about halfway through the novel, I think, and this is where I have to dig deep and just keep plugging away.

2. In other writing news, I finished the line edits for SPRINKLES AND SECRETS on Monday and sent them to my editor. She e-mailed me on Wednesday and said everything looks great. I'm REALLY happy with how this book turned out. The journey from idea to finished book had a lot of twists and turns, so it feels especially good to be done! I talked about the journey of this book over on the Author2Author blog, if you're curious.

3. Did anyone watch the CMAs Wednesday night? I recorded most of it, and watched some of it yesterday, and I really loved a lot of the performances. I thought Taylor Swift's was incredible. And wow, didn't she look beautiful?  

I'm making myself wait to get Taylor's new CD for Christmas, and it's SO HARD. But I'm making my kids wait for some things they want, so it's only fair.

I also thought Lady Antebellum's performance was fabulous. I teared up, it moved me that much. I'm so glad "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert won song of the year. I LOVE THAT SONG!!!

4. Okay - totally random thing, but I need a #4. Yesterday, I walked into my younger son's closet for the first time in a while. What did I find? Shirts all over the floor. I usually bring the laundry up to my room, dump it on my bed, and call the kids to come and put their clothes away. And they are too lazy to hang their shirts on the hangers. Please tell me my kids aren't the only ones who do this. Of course what do I do? I can't stand to see them on the floor like that, so *I* hang them on the hangers! I guess I'm going to have to start babysitting them as they put them away.

5. Finally - Thanksgiving is only 13 days away! Are you ready? Mmmm... can't wait!

 

Have a great weekend!