The waiting is the hardest part

No, I'm not talking about waiting for your advance check (though, tick-tock, I'm still doing that) but waiting to hear back after proposing a new project. I was hoping to have something to announce today, but alas, no. Maybe next week. Which makes for an unexciting blog entry.

Run out and see Serenity this weekend. Fabulous storyline, hot male lead and Joss Whedon's writing. Good stuff all around.

Next weekend is the Emerald City Writer's conference. I'll be there, playing Twister in a workshop. Yeah, now that sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Helping out the fabulous Susanna Carr (agent sistah) in her workshop "Top 10 Sexiest Mistakes". Am I nervous? Nah. Who doesn't love Twister? I just better stretch beforehand. I'm not as bendy as I used to be.

Ciao Bella!

Time to organize or Where the *uck did I put that?

My office is officially the black hole in which all things that enter will be lost. I can't handle it anymore. So I have been taking baby steps in organizing it. There is simple to much to do in one sitting. All my scrapbooking supplies, cardmaking supplies (Dude, when was the last time I made a freakin' card, anyway?), writing books, software crap, 2004 tax receipts that are not yet in Quickbooks (yeah, pity my accountant who needs that done yesterday to file since my extension is up in October), promo stuff, giftwrapping and everything that need to be hidden that was in the kitchen on the counter that was shoved in my office and forgotten. Get the picture?

I hate when my office reflects my life. I feel chaotic, unorganized and misplaced. Not to mention a little blue this week. And I can't stop shoving Oreo cookies in my face. This has got to stop. And it will, as soon as I organize my office.

So where do I put all this crap? Time to get brutal and throw it away. Hey, I'm channeling my mother. But I spent good money on most of this stuff, now I am channeling my dad. Wish me luck, I'm going in and it could be dangerous...

POV and Backstory

Okay, so I have been called out by my friend Shannon just because I complained she wasn't updating her blog on a regular basis. Sheesh. Some people are so touchy :)

I wrote my first two book in first person Point of View (POV) and moving on to book 3 in my teen vampire series, I will write this story in third person POV. I actually prefer to write books in first person because A) You can only share so much of the mystery/suspense in first person, therefore not giving too much away to soon B) I get to know my main character quicker when I am speaking as them and C) I can control backstory easier.

Ah backstory, the important little details you need your reader to know as you move your story along. So many new writers (and even some veterans out there) give away too much backstory right away. Nothing puts you to sleep faster than pages of backstory.

Writing a YA, which requires a faster pace, means you must sprinkle backstory through the book and not in clumps. You have to learn how to share backstory information in two sentences instead of two paragraphs. So you have to make it count. Once you learn how to do this, it is so liberating.

I find third person POV tougher because I am in everybody's head and therefore I can share too much information. I also have problems head hopping. That is to say, switching POV's in the middle of scenes and even paragraphs. Ugh. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying I don't do it all that well, therefore I shouldn't do it at all.

So where was I? Oh yes, think of integrating backstory like using a recipe to bake. You don't dump all the flour in at once. You sprinkle it liberally between other ingredients. Too much at once makes your story and your batter, too lumpy and unappealing. Recognize your POV strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly. I have to pay extra attention to head hopping in a third person POV, but I get to have more emotional depth per character. It's a trade off.

What trade off's are you making with your POV? Is it telling your story effectively? Could it be told better by switching POV? Do you have too much backstory in one place? If your paragraphs are longer than 4 sentences, I would cast a critical eye on what you are trying to convey and see if you could do it more effectively and with more impact with brevity.

The grass is always greener

We had a our first local Chapter meeting since summer hiatus yesterday. It was great to see all my fellow writers and I was delighted to see so many new faces. Gotta love the new faces. The ultra talented Brenda Novak was our guest speaker. Brenda gave great examples on how to improve your writing. One of the things I noticed, however, were the descriptors. As she was reading yet another lovely descriptive paragraph, it hit me. I don't write like this. Egads.

I write Chick Lit YA and it's all about the pacing. Historicals call for beautiful descriptors. Suspence is all about the emotional build-up but what about me? I am all about the funny. And the funny in YA's have to be paced quickly. A page turner. Easy to read with nice short paragraphs and lots-O dialogue.

What happens if I want to play with another sub-genre? Oh, I doubt I will be attempting a Historical anytime soon. I'll leave those to the masters, like Julia Quinn and Elizabeth Boyle. But I do want write adult contemporary someday. I love my YA's but I'd like to branch out as well. I think I'll stick to chick lit and humor. Keep the pacing quick and gaze at the lush green writing meadow across from mine with admiration. After all, the grass is always greener and somewhere there is a historical writer wishing they could do the fast paced, funny novels that I write. Hey, it could happen! :)

Deep, dark secrets revealed...

Well, technically they aren't revealed until May 06 when Braced2Bite hits the shelves, but I was very excited when my editor agreed to a special little sumpin, sumpin in the back of the book. Also, I will include an excerpt of Fangs4Freaks, to whet the appetite for book 2 of the series.

Now what will my super, secret, special sumpin, sumpin include? Aha, little known tidbits about me? Deep, dark confessions I have never shared with another soul before? Maybe my real age?! Okay, let's not get carried away here. All I can say is it will be witty, fun and interesting. At least I hope you will be interested. I really hope you will be interested....Oh please at least feign interest!!

When is enough, enough?

I spent the weekend surrounded by family for my birthday. Yes, I am another year wiser (I don't say the 'O' word after 30). This was the first time I had seen my folks since they moved. My parents recently moved from the area to Eastern Washington (where I grew up) and they downsized. Did it go smoothly? How can I sum this up quickly and efficiently? Dad is a packrat, Mom is a clean freak.

They did manage to move without killing each other, however the mysterious 'accident' involving dad tripping over the treadmill and needing 20 stiches in his head has me wondering if there isn't another story Dad isn't telling. Mom has the new house nice and organized. Everything has a place, every place has a thing. She is in her clutterless phase so all little knickknacks are still trapped in boxes in the garage. But her house looks very nice.

So, I am now trying to declutter my closet in the spirit of organization. After each book, I reorganize my files and save it to disc, so I thought it was time to take it to the next level. Personal space.

I was trying to make all my shoes fit on the three shelves I have allocated for shoes and alas, I have too many (shoes, not shelves). So I count them. I have 27 pairs of dress shoes (this includes mules, strappy heels, etc), 4 pairs of tennis shoes, 6 pairs of boots (both short and tall) and three pairs of slippers. Hmmm, I counted my shelf space. I have space for 20 pages of shoes total. Less if I fit my boots on the top row. Well, this sucks.

Mom reminded me that everytime you buy a new article of clothing, you should give one away. Then your closet is always tidy. So, technically, I should have parted with some shoes at some point when I was buying more. But why? I mean really, do I have to get rid of a pair when I buy a new pair? Where is that written in stone? I could just get another set of shoe shelves and double my shoe space. Hmmm. Then where would my collection of handbags go? I could put them on the upper shelves. But wait, then my sweaters and belts need to find a new home....

Screw it, I am leaving them spread across the closet floor and just closing the door. Problem solved. Dude, don't sit there and judge me. What does your closet look like? ;)

It's Done!!

Just finished Fangs4Freaks and sent it to my agent for review and edits. I can finally relax without constantly wondering what I was going to do next.

I am so proud of this book. It is really great. These last 5 days have been filled with creative energy and output. Now I think I will take a shower. You know, after the last 5 days, trust me. You want me in that shower. You NEED me in that shower. *sniff, sniff* I NEED me in that shower.