Musical Inspiration

I'm busy with edits, school, kids, drafts, ....

So I thought I'd share some of my fav songs. I love John Mayer and both of these two are my fav by him. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Belief

Stop this Train

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

The Best ending ever...

Most people will discuss the opening of a novel and never mention the ending. But it has been my experience that I can like a book all the way through but the ending can kill it for me. Not always. Not as important but it still has a vital impact on the overall feel of the story and how readers respond to it.

So today, I take my cue from movies - not books. I love movies just as much as books. Well, almost as much. Some of the more memorable ending movies have been my favorite. I love a story line that I cannot guess. One of the things I do upon watching a movie is try to determine “who done it and why.” If after 15 minutes of the movie, I can guess the ending, I don’t typically like it. I want to be surprised.

There are spoilers for some of the movies I listed. So, two things: shame on you for not seeing the movie sooner, and where do you live that you haven’t seen or heard this?

What are my favorite movies with killer endings?

The Skeleton Key – You never knew what was going on until it was too late..too late for you and too late for her. This movie made older southern women creepy. Yeah I would say it made New Orleans creepy but it has always had its own mystery. Hasn’t it.

The Sixth Sense – Yeah, dead guy walking through the entire movie…What else is there to say about this M. Night Shyalaman’s masterpiece. As a side note: I haven’t liked any of his other movies. I tried but just didn’t like any of them. The Village was promising but just didn’t do it for me.

Wild Things – This movie had so many tiny twists that they caught me off guard. Not a kiddy flick but it was a really good movie. And it wasn’t just Matt Dillon – but it didn’t hurt to have him in it either.

The Usual Suspect – Okay, the cripple guy’s (Verbal, don’t you love that name) the crazy killing loon. Love the entire cast of this movie, too. It has some of the best movie lines ever! This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Love it.

The Blair Witch Project – Yeah, this low budget movie broke new ground and scared the crap out of me. The final scene where the girl is hit from behind and the camera falls… Be honest you went and looked up the Blair Witch Project on your computer, too. You had to know if it was real. Right. My hubby and I ran from the theater to the computer when we got home. The freaky part – at first they kept saying it was real. Couldn’t find anything to refute this for a while… Yeah I slept with the lights on for a while.

Primal Fear – Who would have thunk the babbling, stuttering country boy was the murderer – not the lawyer who defended him that’s for sure. Plus, Edward Norton is a genius in front of the camera – love him.

Stephen Kings The Mist – I want give this one away- it’s not that old. But the ending will leave you wanting to fight or break down in tears. Or scream “Why” repeatedly at the TV screen…Gotta love the mind of Stephen King

The Ring – Come on Samara Morgan, you’ve killed my Estranged Baby Daddy, my precocious niece, and now you’re still gunning for me and my strange silently creepy son too… What do you want? You’ll be surprised. What would you have done? Made that copy???

What do you think of my choices? Did I leave your favorite movie off the list? Let us know in the comments.

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

Lost in revisions...

Okay, I’m knee deep in revisions now. And kids.

I have a ton of kids at the house (nieces and nephews) coupled with my three kids, their driving me crazy. Everyone will be gone in two weeks. Yeah, two. I’m counting the days. But it also means that my editing keeps being interrupted.

I pulled an all-nighter a couple days ago. Yeah, right! My daughter (15) and niece (13) came pounded down the steps. It seems at 2 am she had an allergic reaction to something. Her lips swelled up and her face had blotchy spots over them. Well, about 4:30 I sent her and the niece back to bed. About 5:00, I finished my shower then the hubby was getting up for work. So I stayed up with him. Oh, and I forgot, and apparently the hubby and son did too, that it was trash day. I took the trash out then thought I’d check my email before going to bed. Somehow, it was 8:00 before I crawled, defeated into the bed. My all-nighter had produced nothing. Frustrated isn’t even the word.

So to cheer me up, I thought of something that makes me happy. Other than writing, fam and books. It’s my fav TV show: Lost. So in honor of my fav show - that airs no more, I give you *drum roll, please* the cast of Lost.

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh!!!

Random Musings of a YA Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer/mother/cook/pasta lover...

I have three WIPs that I need to work on. It's a tough job with all my other responsibilities but I'm getting it done. Well not without a little hair lost and insomnia. I've been thinking about my WIPs - here are my thoughts:

1. I’m editing my WIP, on Chapter 15 of 27. I think these are the final edits. I’ve had 2 beta readers – early on before I started editing. I’ve went through one complete critique with one partner and now I’m working on another session with another partner. Now the only thing I need is two new beta readers and I’m done. Yay, baby!!!!

2. My other WIP is at 56,000 – I’m almost finished. Yayjdfdf  *sorry, I was doing my happy dance and I accidently hit the keys. I’m so uncoordinated.* Once I finish the draft of this WIP, I’m going back to my first book and edit it. I can’t wait my first story is by far my fav.

 

3. I’m having trouble with one scene – one of the last scenes in my current edit. It is where my protag is supposed to kick the stuffing out of the antagonist. She’s female and he’s male, and they both have extraordinary power. It’s an important scene and I don’t want to goof it up.

4. I was really inventive with the WIP I’m currently editing. I’ve created another world and made up names for all kinds of stuff. Like, a special chemical toxin in the air, a cooking apparatus, the unlawful people of that world, the type of clothes they wear… And science plays a part in the overall story…actually without the science part the story wouldn’t sound right. Well early on, someone classified my story as paranormal – I had no problem with this, as I love the genre. But it never sat well with me. But out of all my stories, I would classify this one as more paranormal than the others. Anyone else have a similar problem? I’ve decided to query it as paranormal –whenever that happens- and let the agent/publisher decide the final genre.

 

5.  My current draft is getting down to the last couple of scenes but I’m having trouble. My protag has been in another dimension for a while. But now she has returned home – to her surprise – but there is something she must do in the other dimension. She is desperately trying to get back to that place. I’m having a hard time getting her back. Grrrr…I can’t explain it. I have an outline but I deviated from it at one pivotal scene. Why? Oh, because I lost 100 pages (in the middle of the story- not the beginning) and had to start over and when I did, that scene came out different and changed the ending of the story. I still can’t figure out why she can’t go back…she has to. I’m kicking her scrawny behind out the door today. I will not go to sleep tonight until I have her back where she needs to be.

 

6. How many keyboards do writers go through? I never thought about that much until I started seriously writing. My keyboard (merely a tot at two years) is worn out. Many of the keys are rubbed off so you don’t know what letter you’re typing. Well since I can type, it’s not a problem for me. And the hubby has a lap-top.  But the kids- who are using my computer until theirs is repaired – complain about it. Funny problem to have, huh? I never hear any other people with this complaint. I never even noticed the letters were rubbed off until the Telephone man came and was looking at the computer and said, “Wow, someone has been doing a lot of typing. The keys are rubbed off.”

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh!!!

The Best Book Ever...

I’m back. Yes, I’m really back and I feel awful about not posting. I thought I had it all figured out. I didn’t. I didn’t have the correct hard drive with me with the post on it. And my attempt to recreate the post, while my hubby and kids glared at me was null. So my apologies. I have been playing catch up (with the laundry, with the cleaning, with my schoolwork…) since I’ve been back and I’ve neglected the blog.

Since I’ve been away, I’ve been thinking of what makes a story great. What makes me want to turn the page and not stop until I get to the end? What makes me daydream about it long after I’ve put it down? And what makes me want to run out and purchase other books from the author? Well, those are tough to answer. There aren’t any right or wrong answers. What I like is my personal preference. It may differ greatly from what someone else likes. Nevertheless, there are certain elements of a book that cannot be compromised.

What are they?

 
Character Development – This is the most important element of the book - in my opinion. Great characters can make up for some of the other things that may be lacking in the story. Some…not all. The characters must be three-dimensional. Think: Stephanie Meyers character “Wanda” from The Host. Larry Brooks provides a great article about character development at his blog, Story Fix.

Setting – The setting (where your story takes place) can be like another character in your book. If done correctly. The setting should be rich and make the reader feel that they are there with the characters. Think: James Cameron's, Avatar (I know its not a book but it was great). A great article on settings can be found at The Storytellers Unplugged.

Villains – Now this is where I think some writers goof. They don’t spend enough time developing the villain. Now the villain does not have to be a live person. It can be nature, societal pressures, friends, relatives, or even the protagonist can be his/her own villain. Get creative, treat the villain like a real character, and make them three-dimensional too. Think: James Patterson’s character, The One who is the One, Witch and Wizard. I thought I’d direct you to an earlier post by me for the villain – here.

Pacing- This is another area (for me) that makes or breaks a novel. Don’t give away too much or you’ll lose your audience. But don’t make me wait until the last line of the book to start getting answers to questions. Think: Edward and Bella’s romance in Twilight. Janice Hardy over at The Other Side of the Story has a great article up about pacing.  

If any of these things are off in the story, I can’t continue to read. It throws me off. What do you like most in a story? What do you barely pay attention to in the story? What do you think? Do these things make you want to continue reading also if done properly? Or are there other things that you look for?

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

What does your MC want???

Every novel has one thing in common. The main character, the protagonist, has a goal. They want something and that desire is what propels the story forward. I’ll use the novel, Twilight by Stephanie Meyers to illustrate my point.

Example:

In Twilight, Bella didn’t want to come live with Charlie in Forks. But she sacrificed her happiness for her mother. She had low expectations for Forks from past visits, all she wanted was to blend-in, graduate, and move on.

What does your character want?

Your character’s goal does not have to be tangible. Their desires can be to become a better person- this is an intangible goal. Or they could want acceptance, or peace… The goal could be to gain something tangible: a new car (maybe a first car for a new driver), a coveted award they have been vying for, the heart of a love interest… The possibilities are endless and are only narrowed by your imagination. 

The thing about goals, however, they change. Your character may begin the story with a specific goal but usually a quarter into the story something changes. This change makes it impossible for the protagonist to continue in the same manner. The change that takes place is called the inciting incident.

Example:

In Twilight, the inciting incident is when Edward rescues Bella from being crushed by the van. She was already highly aware of him because of his aloof attitude with her. After he rescues her from being crushed – and with supernatural strength to boot – she is awestruck.

Once the inciting incident occurs, usually the protagonist has a change of heart regarding their goal. It is no longer what they want or it is unachievable and therefore a new goal is found. Why?

Example:

After the nearly fatal almost-accident, Edward saved her from, her goal changes from blending. She is drawn to him and wants to know him. Wants to be with him despite her growing suspension (then confirmation) that he is very different from any boy she has ever met. This is her new goal.

Okay, so you got it right? I thought I’d list one more example to ensure you understand.

The Hunger Games

Initial Goal – Katniss’s initial goal was to survive her current circumstances: The harsh life in District 12.

Inciting Incident - The Hunger Games are taking place and Prim, Katniss’s sister is called as a tribute for District 12.

New Goal – Katniss rushes to take Prim’s place in The Hunger Games. Her new goal is to survive the games.

Do you see that after the inciting incident Katniss’s goal changes? It must. She does not have a choice in the matter. It is either win (survive) or lose (die). Not all stories, of course, will have such compelling inciting incidents. Some will give the protagonist a choice. You can do this or you can do that…but some, like in the example, only leave one possible choice. Win or die.  

Can you point out the inciting incident in your own work? What is your characters goal before this? How does that goal change after the inciting incident?

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.   

Don't ever give up!!!

I know sometimes you get discouraged. I know because I do. But I love what I'm doing. Writing isn't a hobby for me. It's the real thing! So don't stop chasing your dream. Every time I hear this song that's what I'm reminded. Don't give up. Keep on chasing my dream. I won't give up. Don't you. When you need someone to lean on - come lean on me. I may have to come looking for your shoulder one day, too.

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh!!!

Thankful for Thursdays..Vacations

Oops. My post today is really late. My apologies.

I'm posting in connection with Oasis for YA Thankful for Thursday weekly meme.

I'm preparing for a big event: Vacation. Yes!!! Can't wait. Soooo excited ***ahem*** I've been looking forward to a small break. I'm running myself racket all day between three kids, school, blog, writing, maintaining the house, looking for a new job...

But if I can be honest with you a moment, I love the fast pace of my life. However, sometimes I do have to take a break. Yes, we can't always be Supermom or Wonderwoman (I would love to be Wonderwoman. No seriously. I would). Sometimes we have to just be - human.

Funny thing about my vacation is were going to Disney World, again. We've been a couple times before - but you never can see all of Disney. Right? The funny part is that I'll be up at the crack of dawn and in the bed when the sun starts to crest the horizon. No. Seriously, It'll be like that. My two best friends and their families are coming too. You know what that means. We'll be up all night gossiping discussing current events the first couple days. So I'll need a mini vacay from my big one...I won't get it though. That's okay. That's my life. I freaking LOVE it!!!

I'll be gone a little over a week but I'll still update the blog. I've already started the post for Wednesday of next week. I'll be talking about your character's goals.

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh!!!

The Opening Line

On my last post, I discussed the troubles that plagued the first chapter. Well, I thought I’d explore a facet of the first chapter that I know many of us obsess over: The Opening Line.

What a great opening line does for your story:

• It engages the reader
• It sets up the voice of the story

The first line is essentially the receptionist for your novel. Have you ever gone to an office and the receptionist was…well, terrible. She smacked gum and talked fast. She threw her hands up to silence you because she was taking a personal call. She gave you the “how dare you interrupt me” look. Well, that’s kinda how some of our opening lines are.

We pull them from somewhere obtuse and smack them on our book. I’ve seen opening lines that have absolutely nothing to do with the book. A line floating from somewhere ominous and you wonder while reading the first page: What does that mean? What does that have to do with the story? You’re readers shouldn’t have to guess about things like that. If they do, they may not continue reading.

What’s a “good” opening line? Honestly, I can’t tell you that either. For every book, it’s different. What it must have, however, is:

• Some relevance to the story – even if it’s a random thought, make it relatable to the story in some way
• Something that will draw the reader in and hold their attention

However, I caution you. Don’t try to perfect the opening line while you write the first draft. It’s nearly impossible. Stories change into something wholly different at the end. You’re wasting your time trying to perfect a line at the draft stage that will invariably be different in the end. I changed my opening lines about 10 times. So wait until you’ve completed the first draft, stored the novel away for a while (getting your fresh eyes ready), then and only then will you be able to write an effective opening line.

I found an awesome article on opening lines here that has awesome examples of opening lines and why they are effective.

Some of my favorite opening lines:

“LISTEN TO ME” --- James Patterson, Witch and Wizard: The Gift -- YA

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. ---Gayle Forman, If I Stay – YA (contemporary fiction)

I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes.—Stephanie Meyer, The Host, Science fiction (Adult)

Maybe if I had loved her less there would have been no murder – Andrew Klavan, Man and Wife, Thriller (Adult)

Streeter only saw the sign because he had to pull over and puke. – Stephen King, Full Dark No Stars; Fair Extension (story # 3) Horror, Suspense (Adult)

My opening line from my current WIP:

If the twilight zone was a place, I was there – The Chloe Chronicles and the Rebirth – YA, paranormal

What is your opening line? Are you satisfied with it? Do you have any tips on how to improve your opening lines?

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.

First Chapter Woes

Today I’m going to talk about something that eludes many writers. Something that makes us scratch our collective heads and sigh,“Will I ever get this right?”

The elusive first chapter.

My CP and I have gone many rounds trying to perfect the first chapter. But what’s the problem? Why are we having such a hard time? Just write the story. Tell it. It’s that simple. Right? But it’s not. Not at all.

What is a first chapter supposed to do?

1. It hooks the reader
2. It sets the story up.
3. It tells the reader where the story is taking place
4. Who the main character is
5. It sets in motion our attitude toward the MC – do we like them –

What usually holds the first chapter back?

No hook. The readers need something to make them turn past the first page. I’ve read many agent blogs and most say it takes them until the second or third page of a story to tell if they’ll request to read more. But some don’t even make it off the first.

What do they want to see? Maybe this isn’t the best question. What don’t they want? Yeah. That’s a better question. Back-story – they don’t want to hear about what happened before the story actually takes place. They want what’s happening now. Don’t info-dump the reader in the first chapter. A good writer weaves back-story into the plot in small doses.

They don’t want action for no apparent reason. What do I mean: action with no dialogue, no insight into the MC, no introduction to the setting to ground the reader? Action is okay to start the story if it moves the story in a forward motion. It provides vital info about the MC so that the reader can empathize with them, and it’s clear who’s doing what and why.

Another culprit in the first chapter woes: The setting is not clear and neither is the genre of the book/piece. The readers have no way to ground themselves if they don’t know where the story takes place. Or what kind of story it is. This is a simple fix. Tell the reader where the story takes place. In addition, tell them what kind of story it will be. Caution: it should be revealed organically to the reader the setting and genre of the story.

I thought I’d share part of a short story here as an example of each element of the opening chapter I’m talking about.

Hook:  “Um…uh, hey…Rachel.” This is the very first line of the story. It does a number of things.  It tells us someone is reluctant to speak to someone else. Why? This should propel the reader forward. They want to know why this person is nervous about speaking to Rachel. And who is Rachel anyway?

Setting:  Someone says as I sit perched beneath a massive oak and wait for my sister, Melissa. I look up to see Sharon Potts standing in front of me. She blocks my view of the one-story school. I lower my head and take a deep breath. These are the next sentences in the same story. They establish a) that the story is in first POV b) the main character is Rachel because we’re in her head c) the story is taking place outside of a school d) which might mean that the story is YA (might). This also shows a little about the character, Rachel. She’s waiting for her sister to exit the school and is concerned that Sharon is blocking her view of it. Does that read as anxious? Her reaction in the last sentence says she doesn’t really want to be bothered. Great. There’s conflict immediately.

Setting the story up (more) and character development: I turn my attention back to her. Her throat goes up then down as she swallows hard. “Hi, Sharon,” I say. My stomach does a flip. Go away. I don’t feel like talking. I cup my hands over my brow to shield them from the glaring sun and Sharon’s searching espresso colored eyes. I glance around her to ensure Melissa hadn’t come out of the building with the small cluster of kids trickling down the front steps. Okay we have conflict – for sure. We’re in her head and she does not want to be bothered with Sharon. She is the one who actually seems nervous now. Why? We also have more information on the setting.

And more set-up and conflict: “Um, Rachel, I’m really sorry to hear about your mom. She was great.” She paused. The side of her mouth turns up into a small grin, well, half smile. I wanted to smack her. “You know…um…you can always come and talk to me…if you need someone to talk to…I mean. How are you holding up?” Her glance falls sideways, as if she does not want to hear the answer.

I’m not confident I’ll see Melissa exit despite my attempt to peer around Sharon. So I stand.  I wipe the back of my jeans to remove the dirt. And I reach behind and pull the band on my long ponytail to loosen it. My head aches. I inhale a deep breathe and exhale it slowly. Sharon is two inches shorter than I am so I don’t initially notice her standing there still. She is looking at me with wide eyes. Is she waiting for a reply to her question? I groan internally. Not again.  

All this sets the story up. It’s a short story so you have a limited amount of time to grab your audience. But the same goes for longer pieces. I set up conflict early and tried to incorporate tidbits about the MC’s character right away. I also included info about the setting: a school, the glaring sun (midday), a massive oak tree. There is also info about how Rachel looks,  a) long hair b) in a ponytail c) she sounds like she might be tall c) she has on jeans

The part of the story posted here gives the reader a lot to think about already and it’s only the first few paragraphs. I haven’t given away the entire story (good pacing) but I have given the readers enough to want to keep reading.

All the elements above should be in your first chapter to ensure your audience wants to keep reading your piece. Do you have any tips for starting the first chapter? Leave it in the comments.

Have a great day. Read a book and laugh.