Another Short Story...or is it Another Distraction?

The fine people at Pill Hill Press, the same ones who were fantastic enough to accept my short story "Runaway" for their book Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets: An Anthology of Werewolf Tales, have several other open calls for submissions running. One of the calls is looking for vampires, specifically female vampires, to feature in an upcoming anthology.


This is what they're looking for: (click here for the full call for submission at Pill Hill Press).

Fem-Fangs is an anthology of short stories, allowing readers to delve into the alluring lore of the female vampire...While the traditional aspects of vampirism are interesting and fun, try to make your character(s) and/or setting (can be past, present or future) unique. Try and make a new twist to the classic vampire tale.

This got me thinking... what if my female vampire is a little inept?  That could make for some humorous situations.  What would be a unique setting? A tropical island would be about the worst place for a vampire. How about a vampire that gets shipwrecked on a tropical island? That could be fun.  And what if, just for a unique twist, she was changed by mistake...and by a mosquito?

So I started writing my next short story. And I'm having a lot of fun with it.  But (yes, there's a but), while I'm working on this, my main WIP, my novel, sits exactly as it has been for the last couple of weeks...stuck in the middle of chapter three.  So I have to wonder: should I work on this short story, or should I force myself to work on the novel? 

Pros for writing the short story:

• Any writing helps improve my writing. Short story writing in particular is good for helping me learn to write more concisely, using fewer words with more impact.
• Finishing a piece is huge.  It takes a long time (at least for most of us) to write a novel.  It takes a little less time to write a short story (at least for most of us). Sometimes the satisfaction of finishing a piece is enough to re-energize me to get back to the bigger project.
• Getting some short stories published could help build the resume, so to speak.  Until "Runaway" was accepted (and will shortly be published) I had no publishing credits to my name. Nada. Zilch.  At least now when I'm pitching my novel I can actually mention some "previously published works."

Cons against writing the short story:

• In a lot of ways it's just one more distraction. The time I'm working on this piece is time I could be spending on the novel.
• This particular submission, if accepted, is not a paid publication.  It's a "for the glory" publication. In some ways it's like a contest--the editor's top three picks will be paid, the rest will not.  There are some that believe that any published work should be worth some kind of money, and that submitting your work, and getting it published without even minimal compensation is a waste of time and talent.
• Just because I finish the short story, doesn't mean that it will actually be accepted for publication. So it could be a doubly bad waste of time.

Just for fun, here's some of what I have so far. It's a little rough (I haven't really proofed it much yet).  I'd like to know what you think...should I keep going? Is there potential there?  Any criticism would be welcome (be brutal, I can take it!).

Also, I've heard several people mention that they have several works currently in progress.  What are you working on? Do you do one thing at a time, or do you have different things at different stages of completion all vying for your time?

Untitled Female Vampire Story

She was the worst vampire ever. She’d known it from the start, of course, but that didn’t make the realization any more comforting.


She’d been perfectly normal—read: boring—before the bite that changed her life. And that bite, by the way, did not come from some uber-sexy vamp from one of the paranormal romances she loved so much. No, the bite came from…wait for it…a mosquito. Yep, that’s right, a mosquito.

As if the stupid blood suckers weren’t bad enough, what with the malaria and West Nile diseases and those itchy bumps and all, it turns out they could transmit vampirism. Who knew?

She had hoped that that her new undead life would somehow make things better, or at the very least more exciting, but no, she was still just plain old Jamie O’Rourk, 32 year old customer service rep (now on the night shift) with no life. The only thing (besides her work schedule) that did change was her cat. She’d had to get rid of Felix when he’d gone from an aloof furry friend, to a possible midnight snack.

Jamie contemplated her new unlife-style from the inside of her coffin. It was the economy model, practically made of plywood and without cushions of any kind, and was hardly conducive to sleep. Her future looked decidedly bleak. Here it was, six hours and twenty-three minutes until sun-down, and instead of being dead to the world, she had insomnia. Knowing the exact timing of dusk and dawn was kind of neat, but other than that, she hadn’t found too many benefits to her unlife. It was worth repeating, she thought as she shifted in her dark enclosure, as a vampire, she was abysmal.

Take her present location, for example. Locked in a box in the cargo area of an ocean liner, on her way to a top-secret vampire training facility. She’d gotten the invitation three days ago. It turns out that uninitiated vampires, those that were not selected and groomed for their new role in advance of the change, were required to undergo a three-week crash course in all things vampiric. The invitation had included, among other things, detailed instructions for booking passage on the U. S. S. Vladimir, a packing list (coffin, SPF1000 sun block, number two pencils, etc.), a course syllabus and an emergency directory for local blood banks. Her first class was “Biting with Care: Guidelines for the Responsible Diner.” It made her cringe to think about it.

Thoughts?

Do I Have What It Takes To Be A Writer--Week 6

Each week I'll post one of the questions and the associated answer from the first chapter, "Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Writer", from the book Beginning Writer's Answer Book  (1). Hopefully that way I (and anyone else who might read it) can attempt to keep that insidious monster Self-Doubt away.

WEEK SIX:

I sometimes wonder if I write fast enough. Are there any standards I can measure my writing speed against?

It's said Marcel Proust would spend three or four days working on a single paragraph. In contrast, Jack Kerouac is said to have written On the Road in a single protracted session at the typewriter.  It's best for each writer to set his own goal, since writing speed seems to vary with the individual. When setting your daily quota of pages or words, you should make it a little higher than you think you might be able to reach, so you can have something to shoot for. Or, consider that if you wrote one page per day, you'd have a book-length work in a year.

The timing of this is kind of interesting. On Tuesday, Gina @ Passions on Paper posted a discussion on word count vs. words that count, questioning at what point word count goals become counter productive. She suggests, and the comments from her followers support it, that while word count goals are good at helping with motivation, they may not create the most effective results. "If we get wrapped up in how many words we can 'put on paper' as opposed to the QUALITY of those words, we’ll officially be hurting ourselves when it comes time for revisions."

Because I know that my biggest negative as a writer (I'm assuming of course that everything I actually write is golden) is a lack of discipline.  I can come up with a gazillion excuses why I'm not farther along in my WIP than I am, but in the end, it's because I haven't sat down long enough (or without easy distractions) to just do it.  I gave myself what I considered a reasonable word count goal:  500 words a day, five days a week, for a total of 2,500 words per week.  Since setting that goal, approximately 4 weeks ago, I've written about 5,000 words, which is half of what I'd hoped for.

In the end, I think it's not the word count or page count that is ultimately important, and not just from a quality vs. quantity perspective. I think the important part is the GOAL.  Each writer, as it says above, should create their own goal. That goal should be the best goal for that individual.  Gina can set her "words that count" goal, some one else can set their word count goal (even knowing that some of what they write is rubbish), others may set a dedicated hours goal.  The challenge, I think, really comes down to figuring out what kind of goal is most effective for you.

So, what does work for you? What are the goals or tricks that you have to stay motivated and stay disciplined?

(1) Beginning Writer's Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman, Writer's Digest Books, 2006

I Wanna Talk About Me

Okay, I didn't really have anything planned to talk about for today, so I decided to bore you all to tears with some random facts about me, complete with pictures.

1.  In my day job, I work for a distribution center that distributes product to McDonald's restaurants. So every time you eat a Big Mac or buy a Happy Meal, you're keeping me in a job.  So eat up!  My job is a kind of amalgamation between IT support, customer service, and liaison.  The official job description is (seriously) 18 pages long, single spaced, 8 point font.  I never know what I'll be doing from one day to the next.

2.  I'm not married and I don't have any children.  I do have a big Garfield of a cat named Oliver who keeps me company.  He's named after Oliver Wood from the Harry Potter books.  I was determined to name him Cedric, but that was before I met him.  After that, I realized he was meant to be called Oliver. 

3.  Depending on how you look at it, I'm either the oldest of three, or in the middle of 13.  I have two biological brothers, eight step-sisters, one step-brother and one half-brother. I'm pretty blessed that in my family "step" is just a word and I couldn't love, or be loved by, my step-parents and siblings more if they were blood.

4.  I went to school for International Relations with an emphasis in Africa and the Middle East.  The only time I've been out of the country was for my brother's wedding in Jamaica and then I might as well have been in the US for all the "international culture" I got to experience. The resort was lovely and snorkeling was about the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire life, but everything was in US dollars and the only "language" I had to adjust to was that my Diet Pepsi was called a Pepsi Lite.

5.  I was born in South Dakota, lived in Wyoming until I was ten, moved to Wisconsin in middle school and only recently landed in the Chicago area.  Until I was twelve, I called Mount Rushmore Round Mushmore.

So, there are five random fact about me.  Now I want to know something completely random about you.

Learning to Write is Making Me a Mean Girl

I have noticed something different about me and the way I view books and other people's writing...I'm getting mean.  I guess overly-critical is a better description.  Now, whenever I read excerpts or read a book that I'm going to review, I find that I'm a little harsh.  I'm turning into a mean girl (and I much as I wish I did, I do not look like Rachel McAdams).

I used to read for enjoyment.  I didn't notice, or care, if the POV changed six times in a given scene or that there were more than a couple of adverbs.  I didn't necessarily notice if there was good character development or if the character was dynamic.  I didn't get caught up in dialogue tags vs. action tags.  I just didn't care.  All I cared about was, did I like it?

Now, theoretically, if I really enjoyed a book, chances are that the character did change and I didn't get distracted by purple prose or repetitive dialogue tags, and it was fairly well written.  So, I guess there's that.

I've noticed a disturbing trend, however.  In the last half-dozen book reviews I've written (both for my blog here and for the site Paranormal-Romance Junkies) I have had very few good things to say.  It's like I'm reading the books looking for something to criticize.  I have no patience for the dreaded info-dump.  I disdain an unneeded prologue.  I am counting the number of adverbs used on a given page. 

Nora Roberts, who is my all-time favorite author, has a tendency to randomly change POV in a scene (sometimes several times in a given scene).  I never noticed this until I started writing and reading tirades on blogs and discussion boards about POV and how many POV changes are acceptable, etc.   Now, when I read Ms. Roberts's books, I'm stopping at each POV change.  I hate that I'm distracted by weird technical details while reading a book by an author I love.

I love writing.  I'm enjoying learning how to write well.  I'm enjoying the camaraderie in the whole aspiring author blogging community. I guess I'm just regretting a little the loss of that wonder and pure enjoyment in reading that has been replaced with the hyper-critical eye. 

Is it just me? Has anyone else noticed a difference in how you view books you read for fun?

Do I Have What It Takes To Be A Writer--Week 5

I've recently subscribed to Writer's Digest magazine. With it came a "gift" in the form of the book Begining Writer's Answer Book (1) The first chapter, called "Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Writer", deals specifically with self-doubt, something that plagues authors new and old, published and unpublished alike.

Each week I'll post one of the questions and the associated answer. Hopefully that way I (and anyone else who might read it) can attempt to keep that insidious monster Self-Doubt away.

WEEK FIVE: 

I smooshed these questions together since, ultimately, the answers are the same:

What's the best book I could write to make sure I'd be published?

The best book you can write is your best book.  In other words, your best shot at selling a book to a publisher is to write about what you want to write about, and write it as well as you can.  It doesn't matter what's currently selling: the book business is full of unknowns and the unexpected.  Choose whatever interests you and hopefully others will be informed, inspired, or entertained by what you've written.

What is the best market for writers? What sells most easily?

There is no such thing as one best market, since so much depends on the type of writing each individual writer does.  A market is good for a particular writer if he writes the kind of material that market needs.

Write your best story. Write it well. 

This fits into some advice I read recently in an interview with literary agent Donald Maass, essentially saying that an author should focus on good storytelling.  Just because paranormal is hot right now, if you don't write it well, you're no better off for having focused on that current trend.

(1) Beginning Writer's Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman, Writer's Digest Books, 2006

A Book Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Product Description (Via Amazon.com):

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.


With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Impressions:

Fantastic cover. Beautiful, artistic, evocative. It’s too bad that the book didn’t quite live up to it.

The cover and the tag line ‘A fallen Angel... A forbidden love’ puts the reader in an odd position - they let us know which supernatural element that we’d be seeing, but we are forced to read Nora's none-the-wiser POV. There's no suspense for the reader; we know what to expect - angels - but we have to sit through Nora's confusion and her amateur sleuthing into Patch's past. And it is amateur - Nora's big break in the mystery comes in the form of a Google search; she literally types `angel wing scars' into the search engine, and dresses in costume to interview Patch’s acquaintances, asking questions like “Do you know if there’s a restraining order out against him?”

There was too much mystery and not enough revelations, literally. There was a bunch of things—certain characters, odd scenes, and other clues that seemed like they should be important, but weren’t. Which was kind of weird, because I was constantly trying to figure out why these essentially non-important pieces were important.

From a character point of view, Nora was a bit of a dud, kind of flat. She doesn’t really change or develop as the story moves on. She’s kind of a generic girl with bad hair and great legs. She’s supposedly got good grades and is headed for an Ivy League college, but she doesn’t show any intellectualism or determination, two things, either combined or taken separately, that I think are necessary for a poor girl in a small town to achieve the Ivy League. There are several scenes that prey on her and make her think she’s imagining things, but instead of a good breakdown (which would have had big impact) she just sort of thinks “Oh, that’s weird.”

Patch, on the other hand, goes through a tremendous amount of growth and change—except we don’t get to see it. Because we don’t (or Nora doesn’t) know what his deal is, we don’t know the change he goes through until after the fact when it’s explained to us. In this case, I think it was really the limitations of the first person POV that was at fault here.

Okay, there were some very good moments…and some moments that would have been really good if they’d been taken just a bit farther. Attraction between the main characters was pretty well done—sort of a primal attraction that always makes me catch my breath, but then they are kind of ruined when the scenes abruptly go in a different direction. There were some very thrilling moments in the action that kept my heart beating and made me want to keep going to see what was going on.

In the end, the best part about it was the fast pace of the writing that kept me going from one fun/scary/weird/romantic scene to the next. I know my comments are kind of negative, but for the most part I did enjoy the book. Looking at it critically, it’s hard to see why, but overall impact left me thinking…not bad, not bad at all. Because of that, and the truly excellent cover art, I’m going to be generous with my rating…

I give this book 3 out of 4 jewels from the Dragon’s Hoard. ♦♦♦

**For a really good fallen angel YA novel, I’d recommend instead: Fallen by Lauren Kate.

HAPPY DANCE

Okay, if you noticed my post on Friday, you will have noticed that I was just a tad nervous about a submission I made to Pill Hill Press's Silver Moon, Bloody Bullets: An Anthology of Werewolf Tales.  Not necessarily because it was poorly written (though one critique did call it a "lost werewolf" story, and not because there was a missing wolf), but because I didn't think it actually fit the criteria of the call for submissions. 

I still maintain that it didn't fit the criteria, but I don't care because...

THEY ACCEPTED MY SUBMISSION!!!

 

This one is particularly exciting for me because it's the first time a real live editor judged my work and...I get paid!  Okay, I don't get paid much (just $10 and a contributor's copy of the book) but it's still a paid publication.  It'll be available for sale some time this summer!

So I'm pretty much dancing in my seat as I type this.

Submission Sent: Here Comes the Nausea

I did it.  I actually sent the werewolf short story to the fine people at Pill Hill Press.  This is the first truly scary submission I've ever made.  A real live editor will read my work and judge it.  Yikes!

Now, here's the thing.  I shouldn't have sent it.  I've been battling this story for a while now because the submission requirements include, among other things, strong elements of horror.  What I wrote could, if you are really, really generous, be construed as "horror-lite."  Maybe.  If you're nice.

I think what I've done is sort of purposefully orchestrated my first rejection.  Rejection can't hurt so bad if you are honestly expecting it, right? And I'm not talking about that humble "it's probably not good enough but I still have that little kernel of hope that it will make it because honestly it's fantastic and if they can't see that then they are idiots" expectation for rejection.  This is the "What I wrote doesn't even fit their criteria, so it has no chance in hell, even though there may be that itty-bitty-teeny-tiny spark of hope that what they read will astound them and they'll accept it anyway" sort of expectation for rejection. If you get the difference. :)  Now I also have to hope they don't look at it and think, "that J. Leigh person can't even follow directions. Let's not look at anything she ever submits again."

I've got about two weeks now (everyone who submitted will hear one way or another by June first) to sit and steel myself for the rejection while trying to stifle that little spark that's hoping for a miracle.  At least the wait won't be too long.  In the meantime, Tums here I come.

Have you ever submitted something knowing, in your heart and head, that it either wasn't ready or wasn't right for those calling for submissions?

By the way, Pill Hill Press as a number of open calls for submissions for an assortment of anthologies, for everything from horror to erotica to romantic suspense, in lengths running from flash fiction to short stories to novellas.  Check it out. 

Do I Have What It Takes To Be A Writer--Week 4

I've recently subscribed to Writer's Digest magazine. With it came a "gift" in the form of the book Begining Writer's Answer Book (1) The first chapter, called "Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Writer", deals specifically with self-doubt, something that plagues authors new and old, published and unpublished alike.

Each week I'll post one of the questions and the associated answer. Hopefully that way I (and anyone else who might read it) can attempt to keep that insidious monster Self-Doubt away.

WEEK FOUR:  (this answer is quite long, so I'm only including parts I particularly like)

What Causes Writer's Block, and how can I combat it?


Ask twenty writers what causes writer's block, and you'll probably get twenty different answers.  The causes of writer's block usually don't have anything to do with writing, but rather are connected to factors that distract writers, keeping them from concentrating on the craft....


You may not have a clear understanding of how you want [your work] to turn out.  You may be writing it one way, when you know subconsciously that it would be better if it were treated some other way....


Anxiety about the quality of one's writing is frequently cited as a cause of writer's block. Novelist Dean Koontz claims this is easily solved: "Read a novel by a really bad writer whose work you despise, and tell yourself 'If this junk can get into print, publishers will fight one another for the rights to my book.'"

Wow, do these guys know me, or what?

Are there things that distract me or keep me from concentrating on the craft? Oh, yeah.  I read a lot (too much).  I follow a bunch of blogs. I'm adicted to Facebook. I've got a full time job.  I'll randomly decide now is a good time to crochet a scarf.  Now, all of these are fine things, but usually they provide good bad excuses to procrastinate. 

Anxiety about the quality of my work? Boy, howdy, yes!  And actually this is probably the root cause of all my writer's block.  Heck, I was stymied for a couple of months, and it wasn't lack of direction--I actually had a pretty extensive and detailed outline.  But I found myself questioning everything I'd already written. 

I think the next time I feel that monster Self-Doubt creeping in, I'll keep Dean Koontz's advice in mind.  Isn't that great?  I've read a few books that make me think "Wow, if this crap made it into print, I should be able to, no problem."

(1) Beginning Writer's Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman, Writer's Digest Books, 2006

A Book Review: Mistwood by Leah Cypess

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (Courtesy of Amazon.com)


Mistwood by Leah Cypess

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

On the whole, this was an okay read. Yeah, just okay. As the story unfolds we learn a lot about Isabel and her inner struggle. One of the neat things about what Cypess did is that Isabel is not human and doesn’t really have the same human thoughts and emotions, yet she’s still a relatable character. You feel for her and what she’s facing and it was easy to get caught up as she discovered her humanity.

I read one review where the reviewer applauded this book because it was lyrical, original, romantic and mysterious. And it was. The premise of the story was unique, there was a certain lyrical romanticism to the prose. There were definitely some great mystery elements and a lot of intrigue, betrayal, and secret agendas. So why was it only okay?

As an aspiring author, I’ve read a lot about world building and the importance of good world building. It’s a key ingredient for any story, but it’s especially important for a fantasy story. Mistwood, unfortunately, fell flat because of weak world building. The kingdom feels very generic—we don’t learn much about it and the world that surrounds it. We know there’s a bloody coup in its history and that a Shifter always existed to protect the kings—but how, and why? The Mistwood is a mysterious magical forest, but we don’t see any of that. It’s all a little fuzzy and unfocused.

Also, the story kind of dragged. Though that is sort of balanced out by the building of suspense. Clues, intrigue, betrayals built—slowly—but enough that I wanted to keep going just to see what happened. There were several plot twists that were both good and bad: Good because it kept me interested and moving forward, and bad because it completely changed the direction of the story which left me wondering, often, what the point or ultimate goal was.

Mistwood is a labeled as a YA Fantasy with some romantic elements. Having read it, however, I'm not sure why it's considered YA. The main characters are at an age where they sort of straddle the line between YA and Adult (characters ranged in age from 19-25ish--it's not made real clear) and there are none of the traditional YA elements present. It's definitely fantasy, but there have been several fantasy and high fantasy novels and series with characters ranging in ages from as young as early teens that were not marketed as young adult.

Then there was the romantic elements. I think Cypess needed to decide whether to include a romantic tie in or not. What we were given was a very bland, almost like an after-thought, romantic connection between Isabel and the prince. It would have worked just as well if there were no romantic elements--focusing instead on loyalty and friendship--and would have worked better (I do love a good romance) if the romance angle was given more importance or drawn more convincingly.

In the end, it had its moments, but I had trouble staying interested throughout.

I give is book 2.5 out of 4 jewels from the Dragon’s Hoard. ♦ ♦ ◊

POV--Help Me Decide!

I've recently pitched (as in thrown away, not as in tried to interest an agent/editor) my original WIP because it just wasn't working the way I thought it should. Drastic move, I know (to see my reasons, click here).

I've finished the first two chapters on the 2.0 version but now I'm running into a bit of a problem. I kind of think that this story would be better told in first person point of view (POV).  I've made no secret of the fact that I don't really like first person point of view POV. When I'm reading something, I usually want to know what the other guy is thinking and what's going on in his life. So, given that, why am I considering this other drastic change?

There's a couple of things that may be going on: 1. I may be insecure in my story that I'm looking for "problems" that can delay me actually working on it; 2. I could just be reading too many YA novels in first person so that kind of voice is ringing truer for me; 3. I've always said that first person POV feels "lazy" to me, so I'm subconsciously thinking that it might be easier to write; or 4.  it could be that it would truely be better in first person.

Ack!

So here's what I've done. I've re-written my first two chapters in first person to see how it sounds.  I think it actually sounds okay.  Of course, these first chapters are only from the main character's POV, so I don't know what will happen when I get to a scene that I think should be from Duncan's POV. 

Anyway, I've posted below the same basic scene both in my third person POV and in first person POV.  Okay, the scene isn't a particularly exciting one (actually, it's not even a complete scene) and for the most part it's the same whether  "she" or "I" did something.  I guess it's a question of voice...as a voice, which is more engaging?

Which do you think works better and why?  Sorry, this will make for a very long post, so if you can manage to read through both versions, any input will be VERY, VERY much appreciated.

Version 1: 3rd Person POV
Seventeen year old Lacey Bradley had one goal in life: to live long enough to graduate high school. Everyone’s life needed at least one major milestone before they died, right? Of course, she wouldn’t object to living a long and healthy life, but things were starting to look a little bleak for that particular ambition. Especially if she spent much time in the frigid Minnesota air on a December morning.

And why, oh why, did it have to be Minnesota?

Chicago winters were no summer picnic on the lake shore, and the Windy City’s winter wind could freeze a person’s eyeballs, but nothing she had ever experienced could compare to the bitter cold that slammed into her as she walked down the salt-covered sidewalk that crossed in front of Dalton, Minnesota’s high school.

The sun was shining and it was a perfectly clear blue day, but she was still afraid to touch her ears in case they broke off. She pressed at her cheekbone. It felt almost solid, like chicken pulled from the freezer to thaw. “Ah, man, that can’t be right,” she grumbled and pulled the red hood of her parka tighter around her face.

She saw the steps that led to the main entrance of the school and sighed. Half a block to go. It might as well be half a mile. The cold was sapping her strength at a tremendous rate. There ought to be a law against parking lots being located a block from the main building. Kids probably got lost in blizzards never to be seen again, just trying to get to class. A quick image flashed through her mind of her falling into a snow drift and no one discovering her body until things warmed up. Which was probably sometime in August, she thought in disgust.

Lacey grabbed her cell phone out of her coat pocket and fumbled it in her stiff fingers. After a moment she was able to grasp the shiny plastic phone and looked at the time display.

“Fantastic,” she muttered. “I’m going to be late my first day of school. If being the new kid doesn’t make me enough of a freak, I get to be the new kid that shows up late.” The wrong turn she’d taken off of the main street is what did it, she decided. She sighed. It was the story of her life: whenever she was at an intersection and had to guess right or left, she always chose the wrong way. Always.

Version 2:  1st Person POV:
More than anything else in the world, I wanted to live long enough to graduate high school. Everyone’s life needs at least one major milestone before they died, right? Of course, I wouldn’t mind living a long and healthy life, but things were starting to look a little bleak for that particular ambition. Especially if I spent much more time in the frigid Minnesota air on a December morning.


Why, oh why, did it have to be Minnesota?

Chicago winters are no summer picnic on the lake shore, and the wind that whips through the Windy City is enough to freeze a person’s eyeballs, but nothing I had ever experienced could compare to the bitter cold that slammed into me as I walked down the salt-covered sidewalk in front of Dalton, Minnesota’s high school.

The sun was shining and it was a perfectly clear blue day, but I still refused to touch my ears just in case. I mean, they might just break off. I pushed at my cheekbone. The flesh over it felt almost solid, kind of like partially-thawed chicken. “Ah, man, that’s just wrong.” I pulled the hood of my red parka tighter around my face in the hopes of protecting my possibly brittle ears.


I was ridiculously happy to see the steps that led to the main entrance of the school. Only half a block to go. It might as well be half a mile. The cold air seemed to be causing my body to mutiny--my strength and my body heat were abandoning me, only to die a sharp and painful death in the wind.


Seriously, there ought to be some kind of law against putting a school’s parking lot a block form the main building. Students probably got lost in blizzards, never to be seen again, just trying to make it to class. A quick image flashed though my mind of me tripping and falling into a snow drift and no one discovering my ice-encrusted corpse until things warmed up. Which would probably be sometime in August.


I dug my phone out of my coat pocket to check the time. My fingers were so stiff it took me a minute to get it turned the right way to see the time display.

“Fantastic.” I glared at the phone. “I’m going to be late my first day of school. If being the new kid doesn’t make me enough of a freak, I get to be the new kid that shows up late.” It was that wrong turn I’d taken off of Main Street that did it, I was sure. I sighed. It’s the story of my life: whenever I find myself at an intersection and have to decide whether to go right or left, I’ll always chose the wrong way. Always.

Guest Interview at Passions on Paper

Be sure to stop by Passions on Paper today where I am the first guest interview for Gina's new feature Fan-Tastic Fridays. 

Gina has recently finished her first novel--a paranormal romance with vampires, angels, some supremely evil bad guys, and bunch of steam. What more could a girl want?  If you haven't yet, you've got to check out her blog!

And a special "thank you" to Gina for inviting me!

Do I Have What it Takes to Be a Writer?

I've recently subscribed to Writer's Digest magazine. With it came a "gift" in the form of the book Begining Writer's Answer Book (1) The first chapter, called "Do I Have What It Takes to Be a Writer", deals specifically with self-doubt, something that plagues authors new and old, published and unpublished alike.

Each week I'll post one of the questions and the associated answer. Hopefully that way I (and anyone else who might read it) can attempt to keep that insidious monster Self-Doubt away.

WEEK THREE:

How can I be sure I really have creative writing ability?

You’ll never be sure. It’s best to believe in yourself and keep moving forward. Most writers cycle between periods of self-doubt and periods of confidence.

You’ll never be sure? Seriously? Okay, that kind of sucks. Of course, that’s what Self-Doubt does; it makes you doubt yourself (I had an English teacher in high school who would throw a fit if I ever actually used a definition like that!).

So, basically, what it comes down to is stay positive, keep on going, and hope for the best.

Not very specific, but the best advice rarely is.

(1) Beginning Writer's Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman, Writer's Digest Books, 2006

What I've Learned as a Beta

A beta reader (hereafter refered to as a 'beta') is a person who reads a written work, generally fiction, with what has been described as a critical eye, with the aim of improving grammar, spelling, characterization, and general style of a story prior to its release to the general public (or in many cases, prior to the work being submitted to an agent/editor/publisher).

Now, I know I've only been a beta for a couple of manuscripts, but even that limited experience has prompted me to give a little advice to authors who are considering using a beta at some point. Here are the Dos and Don'ts as I see them:

DO:

• Be clear on what you are looking for and make sure that your beta both understands and is able to provide the right service.  Not only will this give the beta some idea of what they should be reading for, you will get the feedback you really want.  Are you looking for line edits or are you looking for broad themes?
• If you are looking specifically for a proof-reader or someone to fix your grammar,  make sure that they know that's what you want.  Otherwise they are liable to ignore grammar and spelling and instead give your reams of advice of your character's motivation.
• If you want them to read for flow and plot development, tell them. Otherwise you might end up with a manuscript full of comments about gerunds and the appropriate placement of prepositions.
• Tell your beta if have a deadline and/or need a response by a given date.  That way they can plan accordingly, or let you know if they can't do it in that time frame so you can look for someone else.
• Trust your beta.  Don't give your manuscript to just anyone.  Make sure you are comfortable with the person who you have judging your work. And hopefully you'll pick someone who isn't likely to steal all the hours, days, months, years worth of work you've put into it.
• Make sure that the beta you pick has some quailifications or skills that will help you.  For example--I'm an avid reader--I'm going to look at your work from the perspective of Jane Reader--is the plot engaging, do I like the characters, what works, what doesn't, etc.  I'm a little less skilled at grammar and punctuation.  My best friend, however, is an English teacher--she's going to be a stickler about grammar and vocab. Pick the right person for the right job.
• Inform your beta of the genre, word-count and basic premise of the story. This gives them an idea of what they are getting into and if, for some reason it isn't a good fit, it will save both of you a lot of time when you have to find someone else.
• Make sure your manuscript is formatted in such a way as to be easy to read (don't give your betas eye-strain by making them read 8 point single spaced font with half inch margins, no matter how much paper it might save) and include page numbers (that makes it easier to refer to "the third paragraph of page 98" that was confusing, or whatever).

DO NOT:

• Give your manuscript to a beta unless you are convinced that what you are giving them is as ready and polished as you can possibly make it.  In my opnion, you'll get more out of a beta if they are looking at things like characterization and story-arc and flow and readability, than if they are bogged down in stupid typos (these are the kinds of things I do...teh instead of the...bank instead of band, etc).  If you want someone to catch your bazillion spelling errors and skipped words and grammar mistakes, hire a proof-reader.
• Harrass your beta daily for updates on their progress.  I would assume that if they agreed to read your work, they will, and they will get back to you with any comments, suggestions, etc. in a timely manner.  If you are working on a deadline, make sure that the beta is aware of your time constraints and give them a "due date".
• Send your manuscript to the beta in a PDF or as a block of text in an e-mail. 
• It will make their life, and especially yours, easier if they can comment or correct as they go (Track Changes functionality is awesome, but even being able to highlight sections and add comments is good). 
• It will also save your beta from having to take extensive notes and then transcribing those notes into a "report". 
• PDF is great if you don't want the beta to copy and somehow steal your work, but hopefully you are not sending your blood, sweat and tears to someone you don't trust on some level not to steal your work.

Basically, the gist of this is make sure you and your beta are on the same page and understand the expectactions and services looked for.  Otherwise it'll end up being a pretty big waste of time for both of you.

Random Stuff

My blogging-buddy Gina at Passions on Paper created a special blogging award called the THREE BLOGGING MUSKETEERS AWARD, the recipients of which are three people who not only follow her blog on a consistent basis, but who also give "great feedback and awesome comments on each post. No matter what I throw onto this blog, I can count on these three individuals to be active participants." Gina selected me and two others to receive this award. The other two recipients are DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude and Jamie Burch at ~Dancing Down Serendipity Street~.  These blogs are definitely worth checking out!  Thank you so much Gina, and believe me, I have a feeling  you'll be seeing this one come back your way!

I'm going to save it and pass it on at a later date (right now I only have two fellow bloggers who comment and epitomize the shared meaning of "all for one and one for all".  *Note to self:  Somehow attract more followers. 

However, I have another award I'd like to share (and no, I did not create this one myself).  This award is given to two special ladies whose comments make my day.  Their positive outlook and supportive words make me feel good each time I see them. 

So, because you guys are fantastic, here's the You Are My Sunshine--Supportive Comments Award, given to

Gina @ Passions on Paper

Jamie @ ~Dancing Down Serendipity Street~

And, the final bit of randomness:  I was channel surfing last night and came across and HBO documentary called "Master Class" (I think it's a series, but I'm not entirely sure).  This particular episode had four aspiring playwrights meeting and getting critiques and advice from playright Edward Albee.  I didn't watch the whole thing, but something he said really struck a chord for me, so I thought I'd share it:

"I write my plays to find out why I write them.  Obviously something has started a play in my head and it's gotten to the point where there are characters and situations.  Wait until the stuff becomes inevitable.  The only difference between something that works and something that fails is that something that fails is arbitrary and something that works is inevitable." (Emphasis added by me, not him.)

Ultimately, his point is that your work should sound inevitable.  I don't know why, but I thought that was very cool.  So, to anyone who aspires to write (whether it's plays, novels, short stories, poems or greeting cards), here's a toast to you: May all your works be inevitable.