#IWSG: Helpful #Writing Resources

Sometimes, a post written by another writer can provide the inspiration or motivation you might need to push yourself to the next level ... or to simply write the next word in your current project. Below are a few posts that I've recently found inspiring. I hope they help you, too.

 http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

The first Wednesday of the month is Insecure Writer's Support Group! If you've not heard of the group before ... click on the link below the picture and check out the fantastic resources and support this group has to offer.

Here are some additional links to posts that I've enjoyed recently:

Do you ever get distracted by a "shiny new idea" before you've finished the hard work on your project in progress? If so, here's a great post for you: http://writerunboxed.com/2015/06/24/resisting-the-lure-of-the-shiny-new-idea/#more-37781

Do you struggle to show the emotions of your characters (without over-using clenched stomachs and gritted teeth)? Here's a great lesson on the topic of emotions: http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/06/24/how-fiction-writers-can-show-emotions-in-their-characters-in-effective-ways/

Do you have trouble deciding what point of view to utilize in your story telling? Check out this post: http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/02/first-through-third.html

Italian Sodas & Fry Sauce (but not at the same time - yuck)

My current WIP references some common treats that locals (in Idaho) love, but a couple of my critique partners hadn't heard of them before. Have you?

 

“An Italian soda is a soft drink made from carbonated water and simple syrup, usually flavored. Flavors can be fruit (e.g. cherry, blueberry) or modeled after the flavors of desserts, spices, or other beverages (e.g. amaretto, chai, chocolate). Some vendors add cream to the recipe as well” (definition from Wikipedia).

picture source: http://forevermoreevents.blogspot.com/2011/08/wedding-advice-wednesday-italian-sodas.html

 

“Fry sauce is a regional condiment served with French fries. It is usually a simple combination of one part ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. When spices and other flavorings are added, it is similar to—but thicker and smoother than—traditional Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing. In the United States, fry sauce is commonly found in restaurants in Utah and Idaho, as well as available by mail-order. Occasionally other ingredients such as barbecue sauce are substituted for ketchup" (definition from Wikipedia).

 

picture source: http://www.benspark.com/fry-sauce-contest.html

Do you have a favorite local treat that people in the other parts of the country may have never tried or even heard of before?

Stop Distracting Me!

Now that I am done stressing about volleyball tournaments (but only because my beautiful daughter has two volleyball camps coming up this month and team tryouts next month) ... it's time to revise my WIP (again).

And, just because I know you're curious to hear what my amazing agent had to say about this current project ... here are a few snippets from her email:

"I finished it in a single day (staying up wayyyy past my bedtime to finish) and I think it’s fantastic."

"It’s so suspenseful and smart and well done, and deliciously creepy in just the right ways."

"The point is, I was absolutely glued to this."

And then, she followed those wonderful comments with 2 1/2 pages of editorial suggestions for improvements. :)

So ... stop distracting me internet and volleyball and dogs and family and chores ... I have work to do!

 

And the pictures have nothing at all to do with this post. I just miss my cute boys, and I'm craving chocolate chip cookies.

What's your favorite cookie?

Sparse Postings

Yes, my postings have been sparse this last month. Between the typical busy month of May and my computer crashing ... it's been a challenge to write blog posts.

But here's the good news:
1. My son is letting me use his computer until mine is fixed (if ever).
2. I sent my new manuscript off to my agent.

Now I can worry that she'll hate it wait patiently until I hear back from her.

Happy June.

I'm so glad May is over.

:)

HOLD ON to What You Believe

I know I've posted songs before, but I don't think I've posted this one. There are a few songs that just really nail the mood of my current WIP.

Beginning of ms: Phillip Phillips's HOME
Middle of ms: Kelly Clarkson's DARK SIDE
End of ms: Mumford & Sons' HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU BELIEVE

For your viewing and listening pleasure:

What songs are in the playlist of your manuscript? Do you have any? :)

Do You Have a Dark Side?

I know you are all just dying to know the plotline of my current WIP. Right? Well, I have kept it under my hat, but I hope this song by Kelly Clarkson will be the music for the movie trailer one day (I can think big!).

The song goes MUCH better with my plotline if you close your eyes and listen to the words of the music rather than being influenced by the images of the video.

Critique Partners are ESSENTIAL!

Often times new writers will think they don't want to find a critique partner or group ... but it is essential to improve our stories!

As a writer, it is EASY to picture what my main character looks like, acts like, and talks like ... but have I portrayed that image accurately to my reader? How will I know if I don't let a critique partner rip it open? A "nice" reader (like your mom or BFF) may not have the will or desire to tell you what's wrong with your story, but another writer who wants to help you improve will (should) tell you.

One of my brutal critique partners is my 16-yr-old daughter. Seriously. She rips my stuff apart! But I just love her more for it.

I recently gave her the first ten pages of my newest work-in-progress. I waited for her to come to me and say: Give me more pages!

But ... she didn't! ACK!

I asked her what she thought of the pages, and she grimaced. She hated the main character. Why? I asked (shocked, of course, because I love the main character). My daughter said the m.c. complains too much, and it annoyed her as a reader.

What? My main character is not a complainer! She's strong and goal oriented and confident and happy ... isn't she?

I asked my daugher if she liked anything about the m.c. ... My daughter thought TOO LONG and finally answered: I like her name.

*sigh*

So ... I'm reading chapter one again of THE FIRE IN FICTION by Maass, and I'm reconsidering the concept of SAVING THE CAT by Snyder.

Clearly ... the image in my head did not carry through to the page and then to the reader.

How about you? Do you have critique partners that you trust to tell you the brutal truth about your writing?

Delete 10,000 Words?

Yikes!

I've been struggling with my WIP recently, and yesterday I realized the trouble began when XX happened to my character. So I brainstormed a bit. I began to imagine how the story would have unfolded if XX had not happened. Ideas began to flow freely ... just the opposite of the words I've been forcing onto paper lately. So, I backtracked to that pivotal point in my story and used the word count feature in Word. I've "forced" nearly 10,000 words since that pivotal point. That equals 33 pages of writing -- hard effort writing.

Oh. Well.

I think it's the right choice.

So, I will cut and paste those 33 pages into another document. Maybe some of it is useful, but I think most of it is not.

Even though I'll be losing a lot of hard work, I feel like a burden has been lifted. I'm excited about my story again, and can't wait to get the new words typed out.

:)

3 Reasons Why Research is SO DISTRACTING

So ... a character in my WIP needs a car, but not just ANY car, and not a typical car. I typed into Google: "pictures of ugly old small pickup trucks"

Here's what I got:

Distraction #1:

Distraction #2:

And Distraction #3:

Bwhahahahaha.

I love Google.

Refocus. Eyes on the keyboard.

Back to writing!

And ... have a great weekend! :)

Book Review: ON WRITING

ON WRITING by Stephen King

5 stars!

It took me awhile to finally jump into this book - - simply because I'm not a fan of memoirs or books of the biographical type.

I wished I would've started this book sooner! It was simply wonderful.

The first half is a memoir of King's life, and if you are a fan of his, you'll love it. From wiping his bum with poison ivy to being locked in a closet, the glimpses into his life will make you appreciate his writing even more.

The second half of the book is about the craft of writing. So if you're not interested in writing, you may want to skip that section, but if you are a writer, King offers many helpful tips, such as stop researching so much and just write the story:

"Remember that you are writing a novel, not a research paper. The story always comes first" (page 233).

The only downside to this book is King's language. If you're a fan of his, you already know he uses profanity. If you flinch at the F word, you may need to take a muscle relaxant before starting this book.

...

And YES! I achieved my word count goal of at least 2000 words Friday AND Saturday! I'm shooting for the same goal today. And frankly, the quote above from King has helped me. I have found the researching side of my WIP so interesting that it has become a huge time-suck. So focusing on achieving my word count goal without stopping to research a point or an idea has helped move me forward.

How about you?

Do you spend too much time researching topics for your writing?

New Writing! New Post!

YAY! June 1st!

I've been reading Stephen King's ON WRITING ... everyone said it was great ... WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ IT?? It is great. I'm really enjoying it (nearly finished), and I've marked a lot of great ideas.

The idea I'm acting on today: write 2000 words. That's less than ten pages. That's doable. Right?

Well, I had the same goal yesterday and achieved 72 words. Silly. But I got distracted with researching the interesting topics for my new manuscript. Yup. That's right. I've started writing something BRAND NEW. It's all shiny and untouched. A little scary ... but VERY exciting.

So today, I'm not going to allow myself to research (can I keep that promise?), and I'm just going to write, until I reach that 2000 word goal, and then maybe I'll research more.

Do you have a daily word count goal when you're writing a first draft?

Check back on Monday, and I'll share another tip from King's book.

Creepy Stalker Songs

source: www.bryanadams.com

Well, as I finished up revisions on my ms (which has a creepy stalker dude in it) ... I am finding creepy stalker details in various aspects of my real life.

YIKES!

I had the radio on in the house, and one of my favorite Bryan Adams' songs came on. I remembered the words, and it brought back sweet memories of growing up in the 80's.

Then, the very next day I heard the same song on the radio in the car. Which surprised me. I listened more closely to the words and got chills. This is a creepy stalker song!

YIKES!!

CLICK HERE to watch the official Bryan Adams Video

And, then I was researching song lyrics for my ms revisions, and stumbled across a website that listed the creepiest song lyrics ever - - and this Bryan Adams song was listed as the creepiest!!

I tried to embed the video here for you - - but that option was disabled - - so, take a quick click on the link above and listen to the words! It talks about dying and sacrificing and fighting ... all for you.

YIKES!!!

"You know it's true, everything I do ... oh ... I do it for you."

What's the creepiest stalker dude song you can remember?

Extreme REVISIONS - What Would YOU Do?

I know writing "the end" on your first draft of a manuscript is pretty exciting ... but certain elements of the revision process thrill me just as much. It's like working a jigsaw puzzle ... but certain parts of the picture change during the process and you must adapt and move with it.

Quite awhile ago (sorry, I can't remember when or where) I came across a writer's blog that featured pictures of her revision process: pages spread out on the floor and taped across a wall. I remember being shocked and thinking, "Sheesh! That looks like a LOT of work!" So, I never tried that approach for myself. ha. Why work? Writing is supposed to be fun! :)

However, I've been in the trenches revising and revamping one of my manuscripts. And I needed a new approach. I needed to see the conversations between the main character and the "bad guy" in a new light. I needed my brain to process the information differently. Find something ...

And I remembered those crazy pictures of pages taped to a wall.

So, I printed out all of the conversations between my main character and three other characters (one is the real bad guy and two are potential bad guys to keep the reader guessing). I even used different colored paper to help me quickly spot who was participating in the conversation.

And I taped them to the wall:

It took a long time to print the pages out, and it took a long time to tape them to the wall.

I doubted the process and the time invested, but I went through the WHITE pages first ... twice ... and it wasn't until the third pass that my brain clicked and saw the words in a different way.

I had a big AHA moment. YAY!

I quickly started to scribble modifications in pencil. And then I grabbed a blue highlighter and started to write the emotions on the pages in big letters so I could stand back and see the progression of the relationship. I used red stars to mark certain types of moments and yellow stars to mark others. Then I attacked the colored pages.

My kids came home from school and their eyes bulged out ... they thought I'd gone a bit crazy! ha.

This morning, I went through the pages on the wall again and was thrilled to realize how well everything now flows. Success!

Was it worth the effort? Absolutely.

Will I do it again ... only if necessary! :)

What's your most extreme method for revising?

OH NO! Santa is a Stalker!

I've been knee-deep in revisions for my internet predator manuscript, and Monday night I took a break to watch The Sing Off (love it) ... and had a terribly disturbing revelation afterward.

Santa is a Stalker!

Think about it for a minute:


You better watch out (and look behind you!)

You better not cry (cuz he preys on weaklings)
Better not pout (cuz that annoys him)
I'm telling you why (listen to me, I've researched this!)
Santa Claus is coming to town  (to get you!)

He's making a list, (of all your personal information)
And checking it twice; (so the police can't nab him)
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice. (cuz he preys on weaklings!)
Santa Claus is coming to town (to abduct you!)

He sees you when you're sleeping (cuz he's a creeper!)
He knows when you're awake (cuz he's a stalker!)
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake! (and call the police!)

O! You better watch out! (and look behind you!)
You better not cry. (cuz he preys on weaklings!)
Better not pout, I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town. (to abduct you!)

Santa Claus is coming to town. (call the police!)

picture source: http://daredevyl283.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/santa-clause/

HO! HO! HO!

Are you a believer?

Catch Me if You Can Blogfest

Kristina Fugate is hosting a great blogfest over at: http://kaykays-corner.blogspot.com So hurry over and get signed up and participate! The rules are simple, and she's giving away a $20 Amazon gift card to a lucky participant! She says: "We've all heard it a millon times: If your book doesn't catch the agent/publisher's eye quickly, they'll probably reject it. So, I'm sure at one time or another we've asked ourselves, "Does my WIP catch people's attention right away?""

Here are the first 550 words of MANIFESTED, currently undergoing a major revision. :) So, please, leave your critique in the comments, or feel free to email me (my email is listed in the sidebar to the right). THANKS!

MANIFESTED: Chapter 1

Luke Michaelson sat at the small desk in his bedroom and methodically spun a closed pocket knife with his index finger. A camping trip in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho sounded like a stupid idea to him, but Mom and Dad insisted this next week would be a great adventure. Dad expected him to help pack today, but first Luke needed a few minutes alone.

With his thumb and index finger, he tugged at the stubborn blade of the pocket knife. Unable to open it, Luke reached across his desk and dragged the lamp closer. He gripped the casing of the pocket knife tightly with his left hand and yanked with his right. When the blade flipped out suddenly, it surprised Luke, and he let go of the knife. As it slipped from his hand, the blade slashed the skin between his thumb and index finger.

Luke groaned, shook his hand, and then tried sucking the cut to alleviate the pain. Nausea swelled in his gut, but he refused to panic. When he withdrew his hand to examine the damage, no slice remained. He leaned forward and held his hand under the bright lamp. Light glinted off the opals he wore around his wrist, making him squint momentarily. But no cut remained. Nothing. He studied the alarm clock next to his bed, 10 a.m. Dad shouldn’t miss him for awhile yet. So, he hopped up, locked his door, turned up the volume on his music, and sat back down at his desk. He picked up his pocket knife and examined the blood glistening on the edge of the blade. Luke looked at his hand where the cut should have been. Nothing.

He held the knife near his forearm willing himself to make a small cut, but he couldn’t do it. He set the knife back down on his desk and walked over to his bed. Am I crazy? he thought and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked again at his healed hand. With determination, Luke moved back to his desk, grabbed the knife, and quickly pulled the blade along his forearm near his opals.

As the pain seared through him, Luke collapsed onto the chair and propped his arm against the edge of the desk. He took slow controlled breaths as he watched the wound neatly knit itself back together. A thin red line remained visible, but no blood. It wasn’t his imagination. He pulled the blade across his skin again. A drop of blood fell from the blade, but within a few seconds, only another narrow welt lingered on his skin. Of course, the slices hurt, but less each time, and the ones closest to his opal bracelet healed the fastest. He made one more cut, slower and deeper, and watched it mend. Crazy, Luke thought and shook his head in disbelief while his mind raced for a solution. He wondered if the metaphysical properties of the Boulder Matrix Fire Opals he wore could be responsible for the rapid healing.

“No,” Luke whispered to his empty bedroom and shook his head faster. Even though his younger brother Billy had constantly yammered about the special properties and powers of rocks and crystals, Luke had never believed him. “No way.”

He wiped the blade on his jeans...
 
 

Leave your critique and comments below! Thanks. Happy blog-hopping.
 
(Oh... and if you'd like to read the whole chapter, visit: http://www.margokelly.net)

REVISING: Voice

Yup, I'm still deep in the trenches of revisions. I keep asking myself why this revision is taking SO LONG. I think there are multiple reasons, but one is: VOICE.

I'm striving to make each character's voice their own.

I'm also in the trenches of reading THE DOME by Stephen King, and I'm wondering why is this book taking me SO LONG to read? If it were any other author, I probably would have quit the book by now. But, the major reason I'm sticking with the book, is: VOICE. King has a gazillion characters in this book, and they each started out with such strong voices - some even seemed a little over the top to me. But I learned some things from his writing style in this book. Word selection is so important.

Duh. Right?

Maybe I'm a little slow in the head. But here's what I'm grasping... You can use the word WALKED in a sentence. We all get what that means, right?

But what if your character is angry? STOMPED
What if your character is giddy with happiness? SKIPPED
What if your character isn't right in the head? STAGGERED
What if your character is always in a hurry? DASHED

Walking is more than just putting one foot in front of the other. And, *how* your character walks lends to his VOICE. So, as you and I work on revisions and VOICE, consider each and every word (not just verbs) and make sure that is a word choice the character would make, in dialogue, monologue, and action.

Want to Read More?

If you would like to read the first chapter of THE EDUCATION OF THIA (and/or other samples of my writing), visit my website:

www.margokelly.net

Some Excellent Resources for Writers

There are several websites that have significantly helped me in my writer's journey. I thought I'd share a few of them today. :) Enjoy!

Writer Unboxed - This blog has a group of contributors, and so the daily posts are fresh and helpful. This particular post (linked) suggests printing your ms out on paper in a different font than you've been viewing on the computer screen. Why? Because you'll be able to see your words with new eyes, simply because it looks different! I love this idea, and I'm going to give it a try.

KidLit - Even if you don't write YA, this blog has a wealth of information on the craft of writing and the business side of writing. Mary Kole uses a straight forward no nonsense approach to answering questions and tackling topics regarding writing.

Guide to Literary Agents - Chuck Sambuchino features a great variety of posts on his blog. Some of my favorites include the posts on REAL query letters. You can read the actual query letter, and then the agent explains why that query caught his/her attention. I also enjoy all of the agent advice on his blog.

Flogging the Quill - If you want your story opening to be the best it can possibly be, first, read this blog, second, submit your beginning for critique on the blog. I've submitted the beginnings to both of my finished mss, and the feedback was SO helpful. *IF* you're open-minded to critiques...

Well, those are just a few of my favorites. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BLOGS?

Change the Ending?

The last three (non-agent) people to read the full ms for THE EDUCATION OF THIA have all agreed that the ending needs to be changed. I liked the ending. Didn't want to change it.

But my pal Natalie asked me today, "Do you want to leave your readers frustrated?" I had to think about it. She spoke again before I answered, and said, "Just because you're frustrated doesn't mean you should leave your readers frustrated."

Okay. Fair point. But I said to her, ***spoiler alert*** "But the bad guy wasn't caught in real life. Why should he be caught in the book, just to make everyone happy?"

Natalie, my straight talking pal, replied, "Margo, the attack at the end didn't happen in real life either. Why did you write that?"

Finally, I got it. She was right. I added quite a few things to the ms to make it more dramatic (real life can be so stinking boring sometimes). So, if I could do that, I *suppose* I could change the ending to create more resolution for my readers. HOWEVER, if I do that, I am DEFINITELY adding an "Author's Note" to the end of the ms explaining the major things I altered for the novel. Maybe. Probably. Ack.

An agent rejection my query today. I sent her a query letter, fifteen pages, and a synopsis. Her personalized rejection said that THE EDUCATION OF THIA wasn't fresh enough to stand out.

Just keep writing. Just keep writing. Just keep writing.

Do you think books should always have a pretty bow at the end? Why or why not?

First Ever Writer's Conference!

A week from now, I will be attending my first writer's conference! YAY!

I have three one-on-one appointments scheduled with agents to discuss my current project: THE EDUCATION OF THIA

click here to read a description and the first chapter

Have you attended a writer's conference? What was the most helpful part of the conference? Any advice for the new girl?