Once Upon A Time in Writer Land

Happy Australia Day!

2012-01-26T18:05:00.000+11:00

Winner: FROI OF THE EXILES

2011-12-03T22:06:00.000+11:00

I had so much fun with this competition! Thanks so much for all the entries.

Without further ado, the winner is...

MARIEKE!

Congratulations!!! I've sent you an email :)

And don't forget, you can pre-order FROI here.

RTW: Required Reading

2011-11-16T21:31:00.001+11:00

If you haven't entered my competition to win a signed copy of FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta, please CLICK HERE. (International).

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments on YA Highway.

I read these books in Year 12:

I would have liked to have read these books:

What about you?

RTW: Writing Superpowers + An Exciting Announcement!

2011-11-09T22:37:00.000+11:00

If you haven’t entered already, please CLICK HERE to win a copy of FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta. (You won’t be disappointed by this book. Guaranteed.)

Here’s the exciting news:
Melina was kind enough to contact me today and offer to SIGN THE BOOK for the lucky winner!

And I have something to tell you about Melina. Not only is she omgsuperhumanlytalented (Hello, ON THE JELLICOE ROAD!), but she is also just an altogether gorgeous, generous lady. And I’ll tell you why. I know she’d never want anyone to know this, but I was so bowled over by her generosity that I feel it’s important for me to say. Melina told me not to buy the book for the competition. Instead, she wanted to send me the copy for the winner. How amazingly generous is that?!

So thank you, Melina. And good luck everyone!

And now onto YA Highway:

What are your writing and publishing superpowers -- and what's your kryptonite?

I think I share the same superpower with lots of other writers.

What is a characteristic we all share?

MOTIVATION.

There are people who write bits here and there, but claim they have trouble finding the time. Then there are those who make the time. Little snatches at breakfast. Snips on the train. At lunchbreaks. A few minutes before bed.

And that’s my superpower. My determination to keep writing, even though there are a million other things to do.

And my kryptonite?

Doubting myself.

(Luckily I have some awesome writer friends to help me never to wallow!)

Win: A Signed Copy of FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta

2011-11-06T00:57:00.003+11:00

My lovely agent sister, Mindee Arnett, is superamazinggenerous and has inspired me to hold a BOOK GIVEAWAY! (You really should go follow Mindee’s blog HERE. Her awesome book THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR is forthcoming from Tor Teen.)

Being a Sydney girl myself, I thought what better book to give away than a copy of FROI OF THE EXILES by the fantastically talented Melinda Marchetta, who is also from Sydney? (Go Aussie YA!)

FROI OF THE EXILES was released in Australia on 3rd October, 2011, but will not be available internationally until March, 2012.

Here’s the blurb and the Aussie cover:

Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home - or so he believes.

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will discover that there is a song sleeping in his blood, and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.

Gripping and intense, complex and richly imagined, Froi of the Exiles is a dazzling sequel to Finnikin of the Rock, from the internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, On the Jellicoe Road and The Piper's Son.

THE PRIZE:
I’m giving away one signed copy of FROI OF THE EXILES by Melina Marchetta. It is the sequel to FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK. The winner will receive it before the end of 2011. (Unless the postal system gives me headaches!)

HOW TO ENTER:
Leave a comment on this post with your name and email address.
+ 1 entry - Follow my blog
+ 1 entry – Follow Mindee’s blog
+ 1 entry - Tweet about this competition
+ 1 entry - If someone mentions that you have referred them here

DETAILS:
Competition is international.
Entries close 1st December, 2011.

National Novel Writing Frenzy!

2011-10-30T19:27:00.002+11:00

So it’s 30th October and you’ve signed up for NaNo. First of all, congratulations! It’s a big deal to dedicate a whole month to bashing out 50,000 words. And it’s pretty exciting to know that you’re joining heaps of other writers worldwide! So, YAY!

As a writer who used to struggle with getting that first draft down, I’d like to share with you some (hopefully useful) tips on how to get to the end of the fifty thousand.

#1 – OUTLINE
I know, I know. This doesn’t work for everybody. Some people like their plot to flow organically; others enjoy the challenge of not exactly knowing where their story and characters are headed. For me, I like to have an outline from start to finish. I don’t mind if there are sections of the plot that aren’t mapped out, but I feel that knowing the beginning and the end helps to avoid the big omgIdon’tknowhowtofinishthissucker and, to a lesser extent, omgIhavetodelete30,000ofmy50,000words.

#2 – LOOK AHEAD
Try not to re-read what you have written during NaNo. It will depress you. It will make you stop. It will cause you to doubt your writing ability. It might make you throw in the towel. So yeah. Don’t do it. Just keep writing.

#3 – WRITE THE SCENES THAT ARE CALLING TO YOU
I often wake up with a burning desire to write a climactic scene at the end of my story, or a particularly nasty fight scene, or a smushy-smushy first kiss scene. I know it might seem wrong to skip about whilst writing, but I say: Write what you’re feeling at a certain time. Words come out so much easier that way. It takes less time to write those paragraphs. And, I daresay, if you were to plod on through an uninspired (but in chronological order) scene, it would probably take you ages to finish… and may well suck and feel forced.

#4 – SET A TIMER
Sprints work. There’s something scary and thrilling about a countdown. There’s something wonderful and inspiring about fulfilling your word count in a designated time! So do it. I dare you.

#5 – UPDATE YOUR WORD COUNT… A LOT
It’s fun and motivating. Include every last word. (Not just thousands). Tell yourself that you’ll have that cup of tea, watch that TV show, read that book etc. after you have made your personal word count goal. Woot.

#6 – HAVE FUN
It’s not the end of the world if you get behind on your 50,000. You’re not a failure. You have more words than you did at the beginning. That’s cause for “Hooray!”, right? I see NaNo as an excellent springboard to get your story rolling. And all those studies about habit forming? Perhaps you’ll be unable to stop yourself from writing well into December, too!

GOOD LUCK!

Australian Literary Memoirs: Marjorie Quinn

2011-10-28T18:24:00.000+11:00

One of the gorgeous ladies I work with at my day job, Kath Berryman, was tidying out her aunt’s garage when she found some old watermarked cardboard boxes. Little did she know that these boxes were filled with the unknown memoirs of Marjorie Quinn, one of the founding members of The Fellowship of Australian Writers, who wrote poetry and prose both in the US and her native Australia.

Kath and her sister have painstakingly restored and edited the manuscript. (Their patience is phenomenal, FYI.) If you’re interested in Australian literary history in the era of Norman Lindsay, Henry Lawson, Mary Gilmore and Miles Franklin, it’s definitely worth a look! The memoirs will be available in December from Australian Scholarly Publishing.

Congratulations on the publication, ladies!

For more information, CLICK HERE.

RTW: My Writing Road Trip

2011-10-12T22:21:00.000+11:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments on YA Highway.

First of all, congratulations to the lovely ladies at YA Highway for celebrating their 100th Road Trip!

Writing has been such a huge part of my life for so long that I don't think of it as a journey anymore. It's just something wonderful that I get to do every day! It relaxes me. I enjoy it. It's a passion of mine. I'm able to express myself through words. It's pretty cool when you think about it!

Apart from how much it enriches my life to write, there are all the amazing people that I've come to know through our shared love of books:

* Suzie
(Agent extraordinaire who puts up with my rambling and has this amazing ability to make all my books a million times better. <3)

* Susanne, Kara, Hayley, Kaitlin and Steph
(Genuinely lovely people and "repeat-offender-beta-readers" who are so generous with their time and constructive with their critiques. <3)

* The LBs!
(Just an altogether great group of girls! <3)

Your turn!
Do you think of writing as a journey? Or are you just thankful for how great it makes you feel?

The Sadness of Ending a Great Series

2011-10-02T17:12:00.000+11:00

I've been holding onto THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES, by Carrie Ryan, refusing to read it for six months. Not because "I can't be bothered reading it" and not because "It was an impulse buy that I regret". No. I've refused to read it for all this time because I don't want her series (including THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES) to end.

This doesn't happen very often to me. I love reading and I do read a lot, but rarely do I ever have such an emotional reaction to a series. For instance, I loved The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Twilight, but I never found myself putting the books down -- on purpose and against my will -- simply because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters.

So yeah. I am a Carrie Ryan fangirl. I love her language (specifically her beautiful verb use), her high stakes, her world building and her characters. (Omg... Catcher).

What are some of your favorite books that you never wanted to finish because you knew you'd be sad when they were over?

RTW: What was the best book you read in September?

2011-09-28T21:25:00.002+10:00

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen.

Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

MY FAVORITE PARTS OF 'DELIRIUM':

#1 - Alex and Lena
:)

#2 - The Beautiful Settings
There were several locations in the book that verged on magical. I could see the beauty, smell the fragrance in the air, feel the heat of the night. I'm an unabashed sucker for gorgeous constellations and dilapidated houses (extra points if they're overgrown with vines), so this book won me over in that regard. Easily.

#3 - Hana
I want a best friend like Hana! I loved the chemistry between her and Lena. It was very easy, very natural. It made me want to call my own best friend and tell her how much I appreciate her!

#4 - The Premise
When I first read the premise of DELIRIUM, I thought: I. have. to. read. this! It sounds so heart-wrenching! Sure, it doesn't *really* sound realistic (ie. the government eradicating "love"), but the idea that the time you have with someone you love is running out... It's devastating. And, according to me, DEVASTATING STAKES = AWESOME BOOK = KATHY DOES A HAPPY DANCE.

#5 - The Ending
I don't want to reveal anything, but I thought it was fantastic. There were elements to it that I didn't like, don't give me wrong, but it still hit me in the gut when I read to the last page.

Visual Inspiration: New WIP STARS COLLIDE

2011-09-11T20:38:00.001+10:00

Tuesday’s Top 10: Literary Love Interests

2011-07-26T18:53:00.002+10:00

See Dawn Kurtagich's Favorite Literary Love Interests HERE!

# 10 – TANUS from “River God” By Wilbur Smith

# 9 – LUC from “Personal Demons” By Lisa Desrochers

# 8 – EDWARD from “Twilight” By Stephenie Meyer

# 7 – FOUR from “Divergent” By Veronica Roth

# 6 – MICHAEL from “Some Girls Are” By Courtney Summers

# 5 – JACK from “The Pillars of the Earth” By Ken Follett

# 4 – NOAH from “The Notebook” By Nicholas Sparks

# 3 – JOE from “The Sky is Everywhere” By Jandy Nelson

# 2 – CATCHER from “The Dead-Tossed Waves” By Carrie Ryan

#1 – ST. CLAIR from “Anna and the French Kiss” by Stephanie Perkins

RTW: Who is your favorite literary villain/antagonist, and why?

2011-07-20T22:36:00.000+10:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments on YA Highway.

In my opinion, the best kinds of villains/antagonists are the ones who blur the line between good and evil. They make us ask ourselves: Would we act the same way if we were forced into a similar life/situation? And, often, the answer is: I DON’T KNOW.

MY FAVORITE:
Claudia from INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, BY ANNE RICE

Claudia, the child vampire, from Interview with the Vampire is phenomenal. She has the sharp, devious mind of a sixty-year-old contained within the doll-like body of a young girl. She manipulates her “father”, the passive Louis Pointe du Lac, with her innocent appearance. She lures mortals with her guise of vulnerability – and swiftly takes their lives. She even attempts to murder her own kind.
And yet, Claudia is just as much a victim as she is a ruthless killer. Doomed never to grow old and never die, she cannot help but envy those women who can. Claudia was never given a choice to be “turned”. Does this make her a villain (for all the evil she has committed) or does that make her a casualty (for all that was done to her)?

Tuesday’s Top 10: Book Quotes

2011-07-19T22:17:00.000+10:00

# 10
“She will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes part of you, step for step, breath for breath. I will never stop grieving because I will never stop loving. That’s just how it is. Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other. All I can do is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy.”
~ JANDY NELSON, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

# 9
“We are nothing more than our stories and who we love. What we pass on, how we exist … it’s having people remember who we are. We’re terrible at that in this world. At remembering. At passing it on.”
~ CARRIE RYAN, THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES

# 8
“So this is what I will do. I will gather together my past and look. I will see a thing that has already happened. The pain that cut my spirit loose. I will hold that pain in my hand until it becomes hard and shiny, more clear. And then my fierceness can come back, my golden side, my black side. I will use this sharp pain to penetrate my daughter's tough skin and cut her tiger spirit loose. She will fight me, because this is the nature of two tigers. But I will win and giver her my spirit, because this is the way a mother loves her daughter.”
~ AMY TAN, THE JOY LUCK CLUB

# 7
“That passivity in me has been the core of it all, the real evil. That weakness, that refusal to compromise a fractured and stupid morality, that awful pride! For that, I let myself become the thing I am, when I knew it was wrong. For that, I let Claudia become the vampire she became, when I knew it was wrong. For that, I stood by and let her kill Lestat, when I knew that was wrong, the very thing that was her undoing. I lifted not a finger to prevent it. And Madeleine, Madeleine, I let her come to that, when I should never have made her a creature like ourselves. I knew that was wrong! Well, I tell you I am no longer that passive, weak creature that has spun evil from evil till the web is vast and thick while I remain its stultified victim. It’s over!”
~ ANNE RICE, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

# 6
“Write it down today, put it away, make sense of it tomorrow.”
~ COURTNEY SUMMERS, SOME GIRLS ARE

# 5
“He was handsome then if never before, bound for one of those immortal moments which come so radiantly that their remembered light is enough to see by for years.”
~ F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED

# 4
“So many things become beautiful when you really look.”
~ LAUREN OLIVER, BEFORE I FALL

# 3
“Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.”
~ J. K. ROWLING, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

# 2
“Life’s all about the revolution, isn’t it? The one inside, I mean. You can’t change history. You can’t change the world. All you can ever change is yourself.”
~ JENNIFER DONNELLY, REVOLUTION

# 1
“Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.”
~ NATALIE BABBITT, TUCK EVERLASTING

Book Trailer: GILDED BUTTERFLIES

2011-07-06T17:02:00.000+10:00

Q: What's the best way to celebrate finishing a book?

A: Making a cheesy book trailer!!!

So... it's a Revise and Resubmit

2011-06-01T19:13:00.001+10:00

Hang out in the query trenches for awhile and you might be lucky enough to receive a rejection with these magical words tacked to the end: If you revise, I’d love to take another look. I know, I know. Usually it requires rereading, just to make sure it wasn’t a mirage. And, when the words sink in, suddenly your mind does a daggy little dance and screams: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! AN AGENT WANTS TO LOOK AT MY BOOK AGAIN?! OF COURSE I’D BE HAPPY TO REVISE!!!

To which I say…

Hold up.

And read on.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU RECEIVE A REVISE AND RESUBMIT

• Be happy!
Agents are busy little bees. They wouldn’t ask you to revise and resubmit if they didn’t believe your work had some merit. So, go on. Give yourself a pat on the back, take a deep breath, and open those attached notes!

• Read the agent’s notes…
… all the way through. It might seem overwhelming if there are pages and pages of issues, but you need to remind yourself – personalized feedback is a good thing!

• Thank the agent
Via email, of course. They’ve gone to a lot of trouble to read and give feedback on your material – whether you agree with their suggestions or not. And, believe it or not, agents are human. :) They will appreciate the politeness! Sidenote: Keep the same email chain going.

• Mull it over
Take your time to think about what will be required in the rewrite. Do you agree with the suggestion to morph Character A and Character B into one person? Do you want to change the ending? Do you think 10k of your book needs to be scrapped? Ultimately it’s your decision, but if what the agent has touched on has been niggling in the back of your mind, it’s probably something that can’t just be smoothed over in a few sentences. Thus, if you think the agent shares your vision and would make the book stronger – go for it!

• Believe in yourself!
It’s easy to fear that the agent won’t like your rewrites because you’ll take out something that they loved about your story in the first place. And, you know what? It might happen. And this is where the courage comes in. You have to believe in yourself enough to push through the negative thoughts. You need to fix the weaknesses in your manuscript, replacing them with stronger prose/dialogue/characters/world building/voice/plot/tension that the agent will love even more.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU RECEIVE A REVISE AND RESUBMIT

• Be sad
Yes, it might suck that you haven’t received an upfront offer of representation, but the best and most satisfying things in life come from working hard! #freetip So don’t dwell on the work ahead, just get stuck into it! (Oh, and in case you didn’t know, the publishing industry is fraught with rejection. If you’re sad each time you don’t get something immediately, it might not be the best career path.) Failing that, watch this a few times to turn your frown upside down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

• Skim the agent’s notes
Rather than skimming – read the notes thoroughly. Make sure you understand what the agent means and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.

• Decide to send your revisions back immediately
Agents are unlikely to forget about you and your “almost-there-but-not-quite” manuscript. (Which is something I didn’t realize when I received my first R & R.) My mind went something like this: ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ifIdon’tsendthisbacksoonshewillforgetaboutme!!! So I rushed my revisions. And, as a result, I didn’t do a thorough job and it wasn’t good enough. So… TAKE YOUR TIME.

• Revise if you don’t agree with the agent’s suggestions
Lots of authors talk about how they picked their agent because their agent got their book. In other words, the agent shared the same vision and the author agreed with the suggestions. However, this is not always the case. I received a revise and resubmit that I didn’t agree with. It changed too much of what I felt my story was about, and I don’t think I would have been happy with it if I had made the changes – even if it had snagged an agent. (And, who knows? The agent may not have liked it with the changes!)

• Give up
Don’t do it. But hey, you already know that. ;)

I spent one year revising for my agent of fabulousness. And I’m so glad I did.

Divergent Faction-of-the-Week Challenge: Abnegation

2011-05-14T10:53:00.002+10:00

ABNEGATION PROFILE
1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.
2. to relinquish; give upWHAT I DID
Since Abnegation is about self-sacrifice, I looked at two things I enjoyed doing – reading and watching TV – and gave them up. Now that may not seem very hardcore, but after working long hours at work (and with the weather getting colder and colder), all I wanted to do when I got home was curl up on the couch and a) read a book or b) switch on some mind-numbing entertainment… before repeating the work day all over again.

BUT…

Obviously I couldn’t stop the boyfriend from watching TV. And I wasn’t about to sit upstairs all night without the heater (that’s going too far for me lol), so instead of watching these 'wonderful' TV programs…

… I was forced to watch the boyfriend’s 'wonderful' TV programs.

And he had the time of his life playing couch commando. ;)

Additionally, instead of reading some exciting books on my TBR pile, I sat up at night grading papers. (*I did cheat and squeeze in some fabulous beta-reading so I didn’t get behind, however.)

SELF-EVALUATION
I denied myself the trivial and even that was über difficult. I couldn’t cut it in Abnegation. I’m off now to read a book in front of the TV set. ;)

If you haven't done so already, check out: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

Musical Inspiration: Caught in the Crowd (Kate Miller Heidke)

2011-05-08T21:40:00.000+10:00

The inspiration behind Keelie and Aspen's early relationship in ICE CAROUSEL.

Words of Wisdom to live by (or not)…

2011-04-06T19:28:00.000+10:00

* Don’t Lament about the Weather
Kathy not whining about the weather, you ask? Ha! When does that ever happen? But what I really mean is this: Don’t worry about things you can’t change. It’s a hard lesson to learn. Hell, I’m still learning it every day. But when you’re feeling crap, it’s a great little piece of advice to dredge up for a bit of reassurance. Only worry about what you can change. Anything else is a waste of time and energy. Put effort into that which you can control. The rain? NO. Packing an umbrella? YES.

* Not Everyone in Life is Going to “Get” You
And, to be frank, they might hate the sight of you. But that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t even make them a bad person. (Okay, okay, so maybe it does, but it’s useless to hold it against them or to “Lament about the Weather” [refer to point one]). Just smile to yourself and think: Why should I care what other people think of me? I am who I am and who I want to be. Failing that, there’s always this method: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Voodoo-Doll

* You’re not Evil Incarnate if you say, “NO”
You’re allowed to. You’re free to make your own decisions. Sometimes you have to put yourself first. Who will, if not yourself? And, believe it or not, people usually understand. Some people might even pat you on the back (with an, albeit, invisible hand), but usually they’ll wish they had the courage to do the same.

* Drink Lots……of water. In other words, nourish yourself with what you know is good for you. Have a list of ten things that replenish you – and don’t neglect doing them! I adore hanging out with my BFF. It’s laughter. It’s fun. I never wish to be anywhere else when I’m with her. I love dancing. I love reading books at the beach. I love writing. I love sleeping in. I love vegetarian dumplings. I love going on long walks with my boyfriend and talking about un-work-related rubbish.

* Be Yourself
I’ve always been an insane weirdo who loved to read and write. No one in my family liked to – not quite as much as me. Neither did my friends. I remember having a conversation with some mates circa 2008 who asked me what I received for Christmas. I said, “The Twilight books.” They said, “What the hell are they?” It wasn’t until recently that I found out there were actually other people who loved reading and writing as much as me! *hugs you all*

My Favorite Movies of All Time

2011-03-24T22:45:00.001+11:00

#1 – Crash (2004)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“She had these little stubby wings, like she could've glued them on, you know, like I'm gonna believe she's a fairy. So she said, "I'll prove it." So she reaches into her backpack and she pulls out this invisible cloak and she ties it around my neck. And she tells me that it's impenetrable. You know what impenetrable means? It means nothing can go through it. No bullets, nothing. She told me that if I wore it, nothing would hurt me. So I did. And my whole life, I never got shot, stabbed, nothing. I mean, how weird is that?” ~ Daniel
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Daniel (Michael Pena)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Thandie Newton as Christine Thayer

#2 – The Notebook (2004)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone.” ~ Noah Calhoun
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Rachel McAdams as Allie Calhoun

#3 – Sean of the Dead (2004)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about.” ~ Shaun
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Shaun (Simon Pegg)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Simon Pegg as Shaun

#4 – Dead Poets Society (1989)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” ~ John Keating
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry

#5 – The Departed (2006)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
Colin Sullivan: Just f*cking kill me. Just f*cking kill me.
Billy Costigan: I am killing you.
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Staff Sgt. Dignam (Mark Wahlberg)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello

#6 – Good Will Hunting (1997)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Maybe *you're* perfect right now. Maybe you don't wanna ruin that. I think that's a super philosophy, Will; that way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody...” ~ Sean Maguire
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Skylar (Minnie Driver)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Matt Damon as Will Hunting

#7 – The Last King of Scotland (2006)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“If you're afraid of dying it shows you have a life worth living.” ~ Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin

#8 – Reality Bites (1994)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“I love her. She breaks my heart again and again, but I love her.” ~ Troy Dyer
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Janeane Garofalo as Vickie Miner

#9 – All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“We live in the trenches out there. We fight. We try not to be killed, but sometimes we are. That's all.” ~ Paul Baümer
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Paul Baümer
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Lewis Ayres as Paul Baümer

#10 – The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.” ~ Red
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Morgan Freeman as Red

#11 – Into the Wild (2007)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Happiness only real when shared.” ~ Chris McCandless
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Hal Holbrook as Ron Franz

#12 – The Joy Luck Club (1993)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“That bad crab, only you tried to take it. Everybody else want best quality. You, your thinking different. Waverly took best-quality crab. You took worst, because you have best-quality heart. You have style no one can teach. Must be born this way. I see you.” ~ Suyuan
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Jing-Mei Woo (Ming-Na)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Tsai Chin as Lindo Jong

#13 – Interview with the Vampire (1994)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“How do we seem to you? Do you find us beautiful, magical? Our white skin, our fierce eyes? "Drink" you ask me, do you have any idea of the thing you will become?” ~ Louis de Pointe du Lac
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Kirsten Dunst as Claudia

#14 – The Painted Veil (2006)
FAVORITE QUOTE:
Kitty Fane: [about Wan Xi] I had no idea you had so much affection for her.
Waddington: What makes you think I do?
Kitty Fane: I can see it in your eyes. I wonder what she sees in you.
Waddington: [In Chinese] What do you see in me?
Wan Xi: [to Waddington] You're a good man.
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Walter Fane (Edward Norton)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Naomi Watts as Kitty Fane

Honorable Mentions:Donnie Darko, Heat, A Time to Kill, Sin City, Dancer in the Dark, Requiem for a Dream, Atonement, Becoming Jane, Fight Club, Kill Bill, Up, Gattaca, Zombieland, Not Another Teen Movie, Adventureland, Life is Beautiful, The English Patient, Hot Fuzz, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Mean Girls, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Ladri di Biciclette... and many more!

What are your favorite movies of all time?

RTW: Who's in your book?

2011-03-17T07:37:00.002+11:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments on YA Highway.

I have found that it is impossible not to include my experience of life in my stories – and that includes the characters. Now, to be fair, I’ve never gone all Alanis Morissette and reproduced a person from real life in character-form (emphasizing their flaws and the way they like to backstab.) Instead, I usually take snips of personality/appearance/interests from people I’ve encountered/seen on TV/read about in magazines, mix it all together and see what pops out.

Keelie, my MC in IC, was not so much a person I knew, but a combination of feelings and experiences that my friends and I had in high school – taken to the extreme, of course. (That’s the joy of fiction, isn’t it?)

And I never begin a story with a specific character in mind. Ideas come to me in emotions and scenes. *nutter alert* Once the emotions and scenes are fleshed out, then I can find the best characters to fit into that world.

How I Write and Revise

2011-03-09T17:55:00.001+11:00

Once upon a time at a faraway computer, a Thai-food-obsessed daydreamer named ~~Kathy~~ Anonymous thought every good writer bashed out their books from start to finish, then fixed up a few typos – and TA-DA! Done.

Which probably explains why I that poor anonymous person NEVER. USED. TO. FINISH. A. BOOK.

It seems silly to me her now, but I she actually thought I she had to make everything perfect the first time around – or ~~I’d~~ she’d failed.

Thankfully, ~~Kathy~~ she now has a better process!

WRITING/REVISIONS á la Kathy*

1. Write an outline of your novel and try to follow it. But if you can’t, don’t stress. If something that you wanted to include suddenly doesn’t make the least bit of sense, chuck it out the window. Don’t be afraid to rewrite bits of your outline along the way. Ideas change and evolve. Let them. But an outline will keep your story structure from falling apart. Erm… usually.

2. Lock the first draft in a box and throw away the key… for about two months. (And that means no peeking through the keyhole!)

3. Write a whole bunch of questions aimed squarely at the weaknesses in your manuscript. Why doesn’t Antagonist kill Protagonist when they first meet in the Fairy Garden? Why does Protagonist hate her Math teacher? Why doesn’t Dad get home until eleven o’clock on Sunday? Why does the dialogue suck so much in Chapter 11?

4. Answer the questions. If you find that you are trying too hard to explain an answer – scrap the “answer” and think of a better one. The best indication (I’ve found) of fixing plot holes is that the question has a clear and simple answer.
Eg. Why does Protagonist hate her Math teacher?
BAD ANSWER: Math teacher was a classmate of Protagonist’s mother’s cousin, and Math teacher was mean to P’s mother’s cousin in the summer of 1983. When Math teacher rifled through the school records, on his day off, and found out that the two were related, he decided to give P a failing grade in freshman year on a Trig test. In consequence, P hates Math teacher.
SIMPLE, CLEAR ANSWER: Math teacher made P cry in freshman year after he told her she would never amount to anything – in front of the class.

5. Force lovely beta readers to tear your baby apart. I hyperbole, I hyperbole. Shredding your manuscript is much better than tearing. Oh, and tying your beta readers to a chair makes them read faster. #freetip

6. Revise the outline. At this stage, I rewrite my entire outline, chapter-by-chapter. In it, I should have answered all the questions I had of myself + the questions raised by the beta readers in the new outline. Once I am happy with the outline, ONLY THEN do I begin the rewriting part. Never commence tearing of the actual work unless you are sure what should be torn.

7. Rewrite! Never try to slap happily “patch up” a problem. (If it niggles, it’s a problem.) Pull the sucker a-p-a-r-t, or you’ll always be wondering if anyone else caught a whiff of its crapness.

8. Read through… and be honest with yourself. If something still screams of YUCK, do something about it. (Refer to 7.)

9. Dance! Prance! (~~Or, if you’re a dag like the BF and I, emulate WWE entrances in the living room~~)! YAY! Victory!

* Please Note: It works for me, but probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea!

My Poetry: "The Party Guest"

2011-03-07T22:27:00.000+11:00

I was invited to this party.
You were fulfilling a clandestine purpose.
I was liable to turn you in.
You knew me more completely.
I glimpse you by the glittering cascades
of the makeshift waterfall.
You smile at me without a hint of guile
And I move to the golden railing for support.

You see in my eyes that terrible indecision.
Do I dare speak up and risk sending you away?
You disappear into a throng of revellers.
I fear you may have misinterpreted my meaning.
I search for you desperately -
A gazelle scouring the land for a lion.

I feel a touch on the small of my back.
You are here, behind me.
I do not turn around.
You ask me if I have ever heard of 'love at first sight?'
I tell you I'm too old to believe in fairytales.

You challenge me to turn around.
I reply that I cannot.
You kiss my exposed shoulder with lips of ice.
I demand to know why you are so calm?
You stroke my skin with tenderness.
And now I feel my heart burst with pain
and I know that you have won.
You sense it, too.

With tears falling fast
I surrender to you.
I turn with the yearning of a woman who has
lost everything.

But you are not there.

And I know you never were.

Two years ago they buried you.
And still I can't forget.

My Agent Story

2011-03-02T18:51:00.000+11:00

My agent story begins in July, 2009, when I started writing a YA fantasy romance in the back of an old A4 notebook. I’d just given up on an old manuscript, and I had taken six months off work to do some traveling and writing.

So in that time, in between visits to California, Florida and Louisiana, I wrote like a crazy person. Chapter after chapter. At all hours of the day and/or night. My poor boyfriend can attest to that. I’m super lucky to have him! :)

After revising numerous times and perfecting my query letter, I sent emails to ten agents. The plan was to be cool as a cucumber, wait for responses, then send out another round of ten queries the next month.

The plan was a spectacular failure.

Over the ensuing months, I became a CEC (Compulsive Email Checker). My heart would do the Charleston whenever my iPhone had a little red “1” next to the email envelope. And if it had a “2”? Omg, omg, omg! That was the ultimate! The potential of getting an email also made getting up in the morning a whole lot easier. Due to the time difference, most emails from agents came through while I slept, so I actually kept my phone on the kitchen counter downstairs as somewhat of a “dangling carrot” to make me want to get out of my nice, warm bed!

Surprisingly, I received quite a few requests. When I received my first email from Suzie Townsend, it was Saturday morning. A partial request! I whooped. I danced. I pranced.

And then it went a little something like this…

January, 2010: Partial request
March, 2010: Partial to full request
March, 2010: Revise and resubmit
April, 2010: Submitted revised manuscript
May, 2010: Update that she wanted to send me notes
June, 2010: Received notes
July, 2010: Submitted revised manuscript
September, 2010: Helpful rejection (with more notes)
December, 2010: I asked Suzie if she’d look at another revision
December, 2010: Suzie said YES (on my birthday!)
February, 2011: Submitted revised manuscript
February, 2011: Best. Email. Ever. :)
February, 2011: Offer of Representation

I think I knew from December, 2010, that I really wanted to work with Suzie. I’d had other R&Rs, but the agents didn’t understand my MC like Suzie did. And her notes were amazing. And she liked the romance! And she was so generous with her time!

So, when it finally came time to talk to her, I was really nervous. The boyfriend made me watch WWE to get my mind off it, so we sat there watching John Cena and Randy Orton at six in the morning.

When I talked to Suzie, there was a time delay between the US and Australia. I wouldn’t be surprised if I sounded like a weirdo. Thankfully, Suzie pretended not to notice. :) She was lovely, and enthusiastic, and down-to-earth, and I knew working with her felt right. And I’m so happy and so humbled that she wants to work with me!

I would like to say a huge thank you to all my writer friends who helped along the way! Such amazing people. So talented. So giving. <3s aplenty to EVERYONE who beta’ed ICE CAROUSEL, in particular those who read it multiple times: Susanne, Kara, Kaitlin, Rebecca and Jenn.

I’m so over the moon to now be represented by Suzie Townsend of FinePrint Literary Management!

Road Trip Wednesday: TITLES

2011-02-17T18:56:00.000+11:00

I *love* titles.

Some of my favourites are:
The Sky is Everywhere
Like the Red Panda
The Dark Divine
Across the Universe
The Forest of Hands and Teeth

I can't start writing a new WIP without a title that I'm 100% happy with. Often the title makes the story drift in a particular direction -- and I like that.

This is how I arrived at my title choices:

Ice Carousel
My grandmother gave me an musical carousel that she bought in Switzerland in the 1940s. It's actually a cigarette holder (!) with a ballerina who spins on a golden disc. I'd already decided that I wanted a carousel in my novel, but I wanted to juxtapose it with something you wouldn't necessarily expect, and I thought "ice" fit the bill and also sounded a bit magical.

Believe
This is probably my most boring title, but I've always loved the word and its meaning.

Gilded Butterflies
Yes, it's from King Lear. I just love the sound of the words together and what it means.

Dulce et Decorum est
Wilfred Owen is one of my favourite poets. His poem (of the same name) is both horrifying and amazing. Again, I love the translation: "It is sweet and honourable to die for your country." Because it's not. And time makes us forget that.

What are you favourite (published) titles?

Book Review: THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE By Jandy Nelson

2011-02-12T18:06:00.000+11:00

What it's about...
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey.

But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

What I loved...
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK.

Lennie is a beautiful character. I wanted to be her friend. I felt like I understood her, even when she didn't understand herself. I loved her humor. I loved how she saw the world. Her poetry scatterings made me cry. Her emotions made me feel so many things -- joy, relief, sadness, love, hope. I felt like I was part of her world, her story.

The writing was gorgeous. This has been said before about other books, no doubt. But the prose in 'The Sky is Everywhere'... it makes you melt.

As mentioned before, I adored the notes Lennie left around town.

This was my favorite:
"The older one took the younger to the river
Where they floated on their backs
like dead men.
The older girl would say:
Dunk your head under a few inches then open your eyes and look up at the sun
The younger girl:
I'll get water up my nose
The older:
C'mon, do it
and so the younger girl did it
and her whole world filled with light."

What I didn't love...
I didn't want the book to end. I could have devoured another five hundred pages.

The Fear of Rejection

2011-01-19T01:50:00.000+11:00

fear
-noun
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.
3. concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
-verb
4. to regard with fear; be afraid of.
5. to have reverential awe of.

I'm scared of lots of random sh*t. Cockroaches. Being buried alive. Losing loved ones. My boyfriend's cooking. Weird that Fear Factor is one of my favorite TV shows. But there's one thing that I've learned not to be afraid of.

And
that
is
REJECTION.

When chasing the dream of publication, the dreaded R-word is a constant. I've never cried over a rejection yet, but I'm sure I will (TBA). Yet there's a massive difference between being sad about rejection and being scared of rejection. It's huge. Because, as a wise person once said, "It's better to have put yourself out there and been rejected than never putting yourself out there and never being rejected..."

Yeah, I know.

It's deep.

In other words, saunter to the edge of that precipice! (Figuratively, of course!) Dare to look someone in the eye. State your case. Write that story. Send it off. And if you get shouted down? Tossed aside? Told that you're story is crap and you'll never make it?

Do. It. Anyway.

Write. It. Anyway.

Don't let the rejection frighten you.

Don't let the rejection guide your feet.

Let the rejection be a piece of shale under your boot.

Crush that sucker.

(Why am I writing in one line sentences?)

And, above all, know that fear is imagined and created by you.

And rejection from one is not a rejection from all.

PS. On a completely *unrelated* note, I'm knee-deep in revisions at the moment. I'm not scared of the rejection that it may garner. However, I do have the Kleenex ready.

Hello, 2011!

2011-01-01T19:56:00.000+11:00

2010
It was... the year I reconnected with my childhood best friend (to the point of being inseparable again); the year of going back to work full-time after a six-month break (and, surprisingly, being okay with it); the year of sending a novel out into the querying world (and not going completely mad with all the waiting); the year of getting cable TV (and becoming hooked on the WWE and The Tudors); the year of beta-reading some brilliant (unpublished) manuscripts (and seeing them snag awesome agents and book deals); the year of discovering Ayurvedic medicine (and being completely amazed with what it can do); the year of forcing my boyfriend to read the first chapter of The Hunger Games (and now he's hooked on the whole series); the year of writing one new novel (and being majorly excited by the fact that I had it in me to finish it); the year of tearing my first novel apart (and not being scared to do it over and over again).

2011
Who knows?

Book Giveaway!

2010-12-06T17:16:00.003+11:00

Click this LINK if you're interestes in winning a book of your choice.
The contest is international.

So...

2010-12-02T17:14:00.000+11:00

...I'm going to revise Ice Carousel again.
MAJORLY.

Being Brave

2010-10-04T13:48:00.000+11:00

Last night I reached 60k on my new WIP. Cue confetti. Cue cupcakes. Cue happy dancing to Jay-Z. I figured I'd make it to 62k by the end of the night, but it didn't happen. Nowhere close. Infact, from then on, it was like pounding a stone with a diamond. No blood. No nothing. And it wasn't like my brain was fried. Something else was wrong.

But what?

And then -- at 3am -- it hit me.

My story was drifting in the wrong direction.

If I continued to push through to the end of the first draft, I wouldn't be happy with it. I'd have 40k more of stuff that just wasn't right.

It's a hard thing to come to terms with at three in the morning, but if I've learnt anything over the past year, it's to produce your best work by being honest and being brave. I could tweak here and there to make the plot plausible, or I could jump in and get my hands dirty, and really turn out something worthwhile.

So this morning I have re-outlined the entire second half of the story. And I love it so much more. So here's to relishing in the challenges of making things better.

Cue confetti. Cue cupcakes. Cue happy dancing to Jay-Z.

Inspiration for your Stories

2010-09-27T14:39:00.000+10:00

When I was in third grade, I read The Enchanted Wood... and fell head over feet in love. Ever since then, my inspiration for creating stories has been to capture/recapture a feeling or emotion, and (hopefully) to evoke a reaction in others.

*flounders about pathetically*

So what has inspired my stories?

Ice Carousel - Driving home from the beach with my boyfriend one summer, the song 'No Air' by Jordin Sparks came on the radio. We were stopped at traffic lights and there were thick bushes along the side of the road. I started imagining what would happen if someone died -- and there was a way to bring him back. What if the only way was through a forest of trees? What if it was necessary to embark on a journey? What if the journey went wrong? Obviously my story went in quite a different direction, but you get the general gist.

Believe - I cried when I found out Santa wasn't real. Like bawled my eyes out. I was nine. Yet I can still remember that awesome feeling of the time when I did believe. And I thought... wouldn't it be great if Santa did exist? And wouldn't it be fantastic if what we learnt as adults (about magic not being real) was actually wrong? How cool would that be? Hence, 'Believe' was born.

Gilded Butterflies - "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers and Torrance Coombs in "The Tudors." There you have it. :)

So now it's your turn... WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOUR STORIES?

Staying Positive

2010-09-08T19:00:00.000+10:00

Life.

Writing.

Sometimes it's easy to search for the negative. To roll your eyes at every opportunity. To scurry to your BFFs, bursting with complaints.

Yes, it may seem to help.

But only for a little while.

Recently I've caught myself saying bizarro things like "Isn't that flock of birds cute?" or "Hey, let's go outside and look at the cherry blossoms." And, more bizarro than that, I've actually felt like I meant it. Yes, I still have crap days. I still meet people I can't stand. I still feel tired and unmotivated sometimes, but now I don't dwell on it. I move on.

And that's what we need to do with our writing. We need to stop whining. We need to stop rolling our eyes at rejections. We need to tell the negative voice inside us (that tells us we're not getting an agent/a book deal/a polished manuscript because we're not good enough) that we are good enough.

Because. We. Are.

*sings kumbaya*

S*** My Boyfriend Says... about The Hunger Games characters

2010-08-29T21:05:00.000+10:00

After forcing my boyfriend to read The Hunger Games, I had a conversation with him as to whether he was "Team Gale" or "Team Peeta." Understandably, he was not amused. Weirdly, he guessed that I was "Team Gale." Anyway, that's irrelevant.

Cut to two months later.

He has now read Catching Fire and is in the midst of reading Mockingjay. We had a funny talk today about what he thinks of the characters. Now, you must understand, that he's a real guy's guy. This is what he had to say.

(Btw, he told me this BEFORE he read any of Mockingjay. i.e. No spoilers.)

KATNISS: Too moody. Too emotional. She changes every chapter. My Two Cents: What on earth? Katniss is awesome. You'd be moody, too, if you had to be a contestant in The Hunger Games.
PEETA: Poor b*st*rd.
GALE: Strong macho type. Needs to "face off" with Peeta at some point.
PRIM: I dunno.
BUTTERCUP: The cat?! It's a cat.
FINNICK: He's a good bloke who got f*cked over.
JOHANNA: Who's Johanna? Oh yeah. Didn't make much of an impact. My Two Cents: I think Johanna's an amazing character. She made loads of impact for me!
HAYMITCH: A life of torment. Trying to drown his sorrows with alcohol.
PRESIDENT SNOW: I hope he gets what's coming to him.

Fair to say, I'm left wondering if we actually read the same books. However, what I can say is this -- HE was the one who rushed out to buy Mockingjay, so I'm guessing he loved The Hunger Games and Catching Fire as much as I did :)

Teaser Tuesday

2010-08-17T22:16:00.001+10:00

From my new wip, GILDED BUTTERFLIES :) It now sits at 13k.
This is the very beginning.
Thanks for reading and commenting.

*snipped*

Seven Random Musical Facts

2010-08-15T16:13:00.000+10:00

I read this over at Kathleen Peacock's blog. You write seven random "musical" facts about yourself, then tag seven others... if you want.

Here goes:

1. I listen to live songs from youtube in the car. One of my faves is "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers.

2. I adore Blur, Belle and Sebastian, The Wallflowers, Macy Gray, Radiohead, Bjork, Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Gorillaz, The Verve, Ben Lee and Placebo.

3. I passed out at an Avril Lavigne concert. (Not from excitement, but from dehydration.)

4. I play the flute (not very well.)

5. My favourite musicals are: Little Shop of Horrors, Rent, Wicked, The Lion King and Mama Mia.

6. I love Disney songs.

7. One of my favourite "oldie" songs is "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons.

Book Review: CONTEST By Matthew Reilly

2010-08-01T12:15:00.000+10:00

What it's about...
New York State Library. A silent sanctuary of knowledge; a 100-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles and spiralling staircases. For Doctor Stephen Swain and his daughter, Holly, it is the site of a nightmare. Because for one night this historic building is to be the venue for a contest. A contest in which Swain is to compete - whether he likes it or not.

The rules are simple:
Seven contestants will enter, only one will leave.

With his daughter in arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying flight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds are brutal. He can choose to run, to hide or to fight - but if he wants to live, he has to win.

For in this contest, unless you leave as the victor, you do not leave at all.

What I loved...
I've read most of Matthew Reilly's novels (Ice Station, Temple, Area 7, Scarecrow etc) and what I love about them is the pure escapism -- with minimum effort. CONTEST was no different. It was a fast-paced read. Unrelenting action.
I also loved how Swain's fellow competitiors were introduced. They were memorable and, at times, frightening. I could definitely picture them on the big screen.

What I didn't love...
Okay, so there wasn't much in the way of characterization... but the book doesn't set out to be any more than what it is. It's more about the tension and the pacing than backstory.
Also, the idea of a "once every thousand years" competition is a little cliche, but the way the story plays out is so engaging that it doesn't detract.

Star Rating...
* * * * *

Writing lessons from author that may or may not have been intentional...
~ Start your novel in the right place! Don't meander through pages of backstory before getting to the most important/exciting part.
~ Keep the tension/thrills rollicking along throughout the novel!
~ Short and simple sentences pack major punch when writing action sequences.

Quote of the Day

2010-07-28T21:40:00.000+10:00

"I can obey all of your rules and still be me"
~ BJORK

YA Highway's Amazing Giveaway!

2010-06-03T20:40:00.000+10:00

The mega-talented gals at YA Highway are celebrating their one-year anniversary with awesome competitions/prizes!
ENTER HERE
If you haven't entered... WHY NOT?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2010-06-03T17:17:00.001+10:00

Thanks to the joy of randomisers, I have the three winners of my first ever contest!

3rd - Suzannewrites

2nd - Emilia Plater

1st - jasouders

CONGRATULATIONS :)

Please send me your email address if you didn't include it in the initial post.

The Query-Go-Round

2010-05-27T22:24:00.000+10:00

STATS
6 Fulls
7 Partials
2 Revise and Resubmits
1 Bundle of Nerves

What do you do while you're waiting to hear from agents?

Teaser Tuesday ~ ICE CAROUSEL Book Trailer

2010-05-25T18:22:00.000+10:00

"No Air" gave me the SNI for ICE CAROUSEL.
Thanks for watching! :)

Teaser Tuesday + Contest

2010-05-18T19:19:00.002+10:00

Just a reminder, my contest is OPEN. It's easy to enter and you could win Amazon Giftcards! :)

Now for the Teaser!

*snipped*
Thanks for commenting! :)

Hooray! My First Ever Contest!

2010-05-16T15:22:00.000+10:00

Okay, I have decided to have a contest to celebrate how fantastic it is to have connected with like-minded people (readers/writers) who are just so generous and supportive.

Everyone loves a bit of online retail therapy... especially me!... so here are the prizes:

1st - Amazon Giftcard valued at $? (Pending how many entries).
2nd - Amazon Giftcard valued at $15
3rd - Amazon Giftcard valued at $10

How to enter:
+2 Old Follower
+1 New Follower
+1 Tweet about this competition
+2 Blog about this competition (including link)
+3 Refer someone to this competition (include both names in your comment)
+3 Be referred by someone to this competition (include both names in your comment)

This contest is international, so please supply your email address in your comment.
Good luck! Entries close at the end of May!

Blog Award

2010-05-15T17:00:00.000+10:00

I was lucky enough to receive this award from the very talented Karla Calalang. She will be published someday -- and someday soon! Mark my words!

Thanks to this award, I get to list a few things that make me happy, so here goes:

MY BOYFRIEND. MY BEST FRIENDS. MY DAD. MY MUM. MY SISTER. WRITING. SUMMER. PUPPIES. CRAP REALITY TV. SYDNEY. DANCING. SUSHI. GREAT BOOKS. MOVIES. CONCERTS. KARAOKE. THAI FOOD. THE BEACH. STICKERS. NAIL POLISH. AW. GREEN TEA. EATING OUT. LAUGHING UNCONTROLLABLY. DREAMING BIG.

I am tagging five lovely ladies who are a source of great inspiration and talent!

Teaser Tuesday

2010-05-11T17:57:00.001+10:00

More from BELIEVE. Thanks for reading :)

*snipped*
Thanks for stopping by! :)

Teaser Tuesday

2010-05-04T22:27:00.001+10:00

This is a snip from BELIEVE. Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

*snipped*

Thanks for all your comments!

Hooray! A Contest!

2010-04-29T22:24:00.000+10:00

As if the lovely Veronica Roth needs any more awesome points, she is now hosting a great competition over at her blog too!

Check it out HERE!

OMG... second prize looks fantabulous!!! :)

Teaser Tuesday

2010-04-27T21:56:00.001+10:00

I haven't teased in awhile, so here is a roughie from my new wip, BELIEVE.
Thanks for reading :)

*snipped*

Road Trip Wednesday: Best Writing Advice Ever

2010-04-15T14:55:00.001+10:00

Hi Road Trippers! :)
It's so insightful to read about other people's writing advice, so here's mine... given to me from someone else!

Like most of y'all, I have been writing since I was a little kid. My biggest problem back then was: I could not finish one of my novels. I would write a chapter or two, and then go back and edit them to death. Rinse. Repeat. Over and over and deja vu to the max!

And then I came across an awesome article by Aussie author, Karen Miller. It is called The Tyranny of the First Draft. I read it. Read it again. Printed it out. Read it again. Discussed it with my poor friends -- who didn't give two tosses. Hehe. :)

But after reading her article -- basically about ploughing through your first draft to the end, despite how crap it may be --I finished my first novel. Then I finished another. I buffed them up afterwards, but the point is... I finished.

And it was the best advice EVER.

A Competition of Artistic Proportions

2010-04-10T09:45:00.001+10:00

The wonderful BECCA ROGERS is hosting a majorly cool competition over at her blog.

The prizes?

FIRST PLACE WINNER will receive a beginner's guide to painting with watercolors. Not only that, but they'll receive a set of brushes and paints, and a watercolor notebook.
SECOND PLACE WINNER will receive a beginner's guide to pencil drawing. Plus! You get a drawing and sketching pencil set in a black, zippered carrying case, and a sketchbook.
THIRD PLACE WINNER will receive an illuminated lettering kit (aka calligraphy). This kit includes a detailed history on where and how decorative calligraphy originated. Also, a calligraphy mini pen kit, and a calligraphy writing pad.

In addition, winners will also receive one of three beautiful journals!

What are you waiting for?
ENTER HERE

The REAL Impulse Beach

2010-04-09T12:50:00.000+10:00

I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, but I have been visiting the Central Coast since I was a child. My favourite place is a beach called Pearl Beach. It is the inspiration behind Impulse Beach in ICE CAROUSEL.

The last picture is of the arboretum. It is the most beautiful place. When the sun catches in the canopies, speckles of light decorate the grass in moving patterns. It's gorgeous. In the photograph, it is possible to see the Sydney red gum.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-03-09T22:06:00.002+11:00

Carsten is drawn to Lila, but he doesn't quite know why...
Thanks for reading! :)

*snipped*

Sunshine Award

2010-03-05T20:19:00.000+11:00

Thanks Madeline-Rose!

This is my first blog award... Hooray!

RULES IF YOU RECEIVE THE AWARD

1. Put the logo within your post or on your sidebar.

2. Share the love and pass the award to 12 other bloggers.

3. Link the nominees inside of your post.

4. Comment on the nominees' blogs to let them know you've just given them props. :)

5. Give a shout-out to the person who nominated, and post a link to his/her blog as well.

WHO I NOMINATE

* Laurie

The first writer who beta-ed for me. She gave me heaps of constructive criticism that really strengthened my novel. Plus she's an uber-talented writer herself, and I loved reading her book!

* Vero

This chick is sooo encouraging. Her comments always make my day! (And her new blog layout is amazing!) And her story is swoon-worthy! *gushes for Garnier*

* Sarah

Has a kick-ass writing style and writes the best descriptions!

* Vee

Has one of the cleanest manuscripts I've ever read! And she is changing my mind about dystopian novels. I usually don't go for them... now I'm being won over :)

* Deb

Super duper supportive and just so generous with her time and critiquing! And she writes awesome FNW and Teaser Tuesday comments (ie, You can tell she's actually read your snip, not just written 'great snip' and not read it lol!)

* Rhiannon

Because we need more Aussie bloggers! And I just love love love her "acquiring an agent" story on her blog. Go read it!

* Kathleen

Such a query expert! Always in the wings to help out and be heaps encouraging! :) Also a lover of James Franco. Who can argue with that?

* Stephanie

So sweet and helped me out on my first few pages when I was freaking out. Who does that to someone they don't know?! What a lovely person! <3

* Glen

I love his Teaser Tuesdays and thank him for his comments on mine!

I'm going to add these people just because I think they're made of awesome and are fantastic writers... :)

* Karla

* Laura

* Kaitlin

Thanks for the sunshine peeps!

Teaser Tuesday

2010-03-02T21:56:00.001+11:00

For a total change of pace, this is my new WIP called BELIEVE. Thanks for reading.

*snipped*

Teaser Tuesday

2010-02-10T21:53:00.001+11:00

I am late posting this. That's what happens when you get back into full-time work after having seven months off. :(
Anyway, this is from my brand new WIP, TIARA MONSOON. I posted bits and pieces of it in FNW. It is the sequel to ICE CAROUSEL.
Thanks for reading!

*snipped*

Teaser Tuesday

2010-01-26T15:43:00.002+11:00

Aspen has left Keelie. She goes to find him. How exciting LOL.
Thanks for reading!

*snipped*

Teaser Tuesday

2010-01-19T16:00:00.001+11:00

Keelie has been neglecting those close to her -- for a boy. This conversation ensues with her dad. Thanks for reading.

*snipped*

25 Useless Things About Me

2010-01-19T10:27:00.000+11:00

Aaah, what one will do when procrastinating from doing rewrites! :)

1. I can juggle rings and juggling balls and used to be in a troupe
2. I am obsessed with sushi -- smoked salmon/avocado especially
3. I think RPatz it the shiz
4. I love to dance
5. I love to paint my toenails
6. I have known my best friend since first grade
7. I procrastinate way too much
8. I make gingerbread houses every Christmas
9. My favourite show is Survivor and I can yap about it for hours
10. I need 'to-do' lists otherwise I get stressed I've forgotten something
11. I'm chronically late
12. My natural 'going to sleep time' is around 3am and waking up at 11am
13. I love karaoke
14. I wrote my first book at eleven. It was a rip-off of the Baby Sitters Club, entitled 'The Horse Riding Co.'
15. My first uni degree was film and video production. My second was education.
16. I love watching and playing tennis
17. I get boat sick, train sick, plane sick -- you name it!
18. I lived in California for two months after leaving high school
19. I love conversations that make me laugh uncontrollably
20. I own a house
21. Sewing machines scare me
22. I listen to music incredibly loud in the car
23. Air-conditioning is my drug of choice
24. I would loved to be repped by a literary agent one day
25. I heart buying clothes online

Ice Carousel Characters #1

2010-01-14T23:17:00.001+11:00

KEELIE LIANG

ASPEN LOGAN

RYAN EPHRAIM

MALISE DE TELIGA

JAYMES ANDERSON

Teaser Tuesday

2010-01-12T16:50:00.001+11:00

This is an early scene from ICE CAROUSEL at the end of the bonfire party.
Thanks for reading!

*snipped*

My Poetry: "Subterranean City"

2010-01-10T21:30:00.000+11:00

Along an ever-noctural alley
she passed a needle-marked child.
He begged for release -
(What could her gold coins do?)
And she replies,
says: "Nothing"
She walks on.

Why then is endless night so comforting?
Why then are police cars so frightening?
Are we the spores of a mushroom cloud?
Growing from the crevices of a desecrated kingdom?
An "urban jungle" is mediocre to the hand
we've cheated ourselves into dealing out.
Why then do we perfect a neurotic style?
When then do we crave a seductive profile?

Her stilettos make a rhythmic beat
on the cement-covered grass.
She's an indecent rung of an indecent corporate ladder -
(Does she do it because there's no other way?)
And she replies,
says: "Nothing"
She walks on.

Why then are so many souls lost to goodness's procrastination?
Why then does psychosexualness pull our fascination?
Do we over-glorify the essence of our prior demise?
Equating violence with the glamour of a Hollywood era?
It is scripted just as tainted fairytale
is consumed by nightmare reality.
Why then is the nether-city overrun by pumping lead?
Why then must we live with a constant sense of dread?

Beneath the neon sign she talked to God.
A spray of silver bullets caught her breath.
(Forgive her Father, for being unrepressed...)
And He replies,
says: "Nothing"
She has fallen -
And people walk on.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-01-05T16:36:00.004+11:00

This teaser is from my WIP "ICE CAROUSEL". It is one of the scenes where the Keelie/Aspen relationship transforms from friendship into something more. Thanks for reading!
*snipped*

My Poetry - "The Daughter's Lesson"

2010-01-04T00:31:00.001+11:00

Always running for Friday.
Enduring the sunrise.
Kissing lips without tasting.
Wiping tears without feeling.

And I look at her,
So beautifully she captures what I'm missing -
The enjoyment of the moment
The indulgence in a life -
And she reaches out her hand to me
like a queen of yesteryear
And she touches my skin
My soul.
My skin.
My thick, in motion, skin
that scans appointments, worries, stresses,
dinners, relationships, fears, regret -
And I wonder how it is we live
in two such different worlds.

"It's not too late," she says to me.
"Just play again and you'll be free."
Has it been twenty years since then?
That I was her?
And I did fly
above the hell that isn't there
Unless we look
Unless we try
to see the worst and bypass joy?
She grabs my wrist,
"Just let it go.
I need you now,
You need me so."

I can't.
I can't.
"I have to go."

And I'm out the door to work.

No Kissing, Damnit!

2010-01-03T17:36:00.008+11:00

No kissing, you say? I'll give you no kissing!
This is a snippet from my current WIP, "ICE CAROUSEL". Keelie has just rediscovered Aspen in Styx... only to find him terribly changed. It's not a "near kiss" as such, although I know Keelie wants to kiss him. You decide!
Enjoy!

*snipped*

Tree-spiration

2010-01-02T13:15:00.002+11:00

I love trees.
I visited the United States in September-October last year and came across all sorts of awesome.

1. Banyan Tree in Fort Myers, Florida

2. Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida

3. Oak Trees at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisianna

4. Baobab Tree in African Safari in Orlando, Florida

5. Redwoods in Yosemite National Park, California

Teaser #1

2010-01-02T02:09:00.000+11:00

Life is linear, isn't it? You are born, you grow up, you fall in love, you die. That's what I used to believe. Until the day I found the icicles.

Writer Goals for 2010

2010-01-02T01:18:00.003+11:00

I've always been a goal-orientated person, so I love making resolutions for the new year!

IN 2010, I WILL...

* Complete my current work, ICE CAROUSEL. Make it all buff and send it into the world (via queryland)!

* Write the first draft to my next project, BELIEVE. I'm excited about this one. I've been outlining for a little while and am hoping it writes as brilliantly as it plans!

* Write an outline for a paranormal Romeo-and-Juliet-esque tale. Untitled at this stage!

* Keep and make more connections with the wonderful community of AW writers. I never knew there were so many other people out there who get excited about getting story ideas, betaing, reading awesome books like Noah Lukeman's THE FIRST FIVE PAGES... and agonising over plot, voice, rewrites, paragraphing, query letters and refreshing emails!

IN 2010, I HOPE TO...

* Become agented! (I realise this is out of my hands, so I'm putting it in "hope to").

Poetry Fever

2009-12-20T21:01:00.002+11:00

So last night I went to my BFF's flat and we came up with an idea.

"Hey, let's write a book of poetry!"

We've each been writing poetry for years. I started in about 1998ish. Mine were mainly scribbles in an old diary about a variety of topics. Boys I fancied. Stuff I wanted to do at uni. How my boss at my part-time job was a major... meanie.

So we started planning, and hit a road block (thanks, Amazing Race!). Her poems are more "observations of the world" and mine are "poems with a message". So we decided to do something... crazy. We decided to write poems separately, using the same title as our inspiration. Probably has been done before, yes, but not by us, so... Hooray!

How does one go about finding titles, you ask? Well we have a standing joke between us, basically involving a weirdass book that we keep rewrapping and regifting to each other (this has been going on for years!) We opened "said book" and randomly stuck our finger on the pages to generate the titles.

And now we have ten.

I'll end this post now with a poem I wrote awhile back:

"BEIGE"

How did it come to be
that our world dissolved into
whitewashed walls,
overexposed images,
and blinding ropes?
Our voices strangled
by a conscience
that renders us
... silent?

It surrounds us...
Beige.
Everywhere we look.
Suppressing the ideas,
Dulling the throughts,
Painting history in a hue
no one cares to remember.

And yet we dream in colour
with a variety of shades.
An emerald iris covets her wealth --
A ruby tongue tastes his tears --
A rich chocolate coats our hearts
melting and flowing
with warmth --
And beige lifts.

And we see in that moment
that the word is neither
damaged
nor
constricting
nor
filled with fading paint
and endless, peeling wallpaper.

And we realise
that all we really need
is a moment
to adjust
our VISION.

Reading is Magic

2009-11-28T16:54:00.002+11:00

Do you remember that first moment that inspired your love of books and writing?

I do.

It happened in 1990. I was in third grade. I was on holidays with my grandparents one summer, and I had five dollars pocket money to spend.

As was the ritual, my nan and pop took my sister and I to the local shopping centre to see what we could buy. Ornaments? Jewellery? Lollies? Nope, this time I went to the book store. Turned out, Enid Blyton was on sale. I had enough dosh to buy my very first (paid for myself) paperback -- "The Enchanted Wood".

It was a turning point.

That night I read and read and read. I acquired this really weird feeling... the closest thing I can compare it too is the excitement you get as a kid on Christmas Eve. I was in a state. I just wanted to keep reading. I just wanted to insert a character for myself in the story, so that I could experience the enchanted forest too.

And that's when it started. That's when the world of writing opened up. All of a sudden I watched movies and TV -- thinking about how I would create the story or the kind of characters I would invent. The same with music. I'd listen to lyrics and give them a back story. Listen to the emotion in songs and wonder what kind of tale it could be a soundtrack for.

And that's the kind of magic I wish I could reproduce in novel form.

Don't we all?

Good Criticism and Bad Criticism

2009-11-27T16:34:00.005+11:00

To be a good writer (especially if you are just starting out with the whole "going public" with your writing), you need to be okay with taking feedback and, daresay, taking criticism from others. In fact those who you entrust with the reading and review of your work can be some of the best friends a writer can have.

Why?

They strengthen the story. They can tell you whether your characters leap off the page or whether they need a bit of a side-jab to make them come alive. They pick out inconsistencies you may have missed. They let you know if something "just ain't working".

The mere fact that they read your work and have time enough to comment on it... that's a gold sticker itself in my book. I have been lucky enough over the past month or so to have had a series of awesome friends/family/complete strangers read snippets of my novel and let me know what they think.

Here's an interesting run-down of different beta-reader styles:

#1 Reader: reads word-for-word/line-for-line and picks up ALL spelling/grammatical errors that most other readers miss.
# 2 Reader: reads the whole chapter(s) and gives comments on how the pacing/characters affected them.
#3 Reader: reads the chapters through email and inserts comments in CAPS to let me know what she was thinking/feeling as she was reading.
#4 Reader: reads with a logistical mind and picks up inconsistencies with time, numbers, population growth etc. (This is fabulous. I would not have realised most of what #4 sees).
#5 Reader: reads to like or dislike the main character based on the characters voice.
#6 and #7 Readers: are teens and can tell me if they identify/like the storyline, characters etc, since I write YA.
#8 Reader: reads one chapter per night and focuses on being entertained, pointing out any boring bits.

These above people are gold. GOLD. I love their feedback and appreciate their honesty.

But then there's always a #9 Reader...

I think most writers have encountered one of these people before. They have nothing constructive to say. They are harsh. They use words like "didn't like it" and "couldn't read it", but cannot tell you why. My worst experience with one of these readers was when she announced that my first chapter (some time ago... my first attempt at a novel) was boring. Fair enough, I thought. It may not have been very good. "I don't mean to be rude, but you wanted me to be honest," this person continued. Yes, I did want you to be honest, I thought, and I do appreciate that not everyone is going to like what I write. In fact, my chapter very well may have been boring!! And that's fine. In private I would have been happy to take it on board. Problem was... she blurted this out at a table filled with people (not a critique group, but at a PARTY).

Of course I can laugh about it now but, at the time, I wanted the floorboards to swallow me. How embarrassing to be told that my book was "unreadable" when everyone knows I love to write. Aaah well.

It's funny though, isn't it, that something like that sticks with you -- even now after I've had lots of positives from beta readers.

So to all the writers out there who have been victim to "bad criticism", hold your head up! Remember writing is a passion and we grow from the good and the ugly reviews!

Past Perfect isn't Perfect

2009-10-31T16:14:00.002+11:00

My WIP is going through the wringer, and I stumbled upon something interesting. My crucial first chapter is told in flashback sequences -- and it was reading about a smoothly as an ancient hag's thighs.

The problem?

Repetition of the word: "had"

Aaah yes, such a small little word can do so much damage. "Had" was scattered throughout the first few pages. Wreaking havoc. A mini-tornado.

Q: But how does one combat the problem of writing in flashback form without the overuse of past perfect tense?

A: CUT. IT. OUT.

That's right. Once you have established that the character (in my case first person POV) is recounting past events (by the use of past perfect) you no longer need to remain in that staid, repetitive tense. Switch back to simple past tense. Switch back UNTIL you wish to leave the flashback -- drop in one last sentence in past perfect -- then get the hell out of there.

Woohoo.

A Little Post about a Great Big Thing... Voice

2009-05-28T17:29:00.003+10:00

Voice.

I kind of knew what it was, but not entirely. I thought it was writing words with your own spin, and using your own opinions flowing through the characters. That sounded pretty vague though. And you can tell from my rambling sentence that I probably wasn't one hundred per cent sure.

Then I found an online video of someone talking about voice. (Regretfully, I do not recall his name, but he was brilliant at explaining it to me). Basically what he said was this: every story has been told before. And let me say that again to emphasise its importance: EVERY STORY HAS BEEN TOLD BEFORE. In fact, this guy said that agents and editors expect to read a re-hashed plot.

However... what makes a story stand out is the way that it is written. A unique style, a wondrous sound, a different way that the sentences flow together, the right word choice etc etc. This is voice.

Genius.

Many an agent have said in an interview or on their blog that the number one thing they look for is VOICE.

Let this be a lesson to us all.

The Rewriting Trap

2009-05-21T11:03:00.000+10:00

Perfection.

I doubt I will ever look at my work and be completely happy with every inch of it. Whenever I write (and daresay edit), I always have this inkling in the back of my mind that "I will be back". There will be time yet to smooth off those jagged edges. Nevermind about that bit of crap just there - when I'm finished, it will all come up diamonds.

I am (gasp!) near complete. Finally. I can see a massive light and an old person standing in the way, beckoning their bony finger at me. Hooray! Nearly there!

Yet the feeling that I have about the end product is so much different that I ever imagined. I thought I would be bouncing off walls in glee. I'm not, obviously. Rather, I have this odd feeling of "Is it good enough?" and (scarily) "Is this even interesting?" Not to mention, "Would anyone even want to read this?"

I guess it's because you spend so much time writing and reviewing that the story, the pages, the characters... you know everything about them. You know every decision, every twist and turn. You know what they'll say before they even think it. It all seems predictable... definitely not the unique masterpiece you had set out to pen.

And then you pass it to someone else to read.

I did this a few months ago. I did it and tried not to ask them if they had "read it yet". I became a master of aloof from the outset. Inside I was wallowing in a pit of desperate quicksand. When she got back to me with her verdict (that I casually responded to with, "Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten about that. Did you get to read it all?") she told me how "interesting" and "great" it was... as my chest bloated and my mind swelled with thoughts of Pulitzer prizes and never having to work a nine to five again.

Now I'm not saying she was right. On all accounts, she could have been one of those rare people who try their hardest each and every day to make you feel good about yourself. But it did make me stop and think about my views on perfection... or rather, the perfect novel. We can either scrape and pick and scrape and pick and mould and grind until we are quite ill from looking at a computer screen, or we can stop and think that maybe, just maybe, what we have is good enough. Not to say that editing and rewriting is not important. It clearly is. But often - for me anyway - I get so hell bent on changing such small things about my writing that in the end nothing is ever going to be good enough to share with friends, family, agents... even (god forbid) readers.

So perhaps we should lighten up a bit on the rewrite. Especially the line edit. Concentrate on the big stuff (plot and voice) and worry about the other when it comes time to sell it.

Happy Rewriting!

The Magician's Guide to Rewriting

2009-05-21T10:41:00.004+10:00

Here I sit staring at my completed first draft. It's a fantasy novel that takes place in a magical land. It contains reams of mystical characters and oddly named cities. It has what (I hope) is an amazing plot and brilliant pacing that will make readers - sigh, jump, laugh, whoop and wriggle.

And I'm about to tear the whole thing apart.

Welcome to the world of the rewrite.

I'll let you in on a little secret. I used to be the queen of the "rewrite". The dutchess of the "dissect". The princess of the "pull apart". In fact I took these roles on with such gung-ho gusto musto that I could never finish a novel. I would write Chapter 1, then reread it and wrench the pieces everywhere, throwing them all over the shop. Did '"Hello," she said' sound more effective than '"Hello," she cried?' Should I change "Oh no!" to "Oh dear!"? Is it worth adding cobalt eyes rather than blue eyes? Should Fred really say "I beg your pardon, Mrs Harden? There's a fairy in your garden?" or could he just say, "Yo Miz H! Seems there's a fair-boz in ya crib!" And so, as once can imagine, I would never get very far in my story writing endeavours. I would reach (if I was lucky) Chapter 6 and I would then look back at Chapter 2 and think to myself, D'oh! I really shouldn't have written that Antonia had bulging biceps because Francesca beats her up in Chapter 5, and then it would perpetulate another cycle. Rewriting before one is finished the first draft! And hence never completing the book.

Subtle hint: Don't do it, get on with it.

Breathe.

So I charged on and finished my draft novel in three months or so. Here I had the shell of the book that I was hoping to send to agents.
And here we lie now.At the foot of Mt Everestosiucsko..At the beginning of the Mediterranile..Drawing a line in the sand between success and wussing out..

I'm rewriting.

How does one rewrite?

It's a question that comes up a lot in other writer blogs, most of which have good ideas that you can vaccuum up and dish out. I've taken some ideas from experienced authors and this is the magic recipe that works for me...

* Write chapter summaries of your entire novel. Note any unnecessary red herrings, inconsistencies, boring bits, parts that sound too far-fetched etc. Decide whether to omit those parts, rework chapters, move or change ideas etc. [I usually do this by writing a Q & A section in another book, eg. "Why does Angelina go to the fishing supplies store when she hates the smell of bait?" Gerald was going to meet her there. He works there part time as a sales assistant.]
* Write down next to the (completed) chapter summaries the day of the week that it is happening, so that you have a good idea of how characters are reacting, changing etc. This might be helpful in avoiding a strange turn of events where Frederique becomes fluent in Japanese in just a four days!
* Be honest with yourself. Any bits that you are even slightly uncomfortable about - toss or rework them. Don't kid yourself. It's not worth keeping in that "awesome flashback" scene just because it's "so romantic". You will kick yourself later.
* Decide which character will have point-of-view in each chapter (if you are switching between) and make sure that you have one POV only throughout your chapters so that it isn't confusing for readers.
* Line edit.
* Read again.
* Line edit.
* Read again.
* Line edit until you are completely satisfied.

Another tip that works for me is to complete one thing at a time. For example, if you are making sure that Chapter 10 has only Sir Brenton's POV - don't think of something else that is wrong with your story and leave Sir Brenton hanging. Finish one thing at a time - have a list if you need to - we all need to feel accomplished, rather than that we have so many holes and the finish line keeps running away.

It's tough. Especially when you don't know that anyone will even appreciate your work at the end. (Much less appreciate how you have been tearing your hair out for the past six months in any free time that you can muster!)
But take heart. There is an end.

So why did I call this post "The Magician's Guide to Rewriting" if the real way to do it is so laborious and gut-busting?

Just another bloody red herring.