WIP

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy. - taken from Amazon.com

The part in bold was the hook that caught my attention again as I browsed the book and magazine area at the local not-Walmart superstore. I was supposed to buy a replacement t-shirt (long story, but I didn't want to wear the shirt I wore to work that morning and couldn't just duck home to change). Instead of buying the t-shirt, I bought "The Lovely Bones", reasoning that I should have bought the book the last time I read.

The book is... powerful. I started reading after getting home from work yesterday evening, and I didn't put it down until 2AM, when I finished reading every last word. Although I already knew how the book ended - the sinkhole filled in without being emptied of its secrets - I couldn't stop myself from hoping as I turned the pages that somehow they'd find her remains.

The bad guy Alice drew... the disturbing thing is he was not overdone or over the top. You could easily imagine messed up people like that slipping through the cracks and living a normal life next door, despite all of the horrible things they have done all their life. And in fact, I immediately thought about predators in real life - such as the one over in California. People just saw him as the guy next door, son, and boyfriend until he got caught.

Where I found the book comforting and hopeful... it was Alice's perception of heaven, how those that die are healed and comforted. How it was a place where people met their lost loved ones again and lived on in a place where the slightest wish came true. The part where her dog finally died of old age and joined her in heaven... I cried.

Darn. I'm getting watery-eyed thinking about the scene right now.

Holiday lived a long pampered life and finally drifted off in sleep. Susie was worried he wouldn't recognize her as the little girl he slept with every night, but there he was walking into her heaven, sniffing, looking for her. When he saw her, his tail immediately started to wag. He almost knocked her over as he greeted her. It was a very small scene in a book of many scenes, but it made my day as a dog person who hopes to see all her boys in the afterlife.

The other thing I considered while struggling to sleep at least a couple hours last night after I shut the book -> The writing was absolutely brilliant.

If you took part in the First 25 Words contest over at Miss Snark's First Victim, then you need only take the example of books like this one for a solid hook. The part in bold up above is the first 20 words of the book.

It's funny, I've always thought that starting a book with an introduction line such as "My name is" is a bad thing. I'm not sure if it is considered a cliche or if it is just weak writing, but I've read in more than one place that it is a no-no.

But those first two lines hooked me twice.

Proof that there are always exceptions to every rule. :)

ETA - I wasn't going to mention this, but I can't resist the temptation. If you read that first 20 words of "The Lovely Bones" again, you might notice that there were three conspicuous 'was' occurrences; two in the same line no less!

*looks mischievous*

APRIL GOALS

1. Read at least ten new books
2. Write/Improve at least two new chapters in wip

Let me preface this with a short explanation:

I have three sisters, but one has always been my mentor-of-all-that-is-bookish. I started writing first, but she started reading long before I did (she was the pretty little girl with long golden locks, blue eyes, and purple-rimmed glasses which she hated but was forced to wear in school where she got punched in the face because she was already reading high-school books at age eight and that annoyed other kids apparently), so it all evens out.

When my mom stopped reading to me, Amy was always there to help me learn to read faster, so 'reading by myself' wasn't just turning pages and picking out all the three letter words.

Then Amy and I started a friendly competition over who would read all the books in the house first, which turned into all of the books at the library. She was five years older than I and had that headstart, so of course she won. grumblegrumble.

When we grew up a little bit, we took the friendly competition to the next level when we started writing. Who could finish writing more books faster, etc... <- I always won, because Amylalala kept getting stuck in a room.

She was writing a Tolkienesque questing fantasy (just to spite me) and got to this chapter where the characters were in a bedroom, confronting a baggage eating frog in the closet. She began that scene twenty years ago, and has since moved on and written other things, but has never been able to get her characters out of that room. Doesn't stop her from trying - and rewriting the book up to that point over and over.

This morning, I thought about my sister's poor characters staring an enormous frog down for twenty years... and I cringed. Some days I feel like I'm falling into that exact same hole! <- As in, for the past three weeks (or so), I have not proceeded past a certain scene in BSW. Aack!

On the plus side: While rewriting the scene over and over, I've discovered interesting things about the characters and the plot. It is a different novel than it was before I got to this scene... I hope a stronger novel.

On the negative side: I'm afraid of turning into my sister and never finishing this book. Unlike Amy, who is a bit more stubborn and patient (yes, somehow those two attributes go together) than I am, and willing to stare at the same scene for ten years... I'm more likely to let this book slide through my fingers while I turn to something else. Or worse, I might RUIN it in a frantic attempt to get it back to rights and moving forward.

When we were children, we had a huge wooden spool thing in our yard (it came from a construction site, and was one of those things which got tossed). My parents recognized it was a better toy than any of those expensive dollhouses or playcenters from Toys R' US and wheeled it home and into our backyard. I accidentally dropped one of my dolls (Jenny! I remember you!) inside the spool and couldn't get her out. Her head was too big to pull back through the small hole.

Amy was happy with slowly working the doll and squeezing the head down bit by bit as she could get at it. I wasn't. Being a horrible five year old, I reached in, grabbed my doll by her feet and gave her a mighty yank. Her head tore open like a nightmare. :O

That should help explain my mindset right now....

In that, when I pick up my novel and type out the scene bit by bit and hope that I like it tomorrow so I can move on... I feel like I need to give the scene a lot more thought before I hammer it out and move on.

This is what I have:

NS drives W home, where she witnesses a friendly and familiar greeting between him and her sister. Turns out that his family and hers were close, but she doesn't remember anything of him or his mom from that time. Though T clearly does. T shrugs off W's questions and then announces she's preggers.

That above part is set in stone and I'm really happy with how it plays out. The part that follows the announcement is where I start to feel a little lost and confuzzled.

W retreats to her room to change out of her uniform and sort her mind out about T's announcement. She finds her old art journal and then hears a THUMP in her closet.

I feel like I'm on the right track, but I don't have everything lined up right, or I'm rushing it, or I'm not seeing the scene properly yet.

If we look at this scene like it is a computer game, the character has just found three important pieces or clues....

1. The charm from her Grandmother Kazegian
2. The art journal - the last gift from her father before he disappeared
3. The THING in her closet

There is also a fourth piece or clue -

4. The lump of coal that LRF, her best friend from BS, gave her for luck.

I know I have it all here and I have to use them. But I want to be careful so I don't ruin the novel - tear the doll's head, so to speak.

But that doesn't stop me from getting anxious and feeling like time's a wastin'.

My character is stuck in her room, staring at her bedroom closet door.

The only thing I'm missing is the baggage eating frog inside the closet. :O

Click link, Ancient Doorway to the Afterlife found...

My first thought: It looks and sounds like a tombstone. Well, an ornate one.

Second thought: That certainly gives a new spin to tombstones, besides them being grave markers. Which only reminds me of a cemetery down in New Orleans, where they built little houses over the graves. Which em, goes in a different direction altogether.

About tombstones being doorways to the afterlife - that reminds me of all of the fairy tales I read as a child, where people entered through a big rock and entered a new world and were no longer known in the real world. It took a specific tap on a big rock by a special stick to make it cleave and permit passage to the other place.

This is something I want to hold onto, in case it will become useful later on. With the current WIP, there is a possibility that the protagonist might need to contact those that have gone to the Other Place.

The Other Place is not the heaven which regular people go to. It is a place farther away and practically unreachable, unless you are dead and have the right kind of soul (not human).

The tombstones, imo... would not be doorways. More like portals or glimpses which allow communication across the dimensions. If you know how to knock.

*is leaning on chin, deep in thought*

Otherwise - I saw a bluebird today while walking the doglet. That is a VERY good thing, especially if you are like me and in hate with this past winter.

Oh, and I was on my lunch break and had a chipping sparrow land on my windshield wipers and peek through the windshield at me. So cute.

YES, the above has nothing to do with writing, but mad bird-lady here. :)

AM READING - "Bad Kitty" by Michele Jaffe. Am only on the second chapter, but looks to be a fast fun read that has me reaching for the sequel(s). From the description of the protagonist, I'm getting a mental image of Rihanna. Which um, confuses me when she's described as not that pretty. Because Rihanna is very pretty (though her outfits are way out there). The clothes and dialogue might be dated too, if only because I'm getting a mental image of "A Cinderella Story" or something. With Rihanna instead of Hilary Duff. OK - and a totally different storyline. :)

ETA -

*laughs derisively*

I'm sure everyone lingering around writing forums and critiquing websites, that there are certain words which always get misspelled. Such as writing 'loose' instead of 'lose'.

I just one-upped all of them. Try typing 'loozing' instead of 'losing'. :O

ETA2

No reading tonight. Wrote/worked on BSW instead. I'm shocked to admit I'm thinking about changing the plot slightly. I'm not sure yet. I just deleted 5000 words and wrote up to a point where the protagonist is kneeling in her room, flipping through an old art journal of hers. She had been changing her clothes, and is only in her underwear - which puts her in a vulnerable position.

I originally had something come out of the closet that she's semi-afraid of, but now I'm waffling. I think I'll sleep on it.

I sit comfortably in the living room, warm, my feet propped up. Out the front window I see the green of the white pines, their long needles drenched and glassy from the cold rain. Although the sky is gray, downcast, and drear, I know the snips of green are popping up through last fall's leavings. Rising from their scarce beds the lilies, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils wait for warm sunny days to burst into bloom. And in the shady spots where they have been allowed to grow and spread, the crocuses already stand purple and gold.

The birds have taken to the backwoods, but I only need step under the green canopy to hear their songs and drummings.

It's spring, Easter is a mere week away... I'm glad to see and hear the world today. Good morning.

ETA -

And on a completely different note, I found a link to this article on the "Five Most Overused Childrens Book Plots. It doesn't have anything to do with what I write, which is possibly the reason why I'm humored. I wonder what the fantasy novel equivalent would be? Or would they be rewrites of the following favorite stories -

1. Beauty and the Beast
Beautiful person is thrown in with an ugly person and must learn to accept that ugly person for the beauty that lies beneath.

2. Cinderella
Mistreated or otherwise forgotton person gets chance at happiness and day in the spotlight, but it comes with a time limit and strings.

3. Little Mermaid or Prince and the Pauper
The grass is always greener in somebody else's lake. Person longs for a life that he/she wasn't born with. Must learn to appreciate things right under nose, either that or learn to sacrifice self for things they believe in or love.

4. Aladdin
Poor outcast is given a miraculous chance at power and it is all his/hers for the taking, as long as he/she doesn't get too big for britches. Or, there are consequences if you steal or lie your way to prosperity. At some point, you have to tell the truth.

5. Jack and the Beanstalk
Poor nobody goes on a great adventure, finds treasure, and must use wits to battle monsters.

Optional 6. King Arthur
Poor orphan boy rises to greatness when he alone is able to do a very simple but remarkable thing and be declared King by the powers that be. Then he must civilize his country and defeat all enemies while forming an army of heroes and wooing a gentle lady - all with the help of a grizzled old wizard. <- And I would say this story dates back to King David with the help of the prophet Samuel.


The above examples, of course, do not include the other two prototypes which show up in almost all genres -

1. Romeo and Juliet
Star-crossed lovers go through a lot of trouble to be with each other, despite the fact that their races, families, friends, social set - everything that used to matter to them - stalwartly tries to keep them apart.

2. Much Ado about Nothing
Story centered around two couples, one sweetly and definitely in love and the other obnoxiously and snarkily in hate. The couple sweetly in love is pulled apart by lies and tricks by others. The couple snarkily in hate falls in love and draws together to bring the sweetly in love couple back together. <- Possibly known as the inspiration for Pride and Prejudice, which definitely has inspired zillions of such book and movie plots.

ETA2

I'm halfway through the fourth book of the seven I borrowed from the library last week. This book, "The Glass Maker's Daughter" by V. Briceland - I absolutely worship it. Imagine a place in Italy where seven noble families have made a pact of fealty to the King and the powers that be. Every sunset, they raise their flag and blow the horn, and their casa will stand. If they fail to perform the rite upon a night, then a disaster will occur instantly and their casa will fall.

Risa was distressed when she becomes the first of her family to go unchosen, when all children were taken into private schools to learn more about their families crafts as well as the magic that goes into their work. Glassmakers, for example, weave magic into the glass to make it unbreakable.

Halfway through the book the reader realizes even before she does that it was a VERY good thing that she went unchosen. For she is left at home to keep the casa safe while her family is held hostage at the palace and in the schools.

And though this isn't revealed yet at page 150, I'm placing my bets that the old beggar whose life she saved is really the king who was supposedly dead.... *picks book up to finish reading*

Oh - and if I ever become published, I'd like to have a bio that goes like the author's:

"V. Briceland wanted to be an archaeologist when he grew up. Instead, he has worked as a soda jerk, a paper-flower maker in an amusement park, a pianist for a senior citizens' showtunes choir, an English teacher, and a glass artist. He likes writing novels best of all. He lives in Royal Oak, Michigan, where there is a sad lack of ruins to be excavated."

Is amused.

ETA3

Ha. I was right. Finished reading the book. Thoroughly satisfying.

I'm casually taking part in the Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge and will be setting up a static page soon to show what I'm reading. What I'd like to do is have it set up so there is a mini review (no more than a paragraph) and a book rating with every book. And I'm also going to be including the beloved re-reads I've done this year so far.

I'll work on this tomorrow - probably.

The standard advice to new or questioning writers = READ, READ, READ, and then Write. There is no better way to learn how to craft a smooth plot, develop strong characters, and so forth. Yep, you can develop ideas from watching movies or TV shows, but that isn't going to help you learn how to describe and pace things so it reads smoothly.

After I read three books over the last two days, I considered another angle to that rule - which likely has been addressed by zillions of people who are in the know, but it is worth repeating.

When you go to the library or bookstore to grab some brain-fillers, you might want to look for books that are similar to what you write or what you WANT to write. Be selective.

Like - if you are writing YA, figure out ahead of time what kind of book you want to write, and then look for books of the same type. If you are writing a Meg Cabot type book, you probably do not want to be taking out all of the Harry Potter books. And the opposite is true.

The other thing is you need to read current books. If you are writing youth fantasy, you probably shouldn't be fixating on Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander. You need to be reading something fresh. Keep an eye on books that are currently coming out or due out this year and aim to get those on your reading lists.

This topic came to mind this afternoon as I finished reading a book. I paid a visit to the library mid last week and took out seven books. As of tonight, three of seven are read and they couldn't be more different.

In my writing, I'm aiming for something that would be more cross genre - like Urban Fantasy (but minus the city setting and monster fighting). I want to write strong teen characters and I want solid fantasy elements too.

So when I grabbed books at the library I was aiming for books by people like Meg Cabot or Michele Jaffe, or I was picking up random fantasy and paranormal novels that caught my eye.

Of the three books I read so far...

The Third Eye (Lois Duncan)
Enchanting Season (Marissa Doyle)
Jinx (Meg Cabot)

Jinx was very much helpful (and not just because I heart Meg Cabot). It had the today type characters with real life issues that they were dealing with, and then it had the fantasy elements (witches, spells, magic).

The Third Eye - somewhat helpful. It cast a fuzzy doubt on the plot for BSW, in that I unconsciously had something similar (Wesley and her guide find lost children who are in trouble). I'm going to change my plot in the next round of edits, so I do not look like a copycat. I know exactly how to do this too, so yay. Only downside about this book was how dated it was. The mother/daughter relationship, post-graduation expectations, and the relationship between the protagonist and the police officer left me feeling a little squeamy. The dialogue was awkward in spots too, especially with the police officer.

Enchanting Season - Urgh. Told me exactly what NOT to do while I'm writing BSW. *laughs* Which I knew ahead of time because it was a Victorian setting and I broke my own rule about only reading books that are similar in focus and setting to what I'm writing*. <- Still, the book really didn't work for me. I somewhat felt that it was written for a younger audience than what I'm used to reading. I couldn't believe the characters were old enough to be going to their first Season. It's like a regency romance for children + magic. :O

*And I'm sure this isn't a BAD thing.

If you aren't hunkering down and trying to focus on writing something that is NOW and would sell in X or Y genre, there is no reason why you shouldn't read widely. Especially if you are trying to figure out what genre you are going to write, or if you are just looking for different writing styles while you figure out your own or where you fit.

The other thing is that if your main weakness is developing characters, adequate descriptions, moving the pace, creating deeper plots - sometimes reading something in a completely different genre will help you figure out how to get stronger in those areas.

I could be off the wall in saying this, but I've noticed that certain genres have their own specific strengths that make them unique. Maybe there is the odd duckling here or there, but the following genres could be relied on this way:

YA - How to tighten up and keep a fast pace (look over and see how much an author accomplishes in every short chapter)

Fantasy - How to slow down and expand a plot and improve descriptions (read the wealth of words that most fantasy authors wield - the Hilari Bells and Maria Snyders, not so much Tolkien who went OTT)

Thrillers - How to deepen your plot and add twists and turns (Uhm, take a look at books by guys like Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz).

Romance - How to develop strong characters and situations that your reader will be INTERESTED in.

WRITING UPDATE

This... unfortunately... is the side effect to catching up on my reading. I haven't written a single word since last weekend. I've either been busy with work or real life, or I've been slouching in a random corner* reading.

* This is an embarrassing admission, but when I was a munchkin, I'd take the latest book with me and crawl behind our living room couch to read to my heart's content. That way I could guarantee that nobody would bug me and I wouldn't have any distractions. <- I still do this sometimes.

CURRENT PROBLEMS IN WIP

1. Making sure that the school environment and scheduling is believable. <- It's been a few years since school and I've FORGOTTEN a lot. :O

2. Character voices - I need to make sure that my five year old character sounds like she's five.

3. As mentioned above, I have to change the 'finding children' side plot. It is not going to be pleasant (gutting a few chapters... again).


- - - Tomorrow is going to be a good day for writing, I'm convinced of it. Goodnight world. :)

Lisa Schroeder's timeline and checklist

The above link is a keeper for a prospective author who is either on the verge of snagging an agent or has an agent and just received the DREADED question: How do you plan to market yourself?

Um. When I started writing twenty or so years ago, I had this daydream where I sit at home, write, send book in to be printed, and watch the money come rolling in. I knew that authors had to do interviews and visits and stuff like that, but I always had this warm and fuzzy hope that it was optional... :I

Maybe it was at one point, I don't know. Definitely in today's world, you really have to put your work shoes on, take to the streets, and unflinchingly sell your book to the masses. And definitely in today's world, it seems like agents are doing less and expecting more from the authors they 'partner' with. Well, either that and things are the same as always, but the industry is trying to ditch the Hollywood depiction of publishing and hit new writers with a touch of reality. :)

Personally speaking - I really like Lisa's list and feel that most of the items are do-able - in small steps at a time anyway.

My ideas for marketing myself:

1. I will find a website designer to do a website for me just like he/she/it did for X author whose bells and whistles website setup I worship. And I will also frequently blog, tweet, facebook, etc...

2. I will find a videographer who I desperately want to do a book trailer for me. A book trailer which I've painstakingly planned and written out ahead of time, including different options to choose from. IMAGINES STICK FIGURE DRAFTS.

3. I will commit to taking trips every weekend for signings everwhere from schools, libraries, bookstores, conventions, etc... ROADTRIP!

4. I will DEFINITELY enjoy coming up with freebie ideas. *looks mischievous* <- For starters, I want clay animal-spirit tokens and eternity stones for BSW - even if I have to make them myself!

5. I will somehow convince agent that it is absolutely necessary that I bring at least one dog on every signing with me.

Dear agent, think about it! A shiny, glossy, fluffy, smiling, tail-wagging golden retriever is a perfect people magnet. The other authors at a convention would be completely envious as those that dog-worship abandon their tables and swarm my way. <- It could work, right? :)

I was thinking about lucky colors today (inspired by Julie over at juleswrites.blogspot.com and a post she did on superstitions), while I tried to remember whether my great-grandparents tied yellow ribbons to their pets and children or if it was red ribbons. I'm leaning towards yellow ribbons, but red ribbons make more sense after I googled and saw that eastern europe and asia saw red as a color that frightens evil away. And indeed, I know that my family has always seen red as a lucky color.

As I sought an answer that did not include lyrics to the song (which furthermore causes the song to repeat over and over in my head while I work), I came across the following link: factmonster.com

Quotes and information are either taken or derived from that above link.

Red

*Signal for battle, color of a soldier.
*Royalty
*Color means beautiful, but also is lucky and wards off evil.
*Red herring is a distraction, something that takes attention away from the real issue.

Green

*Symbolizes victory
*Symbolizes youth and energy
*Symbolizes envy
*Somebody one with nature
*A healer

Blue

*Color of a public servant
*Protection against witches and evil <- Say what?
*Loyalty
*Love
*The unknown

"A blue blood is a person of noble descent. This is probably from the blue veins of the fair-complexioned aristocrats who first used this term." - Fascinating.

Purple, Violet

"The Egyptian queen Cleopatra loved purple. To obtain one ounce of Tyrian purple dye, she had her servants soak 20,000 Purpura snails for 10 days." <- EW!

*Color of mourning
*Regal or authoritative color

"Purple prose” is writing that is full of exaggerated literary effects and ornamentation." <- I knew that

Yellow

*Mourning
*Regeneration or rebirth
*Courage
*Deceit
*Warning

"In tenth-century France, the doors of traitors and criminals were painted yellow." <- I wonder if that is why we call cowards 'yellow'.

"In the Middle Ages, actors portraying the dead in a play wore yellow." <- Hmm....

White

*Peace, or truce
*Spiritual, or of spirit world...
*Good luck, especially if you wed in it.
*White is a pacific color, however "white heat" can be intense passion.
*Savior, or rescuer
*Clean

"The ancient Greeks wore white to bed to ensure pleasant dreams." <- Ha! Now you know.

Black

*Secrecy
*Morbid
*Evil
*Elegance
*Expert
*Occult
*Outcast


"The ancient Egyptians and Romans used black for mourning, as do most Europeans and Americans today."

"The ancient Egyptians believed that black cats had divine powers."

What am I thinking?

Mainly about how when people pick up a book to read, they want to see something new... but there is always that small psychological part of them that wants something familiar or relatable. Or something they can look up and read and understand more about.

That was something I appreciated when I picked up the first Vampire Academy book. When the protagonist's mother gave her a eyeball bead as a present, I PERKED UP, because I'm familiar with the use of an eyeball or gaze thereof in paintings or ancient art. It wards off evil. <- Not that I believe in that, but it is something I'm culturally aware of.

Uhm. Keep in mind I was also also PEEVED when I saw the evil eye bead appear in the VA books and become somewhat popular as a result. <- That's because in my one book, "Marbles", I also made full use of the evil eye bead. Though probably not the same way Richelle Mead intends to do so in her books.

Regarding the colors, I was sitting back and thinking about possible character traits for different characters in a future novel sometime. Yes, it would be somewhat cheezy to put X character in a red dress all the time or Y into a yellow suit to infinity. I'm not talking about writing Clue (even though I absolutely loved those books when I was a kidlet). I'm mainly thinking about little clues, similar to what Steven Spielberg did for Schindler's List, or M Night Shalaman (sp) does in his movies. If you ever watched the special for Sixth Sense, he described the importance of red and white, which he emphasized throughout the movie.

I want to be the type of author who slips little easter eggs and such into my books which MAKE SENSE if the reader spots them. But I don't want to hit them on the head with it, or go over the top with colors.

On the other note... I really DO want to write a new version or fan fiction of Clue.... who doesn't?