I was thinking about whether to post my thoughts on the now-infamous WSJ article on darkness in YA . But so many wonderful things have been said already, on twitter and across the blogosphere.
Instead of ranting, I thought it might be nice just to have some loving sharing time. Lots of folks seemed to resonate with the process of putting your first novel to bed. It got me really curious about what everyone's first projects were. So! I cordially invite you to share your first novel, first short story, whatever today. Anything you loved and lost, as Kari Marie put it so beautifully in her comment yesterday.
I'll get the ball rolling:
My first novel was about a bratty princess who was abducted by an evil wizard and forced into a war to rid the land of all non-human creatures. She killed the wizard (after falling in love with him), saved her kingdom (after learning they were genocidal maniacs), and instead of becoming the hero, royally effed up everything.
I wrote it when I was 19, and I still love it. But it was 150,000 words long (*urk*) for what was basically a middle grade premise. So I laid it to rest.
What about you? What are the stories you mourned for?
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Dear First Novel: It's Over
Dear First Novel,
I'm sorry. I just can't keep revising you like this. Sure, it was great in the beginning. I'll never forget the nights we spent curled up on the laptop until 4 in the morning. Remember how I told you we'd win the Pulitzer because I didn't know anything about book awards back then? Good times.
But I'm a different writer now. I know how to vary my sentence structure and frankly, all your sentences start with "I verb" and are five lines long. My agent says I need to try other genres. I want to experience short stories, maybe some verse. You know. Find myself.
What? No, I will not self-publish with you. God, you want me to throw away my writing career on the slim chance we'll get 300 readers on Amazon? No. No. What would my Twitter friends say if they knew I was still with you? Oh, it's all about you isn't it? Quit your job, Julia. Stop hanging out with your friends, Julia. I'll bring in all the money you need, Julia. You know what, First Novel? No one wants to read about pirate werewolves. You have a STUPID PREMISE. There, I said it.
Oh, no. Please...please stop crying. Look, I still love you. You'll always be my first novel. What we had was the purest joy I've ever known. And someday when I'm published, I'll take you out of the drawer and wonder what might have been if I'd known how to write when I was 19.
...Goodbye First Novel.
 |
| Welcome to your new home! |
But I'm a different writer now. I know how to vary my sentence structure and frankly, all your sentences start with "I verb" and are five lines long. My agent says I need to try other genres. I want to experience short stories, maybe some verse. You know. Find myself.
What? No, I will not self-publish with you. God, you want me to throw away my writing career on the slim chance we'll get 300 readers on Amazon? No. No. What would my Twitter friends say if they knew I was still with you? Oh, it's all about you isn't it? Quit your job, Julia. Stop hanging out with your friends, Julia. I'll bring in all the money you need, Julia. You know what, First Novel? No one wants to read about pirate werewolves. You have a STUPID PREMISE. There, I said it.
Oh, no. Please...please stop crying. Look, I still love you. You'll always be my first novel. What we had was the purest joy I've ever known. And someday when I'm published, I'll take you out of the drawer and wonder what might have been if I'd known how to write when I was 19.
...Goodbye First Novel.
Friday, May 27, 2011
CONTEST IS OVER TIME FOR WINNERS!
Yay! There is a winner for the Bookies contest and it is...
wait for it
wait for it
We interrupt this artificially extended moment of tension to say - What the hell is up with blogger?! Why is the follower box not working again? This is almost enough to make me want to switch to Wordpress, except then I'll have no follower box at all, so it really doesn't solve the problem.
wait for it
And the winner, determined by Random.org, is Jessica Love! YAY!!! She really is lovely! You can see her lovely blog here and even follow her on twitter. She's just. that. awesome.
I will be emailing you Jessica, so think about what books you want! And what COOKIES!
wait for it
wait for it
We interrupt this artificially extended moment of tension to say - What the hell is up with blogger?! Why is the follower box not working again? This is almost enough to make me want to switch to Wordpress, except then I'll have no follower box at all, so it really doesn't solve the problem.
wait for it
And the winner, determined by Random.org, is Jessica Love! YAY!!! She really is lovely! You can see her lovely blog here and even follow her on twitter. She's just. that. awesome.
I will be emailing you Jessica, so think about what books you want! And what COOKIES!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Trying to Get Published - The Theme Song
First off, there's still a contest going on, people! Follow the blog/twitter and post a comment on yesterday's post for the chance to win two free YA books! And maybe cookies. Okay, everyone seems grossed out by the cookies. But guys, I make really good cookies! Do it before the clock strikes Thursday!
In other news, I have chosen the best theme song ever for when you're sending out queries/on sub. Yeah! It really is about sharing your awesome stories with other people, not about $$$. Remember that young padawans. REMEMBER.
Yay!
In other news, I have chosen the best theme song ever for when you're sending out queries/on sub. Yeah! It really is about sharing your awesome stories with other people, not about $$$. Remember that young padawans. REMEMBER.
Yay!
Monday, May 23, 2011
BOOKIES CONTEST
Okay! I decided it's finally time to withdraw fully from my damp, dripping, lonely writer cave and do a contest. Yes I know! A contest! Nobody on the internet has ever done this before!
What? They have? But did they have books and cookies? BOOKIES?
Why a contest? Because, well, the YA community is so excellent and sweet. I want to know more of you. That's my only motivation really. Also, I have too many cookies. Really, it's awful. I need some sort of cookie release valve. That's what this contest is. A cookie safety measure to prevent me and the boyfriend's tummies from sploding.
To win, all you have to do is follow the blog and/or twitter, then write a comment on this post. All comments will be entered! Yay! And if you win, you will get not one, but TWO YA books. Of your choice! Not even the crap I have lying around from when I was 12! Anything you want!
Just imagine, poor, shiftless writers of the interwebz: Divergent and Wither could be yours. Invincible Summer and The Liar Society. LA Candy and A Shore Thing. Just kidding, you can't have A Shore Thing. But everything else is on the table! (um, as long as it's still in print and costs less than, I don't know, $50?)
 |
| No |
Please don't make my stomach explode.
Contest closes at 3:47am PST Thursday morning.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Oh iPhone how I heart thee
So I'm trying to write a 100K novel from May 11 to June 10. 30K of word vomit sheer poetry down so far. None of this would be possible without my secret weapon. My precious.
Oh iPhone. How did I write anything before you? It was like I never knew writing at a break-neck pace, until I knew you.
Top five reasons why the iPhone is the ultimate writing machine:
1. Incredible bed and covers synergy. With the iPhone you can write curled up in bed under the covers. You don't need a desk. You don't need a chair. You don't even need LIGHT. Because all the little keys glow. Like tiny, nurturing suns.
2. Carry it anywhere! No more lugging the laptop downstairs to the coffee shop. No more scribble-filled napkins and receipts stuffed in your pockets, purses, boyfriend's pockets, and bra straps because you didn't have a proper notebook with you.
3. No distractions. Yes, there's internet on it. But it's small and slow and I'm too cheap to afford a decent data plan. There's nothing between me and book. Nothing. Not even A KEYBOARD. Except Puzzle Quest for the iPhone. Fie on you Puzzle Quest!
4. Ultimate efficiency. Now when I have a free second, I don't have to waste it texting friends, thinking or having conversations with people. Carry an iPhone in your pocket and every spare nanomoment can be spent writing as fast as your thumbs can fly. Fly thumbs, fly fly fly.
5. Much easier to write while driving. Relax, I'm kidding.
Props where props is due: I was inspired to try this by the lovely and talented Lauren Oliver, who wrote most of Before I Fall on her smart phone. Damn was she on to something. Proving once again she is a dynamo on so many dynamo-tastic levels.
 |
Top five reasons why the iPhone is the ultimate writing machine:
1. Incredible bed and covers synergy. With the iPhone you can write curled up in bed under the covers. You don't need a desk. You don't need a chair. You don't even need LIGHT. Because all the little keys glow. Like tiny, nurturing suns.
2. Carry it anywhere! No more lugging the laptop downstairs to the coffee shop. No more scribble-filled napkins and receipts stuffed in your pockets, purses, boyfriend's pockets, and bra straps because you didn't have a proper notebook with you.
3. No distractions. Yes, there's internet on it. But it's small and slow and I'm too cheap to afford a decent data plan. There's nothing between me and book. Nothing. Not even A KEYBOARD. Except Puzzle Quest for the iPhone. Fie on you Puzzle Quest!
 |
| fie |
5. Much easier to write while driving. Relax, I'm kidding.
 |
| Is this what heaven looks like? |
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Month of Never Sleeping
Last week, I had this brilliant idea to drown my sub anxiety. I thought, "Hey me, what if we wrote a book in a month?"
Other me: "But your last book took a year."
Me: So how cool would it be if I did it in a MONTH?!
OM: It's called NAnoWRiMo. And it's in November.
M: I never know which letters to capitalize.
OM: Don't change the subject.
M: But I'm going to write 100K though, not 50K. Yeah. YEAH. It's gonna be SWEET.
OM: Excellent. So by June 10th you'll have 100K of crap. Oh wait, except your first drafts are always 160,000 words.
M: Just on the first book!
OM: Aaaaaand your second was 135,000.
M: I cut it down!
OM: But it took two months.
M: YOU DON'T OWN ME!!
Soooo, looks like I'm writing a new book this month. After the first week, I've got 30,000 words. Wheeeee!!! It has been hell on my blogging though. Also hell on my not-getting-fired-from-my-job. I'm going to make it though. Because I have a secret weapon. Which I will reveal tomorrow in all it's tippy-tapping glory. No, it's not Scrivner. But it is Apple-y. Yeeeessssssss.
Other me: "But your last book took a year."
Me: So how cool would it be if I did it in a MONTH?!
OM: It's called NAnoWRiMo. And it's in November.
M: I never know which letters to capitalize.
OM: Don't change the subject.
M: But I'm going to write 100K though, not 50K. Yeah. YEAH. It's gonna be SWEET.
OM: Excellent. So by June 10th you'll have 100K of crap. Oh wait, except your first drafts are always 160,000 words.
M: Just on the first book!
OM: Aaaaaand your second was 135,000.
M: I cut it down!
OM: But it took two months.
M: YOU DON'T OWN ME!!
Soooo, looks like I'm writing a new book this month. After the first week, I've got 30,000 words. Wheeeee!!! It has been hell on my blogging though. Also hell on my not-getting-fired-from-my-job. I'm going to make it though. Because I have a secret weapon. Which I will reveal tomorrow in all it's tippy-tapping glory. No, it's not Scrivner. But it is Apple-y. Yeeeessssssss.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)