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Top Ten Tuesday-10 Authors I Own the Most Books [By]

7/29/2014

I'm going to join the Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) trend. Every Tuesday, there will be a new Top Ten list, the topic courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish.

Today's Topic is: 10 Authors I Own the Most Books From

Nora Roberts
J.D. Robb
Robert Jordan
J.K. Rowling
Raymond E. Feist
Jack Campbell
C.S. Lewis
Suzanne Brockman
Terry Goodkind
Julie Garwood

After writing this, I find that I am quite disturbed that I have so many romance novels and so few fantasy novels...although this is breaking it down by author, not genre, so I'll give myself a pass until and unless I decide to count by genre.

Have a blog and want to post your own list? Visit The Broke and the Bookish to find out more.

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Another step toward self-publishing

7/28/2014

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If you haven't heard (read) yet, I am self-publishing my novel The Talented in October (or November--hopefully October). It's given me considerable angst, sleepless nights, and even a couple weird dreams--and sometimes I feel as though I've hardly started down that road!

Yet here it comes, sneaking up on me like the beast toward Bethlehem. Actually, not at all like that, but that phrase just popped into my head and I decided to use it just because.

Anyway, my self-publishing debut is coming soon. And I took a big step toward it this week by sending my completed manuscript off to my editor this week.

I couldn't be more excited. The last time I was excited to spend money on something it was to get LASIK eye surgery so that I wouldn't wake up half-blind every morning. And this was just as thrilling (plus it came with no recovery time). It's a big, huge, monumental, colossal step toward producing a high-quality book. And that is what I want. I didn't slave over actual paper for months, shift over to typing up the rough draft for more months (I worked very slowly at the time), print out the manuscript to look at it from a new perspective, and rinse and repeat several times to produce a product that is "decent." Or worse, "pretty good for a self-pub."

(Here, obviously, I am going with the assumption that the content of my book is a staggering piece of literary genius so it's the degrees of "polish" that make the difference. And you thought hubris was dead!)

I have read some truly amazing self-pubbed and indie books. But I have read even more self-pubbed books that could have been truly amazing with a little professional help. With the help of a professional editor. And, maybe most importantly (for some of them at elast), someone to proofread who is good at proofreading!!!

I might hire someone to proof my book, or I might get copies to my family and fellow English majors and have them read it with an eye for typos, misspellings, and misused words (because sometimes I don't write the word that I mean to). Either way, someone not me will be checking for those problems. Because when you read your own work, you tend to miss those things.

Just like when you go over your own work for the 10th (or 20th, or 30th) time, you tend to miss the things that your editor is going to point out to you as being info dumps, or repetitive (like this post is getting), or something that doesn't make sense or is completely irrelevant. Because by that time you are far too attached to your story.

But where was I?

Oh yes, I sent my book into my editors. I will get it back in a week or two. And I know, when I open that document and see all of the comments and suggested changes on the side, I'm probably going to have a heart attack. And then I'm going to be so happy that I might have another heart attack. And then I am going to get to work.

Because I am publishing in October. And it's going to be amazing.

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Songs to get your emotions up while writing

7/25/2014

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Maybe it's all the Teen Wolf I have been watching recently, but I've recently discovered that "Hungry like the Wolf" by Duran Duran will get my emotions up (despite the fact that I don't think that song has ever been played during Teen Wolf, which I'm sure is an oversight).

So here is the music video for you to rock out to and see if it can also get your blood pumping.

Include other emotion-inducing songs in the comments and maybe together we can come up with a writing playlist guaranteed to get the emotions flowing.

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I OD'd

7/23/2014

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No, this is not a blog confession about drinking, drugs, or other unsafe habits that usually come to mind when you hear that someone OD'd. I OD'd on reading and TV.

After binge-watching Teen Wolf (for the 3rd time), Haven, and Witches of East End (for the 2nd time) and reading 2 of my favorite books again (I always re-read) I found that I wasn't getting the same enjoyment that I used to.

Going with the theory that this was happening because I was re-reading and re-watching, I ordered up a new book from one of my favorite author's and started reading it.

Nothing.

I'm five chapters in and could hardly tell you what it's about. Not because it's a bad book, but because I am suffering from a total emotional disconnect from reading and TV watching. I have recently had "too many feels," and it looks like my brain needs to take the time to reabsorb all of the dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and even oxytocin that goes into a good session of Teen Wolf or book reading (yes, I ride very fun emotional roller coasters when I'm at the top of my game).

I'm not depressed, unless it is possible to be depressed in only a very limited, TV-and-book-related way, but I am worried about how long it will take to "recover" from this OD.

So I'm not sure what I will be doing the next couple of days. I'll spend more time outdoors (if the weather stays clear) and deep-clean my apartment. Maybe go shopping or explore more of the city. And hopefully, when all of those feel-good chemicals are back, I'll be able to write without feeling crushing disappointment, because it looks like if I can't enjoy books, I can't enjoy writing them either.

If you've gone through something like this and have advice on how to recover from this entertainment OD, I'd love to hear about it.

Until then, I'm going to bed early tonight since there is no TV or book to keep me up until the wee hours of the morning.

PSA: I wrote this blog with a somewhat humorous intent. Although I really do feel this way, I am sure that it is nothing a couple of days TV-and-book-less won't cure. However, if you believe you are suffering from real depression, please seek help. Being unable to enjoy a good book, while unfortunate, is not really a problem. If you are unable to enjoy other daily activities, feel disconnected from real-life people, or suffer from other signs of depression, please talk to someone.

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Write Your Feelings

7/21/2014

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Last week, I suffered the loss of a family member. He had been sick, but that did not make the experience any easier.

When I got back from the funeral, I started writing.

I think, were I to read one of the many books on loss, that one of the things that is recommended is journaling and writing down what you feel. I believe that such activities are cathartic and help you analyze your thoughts.

I didn't journal. Being a fiction writer, I wrote the scene.

I wrote about the unreality of the situation beforehand, and the waves of grief that rolled over me during the visitation. I wrote in the third person, and some details changed because even while attempting such a writing activity, my penchant for writing fiction crept through. But I wrote the scene.

And it was cathartic.

I walked away from writing that scene with a better grip on my emotions, a better understanding of what I had gone through.

And a surprisingly good scene.

I could never use that scene as-is. There are too many elements particular to my life that would never meet the particulars of any of my characters, and putting it out there as-is would be too painful. Especially this soon.

But I took this scene, labeled it "funeral vignette" and saved it in my "stories" folder. I took all of the feelings that I experienced this past week, and I wrote them. It helped me to deal with my feelings, and resulted in a scene ripe with emotions that I can now pull from.

So I suggest to all writers that you write what you feel. You never have to use these vignettes. You can keep them to yourself the way people do journals. You can use it as a cathartic activity for sad occasions, but you don't need to write only about sad experiences. Write a vignette about that perfect date you went on last night. Write a vignette about your family reunion where everyone had a little too much to drink.

Write a vignette about a wedding.

Write a vignette about buying your first house.

Write a vignette any time you have a strong emotional experience that can be written as a scene. Save them in a folder. Use them later. Even if by "use" them all you do is read the scene to remind you of what you were feeling that day.

People say to write what you know. I say to write what you feel. Sad or happy or confusing, write the scene. Use your writing to help you understand your thoughts and feelings. Work through them. Relish in the happy, use the activity as catharsis for the sad.

And later, if you want, you can use that vignette in a story.

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To outline or not to outline--opinions welcome

7/9/2014

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To outline or not to outline- that is the question.

The question of outlines goes all the way back to the argument of pantsers vs. plotters.

I'm a pantser. My idea of "planning" might extend to me making a list that goes along the lines of:

1. MC is running late for an appointment
2. Has a run in with lieutenant
3. Talks with captain
4. Goes and fights with recruit
.
.
.
X. The end

Not necessarily scene by scene or chapter by chapter. Some sections of my story might have several points on the list, some will have none.

Sometimes (often?) there is no list.

And then there is my crit partner. We will call her J. She is a plotter, and she makes outlines for EVERY. SINGLE. SCENE. She shared one of her outlines with me today, and I was dazzled.

It wasn't just a first, then, next outline. It was an outline that asked scene questions, covered dramatic beats, and detailed information revealed or hinted at. It asked what might be confusing, wondered aloud at how readers might respond, and basically blew my mind.

Basically, it was an outline that makes sure that every scene moves the story forward and also keeps track of when information is revealed (like a foreshadowing map!).

And I'm jealous of this beautiful outline. I want to use one.

But I'm a pantser. I'm worried that I am just being distracted by the shiny object, and that trying to use this outline will actually result in derailing me (this often happens when I try to plan) and I will have to scrap my work and start over.

If this outline works, it would definitely be useful when I begin seriously writing From the Sky (the serial I plan to start releasing this fall) but if I have to scrap that story and start over one more time I think I might cry.

So what do you think? Should I try to do some outlining, at least for individual episodes if not scenes, or should I stick to my pantser writing style and run with it?

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Welcome to my blog

Top Ten Tuesday-10 Authors I Own the Most Books [By]

Another step toward self-publishing

Songs to get your emotions up while writing

I OD'd

Write Your Feelings

To outline or not to outline--opinions welcome

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