My Annual Holiday Party: You're Invited
Here is an old photo of our store. Not much has changed since then. The screen door is even the same:)
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I’m officially on the last chapter of SAH –75,093 words of 75,000. This baby ended up a bit longer than I planned, but maybe revision will take care of that.
I guess, I’m going to neglect lj for one more week, and then come back as I dive into revision. Still in love with the story and if my main character doesn’t want her man, I’m ready to take him ;)
When will I learn not to take a shower in the morning before work? Inspiration inevitably hits me and makes me late for work. Oh yeah, I’m the boss, but that doesn’t really matter, have to set a good example and all that junk.
Today’s inspiration came in the form of one short sentence: They were there after Brannockburn. OMG. It belongs in a thread I’ve already tied. But it cinches that thread so perfectly and I don’t have to change another word in the entire manuscript.
But why do I have to think of these things when I’m in a hurry?
62,000 words. Threads are tying together. I’m starting to feel a bit sad about coming to the end. Actually, I’m on the cusp of the last big scenes, which I’ve wanted to write since July. I’m guessing I have about 10,000 words left to go, could be less. And I have to go to work.
~couldn't resist the pix--that's how I feel right now~got to run!
I sold another article to Vermont Bride Magazine. This one’s about wedding bouquet trends for 2010. I like writing trend articles because I get to talk to wholesalers and dress vendors about upcoming colors and styles. Not only does this help me with the article, but it also prepares me for my own consultations with brides. Speaking of which, I better run. I’ve got a bride coming in a few minutes to talk about the flowers for her July 2010 wedding. Sheesh, it’s time to start working on July already!
Quickly, Ella pointed the MagLite's beam down the passageway to double check that she hadn’t missed anything. She scanned the walls for paintings, only dark soot, dripping ground water and drops of gray slime. She shone it upward. Bats!
The ceiling was crawling with them. Hundreds, maybe thousands. The freaking bat mother lode! How had she missed them when she came in? Nick obviously hadn’t.
As if in response to her panic, the bats began to squeal and screech. They writhed faster and faster. Wings snapped open and in an instant they were in the air, circling and dipping.
Ella dashed for the rubble pile. She grabbed a solid hand hold, readying to climb. She glanced up. Most of the bats were flying around near the ceiling. If she started climbing, she’d be in the thick of them before she reached the gap. But if she didn’t she’d never get out.
At 56,000 words of what used to be 65,000 and now looks like it is going to run a bit longer.
Mary Kole of Andrea Brown has begun announcing the winners of her query contest. She will be posting and dissecting the winners (well their queries, that is) all week. Check it out. The queries will blow your socks off, and Mary Kole's comments are straightforward and insightful. http://kidlit.com/
I read THE THIRTEENTH TALE with a notebook beside me, jotting down lines I wanted to think about and passages I wanted to go back and reread—and still, my enjoyment of the story was not lessened. The novel is simply amazing and deserves a slow, thoughtful read.
The characters and mystery at the beginning of THE THIRTEENTH TALE drew me in immediately, but when I hit the chapter ‘Arrival’ (page 37) I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller and hooked for the duration. What hit me at this point was Setterfield’s use of setting. Not only could I picture the landscape the main character was moving though, I also felt like that landscape was another character, closing in on her, threatening. And it didn’t stop there. As the main character went inside the manor house, the setting continued to squeeze and muffle, simply delightful writing.
Besides enjoying Settersfield’s skill with setting, another reason for reading this novel slowly is that there are repeated details and comparisons that might be missed in a quick read. For example, early in the story (page 24) the narrator says, ‘Tell me the truth. The words from the letter were trapped in my head, trapped, it seemed, beneath the sloping ceiling of my attic flat, like a bird that has got in down the chimney.’ Near the climax of the story this comparison is repeated, ‘My words flew like birds into a pane of glass.’ I think these kinds of details register on the readers’ unconscious, serving to add layers to the story, make the overall flow smoother and the end satisfying. But, as a writer, it is nice to take note of where they occur and how they are used.
Above everything else, THE THIRTEENTH TALE is an outstanding example of a writer using voice to its fullest, in particular narrator choice and point-of-view. In the chapter ‘ Gone’ , which is about half way through (page 205), there is an abrupt switch from third person omniscient to first person. It jolted me when I came to it. Usually, this would have brought me out of the story and made me stop reading, but in this case the jolt was intentional and took my breath away. It is an epiphany moment and vital to the story, but it is not until the end of the story when the reader understands its whole importance. Here it is so you can see just how abrupt it is, ‘For in the bath—John took a sharp step back and would have stepped on me if I had not, at that same moment, taken two steps back myself. ‘This is the first time this narrator uses the word ‘I’. However I should mention that I may have been mistaken about this being the moment the switch to first person occurred. It may have occurred earlier, I just didn’t notice until I went to find this quote. Damn, Setterfield is good.
If I were a writing teacher, this would be on my must read list. Actually, I think a writing class built around this one book would be phenomenal.
Hey, did you notice I didn’t even go into the characters yet? This story is above all else about them. Read it if you haven’t, reread it if you have. You may squirm and get the creeps a bit, but it is well worth a few nightmares.
Usually, Sundays are for writing, but I took a break and drove to Quechee, Vermont to have lunch with my sister and mother. Turned out we picked the perfect day for a drive. This photo was taken from the parking lot of the Simon Pearce restaurant and glass works. They are famous for their blown glass, but the food was wonderful. http://www.simonpearce.com/
Then, we went to one of my favorite places, The Vermont Institute of Natural Science. We saw a great program on owls and their calls--complete with live owls (which is why I love going there). Today was yearly checkup day for the raptors. The vultures were pretty cranked up about having their blood drawn--can't say as I blame them. http://www.vinsweb.org/ Oh, and there were cool blue frogs that definitely weren't local.
We hit a flea market as well and picked up a few things.
No new words added, but it was a good day.
SAH--50,500 words of appx 65,000
(it seems the date on the photo's a tad off)
AnthologyBuilder has accepted my story “The Braiding” and it is now available. If you aren’t familiar with AnthologyBuilder , check it out. http://www.anthologybuilder.com/library.p
With AnthologyBuilder you can create custom anthologies from a huge selection of new fiction and classics—and it’s reasonably priced. It’s great for gifts and for collecting favorites stories into one neat package. Not only can you pick the stories you want, you can also choose your own cover, layout and title . . . it’s just plain cool.
It’s also an exceptional way for writers to keep previously published stories available to readers.
*"The Braiding" is a story about a young woman glassblower must travel to Venice with a powerful magus to create a glass heart for the Doge's dying daughter. But she soon suspects the magus has other plans as well.
The first issue of LACUNA , a historical fiction ezine, has been released into the wild. It's free and should help fill the hole left behind by PARADOX's demise. Don't miss the wonderful story "Breath of Amun" by Karen Kobylarz..
http://lacunajournal.blogspot.com/
Mary Kole of Andrea Brown is having a query contest. Even if you aren't interested in the contest, check out her wonderful blog: Kidlit.
http://kidlit.com/kidlit-contest
I haven’t talked much about my full time business, but I own a florist and antique shop. Lately, I’ve been working on a lot of custom arrangements for funerals. To avoid being overcome by depressing thoughts, I started contemplating how arranging flowers is very much like writing.
A customer tells me what they want (which is similar to a reader’s genre expectations) and I work within those parameters. Still, what I create with that customer’s order is different from what another designer would do with the same flowers, dollar value and restrictions. Pretty much the same as a writer’s style and voice coming though despite the same ideas being used over and over again, eh?
There are tons of other similarities and maybe I’ll come back to them, but right now I have to leave or I’ll be late for work--and then I’d have to fire myself.
This picture is of a funeral arrangement for a maple sugar producer who loved the woods and gardening, and whose family wanted a classic rather than a country look. It's in an antique sap gathering pail and has imported and local flowers.
I thought I’d share my outline of SAH. Yup, it’s a pink and white wall of index cards. The pink represent one POV and timeline, and the white are the other timeline and main POV. This method felt right for this project because the events in the pink POV had to happen on specific dates (aka from 1314 to modern times).I knew I could slap those cards up on the board quickly and that they wouldn't change. Then, I added in the white cards starting with set points for the main POV.
The best part for me has been that the board is right next to my desk. When a brainstorm for a scene comes to me, I grab an index card, dash down a few notes, then pin it to a place on the board that feels right.
Just because a scene or idea is up there, it doesn’t mean I use it. What it does give me is a way to track the flow between the two timelines and POVs, and it allows me to check set points and scene ideas when I go blank. It also allows me to quickly get distracting brainstorms out of my head and filed where I can easily find them if need be.
The X marks where I'm at right now. 45,700 words of appx. 65,000.
So, how’s everyone’s writing going?
Becca Fitzpatrick answers questions about her debut novel, HUSH, HUSH, about her journey to publication and about bad boys. Be sure to visit Becca’s website http://beccafitzpatrick.com
Pat: Hi Becca, I have about a thousand questions for you, but before we get to those would you mind giving a quick overview of HUSH, HUSH?
Becca: Sure! It's a darkly romantic story about a girl who falls for a fallen angel with a dark agenda to become human. It's being labeled as a paranormal romance, but it has a strong psychological suspense element.
Pat: HUSH, HUSH centers on angel mythology. Can you tell us why you chose to write about angels and a bit about the mythology behind the story?
Becca: Truth be told, I didn't set out to write a book about fallen angels. I set out to write a book about a really (really) bad boy. Not only that, but a really (really) bad boy who used to be...good. A boy who fell from grace to become someone sinister, sexy and dangerous. Over time, the metaphor of “falling” that I was carrying around in my head became something quite literal – a fallen angel. And when you think about it, fallen angels are the original bad boys. The ultimate bad boys.
Pat: One of the main settings in HUSH, HUSH is an amusement park with a dark underbelly. Personally, do you find parks and rides, like roller coasters, horrifying or fascinating?
Becca: What a great question! I find them horrifying. My earliest memory of riding a roller coaster is from when I was about five or six. It was one of those old rickety wood roller coasters, and when we came to a jarring stop at the end, my body slammed forward and I got a bloody nose from hitting the safety bar. The teenager sitting next to me told me that the monsters living beneath the roller coaster loved to eat children, and would be drawn by the scent of blood. I lived in fear of monsters for weeks.
Pat: HUSH, HUSH’s main character, Nora, demonstrates amazing strength when faced with tough situations and decisions. You showed equal strength by sticking to your writing goals even when things became difficult. Can you talk a bit about perseverance and finding strength as a writer?
Becca: I wasn't exactly a stellar role model, but I think it's important to be patient. Learning takes time. So does growing. Yes, there are authors who write and sell their first book in ten days, but the truth is, that won't be the case for most of us. Now that I've been through the process, I understand how hard it is to get published. There's nothing easy about it. Even after the book deal, it isn't easy. Yes it's rewarding and exciting and a huge accomplishment, but it still requires persistence and hard work. The writing-rewriting-submitting stage is good training ground for what comes later. Hopefully this isn't too cheesy, but writing is a lot like training for a marathon. There are good days and bad days, and days when you just want to give up. There are days when you feel like the work will never end. There are days when you wonder why you're doing this, and there are days when you feel on top of the world. If there's one thing I've learned, though, it's that the most rewarding things in life require the most work. So keep at it!
Pat: During your agent search and before submission to editors you went though several rounds of extensive revisions. Can you talk for a moment about melodrama, suspense and kicking your novel to the next level?
Becca: You know me too well, Patty – I'm the queen of melodrama! For the most part, I enjoy plot-driven novels over character-driven, so that probably explains my tendency toward melodrama. (I tried to keep it at a minimum in HUSH, HUSH, I promise!) For me, plot is the hardest aspect of writing, but also the most rewarding...when you get it right. I learned a lot about plotting over the course of the five years it took me to write HUSH, HUSH. I learned a lot about suspense, and how to create it. I wish I had a secret formula I could share, but I think it comes with practice. Outlining doesn't hurt, either. Ditto on intuition.
Pat: HUSH, HUSH is your first published novel. Have you previously entered writing contests or had short fiction published? If so, do you feel these things were an important part of your success or not?
Becca: After I finished one of the earlier drafts of HUSH, HUSH, I took a break from it and wrote another YA called THE TORNADO INTERVIEWS. It won second place in the Utah Arts Counsel’s writing competition, which took me by complete surprise. Winning was one of the catalysts that pushed me to continue rewriting and submitting HUSH, HUSH, so yes, I think it was instrumental in getting me where I am today.
Pat: Enough serious questions. Let’s talk about Patch. Will the reader ever find out the whole story about his mysterious past? And does Patch really like to cook or is it a put-on?
Becca: Readers will scratch the surface of his past in HUSH, HUSH. They'll figure out how he came to be where he is today, and why he is who he is. As far as figuring out the whole story, I don't think he wants you to know! Yes, he's into cooking. It's fascinating to him, because he can't...well, I won't ruin it for you!
Pat: So what is it that makes a bad boy so darn sexy and irresistible?
Becca: Laughing! I think it's different for every woman. I've always been drawn to the intelligent and thoughtful Boy Scout types, so I guess, for me, the bad boy draw has to do with curiosity and novelty – they're so different from everything I know.
Pat: When you were in high school which of your characters were you the most like: Nora, Vee, Patch . . .
Becca: Let's see. I was nothing like Patch. Nothing like Vee. I liked to do well in school like Nora, but that's where the similarities stop. I can be a bit of a slob, and I don't believe in eating organic. Although I did drive a brown Fiat Spider at one point, so I guess I'm going to have to default to Nora.
Pat: Aside from action and suspense, HUSH, HUSH is an unforgettable love story. What are your favorite fictional romances?
Becca: OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon, FLOWERS FROM THE STORM by Laura Kinsale and WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte.
Pat: I understand you are working on a sequel to HUSH, HUSH. Can you tell us a bit about it? Will Nora be the main character and are any of the secondary characters returning?
Becca: Nora returns as the narrator and main character, and Marcie Millar returns to play a much more vital role in the plot. Another minor character gets his big break in the sequel, CRESCENDO, but you'll have to wait to find out who. Also, we find out what really happened the night Nora's dad was murdered...
Pat: Here’s a topic that’s been floating around lj and various writing groups lately.
From the genres they write in, to the colors they use on their websites and what they wear to conventions, some writers actively work on branding themselves. Have you made a conscious effort to brand yourself? Do you have any advice for writers about developing their public image?
Becca: I've heard this. To me, it makes sense. After all, if you write crime fiction, your website probably shouldn't be pink with stars and rainbows. People are more likely to remember and understand authors who have a strong and consistent brand. Readers are smart and savvy, and know what they're looking for. If an author doesn't have a clear brand, they might be overlooked by readers who aren't sure what they write.
Thank you so much for answering my questions. Would you be willing to stop by later and answer any additional question readers might have?
Thanks for having me here, Patty! Absolutely – I'll check back throughout the day.