Tipster Tuesday (5)

Before getting started, I want to do a couple of things.

First, here's a HUGE thank you to those of you who stopped by to give me pointers on my openings. I love you guys! You're all so super special awesome.

Second, I want to congratulate those of you who did NaNo this month. Even if you didn't get to 50k, you should be damn proud of yourself for trying!

Today's Topic:

Naming Your Main Character

What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would be just as sweet and yadda, yadda, yadda.
I'm sure you all read that in high school English, so I won't be going through it again here. What I will say is...I don't agree with it. In its true context, it makes great sense--Montague and Capulet are just names and hold no real power over the two of them. But wouldn't the story have been very different if they had been called something other than Romeo and Juliet?
What if they'd been called Matthew and Elizabeth?
George and Cathrine?
James and Martha?
Brad and Janet? (I had to.)

Basically what I'm saying is, don't listen to Juliet. If a rose were called a bumbadilly, it might smell the same, but I'd still look at it funny. Characters are the same way. Their names don't define who they are, but they definitely reflect on them.

So, what should you consider when choosing a name?

--Be comfortable with it
You'll be typing it a lot, so it shouldn't be one you absolutely hate or associate with a person you dislike. For instance, I had a frenemy called Lindsey. Whenever I hear the name "Lindsey," I immediately think of her. So, naturally, I wouldn't want to call my MC that.

--If you trip over it in your head
Your reader won't be any better off. If you have to look back to see how you're supposed to spell it or constantly forget how to properly pronounce it, that probably means you should change it.

--Don't shy away because you don't like it
You know what name I didn't like for a while? Holden. Weird, since CATCHER IN THE RYE is one of my favorite books, eh? Well, as it happens, that's what changed my opinion on the name Holden. It was just a bleeeeh name until I read that book and had something awesome to associate it with. Also, I don't especially like the name Emmett, but he just so happens to be my favorite character in TWILIGHT. (Yes. Emmett. Don't judge me.)

--But consider what it makes you think of
When you hear the name Bertha, what do you think of? How about Lester? Recently, I heard a song about an old Irish story and one of the "characters" was named Madonna. Naturally, I pictured this. That's probably not what I was supposed to picture, but that's what my mind naturally jumps to when it hears Madonna.

--Symbolism is always a plus
But overt symbolism is annoying. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again--don't name your dark, brooding goth girl something stupid like Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way. But you could name her something like Keara (meaning 'dark'). Just find one of the thousands of baby naming websites out there, type in words that are significant to your MC somehow, and look until you find a name that makes your character yell, "Oh! Oh! That one! That's me!"

--Don't name your 18th century romance heroine Gidget
I'm not entirely sure if Gidget was being used back then or not, but I wouldn't take that kind of chance if I were you. Try to come up with a name that fits your genre/time period.

--Nicknames are fun too
In my planned sequel to OPHELIA, one of my MCs is called Terry. His actual name is Terrence. You picture two very different guys when faced with "Terry" and "Terrence." His best friend is named Adrianna, but everyone calls her Addie. So, let me ask you...is your MC an Alex or an Alexander? A Cecilia or a Cecy?

--That's got a ring to it
Holden Caulfield. Romeo Montague. Harry Potter. Grubbs Grady. Anita Blake. Scarlett O'Hara. Those names just roll right off the tongue, don't they? They're actually pleasant to say. Try saying your MC's full name out loud to yourself. Does it sound right? Does it have that ring? If not, maybe you want to work on it a little.

--Place holder names are only place holders for so long
I do this a lot--come up with a place holder name until I can find a real, solid name, but end up using it too long and coming to think of the character by that name. If you use a place holder, try to come up with an actual name ASAP.

For those of you who skipped to the end:

*Don't name your MC after your arch nemesis.
*If you can't pronounce it, your readers are SOL.
*Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can't use it, but make sure it leaves the image you want it to.
*Symbolism is great as long as you don't beat me over the head with it.
*Pick a genre and a time period and stick to them. I don't want to see any chicks from 1809 named Syl'vana.
*Play around with nicknames. They can put an interesting new spin on your character.
*Does it sound awesome when you say it out loud? It had better.
*You'll eventually start thinking of your character by their place holder name if you don't get a new one quickly.


Do you have any guidelines for naming characters?
What goes into a good name?
Which names sound like nails on a chalk board to you?


HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

First Sentences Are Super Important

I went over how to make an awesome first scene in this Tipster Tuesday post and that got me to thinking about the openings in my WIPs. Your first few sentences need to grab your reader's attention. I'd like to give you guys the first few sentences from my WIPs to see if they're doing their jobs.

BROKEN

"Snow makes toddlers go insane--it's a fact--and my brother is certainly no exception to the rule. And since it's my job to watch his crazy ass, I've gotta stand out in the blistering cold for hours while he covers our yard in snow angels. But with all the things I'm responsible for, I guess this is the least of my worries. It could always be worse."

OPHELIA

"My hands dampen as the bus door springs open. The silvery-haired driver smiles at me as I step aboard. He says something, but I'm too out of it to hear him. Stumbling to the back of the Greyhound, I take a seat and stare out the window at the setting sun. I feel sick to my stomach. I'm a little surprised I haven't thrown up yet."

VENGEFUL DEEP

"Today should be a happy day. A day for giving thanks to the sea for the bounty we've received this year. But we have no thanks to give. Not today. Not as we stand, speechless, around the mangled body of Lundy MacLochlan."

If I had to choose, my favorite would probably be VENGEFUL DEEP and my least favorite would be BROKEN. But that's not to say I don't like the opening for BROKEN...I just think the other two leave the reader with more questions and a stronger sense of foreboding. But I'm the one who wrote these, so my opinions are possibly biased and don't really count.

What I want from you guys is a brutally honest opinion. I need to know if you'd read on based just on the openings. Tell me why they're good, why they're bad, why they work, why they don't, what I did well, and what could be better.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Hey, I just want to wish all my chums here a happy Thanksgiving...or November 25th. Whatevers.

Also, I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much.

The holidays have things kind of hectic...

And my grandpa went missing last night.

But no worries, he's back now.

He was at a motel the whole time.

Apparently, he just wanted to scare us a little.

....

It was a really mean joke.

Ah, well, he's back and safe and I've got something to be veeeeery thankful for this year.

Love you guys!

Tipster Tuesday (4)

First of all, I just want to say I have now officially cried over the death of a literary character. I just finished book sixth of the Demonata series yesterday night. I won't say who I cried over (that would spoil it for those of you who haven't read it), but I did shed a few tears.

Today's Topic:
Plot Twists

Amazing twists are part of the reason I love Darren Shan's Demonata series. I just adore thinking things are going to go down one way, but then they pop a twist on me and things do a complete 360 from what I was expecting. But lots of plot twists just don't work. (Think about M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.) Other twists have been done to death. ("Luke, I am your father!" ruined that twist for everyone else.)

What goes into a great plot twist?

--Drop hints throughout the book
Don't just drop a twist on us out of nowhere. You've got to hint at the twist beforehand, or we probably won't buy it. In the first draft of my WIP, BROKEN, I dropped the twist without any real hints and that didn't work for me when I read over it. I changed all that in the second draft and dropped several hints through the whole book. When my boyfriend read it, he said, "Ooooh! So that's why you mentioned *lawnmower drowns out his voice* so many times!"

--It needs to change things
A plot twist needs to cause some kind of change--even if it's just a minor change. If not, then it's useless...and you know what we do with useless things don't we? We cut them. The twist needs to make things different, or you need to cut it. The twist in BROKEN plays a much bigger role in the two sequels I've got planned, but it does make Skye look at the characters involved differently.

--Tired twists make me want to throw things
"Oh noes! The villian has been the MC's father/mother/brother/second cousin all along?! WHOOOOOA!" No. Sorry, people, but if you want to use that twist, you're gonna have to really work it. Like I said up at the top, Star Wars kind of ruined that twist for everyone. Try coming up with something fresh and original.

--If you don't need a twist, don't use one
You can't use a twist just because you want to. Nope, sorry, that's just not how it works. Twists are meant to enrich the story for the reader, not to entertain you.

--What?
Twists need to make sense. Don't leave me thinking, "Huh? But...how? Why? WHAT?!" If you want to drop a twist on us, it needs to make sense in the story. You can't suddenly reveal your MC's love interest is actually a serial killer unless people have been dying mysteriously throughout the novel. If everything has been perfectly normal and you drop a bomb like that on me, I'll have to kick something. The last time that happened, I broke a toe, so please, don't put me through it again.

--Watch out for that plot hole
If you add a twist, make sure it doesn't open any plot holes. You don't want us to get to the twist and go, "Wait...but what about that thing that happened in chapter four? This doesn't make any sense." You've got to make sure the rest of your book lines up with your twist, or you'll just piss your reader off.


For those of your who skipped to the end:

*Drop hints or we won't buy it.
*Twists need to bring on some sort of change.
*Avoid cliched twists.
*Don't drop a twist for the hell of it.
*Don't give us the most unbelievable twist ever.
*Watch out, or you'll trip in that plot hole and break your leg.


Do you love plot twists like I do?
What makes an awesome twist?
What are a few of your favorite twists?
Do you use twists in your writing?


HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Night Writing

I woke up today at 2:30 pm.

I went to sleep at 8:00 am.

I believe I mentioned in a past post (can't be bothered to go find it) that I have insomnia. Horrible insomnia...that doesn't go away. Ever. I've always been this way, even when I was a baby. My mom has told me countless stories about her sleepless daughter keeping her up late into the night. The only way she could relieve the problem is to prop me in front of the TV and play Dances with Wolves. That usually kept my attention while she got some well-needed sleep.

That's something that's followed me into adulthood. The longest time I've ever gone without sleep is six days. That was just terrible, so I won't go into the full story.

When I was younger, I had to lay in bed with my TV volume on low, hoping Mom didn't wake up and RAWR at me for being awake so late. Even though I wasn't sleeping at night, I rarely fell asleep in class, so it's not like the insomnia ever hindered anything for me. It was just mildly annoying since I didn't have anything to do but watch boring late-night TV.

Now I've got something to fill those empty hours. Writing. And since everyone else is asleep, I haven't got anything to distract me. Night writing lets me spend lots of time with nothing but my writing without making me feel like I'm neglecting my family/boyfriend. I'm up during the day as well, so I spend my days with them and my nights on my computer.

But recently, I've been up late doing unproductive things, like watching the LRMReading channel on YouTube. It's funny to listen to those three read bad fanfiction, but it's not at all helpful. In fact, after listening to hours of BAD writing, it's kind of hard to get into the swing of good writing.

I need to kick myself in the ass and get back to work. As I've told you all, those videos/E-mails/text messages aren't going anywhere. They can wait until after I've filled my daily writing goal. My boyfriend tries to convince me it's okay to slack off and watch funny videos so I can relax a little, but he doesn't really understand how important daily writing is...especially for someone like me who can lose interest in things that sit for too long. I see where he's coming from--everyone needs to relax once in a while--but I still have goals to work toward.

I can relax afterwards.

Do you ever 'night write'?

Does it help or did you find you were just too sleepy to write anything good?

How do you feel about slacking off for a while? Does it help or hurt?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Tipster Tuesday (3)

Before kicking off this week's Tipster Tuesday post, I'd just like to say I feel like megacrap. My stomach is killing me. I didn't get any writing done today. I did a lot of reading though--started and nearly finished the sixth Demonata book. Had to do something to take my mind off the nearly-crippling stabbing pain in my guts. Meh...

ON TO BUSINESS!

Today's Topic:
Awesome First Scenes

Of all the scenes in your book, the first scene is (arguably) the most important. It's what hooks your potential reader and makes them want to read on. When I'm in a book store and see a book that piques my interest, I read the first few paragraphs to see if it grabs my attention. If it does, it goes in my "TOTALLY GONNA BUY THIS" pile (it's a very exclusive pile), but if it doesn't...it's going right back on the shelf where I found it.

Your first scene needs to grab the reader and shake them, demanding they read the rest. It's got to be powerful and compelling, but it's also got to make us care about the MC and their problems. It's got to draw us in, make us care, and compel us forward in the story. Whoo...sounds like a doozy, huh?

What makes your first scene awesome?

--Grab us quickly
It's best to put something interesting in the first few sentences to give the reader an impression of what to expect from the story. Something that catches their attention and makes them ask questions. (If they've got questions, they'll probably want answers.) I grabbed a few books from my room before starting, so let's take a look at their first few sentences.

"Something heavy on my center, smooth against my skin, shifting very slightly within itself, stretched and retracted. Occasionally a tap to the side, always in the same spot. I breathed. Instantly the thing was still." THE GARDEN by Elsie V. Aidinoff.

This works for me. I want to know what this "thing" is and why it's on the MC. Based purely on this, I would read on.

"After looking everywhere in the house, Alayna found Kiera in the barn, talking to the horses. Alayna knew that--given the chance--most children of five years would talk to horses. But Kiera was crying, sobbing, her voice coming out in gasps and hiccups, barely able to get the words out, and what she was saying to the horses was 'No, I'm sorry. I couldn't tell. But something terrible.'" THE BOOK OF MORDRED by Vivian Vande Velde.

What's wrong with the little girl? Why's she crying? What's she talking about? What's terrible? With so many questions that need answering, of course I'd keep reading!

"'I see...' said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window. For a long time he stood there against the dim light from Divisadero Street and the passing beams of traffic. The boy could see the furnishings of the room more clearly now, the round oak table, the chairs." INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice.

Sorry, Anne, but this is a no-go. Had I just picked this up at a book store, I probably would've put it back down. I actually have read it and, while a little flowery and over-written in place, I do really love the book. But these first few sentences don't give me any sense of approaching action/danger/compelling stuff.

"Double history on a Wednesday afternoon--total nightmare! A few minutes ago, I would have said I couldn't imagine anything worse. But when there's a knock at the door, and it opens, and I spot my Mom outside, I realize--life can always get worse." LORD LOSS by Darren Shan.

Oooh! How can life always get worse? What's going to happen? Also, you see how this started with the MC talking about his distaste for double history periods? That's something teenagers (the target audience) can relate to. Way to go! Now I feel connected to the MC!

"My name is Nicolette Dazincourt DeLande, and I have committed murder. How do you synopsize a life, I wonder, cut it back and down, hacking into it like an untamed wisteria, rampant with lavender blooms, tendrils all coiled around and choking. How do you trim and clip the lush foliage of a life, making it docile and compliant, conformed to a foreign shape and structure." BETRAYAL by Gwen Hunter.

Oh yeah! You had me at "and I have committed murder." Great job, Miss Hunter. You've pulled me in right off the bat. And then you come at me with this awesomely pretty language?! I can't read on quick enough!

--Let's see some action
I love fast-paced, action-packed stories. So when the action kicks off on the first page, it makes for a very happy Kristina. I can't stand a book that spends its first few pages doing nothing but giving back story and descriptions. That being said, it's perfectly fine to just hint at the action, but at least let me know it's on its merry little way.

--Make a connection
Give me something to connect with the MC on. Like in LORD LOSS with Grubbs calling his double history period a "nightmare." With his opinion and the way he put it out there, I could tell right away that I would like Grubbs. While I actually enjoyed history in school, I knew how he felt and could sympathize with his double history problem.

--Give me something to sink my teeth into
So don't start out with a dream. Sorry, but that's how I feel. First scenes that turn out to be a dream bug me. I'm still trying to get my bearings in this world of yours and you go and throw me for a loop? No thank you. Also, not that I'm the cliche police or anything...but starting off with a dream sequence is pretty high on that list of writing cliches. (Like I mentioned in my post, Just a Dream, if your whole book is based completely around dreams, go ahead and disregard that.)

--Grab me and don't let go
If the first page is full of super-machine gun battles (which are ten times cooler than normal, boring machine gun battles), ninjas, and Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks, keep that up. Don't have the next few pages be about the MC moving magnets on their refrigerator. It's okay to slow the pace down a little, but don't bring it to a complete stop.

--What now?
Like I said earlier, leave me with a handful of questions that desperately need answers. And not silly questions like, "Hey...did I leave the iron on?" That's like spending a weekend watching my Chia pet grow. Readers are curious little devils. If you leave them with a bunch of serious, potentially life-changing questions, they'll keep flipping pages until they get their answers.


For those who skipped to the end:

*Grab us right away with something interesting.
*Give us some action, even if it's just hinted at.
*Give the reader something to connect with the MC about.
*Start off with something solid (NOT a dream).
*If you've got a fast pace going, don't slow down.
*Leave me with some unanswered questions.


What did you think of the examples?
Which did you find most/least compelling?
What do you think makes a strong first scene?
If the first scene is boring, will you keep reading?


HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Awesome Upcoming Blogfests

Hiya, lovelies!

If you know me, you know I looooove blogfests. Here are a few I've signed up for recently.

The Twisted Christmas Fairy Tale Blogfest

Francine at Romancing the Blog is hosting this awesome fest.

Query Letter Blogfest

Jodi at Turning the Page is behind this amazing idea.

Midwinter Blogfest

Marieke from Marieke's Musings is hosting this fantastic blogfest.

If you love blogfests like I do, you should totally check these out and sign up if you're interested!

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Banned--I Already See It Coming

I had a friend of mine read over BROKEN and a few chapters of OPHELIA. I expected her to mark a few typos, but otherwise give me the usual friend critique ("OMG, so grrrrrreat!"). Instead, she asked me, "Do you realize how fast these books are going to be banned?"

Needless to say, I hadn't been expecting that reaction. I'm aware of the cussing, violence, sexual themes, and drug use in my writing, but I hadn't really considered my books might get banned because of it. Maybe it's because I've never had a problem with any of that "naughty" stuff in YA books. Or maybe I just had my rose-tinted glasses on.

But does that bother me enough to change it?

Honestly, it doesn't bother me at all. That stuff is all a part of my story. I'm writing the story I want to write, not the story the Prude Brigade wants. If some school/library/book store in Kansas (or Oregon or North Dakota or any other state) wants to stick me on a banned books list, that's cool with me. If the people in that town still want to read my books, they can always get them somewhere else.

While a big part of my writing dream is to entertain people with my stories, I'm still writing for myself. If I change my story to fit someone else's standards, I'm denying myself the pleasure of weaving the story I actually wanted. And that's soul-crushing. I'd rather write what's in my heart and be banned for it than write something I'm not passionate about to keep everyone happy.

AND! If I stripped my characters of their "naughty" behavior, I'd be changing who my characters really are. Skye is short-tempered and quick to jump into a fight. If I took away her violent tendencies, I'd ruin her. She wouldn't be Skye anymore without it. 

Ophelia is a gang member. She sells drugs, uses a few herself, and eventually gets sucked into a violent gang war where a lot of people die. If I took all that away to make sure everyone was happy, the story wouldn't even exist. If I worried about being banned, I couldn't write Ophelia's story at all.

I'm not going to tiptoe around just to keep everyone smiling. I'll write the story I want and if, for some reason, you're so uncomfortable with its content you want it banned, so be it. I won't apologize. I won't take it back. I won't change it.

If your book was banned, how would you feel?

Upset? Angry? Indifferent?

How do you feel about "naughty" elements in YA?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

(If you enjoyed this post, Quinn did a few very similar that you should check out. What Are You Doing? and The Right to Write.)

Tipster Tuesday (2)

Today's Topic:

LIKABLE MAIN CHARACTERS

I can't tell you the number of books I've stopped reading because of unlikable MCs. I read a book called STAKE THAT not long ago and, honestly, I really, REALLY disliked the MC. I finished the book, but it was an incredible chore. The MC came off as shallow--constantly mentioning the love interest's looks, while more or less ignoring his actual personality. (Or lack there of...but that's a topic for another day.) I felt that way about TWILIGHT'S Bella as well. I found her shallow and immature and...honestly, she was kind of a doormat at times. All in all, not someone I'd like to be friends with.

If your reader doesn't like your MC, s/he'll be less inclined to finish the book. It's like being trapped in an elevator with that really annoying guy from 3B that likes to talk about his recent battle with toe fungus. You know the one...

So, how do you make your characters likable?

--Avoid the damsel in distress

This was part of my problem with Bella. She always needed Edward and Jacob to save her. I think the bravest thing she did in the whole series was jumping off that cliff and that was out of stupidity, not bravery. (Sorry, but I think jumping off a cliff to hear your boyfriend's disembodied voice is stupid...and a little cuckoo, honestly.) If you can correct me and give me an actual act of bravery on Bella's part, go right ahead. Annnnyway, when your MC is a chick that always needs saving it makes her look weak. And no one wants to read that.

--Let them be heroic

And by heroic, I don't mean "victimized." Just because your MC survived being ship-wrecked, doesn't make them a hero. If he went back in, braving a ship quickly filling with ice-cold sea water, to save others, then he's a hero.

I do hate to keep bringing the TWILIGHT saga into this, but it just keeps popping into my head. You remember that scene in NEW MOON when the Volturi let Edward and Bella go and as they're leaving, they see some tourists being brought in and later hear them being slaughtered? Did they go to help those people? No. I would have seen as was very heroic of Edward to at least TRY to help...but he didn't. It bothered Bella, but she didn't try either...and she's definitely not getting any hero points from me for just being bothered.

--Perfection is the enemy

The term for this type of character is 'Mary Sue.' They're beautiful, guys love them, they can do no wrong, and if by some cosmically-unlikely chance they do, no one gets mad at them. Because they're a special snowflake, y'know? Well, that's boring and uninteresting and no one in their right mind wants to read about them. You remember the later books in the ANITA BLAKE series? Yeah...by the end of that, Anita was nothing but a huge Mary Sue.

--A good sense of humor is always a plus

I like a character that can make me laugh. If I'm reading your book and it makes me laugh, you've done something very right and I love you for it. Injecting your MC with a dose of funny is always a great way to win your reader over. But don't go too overboard or they'll start expecting a corny sticom laughtrack to play.

--Whiners don't make friends

People that constantly whine annoy me in real life, so opening a book and finding a whiny MC makes me want to throw something. Instead of having your MC complain about the things happening to them, have them try to change it.

--Quit being such a baby

This ties in with being a damsel in distress and whining. I don't like MCs that break down at the drop of a hat. I want to see some strong MCs. Grubbs from Darren Shan's DEMONATA series is a good example of a strong character. He's scared out of his mind about fighting demons, but he still does it.

For those of you who skipped to the end, here you go:

*Strong characters are more likable than whiny doormats in distress.

*Avoid the dreaded Mary Sue.

*I'll like you more if you can make me laugh.

*If you want us to like them, don't let them sit by while people are dying.

What makes you like a character?

What makes you dislike them?

Can you read a book even though you don't like the MC?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Killing Your Characters

Things with OPHELIA have been getting pretty heavy. As a result, I recently had to do something I've never done before...kill off one of my absolute favorite characters. *tear* It was harder than I expected it to be. I mean, I've killed plenty of characters before, but not one I was this close to.

I actually had to take a small break after that scene.

Does that make me weird? Am I too attached to my characters? Should the deaths of fictional people really get to me that much?

Personally, I think I'm just the right amount of attached. While it did really upset me, I still did it. Had I chickened out and reworked the story so he could live, then yes, I would say I've become too attached. But I let him die for the good of the story. (That sounds so cold.)

And it's not like I'm the only one who gets upset over fictional death. Hell, I remember people that cried during those last few Harry Potter books because one (or a few) of their favorites died. I've never done that, but I can understand why those people were so upset. Those characters were like real people to them. Knowing they'd never read about them again was pretty upsetting.

Knowing I'd never be writing that character again...well, it hurt a little.

Wanna know what hurts even more? The fact that I know most (if not all) my other favorites in OPHELIA will suffer a very similar fate before all this is over. *big tear* But who knows? Maybe by the end, I'll be so desensitized I won't care anymore. Lol.

Does killing off your characters upset you?

Are you attached to your characters?

Has the death of a fictional person ever affected you?

Were you one of those people who cried during the last few Harry Potter books?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Darn This Awesome New Idea

I've said it on my blog quite a few times...having two projects in the same phase of the writing process is a bad idea. I've preached it over and over--if you want to work on multiple projects, it'll make it easier on you if you have one in planning, one in work, and one in revision. And keep it that way. Don't starting writing that one in planning until you get the one that's already in work to revision. (And, naturally, by that time the one in revision should be off the table completely.)

Weeeell, here I am breaking my own rules. Even though I'm only about halfway done with OPHELIA, I've started writing something new. You might remember I mentioned a project I had in the works called VENGEFUL DEEP. (Mentioned very briefly in this post.)

Well, going against all the advice I've given you, I went ahead and started writing it. I've only got 5k done so far, but still...I kind of feeling like I'm cheating on OPHELIA. Like I'm doing something I really shouldn't be doing. I feel uber guilty.

But I got sort of hung up with OPHELIA. I know where the story needs to go and I know what needs to happen to get it there, but the words just aren't coming to me right now. So, against my better judgement, I started working on VENGEFUL DEEP. And the words just poured out. That's where my inspiration is right now.

But I'm not saying I'm going to kick OPHELIA to the side. I'm still going to work on it and get to the ending. With only 30-40k left to type, I'd be crazy to stop now.

Though I have actually noticed an upside to having two projects in the works at once. When you get a little block with your main WIP, you can switch over to the secondary WIP to power through it. Usually, when I run into a block, I'm not writing anything else, so I just don't write for a while. And that sucks. So, having something else to work on helps during those times when your idea well for the main WIP dries up.

Do you work on more than one WIP at once?

If so, did that help you during writer's blocks?

Did you feel guilty for ignoring your main WIP? (Or is that just some weird thing I do?)

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!

Just a Dream

First, to all my friends out there doing NaNo, good luck. I hope everything is going great so far and that you're all off to a magical start.

You guys are totally awesome :)

Now...on to business.

I've got a love-hate relationship with dream in writing. I enjoy writing them, and some of my favorite books/comics are based around dreaming. But I've also run across more than one dream sequence I've just hated.

One dream sequence I read recently that was actually well written, but still kind of disappointed me, was in book five of Darren Shan's Demonata series. (I bring that series up a lot, don't I?) It was a pretty gripping scene, so when I found out it was all a dream...I wanted to kick something. I wanted to see where that action was leading me, but it wasn't actually going anywhere. And that's a little disappointing.

But maybe that's because the amazing Mr. Shan had me believing that was the actual story. When I go into a dream sequence knowing it's a dream, I can usually enjoy it. But making me think this action-packed scene filled with awesome and glitter is the story, only to have it turn out to be the MC's subconscious mind running wild...ugh. That disappoints me.

UNLESS!

You jump into something just as action-y and compelling. If you have an amazing dream sequence, don't wake up into something extremely boring. I suppose that might work for something very specific like...your MC has an incredibly boring life, so s/he tries to escape into his/her super-interesting dreams or something along those lines. But that's one of the only times I'd be okay with that. Seriously.

Also, I'm sure you should know this...but I'm going to say it anyway. Dreams, like ever other scene you include in your finished product, need to have a POINT. Don't just decide, "Okay. I need to fill some space. Oh! I know! Dream sequence!" *grand hand gesture*

So, I'm sure you're all going, "Heeey...you said you liked dreams. What's going on?"

I do. Dreams can be such a great way to reveal your MC's deepest fears and desires. You can foreshadow danger and allude to things yet to come. Dreams are an amazing tool that, when used correctly, can really enrich your story. 

My second favorite web comic of all time is YU+ME: dream. I won't say too much about that--I'd hate to spoil it if you haven't already read it--but the amazing world Megan Gedris created, based around dreams, will always stick with me. I mean, I loved the characters to pieces and the story was fantastic (and the art is gorgeous in the later issues), but that whimsical world of win and awesome will always be my favorite thing about YU+ME.

Some of the most interesting books I've read in a long time are the ones that build whole worlds around dreams. But more often than not, I see dreams used as crutches. Instead of using them to their full potential, the writer just busts out a scene so boring and pointless it could be cut from the book all together without anyone really missing it.

How do you feel about dream sequences--love 'em or hate 'em?

Do you use them in your writing?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!