It's been a month, so let's see what everyone is up to out there. Janet Reid has a link on her blog about NaNoWriMo, which I am doing - after a fashion, stretching the time limit out to three months with 55k words instead of the usual 50k in 30 days. Not exactly the same, but I'm quite enjoying myself! So maybe that is not the best way to begin this, because the link sent me to Murderati and the article on NaNoWriMo is rather dour, all doom and gloom, "write a book for her." Though perhaps they have a point: that stories are often written for those who need an escape. Lord knows I find escape in my writing, once those juices are flowing.
Well, perhaps The Beacon Blog will prove more uplifting. Ah, yes! Here we are encouraged to be professional with our choice of addresses, none of that soccergurl49, please. Why? Because you will be lost amidst the shuffle when your editor/agent goes looking for your name. What's more, she even suggests getting "your own" email, that is, one for which you pay, not a free service.
While we're talking about professional attitudes, The Urban Muse suggests reclaiming some of the house for one's own. Granted, she works out of the house, so I suppose that one's office is subject to one's working conditions. But the idea is sound and the pictures are excellent and motivating. And really, it is all about getting the most and best work done, and doing it right. So whether you do like Miss Muse and redecorate your house, or like King and curl up in a broom closet, take whatever environment you have a clean it up!
Blue Rose Girls have got a post up answering a couple questions, one of them about children's books and dummies. For those who are not familiar with "dummies," they are the rough sketches for picture books, like a graphic novel's first thumb sketches. The text for the book is complete and ready for print, but must be carefully laid out on so many pages (often ~32) for the sake of printing and other needs. I found this post helpful because I'm interested in a few of my stories possibly becoming picture books and it will be good to know what to expect. Here, it was asked whether one should indicate the action if it is not made clear. Rose Girls said "yes," sketch it or write it in the margins if it is important enough and carries the story along.
Over at Cynsations there's an interview with Kiersten White, author of Paranormalcy. As I'd never heard of the book and suspect that I am not alone, here is a synopsis shamelessly ripped from that post:
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.
Okay, so I really should be objective, but let's be honest: my first reaction to this was, "not again." No, it's not the teen romance or the inevitable angst or the prom-night maiden on the cover (although I admit she is quite the bombshell). Actually, I'm just getting a bit tired of the "teens deal with teen problems and teen angst in a fantasy setting." Ever since Harry Potter, it seems as though the world is swimming in a steady deluge of genre fiction from the teenaged point of view. And why not! I'm sure they sell out routinely. But is it not enough that Twilight and Percy Jackson had to jump on the bandwagon? Even though the tales young masters Potter and Jackson are rather masterful (I honestly can't speak for that shady Cullen fellow), one must question why the world feels the need to follow a winning trend.
But then, I suppose I just answered my own question there!
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