The Writer's Process Blog Hop

Hey all!

Today, I’m excited to be participating in a writer’s blog-hop about the writing process. As you may have noticed, I don’t do too much blogging and sharing (read: I’m shy!). But when my dear friend and CP, the fabulous Ami Allen-Vath, invited me to take place by tagging me in her post, I couldn’t resist. Check out Ami’s answers about her writing process here! And read my answers below:

1. What are you working on?

I’ve been revising a YA high fantasy novel for the past several months. During that time, I’ve also had to revise another book twice, and it was harder than expected to switch back and forth between the two! That said, I’m closing in on the last chapter and am quite proud of the result. It’s a fantasy adventure story about a friendship between two girls, super-creepy goblins, and of course, true love. There’s also a dash of humor. I hope to be able to share it with everyone someday!

I’ve been developing ideas for my next project as well. I don’t want to share too much yet, until it’s a little further along, but it will be an eerie YA historical fantasy that takes place in France during WWI. There might be witches and other creepy things. I’m especially excited about the setting, as I was lucky enough to visit France a few years ago and loved it.

2. How does your work differ from others in your genre?

I write in a few different genres, so I’ll start with my high fantasy novel I’ve been revising. It’s actually more of a ‘low’ fantasy—there’s no complex magic system, no large number of different creatures to keep track of. I think it does a good job of easing the reader into the fantasy aspect (fruit that turns people into vicious goblins) by taking place in a world where most of the rules are the same as our own. There’s also a new take on goblins and how they came to be in this story, inspired by Christina Rosetti’s poem The Goblin Market. The idea for the book first surfaced when I was talking to my husband about The Lord of the Rings. I love those books, but I always struggle to picture myself on Frodo’s adventure because almost every prominent character in Tolkien’s works is male. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, but when I decided to write a fantasy story, I made sure that the adventure focused on female characters surviving hardships in the wild and kicking butt!

My historical fantasy novel differs from others in the genre with its setting and mythology. Also, while it has a strong romantic story line, it also focuses on the relationship between a teen girl and an elderly woman. My grandparents are my favorite people in the world, and I haven’t seen a lot of grandparent figures in YA (that said, if you know a great YA about grandparents, comment and let me know!). The book also pulls in mystery and thriller elements along with the fantasy for what I hope is an intriguing story!

3. Why do you write what you write?

I write because I love looking for magic in the everyday, and if I can make someone else see the beauty around us with my words, then I feel I’m doing something positive with my time! I also write to escape, to travel places I would otherwise never get to see, and to go on the wildest adventures.

4. How does your writing process work?

First, I’ll get a new idea and scramble to write it down. I tend to get my best ideas either in the middle of the night or while in the shower (go figure!) so they usually end up scribbled onto a post-it note or the notepad on my iPhone before they make it to a shiny new Word document on my laptop.

Then I start to develop the project by choosing a name for my main character (something I can’t proceed without!). I’m a plotter, and my favorite way to do this is actually in Excel, where I can see a detailed map of the story scene by scene. This really helps later on, when I’m editing, because it’s easy to see where things can be cut when it’s laid out in a spreadsheet. See my post on revising for more on this!

Once I’ve got my first few chapters outlined and a query written (I still write them even though I have an agent, because I believe it’s the best way to understand the big picture of your story!), I’ll sit down to write on my couch in my sunny living room. My four rescue dogs provide a great distract—er, I mean, great company—while I’m drafting and editing! I work pretty much whenever the mood strikes, but I do think it’s very important to make time for family (read: playing Diablo III with my husband!).

When it comes time to share my work, I have six awesome CPs and betas who read and edit for me! They all have different strengths, so I can feel confident that my story is strong from many angles after they’ve been through it. My books wouldn’t be the same without them!


Well, there’s a little bit about me and my work. If you have questions I didn’t answer above, don’t hesitate to ask. And if you’re interested in reading about other writer’s processes, check out some of my favorites:

Teresa Yea: She’s one of my fierce CPs, one of my agency sisters, and best of all, a great friend! Her work is dark and lovely, and the pacing will have you finishing the book in one sitting. Find her on Twitter @litconnection.

Hilary Harwell: One of my agency sisters and a terrific beta reader. Her MG stories have a fresh, authentic voice and they’re deliciously creepy. Not to mention super fun and memorable! Follow her on Twitter @AnInspiredMind.

Rachel Pudelek: Another agency sister of mine who writes a variety of awesome things, from YA horror with strong female protagonists to Egyptian-based MG fantasy. She can be Twitter-stalked @Rachelpud

Thanks for reading!

On Inspiration

So here's another post that my lovely agent gets some credit for! She asked me to write a few lines about my inspiration for fantasy novels (she's going to be sharing the words at an upcoming SCBWI conference). I thought I'd share them here as well.

Inspiration:

Two things come to mind when thinking about my inspiration for writing any type of fantasy. First, I’ll often make a list of elements I loved in favorite fantasy novels or movies—whether it’s a type of setting, a romance trope, etc.—and try to see what twists I can create from them. Second, I look for magic in the everyday, because it somehow makes my descriptions of other worlds even more vivid when I sit down to write.

...Also, for no reason other than that I feel like it, here's a picture of me and my adorable little Juliet. Who can resist a ten-pound greyhound? :)

Until next time!

The One Where I Give Advice on Revising

I don't usually give writing advice to anyone, especially knowing that what works for one person doesn't always work for another. However, my fabulous agent recently asked me and her other clients to share some revision advice on her blog, and this post was born! I'm not sure when her post with all our revision advice will go up, so check in at her blog often--there's some great information for querying writers there, besides.

On Applying Feedback

*Brainstorm right away if the mood strikes, but at the same time, wait a day or two (at least!) before you actually begin planning out the revision. Not only will this give you more time to process the feedback you've been given, but you might also find that even more brilliant ideas come to you while you’re mulling things over.

*When I'm beginning a revision, I like to make a chapter-by-chapter plan of attack first (I love to plan things, so if this isn't your style, that's cool too!). For instance, if I need to add a scene between two characters, I’ll outline the best place for my new scene between existing scenes/chapters in a new Word document. Some feedback will of course apply throughout the whole MS, so I make a separate list/Word doc of things I should change in every chapter.

*Even if you don’t outline before writing your novel, it may be helpful to write a brief chapter-by-chapter or scene-by-scene outline when you're ready to start revising. That way, you can get a sense for how your book flows overall and where to add scenes if necessary, or else trim others to amplify tension. (When I do this for a book, I use an Excel document and make a spreadsheet that details chapters, scene numbers, characters in a given scene, and a brief description of plot points in a scene. This is something my agent did with me to show me where I could trim certain scenes in an MS, and I've found it incredibly helpful with revising any story).

*When actually doing a revision, be prepared to do multiple read-throughs of your MS. For me, what works best is going through once and making any major changes, then going through a second time to line edit, checking for filter words, showing vs. telling (every writer's enemy!), and any places where I can tighten the prose on the revised MS before sending it back to my agent or CPs. 

Helpful Tips

*Stay true to your story. Maybe that sounds cheesy, but what I mean is, there’s no one way for feedback to be taken. It's like that Neil Gaiman quote: "Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what's wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." So, if you’re told to change something in your story, make sure you change it in a way that remains true to your vision for your work. At the same time, don’t refuse to change something simply because it seems too daunting. In my experience, I’ve found that the changes that seem the most intimidating or painful are the ones that ultimately make my story so much stronger!

*Never be afraid to ask for questions or clarification. As my agent will tell you, I ask questions until I’m confident about making changes! I also use my CPs to help with ideas if I get stuck on a certain bit of feedback. They come up with some amazing suggestions for changes and plot twists!

*Always read dialogue out loud. I do this when drafting too, but it’s equally relevant when revising. I also read revised passages of my MS aloud to check for weak spots in the writing. Those spots are usually indicated by places where I pause/stumble.

*Have some CPs/betas lined up who are willing to read your revised draft—ones who preferably haven't read your book before. I’ll admit, I’ve had a few CPs re-read scenes from a revised MS, but only when the scene is new or drastically changed. On the whole, I feel you’ll benefit more from having new eyes on your revision to see if everything works the way you envisioned.

Overall, the best advice I have for a revising writer is to plan your revision out—map your chapters and scenes in Word or Excel. This will make planning where to apply feedback and make changes so much clearer. At least, that's what works for me!

If anyone out there has tips on revisions, or ways to revise other than what I mentioned above, I'd love to hear them! Similarly, if you have a question about revising, please ask and I'll try my best to answer!

Happy writing/editing/revising, all!

Fun Writing App

There's a fun online writing tool that many folks have been tweeting/blogging about lately, and I wanted to chime in and echo just how entertaining is is. Here's the link to I Write Like, an app that analyzes your writing style and word choice to determine which "famous writer" your work most resembles. I put "famous writer" in quotes because I'm not sure how large their database of recognized authors is.

To use I Write Like, you simply paste a few pages of your ms into the box that appears on the page, and then you'll see your results. I experimented by using samples from all over each of my novels (pages 1-5, pages 100-103, for instance), and got consistent results for each novel each time. That's impressive!

For my book Fear the Drowning Deep, a YA historical fantasy, I got:

I write like
Neil Gaiman

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

For my book The Goblins' Price, a YA high fantasy, I got:

I write like
J. R. R. Tolkien

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

What's really awesome about this, at least to me, is that these two amazing gentlemen are easily the greatest influences on my writing. I know this is just a silly app for fun, but still, it's nice to think a little of their magic might have rubbed off on me :)

An Overdue Update

Aside from posting about the Sun Vs. Snow contest in which I was a mentor (yay Team Snow!), I haven't updated this page in the past few months--but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy!

Here are some cool things that have happened recently:

*Back in November, my husband and I took advantage of the 3-day Veterans' holiday to travel. First, we stopped in Baltimore, MD for FaerieCon, a fairy-themed festival of art, books, music, crafts, etc. While there, I met the amazing Charles de Lindt, and even managed to say a few words to him!

Here I am with the man himself! 

On the same trip, we also drove up to New York City, where we spent the night in a beautiful hotel and had coffee with my friend, the talented Alona Raevska (you can check out her music here).

A little blurry, but here we are enjoying coffee and tea.

The next morning, my husband and I spent some time in Union Square before having brunch with my fabulous, hard-working agent!! That's right, I met her! And it was awesome! The three of us (me, Christa and my husband, Chris) had brunch at this great French place, where I had a goat cheese omelet. Yum!

With Christa :)

*I enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving week at the beach with my family, and then in early December...my YA historical fantasy, Fear the Drowning Deep, went out on submission!!! That's right. As I type this, Fear is sitting on some desks or e-readers, trying to make its way in the world :) Wish me (and my book) lots of luck!

*In January, to cure the on-submission waiting blues, I mentored a group of wonderful writers in Michelle Huack and Amy Trueblood's contest, Sun Vs. Snow (links to their blogs can be found in the contest post I made!). 

 

*January was also a crazy month in my personal life as my grandmothers were both having some serious health issues, one of my greyhounds cut his foot all the way to the tendon--ouch!--and another of my greyhounds had a stroke, from which she's recovering nicely. I had to put things on hold a few times in January to just be grateful for my loved ones. It's a good thing to do in general, besides. :)

Khaleesi, left, had a stroke a few weeks back but is already acting like her old self! Thank goodness for that. Her sister Julietta is on the right.

*Writing-wise, I've been revising my YA high fantasy novel The Goblins' Price, and researching/outlining/drafting an exciting new WIP that I can't wait to share more about. I'm hoping to finish the Goblins revision by the end of February, and dive headfirst into this new WIP!

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more fun updates to share soon, sans doggy health problems. Happy writing, everyone!

Winter Fun: Sun Vs Snow Contest!

I'm so excited to be a mentor in Michelle Huack's and Amy Trueblood's Sun Vs Snow query and first page contest in January! It seems fitting to start off 2014 by paying forward some of the wonderful help that landed me my agent this year.

If you're a writer with a complete MS and you're interested in entering, details for the contest can be found on both Michelle's and Amy's blogs. Can't wait to read and critique the fabulous entries for Team Snow! Good luck everyone!!!

EVER by Jessa Russo - Release Day Giveaway!

Happy Release Day, EVER! 

To celebrate EVER's rebirth, and Jessa Russo’s first step into the indie self-publishing world, she is giving you the first chapter of EVER for FREE! Yup! FREE! You can read along, decide if you want more, then click on one of the buy links below to grab a copy for yourself! *Paperbacks available soon!

Check out the FREE first chapter HERE. 

We're also having some fun on Twitter (details below), and Jessa has also compiled TWO prize packs of super awesome stuff! There will be one (1) lucky winner in the US, and one (1) lucky winner Internationally! Want to know what we’re giving away? 

***GIVEAWAY FUN!***

The winner(s) will receive the following items:

US ONLY Prize Pack (ONE winner):
Set of 4: custom Frankie4Ever / Toby4Ever Coasters (2 of each) + Signed EVER bookmarks +
Signed paperback copy of EVER by Jessa Russo (YA)
Complete set* of The Darkness Falls Trilogy e-books from Krystal Wade (YA)
*Includes WILDE'S FIRE, WILDE'S ARMY and WILDE'S MEADOW
Signed paperback copy of EYRE HOUSE by Cait Greer (NA, adult content)
Paperback copy of THE CHARGE by Sharon Bayliss (YA)
Paperback copy of SEALED WITH A CURSE by Cecy Robson (A, mature content)

INTERNATIONAL Prize Pack (ONE winner):
E-book of EVER by Jessa Russo (YA)
Complete set* of The Darkness Falls Trilogy e-books from Krystal Wade (YA)
*Includes WILDE'S FIRE, WILDE'S ARMY and WILDE'S MEADOW
E-book of THE CHARGE by Sharon Bayliss (YA)
E-book of BROKEN FOREST by Eliza Tilton (YA)
E-book of THE VALENTINE CHALLENGE by Marisa Cleveland (A, mature content)
E-book of THE GATHERING DARKNESS by Lisa Collicutt (YA)
E-book of 1,000 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS by Connie Michael

ENTER HERE:
a Rafflecopter giveaway | a Rafflecopter giveaway

***TWITTER FUN!***

We're also going to be tweeting a bit today, to celebrate not just EVER's re-release (hashtag: #EVERTrilogy), but also playing up a major theme of the book--Ever's love for her deceased best friend. We'll be tweeting the theme with the hashtag #IfICouldBringBack and then sharing who we would bring back and why, or what we'd do with them, etc.

So, sticking with EVER as my example, the main female character of the series may tweet something like this:

#IfICouldBringBack Frankie, I'd finally tell him the truth. That I've loved him since we were in diapers. #EVERTrilogy 

Who would you want to bring back? An old flame? A relative? Maybe a famous author or dignitary? Think about it and join in the fun on Sunday, 9/1/13! We'll see you on Twitter!

***BOOK DETAILS!***

EVER

The EVER Trilogy, Book One 

By Jessa Russo

September 1, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious. Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible. 

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love. 
Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads | Facebook (The EVER Trilogy)

Jessa Russo's Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook (Friend) | Facebook (Follow/Like)

Stay tuned for the second book in the trilogy, EVADE, set to release on October 1st, 2013! 
You can now add EVADE on Goodreads!

Remember to follow EVER's 9/1/13 re-release day FUN on Twitter with these hashtags: 

#EVERTrilogy

and 

#IfICouldBringBack