Look at This Thing I'm Doing #1: YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge

                I’m a bit late signing up for this, but that’s alright because anyone can sign up at any point in the year. In fact, you should go sign up. Right now. Here.

                Brought to us courtesy of thebookcellarx, this challenge is to ‘read and review ten YA/MG fantasy books that come out at any point in 2012.’

                Why participate?

•                 If you love fantasy like I do, but sometimes miss the memo about grand books until they’ve been out for a couple years, this is your (our) chance to get on the ball. There’s even a handy spreadsheet available with lists of fantasy books coming out this year.

•                 If you link to your reviews each month, you’ll be entered in giveaways. In which you could be given free stuff. Who doesn’t like free stuff?

•                 If you’re interested in reading reviews of upcoming books, and/or comparing your opinions with other readers, then you could consider this one big book club.

•                 If you were going to read at least ten fantasy books this year anyhow, why wouldn’t you join?

                Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some reading to do. :)

                But first—

                THE ONLY ENTRANTS WINNERS OF THE REVIEW GIVEAWAY CONTEST:

                Amanda the Aspiring

                Kayla Anne

                I’ll probably contact you tomorrow when it’s not approximately past my bedtime, otherwise e-mail me what you’d like to be reviewed (a short story or the first chapter of a novel) at probloguewriter(AT)mail2world(DOT)com.

                Are you participating in the Fantasy Reading Challenge? Any other challenges? What books coming out in 2012 are you excited for?

How to Write Neutral Reviews (Contest!)

Details on how to win a review of either a short story or the first chapter of your novel will be found at the end of this post. :)

“You suck,” says your reviewer. “I hate the main character you came up with. This is the worst science fiction novel I’ve ever read. Why were you wasting your time on this?”

            With every word, knives plunge into the story you’ve worked so hard on, and sink through to the offering hands beneath. Your heart doesn’t escape the massacre; you put it into your manuscript, after all.

            You resolve to never let anyone see your writing, ever again. Maybe you resolve to never write again, period.

            The above is an example of what not to do when reviewing a work, especially when it’s the work of an amateur, or someone who’s never received much feedback.

            I’m sure most writers flinched while reading the above example. Maybe you’ve received a similar review in the past, or maybe you’ve received one that’s even worse (Ouch). But if you’d like some specifics on why a review like this is not helpful…

            The Knives:

·         Accusing Words: “You suck.” “You came up with.” “You wasting Your time.” This reviewer failed to put distance between the work and the author, equating you with this one story (Friends or family might do this on the other end of the scale, gushing about the story and giving praise just because their grandchild/child/best friend/etc. wrote it.).

When receiving a review like this, just remember. Your heart may be in this book, but it will grow back, in time for you to put it into your next story, and the one after that. Just because your book sucks (at the moment) does not mean that you suck. Also, the point of feedback is not to fluff your ego. It’s to make your story better.

When reviewing, try to emphasize the fact that this is one opinion. “I didn’t like this because…” “I felt that the character was…” Etc.

·         No Specifics: “I hate your main character.” Why? Was the character flatter than the paper he was printed on? Did they hate his personality, or the choices he made? Or did they just hate the character because he just happened to share a first name with the reviewer’s ex?

When receiving, ask follow-up questions if you have the opportunity. Get the reviewer to elaborate on their answers. If that’s not possible, think about what the problem might’ve been, and perhaps ask future reviewers to make notes on what they liked or didn’t like about that area (characters, dialogue, etc.).

When reviewing, be specific. Say exactly what you disliked about something. How else would you expect the writer to fix things? Also, don’t forget to sat exactly what you like about a project, so the writer knows what they’re doing right.

·         Sweeping Generalizations: “This is the worse science fiction novel I’ve ever read.” There are a lot of science fiction novels out there, folks. There are a lot of novels in any genre. None of us have read all of them. And not all of us can be on par with the greats, especially during the drafting stages. 

When receiving, tell yourself that the reviewer must have simply been very selective/lucky in their book choices up until now. Remind yourself that it’s an opinion. If you reeeeeally have to, think of the worst book you’ve ever read in your genre, and ask yourself, “Am I writing at this level or higher?” If your honest answer is no, then maybe you still have some work to do. But remember. Published books have usually gone through countless revisions, with professional editors, etc. You have some time to reach that level.

When reviewing, try not to exaggerate. Remember that there’s a person on the other side of the screen, and when you say ‘worst ever’, some people will hear and believe that you mean ‘WORST. EVER.’ And considering some of the books out there, ‘worst ever’ is a big statement to throw around.

·         No Encouragement: “Why were you wasting your time on this?” Wasting our time? Imagine someone who’s trained since birth to be the master of their field, growing in leaps and bounds, jumping up and down in excitement with every advancement. They are approaching what they believe is the pinnacle of their successes thus far… And then someone walks by and says, “Why you wasting your time on this junk? Go do something worthwhile with the years you’ve got left, ya’ hobo.” There can be no graver insult. This is the added twist to the knife. Wasting our time?

When receiving, remember the movies where someone has a dream, and when passersby say “You’re wasting your time”, all they do is work harder. They prove the passersby wrong. That is you. And you are not wasting your time. Even if your work-in-progress right now never reaches the heights you’d imagined, it’s practice. It’s a step on the stairs leading you to success. With each thing you write, you get more and more experience. And that is not wasting your time. 

When reviewing, always try to include something positive. Never give the writer the impression that ‘there is no hope.’ Point out an area where they’re strong, or where you can see that they’re almost understanding what it is they can do to get better. Encourage them to keep writing, if not with the current story, then with the next.

            At its core, the what-not-to-do example is an example of feedback, perhaps by an inexperienced reviewer. A reviewer who got eepy “NO, DON’T DO THIS” vibes about a certain something, but didn’t know how to put the problem into words. Were they polite? No. Were they harsh? Kinda, yeah. But at its core, the above example was saying:

            “I do not like your main character. This book might not be ready to compare with already-published books in the genre. I would consider working on a different project.”

            Not perfect, but better. A step in the right direction. And one opinion.

            Keep writing, everybody.

            How would you rewrite the what-not-to-do review? What other things have bothered you in reviews? What’s the harshest review you’ve ever received, and has it helped you improve at all since receiving it?

            Also, a reminder: Comment on this post and you can be entered into a drawing to win a review of either a short story or the first chapter of your novel. If you also comment on the previous post, you’ll receive a second entry in your name. I'll draw for the winner(s?) in one week. Good luck!

The Importance of Hearing Reviews

First, I am not trying to stir up controversy. I’m not on Goodreads. I’m usually the person who hears about drama after the fact. Everything I know about recent events (probably about 2% of what actually happened) came second-hand. I will not name names. I am not trying to add to the drama.

                But I am going to talk about reviews, and their importance, especially for unpublished writers. I allude to the Goodreads drama only because I have a somewhat unique perspective on one part of it.

                I had the opportunity to read and critique a draft of one of the books involved, before anyone knew it was being picked up for publication.

                The writer approached me. At the time, she was unpublished as well, and looking for feedback, from a lot of different people. She was rather polite, and I said okay. I read her novel, and wrote my review as usual. I forget how long it took, but I doubt I finished in one sitting. I sent the review.

                I got a response from the writer, who was not happy. She stated, perhaps a bit testily, that she didn’t agree with certain aspects of my review. I stayed polite, but wrote back to try and further explain my thoughts. I forget the specifics of what was said, but I’m 84% sure that I also said something like, “This was just the impression I got, but if I’m seeing this, chances are good that someone else is going to think the same way.” We sent a few messages back and forth. The writer was calmer, I think, by the end of it. And we eventually reached a point of “Agree to Disagree”. That was the end of it.

                Except it wasn’t, really.

                I give thorough reviews. I usually write down whatever thoughts come to me as I read, in all their witty/sarcastic/‘oh, isn’t this funny!’ glory. I try to find something good in everything I read. So, usually, I’d say my reviews are balanced between good and bad, serious and funny… I try to explain everything I feel about the story. Like I said, I doubt I finished writing my review of her novel in one sitting.

                And the writer’s responses made me feel like she wasn’t going to pay attention to any of it. She didn’t agree with certain parts of my review, so she was going to ignore the whole thing. And even though I sort of shrugged it off, I couldn’t help but remember that writer’s reaction, especially when it would’ve been so easy for her to say, “I don’t agree with everything you said, but thanks for your time, and I’ll keep your concerns in mind.”

                When I heard her book was going to be published, I’ll admit that three things were in my head. A moment of surprise. Some calculations of how much time she’d had to revise since I left my review. And finally a desire to read the book – mostly so I could see if she’d changed it much from the version I read. Mostly so I could see, “Did she listen at all to what I said?”

                I don’t like saying it, but I probably wasn’t as happy for her as I would’ve been, had our initial exchange gone differently.

                And now, when I hear of the drama, and hear a few words about the review in question that make me think it probably pointed out some of the same things my review did, before the book was published…

                It is impossibly hard to hold in an “I told you so.”

                But that’s not what this blog post is. This blog post is for us, the unpublished writers who are sending our works out into the world, squirreling away feedback and trying to polish our manuscripts into something beautiful.

                For me, this has been a reminder to take every review seriously, even if you don’t agree with everything. Whether it’s a three-page monster of a review, chewing up your manuscript and spitting it out in disgust. Whether it’s one line – “I don’t like your characters.” Or whether it’s one little suggestion in the midst of a larger review, where a polite, professional reviewer suggests you change something that’s been the foundation of your story for as long as you can remember.

                We need to hear our reviews.

                That doesn’t mean listening to so many voices that we forget our own. But it does mean keeping in mind, “If one person feels this way, other readers might too.” Especially if more than one review points out the same issues.

                We don’t need to act on every suggestion. We can pick and choose what exactly we change, and how much influence a review has on us. But when we’re still unpublished, this is our time to fix things. It’s our time to see what bothers people, and make our books the best they can be. Our reviewers now represent our future readers, and as such we cannot afford to ignore them.

                We need to remember that everyone has their opinion. We need to be willing to hear those opinions. We can’t block out everything that hurts our feelings. But we can decide how to respond, both now and in the future.

                Next week I’ll have a post about the reviewing side of things – how to keep things neutral, how to be truly helpful, etc.

                And, because the time seems right. I’m holding a contest.

                Leave a comment, on either this post or the one next week, and you’ll be entered to win a review from me, of either a short story or the first chapter of your book. Comment on both posts to get your name entered twice. :)

                In two weeks, I’ll draw for the winner(s?)!

                Keep writing, everybody. ;)

                Do you like the idea of this contest? Are you on Goodreads, and if you are, would you recommend joining? What’s the most helpful review you’ve ever received, and why?

Goals for a New Year

I am a bad, bad blogger. My first post of 2012, which was supposed to be so big and profound, and wonderful, and original…

                Is just late.

                *sigh*

                So, I suppose my first resolution should be:

1.       Keep up with the blog. And blog well.

                My second resolution is the resolution I’ve made for a couple years now, and haven’t yet achieved, despite the best of intentions.

2.       Lose weight. Finish polishing a novel (to the point where it is ready to submit somewhere, or at least be seen by someone other than myself).

                I have so many rough drafts, guys. Some worse than others, some that deserve to be burned in a fiery pit of fire… But I’ve made rough drafts. I’ve planned series, and written the first books…

                But I still have not bolted myself down to the revision table and finished anything. Which is a problem. Especially when this year will also see the start of college, where I will have about as much free time as a person with no free time.

                By the end of the year, I want to at least be ready to maybe think about starting to look into querying. Maybe.

                Another thing I’m going to do this year is…

3.       Keep track of the books I read.

                I have been reading for a long time. I have loved more books than a person who loves books (don’t I make the best comparisons in the late, late evening?) and yet whenever someone asks for recommendations, all they get is a blank stare, and if they’re lucky: “Oh, there was this great book, about a thing. But I forget the title and author… But the cover was green. I think.”

                I plan to remedy this in 2012.

                Using a handy, color-coded spreadsheet.

                Here I planned to include a screenshot of the aforementioned spreadsheet, but unfortunately such a thing would not fit in this post, so instead I’ll just say that it includes columns for:

·         Date I Finished

·         Title

·         Author

·         Genre

·         Where I got it (own it, library, school, etc.)

·         Additional Thoughts (things I liked, things I didn’t like, etc.)

                And, to make it pretty, varying shades of green, yellow, and red will show whether I loved the book, hated it, or didn’t care either way.

                The thought of this excites me immensely. 8]

                What are you doing this year? Any goals, for writing, reading, or otherwise? And what were your favorite books of the year?

The Growth of Imagination: A Pro(B)logue Christmas Special

Any children in the room? Anybody who still sends letters to Santa, or puts out cookies and milk? Anyone who heatedly debates whether the ride around the world is possible through turbo-powered reindeer or powers of teleportation?

No? Okay then, it’s safe to read on.

Here’s the thing, dear readers. I’ve never really believed in Santa Claus.

It just wasn’t something my family did. Mom and Dad bought our presents, and we were aware of that, and we’d spaz out about all our gifts anyway. We knew of this ‘Santa’, but we knew him as nothing more than a story, or the subject of countless Christmas specials. Fiction.

It was the same thing with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. We just never did the whole, “These things exist!” spiel. Growing up, I think it surprised me how many people had gone through a period of time when they really, truly believed that these benevolent beings were real.

                Once, I think, we convinced Mom and Dad to let the ‘tooth fairy’ bring me money. But even then, I knew they were simply giving me a quarter.

                Once, at my grandparents’ house, we put out cookies, etc. But at the time I wasn’t thinking about the wonders of a jolly man in red sneaking into the house and leaving presents. I was thinking, “I wonder whether Dad or Grandpa will be the one to eat those cookies…”

                Do I feel like I missed out on something? Do I hold some kind of grudge against my parents for depriving me of memories that other people seem to cherish?

                Not really. *shrug*

                One thing is for sure. My imagination was not stunted by our lack of gift-giving folklore. As I mentioned in one of my last posts, there are four series in my head, extensively plotted. Other books lurk in the background.

                And a few days ago, I got the new idea for a middle-grade novel involving a girl with a bag of tricks, a boy who talks to pigeons and living gargoyles, and a nun-in-training named Hornet Grey.

                Writer’s block? Ha. It strikes now and again, but my biggest problem is finding the time and motivation to get all the ideas on paper.

                So if an imagination isn’t stoked into being by an early belief in Santa and company, where does it come from?

                Honestly, I don’t fully know. I doubt anyone knows, entirely. Who can say how we get the ideas for living gargoyles, or wizarding schools, or *sigh* vampires that sparkle? There are some odd books out there, folks. Even odder than the ones I’ve mentioned. And all those odd ideas come from somewhere.

                All the odd ideas. All the plot twists that shock even the authors. All the strands of story that don’t really seem to fit together, until suddenly – in a flash – they do.

                We can’t know where all these things come from.

                But I think we can take a pretty good guess.

                My first stories were a complete rip-off of the Magic Tree House books. Shortly after reading Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, I figured out that a series that’s been around for a while actually needs to be steampunk. The book I’m revising now is a spin on the kid-goes-to-another-world story that we see in Chronicles of Narnia. Before coming up with this latest idea, I read A Tale Dark and Grimm – a middle-grade novel.

                We may not know all the specifics of how we develop our imaginations, or the paths those imaginations take us down. But the books we read play an important part of the process, I’m sure.

                So.

                What are you reading? What books have influenced your stories? What books have made you stop and think, “How on Earth did the author come up with this?”

                And happy holidays, folks.

                If you’ll excuse me, I have some books to work on.

Storybook Romances: Instant Love v. The Blossom

I like the idea of love at first sight.

                I love when two characters meet for the first time, and zap. The chemistry between them inexorably links the two in your mind with a single thought: These two MUST end up together.

                However, I feel there’s a difference between flying sparks… and infernos that blaze out of control in less time than it takes to think, “Oh, they could be a cute couple.”

                How many books have you read where the author shoves two characters into a scene, they have their grand shining moment of [sometimes creepily] staring at each other, oblivious to all else for just a few moments…

                And then a chapter later they’re deeply, deeply in love. Willing to sacrifice everything (family, old friends, the futures they’d planned) in order to be together. Willing to die for the relationship, despite the fact they’ve only known each other for a few weeks, or days, or hours…

                As you may have gathered, this is not a plot element I’m particularly fond of. It’s something I find a lot in the paranormal/urban fantasy I’ve read. And to be honest, I think it may be one of the things that turns me off to those genres. I’m sure there are better stories in those genres than the ones I’ve read. I just haven’t found them yet.

                But, before I have paranormal-lovers dashing away in a huff, let me just say that I realize not every story can contain two people who’ve been growing together since birth, or a couple who’s been together for years and years. I think I’d find an excessive number of those stories to be tiring as well.

                Sometimes, your destined pair meets for the first time within the course of the story. Sometimes, events push them together very quickly. Sometimes it’s just necessary to move the plot forward, fast. And I’m not unaware that some people do fall for each other that quickly.

                My main concern is that the progression of these relationships is believable.

                I think Maureen Johnson handled this kind of thing very well in Name of the Star -- which I recommend, by the way. Boarding schools, ghosts, Jack the Ripper. T’is good. ;)

                In it, there’s a relationship that starts and progresses fairly quickly. Granted, I’m not particularly fond of the guy, and this relationship isn’t exactly a crucial, crucial piece of the plot. These particular characters aren’t risking their lives for each other by the end. Frankly, I still have my hopes that the Main Character will end up with a certain other character I’d love to know more about…

                But the relationship does move very quickly from, “I have just met you, and find you rather cute” to making out on a couple different occasions.

                It didn’t bother me as much as some fast-starting relationships, and I think a number of factors contributed to that.

1.       Somewhere around their first meeting, the MC states casually that he reminds him of her ex. This did two things for me. It showed me that he is conceivably the kind of guy that she would already think about dating (not just some random, shiny new guy who she knows nothing about ‘but that makes him INTERESTING 8D’) and it showed me the slightest hint of misgivings. When you first meet someone, you have no idea what they’re like. They could be your dream guy, but they could also be a psychopath, a socially awkward compulsive liar, or a vampire who’d pick drinking your blood over eating a hot fudge sundae, any time. There is a very high probability that you will have doubtish things on your mind, even if you choose to ignore them. Commenting on the love interest’s somehow-annoying habit will not immediately eliminate them as a candidate for love. The way I see things, it could make the situation feel more real.

2.       There was a brief time in the ‘friends’ stage, where they exchanged words, got to know each other a bit, etc. All of which led to…

3.       The Blossom. “I felt the like blossom in me.” That’s how Maureen Johnson put it, and when I read it I kind of paused and thought, “That’s exactly it.” Someone could be interesting at first. Intriguing. Definitely date-able. But I think that in most cases, there will be a few sharp moments where you really know for sure – where it becomes official.

                INSTANT LOVE

                Pros: Can quicken the pace. Potential to find later that not all is peachy – adds conflict.

                Cons: Easy to rush. Can be unbelievable. May be hard to get a sense of the character as an individual. Easy example: Imagine if Bella never ever met Edward. -_-

                THE BLOSSOM

                Pros: Can be more realistic/believable. Potential for ‘D’aaaaw!’ moments. More time to root for the characters to come together.

                Cons: Could take longer to set up. Impatient readers may want them to “get on with it already.” The MC noticing more of the love interest’s flaws could make them more noticeable to us as well, which could turn off some readers to the couple in the first place.

                I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love when two characters meet, and zap. They’re linked together in your mind with a single thought: These two MUST end up together.

                But just because we think that right away, doesn’t mean the characters need to.

                What kind of relationships do you prefer in books? What books stand out in your mind as examples?  Books in genres besides the ones I mentioned? Which romances between characters fell flat, in your opinion? What relationships do you tend to write about?

                And if you’d like to change my mind about paranormal/urban fantasy, and have some book recommendations for me, leave them in the comments. XD

Reviving Your Writing: The Epiphany Mode

Okay. So. Aside from my guest post about NaNowrimo on another blog, I completely failed to post regularly during November. But that’s okay, because I’m reviving the blog now that December is upon us.

                It seemed fitting to write a post about revivals. Plus, it lets me tell you about all the things I’ve been doing that have not, unfortunately, been blogging.

                I’ve been in Epiphany Mode, dear readers. I’m sure some of you know what I mean, even if you’ve never called it that.

                You go about your business. Mow the lawn, take a shower, brush your hair, etc. etc. etc. Mundane things, that don’t take much brain power. This leaves your mind open to thinking about other things…

                Like stories.

                And suddenly, the ideas rush in. Plot points click together, character motivations finally make sense, and you suddenly realize The THING that will give your story the potential to be perfect.

                This, dear readers, is why I am now steampunking ALL the things in one previously genre-confused series (Any experts on meteorites or electricity?  Contact me, please). It’s also why I wrote down thirteen dialogue snatches the other night after my shower – and those were only the things I could half remember.

                It’s why two extensively-plotted series are currently battling for attention in my mind, with others lurking in the background. I’m working on a comic book for one of them, for heaven’s sake. [And since starting to write this blog post, Series #3 has landed back on the table. *sigh*] [And since adding that line, Series #3 has completely crowded out the others and soared into awesomeness.]

                To put it mildly, readers, I am not often the writer who has trouble finding ideas.

                But if you are… Or even if you’re just wiped after National Novel Writing Month, but still want to keep writing every day (this is where I’m at, but I understand that some might need time to recover. ;) ) here are some things I’ve found helpful for reenergizing.

                MUSIC

                Put your music on shuffle. All of it. Think about your stories and character as you listen, and when your mind snags on a lyric, see if the rest of the song relates to your book as well. Add it to a playlist for your novel, and go back to listen to it whenever you need to find the story again. Lots of authors do this, and it’s interesting to see what inspired them. Even if you’re the kind of person who needs quiet to write, that doesn’t need to stop you from listening to your story playlist at other times.

                Also, movie soundtracks and instrumentals are lovely.

                READING

                Certain books exist in this world, that catch our minds on fire.

                You read them, and get the warm fuzzies inside at the thought that you are a writer. You could write things like that someday. Scott Westerfeld’s books do this to me all the time. I finally read Divergent by Veronica Roth this weekend (and passed it on to friends; the infiltration of my school has begun. >:) ) and l finally understand why I’ve heard so much about it. I also read Bloodhound, by Tamora Pierce, during NaNoWriMo. The feel of the book, the language, the ‘dog’ terminology, and even the journal-style format all kept me thinking about my NaNo novel, which was sort of my plan to begin with.

                There are also books that make you think “I could do better than this.”

                When those books come along? Do better.

                ART

                I don’t claim to be a serious artist. It’s a hobby, it’s fun, and it can really help me finalize ideas about a story – about scenes I’m picturing, the world my characters inhabit, the look of the characters themselves… I’m good enough to impress some classmates who watch me doodle over my shoulder, but I’m not as good as I’d like to be.

(click pics to embiggen)

                This was my ‘cover’ for this year’s NaNo Novel:

                And this page will be part of the aforementioned comic book: a short little thing depicting some events that take place before Book 1 in the series.

                I would post the actual cover, but it’s taking forever to color/shade etc. Obviously, things like this take up time I could’ve spent writing. But like I said, doodling things from my stories helps me finalize ideas. What do I think about the whole time I’m working on something like this? The characters. The story.

                And if you feel like even stick figures can be a stretch for you, why not look around on some photo-sharing websites, or magazines? Start gathering pictures that scream the title of your story, whether that means artistic shots of people who resemble your main characters, or a random pic of spider webs that find their way into your setting.

                Sometimes having something to look at is all the nudge you need to get excited about a project all over again.

                How do you revive your writing? What music or books have inspired you? And do any experts want to help me research some things? ;)