So Tell Me: ?!

I've seen interrobangs in the form of "?!" used in a number of published YA books in the last year or two. I'm a fan, but I know others writers weep at the combination. One of my critique partners feels it's lazy writing. She argues it's telling, that one's writing should show the exclamation, and even says it's degrading to formal punctuation.

So Tell Me: How do you feel about "?!" in published books? Love it, hate it? Would you like to see it made into a standard punctuation mark and printed superimposed as invented in the 60s?

So Tell Me: How Do You Use Twitter?

I love Twitter.  It's second only to blogging as my preferred form of social networking.  You'll rarely see me on Facebook, except to accept friend requests and  "like" or comment on the occasional thing, and I don't like Myspace.  
 
But the problem I have with Twitter is that I approach it too much like blog reading.  I like to follow certain people closely so I can read most, if not all, of their tweets.  This has kept me from following as many people as I would like.  But that list is growing as more people become active on Twitter, and I'm beginning to lose track of tweets anyway.  I hate feeling like I have to be selective!  Until recently, lists seemed inconvenient to me. I have everyone divided up into groups like "writers," "agents," "publishers," etc. and I don't like clicking around from list to list.

Well, I've given it some thought and here are my options (the two I'm aware of):

1) I could make a list of "favorites," as I've seen others do, and lump all my favorite tweeters together.  Since I use Tweetdeck (love!), I could keep my "Favorites" column up next to my "All Friends" stream and follow both.

2) I could subscribe to their RSS Twitter feeds and have tweets come into my reader with all the blogs I read.  Definitely more discreet, but not at all convenient in terms of "real time" following.

What do you guys do?  I see people following thousands and it just boggles my mind.  I'd miss tons and tons of great tweets!  Do they track certain people somehow (lists, a reader)?  Or is it that they simply have a different approach to Twitter?  I saw someone explain Twitter one time like a big party you're stepping in to.  You only know what's going on while you're there and interact accordingly, but I still haven't been able to shake the desire to know what certain people are tweeting all the time.  Does that increase my stalkerishness? Heh... maybe. 

So Tell Me:  Do you use Twitter?  Do you like it?  Why or why not?  If you do, how are you using it?

P.S. The picture will take you to my Twitter page, and if you'd like to leave a link to yours in the comments, please do!)

Love Interest a Must in YA?

I recently read a YA fantasy manuscript that had a great premise and great writing but no love interest.  Not even a possible love interest.  I went through more than half the novel expecting one to pop up before resigning myself to the fact that it wasn't going to happen.  By the end, I was pretty disappointed.  And rather than thinking about the awesome world building or lovely prose, I was mentally working in a love interest, wondering if the writer knew how much stronger, more marketable, and compelling the story would be with one. 

That got me thinking.  Does a YA novel need to have a love interest, even just an inkling of one, to really shine?

With issue-oriented novels, it's not so black and white.  But with fantasy and standard contemporary, I think yes.

In the least, with any YA novel, I feel the main character needs to have an awareness of this dynamic.  I don't know about you, but when I was a teen I was always conscious of attraction and chemistry even if I wasn't inclined to date anyone, was too caught up in other life stuff, or was just plain avoiding such things.  The adolescent years are when we really start exploring love and sexuality (often to the point of preoccupation), and I think you're only hurting yourself if you completely avoid it in your YA novel. 

What do you think?  Can you think of any YA novels that are successful without a love interest or hint of one?

So Tell Me: Do You Write Slower Now?

Tuesday Tip:  Join Inkwell, a new community for writers, if you haven't already!

I've been thinking about something lately.

The more I write and the more I learn about writing, the less I produce and the less confident I am. 

Here's what I mean:

When I wrote my first novel, I wrote 152k in five months.  I clocked in 50k for my second in two months.  My third was 55k in three months.  I finished that last draft almost a year ago.  Since then, I've tried rewriting it about ten times with no success, and I feel like I've been peeling the words off my brain one at a time.  So I started something new hoping the words would flow like they used to.  Nope.  I'm lucky to write a few thousand (or hundred) words in one month now.  No matter what I work on, I spend a whole lotta time on very little.

So what happened? 

Has my internal editor become so strong it paralyzes me?  Have I lost all confidence in myself?  Have I spread myself too thin with everything I have going on?  Have I spent too long trying to rewrite novel three?  Is it that I'm so determined to fix that novel I can't move on?  Am I no longer writing for me?

Not sure.  But I feel like the more I learn about writing, the slower it goes and the less confident I am.  I can't seem to let go and just spew words anymore. 

Seems like it should be the other way around, doesn't it?

So Tell Me:  As you've learned to write, do you find you write slower than you used to?  Are you more or less confident in your ability?

In Which I Talk About Myself and Fear

Recently, two of my favorite bloggers talked about fear. Elana Johnson confessed one her paralyzing fears in a Friday Night Confessions post and tons of people chimed in with their own fears. What a sense of community! Then, Beth Revis posted on Fear this weekend, fear of failure and fear of success, and it definitely resonated with me. I think fear as it relates to writing is something we all deal with, and I love that we're embracing that and sharing our feelings.

So what do I fear? Too many things to name. But I've been trying to figure out what I fear most. Something's holding me back. Well, I'm holding me back, but why? Why would I do that when I have every reason to be encouraged (and I do). I really don't know. But whatever that deep-rooted, paralyzing fear is, it's creating compound fears. I'm now frightened that it's not fear but maybe I just don't have what it takes to be a published author.

Amusing, since I've never even been in the trenches....

But that's sort of the problem. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I used to have trouble just finishing a manuscript. I'd fall out of love with an MS when I'd meet The Middle and allow myself to be seduced by a Shiny New Idea. I feel like I've gotten past that, but now I'm struggling with revision.

Every time I get deep into revision, I find I can't stand what I've written and want to rewrite the manuscript entirely. To the point that it makes me sick to keep working on it the way it is. Do you see the problem? I'm forever starting over. And if I keep doing this, I'll never have something to query. I'll never be the kind of writer an agent will want to represent. And I'll never have the writing career I dream of.

But there's no way in heck I'm going to query an agent with something I don't absolutely love and feel confident in. How can I expect them to get behind me and my work 100% when I'm not? I can't and I won't. So what's wrong with me? Why don't I love my writing like so many of you seem to? Where's my motivation to finish. What do I fear that paralyzes me this much?

I don't know, exactly, but I do know I'm afraid I won't live up to your expectations. I'm afraid I'll let you all down while I continue to let myself down. And I'm afraid I just don't have what it takes.

Some of you have noticed that I've sort of disappeared behind my blog features. I think this has a lot to do with that. I haven't wanted you to see that I'm not making as much progress as I'd like. That, as much as I've been revising, I'm no where near querying. That I could be a failure. But now that it's out there, I hope I can come back out a little.

Is there anyone else that has or has had the same problem as me? Everyone I know seems to have the problem of rejection and/or waiting and wondering, but I can't seem to even get that far. I'm feeling a little alienated by myself.

But it helps having you all here, around me, sharing your fears, and it especially helps when I see you succeeding.

What do you fear?

Blog Changes. Feedback Please!

Soo, I'd like everyone's input.  I've been changing things here and there on the blog, and I'd like to know what you think and what other changes you might like to see.

Here's a list of what I've done so far:  Created static pages and took some of the clutter off the right sidebar.  Put up a new bio for my "About Me" page.  Changed my RSS feed and twitter links to cute icons.  Deleted some extraneous links.  And, the big one, changed the subtitle of the blog.

I'd particularly like to know if you like the new subtitle and if you have any other suggestions for it.  Also, how many of you think I should change the blog title (Literary Rambles) altogether?  It's been suggested that the blog is no longer a place of rambling, so I've been considering new titles.  I felt the subtitle, at least, had to go and so it has.  If you think Lit Rambles should change too, please throw out some suggestions.

Additionally, I'd like to know if reading on this layout with this color scheme has been a bother for anyone.   Would you like something easier on the eyes?

I'm wondering too if I should create agency labels.  Would it help to be able to view the agents I've spotlighted by agency?

Let me know!  This is basically an open feedback thread so feel free throw out whatever you want.  It can pertain to what I've already mentioned or anything else you have on your mind.  I want this blog to be the best it can be and that really comes down to you, dear readers, and what I can give you. What do you want to see?

Thanks in advance!!!!  I'm eager for your thoughts.

I Think It's Time For Another....

...Blog Promo!

What are you blogging about this week? What new turns has your blog taken? Have you just started your first blog? Are you desperate for some new readers?

Please share in the comments what you're up to in the blogosphere and then click around and do some adventuring.

(Hopeful) Happy Monday!

Inanimate Alice - Digital Fiction

You've seen all the future-of-publishing talk surrounding e-books, but what about digital fiction? Have you heard of it?

I was recently introduced to Inanimate Alice, a digital story that combines text, sound, images, and even games to create an interactive reading experience. It follows the story of eight-year-old Alice and her digital imaginary friend, Brad, as they grow up in the 21st century with a peculiar, somewhat troublesome childhood. With Brad's "help," Alice goes on to become an extremely successful games animator.

"'Inanimate Alice' is a study of human/computer relations in a world where having friends means never having to meet them."

It's co-written by Kate Pullinger, a novelist, and Chris Joseph, a digital writer and artist, and produced by Ian Harper of The BradField Company.

Check out the first episode, China, and see what it's all about. Four of the ten episodes are currently available online for free.

I can see a future for this form of media with reluctant readers, the video game generation, in schools as an interactive educational tool, etc., and I suspect e-readers of the future will be compatible with the format.

What are you thoughts on digital fiction? Do you embrace this as a form of advanced reading or do you think it's too game-like? Please share the link, and let's discuss!

So Tell Me: What Personal Greatness Do You Aspire To?

What an interesting discussion we had yesterday! Some of you agree with King and some of you don't. From reading through all the comments, I'd say King's view of the bad, competent, good, and great writer looks something like this.

Great = Innately talented, has something that can't be learned or taught.
Good = The majority of successful published writers (and those aspirees with this level of drive and talent).
Competent = Potential to become published, potential to become "good," but maybe never quite good enough if the drive isn't there (the line walker).
Bad = Actually incapable or unwilling to reach competency.

Which would put most of us in the "competent" and "good" categories, including beginners not stuck in the (unfortunate) bad category. Would you agree with assessment?

I've got a different but related question for you today though. What PERSONAL greatness do you aspire to? Is it becoming a published author, prolific, renowned, a bestseller, an award winner? Or is it more related to craft... is there a level you're trying to reach, and how are you gauging it?

Do tell!

So Tell Each Other: What Are You Blogging About This Week?

I'm married! The wedding went really great, and I'll share some pictures as soon as I have them.

In the meantime, we're taking off again this afternoon and I'll be staying relatively "unplugged" until Monday. I should be back full time about then.

For today, I'm using a fabulous suggestion sent in by Heather Lane and putting up the following question...

What are you blogging about this week? Please self-promote, share what you've posted and/or will post, and click around some new blogs. I think we all loved doing this a couple weeks ago. The response was amazing!

Have fun romping about the place while I'm gone (keep it clean!), enjoy the blog party, and I'll be back to check in with everyone fairly soon.

So Tell Me: Your Blog

I'm always discovering great new blogs (despite the groans of my reader), and I'm sure you are too. I was thinking it'd be fun if everyone piped in and promoted their blog a bit. I try to visit the blogs of everyone that comments, but I don't always have enough time to get a feel for what's all there. I'm sure I miss out on a lot.

So tell me, what do you blog about? Is there a focus? Do you have any regular features?

Please share, and make sure to keep an eye out for new blogs that might interest you. You never know what you'll find, and I'm sure everyone would like some new readers and friends!

Let's Discuss! Do Connections and Readiness Go Hand In Hand?

When I was researching Erin Murphy for her Spotlight, the following quote from one of her interviews stood out to me:

In general, I don't think a writer should contact an agent without a referral or connection. If a writer hasn't gotten out there enough to have met agents at conferences or met other writers who know agents, she's not ready for an agent. Being part of the world of writing for children is what takes a writer to a new level and gets her ready to be published. Children's writers form a unique community. They look at each other's work and help each other improve and learn, so a referral from another writer means a lot to me.

I agree to some extent. I do think, if you're networking, making friends, participating in one or more critique groups, going to conferences and workshops, etc. you're bound to make some connections (even doing just one or two of these). Also, if you're writing has reached the level that it needs to be at, I'd like think you'd connect with some writers (friends or otherwise) who are excited enough about your writing to want to refer you to their agents. Note the very large, subjective IF.

Now, I did say to some extent; not only because taste in writing/story is so subjective, but also because I don't expect that most writers would make a lot of these connections. So if you have, let's say, five connections and none of them pan out, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to twiddle your thumbs until you've had a chance to make more (though you might want to get another critique or three to reassure yourself it was ready in the first place.). It's possible that the best agent for you isn't even connected to anyone you know, and plenty of amazing writers have been pulled from slush.

What are your thoughts on this?

So Tell Me: Your Ideal Literary Agent

No matter how much research you do, it's nearly impossible to know whether or not you and a prospective agent will be a good match until you've worked together.  But what ARE you looking for in an agent?  Have you thought about it?

Logically, I think it's smart to know what you're looking for before you start looking.  But I also think life and this business require us to be flexible.  After all, we often don't know what we really want until we've experienced it or what we're looking for until we've found it (or hey, until we've experienced the opposite!). 

As it is, however, our view is limited to the present and to what we suspect we'll want.  But that shouldn't stop you from thinking about it and educating yourself on the what you can and can't expect.  So tell me: What are you looking for in an ideal agent?

And if you have an agent (ideal or otherwise), and especially if you've had more than one, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well! 

So Tell Me: Who Got Your Querginity?

If you don't mind saying, who was the first agent (or editor) you ever queried?  Why?

So Tell Me: Audiobooks Vs. Reading

When you listen to an audio book, do you consider the book read? How do you view the experience of the different formats? As an author or aspiring author, would you prefer readers to read your novel(s) in text as intended, or have you no preference?

I'm exceedingly curious about this, but I have to admit that I'm not a good candidate for the discussion. I generally don't listen to audiobooks. The few times I have, I found the experience surprisingly different. The book is usually read in a different rhythm than I would read it. I don't have the time to pause and speculate over things, feel the words, like I normally might. I can't study the structure, etc. It's certainly an enjoyable experience in that it brings other unique elements to the table but I can't bring myself to say I've read a book that I've only listened to on audio. For me, the experience is much more enjoyable if I've actually, physically read the book first.

Let's discuss! What are you thoughts and opinions?

So Tell Me: What's in Your Notebook?

It seems like a lot of writers keep a notebook.

The only time I actually use a physical notebook is when I'm brainstorming. I can't write longhand for the life of me, but I brainstorm on paper better than I do on a Word document. I also jot down names and ideas in my notebook when I come across ones I just have to remember.

My favorite English teacher from college once mentioned she keeps notebooks full of quotes and metaphors she likes from the books she reads. I was thinking about this yesterday, when I came across a descriptory sentence I just loved, and began wondering why I don't do the same. I think, if I kept a notebook full of great writing to review when I'm needing inspiration, my writing would be better for it.

So, just curious. What's in your notebook?

So Tell Me: Your Query Tactic

This is something I've wondered about for awhile but I always forget to blog about it.

 

What was/is/will be your course of query-action?

 

Specifically, did you query your top agents first?  Did you do any exclusives on the off-chance that your dream agent would want to take you on?  Did you hold off on querying favs in order to see how your query would do elsewhere first?   Or did you just query across the board and hope for the best?

 

Whatever your tactic, I'm curious!  How did you approach the monumental task of querying?  And, is there anything you regret or have learned that you'd like to share?  Please do!

So Tell Me: Backstory

If you need to include a certain amount of back story rather early in the story, what, in your opinion, is the best way to go about it?

Dialogue?
Narration?
Flashbacks?
A combination?

Or, does this signal that the story should start elsewhere?