Write Stuff: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Writing Again

I'll admit it: lately, my "well" has been a little dry when it comes to writing. I just haven't really had it in me to do much of anything. Too many frustrations, too little confidence, too many voices in my head screaming at me that it was a waste of time. Let's be honest, I've been working a lot. Too much, probably, but the end of my degree is now in sight. (I only wish a job were there waiting in the wings, too, but alas, I will apparently soon join the ranks of the over-educated and unemployable masses--gotta love it.) Anyhow, that being said, I just haven't had the time or motivation to get back to my WIP. Tonight, though, I sat down and just plunged back in. I turned up my current-fav band, The Black Keys, who are utterly superb, and managed to get a good chunk in. It felt awesome. As much as I know this story has some issues, I think it also has some potential. I mean, it's Buffy meets the X-Files--what's not to love? So, I hope to keep at it. I'm right at about 20K at the moment, and with some luck will pull out a draft in the next few months. We'll see. I just have to do what I can, and hope/pray/sacrifice chickens (or, ya know, not) that things will work out.

Tomorrow will bring a post about the books of 2010. I just counted them up--53 to date. Not as many as I would have liked, but considering how much academic reading I did this year, that's not a bad number!

After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 7:15 AM

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I went into this book after reading so many positive plugs that I was really eager to get my hands on it. Now, I'm not going to say that I was disappointed, but there were things about this book that kind of irked me. Yes, I really enjoyed the relationship that Bianca had with her friends--that came across as seriously genuine and heart-warming. Her issues with her parents were also complex and felt very real. I honestly think her reactions were spot-on. There were other things, however, that kind of bugged me: her plugs for liberalism felt off and left me rather annoyed (even being a liberal myself!), and I kind of had a hard time swallowing her headless plunge into so much sex. Yeah, there was rampant sexuality in high school when I was there (not that long ago, and I went to a big school in CA), but parts of things felt over the top. Even for a man-whore (lol, I laughed so hard at this term!), I just didn't see them happening between two seventeen year old's. Also, some of the dialogue came across as straight out of an episode of Buffy--not real life. I am around a LOT of eighteen year old's and none of them speak like Bianca, even the smart sarcastic ones. Anyhow, it was a good read and I found it interesting. I think it may have been built up a bit much, but I look forward to reading more of Keplinger's work in the future!

After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 5:11 AM

Sunday's at Tiffany's by James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet

AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she'll soon forget him.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE
Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets someone–a handsome, comforting, funny man. He's perfect. His name is Michael...

AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TWIST
This is a heartrending story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestselling author all over the world, SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love.

This was a really sweet read and I seriously started out loving it. I really enjoyed the little world that was created and the characters, while pretty typical for this kind of book, were still fun. I generally like Patterson's earlier works, as they are fun and fast-paced (though his later works have generally been very sloppy and poor--honestly, some of them seem hardly more than outlines...), and with the addition of Charbonnet there was a real improvement in the writing. The ending was a little sappy for me, and made me start picking apart the rest of the book. The world-building, especially with the fantasy elements, could have used some more attention (it was interesting--I wanted to see more), but overall this was a light and fun read. I probably won't be checking out the Lifetime Original movie though, haha!

Happy Holidays!

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:47 AM

I hope this holiday finds you with loved ones, someplace warm, with good books to read and good conversation! I know I'm going to have a good day, even if I eat way too much with my family :)

Which is Worse?

By: Meradeth Houston on 10:12 AM

I've played this game before with my brother: two ugly scenarios, and you have to pick which one is worse. Some events of the past few days have made me think of this again, mainly in the number of crappy rejections I've gotten in my mailbox (even the good number of fulls I still have out have not made a dent in my mood). Now, I KNOW I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO COMPLAIN. It's the kiss of death. Yeah, I know that. I've read it a million times. But, there comes a point when I just get frustrated. Honestly, I've been avoiding sending out any queries since Thanksgiving, attempting to allow people some more time during the hectic holiday season. Makes sense to me. And I also understand clearing out the in-box before the holidays. Plus, there is the dreaded no-answer-is-your-answer that no one likes. But at the expense of those of us out here, desperately trying to play by the rules, dealing with a year that has dumped more crap in my lap than I care to think about, well, it's been really hard. Hard enough to make me write this.

I don't like form rejections.

I HATE FORM REJECTIONS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS. On full manuscripts. Without even my NAME. HONESTLY!

Yeah, I know you're busy. Guess what? So am I. On top of everything I do, I'm also trying to find an agent for my book. So, before you hit 'send' think about it for a second--a rejection is going to sting for an author at any point. This week, well, it's going to make some of us delete a whole lot of work off our hard-drives and make a New Year's resolution to stop waisting time writing. It's not worth it.

After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 1:45 AM

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

This stunningly original and magical story follows three women in love with the wrong men. Headstrong Madeline Heller finds herself hopelessly attracted to her sister’s fiancé…Frieda Lewis, a doctor’s daughter who has run off to London, becomes the muse of an ill-fated rock star… and beautiful, reckless Bryn Evans is set to marry an Englishman while she’s secretly obsessed with her ex-husband, a dangerous and love-besotted New Yorker. At the heart of the novel is Lucy Green, who blames herself for a tragic accident she witnessed at the age of twelve in the same London hotel where the others have found themselves. Lucy has spent four decades searching out the Third Angel, the angel on Earth who will renew her faith.

Evoking the worlds of Notting Hill, Kings Road, and Kensington while moving back and forth in time from the 90s, to the 60s, and then to the 50s, The Third Angel charts the unique, alchemical nature of love

I'll be very honest--I very nearly put this book down within the first couple of chapters. The first character we meet was utterly not to my liking, and I didn't want to spend any time with her. Things did improve after that, and I enjoyed the book mostly. The interweaving of the characters was a good bit of fun, though there were quite a few and occasionally it became confusing. I haven't read any Hoffman before and if I get a chance I'll probably check out her other books!

After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 12:14 AM

A brief note to say that if you haven't already, go check out Kathleen Ortiz's daily contests she has running on her log. Today's post is a giveaway from Tor--lots of tasty free books! Check it!

Fever Crumb by Phillip Reeve

Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb to assist archaeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project.

As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city dwellers, who declare that she is part Scriven. The Scriven, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated. All Fever knows is what she’s been told: that she is an orphan.

Is Fever a Scriven?

Whose memories does she hold?

A steam-punk dystopian? Why, yes please! This was an interesting book, and really unlike anything I've read lately. I hate it when books advertise themselves as "different" and "unique" on their covers, but in this case, it was true. And I've found that it's actually a prequel to a series of books--the Mortal Engine's series, which I'll have to check out! Anyhow, the book itself was a fun read, and very interesting. Fever was okay and I'll admit there were more times than one that I kind of wondered what she was thinking. I mean, she just felt a little distant from the reader. This might be my preference for first-person narrative rearing it's head though. At any rate, a good read, and I flat out LOVED all the archaeologists in the story, which made me giggle all the time. Check it out!

Who's the New Kid?

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:38 AM

Since becoming the proud owner of my lovely iPad (I can't help throwing this in there--I love the thing! It is awesomness in a small portable screen...), I have been downloading a whole bunch of samples of books off of the Apple and Kindle sites, to check out many books I've had my eye on for a while. I've found this to be the perfect way to find out if I'm going to shell out cash for a book (or take the effort to add it to my giant list of books to request from the library here in town, once the freaking place opens again). Anyhow, I've read the first chapters of, well, a LOT of books lately. And there's been a pattern emerging. Well, less than a pattern, more like an overwhelming, for lack of a better word: trope. Every opening I've picked up lately has had a new kid, or been told from the perspective of the new kid in school. Okay, this probably has a lot to do with the fact that I've been reading a lot of YA paranormal romance, but not completely (there's been quite a few other YA's thrown into the mix), but holy crap--about 90% of them have this theme running through the first few chapters.

Now, I can understand why this is. Changing schools, or getting new students, was a big deal in high school. Fresh blood and all that. It's something most everyone understands, or can relate to easily. Well, with the exception that the new kid regularly ends up being a vampire/werewolf/angel/other mysterious kind of being. Anyhoot, I've found myself using this before--with the novel I'm currently querying, there's a new guy at school within the first three chapters. Still. Yeesh. Does every book have to use this? Aren't there other ways to get new people into the lives of the characters of our books? New people moving into the neighborhood, living in a big enough city that you might have just not met the person before (because, honestly, I've read a LOT about small towns lately, too), and so on. Let's mix it up a little, folks! I know I'll be using a lot of caution to avoid the "new kid" scenario in the future :)

After Reading

By: Meradeth Houston on 12:19 AM

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

Cornelia is a single thirtysomething who lives her life like a series of movie moments. She's a manager of a cafe because she hasn't figured out anything better to do. Her ideal man is Cary Grant. And just when she thinks he'll never show up, he does, in the form of Martin Grace. What she doesn't know is that Martin, with his cool charm and debonair demeanor, has a daughter, Clare. And she never would have known that except that Martin, in a state of panic, shows up with the girl at the cafe after her mother had a breakdown and left Clare to fend for herself. Estranged from his daughter for years, Martin doesn't know what to do with her. Both women's stories are told in alternating chapters, Cornelia's in first person, Clare's in third. This is a first novel with some wonderful and heartbreaking moments scattered throughout, along with some moments that are purely contrived for the forward movement of the plot. Overall, it is a sweet story about knowing what you love and why.

(Okay, for some reason LJ is being dumb today and won't let me insert images and links... strange.) Anyhow, this was positively a great book. I loved it. Squeezing time in to read was pretty tricky this past week, but it was one to make time for. The writing was wonderful, the characters spot-on, and the plot easy and caring enough to pull me along effortlessly. Delightful. I'm thinking of handing this off to my mother, as it's a moving tribute to motherhood as well. My only grievance, which has nothing to do with the book, is that whenever I read these kinds of books, I walk away a little depressed. I can't help it. I love my hubby, but he is incurably NON romantic. While I can deal with this, I'm still a girl, and hey, it's nice to be wooed sometimes. Anyhow, I find myself reading and pouting. Maybe I should just stick with YA--it makes it easier :)