Write Stuff: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A Comment Question

I can't even begin to say how much it totally excites me that I've had comments on my posts the past few days! Yay! It's probably ridiculous how happy this makes me :)

Now, here's my question: is there any way to get blogger to allow for nested comments? I have searched with no luck. In livejournal and wordpress I've noticed this trait and rather like the ability to respond to individual comments. (People have said neat things--I want to be able to respond individually!) Anyone know if this is even possible in blogger?

Also, I've followed a whole bunch of new and awesome blogs. I've been reading and commenting and totally loving it! I'm also trying to get ready for vacation, too, so my ability to do this is a little limited at the moment, just fyi! (It's my first vacation in like 6 years, I'm stoked!)

Now, something I found funny:

ETA: I found a new widget for blogger to try some new types of comments, including threading. We'll see how it goes. It looks good, but that doesn't always mean it's going to actually work out... *fingers crossed!*

Tuesday Truth

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:47 AM

Okay, don't hate me, but I'm going to admit something here.

I used to hate this show:

Like, I really could NOT understand why every single one of my friends watched it, loved it, talked about it, etc. When I would sit down and watch an episode, I'd have to turn it off within a few minutes. Why? Because the boss, Michael Scott, made me CRAZY! I mean, I don't generally get worked up about things, but wow, he made me nuts.

I should have known that something that could evoke such a response in me would turn out to be one of my favorite things :)

Anyhow, a few months ago, hubby decided that he was going to torture me with Netflix. We were going to watch some episodes of The Office whether I liked it or not. (I think he thought it would be a social experiment to see how quickly I would run screaming from the room. Too bad it backfired!) Anyhow, we're on season three now, I am so totally addicted, and find myself laughing my butt off while we watch. Okay, I still hate the boss, but I've gotten over it. Sorta. I still don't know why they don't just smack him a few times, but oh well.

So, what changed my mind? I'm going to have to say it was the characters. I kind of love the story between these two:

and love laughing at this guy:

And everything that happens is just so over the top, and yet totally based on the character's personalities that it's hardly a stretch to see them doing the things they do.

To bring this all back to writing, I find myself watching now with an eye to how the characters and drawn--to make people love them, and to make people hate them. They really do a great job of this! And, if gives me a good excuse to watch the show :)

So, do you watch The Office? Have another show to recommend?

After Reading: Possession

By: Meradeth Houston on 12:37 PM

by Elana Johnson

Cover Image

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

So, I totally adore Elana's blog. If you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. She's always got something interesting to talk about :) Possession, on the other hand, left me a little wanting. I mean, I enjoyed the characters and the story, but I found myself confused too often. The best way I can explain it is that I wanted more world-building so that the experiences and repercussions of everything that happened to Vi, Jag, and Zenn would make more sense. I will say that I flat out adored the ending--it was awesome! Other than that, I just wanted more from this book, it has such great potential!

Friday Five (the random version)

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:06 PM

I swear I've read like twenty posts on Friday Fives today. But hey, what's one more? :)

I just spent a lot of money at Borders. I HATE that they're closing. They are only a block from me and I used to pratically live there. But, that doesn't stop me from getting some good deals. I mean, I really, really wanted that copy of Mercy!
I have somehow got to figure out how to finish all the interview for next month's blog fest. And make them sound interesting. That will be interesting....
I have FOLLOWERS! Oh holy cow, does this make me excited! Thanks to all the new people from the campaign for joining in :) I swear I'll try to be interesting. Or at least not boring. Most of the time.
Hubby and I have invested in a SLR camera. Oh holy crap, does it have a lot of buttons. This only slightly makes me afraid to use it. Really, I just want to take some spectacular pics of the Grand Canyon next month. Not to much to ask, right?
I had a dream about zombies last night. I have to admit, I don't really care for zombies (read: I kinda loathe them). So, how I ended up having a nightmare about being stuck in a giant room with my whole family (grandparents included) while we each slowly turned into zombies, I wish I knew. It was not pleasant.

I'm sure somewhere in the universe there is someone who can write 5 things down and make them all tie together, sound intelligent, and enlighten their readers. I'm clearly not one of them. Sorry :)

Anyone have any fun weekend plans? Avoiding the hurricane (which really makes me happy to be living on the west coast)?

Interviews

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:56 PM

The last few days I've been trying to get ready for a giant blog-fest that some other authors and I are putting together to promote our books. (I know, I'm a little early--but hey, I've got to get this started sometime!) Anyhow, as I've been attempting to pull together interviews for other people, I've come to realize something: interviews are HARD! (Duh, I know, but still! I didn't think it would be that way, though I really don't know why now that I've had a chance to think about it....)

So, here's the thing. I love reading interview from authors I know and love. But if I've never heard of a person, I'm less inclined to spend the time reading through a whole lot of words. This may not sound very nice, but I figure I've got a limited amount of time to read blogs during the day, so I'd rather spend it on something I like. SO, that means, I want to have interviews that people will actually want to read :) A few things that I've noticed will attract my attention are:

-Interviews that are short and sweet. Answers that run on for long paragraphs--lets face it--I'm going to skim unless it's funny. I'm not funny. Therein lies a problem...

-A killer book description (or at least one that interests me :). If I want to read the book from the blurb, I'm much more inclined to want to read about the author.

-A contest. Yeah, I'm a sucker for them. If there's a chance I can win something I want, I'll read it.

As for the content itself, I tend to like reading about how a story idea came to be, and what sorts of things motivate people to write. When I was answering the interview questions for others, I tried to keep this in mind. I hope they sound okay. It's really kind of strange to think of anyone wanting to read more about my books, let alone me. Guess it's something I'm going to have to get used to, or at least get better at!

So, what sorts of things attract you to an author interview? What keeps you reading?

Platform Building Campaign

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:55 PM

I came across this today, and I have to say it is one of the greatest ideas I've seen in a long time! If you're looking to work on your online platform (something that has really been on my mind a lot lately) this should be awesome. Do check it out!

(ETA: if you're a fellow Campaigner stopping by, hi! Feel free to leave a comment, or hit the pesky 'follow' button--I could clearly use a few more :) I'll be certain to visit your blog, too!)

After Reading: Midnighters Touching Darkness

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:15 AM

by Scott Westerfeld

The Midnighters of Bixby, Oklahoma, know that their town is full of secrets. These five teenagers are the only ones who know about the mysterious hour at midnight when the world freezes, except for them and the creatures that inhabit the darkness.

But they do not know why earlier generations of Midnighters all disappeared, or why they are now the only Midnighters in town. As they learn more about the secret hour's twists and turns, they uncover terrifying mysteries woven into the very fabric of Bixby's history, and a conspiracy that touches both the midnight hour and the world of daylight.

At the same time, the Midnighters' own secrets start to emerge, including some that were never meant to come to light, changing the fragile dynamics among the five.

This time Jessica Day is not the only Midnighter in mortal danger, and if the group can't find a way to come together, they could lose one of their own — forever.

I'll admit, I often read the second book in a series with some trepidation. It can be good, or it can really kind of stink. Thankfully, this book was one I rather enjoyed. The issue that I had with the first book in the series (that we didn't really get into the character's heads much) was resolved here with some more detail added to their personalities and lives, which I liked. I found myself wishing the book were longer, too, as I wanted to see more of the world and situations the characters were living in. I have the last book in the series on request at the library and am hoping I can snag it sometime soon!

Reunions

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:11 PM

Yesterday I had one of those crazy experiences that made me sit back and reflect a lot about life, choices, and the paths we each take. I'll spare you my "deep" thoughts, but it was still quite an experience. See, after over 10 years since the last time we all got together, my old girl scout troop decided to have a little reunion. I'm admitting to some major dorkiness here, noting that I was involved in girl scouts all through high school, but I also have to add that it was really a great thing for me. We did tons of activities and were really active--it was these things that really helped me out during the struggles at home and at school during the same years. I owe a lot to the other girls, my leaders, and scouting in general (so, in my little bit of advertising--sign your girls up for scouts! It's worth it!). Anyhow, yesterday's lunch brought together the six of us, who are all by some strange coincidence still living in the area. First of all, it was just great to see everyone. It was also really strange to see what things have changed--and what hasn't.

At the end of high school, each of our personalities had really taken shape. Sure, the hardships and such in the intervening years have changed us, but it was really neat to see how I can still sit in the same room with these ladies and see the same people I knew back then. We all might look a bit different (some of us more than others!), but we're still the same people. For some reason, that was really gratifying to see, mainly because I know these ladies are just good people. I liked them then, and I still do now :) (Not that I was really worried about that!)

Looking through a bunch of old photos, we each had different memories form the trips we'd taken (apparently there was a bear encounter on one of our camping trips??), and some things that I swear I don't remember. We all had a good laugh at what we were wearing back in the 90's. We talked about our favorite things, those things that still stuck with us, and how living in a small town means we run into each other's families all the time.

When I left, I really started thinking about choices; the things we have all chosen to do over the years to get us where we are today. In high school, I doubt any of us would have ever thought much about the far-flung changes each choice we made would create. No one does, really. But looking back, it's so clear. In a lot of ways, seeing each of the other women there was like a little trip through time (yeah, I know, cheesy), but I remember when we were younger and all of us having goals and dreams for our lives, and now seeing how those are playing out has been really fascinating. Certainly something to think about....

Importing

By: Meradeth Houston on 7:55 PM

Holy freaking cow, that took way too long! But, after a whole lot of fun, I managed to get most of my old blog posts from LiveJournal over here :) (sorry to anyone with a reader that suddenly was just inundated with a whole lot of my old gabbing...). Anyhow, it's good to have everything in one spot now!

After Reading: Midnighters The Secret Hour

By: Meradeth Houston on 8:55 AM

By Scott Westerfeld

A few nights after Jessica Day arrives in Bixby, Oklahoma, she wakes up at midnight to find the entire world frozen, except for her and a few others who call themselves 'midnighters'. Dark things haunt this midnight hour – dark things with a mysterious interest in Jessica. The question is why?

I've been meaning to pick up this series for a while now--I really loved the Uglies series by Westerfeld and thought the premise behind these books was really interesting. And it was really quite cool! I enjoyed the world building and the concept behind it all. I do wish there was a bit more attention to the characters, as I was kind of left wanting to know more about them (I'm not sure if this is just a factor of 3rd person writing, which I'm not a huge fan of all the time). Of course, there are two more books in the series... It's actually rather nice not to start a series when I'm going to have to wait around for the last books--hate that!

Oh, and can I just add this for my own peace of mind? The Solutrean Hypothesis, referenced in the book a couple of times, is utter bunk! (Yes, this is my doctorate in anthropology speaking :)

First Lines

By: Meradeth Houston on 8:15 PM

So, it's been written far and wide that the first line of your story can more than likely make or break your story. Often, when sitting around in the bookstore, I'll notice people picking up a book and read the first page. If they like it, they'll take it to the register, so that first page, and especially the first line, must really catch their attention. So what is it that makes a killer first line? There are a hundred billion posts out there about this, but I know what I personally like, so I'm going to talk about that :)

A good first line must catch your attention. I mean, duh. Describing the weather, waking up, looking in the mirror, or long purple descriptions of the scenery are going to pretty much going to lose me quick.

A good first line introduces some element of the story. There are some first lines that I've read that are just in there because they catch the reader's attention (I won't name examples, but one in particular just irks me to even think about). Now, if done well, this element of the story is going to hook me right off the bat. Maybe it's a love interest, or a magical element, or something that's going to make me go 'oh!'

A good first line gives me a hint of the main character. Maybe not directly, but I want to know who I'm going to be rooting for in the story, and the earlier this is done, the better in my mind.

These are the things that are coming to mind right off the bat. I'm sure there are more, as a first line really has a lot of elements to do. And everyone's different, too. Some people may actually like a first line that describes the weather (and hey, my all-time favorite book does just that--A Wrinkle in Time "It was a dark and stormy night.")

So, what makes a killer first line to you?

After Reading: Forever

By: Meradeth Houston on 12:44 PM

by Maggie Stiefvater

The conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy. In Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Gah, there are always going to be authors out there that I'm totally jealous of, I know, but Maggie totally tops my list :) I mean this in a good way, I swear it! Just, reading this book, and this series, just wow. The story itself was a carefully crafted tightening of a million little threads, pulling together the lives of all those people (let's face it, they aren't characters in these books--they're people I wouldn't even be surprised to meet on the street) we've come to know throughout the books. As much as I identify with Grace, this book really made me really start to love Isabel; she's just so interesting. And I think I'd really like to meet Cole in real life--I think it would be interesting, though I'm not sure my husband would like it! Anyhow, as I was reading (read: savoring) this last book in the series, I had to keep stopping to re-read another line, phrase, description, because it would just jump out and me and reel me in. I wish I had my copy on me as I write this to note a few of my favorites, but suffice it to say the writing was amazing. Also, I'm really looking forward to the Scorpio Races, Maggie's next book. Should be a good one!

The Final Twist

By: Meradeth Houston on 9:35 AM

So, in the spirit of confession, I've got one to make: when I'm writing, I'm a total panster. (Can I ask a question? When did this term come into being in this form? It doesn't bring up the best of images, at least to my mind...) So, yeah, I write by the seat of my pants. Outlines, as many of them as I've tried to do, totally kill the mojo of the story. I need to allow for some ambiguity, some mystery, and the ability to surprise myself when I'm writing.

I know I'm not alone in this :) Fess up!

So, I've been hard at work on my WIP (or at least managing my 15 minutes a day), and I've been really wondering how on earth I'm going to tie it all together. I've got these creepy shadow creatures here, my heroine who doesn't have a clue how to defeat them, and a motley cast of characters who don't know much more than her. How it was all going to come together? I had no idea. Not. A. Clue. And as I get closer to the 50k mark I was beginning to really worry that my brain wasn't going to come up with any solutions. Not exactly what I wanted to have happen...

But then, yesterday, I was writing out this scene and suddenly the answer was just THERE. Totally. I had my twist to make the ending all come together.

I LOVE when this happens.

I also kind of hate it.

Why? Well, because then all the mystery is gone. Getting the rest of the story down is not much more than just typing in the words at that point. Fun, sure, but still just tying up loose ends. (Okay, I'm exaggerating--I still love it.) Anyhow, that's my love/hate situation for the moment. I'm going to go work on the thing now, before I have to go to work!

What about you? Plotter? Panster? Still trying to figure out that really good twist?

The book to movie question

By: Meradeth Houston on 3:55 PM

There have been quite a few of my favorite books that have been made (or are being made) into movies lately. Harry Potter is the first to come to mind, and I've been devouring the news about the Hunger Games as it comes to light (and looks sooo utterly awesome!). In general, movies that have been made from the books I enjoy can either be utterly awesome, or can make me really wish I hadn't wasted my money/time. We've all seen those--the actors just can't capture the roles, the setting is wrong, they leave out our favorite scene. It's just wrong...and I often find myself vowing to never watch the movie again. (I'm totally thinking about the Wrinkle In Time movie--wow was that a bad one!)

So, the question is, what is it that makes a good movie adaptation? In Harry Potter (the latter ones, not the first few) I think they managed to do a pretty good job. The details in particular allowed me to really feel like I was in the world as much as the books did. It also helped that Harry finally learned how to act (kinda) toward the end of the series :) The Twilight movies have really gone the other direction, however, and for some reason the movies reflect very little of how I imagined the world when I was reading, mainly because the actors can't seem to get into the roles enough to convince me. At least, that's what I think it is, though there are of course other issues...

The reason why I'm bringing this up is that The Help is coming out later this week, and most of the other women in my family have read the book. I haven't, yet, though it's in my TBR pile. The question is--do I see it? Or is it going to make me hate the book, or later really hate the movie? I don't generally care for going to see a movie based on a book without reading it first, but I might have to make an exception. It'll be interesting to see how this influences my judgement. Thoughts?

What do you think makes a good movie adaptation? Any favorites you care to share?

After Reading: Angel Burn

By: Meradeth Houston on 2:21 PM

by LA Weatherly

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L.A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind.

Hmmm, the writing in the book drew me in instantly. The rich descriptions and fully fleshed out characters were instantly captivating and engaging. I found the attraction and connection between Willow and Alex also to be realistic and quite a bit of fun :) The one thing that rather bothered me was the fact that the beings in the book that were the "bad guys" were portrayed as "angels." Really, it's a misnomer that kind of bugged me throughout. It's not like they're angelic, heavenly, or really anything other than beings from another dimension. Calling them "angels" just seemed kind of strange and started to kind of annoy me. Granted, this is a small thing, and I honestly can't wait for the next book, which is due out in the US in December (I think). Should be a fun read!

Write for Fifteen Minutes a Day

By: Meradeth Houston on 8:31 PM

I don't know if you've seen this, but the awesome author Laurie Halse Anderson (yes, that one :) is holding her annual WFMAD event. Check it here! I'm totally jumping on this one because I really need the motivation to get back into my WIP. Plus, I'm really hoping that for days when I have time, the fifteen minutes will turn into a much longer. I've been keeping at it these past three days and have managed to add 2k to my manuscript, so I'm pretty happy. It really has been far too long since I got down to the gritty work of getting a solid draft down, and I want this one done before the Sci-Fi popularity completely dies away (heaven willing it's still here even as I type this!). Anyone else planning on joining in?

So, do tell, what kinds of things really keep your butt in the proverbial writing chair?

Testing

By: Meradeth Houston on 10:45 PM

I'm attempting to get my blogger posts to automatically update to my LJ journal. Fingers crossed this actually works!

After Reading: Supernaturally

By: Meradeth Houston on 7:40 PM

After Reading: Supernaturally

by Kiersten White

A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including:
1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in:
1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where the prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal.

I'm just going to come out and say it: I love Evie. Like, adore her, really, wish she were real, etc. Which is a little strange, possibly, but these books really make me like her :) Plus, they're just a whole lot of fun. It was great to get to learn a bit more about what's going on with Evie, and how her role in the Grand Scheme Of Things is working out. Or at least supposed to. On top of that, I think White really taps into totally authentic teen (and just plain human) emotion with Evie and the other characters. I totally felt for Evie more than once in the book, and understood where she was coming from. To top it off? Love the covers. Honestly--so pretty! (And I don't normally like people face-on in covers--go figure.) Okay, this was another great read, and I am going to say that if you haven't checked out this series yet, DO!