Regular readers of this blog (hi Mom!) have followed the journey of Blades of Grass since it began last fall with NaNoWriMo. In a nutshell for you latecomers, I churned out 50K words, chucked them all and started over in March. Along the way, I had my wonderful agent, Stephen Fraser, checking in with knowledge and advice. Upon my urging, Steve gave me an end of summer soft deadline for getting him a manuscript to review. I translated that into…
I recently finished reading a terrific novel that was partially told from the point of view of a teenager. The story was gripping, the characters carefully drawn and fully realized. The book kept me turning the page. But one thing struck me: the minimalist use of swear words. Or cursing. Or, as we always said back home, cussin’. A few four-letter words were peppered here and there to give the book a hint of grit, but overall the language stayed…
I’ve come to the conclusion that my writing process is akin to homebuilding. I just finished a solid draft of Blades of Grass and am prepping it to send off to Steve, agent extraordinaire. By prepping, I mean rereading and revising after my friend (and Nitpicky Reader) Atish submitted his notes on the manuscript. This latest draft was written while I was in the process of selling one home and moving into another, so indulge me through this metaphor. As…
How to choose readers for your manuscript “All readers are not created equal.” – Rachelle Gardner, literary agent When a writer finally gets to that coveted last page of a manuscript and arrives at what he or she considers to be a solid draft (whether it’s the seventh, eighth or twentieth draft!), it’s time to push that baby bird out of the nest to see if it flies. That means selecting a preferably small and carefully chosen group of people…
The Hunger Games. Twilight. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Imagine each of these based-on-the-book movies without the kick-ass sountrack that accompanied it. How early did song selection really begin on these projects? In some cases, pretty darn early – even during the writing process of the book! (Okay, the first two examples maybe not so much, but Perks especially draws on the musical influences of its characters in the book, Charlie being the mix tape fan that he is!) The point is,…
Why you should approach your novel like a screenplay. Okay, okay. Chris Colfer isn’t really starring in Blades of Grass because, well, as of time of writing I haven’t even finished the book. So it getting optioned for a film adaptation? I think not. But that tantalizing headline is the onramp to my thoughts on writing novels so that your story plays out like a movie…at least in a sense. The two mediums aren’t terribly different, really. Riveting plot, well-developed…
Forgive me, Agent, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last blog post. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a chronic sufferer of Lazy Writer Syndrome. Blades of Grass had been progressing quite nicely through the spring. Regular readers will know the ups and downs I’ve had with this project since starting it during last fall’s NaNoWriMo event. But, as the saying goes, life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. I decided to…
So right now I feel very much like this hasty little fleabag… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuvbFHWfHbo The other day I opened up an email from Steve, my agent extraordinaire, asking for a progress report on Blades of Grass. (My last post explains why he’d be doing such a thing.) And while the truth is I am making pretty good progress on the manuscript, I never quite feel like I’ve done enough. And I suppose until I reach the end of the damn thing,…
"When's your book coming out?" I get this question a lot these days. Sometimes I feel like the answer is going to be, "Never!" Although lately the more appropriate response is, "As soon as I write the damn thing!" You see, the first book I wrote, Straightville, U.S.A., will probably not be the first book you read. All roads into Straightville have been temporarily closed. My agent shopped it around to some terrific editors who provided solid, supportive and constructive feedback…
Author David James asked a group of writers – including yours truly – the following question: "Have you ever felt the difficulties/pressures that come from being of a different background, race, other diversity, sexuality, or culture around you, and how do you think those struggles might help you better understand the struggles of others?" You can find our answers here. Thanks, David, for including me in this project.