Blogs I Read: Day 3

I discovered Writing As Jo(e) after she responded to a question I had on twitter regarding the Indianna Dunes. She was kind enough to e-mail me her impressions of this landmark. In order to better describe a fictional location in my novel, I was trying to better understand this area that I'd never been to. How kind she was to respond and how happy I am that it allowed me to discover her blog.

I enjoy her observations of the world. She often shares lovely simple stories about her family, friends, and neighbors. And I particularly like her connection to the natural world. I feel a bit like a voyeur as I peek into her life (I guess that's what blogs are about), but as the people and places in her world become more familiar to me, they are like characters in a story, and her blog feels like a friendly place to stop by and say hi.

What blogs do you read that have a cast of 'characters' you like to hear about?

Blogs I Read: Day 2

I recently came across Beth Kephart Books . The first blog post I stumbled upon included a video with a writing prompt for the group readergirlz. I immediately liked her voice and her style. She spoke a bit like a poem.

As I read her blog, I feel as if I am being let in on a little secret. Her prose is beautiful and thought provoking. I recently finished one of her books, Undercover, and I'm hooked. From her video, to her blog posts, to her fiction I feel that same quiet but powerful voice and I want to know more.

I feel I've discovered her blog and her books at just the right time. I am able to learn about her journey as it unfolds on her blog. And read her published work (which spans several genres including memoir, non-fiction and young adult) from the past 12 years. I've just learned that she has an adult novel in the works too. That type of diversity from a writer is very exciting.

Is there a blog you read for the beauty and depth of its prose?

Blogs I Read: Day 1

Confession: I read an embarassing amount of blogs. My google reader is overflowing with posts and I am completely anal about getting down to zero un-read items. I have them broken down into categories and my google-reading is down to an absolute science. I read almost every single blog in my google reader and I rarely 'mark all as read'.

So, I decided that every day this week I am going to feature a blog that I find particularly useful or entertaining. It will be a bit like my Tuesday Books for Writers posts (which I've been slacking off on as of late. I apologize!) and I hope you'll find it beneficial.

Check back this week for updates!

Since you're here now, I feel I must leave you with something. So I'll send you to a blog that has nothing to do with writing at all. It just fricken hilarious. If you're not already reading Cake Wrecks you should be!

What's the funniest blog you read?

2010 Comment Challenge

One of my goals for the year is to become a little bit more active in the blogging community. I read a lot of blogs, but I must confess that I am a professional lurker. I don't always comment and participate in the conversation. Yet, when someone comments on my blog, I become very giddy. It may or may not involve clapping hands, jumping up and down and/or squee-ing.

So I decided to participate in a challenge from Mother Reader and Lee Wind. It is a Comment Challenge. Just comment on 5 new blogs a day for the next 21 days. After I signed up, I realized it encourages commenting on Kid Lit Blogs. But since this is also a personal challenge for myself I am going to comment on all kinds of blogs including Kid Lit Blogs. I hope to discover some new blogs in the process. So comment away!

Biking Memory #2

I had no idea I had so many biking memories, until the weather got too cold to bike. I guess this is what happens when you grow up in the suburbs and live your summers outside, sunrise to sunset.

We glanced at the darkening skies, only a quick glance, before continuing on. At that time, the streets in our neighborhood were new to us. We'd never been on them before, by ourselves, our hands gripping the handlebars whose rainbow streamers fluttered in the wind. I felt the smallest drop of rain and ignored it. We wanted to keep riding, see how far we could go before we couldn't go anymore. The rain fell harder, but it was warm against our skin. A summer rain that didn't leave a chill. Soon, it was pouring. We didn't think about our tires skidding, our hair and clothes getting soaked, our parents probably wondering where we were, we only thought about going farther, never turning back around.

I think that's what I love about biking, it makes the streets you walk and drive on every day seem new. You can always go a little bit farther and see what else there is to see.

And, there's no disclaimer here. I firmly advocate biking in the rain.

Blogiversary! And a giveaway...sorta...

So, I realized this week that today...January 5th, 2010... is my one year anniversary of blogging!

I would give you some stats for the year but soon realized that would be futile. I didn't post as much as I would have liked to (97X). I don't have many 'official' followers (A whopping 2! lol.) I don't have many google feed subscribers (10) but I've had an impressive sounding amount of visitors (1,097).

The most searched terms for my blog are:

1. "harry potter naked"
2. "te quiero barcelona"

So, I apologize to all the screaming teen girls, perverts, and Spanish speaking people of the world...I'm pretty sure you didn't find what you were looking for.

I've learned a lot this year, by writing this blog and reading so many others' (my google reader is completely obnoxious). I found out that I love to blog and I wish that I could find a full-time job blogging (if you're hiring, please feel free to contact me! ;-) I also discovered that the blogging community is filled with incredible content and extraordinarily interesting and talented bloggers. I would start a list, but that's another post all-together. Look for it soon.

When I realized this anniversary was upon me, I immediately wanted to do a give-away. Because...well...why the heck not! Tyler and I brainstormed a bit and came up with a few amazing prizes:

1. A ROUND TRIP TICKET!! (on the MTA from Brooklyn to Manhattan)
2. A moleskin notebook! (with my notes already in it)
3. Home-made ice cream! (Sent by post)

I soon realized, there wasn't much I could give away. You've seen the stats. This blog isn't exactly pulling in the big bucks. I don't have any sponsors. Shocking, I know. I could give you something out of the kindness of my heart, but let's face it, my heart is kind, but my pockets are not so...er...full. I'd give you a crap-load of free toys (ask me about my day job offline some time :-) but I would promptly get fired. Nobody wants that...

So, I really thought about it. What could I give my loyal followers? All 1,097 of you. (So...half of you wanted to see Harry Potter naked. But that's my favorite stat, ok?)

It surprised me that I didn't think of it sooner. After all, it's what this blog is about.

Without further adieu...

An excerpt from 'He Who Shall Not Be Named'...my work in progress...(A prize will be given if you can find a name for this damn book)

My main character, Elisabeth, and her new friend, Dallas, are on a swing set. At night.

"What about this run-away sister of yours? How’d she get out of going to Northfield?”

“She’s developmentally disabled,” I knew no other way to say it, so I threw out the politically correct term.

“How’d she get to be that way?” he asked.

I realized that very few people asked it like that. It was always what was wrong with her. Or why she was like that. Never how. Which was, of course, the one question I didn’t want to answer. Had never wanted to.

“I guess that’s just the way she is,” I lied.

“So what exactly is wrong with her?” he urged.

“It’s unfair to say there’s something wrong with her,” I said defensively.

“Ok. Then what’s right with her?” He offered.

“It’s not as simple as that.”

“I’m sure it’s not. I was just kind of curious.” He was so sincere.

“She just…doesn’t connect with people,” I started pumping my legs harder again, pulling back severely on the chains so that we quickly fell out of sync, “I don’t know how else to say it.”

“Not even with you?”

I considered this, “No.”

“How can that be?”

“You ask it like there’s some kind of answer. If I knew…if people knew, they would fix it.”

“Maybe it’s not meant to be fixed,” he said simply.

I grew frustrated, “You asked me what was wrong with her. When you ask things like that, it assumes that’s something that needs to be set right. I don’t want to make those kind of judgments. I can’t.”

I wanted to concentrate solely on the task at hand, trying to get higher and higher in my swing. In my peripheral vision I saw Dallas’ sneakers as they reached up into the air.

My sincere thanks for reading this blog. I hope someday you get to read this book. :-)

Bring the Past to the Present

For the longest time, I had one character that was particularly gnawing at me. I only discussed him in flashback and I knew he needed to be brought to the present. Too many memories were holding my novel back, making it feel static, distancing it from the urgency of 'now'. Taking him to the present in the edit has made all the difference and I now realize how someone can very easily transfer from past to present- a feat I thought was near impossible.

If someone is holding your main character back in the past, they can easily do the same in the present. If there's a reason to remember them then, then there's a reason to know them now. This was very eye opening for me. I have now taken all of my flashbacks and made them part of the action. It moves my novel forward at a better, more lively pace.

Given that I am learning so much about the writing and editing processes right now, I feel hesitant to give out advice. But, this was an incredibly useful discovery for me. When we're writing, we know what's important, even characters who we think belong in a memory. Don't get me wrong, there's a place for flashback. It's a powerful tool and sometimes it works within a structure. It just didn't work for me.

So, if you feel something is lagging, if a character or a place is very insistent in your story's past, maybe they belong in the here and now. Try it. You can always hit the 'undo' button and put them back where they belong.