Learning to Revise: Part 1

The weekend of May 17^th, I went up to Muse Mountain for a writer’s retreat as a day tripper. Anna DeStefano was there to do her workshops on planning and character, drafting, and revisions. It was the revision one that caught my attention. Revision for me is the dreaded task. I know it must be done, but I was clueless where to start.

I’ve explored this topic before. I’ve purchased craft books, read blogs and tried to do it myself. I fixed grammar, added commas and checked my dialog tags.  Still the story didn’t shine. It was sagging in the middle. I had a lot to learn about revisions.

How I Decide Which Authors to Follow on Twitter

There are plenty of articles on how to use twitter effectively and I’m not going to write about that here. Go forth and Google that on your own. What I am here to tell you about is what I look for when I see someone’s tweets, whether directly from that person (via a hashtag I follow) or retweeted from someone else. What is it that makes me decide that I really need to follow this person and add to the endless stream of information that flies past my eyes when I’m not on self-imposed “I’m writing and don’t bother me” radio silence, so to speak?

Honestly, it starts with your twitter bio. Okay, technically it starts with that tweet that makes me take an interest in you and click on your twitter bio in the first place. Once you’ve piqued my interest with that tweet, I ask myself three things.

Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That is why it’s so hard. ~ David McCullough

Write What You Know

Write what you know.

It is the mantra drilled into us by every single writing teacher, a stifling force to our creativity. From day one, it is preached to us that in order to write effectively, we must only stick to that which we hold intelligence on. We start to think then that we are limited only to what we live every day, and for most of us, that leaves only boring tidbits no story can be fully formed from. If I was only to write in my novel what I “experience,” it would be divested down to the following lines: I like pink and pit bulls and have an unhealthy shoe obsession. Would you like to hear about my seventeen thousand heels? After the first twenty shoes, your eyes would glaze over.

I’ve often thought that every person, no matter how “interesting” their life seems on the outside, is convinced at one point that they lead a boring existence no one wants to hear about. For a writer, this is particularly painful. You’ve got stories bubbling at the surface but you can’t bring yourself to put them down on the page, perhaps because you think people won’t like what you write, or you worry they’ll flop down on their pillow and drool. Or maybe you feel limited by your subject matter, like what you do every day as a person isn’t worthy of a book.

In Defense of the Good Guy Hero

The best thing about writing novels is getting to create your own heroes. My YA fantasy series has female protagonists and they are awesome and so much fun to write, but there is something beyond fun about creating perfect (for them) heroes. Of course each hero should be strong, complex characters on their own…and hot. “Hot” helps too. Never underestimate the power of “hot.”

“’He is also handsome,’ replied Elizabeth, ‘which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete.’” – Pride and Prejudice.

The problem with writing heroes is they need a character arc. They need to develop, or learn something, yadda yadda. This writing conundrum has lead to a rise in what I call the “Bad Guy Hero.” There are several subsections of Bad Guy Heroes. Examples include the Reformed Rake, Vampires or Other Mystical Beings Generally Considered Evil-ish, the Self-Centered Tycoon, and the Pirate/Thief, just to name a few. Invariably these Bad Guy Heroes are discovered to have a Heart of Gold and/or their perfectly normal heart is gold-i-fied by love for the heroine.

My Obsession with Food Network…And My Lack of Culinary Skills

You’ve all heard the expression, “One should eat to live, not live to eat.”  Fortunately, or unfortunately, I probably fit more into the “live to eat” category. I love food (though don’t think the relationship is unhealthy…..yet) and some of my favorite memories are with friends and family gathered together sharing a meal together. Food can be a wonderful way for people to bond, share, and connect.

As I mentioned in my Holiday Drinks Post, I am a big Food Network fan. Some of my favorites were Good Eats, 30 Minute Meals, Everyday Italian,  and Ace of Cakes.  The food looked delicious and I always wished I had the  skills and knowledge to reproduce those dishes.  I was especially fascinated with how much science and research Alton Brown put into Good Eats. The visual elements of the show made it so much fun, and showcased his film background. I can hardly talk about Food Network without mentioning powerhouse Rachael Ray and her 30 Minute Meals. I am constantly amazed at how much she is able to accomplish in thirty minutes (even though she takes shortcuts and a lot of “help from the store” as she puts it).

But the sad thing is, as much of a foodie as I am, I’m incredibly inept in the kitchen. I can’t do much without a recipe, have no knife skills to speak of, and can’t manage much more than scrambled eggs by myself.  I have a penchant for keeping the burners on high so the food will cook faster.

Winner of a Darcy Burke Backlist Book

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for a print or e-book copy of one of Darcy Burke’s backlist. If you missed out on the giveaway but still want to learn more about Darcy Burke, check out the original post at here.

Congratulations to Maria. Maria, Darcy will contact you by e-mail.

Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation. ~ Graham Greene

 

The Girl With the Gatsby Tattoo

Warning: This is a post about why I have a literary tattoo. It’s not a review of The Great Gatsby (book or movie) nor does it have anything to do with Stieg Larsson. 🙂

With the new movie coming out, I’ve been getting more and more questions about a particular tattoo I have on my right forearm. It reads “Gatsby believed in the green light”  in a simple, almost-script writing.

Many people who have asked about this tattoo have a vague memory of Gatsby from school. They know they’ve encountered that name somewhere in the past, though they usually struggle for a more specific context. And then there’s the light of realization when the lessons from high school English classes click into place. “Oh yeah, like The Great Gatsby, right?” Right. And lately, of course, there’s been a lot of hype about the movie. (I am on vacation at the moment and haven’t seen it yet. Have you?)

Winner: Attempting Elizabeth

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for an ebook copy of Attempting Elizabeth. If you missed out on the giveaway but still want to learn more about AE check out the original post here.

Congratulations to Liz Smith. Liz, please email me at jessica@authorjessicagrey.com to claim your copy of Attempting Elizabeth. Thanks!