Do you ever feel like your writing is like being stuck in the traffic? Like there’s cars lined up for forever in front of you, making you put on the brakes, but all you want to do is zoom out onto an open road?
There have been times that I’ve been stuck in a lot of ‘traffic’ and I was going nowhere for a really long time.
But I think I see a green light up ahead.
So it’s true. My husband is one of those closet writers that peeks his head out every once in a while. He’s actually a very good writer (okay, so I’m kind of biased), which is actually quite annoying. He whips stuff up in moments and it’s good! While I, on the other hand, slave away and THEN it’s tolerable. I know. The hardships I go through.
Anyway, he’s a soccer fanatic and his favorite soccer site www.goal.com was having a contest. He entered and his entry was chosen for the winner of the day and is a finalist for the grand prize. Yep, he’s cool.
So if you’re a soccer fan, have lived in Korea or overseas, gone to a World Cup game or are just terribly curious to read my hubby’s story, click HERE.
But if you’re like me and don’t want to click, here’s an excerpt:
A group of dystopian novelists have come together to create the coolest blog: League of Extraordinary Writers.
The five writers include:
Beth Revis– Her sci fi, Across the Universe, is coming out in Spring 2011 from Razorbill.
Julia Karr– Her title is XVI, about a society that forces couple to get together on their “sex”-tenth birthday.
Angie Smibert– Her novel, Memento Nora, is about a world where people elect to erase bad memories.
Jeff Hirsch– His debut, The Long Walk Home, is set after the apocalypse.
Cool books huh?
And you know what’s even cooler? They’re having a rocking contest. Stolen from their blog:
This month, we’re giving away a SIGNED copy of Rick Yancey’s MONTRUMOLOGIST (did I mention it won the Printz Honor?) and a SIGNED copy of Carrie Ryan’s THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and signed bookmarks by PJ Hoover and Maria Snyder and a signed magnet by Stacey Jay! Monsters and magic and zombies, oh my!
So go check it out!
Picture by Chrisharvey
Hubby and I went out on the town last night for a unforgettable dinner at the revolving restaurant, n-Grill, on top of Seoul Tower. We don’t get out much with two little ones so this was definitely squeal worthy!
The Seoul Tower is located on top of Namsan Mountain so it has a fantastic view of the city spanning from the mountains to the Han River. 
Here’s a picture of the octopus. I’m not usually a fan of squishy food, but this was divine. Honest! Can you see the tentacles? 
Another neat piece of history lies on top of the tower, the Beacon Lighthouse. The tops of appointed mountains were made into beacons all along the coasts of Korea. 
Each night, the beacon master would light the beacon with fire to let the next mountain peak know that all was safe along the coasts. 
It’s believed you can be considered fluent in a tongue once you dream in that language. That it becomes so much a part of you that it finds its way into your subconscious.
Trust me, I’m not fluent in either Indonesian or Korean. (Although sometimes I still mix my Korean for Indonesian, which is comical when I’m repeating an Indonesian word repeatedly to the Korean shopkeeper whose looking at me like I’m some crazy waygook)
You see, last night I dreamed ‘writing’ (as opposed to English). I’ve been so engrossed in my book these last few weeks that I dream I’m editing. I dream I’m character building. I dream I’m solving plot issues.
When I woke up this morning, I was murmuring portions of my story aloud and trying to figure out how to make them sound better. So apparently, I dream in writing. A little freaky.
Has this ever happened to you? Care to spill the language of your dreams?
Picture by Jana Kopilova
If you are confused, disheartened or downright frustrated over what to write or not write, check out Mandy Hubbard’s post on chasing trends. She’s got great advice, and I love how she breaks down the categories and shares her take on what editors are interested in. Look for her latest novel coming out in August, You Wish.
For the last week I’ve been hanging out a lot with my characters. Eating chocolate and drinking lattes. You know, getting to know them better. Like really know them.
It’s hard. I’m tired.
Overcaffeinated. Dying for a good, hard run.
But right now I’m so into my character’s heads that I don’t want to leave them. Have you ever felt that connection? And then the fear that if you put them aside, you’ll lose that grasp of who they are and what makes them tick?
So I’ve been doing a lot of research on what makes characters tick. Come to life.
Here are some things that I’ve found in my hunt:
1. Larger-Than-Life Character Qualities- Donald Maass- Get your characters doing something memorable. Something that they would never do.
2. “Without good characters, it’s hard to care about the story”- Suzie Townsend
3. Great interview questions to ask your character- Suzette Saxton
4. Make your characters quirky- Elana Johnson
5. Use dialogue to enrich your characters- Margot Finke
6. Get to know your characters better by doing these exercises at StoryBug.
Aren’t these fabulous? Any suggestions you have to add?
1. You incorporated many of your husband’s memories into Escaping the Tiger. Tell us a little about that.
(Absolutely!)
2. What was the toughest part about writing Escaping the Tiger?
3. The most rewarding part?
(Wow. I’m awed and amazed at your husband’s family’s determination and the will to overcome.)
4. I love the picture of your writing space on your website. It’s fun and full of color. What are some things that you must have or love that keep you inspired?
The night sky. It makes me wonder. An open window. It clears my mind. And my lamp that has a blue bulb to simulate moonlight. It makes me feel a certain kind of longing that I need when I write.
5. Once you finished writing Escaping the Tiger, what was your next step toward publication?
I had another novel that had been on submission through my agent, and wasn’t appearing likely to sell, so while I waited to hear back from the last editor who had it, I finished Escaping The Tiger, and thankfully, it sold in the first round. But prior to all that, I racked up over 100 rejections on my own with various projects picture books and poetry.
(Another story of determination and the will to overcome!)
6. Share with us the one piece of writing advice you wished you had when you first started writing.
Read a giant stack of books in the genre you’re writing before you ever take pen to paper.
(Now that sounds like fun.)
And here are some quickies:
7. Favorite type of chocolate:
Cheap. That fancy stuff makes me gag. And if it has a little of that crispy, puffed rice in it, well that right there is music in my mouth!
8. #1 country you’d like to visit:
Wow, this one stumps me. A real, live vacation seems so impossible right now, so I don’t even think about it. But let’s say Greece. I want to wear some long, white, flowing clothes and stand in front of the Parthenon.
9. Favorite mode of transportation:
Dreams. (okay, I know that was sappy.) But seriously, a car. I love the open road with the radio blasting and the sky stretching out in front of me. That is my kind of freedom.
10. Preferred writing method (i.e.) computer, pen, pencil:
It depends. If I’m doing structural stuff, the cut and paste feature is priceless, and I can’t understand how novels ever got written on plain old typewriters. If I’m doing revisions and finessing the prose, I gotta go with pencil and paper. When I’m holding the manuscript in my hands, it reads more like a book, and I can see it more as a reader would, as opposed to being the author.
Now for your chance to WIN Escaping the Tiger (fabulous title BTW). All you have to do is make a comment below.
Laura has also agreed to pop by and answer any questions that you may have. Isn’t she rocking awesome?
Oh! And before you start commenting away, watch this quick 30 second book trailer.
