Archive for April, 2010

April 30th, 2010

Friday Fun

by Holly Dodson

I’ve seen some funny things over the web this week, and a few things that make me squeeee! So, today will be a mismash of things I found interesting.

Must share- I cannot WAIT for Kierstin White’s PARANORMALCY to come out…and LOOK! It’s a countdown!

And the Agency Gatekeeper posted this hilarity, which I feel needs to be shared with all.

 

Twilight Cycles from Brandon Routh

You should also check out agent Nathan Bransford’s Query System Experiment. He posted 5 random queries which were voted on, and then a 30 page sample of the stories to be voted on as well. It was to determine if the querying system is effective in choosing stories that sell based on such a short word count.

There was also an interesting post on DGLM’s blog about writing manuals and if they really are effective. I, personally, only ventured into the writing manual section once I had a completed manuscript. The books I’ve used have been on structure and expectations of agents and publishers in general. There are a lot of interesting comments on the post as well.

Was there anything epically awesome that I missed this week? If so, please share!

Categoryagents, authors, funny, inspiration, Writing | CommentNo Comments »

April 28th, 2010

Book Recommendation – A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Holly Dodson
A Great and Terrible Beauty
By Libba Bray
Book Blurb from Libba Bray’s website: “It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?”

This is an entrancing story that leads you along like a puppet on a string. For most of the book we’re left wondering- what the heck is going on? Gemma keeps having visions, the strange man in a black cloak keeps appearing, and we have no answers for a long time.

The book sends a good message, that everything you do is a choice. Every choice you make effects your life and those around you. I think it’s awesome when a book can pull a message into the story that way, without being preachy. Libba also does an excellent job letting us into the heads of her characters, sharing their fears and struggles. It really endears the characters to you, and even when they go a little nuts, you’re still pulling for them.

It’s a great book to read for an escape from the norm. I’ve already started the next in the series, Rebel Angels.

Categorybooks, Gemma Doyle, Libba Bray | CommentNo Comments »

April 28th, 2010

Road Trip Wednesday

by Holly Dodson

It’s Road Trip Wednesday on the YA Highway, and you know what that means!

This week’s topic:
What’s the best book you’ve read this month?

I have two that stand out in my mind, but forced to choose one…I’d say above all The Hunger Games. If you haven’t read it, go get it. Beg, borrow, steal…well, don’t steal it but definitely borrow it if you can’t buy it.

You can read my recommendation Here if you haven’t already.

This is the kind of book that sticks with you for days, makes you stay up way too late reading, and wish all day at work that you could just finish it and find out what happens!

I love books like that. I still find myself pondering what will happen in the last installment Mockingjay. Can’t wait to find out!

Categorybooks, READ IT NOW, YAHighway | Comment8 Comments »

April 27th, 2010

Tipsy Tuesday

by Holly Dodson

Okay, so maybe not that kind of tipsy. Unless you’ve got a chilled moscato hanging out over there. Then it’s game ON! I jest, I jest. Or do I?

Enough circles. On this Tipsy Tuesday I bring you tips for query submissions I have gathered across the array of agent blogs I follow.

  1. Personalize the letter. No, Ms. Agent Lady doesn’t enjoy being addressed as Dear Sir. Be sure to use the agent’s name, spelled correctly.
  2. Never ever, ever, ever, ever CC a gajillion agents on a single query email. They know. It’s really an insult–like saying they’re not worth your time.
  3. No matter how great the urge– do NOT send gifts along with a paper query. It’s creepy.
  4. Do your research. Sending an agent a query for a genre they don’t represent is wasting both your time. Most agents list things they represent on their website and/or on sites like query tracker and publishers marketplace.
  5. Don’t send attachments to emails, unless the agent specifically asks for it! It will be deleted for fear of viruses.

Now, some not so serious mommy tips.

  1. Never let Super-Spawn nap until nearly 5pm, he will never go to sleep at night.
  2. Of course cake is a healthy food! Grandma says so!
  3. Repeating Mama over and over and over and over is a tactic to make you cave. DO NOT GIVE IN!
  4. Puppy dog eyes and pouty lips work, even if you don’t want them to.
  5. They really are cute when they sleep, it’s the waking hours you have to worry about.

Ba-dum-cha!

Categoryfunny, parenting, publishing, queries, random, tips, Writing | Comment2 Comments »

April 23rd, 2010

Book Recommendation – Graceling

by Holly Dodson
Graceling
By Kristin Cashore

Here’s the cover blurb: “In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.”

I was blown away by this book. Sucked right into Katsa’s journey and struggles in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time. This book isn’t as intense as The Hunger Games, but it has a magic all of its own. It’s a love story and a story of acceptance, of coming to peace with yourself.

It was an excellent read with astonishing world building. Kristin gives you just enough description to form the world in your mind without overloading you, which I love. I don’t like to be overwhelmed with descriptions.

Verdict: Read it, you won’t regret it.

Categorybooks | CommentNo Comments »

April 23rd, 2010

Flashback Friday

by Holly Dodson

It’s Flashback Friday over on the GotYA Blog, and they’ve invited everyone to participate!

This week’s topic is: Movies that Shaped Our Generation

Now, my generation may be a little different than yours or theirs (Hey, I’m 25, Twilight is not shaping my generation).

The Princess Bride- So epically wonderful ::sigh:: We used to watch this in the Drama classroom between our rehearsals when I was in high school. It just doesn’t get any better.

The Little Mermaid- Okay, so maybe it didn’t shape the boys, but it certainly did the girls of my generation. I used to watch this movie every day, over and over again. And my mom still has the original VHS version with one of the original covers that were recalled because of an artist being…uhm…less than appropriate.

Silence of the Lambs- That movie still scares me.


And last, but certainly not least…

Scary Movie- Hahahaha. Yes, remember how funny it was when the first one came out? Epic.

CategoryFlashback Friday, funny | CommentNo Comments »

April 21st, 2010

Hey, you! With the keyboard and the mouse…

by Holly Dodson

GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR!!

I need a nice kick this week it seems. Reading a ton is great, but it really knocks out a lot of my writing time. Yes, reading is important, but not if I don’t write as well. I get so wrapped up in these worlds I can’t make myself put them down, so I fly through a book every two days and nary a thousand words added to my manuscript in a week!

For shame!

So, today is about inspiration to kick it into high gear.

 

“Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be
times in this business when you will be the only one who does. Take
heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will
often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong,
distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous. But in the end,
only the strong survive.”- Jayne Ann Krentz

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with the rain.”- Dolly Parton

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”- Albert Einstein

“You don’t find time to write. You make time. It’s my job.”- Nora Roberts

“If we don’t risk it all, we may as well not write at all.”- Anne Stuart

I do hope that I have provided you with a bit of inspiration. I know I’m feeling better myself. Now, off to brave the neverland of my very own creation where nothing can stop me.

Categoryinspiration, Writing | CommentNo Comments »

April 19th, 2010

Revisions, oh sweet revisions.

by Holly Dodson

My dearest revisions…
…you are from Hell. Just kidding, sort of.

Having a critique partner (or two) who can give you feedback on the huge gaping holes in your manuscript is a beautiful thing. Until you go to make the changes. lol Really am kidding about the last part.

Revising can be an extremely rewarding, albeit painful process, that is necessary to every single work out there. I don’t care if your name is Rowling, Meyer, or Brown–you still need a good critique buddy. When you’re writing you get so close to the story, you scrutinize every word until your eyes bleed, and you think it is perfect. Pft. Trust me, it ain’t perfect, sweetheart. In your personal revision, while you will certainly fix some major flaws, you lack the viewpoint to see the bigger problems. I mean, standing next to the Mississippi River it may seem like every other river out there, but we all know it’s not.

If you’re like me you open and read these notes post haste, ready to take on your creation and give it new life. As you read the comments you may think things like, “Well, duh, I should have seen that!” Don’t worry, we all do it.

It’s fun and painful all at once. Rest assured that when you’re done your novel will shine like never before. Now all that’s left is to put the laborious hours in, hacking away at the computer, eyes crossing in concentration.

Happy trails!

Categoryinspiration, revisions, Writing | CommentNo Comments »

April 16th, 2010

Book Recommendation – Catching Fire

by Holly Dodson
Catching Fire
By Suzanne Collins

I found the book vastly enjoyable, and once again I was guessing at every turn. I absolutely love Suzanne Collins writing style, she pulls you right down into the action with Katniss and Peeta. Every second you can’t wait to find out what happens next, and who will live to the end. Completely enthralling.

I will say, the ending was a shock.  I am looking forward to the final book in the series Mockingjay which is due out in August.

Is it August yet? No? Dang.

(Am now totally addicted to this series and want more.)

Categorybooks | Comment2 Comments »

April 15th, 2010

The Muse Strikes

by Holly Dodson

“…if novelists wrote only when they were inspired it would take a hundred years to string together a novel. If you’re really going to finish one, you’re not only going to have to spend quite a lot of time writing and revising when you don’t feel like it, you’re going to have to spend quite a lot of time writing when you would rather be lighting your toes on fire.” ~Nathan Bransford

Oh, Nathan, how I love thee. This is so, so true. I cannot tell you the number of times I have whined to my sister something that sounds like, “All I’ve done today is edit until my eyes bleed.” Yeah, sometimes it’s painful.

Other times, my muse strikes, usually with the stapler. I’m left reeling and giddy at all the changes I need to make and can’t wait to get to them all. Or a new idea that I simply can’t contain and fly through the first pages with ease. But those are the exceptions, not the norm.

No matter how much you love your dear characters, one day you’ll find yourself wishing you could kill the whole lot of them off. Don’t. Step away from the computer! When I start feeling this way I know I need a break, so I’ll work on a different project for a day, week– however long I need. When I come back my muse is nice and refreshed and ready for another go in the ring. She thrives on new ideas, creating, not necessarily the commas and semicolons.

All of this ties back into yesterday’s post. Just write. Even when you don’t feel like it, hate your characters, wish you could do anything else….just write. Write through the fear, the sadness, the hopelessness and tomorrow all will look better.

Why do you write?

I write for love. Well, and because I have 846,513,518,478 thoughts running through my head at any given moment and writing helps quiet them. My words have helped me through some very tough times in life, they’re a constant comfort and companion. I cherish each of them. That’s why I write, to share that love.

Categoryinspiration, Writing | Comment1 Comment »

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