Do you ever have one of those never ending days? It's like people are constantly doing that AND THEN... this happened or that and you really just want them to finish. I felt like today reading this book. I was seriously thinking to myself, Oh for godsakes get to the point already. And usually I'm not like this books. Usually I love falling in love with the words on the page. I love when something is so good you literally melt into your sofa. Or you know you're coming to that ending stretch of the pages and you're literally saying Oh man Oh Man this is almost done. Then when it is you're scouring for more, hoping there is another book coming out soon.
So when I got this book was good, but could of ended a lot shorter than when it did, I felt exhausted afterwards. And it wasn't the kind of exhaustion that comes from reading until a book is done. This got me thinking though, how many times have any of you ever found yourself editing a book you're reading? I do. How many of you thought, wow they really did drag this out?
When writing a book I know a few rules or codes I should call them. I stick by them too.
1. Don't write a bunch of crap just to lengthen the plot. If this happens my plot isn't strong enough to make a novel.
2. Make sure the voices are different. And don't make guys sound like your girlfriends unless in fact you want them to play the role of your best boy friend. (Think you know what I mean by this) Guys can be sensitive but they need to have some strengths too.
3. Make sure your timelines add up. I just went through and listed classes in 45 minute intervals, practice times. Work times. Game days. Whole list of day school starts and graduation day. Why go through any of this nonsense? Because it's a timeline. I might not use all of this, but I'd rather know where I am then guess and go back and rewrite.
4. Read. Read not only over your own work line for line, but read and study other writers. How they capture emotions in their books. What made you love their writing? What made you hate it? And just try to come up with a list of things to avoid.
5. I know no matter what I write or how I write it, not everyone will love my work.
What are some codes or tips can we add to this list?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
HOLY BATMAN!!!
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to SIDEKICK!!! Congrats Pab Sungenis it's finally here!
What's Sidekick about?
Perfect for comic book and superhero fans, as well as reluctant readers and boys seeking more male-centered fare, this young adult novel follows the complicated life of Bobby Baines. He's in high school, which is bad enough, but when his hero Scarlet Knight dies, he's forced to take up the mantle. Except Scarlet Knight never had to deal with eeking out a passing grade in math, keeping his fellow sidekicks in check, or stopping a giant squid from bearing down on his school and crushing everyone inside. After all, Bobby Baines is no superhero-he's a sidekick.
Find it here and here.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
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