Back 2 School

Dang it. Back to school already.

Olivia did not want to wake up. Honey, I feel your pain.

Gabe was super excited. Olivia, although awake and dressed, was still a little nervous. Totally understandable since she was the one heading off to a brand new school. Gabe gets the same school and the same (awesome) teacher as last year. Olivia had an amazing teacher last year and has a new & incredible teacher this year. I know she'll have a great year. Still, butterflies are perfectly understandable. 

Yay! Finally a smile. Madame, your minivan awaits.

And the Gabester, desperate to have the ornamental potted grass as a backdrop, still excited for school. He even tied his own shoes. Let's hope the excitement continues the whole year ... or at least through the first week.

How are the rest of you holding up? If you're a parent with school-aged, school-attending children, I'm curious ... Are you the type who can't wait to get the kids out the door and back to school, or are you sad to see them go? By the way, there is no wrong answer!

** And don't forget to enter my contest to win a BOOK. Click here.  Don't delay! Contest closes next Sunday, Sept 5 at Midnight Pacific Time. **

Contest, Contest, Contest!

I have so many reasons to host a contest!

1. I reached 100 followers a while back and didn't have a contest to celebrate. So this is my 115 follower celebration contest, instead!
2. I got to go to the SCBWI National Conference in LA this summer. Definitely a reason to celebrate -- and it's where I bought the prizes (and had them signed by the authors, too).
3. School's starting, so we all need something to cheer us up. And what's a better pick-me-up than BOOKS?!
4. I want to say THANK YOU to the people who read my blog. You are amazing and I am so grateful.

To enter to win, all you have to do is:

1. BE A FOLLOWER. (Simple. Just click on the FOLLOW button and follow the directions. If you already are a follower -- thank you!)
2. LEAVE A COMMENT and tell me which book you'd like to win.

That's it! There will be two (2) winners selected at random, and I'll announce them one week from today: Monday, Sept. 6, 2010.

Deadline for entries is: Sunday, Sept. 5 @ MIDNIGHT Pacific time (bong! bong! bong!...)

And now for the prizes!!

First up:

Ellen Hopkins' IMPULSE. Ellen is a verse-novel master, so if you like edgy* YA and are interested in verse novels, this book's for you. The summary reads: Three teens who meet at Reno, Nevada's Aspen Springs mental hospital after each has attempted suicide connect with each other in a way they never have with their parents or anyone else in their lives. *Because it's "edgy" some of the themes may be mature. Just wanted to let those of you with more delicate sensibilities know in advance.

Next up:

Gail Carson Levine's FAIREST. Levine won a Newbery Honor for her famous novel Ella Enchanted; FAIREST is set in the same world. If you're a fantasy buff or prefer a more light-hearted (but still a page-turning) read, this book's for you. The summary reads: In Ayortha, singing and beauty are prized above all else. Aza, a commoner, can sing, and Queen Ivi is a beauty. The queen forces Aza to use her voice to deceive the entire court.

That's it, folks. Follow the blog and leave me your comment about which book you'd prefer to win. Best of luck to all!!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Today is my daughter Olivia's 9th birthday. We had a little party at Grandma and Grandpa's house with the cousins, aunts, uncles and great-grandma to celebrate.

"My dream came true!" We broke down and gave Olivia an MP3 for her birthday. I downloaded Mommy-approved songs (in other words, no Justin Bieber *grin*).

"I'm rich!" Olivia's gift from her grandparents in Hong Kong. Thanks, Lao Lao and Grandpa!

Olivia with her signed copy of Cecile: Gates of Gold by Mary Casanova.
Thanks, Mary!

Blowing out the candles.

Knitting needles from Grandma Nai Nai, who volunteered to teach Olivia how to use them.

I know everybody says this, but it really DOES seem like yesterday that I was holding this baby girl in my arms:

Hard to believe I have a big, wonderful nine-year-old now.

Olivia,

may you have a wonderful year blessed by God. 

I hope you remember all year long 

how much your family loves you

and how precious you are.

Make your ninth year the best one ever, and most importantly,

cling to Jesus every minute.

Love,  

Mommy

Celebration Time, Come on!

I think it's time for a celebration around here.

Who's with me?

One thing to celebrate: I finished the first draft of my WiP's total and complete rewrite. (Yahoo! and Boy-am-I-tired) I still have a few things I know I need to return to and fix before I lay it aside in a dark, quiet corner, but I am officially at THE END. Phew!

Another thing to celebrate: I have two books from the SCBWI conference that I'm DYING to give away to two lucky, lucky followers. They are both author-signed, so you won't want to miss this give-away! Plus, the rules will be ultra-easy. I'll post the contest on Monday and you can tell me which book you'd prefer to win.

Yet another thing to celebrate: My cat Midnight had a successful surgery to remove all traces of his manhood (with cats that's a good thing, otherwise your house stinks). He is now recovering at home, trying to avoid all the small children. 

And last, but certainly not least, please check out Sara J. Henry's contest on her blog. It runs until Sept 2, so you still have a few more days to enter. She's giving away a copy of Reed Farrel Coleman's newest book INNOCENT MONSTER. Go, go, go!

Most of us can also celebrate that it's Friday. The weekend shines before us! Have a great one.

FitG Update: Bog Child

This was an awesome book.

Here's the jacket blurb to whet your appetite:

Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle Tally, Fergus finds something that makes his heart stop. Curled up deep in the bog is the body of a child. And it looks like she's been murdered.

As Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world around him -- his brother on hunger-strike in prison, his growing feelings for Cora, his mam and da arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the neck -- a  little voice comes to him in his dreams, and the mystery of the bog child unfurls. 

If you'd like to read my full review, click here.

And one more thing: is anyone else shocked that it's Thursday already?

A Story A Week Update: Go Slacker!

I have a plan for my Story-A-Week.

I am going to continue to be a slacker for one or two more weeks. This is why: I'm almost done with the first draft of the rewrite of my WiP and I am finding it impossible to think of short stories when I am working so hard on a first draft.

It was easier to write short stories when I was only editing my WiP. This, of course, makes perfect sense. There's a big difference between EDITING and WRITING. Two different sections of brain, maybe?  

Therefore, the PLAN:

1. Slacker for a little while longer. (Read: Write first draft like crazy until I'm done.)
2. Let first draft ferment in a dark corner.
3. Write two stories a week until I'm caught up.

Up next in the story line-up are Roland's three inspirational words: Love, Loss and Redemption. 

Very inspiring words. I know you're all dying to know what story's going to rear its beautiful head out of those three words. Sheesh, I'm dying to know, too. So far, BLANK BLANK BLANK. Which is why I'm giving myself permission to be a slacker for a couple more weeks.

I'm sure a brilliant idea will seize me. Don't be surprised, though, if it's a story about video games. I'm just trying to figure out how to get Love, Loss and Redemption into a story about video games.

If you have any great ideas, please share below. Otherwise, just say GO SLACKER! and I'll feel really good about myself.

Happy Monday!

Friday Fandango: Chores & Contests

We're easing out of summer into fall SCHEDULES.

Part of me loves schedules.

The other part of me Hates schedules.

My cousin-in-law, Natalie, blogged about chore lists the other day. Like a good little follower, I went to the website and actually felt all motivated for a minute to download the checklist.

Well, I've been doing the checklist for a week and a half now. Sort of.

The whole purpose of this exercise is to give me MORE TIME: more time to spend with my kids, more time to not feel guilty about my house being a mess. But I don't know. There are daily chores on the sidebar. They are about the only things I was accomplishing with any regularity before. The rest of the house went by this rule: if you notice it looks dirty, clean it.

I don't know if the check list has helped me or not. I can usually accomplish one or two things on the "extra" list every day, so I guess I'm doing more than I was before. Still, I have all those unchecked boxes staring at me. I just laugh at the ones that say, "Spend time on a craft/hobby." Yeah, I'll do THAT whether it's on my checklist or not. I'll write novels over scrubbing a green bathtub any day.

I guess my toilets are a little cleaner. My hand towels get changed more regularly. Maybe I'll be less embarrassed if surprise guests pop in.

But the list hasn't helped my clutter problem. Even though "Clear/Wipe kitchen counters" is on the everyday checklist, I never get them really cleared. I do wipe the parts of them I use for cooking. The other parts have piles of papers and toys and Sunday School crafts on them.

Oh well. I think we'll all live. Can I hear an AMEN?

But I'm going to stick with the list through the end of the year. Maybe it will get easier as time goes on. Maybe once the dashingly handsome sidekick and small geniuses are in school, I'll find myself checking off all the boxes on the list. Maybe ... maybe....

And now that my TRUE CONFESSIONS are over, it's time for FUN.

There are some awesome contests going on all over the blogosphere that you need to enter.

Molly Hall and Dawn Simon, two awesome friends I made at the SCBWI conference, are having book giveaways. All you have to do is follow their blogs and leave a comment. They are so fun, you'll want to follow their blogs anyway. And they're from Seattle, which is the second most beautiful city in the world (the first being Hong Kong, of course).

Krista V., my marvelous blog friend and one of my faithful critique partners, is having a really cool contest where you get to title her WiP, formerly named "Bob." She's getting ready to query that puppy and needs a snazzy name to match the snazziness of the manuscript. The prizes are pretty awesome, too. Query and first page critiques, and if the manuscript goes all the way to publication there are MORE prizes in store.

And I just came across this one today. Author T.H. Mafi (call me Tehereh) is giving away a hundred dollar gift card for books. We all love books, right? So I had to mention it.

Lydia Kang is having a 300's contest over on her blog. French milled soap and other yummies are up for grabs. Check it out.

And last but not least, Kelly Bryson is giving away a dollar, (yes, you read that right) a WHOLE DOLLAR, if you can guess what the dude in the picture on her blog is thinking.

Most of these contests end on Sunday or Monday, so you don't have much time. Forget the chores checklist and ENTER THEM. You could get RICH, get a great book in the mail, start smelling really good, or get a query critique.

If I missed your contest (sorry!), please feel free to mention it in my comments. And I hope you all get done with your work so you can dance the fandango tonight. After all, it's Friday!

Nugget: Check Your Sleeve

Today's writing tip nugget is also courtesy of Deborah Halverson's SCBWI National Conference break-out session, The Ultimate Checklist. (The first nugget I blogged about is here.)

This is one nugget I really struggle to tuck into my belt, by the way.

It's called Check Your Sleeve.

You've probably heard that old saying: Don't wear your heart on your sleeve? Well, your characters shouldn't, either.

Check your manuscript for points where you are making direct statements of feeling or your character is analyzing his actions. This is an area where writers tend to TELL instead of SHOW.

For instance:
He felt hurt. Why wouldn't Dennis listen to him?

Sure you can use the Find and Replace tool in Word to locate all your feels and felts. (That's a great idea, by the way.)

But what about this one:

The words stung. Dennis didn't even seem to be listening.

See how he's analyzing Dennis' feelings? See how he's telling us his own feelings?

I think I have a lot of this type of emotion-telling in my manuscript. In fact, I shiver when I think how much I might actually have. And it's nothing a Find and Replace tool can locate for me.

What would be better than the above two examples? The best idea is to let your reader guess emotions from what your character says and does. Readers like to think. They like to figure things out.

Maybe something like this would be better:

Dennis didn't let me finish my sentence.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," he spat. He turned his back on me and stalked away.
I ducked my head behind my locker door, quick, before anybody passing in the hall had a chance to notice my Ferrari-red ears.  

Okay, probably my "good" example is not the greatest example in the history of writing, but the point is: let the reader feel what your character is feeling, without telling them about it.

If your character has an emotion, it's a common one to humankind. Remember that. Not one of us lives in a bubble. The genius comes when you can remind your reader of their own emotions by showing them your characters in specific situations that incite those same emotions.

Easier said than done, right?

Believe me I know.

Now that we all know, let's get back to those manuscripts and take them to the next level. (Or probably you already have and it's only me who struggles with this. *grin*)

So, how about you? Is this old news, something you've mastered, something you still struggle with?

Hi, Mom!

We had our big ultrasound today and found out we're having a girl!

This is my favorite shot: check out her hand!

Have a wonderful Monday, everyone!

A Story A Week Update: Good Duck, Bad Duck

I'm behind on my Story-A-Weeks. Probably nobody noticed except my guilty conscience.

All the binge novel writing I've been doing lately knocked the ability to write OTHER stories completely out of my range.

So, I still owe the blog a few stories. I would take a rain check, but unfortunately our new baby is due in January, so I have to stay on track. Or else I'll hit baby-being-born time without 52 stories under my belt and that would be a DISASTER!

Just kidding. It would not be the end of the world. But I like to keep my commitments, you know? Even if they're only to myself.

This week I half-crawled back on the wagon. I sat down yesterday and wrote a story.

It's called GOOD DUCK, BAD DUCK, and it's a picture book about -- you guessed it! -- a good duck and a bad duck. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

I know they all say, Don't take your kids' word for it when they say they like one of your stories. After all, they might be lying because they don't want to hurt your feelings.

But I'm telling you, I have a great test group: my kids are brutally honest, and they never seem to mind hurting my feelings. They have all made me cry at one time or another in their short lives (and no, I'm not just talking about labor). Even with the books I've written that I've shared with them, I can tell if they're bored out of their minds. They sort of slide off the sofa half-way through and disappear silently down the hall.

Passive aggressiveness at its best.

So, I sat my test-subjects down, pulled out my hot-off-the-press GOOD DUCK, BAD DUCK, and read it to them. We all sat on the sofa and I asked them to use their imaginations since there weren't any pictures.

The response was very encouraging: Lots of belly-laughs. Lots of interaction. And then, every writer's crowning moment of glory: "Mommy, read it again!"

And they ALL stayed for the second reading.

Because of this great response, I won't share the text of GOOD DUCK, BAD DUCK on my blog. I just might have to throw this little duck in the water and see if he swims.

Bye bye, Mom & Dad!

My parents left yesterday morning. *Sniff, sniff* It was so fun having them here.

I've posted a few pictures to document our time together. 

My mom and dad hangin' with the grandkids.

My two moms: Mom & Mom-in-Law

My mom and Sophie reading ... if you look closely you can see our luxury cat asleep on my mom's chest.

My Dad took Sophie up the mountain behind our house every other morning. She'd wake up and say, "Pa-pa, pack-pack!" She loved riding in style. He enjoyed the extra work out. Yeah, he's one of those super in-shape people.

Admittedly, this one is not a picture of my parents, but it is a pretty cute shot of my son and our luxury cat, Midnight. I couldn't resist including it.

Thanks for looking! We're heading into the weekend already.

Any big plans?

WiP Wednesday: Feeling My Way

I came back from the SCBWI conference a week ago yesterday and in that time I have managed to write almost 20,000 words in the new draft of my WiP.

And this is not cut-and-paste. These are original words.

Phew! I'm in shock at my own fruitfulness.

But I can't take all the credit. This version seems to be writing itself. If I keep up this pace (which is highly doubtful), I may still be able to query before our new baby comes in January.

(I told you I'm incredibly optimistic, sometimes to a fault, right?)

This version of my WiP is going to be much shorter. I'm shooting for 50,000 words, because it's a low-YA (young adult) or an upper-MG (middle grade). The plot is much more straight forward. It's character driven, my favorite kind of novel to write, and my MC, Heather, who was formerly sixteen is now fourteen, which suits her better.

Another weird thing is that one of my characters from the old draft, who should've technically survived into this new draft, just wilted up and killed herself. Not literally. There's no suicide in this book. It's just the character hasn't shown up in the first 20,000 words, which basically means she won't show up at all. *sniff*

So, for those of you who have read the old version, say goodbye to Rosa Park. She doesn't exist anymore. She's been sort-of replaced by a guy named Pick, who is pretty complicated. He has greasy hair and no friends. Because of the pace of this book, my main character is getting to know Pick at the same time I am. It's an interesting journey.

I heard something comforting at the conference: Not every published author outlines their novels before they write them. (Sigh of relief!) A lot of the authors who spoke use the aforementioned method where they stick a one-sentence synopsis up on their computer screen and dive in to their drafts, not really knowing where the adventure will take them.

However, everyone who followed this method shared another common practice: They knew what their resolution would FEEL like.

This makes me excited about my draft and I think that's what's driving me toward the finish. I know what my resolution FEELS like, and I'm excited for my MC to get to that point, where she can accept herself, accept her new life, and find peace with her circumstances ... and her mother.

So, how are your projects going? I'm slowly catching up on blogs. Sorry if you haven't heard from me for awhile. But I am reading your posts, I promise. In between late-night writing binges. Take care and have a happy, productive Wednesday, everyone!

Verse Novel Challenge: Out of the Dust

My apologies for my sparse blogs of late. I have three main reasons (read: excuses):

1. My parents are visiting
2. I'm rewriting my book (more on that tomorrow)
3. All the other stuff of life: amazing kids, dashingly handsome sidekick, cooking, cleaning, colds, appointments, weird pregnancy hormones, etc.

I've also been reading, because I can't write well without reading well.
I read Out of the Dust  by Karen Hesse while I was down in LA at the SCBWI conference.

I've come to a general conclusion: I love verse novels. I love the language, their way with words, their beautiful sense of simplicity.

It's almost maddening how much I enjoyed this book. But "enjoyed" is such a wrong word because the experience was gut-wrenching, but the ending was so satisfying, and everything about it was so simple. This book took me on an emotional journey and saying I "enjoyed" it is like describing a trip to the moon as "nice." Inadequate.

I'm coming out of this reading with a selfish desire. I want to learn how an author can say so much in so few words. I want that genius for myself.

I made my mother read Out of the Dust as soon as she arrived at my house. She cried. A lot. And thanked me.

I don't usually like making my mother cry, but in this case it was gratifying.

Nugget: Twist and Drop

(These golden nuggets of writing advice I'm going to share with you from the SCBWI summer conference are going to be short -- for your benefit and for mine! *grin*)

This valuable tip I picked up from Deborah Halverson, author and former editor, during her break-out session The Ultimate Checklist for Submitting to Editors. Also, check out her helpful website dear-editor.com.

Deborah calls this tip the TWIST AND DROP.

TIP: When you're done with your manuscript, take your main character from your last chapter and DROP HIM into your first chapter.

How does he respond to the events in your first chapter? If he behaves DIFFERENTLY, he passes the test.

If his behavior is the same, you have a problem: you don't have a good character arc. In other words, you have a stagnant character who has not experienced emotional growth during your book.

You can also do the opposite trick and drop your character from your first chapter into your last chapter. If he's totally in over his head and freaked out, then you've passed the test.

There are ways to fix the problem of a weak character arc:

• Put larger obstacles in your main character's path -- "put him in a tree and throw rocks at him."
• Make the stakes higher with more emotional depth -- make the losses mean more to him.
• Give your character a flaw that makes him believable and sympathetic. However, still give him a moral core, a purity of heart and motive, so that the reader keeps liking him.

That's the golden nugget of writing advice for today. Did your characters pass the TWIST AND DROP test?

WIP Wednesday: The Big Toss

Hi, Everybody!

I'm sort of back. My body's back. I know because it's hugging my children like crazy, drinking Dr. Pepper, and putting food into its mouth.

My brain,  on the other hand, is quite behind. It might take me a few days to catch up.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to share several useful nuggets about what I learned at the writing conference -- and to give away a couple awesome, autographed books I picked up. BUT, today I'll stick with the personal stuff.

This conference was amazing. Any expectations I may have had going in were exceeded. I learned so much, and because of what I learned I've decided to throw out my entire WiP and start AGAIN.

Sorry to all those who laboriously beta read for me. But let me explain something. Your critiques are still invaluable. I'm writing the same story, so I can take all the comments already given me into account, but I am dividing my book into two separate plots (too much going on in the original), so I have enough fodder for two books.

• BOOK ONE: About a girl moving back to the US from China and dealing with reverse culture shock.
• BOOK TWO: About a girl falling in love with a boy from the ultra-conservative family next door. 

 Much simpler, right?

Plot has always been my big problem area. When I told someone this the other day, they laughed and asked, "Um, isn't the plot like the most important part?"

Well, um ... yeah, kind of. And that's why it was a major problem. I learned at this conference to write one sentence about my book and stick it on my computer screen and to ask myself with every scene: Does this scene contribute to this one sentence? You should have seen my sentence for my old WiP. It was a serious run-on. TOO MUCH GOING ON.

There's relief in simplifying and I'm already four chapters into my new attempt at Book One. I have a new title, an opening paragraph I'm ga-ga over, and I think I finally found my character's voice. I'm excited. And doing what I love to do, which is WRITE. It doesn't matter that I just threw out a year's work. Honest, it doesn't, because I'm not throwing it out. All that was training for the marathon that is ahead. Every word I typed is worthwhile.

So, that's what's going on with me. What's new with you?