Writing a Mosaic

I've been working on writing my middle grade verse novel while my contemporary YA is out with one of my fabulous critique partners (thank you, Kristin!).

Writing a verse novel, after writing mostly prose, is scary. It's a completely different type of challenge.
 
If I were an artist, I might compare it to working in oils one day and switching to mosaics the next.

Verse novels consist of bite-sized bits that you have to piece together perfectly in order to tell a larger story.

But each of those bits has to stand alone as a work of art.

So yeah, although I'm at a little over 13,000 words and will probably wrap up the entire novel in another 1000 words, it's tough. My hammer-it-out and get-the-first-draft-over-with approach isn't serving me so well.

I worry about each poem's placement.

I worry I've missed some vital piece of information, because I'm working so hard on brevity.

I worry about my audience. Am I being too vague? Am I using too many symbols for this age group? Is anyone going to understand any of this?

Part of writing a verse novel is reading lots of verse novels, and I've been trying to do that. Here are a few titles I've been devouring lately:

LOVE & LEFTOVERS is a YA and I LOVED the voice. Such a beautifully written story and so totally YA at the same time. I was impressed by this author and would like to read more from her.

In this MG verse novel, the main character struggles with a learning disability that makes reading difficult. Easy read with some moments of truly beautiful writing. I also adore the cover. MG novel covers can be such works of art!

I wasn't as crazy about this verse novel. The subject was heart-wrenching and I did enjoy learning more about this aspect of history, but unfortunately I felt most of the story was telling, which meant I didn't connect with the main character. The premise was excellent, however: a deaf girl  has to flee the Nazis during WWII and falls in love with a gypsy disguised as a homeless man.

I loved this book. Beautifully written and such an interesting premise: the main character must flee Vietnam with her family after the fall of Saigon. There are themes of culture shock and finding your identity in a new land. INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN deserved those awards on the cover (and what a beautiful cover it is, too!).

I haven't started this one yet, but it's on my night stand calling my name. Karen Hesse's OUT OF THE DUST is my favorite novel of all time (yes, I'm serious), so I'm really excited to read WITNESS.

Have you read anything captivating lately? If you're a writer do you usually read within your "writing-genre" or do you branch out?

And, in a completely unrelated vein, are you following the Olympics? (Of course you are!) Which is your favorite event? Mine is gymnastics. I'm always in awe of how those athletes can defy gravity. Incredible!

Iron Springs

So, we went on a little vacay with the extended family to the Washington Coast, where we stayed at a cabin resort called Iron Springs.

It was cold ... but beautiful.

The air was so fresh and even when it rained, the rain was so light, you couldn't feel it falling, even when you were getting drenched.

We walked down to these big rocks at low tide and looked at sea stars and anemones and barnacles. Breathtaking! Wading in the water was cold enough to take our breath away, too.

A family tradition from years past when my father-in-law came to this same beach as a boy, is to race tiny little wooden boats down Iron Springs Creek. My father-in-law's brother made most of them, and there were enough for every grandchild, except for the babies, to race one.

Now that we're home, I'm tired. So tired, in fact, that I completely spaced that the kids were supposed to start swimming lessons this morning. Doh!

To close, here's a short clip of my baby playing in a tidal puddle. I love this clip because I think it captures some of the wonder of childhood. Enjoy!

Have you been anywhere fun this summer?

Hookers & Hangers Blog Hop Part Deux

Today is Part 2 of the Hookers and Hangers Blog Hop hosted by Falling for Fiction.

I am making my s.l.o.w. way around the other entries. I'm technically on vacation right now (a.k.a. not at home), so I don't have a lot of time online. I'm determined to make my rounds, however, so thanks for bearing with me!

Hangers are definitely my favorite part of a story. I mean, don't you love it when you're reading a great book and you don't even realize you've started a new chapter because you're so engrossed in finding out what's going to happen next? Love that.

Here is a selection of my favorite hangers from my WiP, The Crazy Part. 



Hanger #1: "Do you believe people go somewhere when they die?" I ask Jackson.


Hanger #2: "Go!" Isaac yells.


Hanger #3: "They don't know for sure until they run some tests," Faith continues. "But whoever it is--" Her voice breaks off, "--was wearing Drew's clothes."


Hanger #4: "You can do it," Isaac says as I start toward the steps. "It's why you came."


Hanger #5: Maybe because this whole day Isaac's been operating outside his safe shell, and for the first time I'm convinced it's for me.


Hanger #6: I don't want him to see me at my second worst--feeding a bunch of bull to all America, because that's exactly what I'm about to do.


Hanger #7: I bolt upright, water flying off me in shards, gasping a breath as if it's my last, just as the doorknob turns.


That's it, folks!

P.S. I'm giving you more hangers than hooks because I like my hangers better ... Maybe that shows I need to work on those hooks!

Hookers & Hangers Blog Hop

The lovely ladies over at Falling for Fiction are hosting the Hookers & Hangers Blog Hop and I'm a proud participant.

Today we're celebrating chapter HOOKS, so, as directed, I'm posting three separate first sentences from three different chapters of my Work-in-Progress, entitled The Crazy Part.

Hook #1: Everything looks the same as when she was alive. 

Hook #2: When Daniel was a little boy he almost drowned in a creek.

Hook #3: Once Isaac is gone, I recommend shooting the interview with the naked-man statue directly behind me to hold the audience’s interest, but nobody else latches onto the idea. 

I'll be back on Wednesday with last-sentence Hangers!

If you'd like to check out other great hooks, there's a participant list >>here<<. I can't wait to hop around and read everyone's. 

INSIGNIA is Born!

My friend S.J. Kincaid's book birthday was on Tuesday! *cue hysterical applause*

I'm so lucky because I got an early copy of this book, thanks to S.J. and her UK Publisher, Hot Key Books.

INSIGNIA is a fantastic read. I have always loved S.J.'s HUGE-concept books. She has so much hook, it's scary. The worlds she imagines are incredibly complex and fascinating. And I have a soft-spot for her main character, Tom. He's so tough, but such a sweet kid underneath.

(The really awesome part for me is that my name is in the acknowledgements. Yes, that's right, I made the acknowledgements! When you read it, look for the Amy ... that's me! Stina Lindenblatt is the the Stina. We both used to be in a critique group with S.J.)

And if all that doesn't make you salivate, here's the amazing trailer:



Happy book birthday, S.J.!

The Power of Subjectivity

Lost in a good book

At the library the other day, my three-year-old ran to me with sparklers in her eyes and a book in her hand.

"Mommy! It's The Book!"

I saw the cover and sighed. Yes, that book.

It was a book she talked about repeatedly. I was surprised how many details she remembered because we hadn't checked it out in awhile. And now she'd found it again!

Only thing is, I'm not crazy about this particular book (which shall remain unnamed.)*

It's fine, but it's not the kind of book I enjoy reading over and over and over again to an eager three-year-old.

Still, she was excited, so we checked the book out. And read it immediately when we arrived home.

All the parts I didn't like still bugged me. My inner editor was hard at work thinking how I could "fix" it.

But then I glanced sideways at my daughter and saw her contented smile and remembered how SUBJECTIVE reading is.

She's in love.

I'm glad it's with a book. Even if it's not MY favorite book.


How about you? Have you had any epiphany moments lately about the power of subjectivity? 

*The Book Which Shall Not Be Named is NOT the book in the picture, so don't go all Sherlock Holmes on me and try to figure it out.

I've Got Nothing

Thursday snuck up on me this week! Might have something to do with my Fourth of July gluttony--too many barbeques with delicious desserts.

So, because I don't have anything wonderful planned for this holiday Thursday, I thought I'd shamelessly ask for your vote for a little piece of flash fiction I wrote for Christa Desir's blog (I'm entry #2!).

If it goes against your conscience to vote blindly, by all means read through the eight entries. Voting will end on July 31st.

That's all I've got in me today, folks. Call it post-celebration lethargy. I'm blaming allergies. *Achoo!*

I'll leave you with a little KStew fun I picked up from someone on Twitter.



Did all you Americans out there have a good Fourth? How about all you non-Americans? Did you have a good day even without hotdogs and fireworks?

Vision

Last summer my dashingly handsome sidekick started a major DIY backyard renovation. He built a retaining wall, started a fence, and this spring he started flattening out the slope so we could have a larger flat space. Basically it will be a more kid-friendly back yard.

This last weekend he rented a Bobcat digger and finished the flattening.

This has been his pet project. He tried to explain it to me many times, but until today--when I finally saw the earth carved out where another retaining wall will go-- I didn't catch his vision.

This is a year into the project, mind you. Realizing someone else's vision can take awhile.

And we're not really close to being done. There are huge dirt piles, a lot more fence to build, sod to put down, not to mention the new retaining wall.

I watched my DHS slaving away in the back yard this afternoon. His perseverance reminded me of the blood and sweat we writers put into our projects.Writing a novel is just as arduous a process, even without the heavy machinery.

Kittens watching daddy at work

Our friends and families watch us work, obsess and chew our fingernails off, and they probably don't completely understand why we bother. 

I wish I could say I was always 100% supportive of the backyard project, trusting my DHS's vision even before I "saw" it for myself, but the truth is -- it's been expensive, time consuming, noisy, messy. It's taken him away from our family at times when I wish it wouldn't have.

But in the end, when my kids are back there playing soccer or doing cartwheels in the grass, it will all be worth it.

Same with writing.

Is it worth all the trouble, all the heartache, all the stress? Time will tell. All I'm holding on to right now is the vision.

How about you? What's your vision?