Post-manuscript completion thoughts

After two months of flying through the beginning, waddling around the sticky middle, and sprinting full-speed to the finish line, I have finally completed MS #3!!* For the super rough blurb, check out the my NOVELS tab and scroll to IF LIFE WERE FAIR. 

This was me post-completion. Don't you love my alter persona? 

I had a lot of fun writing this one because the main character had a very strong personality and naturally I spent a lot of time in her head as the novel is from first person POV. Surprisingly, the the writing process was different from MS #2, INGENICIDE. I know you're thinking well, Joan, you're writing a different novel for one, not to mention in a different genre. Of course the process is going to be different. And I understand that, but at the same time I had thought that the overall feel would be more or less the same, given the method I used for INGENICIDE was successful, as in I actually finished it and thought to myself: hey, this doesn't suck too badly!

Now in retrospect, I can see how writing IF LIFE WERE FAIR turned out to be a different experience than INGENICIDE. Firstly, I wrote INGENICIDE (65k) over the course of four months at the pace of a consistent plod. That means I had more time to afford non-writing days, days when I'd wait for some inspiration to strike (guilty!). In contrast, IF LIFE WERE FAIR (58k) is the product of a two month writing frenzy (which is still is far from the Nano pace, but it was a lot of me--I'm a slowish worker :). Why? Well, I still feel kind of sad for missing the dystopian bandwagon for INGENICIDE  so this me trying to catch the wagon for upper YA/NA before I miss it and fall face-flat in the dust.** But that's beside the point. The point is that I didn't have the luxury of losing too many writing days with IF LIFE WERE FAIR.  Which is probably why there were points in the story where I practically had to force myself to muscle through, not so much because they boring, but because I only have so much juice in me for a day. I've always been able to squeeze out some juice, but this was wringing. 

Secondly, I wrote in a completely different style for IF LIFE WERE FAIR as compared to INGENICIDE.  My CP's noticed this, and I, too, was aware. Bernadette, the MC in IF LIFE WERE FAIR has a lot of emotional baggage and is trying to rescue a personality that has been warped by her eating disorder. As a result, the syntax, word choice, and tone of every sentence in IF LIFE WERE FAIR were stark contrasts to the minimalistic and artistic voice of Sibyl, the MC from INGENICIDE. I had no idea how much this would influence the writing process! There were days when Bernie, oh-so-moody, just wouldn't speak to me. 

And lastly, writing the ending to IF LIFE WERE FAIR was just as exhilarating, but more taxing, than writing the ending to INGENICIDE  This is probably due to the fact that I worked myself into a last leg writing sprint and whipped out 8k in one night. The emotional impact of watching all of the story simmer down before my eyes in the matter of hours was unbelievably thrilling and sad.*** The reason why I was able to write this much at once for the end of IF LIFE WERE FAIR and not for INGENICIDE is because I had a clear idea of how I wanted IF LIFE WERE FAIR to end even before the halfway point of the story. That made the road leading up to the finale much easier to navigate.

All in all, writing IF LIFE WERE FAIR was neither easier nor harder than writing INGENICIDE, even though I had more experience under my belt. Regardless, I had a blast watching my characters come to life and weaving a theme and voice throughout the novel. Currently, I'm letting it rest for a bit before diving into revisions. Meanwhile, I'm so excited to start on this shiny new idea that popped to me during the sticky middle of IF LIFE WERE FAIR  A post will be up for that soon, and I'll be adding it to the NOVELS tab.

For those of you who have written more than one MS, did you find the general "writing experience" changed (outside of genre related differences) from one MS to the other? 

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*I think I might have carpal tunnel? I have an ache going from my right pinky down the side of my palm?!

**I don't believe in write the next trend. I DO believe in timing. If it just so happens that what you are currently writing might be garnering interest in the publishing world, well, why not try to seize the opportunity?

***I went to bed at 2AM and couldn't fall asleep for an hour because my head was buzzing with the story-residue. Plus, it was thundering like the end of the world. I had planned to brew myself a massive cup of coffee the next morning, but we lost power :( Needless to say, I was a zombie for the rest of the day until my awesome friend supplied me with chocolate and gingersnaps. Who says sugar isn't a remedy?

Inner Peace and Sunshine Awards

My lovely fellow blogger/novelist/epically-awesome-friend Julia (whom I met online during Writeoncon's Pitchfest this past spring AND in-person during WDCE--twas fate) has recently nominated me for the Inner Peace and Sunshine Awards.

I am super excited to reveal seven things about me that you won't be able to find on the About Cynthiarox66 tab! Hopefully, they won't be too boring because my life is pretty mundane and undramatic :)

1. My inner storyteller first manifested when I told fortunes for my friends and for friends of my parents. I got in trouble for it once, because I basically told this guest at a dinner party that he would get run over by a car sometime in the distant future. No malicious intentions, I promise you! I did love the Hunger Games, though, so I'm not sure what that says about my streak for violence. Even now, I don't know whether or laugh or cringe at the memory.

2. I've never filled up a diary. The closest I've come to doing so is with one that I got in 2005 at Borders (oh, the nostalgia). That's basically filled with mush about the boys I had crushes on from elementary school through middle school. I can't make myself read it.

3. I'm a pseudo-vegetarian. So, if I were starving, I'd be fine with food touching meat. I'm fine with drinking chicken soup and leaking behind all the chicken bits. I'm not a true vegetarian, however, because I have no real love for vegetables. More of a carbohydratarian.

4. I LOVE Hayao Miyazaki and all of Studio Ghibli's movies (Spirited Away, anyone? Howl's Moving Castle? Kiki's Delivery Service? Princess Mononoke?). The artwork is just mind-blowing, as are the details and the scores and the characters. I have a 140,000 word fanfic on Spirited Away--basically what got me into writing longer works. It's two chapters from being complete, but I haven't updated in ages just because original work seems to grab my attention more than fanfic nowadays :( If any of my fanfic followers are reading this, I promise that I will finish it someday!

5. I'm freakishly scared of bugs. Especially crawling things with lots of legs. Millipedes are the worst...*shudders*. I don't think I'd survive for more than a week in a jungle.

6. I can bake a mean cupcake. If I can ever find a baking partner, I'd definitely audition for Food Network's Cupcake Wars. In fact, my life plan goes like this: get an education, get a job that makes a decent living, retire with saved money, open a cupcake shop/be a full time writer.

7. I enjoy writing by hand. Sometimes. Just to bask in the beauty of my handwriting. Haha just kidding. I'm volunteering this summer at this program for middle schooler who need a little boost and sometimes I find myself with free time. I COULD just bring my laptop and type my writing, but hey, old-school looks more academic, right? Have to set a good example for the kids ;) It really is a different experience--slower, but I'm more concise with my words.

Now for nominations! If you don't see your name below, it's because I'm scatterbrained, not because I forgot about you, so feel free to hop in! Have fun, guys :)

Deborah Kreiser 
The Loony Teen Writer
Carissa Taylor
Zara Hoffman
Sarah Faulkner
Avon

Giveaway Winner!

This is overdue, but thanks to all who participated in the giveaway of book one Marie Lu's Legend trilogy! The winner is...DUNDUNDUN...

Bgrey

Congratulations, Bgrey! Please email me at joanart6@gmail.com with your mailing address, and I will ship over Legend :D

Giveaway: LEGEND by Marie Lu

I just got back from four amazing days at the beach with my haul of sandy clothes and saltwater taffy :D Though I'm definitely going to miss it, I have to admit that I don't write as well or as much outside of an environment that I'm familiar with. Therefore, I'm excited to be back to reading and writing in the comfort of my room.

I'm ALSO very excited to say that while I was away, my Amazon order of books I've read in the past year and that I would like to collect and my summer to-reads arrived on my porch. Like the careless person I am, I ordered two of Marie Lu's LEGEND, the first of a trilogy. Apparently I am "valued customer" and Amazon was kind enough to allow me to keep the extra book and the refund. Guess what that means?

GIVEAWAY!

Here's an overview of LEGEND from Goodreads in case you haven't heard of it/read it:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.



I LOVED this book (hence why I wanted to collect it) and am dying to read the last and final book of the trilogy, CHAMPION. Marie Lu's story to publication is inspirational as well--she's been writing novels since her childhood! So go on and enter the giveaway below :D You have until June 30th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where art thou, character?

Every writer takes on a different challenge. For some, it might be a super complicated plot. Others, it might be multiple POVs.

For me, its my characters. When I write characters, I don't think about mini-flaws that I could give them to make them more "round". I also don't think about whether or not the traits that are taking form will make them relatable and sympathetic to the reader. I write the character whose voice speaks to me, who will best carry the story (because character and plot go hand in hand), and who will undergo the most development as said plot unfolds. 

Just as I love the challenge of writing my characters, one of my favorite parts of reading is meeting the characters. Here's my break-down of the protagonists I've seen in YA.

Protagonists that I've seen a lot of:

(As you can see, these tropes are female characters since protagonists of the YA genre are still predominantly female)

The tough-as-nails-I-will-beat-the-brains-out-of-you-kick-ass girl

      -I-will-protect-everything-dear-to-me girl often falls under this category

The stubborn-as-a-mule girl

The witty, cheerful girl with a hidden Past 

The doesn't-know-how-to-have-fun-studious girl until she meets a guy

And of course, the normal girl who is nice enough

Protagonist that I would love to read:

The Bully

       -Lauren Oliver came close to crafting a Bully Protagonist in her debut, BEFORE I FALL. Now, I love BIF for many reasons (the writing, the theme, the characters), but I wouldn't call Sam a real bully. More often, she's a follower of the main bully, and *spolier* after she dies, she makes an effort to turn for the better pretty quickly.

The Dense One 

Exactly how it sounds. And really, I've never read a YA novel with a dense protagonist. Usually, the protags are about as intelligent as the reader (unless the book is badly written--then you have an unintentionally dense protag). Though she was kind of dense around the boys, even Bella Swan was pretty up-to-date on her classical reading and had a praise-worthy vocabulary. I'm talking about an all around dense character here. Maybe it'd be too annoying if the reader were always a step ahead of the character leading the story, but I'd still love to see a protagonist of lower intelligence take me by the hand and show me a different world. This 

       -FLOWER FOR ALGERNON's protag, Charlie Gordon, starts off with an IQ 68, but very quickly he undergoes a procedure that bumps him off the scale.

       -FORREST GUMP (yes, there's a novel!) basically fits the dense protagonist, but you could easily argue that Forrest is actually a prodigy. 

The Coward

I'd just love to sink my teeth into a character in an epic story who is a coward through and through. 

And of course the character doesn't have to stay in one of these categories for the entire story. In fact, these kind of protagonists have so much potential for growth. How you do the growth will be crucial. Good character development should slowly come up to a boil, and if it doesn't, there should be a clear event or trigger incident that causes the sudden change.

Okay, I'm done being pretentious now. Thanks for humoring me because come on, I'm no agent. So obviously, the characters I'd love to see may not be the ones hot on the market now or acceptable to a mass of readers. 

What characters would you like to see more of in novels? (I focused on YA here because that's usually what I read but any umbrella genre is game).