It’s been…

A while since I last blogged.  Currently, I’m stretched a little thin so things have gotten behind – my blog included.

Aside from chugging away at revisions and all those other things writer-student-mommies do I’ve started two new blogs. Yes, I know, I don’t have enough stray thoughts to pour into this one. One of my new blogs is to host my gluten free recipes (It can’t be gluten free) and the other is for a new branch of my husband’s film business.

My husband – ultra cool cat that he is – realized a few years back that film was his one true passion. Let me tell ya, the only person taken by surprise on that account was himself. Nathan’s a natural storyteller – from tabletop RPG to song and even a few short stories – so before he had this great revelation we’d spent a lot of time wandering down the same artistic path. Talking plot, depth of characters, helping each other build literary worlds.  As obvious as his love for film and his chosen ‘new’ direction was to me, it still felt a lot like loosing a best friend.

Over the past couple of years he’s delved pretty heavily into film – his short film PepperBox Pete won a Bronze Remi in Houston WorldFest – and found that the arena he loves most is video editing. Being that we tend to work together, one day he heard me talking about book trailers and immediately fell in love with the idea – giving a visual life to words.

And that’s how Ink in Motion was born. As I’m the website designer in the family, I was tasked with setting him up online. The site’s only about 25% of what we envision it becoming, but it will grow over time. meanwhile, feel free to hop over and check it out.

A random musing on evil

I’m sitting here writing. Yes – the real thing (although, technically at this stage it’s considered revising, but who’s being picky) – and it struck me how much my past year’s reading has changed how I write.

Yup. It’s true. I guess that’s why they tell you to read, read, read if you want to write, write, write. The most interesting thing, though, is how much less I’ve come to care about my characters. Not that I don’t like them – oh, no. I do. In fact, I’ve realized that liking them is so essential that I’ve toned down the hard-nosed girls I tend to write in order to reflect something a little more… human? Maybe. Likable, and certainly no where near strong enough to, say, fight for their survival from page one.

But here’s where I’ve learned something else. If you want your readers to read on – hating you but unable to abandon those fragile people to their unholy fates  - you’d better start killing them early. In fact, at the end of the year I read a book that I’d been greatly looking forward to. It’s a genre I adore, by a best-selling author whose work I’ve loved every time. It was lackluster. At the end, I found myself wondering why – why did I read it? I mean, sure, the characters are great but what did they accomplish? Yes, yes, I know – they defeated a bad guy, leaped some hurdles in the overall arch of the series but it came without a price. It came without any real struggle or effort.

 

I’d thought, as I put the book down, of another series I’d read over the course of 2011 – the Fever series. Yes, it’s paranormal romance, and the author’s hardly as well known as this other writer – but it had something the book I’d been so looking forward to didn’t.

 

It had danger. Not just the ‘oh, look, there’s danger, but don’t worry, we’ll survive it and win the day’ kind of danger. It had the “Yes, surviving this will almost be worse than dying right here and now and ending the pain” kind of danger. The first one gives you plot lines. The second gives you dedicated, addicted, readers you can fondly term ‘maniacs.’

When people say ‘torture your characters’ they don’t mean ‘make life hard.’ They mean: take all those plot elements they’re trying to stop, and make them happen. Then add to that every human mistake of perception that characters can make to ruin the very last things that hold them together. Break your characters so badly they could never, ever heal again, and let them survive. They will be changed. They will be – something beyond what you’d ever imagined. But they’ll be worth reading about.

Lessons in Being Antisocial

This post is dedicated to a dear friend of mine, who will remain unnamed.

I was bragging the other day about having found the perfect Starbucks to write at – I can’t write at home, partly because I’ll always find some other household task that needs done and partly because the three of us live in a 700 sq. foot apartment. Someone is always butting into the middle of my zen zone – and my friend bemoans her inability to write at Starbucks. If she frequents one too often, the people there get chatty and she gets nothing done.

Being the good friend I am, I laughed at her and told her the obvious – she’s too friendly – and that I’d take it as my duty to teach her how to be an evil wench like me. As a person who used to have strangers confess their most embarrassing problems to her, I’ve had lots of practice.

So, without further ado, I dedicate these Lessons in Being Antisocial to my dear, nameless friend.

1)      Unless you’re ordering something from someone, don’t look them in the eye. This is an old Introvert trick – in that we’re so terrified of having to say something that we stare at our toes, or the dandruff on people’s shoulders. It works when you want to be left alone, too. Especially if you’re frowning.

2)      If you’re forced to talk to someone – like I had to today, to ask if a chair I wanted was vacant – ask direct yes/no questions.

3)      If they reply, and try to strike up a conversation, you’ve got to get creative – but you can do it, I’m sure:

-         Give only yes/no answers

-         Resist the urge to expound (yes, I do know how hard this is)

-         If you must respond, keep it to one sentence, preferably a vague on like: “umm, I don’t know…”

-         If all else fails, smile at them as if the thought of speaking makes you want to puke, then let your eyes glaze over and look away without responding.

4)      Even if your conversational avoidance goes well, don’t ever sit within 3-5 feet of the people you almost sort-of talked to. For example, after I asked about the seat I very unwisely sat at a table right next to them. Immediately I got asked about my netbook.

5)      In truly uncomfortable situations – you know, the one where that person you hoped you’d never see again corners you for a good long conversation – make sure that, if you acknowledge anything they say, you take everything that comes out of their mouth as a conversation topic starter. And cut them off so you can talk about you, and that experience you had where you did/felt/thought something, anything. Yes, people do this daily. Sometimes because they’re just too excited about whatever, occasionally because they’re truly self-absorbed gits. But if you keep it up long enough, even the most socially inept person will get tired of hearing you talk and walk away.

 

Avoiding eye contact is, of course, the most crucial part of being Antisocial. Never, ever, look someone in the eyes – unless you want to make friends. It’s also unwise to smile, for the same reason. People go all weird and friendly if you look them in the eyes and smile and even respond to their natural tendency to make sounds with their mouths. Certainly never act like you care about what they think or say by letting them have the chance to fully speak their mind. And if you’re reading this, wondering what fool would have problems keeping people away, then you’re probably already doing most of the things on this list. Please, stop. People are actually kind of cool – just not when I’m writing.

Author on the Verge, Jessica Capelle

Jessica Capelle and I frequent the same circles – the Houston YA/MG group and the Society for Children’s Writers & Illustrators – but we’ve not had the chance to sit down and chat before so I’m looking forward to getting to know Jessica side by side with you all.

 

 

Jessica, thanks for participating today. Let’s start with what you write – any genres in particular that catch your interest?

Young Adult and Middle Grade, primarily fantasy and paranormal, but I’m also currently working on a legal thriller/mystery for adults.

 

Wow, that’s quite a range. What drew you to writing for teens and kids?

I love the freedom that you have in YA and MG because you can really go crazy with your imagination.  The enthusiasm and dedication of the readers is so fantastic, and the writers are so awesome and supportive.

 

Aside from writing, what other ‘jobs’ do you juggle?

I practice law full-time, and I tutor part-time for pre-college and graduate test preparation.

 

I’m sure that where some of the inspiration for your legal thriller came from, but where do you get your inspiration for your more speculative works? 

Story ideas come from just about everywhere, but the ideas usually start with an image of a character.  Then I’ll see the story unfolding like a movie in my head.  Often for me the story will start to work itself out in a dream, so I have to keep a notebook next to the bed! Music and art are huge triggers for my muse though.  Her name is Lucinda, and she’s a bit lazy sometimes.

 

They say ‘write what you know,’ how do you feel your life experiences have contributed to your writing?

My experiences traveling in  the US and overseas have inspired the choice of locations involved in my manuscripts from Paris to New York to the Grand Canyon.   I have a love of art and architecture, so I’m drawn to working with characters that share that passion, and they tend to be the characters that scream at me the loudest.  Also, my interactions with the students I tutor often inspire dialogue or a dilemma that my characters will have.  Currently, I’m using my knowledge of corporate law and civil litigation on a new manuscript, so it’s nice to finally combine those two aspects of my personality.

 

Ooh, another avid traveler. Love it! Name one thing that’s helped the most in your journey.

Twitter.  Hands down.  Through Twitter, I met two of the three HoustonYA/MG

 Writers Group founders.  I got involved with the YALitChat organization because of participating in Twitter chats and getting to know the founder.  I also got involved with the Zombie Survival Crew through a Twitter friend and ended up having one of my stories selected for an anthology they published.  I’ve made some great writer friends all over the country and have even met up with a few of them in the “real world”.   Twitter is invaluable for connecting with other writers, following agents and editors to get tips, and getting access to so much great information on writing and publishing.

I must confess to being a Twitter stalker too. It’s amazing how generous agents are with advice when given the right tool. I know you’re part of several writing groups, can you tell the readers about them and how they’ve contributed to your growth?

I’m a member of SCBWI, which is a fantastic resource.  I take advantage of the online resources, publications, and conferences since I’m often tutoring during the monthly meetings.  I got involved with YALitChat through Twitter and serve as one of the Group Coordinators.  Additionally, I co-founded the HoustonYA/MG Writers Group with three other writers, which has allowed me to meet so many great published and unpublished Houston-area writers and share information with them.  We’ve had some growing pains since we’re a young group, but we’ve got a great location for our meetings now and a lot of awesome things for the 2012 calendar.

 

If you don’t mind my asking, how long have you been working with publication in mind? 

I wrote my first rough draft during NaNoWriMo in November of 2008 and then let it sit for months.  It took almost a year before I really got serious about learning how to be a better writer, mainly because my schedule is incredibly demanding.  I’ve had a lot of experience in technical and legal writing, but I had a lot to learn about creative writing.  It’s really been only the last two years that I’ve been focused on making connections, studying the market, and learning the ropes in order to help myself get published.  Unfortunately, my day job and personal issues caused me some big setbacks, but I’m currently querying my first novel.

 

Time to get personal what has been your darkest moment so far, as an author On the Verge?

Having agents and editors tell me that they like my voice and the concept but that they can’t sell my book.  My YA that I’m querying is about angels, and I keep hearing that the “angel trend” is over.  It’s very frustrating sometimes because I had the idea and wrote the book long before there was an angel trend.  So, there’s a tendency to beat myself up about taking so long to finish the book and get it out there.

 

That can be tough (and boy do I know that feeling).What helped you to overcome? 

Faith in myself and my work.  Everything happens when it’s supposed to, so I’m going to keep at it.  If I don’t get an agent with my YA, I’ll query my MG that I’m currently revising.  I analyze any feedback and make appropriate changes to the manuscript.  In the meantime, I’m not waiting around but am learning more about my craft and working on other manuscripts.  I may have to shelve the YA, but I’ll eventually get it out there.  There have been a few days where it’s tempting to give up, but luckily I have a lot of support.  It helps too that so many writers I know are getting agents and selling their first novels.  When I get discouraged, I think about what they went through and know that if they can do it, so can I.

 

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Jessica! Do you have a website, or some way for readers to keep up with your success?

My website is under construction until the end of the month, but it’s www.jessicacapelle.com.  My Twitter handle is @jessicacapelle.  You can find my short story “But I Do Love You For Your Brain” in the anthology, UNDEAD IS NOT AN OPTION, which can be purchased at www.zombiesurvivalcrew.com or on Amazon.

Change

Today I had to go to the bank – not something I often do what with direct deposit and debit cards – so I went out of my way to check their hours online. Open to 6pm on a Friday. Perfect timing because all I need is a roll of quarters for laundry and it’s on my way to get my daughter from Jump N Jungle at 6. So I roll up in that joint about half an hour till close (even the most incompetent teller could handle that transaction in 20 minutes, right?), and decide save some ozone by not idling in the drive through. I waltz up to the door, smile at the 6pm clearly stamped on the front, and give it a tug.

Nothing doing. Bank door’s locked. Well, damn, I’m thinking as I stomp my way back to my vehicle. Guess I’ll be hitting the drive through after all. I’m even nice enough to tell the guy coming the opposite way that he’s in for an ugly surprise – bank’s closed. He’s all confused – what’s up with that – and I’m shrugging it off as lazy teller syndrome (it is Friday). Then I realize that his confusion has to do with the fact that it’s not only the lobby that’s closed. It’s the whole friggin’ bank. Just a piece of paper stuck up on the drive through window saying “this bank is closed.”

Maybe they just meant for today – maybe they meant for good. A thorough Google run didn’t turn up anything ominous, but it got me wondering – what does bank closure mean for us, the average American?

Part of the reason I started thinking this was because I know a lot of people who believe that a world without the greedy banks in general would be good. And I’m not a fan of what big banking has done, or how they treat their customers (whose money they derive their profit from).

But a world of extremes – one without any banks at all?

It wasn’t hard for me to figure out how much more difficult it would be to cash a paycheck. In fact, you’d be forced to own a company pay-card – a debt card companies already use for employees that don’t own bank accounts. It often ends up costing the employee more than it’s worth in withdraw fees. See, assuming you want cash – which you would since you couldn’t write a check to pay the rent – you have to pay a fee to use it at an ATM and get your cash. And not every company is kind enough to use, say, a Visa brand card.

Without the ability to choose a bank, would we be selling our lives to corporations?

When it rains…

It hails. Large, painful rocks of ice, in fact.

And it’s been hailing all month. Funny thing is, none of proverbial dumping is related to nursing school. School – that nursing student thing that was billed to me as the most insane of undertakings in one’s existence – is cake compared to my social life.

If you don’t know me well, you might be surprised to find that I’m a terribly straightforward person. This is only terrible in that I’m also an artist of sorts (a writer & a costumer when I feel like it) and a ‘southern girl’ (yes,Virginiacounts as the south folks). So I don’t get off on stepping on toes. In fact, I’ll honestly say that I’d rather tell a bold faced lie than upset someone.

On the other hand, most people of my ilk are sensitive. They need lied to. They need the coddling for their dreams to survive. My dreams are tough as nails, or resilient as rubber, or maybe just sticky as pine sap on a hot summer day.

So you’d think, knowing all this, that I could keep it in mind when I talk to other artsy people (This is where I get to blame nursing, and trust me, I’ll take that scapegoat). Go figure, I forgot — Exams on the brain, or some such. I was direct with my communication with one person and now I’ve got four people all frowning at me, feeling peeved. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?

The southern girl is hiding under the rug in shame, the artist pouting off in a corner, and what’s left of my emotions is feeling like a Charlie Brown comparison. Good Grief, you’d think I could just communicate clearly, but noooo.

Clearly, communicating as an artist or to an artist is to difficult for a mere human to do well. And this explains why we all live, wrapped tightly in old sweats and PJ’s, locked away in our houses. It’s for the good of humanity.

Author On the Verge: Samantha Clark

I met Samantha Clark at a local SCBWI critique group. I was immediately struck by her awesome British accent and shortly thereafter found myself giggling at her quirky sense of humor. In the short time I had to get to know Samantha, I discovered an intelligent, highly focused woman I was proud to call a college and fellow Author On the Verge.

 

Heya Samantha! Mind telling everybody what you write?

“Novels, usually with some kind of supernatural element to them. My first three were middle-grade, but my next one is young adult.”

Awesome. What drew you to writing ‘supernatural’ stories for children?

“It’s what I like to read. I like sci-fi and fantasy and paranormal, and I enjoy children’s books more than novels for adults.”

Writing speculative fiction takes a lot of imagination – where do you get your inspiration?

“Everywhere. My first book came from a woman who lived in our neighborhood when I was a kid. The idea for my second book came to me while I was gardening and my third during a walk with my dog. And once I have that initial idea, I usually brainstorm with my husband until I have the rough arc of the story. And then inspiration for the smaller moments in the story come while I write, buy groceries, drive, and very often while I’m walking our dog. The important thing is to think about your story and characters all the time, and then things will pop up and you’ll think, “Hey, that’ll be good for chapter two.””

Earlier, you mentioned that you’re working on your fourth manuscript. How long have you been writing?

“Well, I started writing my first novel when I was in college, but I didn’t finish it. I started writing novels more seriously about six years ago.”

If you could name just one thing that you’ve learned, the thing that you feel has helped you grow the most as a writer, what would it be?

“To write every day. I know this isn’t the same for everyone, but it helped me enormously. I used to write when I “found the time,” but then I’d only write for an afternoon every month or so. And when I did write, I spent most of the time figuring out where I was with the story. But when I started “making the time,” I made writing more of a priority and scheduled it. Then, the writing became easier, because when I sat down to write, I already knew where I was with the story, and I moved through novels much quicker.”

What has been your darkest moment so far, as an author On the Verge?

“Darkest moment? I don’t know. Like most writers, I battle doubt a lot. I have to stop myself from second-guessing my work, and I’m getting better at trusting the story and the process and not worrying about whether anyone will like it. Ultimately, we have to write for ourselves first.”

Well said, Samantha. What helped you to overcome?

“I think just because I love to write. No matter how many of my books are published or not published, I’ll always write. There’s just something truly amazing to release yourself in a world with great characters. It’s like reading a great book but even better because you’re creating it as you go. Honestly, I think if someone is writing fiction (non-fiction, self help books, etc., are a totally different story) just so they can be published and make money, they might as well find some other job. They’re out for a career filled with rejection on all levels. And, they have to write a great book – fully realized and polished – before they can sell it. That’s a lot of work. Loving that work is what keeps writers going.”

Now, I know you’re very active in your local SCBWI chapter – both when you were in Houston and  now in Austin. What do you feel being part of a large organization brings to a writer on the verge?

“I really love being a part of SCBWI. It’s a great group and people are so supportive. And for me, it helps to know that others are going through the same thing I am, to get support as well as have a network of people who can answer questions.”

I know I’m not the only chronically shy writer out there – do you have any tips for people who might not be comfortable dealing with large crowds but want to be more active in their local writer support groups?

“There are loads of ways to get involved with other writers. If you’re not comfortable in crowds, you don’t have to go to the big monthly meetings. Maybe just join a smaller local critique group. If you’re too shy for that step, join the Yahoo group of your local SCBWI chapter. Most chapters have one. And/or get online at Verla Kay’s message board or one of the other online groups. SCBWI has its own message board for members too. There are great places to make online friends, which are just as good when you need support and help.”

Do you have a website, blog, or online presence where we can keep up with your journey?

“Yes, I’m at http://SamanthaClark.Wordpress.com. Come say hi anytime.”

Right on! Thanks for joining us Samantha. Once again, those links are:

http://SmanthaClark.Wordpress.com

http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php

and

http://www.scbwi.org