By Cam
What happened to January? Oh, that’s right, I wrote 50,542 words in January during a self-inflicted JaNaNo. And not all of it’s crap. Though I’m inclined to think about 70% of it may fall under that category. But a few things happened in this slug fest that may not have otherwise: I explored some plot lines that I think will majorly bog down my main story, I understand my characters’ GMC better now, and I answered some things I wasn’t sure I knew the answer to when I first made my oh-so-colorful plotboard.
My brain may be close to dead, but I’m not done with BLUR yet. There’s still about 10-15K more to the story that I need to add…and then I can take out my sharpest knife to slice away the fat and add the seasoning.
We’re supposed to get snow here today. And then on Friday. And then on Saturday. Hubs told me that the Emergency Operations Service is calling for 24-40 inches of snow during the Fri-Sat storm. Uh, w-what? We had 26 inches in December and I thought that was quite ridiculous. I’m not even sure I can picture 40 inches (and it’s a good thing this is a G-rated site otherwise this vast amount would take on a whole nother context). Needless to say, lots of snow means: Lots of tea, lots of Baby Girl kisses, and lots of writing. I’m pretty optimistic I’ll be done with the first draft by the end of the weekend.
Stay tuned to see whether I’m a woman of my word or a woman of great delusions. It’s a toss up.
By Cam
No woes today. But it is 2010 and I’m off to a flying start on my YA paranormal–you know, the experimental one?–that I’ve tentatively titled, BLUR. And even though I did the plotterly thing by making an outline AND a really REALLY colorful plot board/story board/Post-It party, it seems my characters are driving this bus themselves without paying any attention to my carefully detailed plans. The nerve. I know some of it will end up on the chopping block, but it’s all part of the process…
…The Getting To Know You Process.
Like for instance, who knew my main character sweats like a pig when she gets nervous, anxious, scared, happy, or feels any emotion whatsoever? I’m going to have to arm her with plenty of underarm protection, but really–did she have to adopt such a gross quirk? Why couldn’t she just, I don’t know, twirl her hair or something? And she’s a liar. Not the kind that could do serious damage, but the kind who always fibs just a little. The kind where one teensy weensy little white lie helps more than it hurts. Or so goes her philosophy. She also likes to play musical cabinets by slamming the doors in varying rhythms to make the contents jingle in tune. And did I mention she’s blind? Yeah. My original outline had her getting her sight back after a near-deadly accident…but she’s informed me that she’s more attuned to her surroundings without her sight so she’d rather go into hiding than get it back. Hmrph. Teens.
So, yes. I’m in this wonderful, eye-opening stage fondly known as ‘Getting To Know You’. How do you get to know your characters? Do you plot only to have them rebel against your wishes? Or maybe they’re obedient from the get-go? Do you conduct character interviews ahead of time so you’re already enmeshed in their nuances? Or do you squeeze your eyes closed and have them lead–or drag–you by the hand the whole ride? How do your characters develop?
And oh yeah, I almost forgot. Nathan Bransford– agent and blogman extraordinaire–has another one of his cool, overwhelmingly popular and utterly intimidating contests on his uber popular blog. Throwing caution to the angsty teen wind, I decided to enter.
The contest is promoting his client, Jennifer Hubbard’s, debut release of her YA — THE SECRET YEAR. The blurb sounds interesting so I’m adding it to my TBR list. Basically it’s a poor-boy-meets-rich-girl-who-has-a-boyfriend story where the two have a secret affair but the girl dies and he finds her journal with unsent letters addressed to him. Interesting, yes?
The contest prompt is to write the most intriguing fictional teen diary/letter entry. Nathan is the judge and he’s offering one heck of a carrot. The deadline is today at 4pm PST (that’s 7pm EST for those of you unsure of the time conversion *wink*).
I entered a journal entry that Jamie wrote in her BrailleNote about the first day she met Peter. I read it over. And it’s crap. But it’s also a very neat writing exercise that helped tremendously in the ‘Getting To Know You’ process. I highly recommend doing this for your characters as a learning exercise. I know I’ll be including it next time!
So that’s it! Takeaways –
Check out Nathan’s blog
Enter THE SECRET YEAR Teen Diary Contest
Have a ‘Getting To Know You’ date with your main character
And Happy 2010!
PS — Here’s my oh-so-colorful Plot Board/Story Board/Post-It Party for BLUR:
Isn’t it pretty?
Cambria Dillon - YA Writer
