--Megan Rebekah Blogs--

Excuse the Mess

2010-11-04T10:58:00.000-04:00

I'm redecorating the blog, so please look overlook any weird color schemes or giantic pictures or basically anything strange and out of the ordinary. I thought I was all set last night, but Blogger had different plans. Things have been zoomed in, or zoomed out, or wacky colors...

Hopefully I'll get it worked out by this weekend, and everything will be working perfectly. I can wish, right?

For those of you doing your own version of Nano, how are things progressing? I'm fascinated by the quantity of writing, editing and reading that gets done in November. Keep up the great work!

Happy Voting Day

2010-11-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

You know what the best thing about today is?

No more campaign ads! Woo-hoo!

I despise political campaigns. They're often negative and smarmy and nobody actually says anything real. In the end I often don't feel like I want to vote for anybody because I'm so annoyed by everybody.

So for all legal-aged citizens of the US, let's get out there and VOTE, and make this day count. You are important to our country, so make your opinion known.
(and make sure you wear your 'I Voted' sticker so the pushy, judgmental people won't harass you the rest of the day)

P.S. - Good luck to all you NaNo'ers (the writers, revisers, and the readers). I'm rooting for ya!

One-word

2010-11-01T07:12:00.001-04:00

Madonna. Cher. Oprah. What about the men? Elvis. Shaq. Obama.

In the world of celebrities, being known by one name equals greatness. It's the gold standard of true stardom.

Is this why there are so many YA books out with one-word titles?

Twilight.
Shiver.
Wake.

2010 alone has books like Shadowland, Possessed, Incarceron, Hourglass, Spells, Burned, Shade, Linger, Captivate, Numbers, Paranormalcy, Gone, Matched...

Most (if not all) of these books are either paranormal or fantasy, and most (if not all) are part of a series, and in most of these series all the books have a one-word title, usually related to a theme.

I'm not calling out any specific book here, but the general trend. I have nothing against one-word titles. My own work is tentatively titled Anomaly (although I've got a different, four word title in mind). And I've read many of the books listed above and really enjoyed them.

I just can't figure out why so many YA books are jumping on the single word bandwagon. Is it considered to be cool and edgy? Is one word supposed to stand out more at a bookstore and entice more readers? Or is just a major coincidence?

Why do you think so many YA Fantasy series are going with one-word titles? Do you love or hate this trend? Any other thoughts on the matter?

Calling All Romance Writers!!

2010-10-29T12:05:00.000-04:00

Whenever I see an interesting piece of news, I can never tell if I'm ahead of the curve (and one of the first to find out) or if I'm really far behind the curve and everybody else has already stopped talking about this topic.

Either way, I found out today that Harlequin is hosting a huge online conference next week for potential new authors and thought I'd share.

Harlequin will have podcasts with editors and authors, daily writing challenges, tips and info on publishing, and they claim to have the opporuntity for you to submit your work to Harlequin editors.

So all you romance writers, be sure to check it out. And if you get requests, offers, or contracts, be sure to keep me updated. I'm VERY curious to see how this open call fares.

Here's the link: http://harlequinblog.com/so-you-think-you-can-write/

Mental Slap

2010-10-27T06:47:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I'm amazed at my ability to stare endlessly at a blank Word document.

You know what I'm talking about, right? Tell me you've done it too.

You're supposed to be writing (or working, emailing, researching, whatever), so you open up Word. The cursor blinks over and over again while you stare at the screen. You know you should get to it. There's lots of stuff that needs to be done. But for some reason, whether its mental or physical, you just can't make your fingers move over the keyboard.

I'm ashamed to admit I've spent many hours hanging out in front of a blank document. We've painted our nails together, made phone calls and played so many rounds of Solitaire that I've lost count.

Eventually though you have to say to yourself, "Enough is enough. I need to do this, and I need to start NOW." It's kind of like a mental slap.

I can even get into a mental version of Fight Club and knock myself around in order to get on track or stay focused.

Have you ever mentally slapped yourself around? What do you say (or do) to yourself?

Coming Soon, to a Starbucks Near You

2010-10-26T07:17:00.002-04:00

I spend 1-2 nights a week at Starbucks, preferably at a small table in the corner near a plug. With a coffee in hand, I fire up the laptop and work (or at least try to work) on my writing.

Naturally, this article last week caught my attention: Starbucks remakes its future...

For those of you who don't want to read it, I'll sum it up for you. Starbucks is going to start serving beer and wine in the evenings to drum up more business.

Coffee shop by day. Bar by night. At least the term barista still seems fitting.

Can you imagine how this change will play out in some households across America?

------
Husband: "Why don't we get a sitter tonight and head down to Starbucks, just the two of us?"

Wife: "What a great idea, I could use a night off with coffee and conversation."

Husband thinks to himself: (I am the smartest man alive)

Wife thinks to herself: (My husband is so considerate of my needs)
------

Of course, this conversation could only take place once before the wife because wise to her beloved's motives. But in the end, this could make a lot of people happy.

What do you think of wine and beer at Starbucks? To weird to consider? Or something you whole-heartedly support (feel free to comment anonymously if you don't want people to know you're planning on becoming your local Starbucks addict for a whole new reason).

Recent and Recommended Readings

2010-10-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

I'm always looking for suggestions of good books to read.

Recommendations from friends (including those online!) have led me to some of the best books I've come across, like the Hunger Games series.

What am I reading right now?

A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
I've seen the movie well over a dozen times and realized I'd never read the book. I'm only part way in, but it's amazing. I recommend both the book and movie (just ignore all the oily fake sweat in the movie, it's the only thing I would change).

The Replacements, by Brenna Yovanoff
I just downloaded this YA to my kindle, after reading a free sample chapter on Amazon. It appears to be deliciously dark and mysterious. I'm hoping the rest of the book is as good as the beginning.

The Preacher's Bride, by Jody Hedlund
Finished this one on Saturday, and all I can say is WOW. Jody sure can write. This is a Christian romance, but it's so much more. It's based on a true story, and the historical elements are flawlessly blended into the story. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for an inspirational and romantic read, but also to anyone who loves history, or any aspiring writer looking for examples of how to write well.
(Jody is a fellow blogger, check her out at http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/)

So what are you reading now? Or what have you recently read that you would you recommend?

I'd love to hear about any book, from any genre!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

2010-09-28T07:48:00.001-04:00

You win some, you lose some.

Today I'm the loser.

In August, amazon.com hosted a contest for user-submitted Kindle commercials. The grand prize was $15,000 in Amazon gift cards, and up to four finalists would get $2500.

For two and half weeks in August, I spent every non-work hour using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects to create a commercial. When I submitted it at the end of the month, I felt confident that I had a strong shot at placing in the contest.

Well, the winners were announced yesterday, and I wasnt't one of them. I won't lie -- it hurts.

And while I did have fun creating the commercial, and I acquired some new programming skills (like After Effects), it doesn't erase the sting of rejection.
Click here to see Amazon's official winners.

If you're interested, here was my entry:

Don't worry about me. I bounce back quick. Sure, it might take some mac-n-cheese with a side of Ben Jerry's, but that's what comfort food is for, right?

Write What You Feel

2010-09-14T06:59:00.001-04:00

Have you ever tried writing a heart-breakingly sad scene when you feel ecstatic?

Or have you ever written a love scene after a bad breakup?

If I'm in an extreme mood, in any direction, I find it difficult to write the opposite. If I'm feeling deliriously happy, the sad words won't flow right.

When my dog died, the only things I could write were about grief and loneliness. I used that to my advantage. My MC is in foster care. She has experienced a lifetime of loss and loneliness.

If you get back from a great first date, and all you can do is smile...well, you might find a little more romance creeping into your writing. Use it. Write the sweet, romantic scenes at that time. The emotions will be more true. More believable.

And when I find myself feeling a strong emotion, but can't tie it into a scene (or maybe I'm editing and not ready for something new) I just open a new document and write what I feel. If I'm angry, I write how it feels and what I want to do. And weeks or months later I can go back to that file and recapture those intense feelings.

Writers are real people. And we want our characters to feel as authentic as possible. So why not use our own emotions to improve our writing?

What about you? How do your emotions affect your writing? How do you use your emotions to improve your writing?

Who Are You Talking To?

2010-09-13T08:58:00.000-04:00

I'm currently writing in 1st Person POV, but have occassionally considered switching to 3rd Person.

Why?

I didn't know. Maybe I hadn't found my natural voice. Maybe the book was meant to be in 3rd Person.

In the end I realized that I needed to figure out why my MC was telling her story. Who is she talking to? Why is she relating her life in so much detail?

I'm not talking about the book's audience/readers (in my case young adults). It's not something that audience needs to ever know, but deciding who your narrator is talking to is important to the author.

Are they telling this story on their deathbed?
Are they writing an autobiography?
Are they drafting a letter to an old friend?
Maybe they are talking directly to their reader.

For me, once I established (in my head) who the MC was addressing, other parts of the book fell into place. The details that need to be focused on more, the characters that became more/less important.

And it let me give the MC more freedom in telling her story. Because this is her story, not mine. I may be the author, but in giving up some control, I've learned how to let the story come alive.

Have you ever considered who your narrator is addressing? Did it change how your approached the book?

Back on My Feet

2010-09-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks for everyone's thoughts, prayers and good wishes. The past three months have been the worst I've lived through. My puppy died unexpectedly, two family members had rare tumors removed, my house was robbed, and my sister had an extremely complicated birth/c-section.

I'm not sure it's over yet, but there's finally been uplifting moments that make life seem good again.

My sister and niece are both doing beautifully. The baby's up to 10lbs now, has been baptized and is already going swimming. She's still a gorgeous baby. My sister is feeling like herself again, after nearly a month of recovery.

Getting ready to go to Grandma and Grandja's

Naked Baby's Baptism -- I'm in the back right

She loves the water!

And when I lost my beautiful dog Romeo, my heart was broken. But even then I knew one day I would want to adopt another dog. I'm a dog person, it's what we do :)

I prefer to rescue pets, and found the perfect little guy at my local animal shelter. He's very sweet and loving and he doesn't bark! Say hello to Ralphie:

Yeah, he's a keeper! What kind of dog do you think he is? The shelter said a chihuahua, but he's obviously some sort of mix. My brother said Pit Bull (because of the eyes and muscle stature). Any thoughts?

Thanks again for all your support, and for sticking around during these hard times. I'm hoping the uplifting news will continue and that soon everything will be back on track.

Baby on the Brain

2010-08-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already Monday morning. My entire weekend was sucked up by endless hours at the hospital. I shouldn't compliain though, because my sister is still stuck at the hospital and at least I get the chance to leave.

My sister won't be discharged until tomorrow, at the very earliest, because she's still suffering terrible side effects from her botched epidurals and the emergency c-section. It's been a terrible ordeal, and the only silver lining is that the baby is healthy and thriving. Continue to keep them in your prayers!

So let's focus on the positive today, shall we?

If you hate babies, or all things cute and cuddly, feel free to roll your eyes or turn away now.

Mama and Baby

Daddy and Baby

BABY DAY!

2010-08-06T10:38:00.000-04:00

It finally happened!

After months of waiting and days of false alarms, my sister had her baby yesterday. I'm an aunt! And, it's a girl (they had decided not to find out during the pregnancy)

Here's pictures of the beautiful new addition to our family:

You can see that she prefers to be bundled up tight -- a true burrito baby :)

Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news. The baby came via emergency c-section and my sister is undergoing major reactions and complications. So keep her, and her new little family, in your prayers this weekend.

YA, the movie

2010-08-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

As most of you know (probably all too well) the Young Adult genre is hot right now. Sizzlin' hot. YA is selling strong, despite the economy and on-going changes in the publishing industry.

Did you know that YA is so hot it's getting its own movie?

Seriously.

YA is becoming a movie.

There's a new movie on track that's actually called Young Adult. And it's about a YA author who's trying to re-connect with her high school self. It's written by Diablo Cody (of Juno fame) and stars Chalize Theron, so it's got big names attached.

A movie about YA called YA.

Whod've have thunk it?

RWA=Really Write Alot

2010-08-02T08:04:00.002-04:00

Megan's instant recipe for writing inspiration (also works to ward off Writer's Block)

STEP 1. Find a good friend who's attending a writing conference.

STEP 2. Crash their conference and their hotel room

STEP 3. Write, read and people watch during the day

STEP 4. At night, hang out with writers and talk shop

It's inspiring, rejuvenating and pretty much perfect.

For me, RWA=Really Write Alot.

Keep an eye on Karen Hooper's blog for real RWA recaps, pictures and videos. Trust me, the pictures/videos she captured are must see.

Here's a direct link to her Men of RWA vlog -- it's hilarious (and comes with one-of-a-kind pictures of literary agents, including one in a kilt). Go see it. You'll love it. I promise.

Channeling Your Creativity

2010-07-22T09:16:00.001-04:00

One of the reasons I love writing is that it allows me the oppotunity to flex my creative muscles.

During the past few weeks I haven't been getting much writing done, but I've been able to stay sane by channeling my creativity into other venues.

When my brother-in-law was in the hospital I wanted to bring him something. He's a "manly man" so I knew he wouldn't want flowers. I also knew it was hard for him to be so far from his family (in Canada), so I came up with the idea of a family/friends flower bouquet.

It was a HUGE success! He loved it, and so did his nurses and random strangers I encountered in the lobby and elevators.

Next time you have a loved one in the hospital, I recommend making one as a gift. I actually did all the cutting and pasting while we were in the waiting room during his surgery, which was a great distraction for everyone.

How do you make it?

Just so you know, I'm not the one holding the vase. But I am in the bouquet. Can you find me?

Yeah, I didn't think it would be easy. I'm no more than a blurry dot at this resolution. And I don't advertise pictures of myself often on this blog, so you probably don't even know what I look like. But I swear I'm in it. And Tish and Romeo made it too, of course (I made the bouquet afterall).

((I know this post had almost nothing to do with writing, so I hope you're not disappointed. I'll get back to regular writing posts eventually, I promise!))

Forging Ahead

2010-07-19T08:32:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have noticed that I've been absent from my blog the last few weeks. After I lost my beloved dog Romeo, I was a mess but regrouping and trying to stay on track.

Then my brother-in-law was diagnosed with a spinal tumor a few weeks ago, while his wife (my sister) was 37 weeks pregnant. There were risks of paralysis, nerve damage and death.

His surgery was this past Friday, and I'm happy to say they removed the tumor completely and he is recovering better than can be expected for such a high-risk surgery. He should even be present in the next week or two when the baby is born.

During that time my family's also dealt with robberies, car accidents, and a fractured back. It's been C-R-A-Z-Y.

Over the past couple months, my life has been ripped to shreds and is slowly being rebuilt, piece by piece. I'm not sure I'll recognize anything else but the amazing family and friends I have in my life.

I hope to get back on track with my blog and my writing. I have a feeling these experiences will shape my writing in previously unimaginable ways.

In the meantime, I've missed out on everyone else's blogs and announcements. Who's got book deals? Agents? New stories their working on?
Let me know what's going on with you!

It's in the blood

2010-07-06T08:07:00.000-04:00

How do you know that writing is in your blood?

-- You would rather write someone an email than call and explain something by phone.

-- You feel that you're best able to express your true thoughts in the written word

-- When you're not writing, you're thinking about writing

-- It's what you think about before you go to bed, and when you wake up each morning

-- You write not to be read, but to get your thoughts down

-- You'd continue to write even if it never became a career, and no one ever paid you for it

-- Sometimes when you start writing, the words flow so fast you can't keep up

-- It's what you turn to when life feels overwhelming and impossible. You write your feelings, your memories, your stories.

What else?
What makes you know that writing is in your blood, no matter what?

Dig Thru Your Poo

2010-06-17T08:41:00.001-04:00

Do you ever look at your own writing and cringe because it's basically a big pile of poo?

Don't be discouraged!

Sometimes there's buried treasure in big piles of poo....

From msnbc.com:
"On a recent call with DoodyCalls Pet Waste Removal in St. Louis, Steve Wilsonr noticed money sticking out from doggie doo and after cleaning the bills, placed them in a plastic zip-locked bag and returned what turned out to be $58 to the customer. The money was torn, but the serial numbers were identifiable, which means the bills could be returned to a bank and replaced with new money."

Amazing, isn't it? One animal's waste is literally another man's treasure.

So grab your shovel and dig through your writing that looks like poo.

You never know...there may be some gold in there that just needs a good (sanitizing) polish.

Stuck? Try WWMPD

2010-06-16T08:37:00.001-04:00

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of your plot with no clue where to go next? There are some many possibilities, it's driving you crazy, and you don't know what the best option is.

You could spend days, weeks, or months trying to figure out what comes next.

Stop torturing yourself!

Don't ask yourself what should happen--ask your protaganist what they'd do.

If your MC is in the middle of a torrid love triangle, and you simply have no idea who she should end up with...don't make the decision. Let her choose.

If you allow your character to point out the proper direction of your plot, it will flow more naturally.

If you're stuck, or feel a bout of writer's block kicking in, ask yourself What Would My Protag Do?

4-Sentence Synopsis

2010-06-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

I'm not even querying, and yet I've always hated the query. There's a thousand ways to go wrong, and it's yout only means of getting your story in front of an agent or editor.

I knew the SCBWI workshops included a possible query critique, so I got some help from my writing group and a couple writer friends. It wasn't perfect, but it was a decent attempt. I still knew I could do better.

Enter Brian Farrey, editor at Flux.

He told us to relax.

Yes, the query is essential and it's important. But we don't have to be perfect.

He brought up the story of a NYT Bestseller who, on their original query, spelled their own name wrong, didn't list a working phone number and called their book by three different title--but still got a contract (because the book was good!)

Brian recommended using a 4 sentence synopsis to describe your book within the query.

4 Sentence Query Synopsis
Sentence 1 - Who the protagonist is and what they want
Sentence 2 - What's standing in their way
Sentence 3 - How they're going to get around the obstacle
Sentence 4 - What complications arise from their course of action

Here's an example (forgive the cheesiness, I didn't think it through too much this morning)

Billy Bob wants to uphold family tradition and be named the starting quarterback of Alabama High his senior year. When the superstar son of an NFL player moves to town, Billy Bob's position on the team, and his family, is threatened. On the day of tryouts, he convinces his girlfriend to distract the Super Stud with a hot bikini and a pair of high heels, and secures his position by default. Just when he manages to gain everything, its gone--the girl of his dreams dumps him for using her, and after losing the opening game, Billy Bob's days as quarterback are numbered.

I can't recommend this method enough! When you get some free time, try to write a 4-sentence summary for your book. If you truly get stuck in certain places (like an obstacle) then it's a great time to revisit your plot and see if anything needs to be tweaked.

Quick Post Today

2010-06-10T07:16:00.001-04:00

Thank you for all the support and prayers this week. Losing Romeo, my handsome angel boy, has been one of the hardest experiences of my life. I loved that little guy so much, and miss him every minute.

But losing Romeo wasn't the only thing that happened this past weekend.

I attended the SCBWI Florida conference (held at one of the magical Disney World Resorts) and learned more than I thought possible. It was intensive and hands-on and very inspiring.

I had two days of workshops, run by editors Stephanie Lurie, Alvina Ling and Brian Farrey and authors Kathleen Duey and Danielle Joseph.

I've never seen such amazing presenters/teachers. They were helpful and funny and wonderful to be around. I'd already read Danielle's Shrinking Violet, but after listening to Kathleen's advice and her own experiences, well, I ran out and bought her book, Skin Hunger.

I also received personal critiques from authors Alex Flinn and Joyce Sweeney, whose advice has helped to change my manuscript in very beneficial ways. Seriously. They've saved me time and effort in trying to figure out some of these edits myself.

I know this is very generalized information, and probably not very helpful to anyone, but I'm still trying to readjust to my new routine with Romeo, and a small post seemed like the best way to jump back in.

Tomorrow I hope to have more specific advice (like how to write an awesome 4-sentence summary of your book).

RIP ROMEO

2010-06-07T06:49:00.001-04:00

I've just ended one of the best weekends that transitioned into my worst weekend ever.

On Friday and Saturday I attended the SCBWI Orlando Conference and had an amazing time. I plan on writing more details later this week.

Unfortunately the inspirational weekend flipped upside down when I returned home and found out that my beloved dog Romeo had passed away. The tears haven't stopped. My chest feels like it's being crushed until I can't breathe.

This is Romes, my angel boy.

Romeo was only one, too young to die. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with him.

Despite his flaws, I always knew he was my perfect dog. My life will be forever changed. I now have a hole in my heart.

Romeo.
My angel boy.
I love you.

WooHoo Winners!!

2010-06-03T08:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the WooHoo Contest.

Quick recap of the prizes:

Package 1
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Package 2
The Shifter by Janice Hardy

Package 3
ARC of Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway (releases August 2010)

Package 4
Critique of one full-length manuscript
(this critique will not be a line-edit, but provide "big picture" feedback about your book's plot, charactization, pacing, etc... I'm open to any genre)

And the winners are:
Package 1 - jdcoughlin
Package 2- Sydnee
Package 3 - Adventures in Children's Publishing
Package 4 - Natalie Bahm, but since she's already my critique partner, it didn't seem fair to leave her as the sole winner. So I pulled another one.
Winner of Package 4 is....... Melissa Pearl

Winners please email at meganrebekah (at) yahoo (dot) com to claim your prizes!

Congrats winners, and thanks to all my followers for inspiring this contest!

I leave you with this quote I found yesterday:
"Writing is 1 percent inspiration, and 99 percent elimination." -Louise Brooks

The Elusive Voice

2010-06-02T06:32:00.000-04:00

Writers often stumble over the meaning of voice. I've always thought it's fairly simple to understand (although more difficult to apply).

Take a look at these examples:

Steve's got six kids.

Steve's wife bore him six children.

Steve's got six rugrats under foot all the time.

There's six young mouths relying on Steve for food.

Each of these examples shows a different voice. They all deal with the same subject, Steve and his kids, but they have a different way of stating it. When agents and editors talk about looking for interesting voices, this is the difference they're talking about.

Voice is all about how you present information. It's that simple.

Don't worry too much about outside opinions, because like all writing, voice is subjective. Some will like the first example, it's simple and straightforward. Some will prefer the last example because it shows more of Steve's personality in that single sentence.

Every time one of your characters speaks, or thinks something, make sure it relates to who they are, and how they view the world.

Ask yourself, Which Steve are they?

What are your thoughts on voice?
Anyone have more examples of voice using Steve and his six children?

Don't forget: Today is the last day to enter the Woo-hoo! 500 Followers Contest.
Winners will be announced tomorrow!