Tiana Smith

Judging Books by their Covers

2012-02-16T12:34:00.005-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're not supposed to do it.

But we do.

Or at least, I do. I judge books by their covers ALL. THE. TIME. Pretty much, that's the first thing on my list of things I look at (also the jacket copy ... Those two things are tied). I'm guessing I'm not alone. Studies show you have 12 seconds (in a bookstore) to turn a browser into a buyer. 12 seconds seem like an awfully short time if people aren't judging books by the covers.

With that in mind, I find the various covers on the market extremely interesting. ESPECIALLY when one book has multiple covers for different countries. I'm not sure what this says about the American market (do you like the American ones better?), but take the following books for example*. The books on the far left are the USA versions (and don't be fooled, sometimes they change the names on foreign book covers, but it's the same innards. I promise.)**

Graceling by Kristin Cashore:

The American version doesn't really do much for me in all honesty. It doesn't really tell me much about the book, but it does a good job of letting you know it deals heavily in fighting but also has an element of femininity. Personally, I like the one that is second from the left.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

It took me a long time to read The Hunger Games because I didn't like the cover. It seemed too masculine and I didn't get any idea of what the book was about. With the American version, I think they were trying to heavily market the male audience as well.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White:

Paranormalcy - I love the USA cover, but I think I love the one on the far right more. I like how these covers seemed to show the emotion of the book, while the Flames 'n' Roses cover seemed much too ... happy for the book. The other one? Yeah, that one just scares me.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver:

I like the American version best of this one. What's interesting to me is that the covers on this book are drastically different. It's like they couldn't make up their mind in how to market this book.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand:

In contrast to the previous one, Unearthly has very similar book covers. That's why it surprises me that they changed the cover at all. It's basically a different color scheme.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Brey:

The American version is very feminine, while the version on the right seems almost masculine in comparison. These covers also seem like they'd be placed in different genres.

Overall, I find that the American versions are slightly more ... generic than some of their counterparts. Usually us Americans are cool with it if you just throw a girl on the cover. We also tend to go for the slightly more feminine I've found. Why do you think they change the cover for various countries? Are we really that different in our tastes?

* I haven't read all these books, so don't take my placement of them here as an endorsement... Just sayin.
** All cover images taken from Goodreads.

A Rant on Relationships in YA Novels

2012-01-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've been doing A LOT of reading lately since having the baby. I read every time I'm feeding the little monkey, or whenever I'm rocking him. Usually I can tear through one book in two days. Our little guy is now 7 months old ... so you do the math (cuz I'm not good at it). We're only 13 days into the new year and I've already read 8 books. So, yeah. A lot of reading.

Here's the thing. The more books I read, the more certain things bother me. I'm not usually one to rant, but the love relationships in YA novels? Well, they're getting me all kinds of frustrated. Srsly folks. These things? These things make me want to throw a novel across the room and then hunt down the author with an unsanitized pitchfork. These things fall a little flat.

1. Lopsided love triangles

It seems like every novel these days has to throw in a love triangle. But see, here's the thing. Most novels? THEY DON'T NEED THEM! You know the drill ... the story starts with a Heroine who meets boy A. Let's call him Adam. They fall madly, desperately, make-you-sick-just-by-reading-their-kissing-scenes in love. Then Heroine meets boy B (Bernie - not an attractive name, but you know she's going to end up with Adam anyway). Heroine gets all conflicted because Bernie loves her too. The novel then focuses entirely on the Heroine's FEELINGS, completely ignoring the rest of the plot while she vacillates back and forth between the two boys like a ping pong.

Some people might claim this adds conflict, but I say it just makes the Heroine seem flighty and stupid. The argument here is that it makes Couple A's love stronger and more meaningful in the end when they've triumphed over their obstacles (aka, Bernie). To me though, it just puts a time limit on their love because I don't really feel it's real anyway. When you love someone, you don't start looking at someone else.

2. Instant love at first sight

I get the fact that people can get crushes almost instantly. I get the fact that you can find someone attractive when you first see them. In fact, this happened with me and the hubby. I met him and I liked him. BUT. Those novels where Heroine meets Boy and they instantly feel a connection sooooo deep that NOTHING can shake it? I don't believe it. They fall so madly in love (after one conversation usually) that the Boy can tell her he's a werewolf/vampire/fairy/some-other-crazy-half-breed with something evil out to kill them, oh, and Heroine has to forsake her family and give up everything else that she loves all for the sake of Boy-She-Just-Met? Then the Heroine says "No problem! I love you sugar pie!" Yeah ... not working for me.

3. Good girl falls for bad boy, who of course, reforms for her

Why, oh why, are there so many YA novels about a girl reforming the bad boy??? There are so many "bad boys" in YA I think we could man a whole planet with them. In these books, the bad boy always finds there's something different about the Heroine that makes him want to get all gushy and change his bad boy ways. Just a hint all you teenage readers out there? THIS IS NOT THE GUY YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH. Not only is this a silly trend in YA, I think it's damaging for young readers who think it's true to real life. Stalkers are not cute. Not even vampire ones who spy on you at night through your window. Boys who love you so much they'll go into a rage and hurt others when you're having a fight are NOT GOOD BOYFRIENDS.

And, DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on books where all three of these relationship elements are combined. (Heroine meets Boy A, who of course is a bad boy with abusive tendencies and instantaneously falls outrageously in love with him. Then she meets Boy B who is good for her, the guy she should choose, and then she gets conflicted. But of course, true love *don't make me gag* wins out in the end and Bad Boy A reforms and they live happily ever after). *Snorts*

I'm sure there are books where love triangles/love at first sight/bad boy reformations work. I'm not saying these things are always wrong. But, these are not plot elements to just throw into your novel to "spice things up". They have to be handled with care.

What ever happened to love stories where boy meets girl and they fall in love? Is it because there isn't enough conflict for it to be an interesting story? Is it possible to have a good love story without all the relationship drama mentioned above? I'm seriously curious.

Am I being too harsh? I dunno. I've rarely seen a book where these elements are pulled off well. I'd love to be proven wrong though. Are there any books where you think these things actually worked and added to the story?

Moving the Blog Furniture Around

2011-11-08T16:13:00.002-07:00

I sometimes make fun of my mom because she is *constantly* remodeling something. I think her upstairs bathroom has been in pieces for almost a year now ... (love you mom!). I don't have a house of my own yet, so when I catch that urge to remodel, I redesign my blog. Cuz that's how I roll folks. So, my blog needed a fresh coat of paint and some new furniture and I decided I'd tackle the whole design process myself and turn my blog into a blogsite. I'm cheap, so it's all still hosted on Blogger, but I played around with all the formatting, linking, etc. So please take a look around and tell me if anything is broken ...

Start with my homepage at http://www.tianasmith.com so you can see the pretty rotating pictures, then head over to my About the Author page to see a very. big. picture of me. I'm hosting my Blog on a different link now and I have a page where you can read all about what I'm writing now (complete with little mini scrollbars - cute!). Of course, I still have a Contact page that has all my Twitter and Goodreads info too. When you're done checking all that out, come back to this post and leave me a comment telling me what you think or if you think I should design something differently - I want your feedback :)

Oh, and if I ever did get to redesign my home, it would totally have a secret bookshelf that opens up into my writing nook - which of course, would have a window seat with a view. In fact, it'd probably look a lot like this:

I'm Still Alive

2011-10-01T04:05:00.022-06:00

Here's what's been keeping me busy since the last blog post:

Number of diapers changed: >776
Number of loads of laundry: >32
Amount of spit up cleaned: A LOT. Srsly.
Number of MS's I've critiqued for bloggy buddies: 2
Number of pages written: 9
Nights I've slept: 0

So, as you can see, I'm kinda in a losing battle ... They say that the younger generation will be the best at technology, and I don't doubt it. I mean, I swear my baby has a psychic connection to my computer. Every time I open up a Word Doc, he wakes up from his nap and starts crying. Every. Time.

Excuses, Excuses

2011-06-27T21:05:00.003-06:00

Don't miss me too terribly, but I'm going to be rather absent from Blogger, Twitter, etc. for the next little bit. You can blame this cute little guy (awwwww!), and the fact that I'm hard at work trying to figure out how to be a new mom ... Any advice?

Photo by Jessica Hills Photography

He was born June 14th, weighing 6.8 oz. and measuring 17.5 in. long. We're all doing great and are completely smitten. :)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Writers - A Glossary

2011-05-02T03:32:00.003-06:00

Writers. We're kind of a strange breed. We're proud of the fact that our computer keys are too worn to read, we like to follow teenagers around and record their conversations (it's *research* people!) and we like to use strange words that make non-writer-people go "huh?"

Whether you are one of those afore mentioned non-writer-people or you are a wannabe author who is attempting to describe your publishing ambitions to your mom (or neighbor, or cat, or anyone who will listen to you drone on and on about your imaginary character who is more swoon-worthy than Edward Cullen), this glossary is for you.

Advance - No, an advance is not a sleazy pick up line that someone says when they're trying to hit on you. (Side note: where did the phrase "hit on" come from, and how on earth is "hitting on" someone supposed to be a good thing for a relationship?) An advance is the money an author gets before their book actually sells any copies.
ARC - Advanced Reader Copies. Before an author's book is available "in theaters near you," there are ARCs of their books so that bloggers can praise their mad skillz and get the buzz out. And so that anyone who is bitter over not getting an ARC can give the book a one star rating on Amazon because that makes them feel whole inside.
Beta reader - Not to be confused with a betta fish, a beta reader is someone who reads a writer's manuscript after it's been hacked apart by the author's CPs (see definition below) but before the writer sends it on to agents. Hopefully a beta reader will be more gentle than the Siamese fighting fish whose name is so similar.
CPs - Critique partners. The first line of defense for when a writer needs to have their reality checked. Writers have CPs read their first drafts (and second, and third ...) so that the CPs can tell them about the 87 plot holes that they missed.
MS - Manuscript. 'Nuff said. Moving on.
Pantser vs. Plotter - Someone who de-pants people vs. someone who likes to plant things. No, not really. Pantsers like to write by the seat of their pants, while plotters like to write by something else. (Something called an ... outline? Never heard of it.)
Query - A request for rejection. We writers send out query letters whenever we want an agent to verify that our novel, does in fact, stink.
Slush pile - The quagmire of 'requests for rejections' that an agent must wade through to find the diamond in the rough that is your manuscript--or so you hope.

What other "writer words" am I missing? Do you find yourself using different words when you're talking to non-writer-people? Or, do you have a second definition for one of the above words? Pray, tell.

Also, my friend Gina Leigh Maxwell has a great guest post up about Dating a Girl who Reads. She wants to get the word out, so feel free to pass it on :)

Pros and Cons of Being a Writer

2011-03-21T05:01:00.038-06:00

Pros	Cons
People are impressed when you say you’ve written multiple books.	People aren’t impressed when you say you’ve written multiple books but still aren’t published. (Don’t people know the average published author writes six books before they “make it”? People don’t? Oh.)
You can waste time with Twitter, Facebook and Blogging and call it “networking”. (I’m totally working RIGHT NOW).	You can waste time with Twitter, Facebook and Blogging and call it “networking”, but everyone else knows better.
You will (hopefully) find one agent and publisher who likes your work. One day …	You will find many, many, many more agents and publishers who do not like your work. And you’ll believe them instead of the praise you receive. Someone will inevitably ask, "What could be so hard about it? My fourteen year old niece just signed a book deal."
You will read some published books and know your work is better (it’s only a matter of time until you’re published, right? Right? … Hello?)	You will read lots of published books and know that your work will never ever be that good. (Stupid self-esteem, who needs it anyway?)
People will read and comment on your blog, and you’ll feel famous and special.	People won’t comment on your blog, and you will feel neither famous nor special. (Does this sound like a pathetic beg for approval or comments? It’s not. I pinky promise.)
To your face, people will say “Wow! You’re so determined!” and it will make you swell with pride.	Behind your back, people will think “Wow! You’re so delusional!” and you will have a sneaky suspicion they’re right.
People will ask you if you know such-and-such author, and sometimes you can say yes.	People will ask you if you know such-and-such author, and usually it makes you feel pathetic and sometimes bitter. You will have to pay the dentist a lot of money because you have developed a habit of grinding your teeth.
You can daydream for hours and call it work.	You can daydream for hours and have absolutely nothing to show for it. Even your mother will begin to doubt your sanity.

Have anything to add? What have I missed?

Why a Query is Like a Love Note to the Most Popular Guy in High School

2011-02-14T06:00:00.002-07:00

Dear ~~hot guy who sits in front of me in Algebra I~~ {agent},

I know you have no idea who I am. I know that you have ~~girls~~ {authors} fawning over your every ~~move~~ {Twitter update}, and that you could get any one of them.

Pick me.

I may ~~wear glasses that cover 3/4ths of my face~~ {have a few spelling errors}, and I may still be cursed with ~~acne~~ {the old version of Word}, but I swear that if you were to really think about it, I would be the best ~~girlfriend~~ {client} you ever had. For example:

I will do ~~your homework~~ {my line edits}
I won't ~~flirt with other football players~~ {find another agent behind your back}
I'm not ~~as needy as the cheerleader you're currently dating~~ {going to email you five times a day -- only two ... okay, three.}
I won't take three ~~hours to get ready~~ {years for revisions}

I have memorized every ~~curve of your face~~ {blog post you've ever written}, and I think I've loved you ever since I first laid eyes on ~~you~~ {your site}. One day I would love to meet your ~~parents~~ {editor friends}. Do you like me too? Check yes or no {send a form rejection}.

~~Eternally your love~~ {Thank you for your time and consideration},
Tiana

SEO Basics for Bloggers

2011-01-10T03:00:00.015-07:00

Some of you may/may not know that I work for a pretty prominent SEO firm. Because of this, I've picked up a few tips and tricks about SEO and how it applies to my niche in the web (namely, as a wannabe author). So, here are some easy-peasy things that will help you gain more of an understanding about online search engine marketing and how to make your writer's blog full of SEO awesome sauce. So, here we go :)

First off, a definition. SEO is:

"A way to increase the number of visitors to your website by ranking well in the search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo) for keywords related to your site or blog." ~ Me (so, it's somewhat lacking, get over it)

This might mean you want to rank #1 for your own name, it might mean you want to rank for the phrase "most amazing author ev-ah", or something else similarly silly. *As a side note, I rank #1 for the term "porn stars named Tiana". Who knew? (That was totally by accident by the way, and no, I'm not a porn star. Sorry to disappoint).*

Now that we have the definition out of the way, let's get down to the nitty-gritty basics of how you can optimize your own blog for SEO.

1. Get a piece of the Google Analytics action. Installing Google Analytics on your blog helps you know how many people are reading your posts, which posts/pages are the most popular, how long people stay on your site, how they found your blog in the first place and oh-so-much more. If you want to understand your audience, and if you want to learn how to maintain (and grow) your readership base, Google Analytics is the way to go my friend.

2. Set up Webmaster Tools. This can help you become aware of any problems your site has (if Google cannot index a particular page, for example) and helps you fix them. Some people say it can even get your posts indexed faster ... but I'm just going off of gossip there.

3. Stop using the Blogspot RSS feed address. Just stop it already. I use Feedburner, which helps people subscribe to my posts by email, and also helps me keep track of how many people are subscribed by RSS. Now, Feedburner isn't perfect, so I promise I won't be offended (too much) if you choose a different RSS manager. An RSS manager is another way that you can tell which of your posts are successful, helping you tailor your content to get more readers.

4. Post titles - they're more than just a pretty name, so choose your words wisely young padawan. When you can, use keywords that will help people find your post. For example, I could have named this post something obscure, like "My Day Job Takes Over My Blog" but no one would search for that in Google, well, unless they were weird. Instead, I titled it "SEO Basics for Bloggers", which helps readers know exactly what this post is about (though I sometimes ramble ...).

5. Use keywords in your posts too. I rank #1 for my own name because I have talked about my name in previous posts. (I may or may not be narcissistic. Don't judge me). Don't spam your posts with keyword after keyword, since that just looks bad. Also, search engines don't like it when you're overly dense. (Ha ha, get it? Oh, never mind.)

6. Use keywords in your links. If you are writing a blog post and you want to reference a previous post you wrote because it was so ah-mazing, use keyword-rich anchor text rather than just saying, "visit this link: http://www. ..." or saying "go here" with the link embedded in it, or just "link".

7. Get people to link to your blog. This is definitely easier said than done. One way you can do this is by becoming famous. If that doesn't work, try having great content that people want to link to, re-blog or Tweet about. You can also participate in blogfests. You can participate in blog awards. And, while I don't recommend it, you can annoy people and leave a link to your site every time you leave a comment on their blog... Yes, to a very small extent, that can help your SEO, but make sure you ask yourself if the trade-off (looking like a needy blogger and overly-promotional type) is worth it to you.

8. While that Archives by Date widget thingy is all well and good, you can take it one step further. If you'll notice, I have an Archives Page that lists my previous posts, and, wonder of wonders, I use anchor text with links to help my SEO. Granted, this takes more work, but I never said SEO was easy. (OK, well earlier in this post I said I'd be giving easy tips, but, hey, sometimes I lie, and really, if you think about it, this is still pretty easy to do, so there. Also, I used a lot of commas in that last sentence. Please forgive me.)

9. When you are picking your labels for your post, choose keywords that are descriptive and that actually mean something, rather than just Monday Posts or something else lame.

10. This post is already getting really long, so I won't talk about Meta tags, or anything else more technical. I just wanted a number ten so that this list looked all pretty.

So, those are all really basic things, especially since I didn't know how much this topic would interest you, or what your own level of SEO-awesomeness is. I know this post is pretty different from my regular routine, so let me know if this is something you hated/liked/want to know more of/have questions about, or even, hey, leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite color is. Why not?

The Perfect(ly Bad) Query Letter Example

2010-12-06T06:00:00.009-07:00

Dear Agent Snookums,

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the world was taken over by evil robot alien overlords? In my 250,000 word unfinished sci-fi/chick-lit/mystery/steam-punk/and-every-genre-under-the-sun fiction novel, I answer this burning question and so much more.

Gregory Paxton, a middle age man with absolutely nothing interesting about him whatsoever undertakes the adventure of his life when he randomly and inexplicably uncovers a century old secret hidden by criminal masterminds in league with aliens.

Told in ten alternating viewpoints and tenses (one of which is a time travelling dog), my novel, THE DAY WE ALL DIED, is sure to appeal to fans of Harry Potter, Twilight, The DaVinci Code and Pride & Prejudice--though it is completely one of a kind and nothing out there is quite like it. I have already contacted the people at Oprah to be included on her 2010 holiday recommendations list. I am only interested in agents who can get me a six figure deal, so please contact me with a list of your credentials.

I wrote this book because I grew weary of all the tiresome and pedantic novels being published today. I have a lot of experience in the aliens field, as I myself was abducted by aliens when I was a child. Though I am not published, I have been writing since I was six years old.

I have attached a mock up of my cover design that I made using Paint, and if you are interested in hearing the soundtrack, please visit the website that my third grade cousin made. Here is the link. This is the first book in the series, and I have already written the next sixteen. My mother has read the book, and she says it is the best thing since sliced bread and is sure to be an instant bestseller.

Last month I queried such-and-such agent, and though she passed, the said that "it certainly is different ..." I believe this is great praise, and would be very interested to hear what you think. I will drop by your office at 4:37 pm on Monday next, and we can discuss it further. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Tiana Smith's Evil Twin
25 Made Up Lane
Crazytown, USA
EmailThatSendsAnAutoResponse@hotmail.com
Blog: (automatically plays music and hasn't been updated in a year)

This e-mail, including any attachments, may be intended solely for the personal and confidential use of the sender and recipient(s) named above (even though I cc'd EVERY LITERARY AGENT ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET). This message may include advisory, consultative and/or deliberative material and, as such, would be privileged and confidential and not a public document. Also, all of my work is under a copyright, and if you steal my idea, I will persecute you to the fullest extent of the law.

I'm Lazy

2010-11-21T16:07:00.004-07:00

So, unless you've been living under a rock (or you're not part of the online writing community) you know that November is NaNoWriMo, where some of us crazies try to write an entire 50,000 word novel in just one month. I'm a glutton for punishment, so of course, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year.

The downside of this is, I'm spending a lot of time and effort writing a book, instead of blogging. Since all my creative juices are working towards the whole "book thing", I tried to think of something I could blog about this month. That is when I got a brilliant idea.

Are you curious about how I got my new author photo for my updated "About Me" page? A little while back, I designed a photography blogsite for my friend Jessica. In return she took some photos of my husband and I. So, I'm going to be lazy and show you some of my new family pictures instead of coming up with a blog post related to writing.

It's good to have a personal post every once in awhile, right? Well, if you disagree, you can always just ignore this post. I'll be back to my usual shenanigans after November ends, I promise.

These are just a few of my favorites. If you want to see all the rest (or if you want to see my mad designing skillz), check out these posts on Jessica's blog: 1, 2, 3

The World's Worst Question

2010-10-16T09:00:00.001-06:00

In my oh-so-knowledgeable opinion, there is one question that is far worse than all the others ever asked (including, 'Is that a zit?'). This question is the bane of my existence and I hear it every so often from people who I would really rather mind their own business:

So, what's your book about?

Usually when people ask this question, they act so innocent, like they don't know they just asked the single most difficult question to answer in all of existence. They tilt their head and give you wide eyes as if they're truly interested, but if you take longer than ten seconds for your answer, they start to stare into the distance and you know they are replaying the latest Glee episode in their head.

Me: "It's ummm ... it's about this girl who has a tail? And she goes to private school? And then she blows up a testing facility and saves the world? Oh, and there's wolves and a goat."

Them: *drool*

Or, you might take a more logical approach and try to relate it to something they understand.

Me: "It's like X-men, but for kids, and kinda like the Golden Compass, oh wait, you never read that, so think of a drug institution ... erm..."

Them: *drool*

I become so anxious for them to understand, that I start sweating from the pressure to summarize 60,000 words with only 10. I stammer that it's not as boring as it sounds, and I cling desperately to their arm as they try to get away from the crazy lady talking about goats and drug rehabilitation institutions for kids.

I mean, what is the best way to handle this situation? Really? What am I supposed to do? Personally, I have found that there is only way to satisfactorily answer this question:

Me: It's like Harry Potter.

Them: Oh, that sounds amazing!

Getting Published - A Choose Your Own Adventure Blog

2010-09-04T16:12:00.003-06:00

You have written the first half of your book, and you think it's pretty amazing (if you do say so yourself). You have characters to swoon for, evil villains that make Voldemort look like a sissy, and a plot line that HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE - EVER. You would pay big bucks to read this book and you know that others would too. So, what do you do next?

1. Start querying agents. By the time agents finally get back to you, you'll be all done with the book.

2. Finish the rough draft of your novel.

How to Get the Perfect First Kiss {Agent}

2010-08-10T00:01:00.002-06:00

Ah, the ~~first kiss~~ {offer of agent representation} - the most beautiful, exciting and perfect moment of a budding ~~romance~~ {business partnership}. It's also the most nerve-wracking.

You want it to go well because you like this ~~boy~~ {agent}, and you want to make sure that it’s the right moment and you’re not being pushy. You think about it and worry and try to plan and fight off the nerves but it just keeps getting to you and you drive yourself crazy over it!

STOP.

Take a breath. It will be ok.

Stop thinking about what will happen if you ~~miss his mouth~~ {mis-formatted your query} or if you ~~bonk noses~~ {giggle uncontrollably during the phone call}. Just relax. Even if something silly like that does happen, you'll only look back on it and laugh.

Let the moment come on its own.

Just because it’s your second or third ~~date~~ {full manuscript request} and you haven’t ~~kissed~~ {received an offer} yet doesn’t mean you should spend the rest of the night sobbing on your pillow. For a ~~first kiss~~ {offer of representation} to be just right you need to feel comfortable and together in that moment.

The ~~guy~~ {agent} may be just as nervous as you are, so take the time to get to know each other’s ~~body language~~ {communication styles} and just get a feel for how you fit together. There’s no shame in that!

Don't build up the moment too much in your head. We all like to dream of the perfect ~~kiss~~ {offer of representation}, but if you wait for the ~~picturesque sunset with the fireworks and violins~~ {six-figure deal}, you'll only be disappointed.

What really matters is the awesome feeling of being there in that moment with someone and the post ~~kiss~~ {offer} giddy phone call to your ~~girlfriends~~ {critique partners}.

So, to all of you who have your eye on someone you're hoping to share your ~~next first kiss~~ {writing career} with, I wish you ~~fresh breath~~ {lots of squees} and awesome memories.

*Please note, I DO NOT suggest you kiss your agent. Unless, you know, you are in a relationship or something, which would be weird. But hey, who am I to judge?

**Original article adapted from The Soko

What Your Friends and Family Hear When You Say "I'm Writing a Book"

2010-07-12T07:00:00.003-06:00

I will be world-wide famous like J.K. Rowling - within the first month

I need psychological help

I have sprouted rabbit ears and webbed feet

My degree is a pretty wall decoration that I will never use

My picture will dominate Times Square and I will have merchandise galore

I decided showering is for sissies

I plan to get a suntan from the light of my computer screen

I lost my job

Any others? What did I miss?

I Was Born to be a Star. For Reals.

2010-06-18T10:42:00.000-06:00

Cleaning up some old computer files, I came across one of my first stories ev-ah! I think it's from second grade [Edited note: my mom tells me it's from the third grade]. I thought I would share the embarrassment with you, cuz you know, I like to air my dirty laundry for all of the Internet to see.

It's about a dwarf named Dinky (I was so creative) who goes hunting for a piece of gum. And I titled it "Gumshoe" (again, so creative, I know.)

There once was an enchanted forest. In this forest lived many animals, some of which were mystical, others were what we would call ordinary. But all of these animals and creatures maintained one special power, they could all talk and understand each other. But this didn’t mean that there weren’t still some dangerous creatures that lived in the woods.

One of the animals that lived in the forest was a dwarf. This dwarf was appropriately named Dinky. This was very suitable considering that he was only three feet tall. Three feet was not only small for humans, but it was also small for dwarfs. Dinky lived in a small hut on the edge of the woods. He kept his house very tidy, as well as his yard. A scrawny pebble pathway turned from his front door and into the depths of the thicket.

That sunny day, Dinky felt a special urge to have gum. If you ever lived in these woods, you would know how hard gum was to come by, but Dinky was desperate. His mouth tasted horrible, and his breath had a very unnerving stench. The day before, he had run out of toothpaste. It wasn’t a very good situation to be in.

Since Dinky knew that he didn’t have any gum in the house, he set off on a journey to ask all of the animals in the woods. He thought that perhaps someone might have at least one piece. He was so anxious for gum that he would have eaten a piece even if it had come from some other mouth other than his. Well, maybe not that bad.

He didn’t cross another animal until he had reached almost the other side of the woods. He then passed a unicorn. He asked the unicorn very nicely, “Excuse me Mr. Unicorn, but please, do you happen to have any gum?” The unicorn only shook his head. But then he instantly seemed to get an idea.

“No, but if you are indeed desperate to have a piece of gum, than I can only suggest that you go to the dragon. If he realizes that you are not trying to invade his privacy, and that you only want a piece of gum, then he might let you go alive. Also, his name is Scorch, and he has that name for a reason.”

None of the unicorn’s words had comforted Dinky, but the taste in his mouth had grown steadily worse, so he decided to give Scorch a try. He left the unicorn and traveled on his way to the dragon's cave. When he reached the cave it was obvious that it belonged to Scorch. The rocks seemed to have been burnt from flame. It was so huge that it was taller than the trees. Dinky thought about turning back, but then he thought about the awful taste in his mouth, and that if he turned back now, his whole journey would have been in waste. He slowly stepped into the cave and he instantly was surrounded by darkness.

At first, he thought that no one was home. But then he found out that a pair of red glowing eyes had been watching him for several moments. If Dinky turned left, the eyes did the same. As soon as the eyes figured out that they had been discovered, a booming voice spoke. “Why have you come?” Dinky was so afraid that he almost lost his voice.

“I um . . . I ah . . . ”
“WHY HAVE YOU COME?”
“I um . . . I ah . . . want a ah . . . do you . . .?”
“WHY HAVE YOU COME?”
Dinky finally got so nervous that he shouted his answer. “I WANT A PIECE OF GUM!”

“Well, that wasn’t so hard was it? Now as for the gum . . . I’m not sure, wait, yes! I shall give you a riddle: When you travel home, look on the way you travel and you shall find your utmost desire.”

Dinky almost cried out in despair. He had traveled all of this way, just to travel back?! Obediently he walked out of the cave to go back home. As soon as he had gotten completely clear of the cave, a long flame reached out and scorched the outside rocks even more.

When Dinky got home, he sat on a chair and thought about the dragon’s last words. “When you travel home, look on the way you travel and you shall find your utmost desire.” These words confused Dinky even more until he got an idea. He quickly took off his shoe and looked at the sole of it. Sure enough, a piece of gum was squashed on the bottom of it. He pulled off the gum and threw it away. He figured that he didn’t want gum that badly. He decided that the next day, he would go on another adventure looking for toothpaste instead of gum, and this time, he would not go to the dragon.

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Not like you'd want to steal this piece of awesomeness. I just wanted to include the picture cuz I'm cool like that.

Pretty cute, eh? See, I was totally born to be a writer :) What was your first story about?

Blog Housekeeping and Interviews

2010-05-28T08:00:00.005-06:00

Hey everybody! Today I'm being interviewed by Gina Leigh Maxwell over at Passions on Paper, so check it out and be sure to leave me a comment. Believe it or not, this is my first ever blog interview :)

http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2010/05/fan-tastic-friday-tiana-smith.html

In related news, you know how authors usually say on their websites that they can't help students with doing school interviews and that they get too many requests? Well, I had my first student contact me about doing a career interview for her school (she wants to be a writer). I feel like I'm all grown up now, and it's also a little weird that I got my first request before I am even published.

Also, I've been hoarding some blog awards, so, the following people should head over to my blog awards page and pick themselves out something pretty:

Jamie Burch at Dancing Down Serendipity Street
Karen Strong at Musings of a Novelista
Kelly Lyman at Kelly's Compositions
Mary Anne Gruen at the Starlight Blog (by the way, she's moved her blog to WordPress, and she had to get a new RSS feed and everything, so make sure you're still subscribed--or, subscribe for the first time!)
Mary Campbell at Writer's Butt Does Not Apply To Me
Nisa at Wordplay, Swordplay: The Magic of Writing

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Deus ex Machine

2010-05-24T10:01:00.001-06:00

People asked me why writing YA was so hard for me, and why I breathed a sigh of relief when I started writing children's books. Well, here's one of the reasons: Deus ex machine. I would get my characters into problems, and then magically, something would happen that would get them out of it. I never made the characters work at it, which is perhaps why they always seemed just as surprised as I was when the bad guy stubbed his toe or their long-lost missing knight in shining armor happened to appear out of nowhere to save the day.

Here's the thing though, while this random plot occurrence may have you (the author) jumping for joy at your brilliance, in reality, your readers think you just look like a toad:

Photo by : Aganto Seno

With children's writing, this sort of "happenstance" is much more acceptable, and readers are willing to take the leap of faith with you. I'm not saying that I'm okay with deus ex machine now, or that I can pepper my writing with it and no one can tell me otherwise. No, I'm just saying that this is only one of the elements that makes me better suited to write children's books. When you combine this element with my writing style, likes, natural writing tendencies and general love for fairytales and old-fashioned good guy vs. bad guy, you can see why children's writing offers me smoother sailing.

I'm still looking to improve my random happy endings, and I think I'm getting better at it. I'm trying to leave nothing to circumstance, and my characters have to get out of the scrapes they get themselves into. It's a lot harder than it looks though, any pieces of advice? Do you have a problem with deus ex machine too?

Social Media Overload

2010-05-03T08:00:00.013-06:00

Social media. Those two words can strike fear into the hearts of many, and I'll admit, I'm one of the many. I have a love/hate relationship with social media, mainly because I love feeling connected to everyone else, but I hate the amount of time it takes. Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and every other platform out there can be as addicting as anything else, so how are we supposed to manage our time?

As authors, we are constantly told to build our online platform, and I'm the first to say that networking and marketing are important. But how far should one go in the quest for online acknowledgment, especially before one even has an agent?

Social media was taking over my life and I had to do something to stop it. Something drastic. So, I cut the cord. Here's what I had to do to get back to the basics:

Facebook--I deactivated my account. I've been one whole week (and a half) Facebook-free, and it's refreshing. If/when I ever publish a book, I'm planning on reactivating my account for marketing purposes, but for now I don't need it. My friends and family can all contact me through email, and with all the Facebook privacy changes (don't even get me started) I figured it was best to step away.

Twitter--I'm cutting WAY back on Twitter. I will still tweet occasionally, but maybe once or twice every week. This was harder for me than Facebook, because I feel like I got more use out of Twitter. But Twitter was beginning to take up more and more time, and I want to use that time to actually WRITE.

LinkedIn--Okay, what is this even for? Seriously. I check it about once every two months, if that.

Blogger--I don't know how all you people blog every day. That takes some serious dedication. I'm planning on blogging once a week at most but it will probably be more like once every two weeks. I'm also cutting back on some of the blogs I follow and will probably be commenting less. *I still love you, I promise.* (Plus, if you comment regularly on my blog, I'll still follow yours, because I'm nice like that.) I am just too busy and want to spend my time doing other things. Surprisingly, I'm cutting back on following many agent blogs, because their information is starting to sound repetitive since I've been reading them for so long.

Agents talk about platform, and I agree that it is good to build up a web presence and a following. But if social media is taking away time from actually writing then that is not good. I already show up in the number one spot if you Google my name, and for now, that will just have to be good enough. Some people give themselves a time limit on Facebook and such, and I tried that, but I found myself breaking the rules. For me, I have to take it one step further.

Do any of you have the same time-suck problem I have with social media? If so, how do you deal with it? I seriously want to know because I might steal your ideas if they help :)

Confession Time

2010-04-20T07:30:00.002-06:00

It's time to come clean. I've held it in a long time, tried to fight it, and can't take it anymore. So here it is: Writing YA isn't really my thing. *Gasp!*

Now, before you all start yelling "traitor!" let me explain. I've written young adult, and it's just not my cup of tea. It's a rather painful process, and I have to work really, really hard at it. (I mean, REALLY. Like slugging through a marsh of honey.) I didn't enjoy writing at all, and I physically dreaded working on my WIP.

I wanted to fit in with the blogging community, and well, I felt like it was practically expected of me. I also felt like there was a stigma against what I actually wanted to write.

So, secretly, I've been working on a ... *ahem* children's book. Yes, I've been writing a children's book. But here's the thing, I LOVE IT! I finally feel like I have found my voice and I actually want to write again. It has me doing this:

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

It's like I have found my calling in life and in writing. My critique group has been great about my confession, and they're all willing to take a gander at my book, but if any of you secretly write children's as well, we should totally pow-wow because I would love to get your opinions too. I might occasionally do some YA stuff, but right now I need to follow my heart and see where it takes me.

So there you have it. My name is Tiana, and I am a children's writer.

First Page Blogfest

2010-04-02T07:21:00.001-06:00

My critique partner, Kelly, is hosting a First Page Blogfest! (Wow, that crept up on me, and now I'm feeling very vulnerable and nervous. Please excuse the whimpering sounds coming from the background.) Without further ado, here is the first page of my current work in progress. *Cue drum roll*

It was while Jared sat by the water's edge, musing over the state of his pathetic summer, that she waltzed in and changed everything. The scattered pine needles on the forest floor poked through his shorts, along with a few pieces of grass that tickled the inside of his leg. He dangled one foot in the lake, which was really more of an oversized pond, and he had just decided it was time to go home when she stepped into his view.

She fit in perfectly with the scenery, wild and pristine all at the same time. A few grass stains decorated her sundress and she looked just as startled as he felt. Wide, Bambi-like eyes stared back at him from behind stray wisps of hair. It cascaded down her back in messy tangles and curls, reaching just above her waist. In the shadows, her hair was a dark amber color, but the light made certain strands shine like a shampoo commercial.

It would sound trite to say Jared was breathless, when in fact, he was still breathing. But he was very conscious of breathing in and out, and he thought he must have been dreaming, for surely, no one could be that naturally stunning outside of a magazine.

When his family first came to Mulberry Woods, Jared had reconciled himself with the fact that he would never see another living person for three months. Their summer home was well away from any human habitation, which Jared thought was just another way his parents punished him for being sixteen and "constantly reckless." Perhaps they thought this exile would keep him out of trouble. They should have known better.

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

So, ummm ... yeah. *Blushes* What do you think? Oh, and would you like to see a picture of how I view the girl in my head?

Nom De Plumes

2010-03-27T09:56:00.018-06:00

Until just recently, I used the pen name Tiana Lei (Lei is my middle name). I know the switch has caused some confusion, so (since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want) I decided to write about pen names today, or if you want to sound fancy, nom de plumes. <--We could all use a little more fancy in our lives.

Originally, I used Lei instead of Smith because I thought my married name was a little too boring and ... NORMAL. That was my only reason. (Stephenie Morgan probably thought the same thing--but Stephenie Meyer doesn't seem too much more original, so I don't know why she used a pen name.)

I just wanted a name that sounded cooler. I tried to pretend like I had better reasons for it: "I don't want to get confused with all the other Smith's," "I want to keep my personal life separate from my writing life," "I want to 'recognize' my parents and my husband when I become famous one day," etc. These were all EXCUSES, not REASONS.

It's nearly impossible in today's day and age to keep your personal life separate from your writing life. With the Internet permeating everything we do, people could find out practically anything about me.
I'm pretty sure that no one will confuse me with other Smith's. My first name is Tiana for crying out loud.
While I do want to recognize the effect (or is it affect? I never can tell...) my parents and my husband had on my writing journey, I'm pretty sure I can do that with a book dedication.

So I was out of excuses.

By using my real name, it will cause less confusion in the long run, and then I won't have to keep explaining how to pronounce both parts of my name. I'll still have to deal with people calling me Tee-anne-uh, rather than Tee-on-uh, but I'm used to that.

Pretty much, I've decided that pen names don't do any good, unless your name sounds like someone else famous and you are trying to avoid that. **Edited note - people have pointed out some good reasons in the comments, check them out. Though interestingly, a lot of the reasons are tied to writing Romance novels, which I don't write.**

Do you use your real name with your writing? I'm curious to see why you do or don't. Do you agree with my reasoning?

New Design, New Name, Same Me

2010-03-20T00:25:00.014-06:00

Don't worry, you've come to the right place, even though it looks different. I've just made few changes and I would LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments!

New design: Isn't it pretty and pink?
New name: I got rid of Spilled Ink, and I also got rid of my pen name/middle name Lei. It was time. I'll explain more in a future blog post. Because of this, I got a ...
New domain/URL: I know this is a big change for everyone. I thought it would be better to do it now rather than later. In the long run, it will cause less confusion (I hope.) I'm hoping people can still find me through my RSS and site redirects. *crosses fingers* (and sorry if you got notified more than once!)

Please leave me a comment if you're reading this so that I can know if my redirect is working properly!

**Update: Feedburner saves the day! It looks like you won't need to update your RSS feeds after all. If you are subscribed by email, you might want to, just in case. Simply click the mail "envelope" icon up above or on the link under my picture. I'll delete your old subscription for you.**

Change Hurts

2010-03-06T09:43:00.011-07:00

My blog is undergoing some changes. Puberty hit my old design and it's voice started breaking, so something new and amazing is in the works. Just you wait :) In the meantime, I had to go with a design that won't keep messing everything up. The subscribe by email widget under my profile picture is now working peacefully with my design, and they've agreed to end hostilities for a while.

I'm also behind in posting pictures from the LTUE writer's conference I went to. That blog post is also in the works. I even have a couple blog awards I need to pass out. *Sigh* I am such a slacker.

I've been relatively quiet in Internet land (Twitter, Facebook, blogging). If you are wondering what has kept me so busy, the answer is, EDITING! A couple people have asked me why it is taking me SO LONG to edit my novel (come on, I only finished the rough draft three months ago!) To those people, I say, look at this picture:

This is just one page of edits from my critique group. And guess what? It doesn't even include all the members of my critique group. I combined three different critiques into one document, but one of them sent her edits in an email, rather than on the document itself, so this is only 3/4 of the edits I'm slogging through. Thankfully, not every page is like this one. Sometimes I find a sea of white, devoid of any markings and I float blissfully away on my editing cloud.

I've completely rewritten the opening of my novel. And when I say completely, I mean that I've cut almost three chapters, and I am rewriting more than simply editing. Nothing is the same, but it is so much stronger (in my humble opinion.) I'm excited to participate in Kelly's First Page Blogfest, because then I can show you all my new opening.

Change can hurt, but it will make everything even better (I'm referring to both my blog and my novel.) Sometimes it's very frustrating, very time consuming and very sad. But it will make the end result that much better.

Real Writers Don't Quit

2010-02-20T01:22:00.002-07:00

I am now a *real* writer. I have crossed the threshold and now can call myself "part of the club."

What changed, you ask? I had a writer breakdown. Many of you have been there. It's that time when you look at what you have accomplished, look at what you have yet to accomplish and say, "am I crazy?"

Surprisingly, while I have been working towards being a published author most of my life, I have yet to have a true break down until this week. Yes, there was crying. Lots of it. It wasn't pretty.

I wasn't upset at my progress, in fact, I'm quite happy with how far I've come. Instead, I was feeling completely hopeless about the publishing industry as a whole. There are SO MANY PEOPLE who tell you that you will never succeed, that the chances of success are astronomically low, that you are wasting your time.

Editors and agents, while they are trying to be helpful, often point out how hard it is to break into publishing. It can all be a little depressing at times. They tell you to build your platform and be available to your audience. Well, that takes a lot of time, and sometimes you don't see the results like you would want to.

But this thought provided me with a rainbow of hope: Even if I never get published--heaven forbid--then I would still be happy with my decision. I don't write so that I can make money. I write because I love the written word. When I was a little girl, reading changed. my. life. I write because I want to provide that same experience for others. I write because I want to help people become better. I write because I want to share the beauty and the experience.

Yes. It IS tough. Sometimes, you'll feel all alone. Sometimes you might actually be all alone. But you are the only one who can decide if it is worth it. I am not throwing in the towel. I am going to give it my all. Just you try and stop me. Because I'm a *real* writer. And real writers don't stop when the going gets tough. Real writers write.