Friday Focus: Fall out of the plane first

This week's quote reminded me of my difficulty with writing the beginning of ILYU vs. how simple it was to write the beginning of Flora. Not that anything super dramatic happens right away in Flora, but early on in the writing process I was able to get to a point where I'd imagined what happened a few minutes before, and then *boom* - stuck the MC right there in the first chapter.

Anyway. This week's quote. Simply put, lead your readers along - they'll like it. And even if they don't, they'll keep reading to find out why the heck you started out that way in the first place.;)

Make everybody fall out of the plane first, and then explain who they were and why they were in the plane to begin with.

- Nancy Ann Dibble

This week's contests (and other interesting info)

Hey! This is the second week in a row I've posted contests and blog-worthy news! What! (Is some sort of tradition a' brewin'? Probably not. I get really excited about stuff, then get lazy about it. I know, I need help.)

I would *love* to be consistent enough each week to have some sort of an interesting info summary. <--- with a way more interesting title than that... Can we say - caffeine please!?!?

And it wouldn't be, specifically, a "summarize the past week in writerly news" sort of thing, because I'm not good at keeping track of much helpful news throughout the week, plus a few other people actually are (including THE Sierra Godfrey, who just happens to do hers on FRIDAYS). But. If I keep up with this whole habit, maybe I'll have a name for this newsy thing by next week. (Or maybe I'll move on to talking more about coffee.)

ANYWHO. Here are some contests I came across, along with a tidbit or two of possibly helpful info, again in no particular order. Enjoy.

* Debut Author Amy Holder is celebrating her web launch with a giveaway - Amazon gift cards or a copy of her new YA book, The Lipstick Laws. Check out her blog and contest info here.

* Darlene at Peeking Between the Pages is giving away one free copy of Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City. I can't wait to read it - I devoured the first one, completely loving the entire email format of the book. It's hard to believe a man, Bill Surie, is the author. He does a great job at giving you Holly's point of view, all composed as emails, no less. Check out the contest rules here, and the amusing Holly's Inbox site (all emails as well), here.

* Shannon at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe posted a How to Make a Character Collage video by YA author Tara Lynn Childs on her blog here. It's a great tool to use if you're wanting to give your character more depth. (Shannon also posted a video by literary agent Kate Testerman on the do's and don'ts of querying. You can check it out here.)

* Don't forget!!! The Literary Lab's 2nd annual contest, Notes from the Underground, (mentioned on Monday's blog post, What? No rules? I quit!) ends Monday, August 15th.

* Roni at Fiction Groupie posted the "totally epic winners" of the contest I mentioned last week. And guess what? I won! *squee* I didn't actually win the main contest, but I did win the "Best Pimp" award (uh, hello... glad somebody finally realized my awesome pimpness) - a five page critique from Roni or Julie. Yay! I'm excited, to say the least, and will post a bit about that whole process when it happens. (Now excuse me while I go back to nervously biting my nails... oh wait... there aren't any nails to bite anymore... Whew.)

* To celebrate her short story, The Blade of Tears, winning a contest, Lydia Sharp at The Sharp Angle is giving away two free Flesh & Bone anthologies here.

* If you haven't yet totally and absolutely fallen for Tahereh's online writerly magazine, QUERYPOLITAN, head on over there and check it out. August's cover has just been posted. Keep checking back to see the articles in the right column, which she will be posting soon. In the meantime, go ahead and read June and July's issues. Great stuff. (Including July's Math HATES Writers. Oh, so true.) In fact, you may as well follow her personal blog as well. Just click on her name to do so.

Last but not least...

* Check out the 7 ARC contest at Carol's Prints (click on blog name to enter) - you just might win one of the following (the below info has been copied and pasted directly from Carolina's blog):

*Signed ARC of MATCHED by Ally Condie

*ARC of PERSONAL DEMONS by Lisa Desrochers

*ARC of FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan

(My Review of FIRELIGHT)

*ARC of TORMENT (sequel to FALLEN) by Lauren Kate

*ARC of EXTRAORDINARY by Nancy Werlin

*ARC of HALO by Alexandra Adornetto

*ARC of DUFF by Kody Keplinger

**PLEASE feel free to add your contests to the comments if I haven't mentioned it! Happy Thursday!

What? No rules? I quit!

The deadline is fast approaching. I've been toying with the idea for two months now. Do I bother? Send something in just to, well, send it in?

But what if they're like "Pshhh... who does she think she is? It's elementary, my dear *insert whomever's name here*, this is *so* beyond her comprehension!" (I envision them all sitting around a long, rectangular table, holding my page in one hand and sipping coffee with the other, laughing their asses off.)

Did I mention the worst part is THERE ARE NO RULES? None! It's a "free form" application! I mean, what the? I've lost already, and I haven't even tried yet! Normally I hate boundaries but PLEASE, I'm begging for some this time!

Let me know if any of you enter. You can check out the full contest description here.

UPDATE: Here's Wednesday's (August 11th) post from The Literary Lab regarding the contest - My Final Plea. Check it out!

This book is about me, no not really, but maybe a little

So in keeping with my epiphany theme (since I seem to have them quite often, lately), I thought I'd share the latest thoughts from yours truly.

The other day while I was getting my hair cut, my lovely hair lady and I were yapping about life (as per our normal routine). Being as I'm a mother of three girls (about to start 5th, 6th and 7th grade - eek!), we tend to discuss our children and life as mothers quite a bit, whether it's stressing what the chitlins are doing, discussing how well they're (kind of) getting along, or sharing the interactions we have with our husbands regarding decision making for the kids.

I was telling my story for the billionth time (not billionth time to her, but to people in general), just a little part of the overall picture that lead Lovemuffin and I to be where we are now. Didn't think anything of it at the time really either, I was just making conversation.

Then a while later when I came home, I was on blogger (of course), commenting to a bloggy friend who's around the age I was when Lovemuffin and I started going out, and for some reason, this idea popped into my head...

What if I used *my* life as a sort of loose example for another YA story?

As I'm typing this, I think I know where the epiphany came from - I've been reading Stephen King's On Writing and am at the part where he's said some of the books that he wrote really had a lot to do with his life at the time.

Now, I'd like to point out this may never even come to fruition because

1) I'm in the process of working on two other projects at the moment anyway

and

2) The idea that anyone would even follow a story like that might be completely ridiculous.

But still. It got me thinking. My high school years weren't that crazy or anything, but there were definitely ups and downs that could be embellished enough for entertainment.

The only problem is, since Lovemuffin and I *are* raising three girls, and we're way over there on the *strict* side of the parenting spectrum, would this kind of story (made fictional, of course) be something I would want my kids to read, if it were YA? Or any other kids, for that matter?

And if not, is there a place out there in the literary world for an adult book starting out with a seventeen year old girl as the MC?

I don't know. And I'm not going to think that far ahead at the moment anyway. I think I'll just entertain the whole idea for a while and see if anything comes out of it. Maybe nothing ever will. But here's the cold hard truth to the craft of writing - often times, it's easiest to write what you know.

Friday Focus: The inescapable form of a plot

Today's Friday Focus is all about the plot (which is uh, kind of the most important part of a story). This formula may seem simple and oh-so-obvious, but sometimes it's harder than it really looks! Take it away, Mr. Gardner!

In nearly all good fiction, the basic - all but inescapable - plot form is this: A central character wants something, goes after it despite opposition (perhaps including his own doubts), and so arrives at a win, lose, or draw.

- John Gardner

Summer contests and other informative stuff

I've come across a few things worth sharing, and decided to post them all in one blog. Feel free to pass the info along.

Here they are, in no particular order...

* Pure Imagination's Summer Celebration Giveaway

* Roni & Julie's contest - According to their blogs, here are the prizes up for grabs:

Hannah Moskowitz's Break

Lisa Desrocher's Personal Demons (ARC)

A query or first five pages critique from Fine Print Lit's intern, Gemma Cooper

A query or first five pages critique from Janet Reid's assistant, Meredith Barnes

A query or first five pages critique from agent Suzie Townsend

A query or first five pages critique from editor Brendan Deneen

* Win a copy of Mandy Hubbard's new book, You Wish (also author of Prada & Prejudice, and other books) at C.A. Marshall's blog. To read more about Mandy Hubbard, check out her interview at the Lisa and Laura Write blog here.

* Julie P., author of Booking Mama blog, is giving away a copy of Fragile by Lisa Unger, here.

* Noah Lukeman of the Ask a Literary Agent blog has just combined all of his wonderful advice and knowledge into a free ebook for us lovely writers, here.

There are tons more contests going on around the blogosphere as we speak, but I've run out of time. If anyone would like to share a contest they are currently holding, feel free to mention it in the comments.

Happy Thursday!

Where would Spongebob be without Patrick?

Secondary characters add a touch to your story, be it comedy, raw emotion, conflict, or whatever else.  Take TV shows, for example.  Sometimes the characters we enjoy most aren't even the main one, yet their personality shines through almost more than the main character's does.  

Being as my three girls watch a lot of Nick, I've clocked in many hours of listening time on the old tube.  I say listening instead of watching because, for the most part, the shows they watch are background noise while I'm working, cleaning, ect.  

But there's one particular character on the show iCarly that will pull me in front of the TV almost every time.  He's not one of the main characters, who are two girls, but actually the Carly character's older brother,  Spencer.  (If you aren't a parent like me who is "lucky" enough have this show practically playing 24-7 in your home or on your computer, feel free to view the link in order to get an idea of the Spencer character's personality, who is played by Jerry Trainor.) 

Jerry Trainor makes the show, in my opinion.  Those two girls' lives would be boring without him.

Some books have characters you don't pay much attention to - your sole interest is invested in what happens to the MC, and that's about it.  Maybe you skim through that part of the book, in order to get back to whatever got you sucked in to begin with, or maybe you even find them a distraction.  

Others, however, are unforgettable.  They may make you laugh, shake your head and wonder why they do the things they do, or even think they're just plain weird.  (A lot of times the MC wouldn't be who they are without them.)  And they stay with you, long after you've stopped reading, sometimes longer than the actual story replays from memory.

Not too long ago I made myself laugh out lout at something an MC's father had said.  He wasn't in the book a whole lot, but it was enough to where even quite a while after reading it, the line came back to me again.  

I would love to be able to write like that.  I try to write like that.  

Do any of you have a favorite secondary character in a book?  And if so, who are they in relation to the MC, and why did you like them?