Writers' Campaign Challenge #2

As part of Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign we've been given a second challenge:

Write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should:

• include the word "imago" in the title
• include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.

For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!

BECOMING AN IMAGO

(From here)

I stand in line. Inching forward. Waiting my turn.

My eyes stare at the brunette in front of me.

Her hair won’t be brown for long.

The guard that blocks the exit is bored.

His mouth hangs open every few minutes, 

like a robot programmed to oscitate.

I’m scared. I don’t want to be an Imago. 

I want to run.

I watch the girls emerge from the transformation room. Perfect. Beautiful. Empty.

I can see the vacancy in their eyes as they 

try to remember who they once were.

We call that look Lacuna.

It’s my turn. They let me stare into the mirror one last time.

A miasma of terror chokes me. I can’t breathe.

I imagine throwing myself from the window. If I can break it, maybe I can survive the fall. Escape.

I look back at the door in front of me, but before I can enter I hear the shatter of broken glass exploding into the room.

Without thinking, I make a run for it. My feet leave the floor, and I plummet toward the earth.

Suddenly I believe in synchronicity.

My arms open in the rushing air. I don’t care if I die. I’m free.


...If you would like to vote for my story, click the "like" button under entry #54 on this list.

Speaking of The Host....

So...back in 2009 they announced that The Host was going to be made into a movie. Well, I've been waiting! They cast the lead as Saoirse Ronan ("Hanna," "The Lovely Bones," "Atonement")...but WHEN, right? Some news came out a few months ago that I just stumbled across. Maybe you already knew but they have a release date!!! Read the press release HERE.

(from here)

March 29, 2013

Road Trip Wednesday - Cover Lover

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic: What are your all-time favorite book covers?


Strangely most of my all-time favorite books are not my all-time favorite covers. I do like these though...

Iron Witch

Hold Still

Halo

Abandon

Imaginary Girls

The Host

Divergent

 

 

Hush, Hush

Under the Mesquite

 AND...

Insurgent

Winners of the Flash Fiction Challenge!

From Rachael Harrie's Blog:

And now to the winners...*drumroll*

(Source)

People's Choice Awards

First Place: Jessica Therrien (46 votes)
Second Place: Erin L. Schneider (45 votes)
Third Place: 1000th.monkey (41 votes)
Fourth Place: Claire Hennessy (38 votes)




Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by a panel of 68 judges! Once the judges had determined the 12 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

(Source)

Here are the Finalists and their prizes:

1. First Place: M.C. Rogerson
2. Second Place: Juliana L. Brandt
3. Third Place: Barbara V. Evers
4. Fourth Place: Jessica Therrien
5. Fifth Place: Jocelyn Rish
6. Sixth Place: Christine Tyler
7. Seventh Place: 1000th.monkey
8. Eighth Place: Candy Fite
9. Ninth Place: Leah Denman
10. Tenth Place: Christine Rains
11. Eleventh Place: Alynza Smith
12. Twelfth Place: Chantele Sedgewick 

 

From  Me:

Congrats to all the winners of the flash fiction campaign challenge!! All of the stories were wonderful, and I can't believe mine did so well. Thank you to everyone who voted for my story. Picture me doing my happy dance. Not sure what that looks like? You're writers...use your imagination. Me. Wiggling. Hopping around. Rocking out. Maybe a little air guitar.

 

Super thanks to everyone who has commented on posts, followed my blog, found me on Twitter, or liked my Facebook author page. What goes around comes around...I'll get you back!

Ants In My Pants/My Epiphany

Aside from having ants in my pants (as I await the announcement of the winner of the flash fiction challenge AND the SCWC in Newport this weekend) I’ve been a little busy beaver plotting and scheming the sequel to my debut novel. Now that The Descendants has officially graduated to the line editing process, I feel more comfortable moving forward with the storyline. I sort of had to put that process on hold for a while as I reworked pieces of the book. I couldn’t continue to write the sequel until the major plot points of the first novel were nailed down. Now, I am having so much fun coming up with what happens next.

Being in book world got me thinking. What was it that made me fall in love with YA novels? What book opened up my world to its awesomeness?

When I think back to a time when I actually was a young adult, I can remember the exact moment it happened. I used to think I hated reading. I tried to like it, but every time I picked up a book, I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. As my friends began to discover books and lose themselves in stories, I kept my secret to myself. In Jr. High I toured around with the smart kids…you know, those over achievers? I was one of them (still am, really). So the fact that I hated reading made me feel ashamed and embarrassed. What was WRONG with me?

Then one magical day in San Francisco (oddly enough…in the exact apartment my debut novel takes place) I picked up a book called Harry Potter and the whatever….(okay, Sorcerer’s Stone).



(From here.)

I didn’t have a clue what I’d found, no idea that once I opened it my life would change. I looked at it with indifference.

“Have you read that?” my friend asked.

I shrugged. “No.” Of course I hadn’t. I didn’t read.

“Take it. It’s good.”

I didn’t want to be rude. “Okay, sure,” I said, feigning excitement.

Little did I know it would be my epiphany.

You can probably guess what happened after that. Once I’d read the first chapter I couldn’t put it down. Turns out I DIDN’T hate to read, what I hated was being forced to read things that didn’t appeal to me. My mom never understood how she could be such an avid reader, and her smarty pants daughter couldn’t get past the first ten pages of her favorite books. We both know the answer now. She reads realistic and very depressing books! That just isn’t my thing. I want to be carried off to a new world, or at least a world that’s fascinating and different than the mundane happenings in normal life. Hence my love for YA (Specifically YA Paranormal/Fantasy etc.).

What’s the moral of the story?

Read what you love, and you’ll love to read.

What was your epiphany? Do you remember the day you found your favorite genre? What books have inspired you?

Holy Smokes! Breaking Dawn Awesomeness...

Road Trip Wednesday!

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.
 

This Week's Topic:
What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?

Love. It’s probably the most obvious answer. Maybe even a little cliché, but I write what I like to read, and in every novel, I look for love. As it says before the first chapter of The Host, "love is the best part of every story." I truly believe that, and a good love story is present in everything I write.

I’m not particular about settings. I do however, like to set stories in places I’ve lived or know really well. I feel I can’t write honestly about a place I’ve never been to in person.

*An interesting side note about THE DESCENDANTS is that it was originally set in San Diego (because that is where I live now). After my publisher read through it, they suggested changing the setting to a more relatable city. At first I was in disagreement, but when I started exploring the idea, I really enjoyed reliving my childhood memories in San Francisco. I was born there and spent many summers at a friend’s house above a coffee shop in the Lower Haight. Turns out that exact apartment was the perfect place to put my main character, and the setting works better than I could have imagined.

As far as motifs, I like trees. For me they symbolize strength. Trees are sprinkled throughout THE DESCENDANTS, and I only really noticed after I’d written it. Then, when my English teacher mother  asked about symbolism in my novel, I told her about them.

“Of course I meant to do it,” I joked with her.

“It was probably ingrained in your subconscious,” she decided. “I trained you well.”

Feel free to play along! What themes, motifs, settings, scenes or elements do you find recurring in your work? Leave responses in the comments or reply on your blog and link back to the YA Highway :)

I'm feeling the love!

This Campaign is crazy-awesome. Not only did I just find out that The Soulless is one of the 12 finalists in the flash fiction challenge, but I've received two blog awards this week!

First, some thanks are in order:

Thank you Rachael Harrie for creating and managing the Platform-Building Campaign. You've truly changed my blogging world! Also thanks to everyone who "liked" my flash fiction story on her site or commented on my blog. I'm so grateful for all of it.

AND...Thank you a million x infinity x 7 Tia at Depression Cookies and Elizabeth at Elizabethannwrites for the blog awards!

THE LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD

Tia was nice enough to share the Liebster Blog goodness. This blog award goes to awesome bloggers with under 200 followers (although many will pass that number up soon).

Now it's my turn to hand out some Liebster love. To the following five:

1. Rachel at Rachel Bean
Her heading subtext cracks me up, "I read. I write. I control the world (well eventually)."
I read it. I laughed. Sold.

2. Madeline Mora-Summonte at Shellshank Redemption
Her flash fiction story was so well written. I still think about it. 

3. Avery Marsh at Creative Type
My favorite flash fiction piece of all.

4. MissMK at Twenty Everything
She's not a Campaigner, but she may be joining in for the fun. Her latest publication will be released in the Decemeber issue of Glamour magazine

5. Andy Rane at Andy Rane
His flash fiction story was 100% dialogue, which I thought was genius.


Don't forget to:

1. Show your appre­ci­a­tion to the blog­gers who gave you the award by link­ing back to them.
2. Reveal your five picks and let them know by leav­ing a com­ment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the cama­raderie of the most sup­port­ive peo­ple on the internet—other writ­ers.
5. And best of all—have blog­gity fun and spread the love.

THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD

Elizabeth was the sweetie that gave me the "Versatile Blogger" award. 

To the following 15 I'm passing it on:

1. Rachel at Rachel Bean
2. Madeline at Shellshank Redemption
3. Avery at Creative Type
4. MissMK at Twenty Everything
5. Andy at Andy Rane
6. Jess at Write. Skate. Dream
7. The Blogger Girlz at The Blogger Girlz
8. LadyJai at Snippets From My Mind
9. Jocelyn at Exploring The Magic of Stories
10. Tameri at Tameri Etherton
11. Mina at Mina Burrows
12. Ryann at Novel Addiction
13. Bess at It's the world, dear
14.Kelley at Flowers for Ghosts
15. Ciara Knight at Writing to the Edge of Darkness


Don't forget to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself (see mine here).
3. Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

Flash Fiction Favorites

As part of Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign, participants were asked to submit a 200-word flash fiction piece beginning with the words, "The door swung open." Nearly 400 stories were submitted, and so many of them were great. I'm sure there are a ton I haven't read that are amazing. Out of those I have read, I wanted to feature my favorites on my blog. The following five really stood out to me, and though many others did too, I can't post them all.

In no particular order:

1. Fulfillment
Entry #48 - By An Alleged Author
Blog - An Alleged Author

2. The Hatch 
Entry #68 - By Avery Marsh
Blog - Creative Type

3. Filthy, Rich
Entry #253 - By Madeline Mora-Summonte
Blog - The Shellshank Redemption

4. The Choice 
Entry #157 - By LadyJai
Blog - Snippets From My Mind

5. Sweet Revenge 
Entry #197 - By Jocelyn Rish
Blog - Exploring the Magic of Stories

If you find yourself liking these stories just as much as I did. "Like" them on Rachael Harrie's site.
Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful stories everyone! It has been a blast getting to read them :)

Writers' Campaign Challenge #1 - Short Story

As part of Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign we've been given the following challenge:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

I decided to take on the added challenge of making my story exactly 200 words and ending it with "the door swung shut." I hope you enjoy it!

THE SOULLESS

The door swung open.

“They’re coming.”

(source)

My stomach tightened as Brad slid the deadbolt into place and turned the couch into a barricade.

“How long?”

The sound of the soulless flinging their bodies against the door was my answer. The knob twisted and voices began to hiss. They’d find their way in soon.

The soulless only wanted one thing—our hearts. Those who’d already lost theirs had slowly been taken by madness, joining the hunt for more.

“If we surrender they’ll let us live. We won’t lose ourselves if we have each other.”

I felt the steady chug of my heart beneath my ribs and shook my head violently. “I’m not going to just hand over my soul.”

Another body slammed against the door, and I jumped into Brad’s arms. He held my head against his chest, and I listened for the steady beat that always gave me comfort. Only this time, it wasn’t there, and I lost myself to unconsciousness.

***

When I awoke, the room was silent. I sighed with relief. Just a dream.

Then I saw it, the incision below my sternum. I looked up in horror, catching sight of Brad’s heels as the door swung shut.



...The Soulless is entry #138. If you feel like voting for it click the "like" button below my name on this list. Thanks everyone!...

Campaign Game #2 - First or Favorite Post

Hey Blogger Bunch! Since the 10-Facts-About-You post was such a hit, I thought it would be fun to play another get to know you game. We all got into blogging for a reason (maybe it was just to blog for fun or maybe you're trying to sell or promote your book). Whatever your motivation for starting a blog, let us know by re-posting your first post. If you think your first post is super boring and really says nothing, then re-post your favorite post. This will tell us all a little more about why you're blogging or maybe just a funny story to make your fellow Campaigners laugh.

Make sure to post a link to your blog in the comments so we can check it out :)

Here's mine...

FIRST POST: March 13, 2011

Southern California Writers Conference (SCWC)

They told me I needed a website.

"What if I'm not even published yet..."
"You still need one."

I'm not sure if this counts as a website, but I guess it will do.  Nothing but good came from the conference, so I suppose I should listen to their advice.

Not only did I meet two of the most amazing writers/friends at SCWC, the experience may end up being life changing.  I submitted the first 20 pages of my completed manuscript for an advanced read with two agents and an author.  I never thought the author would open the door to opportunity, but she did.  She introduced me to a publisher who requested my full manuscript.  It was more than I could have hoped for.

I waited for two weeks before I heard back from them, and was so excited when I read the email that I accidentally smashed a snail as the jumping and flailing ensued.  Poor snail.  Brian said it was his time to go.

They offered me a Winter 2012 publishing slot.  It still hasn't sunk in.  I sign the contract tomorrow.

Here we go...

Blogger Game - 10 Random Facts About Me

Hey all! I was asked to join this blogger game where you post 10 random facts about yourself. It should be fun and help us Campaigners get to know each other. If you're playing, post a link to your blog in the comments so we can tour around and mingle with you.

Here are mine...

1.       My taste buds have a weird love for lemons with salt   (I tried to convince them that lemons are no good, but all they say is…gimme gimme gimme).

2.       I’m strangely attracted to perfect teeth (no surprise, my husband’s are flawless, straight and pearly white)

3.       I have a fancy feast cat named Romeo. He prances around like a prince, and yes, he’s spoiled.

4.       I like to take my time with really good books. Sometimes it will take me months to finish. Usually I say I’m really busy, but truthfully, I don’t want it to be over!

5.       I’m a lover, not a fighter.

6.       I’m always cold. ALWAYS. If I’m not, my husband calls it CODE RED, and things get serious real quick.

7.       If I could replace my pointer finger with anything it would be a watermelon LipSmackers that never runs out.

8.       T.V. is my kryptonite (Vampire Diaries, Biggest Loser, Glee, Entourage, Storage Wars, Burn Notice). Don’t give me crap…I know. I’m trying to cut back.

9.       I’m still excited about Twilight. So what!

10.   No matter what I’m doing or where I am, I’d rather be in my pajamas.

   *Oh. One other thing....I like to daaaaance!


Check out more wedding pics here.



Blog Brain Overload (in a good way)

(From here)

I might be a little too excited about this blogging campaign. I've never seen anything like it! In the last 24 hours I've gotten more support from fellow bloggers than I have in the last 6 months I've been blogging. The little monkey in my head is jumping up and down so fast I can hardly keep up with him (don't ask me why the little monkey in my head is a boy, he just is). He's been flying from blog to blog with such enthusiasm I'm forgetting whose what is when and where...

I just have to say thank you to all of the campaigners who have joined my blog, commented on posts, followed me on Twitter, etc. Thank you Rachael Harrie for thinking of this and putting it together. What a brilliant idea. This is awesome!

Since we're all into writing, I thought it might be fun to post a survey. If you have a different or longer answer, feel free to post it in the comments.




Here are the results so far...

Which do you prefer in a novel?
	Love Story 15 54% High Action 12 43%

What is most important to you when building your story?
	Characters 18 64% Plot 8 29% Theme 2 7% Setting 0 0%

What is your favorite point of view to read?
	First Person 12 43% Third Person 16 57%

What is your favorite point of view to write?
	First Person 14 50% Third Person 14 50%

Which tense do you prefer to read?
	Present Tense 9 32% Past Tense 18 64%

Which tense do you prefer to write?
	Present Tense 7 25% Past Tense 21 75%

Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign

This couldn't have come at a better time. I need something like this. Publishing a debut novel is exciting and fun, but I have no experience to work with. I'm trying to network and market myself and my book, but it's hard to know what to do and how. Things worked out a little different for me with THE DESCENDANTS. I didn't go down the typical path of query, find agent, find publisher. I got a lucky break with ZOVA Books at the Southern California Writers Conference and was fortunate enough to be introduced to three wonderful people with ZOVA through a great author, Michele Scott. That being said, I have no agent on my side coaching me through this process. ZOVA has been so helpful, but to be a part of this blogging campaign is a real opportunity to meet fellow authors, get and give advice, share stories, and promote each other. I'm so excited about joining. I can't wait to find out what's in store!

If you would like to jump on the bandwagon, here is the link (click on the picture):
The deadline is August 31st.....

Hunger Games MOVIE Sneak Peek!

Just in case you haven't seen it yet. The release date is March 23, 2012...Exciting!



Jelly Bellies and Hugs

I finally sent off my manuscript! It's been a long month, but I feel like I've really fine-tuned the writing. This second round of editing definitely paid off. Once the content is nailed down it is so much easier to hone in on specific details. I caught some things (with the help of friends and family) that clearly needed to be changed. They were mostly small details, but they made a world of difference.

(from here)

I really do have to thank my close friends and family for helping me through this process (although some of them just loved throwing that monkey wrench into my perfect plot). Editing isn't something that you can do on your own. You need to bounce ideas off of someone, get a second (and honest) opinion. You need the support and the affirmation that your changes are good and they work. You need someone to point out holes you may have missed. If you are writing or editing a book (or really anything) make sure you have people you love and trust to share your work with. For those of you who have helped me (you know who you are) THANK YOU! I'll find some way to repay you. It may be in the form of jelly bellies and hugs, but hey.



I'm sure the third round of editing will be just as productive. The next step is line editing. It's my publisher's turn to take a crack at it. I believe this is about the time they get out the elbow grease and start polishing. I can't wait to see what they send me. I've already started pacing...

Blog Makeover

As you can see I have this beautiful new blog template. Thank you Allison! My sister is wonderful and skilled when it comes to these sorts of things. I was completely lost when I tried to change the look myself. There are still a few minor changes to come, but I think this is it. Thanks for bearing with me while we worked out the details.

Road Trip Wednesday - Curing Writer's Block by Conquering Perfectionism

Writer's block used to be a huge problem for me. In college I used to toil over every word in every sentence. It took me days to write papers when my friends wrote them in hours. What really helped was figuring out what caused those moments of creative absence - the culprit, perfectionism. I’ve always been obsessive in that way, constantly searching for the perfect word, the perfect phrase, and in writing that can be a blessing and a curse. Mostly it’s the latter.

Sure being a perfectionist helps when you are trying to nitpick through your manuscript in its final round of editing, but that’s about it. If you have no manuscript to pick through, because you haven’t written anything, then…well, you see what I mean. If you don’t get up the guts to just vomit out all of your nonsensical words onto a page no matter how imperfect they are, you won’t get anywhere.

Don't let perfectionism stifle your writing process. If what you write is terrible, so be it. At least you wrote something.

When it comes to writer’s block in terms of ideas failing to come to me (as opposed to struggling to form perfect sentences) I tell myself, who cares if the idea is stupid? Write it.

When courage fails me, and I just can’t bring myself to write down my stupid idea, I’ve learned that the best solution is to walk away. Close up shop. The universe isn’t feeling giving today. Now this doesn’t mean I’ve decided to throw my hands up and quit (it doesn't even mean I've technically stopped the writing process) I’ve just switched mediums. Instead of trying to write by sitting and staring at a blank screen...I turn on the brain and think. I move on to something else, whatever is next on my to-do list, and while I’m doing it (washing dishes, laundry, grocery shopping) I dive deep down into my fantasy world and think, think, think. The beauty about thinking is it is safe. If a thought or idea is imperfect, silly, doesn’t fit the story, etc., it doesn’t matter, no harm done, no wasted time, no feelings of failure.

Usually, I give up writing for thinking until I’m satisfied with an idea (this could be days or weeks). If I’m not writing, you better believe I am spending every spare moment thinking about writing. I truly believe dedicating time to thinking about your story (without writing it) kills writer’s block.

Sorry I have no magical trick like drinking water upside-down while watching T.V., but everyone’s experience is different. My solution – stop writing and THINK.

Side Mission: Quesa-don't

After being such a good sport, my husband was bound to reject at least one of the recipes, and this was it. I was so excited about these quesadillas. I mashed beans and sour cream, mixed squash and grated cheese. I thought they were going to be fantastic.

“These are going to be really good,” I told him. Maybe I jinxed myself.

Sigh. They tasted like mush.

Brian was very sweet. I set it down in front of him, and he ate an entire half claiming, “its’ not horrible.”

I looked at him and took a bite. “I don’t know,” I said. I hated it.

He laughed at the look I had on my face. “Yeah. I’m over it. It was a good try though.”

Good thing I made a backup. We both huddled over a single plate of the plain cheese and chicken quesadilla. What’s that saying? Don’t fix what isn’t broken…there’s just nothing like a plain old chicken and cheese quesadilla. Now that was delicious.

Thanks everyone for going on this little cooking adventure with me. Now back to the world of writing. February is coming up faster than I ever imagined…

So Much For Friday

For those of you wondering what happened to Friday, the answer is left overs. We had so much food in the fridge I just couldn't waste it. I meant to post something, but I got lost in editing world for the next three days. I finally finished though! I have a few small things I want to mull over before I send it to ZOVA, but the bulk of the work is completed.

In terms of my cooking project, tonight I am planning on concluding the side mission (in terms of blogging about it at least). For dinner...chicken quesadillas (and secret squash).

I'll let you know how it goes (wish me luck!).

Side Mission - Green Eggs & Chicken

This is going to be a quick one.

Of course I had a last minute change of plans. Lack of ingredients required I switch recipes. So, tonight's fiasco was all about chicken fingers with spinach.

I fought with my blender for about an hour to make spinach puree. It seriously took TWO boxes of baby spinach to make 1 cup of puree. Crazy right? At least that means a little puree goes a long way.

After accidentally stabbing myself in the finger with a knife, burning my pinky, and dumping half a box of bread crumbs across the counter (clearly not my night) I ended up with GREEN chicken fingers.

They looked sort of like this (flax seeds were ground up)

The funny thing is, Brian loved them! I thought the color would turn him off, but he claimed they were delicious. I was the picky one tonight. Green chicken fingers...not my thing. After all was said and done, I estimate Brian ate about a box and a half of spinach. That pretty much makes the whole thing worth it.

Side Mission: Burger-licious

Yet again, nothing went as planned.

My attempt to make secret zucchini mushroom burgers started out well. The zucchinis were easy peasy to puree, and I thought, hey, it's all down hill from here. I moved on to the mushrooms and spent nearly thirty minutes finely chopping them into invisible bits, but something was off. Something smelled weird. Only after I'd minced the mushrooms into oblivion did I realize the smell was coming from them. They'd gone bad. I won't go off on my "I hate Vons" rant, but...I hate Vons. I bought those mushrooms on Monday. Into the trash they went. Sigh.

At least my mishaps make for good blogging.

Luckily for me there was a second recipe for burgers in the cookbook that allowed me to use my leftover pureed carrots from last night. I whipped those up, following the directions exactly as written.

They didn't really turn out the way I thought they would. Honestly, they didn't look like burgers. I could see traces of orange from the carrot, and they were sort of crumbly, but I took a bite and the flavor wasn't bad.

This is almost exactly what it looked like

I had already accepted that I was going to have to cook regular burgers with the leftover meat after I asked Brian to sample it. I was not expecting him to like it AT ALL.

"Don't look at it," I told him. "Just take a bite."
He was skeptical, but followed my instructions. I set the plate next to him and watched him chew. At first he didn't say anything, and I was convinced he hated it, but after a few minutes he eyed the burger.
"It's actually not that bad," he said, reaching for more.

Success.

Side Mission - Code Name Spaghetti

Okay. First let me give you a little behind the scenes info.
Jessica Seinfeld's spaghetti with butternut squash and carrots required I steam carrots and blend them. That didn't go as planned. First mistake: I completely burned the bottom of the pan by not putting enough water (or maybe I left it too long...I was editing). On top of that, I found out my blender (for lack of a better word) SUCKS! The carrots were salvaged, and I threw them in to be pureed only to hear the motor whine and give up within the first two seconds. So commenced the hand mashing of the carrots. At least the butternut squash was a breeze (despite the hand mashing).

I had been literally waiting all day with ants in my pants to get home and cook this, but as soon as I started mixing I began to worry about a backup plan. What if this tasted like sand or something else horribly traumatizing? So I cooked two versions. We'll call Jessica Seinfeld's version Exhibit A and my revised concoction Exhibit B.

Exhibit A contains all the good stuff: organic carrots, organic butternut squash, organic tomatoes, and is made essentially from scratch.

Exhibit B (Backup Plan) is my old version of Spaghetti (canned sauce) with the squash, minus carrots and organic tomatoes. Basically I took her recipe for the meat and combined it with our favorite canned sauce.


And the verdict is....


EXHIBIT A!!!

They tasted almost exactly the same--delicious.

Bowls are empty, bellies full. I'm a happy camper.

Side Mission

They say when you are blogging, you should keep to one theme. Obviously I've been blogging about the publication process which is currently in the editing stage (I'm making good progress...almost done). For now though, I want to blog about a side mission that I've decided to take on--a week of cooking my way through Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious (mostly because it will make me feel like I'm in my own version of the movie Julie and Julia...but also because it should be interesting).

If you know my husband, you know he doesn't eat vegetables. He swallows edamame beans whole (no joke). That being said, Deceptively Delicious is all about how to sneak vegetables into food as puree (I know! Brilliant, right?). Today, I actually bought two whole butternut squashes, zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms. I can honestly say I've NEVER purchased a butternut squash (I had no idea what they even looked like). Maybe this will be good for me too.

Here's the menu:

Tuesday:
Spaghetti with butternut squash and carrot

Wednesday:
Burgers with mushrooms and zucchini

Thursday:
Macaroni and Cheese with butternut squash

Friday:
Chicken Quesadillas with butternut squash

Okay, so tonight doesn't count. We're having pizza out of the box...don't judge.

Now...off to puree some veggies and edit.

I'll keep you posted.
(P.S. How do you tell if a butternut squash is ripe?!)

Easier Said Than Done

I've been a social media hermit the past week. It's hard to juggle work, editing, home, AND the ever-expanding realm of social media.

That being said, no matter how long it's been, the internet is always here when I need it...ready with a blank page and a place to vent.

My last few posts have been written with confidence. I got some suggestions from ZOVA and some ideas from YA Highway and I thought, BRILLIANT! I know exactly what to do. I have a perfect plan to refine my novel and get it nice and squeaky clean for publishing. Then, I sat down to do it. All I had to do was follow the plan. Step one, take out redundant sentences. Step two, eliminate generalization of action and dialogue. Step three, add concrete details to internal monologues. Great plan.

BUT...

Things weren't that clear. Deciding whether a sentence is truly redundant isn't easy. I've read the book so many times that I thought, well, maybe this is redundant. Of course I know what I mean from that first sentence...I wrote it, but how do I know if I should cut the second sentence? What if the reader needs it? What if I start cutting details that are important? WHAT IF I RUIN IT?! Identifying generalization is just as difficult. Certainly I can't write in every detail, accounting for every moment, every action. There has to be some generalization to move the story forward. So, what is necessary and what should I cut?

Sadly, this post may be a little disapointing for some of you, because I don't have the answers. I'm just trusting my gut and using my best judgment. I've decided to take it easy (not get red pen happy and start hacking). A conservative approach at least leaves room for my publisher to make cuts I didn't during line editing. The last thing I want to do is chop my book into bits when it is almost ready. Still, I think I am making smart choices.

Luckily there is something good coming out of this (aside from the obvious)...I am learning and growing as a writer. Nobody said this would be easy, but it sure is fun.

Here are a couple of links to blog posts that are helpful in terms of editing:

Molly The Magnificent - Post on Editing
Show or Tell: How Do You Know? | The Steve Laube Agency

Sensory Details

I’ve got about a million things to do right now, but I had to respond to this week’s Road Trip Wednesday. For those of you who don’t follow YA Highway:

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:
The Five Senses. How you use them in your writing, how you are inspired by them, pictorial essays, that character with smelly socks, books that have used them well, the ones that are currently missing from your work, etc.

This was such a great topic for me because I am right in the middle of fine-tuning The Descendants. In the post below, I mentioned a few of the suggestions from ZOVA Books, and one of them was to include more concrete details in places that I tended to have too much internal emotional narrative. Running through a checklist of the senses as you edit is such a great way to ensure those details are included. The added descriptions will most definitely intensify scenes that seem to be lacking something. Most of us probably do this without thinking to some extent. Of course writing what a character sees and hears is natural as your first draft comes pouring out of you, but did you include smell, touch, and taste? What a great question to ask! Some of my favorite moments in The Descendants, I realized, are places where I managed to include sensory details.

Here are some of my favorites from the book:

The sound of a clock in a silent room

The feel of warmth beneath the sheets

The taste of a kiss

Feel free to share some of your favorite sensory details...