Paying it Forward

I am frequently amazed at the generosity of writers and how many of them do things that go above and beyond in order to help or encourage other writers.  Yesterday, I was particularly inspired by a few fellow bloggers (Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, and Co.) who have organized WriteOnCon, a virtual writing conference that will take place in August.  Unfortunately I will be out of the country at the time and most likely will be sans email.  I'm sad to miss it because I know this conference will be wonderful.  And what a great idea to do it on the web so that anyone can participate.  Kudos!

WriteOnCon got me thinking about this idea of giving back to the writing community, especially now that I have graduated from my MFA.  This idea inspired me to post about a few writing projects and events I'm helping put together.

Verbal Pyrotechnics:  This literary magazine will launch at the end of 2010 but this summer we officially open for submissions.  We're looking for emerging and established authors with a unique voice who write for the teen audience.  Visit the Verbal Pyrotechnics blog for more details and submission guidelines.


Get Your Read On:  This reading series is sponsored by Verbal Pyrotechnics, and will resume this summer.  More information coming soon.

There's a third project too, but that's the subject of another post.  So check back tomorrow to learn more!

Robo-love

At BEA I got my hands on an advance copy of Girl Parts by John M. Cusick which I finished reading this weekend.

Premise:
The premise is interesting: two boys who are on opposite ends of the popularity spectrum end up having their lives intersect because of a robotic companion named Rose.  David is popular and wealthy while Charlie's family is "off the grid" both literally and not.  Although Rose starts out as David's companion (prescribed by the school psychologist as a cure for "dissociative disorder") an unexpected discovery forces her to turn to Charlie for friendship.

The basic idea of the story is fun (it reminded me a little of the movie Weird Science), but this isn't just a story about a robotic sex doll come to life.  Cusick turns that idea on its head with Rose giving David an electric shock every time his behavior does not comply with her Intimacy Clock.

My Take:
The book is very funny and entertaining, though the execution feels a little bit disjointed.  While the first half focuses primarily on David, Charlie essentially dominates the second half.  I expected, however, that a story about two such opposites would somehow show them interacting a bit more.  While their lives do intersect throughout the story, it tends to be in rather peripheral ways.  This means that the thread that holds the story together is the robotic companion, Rose.

In particular, I feel David's character is a bit more flat and static than Charlie's, which means that the first part of the book is not nearly as engrossing as the second.  While David's character changes little, if at all, throughout the novel, Charlie does change.  For this reason, once the story shifts to Charlie, however, the plot picks up dramatically.  In addition, because Rose's character becomes less robotic and more human as the book progresses, the relationship between Rose and Charlie is far more complex and interesting than her relationship with David.  By the time she meets Charlie, Rose's character has also started to grow and change.

That said, one of the early chapters where Charlie goes on a first-date-from-hell is laugh-out-loud hilarious.  Also, I encourage readers to stick through the David chapters because the pay-off once Rose meets Charlie is worth the wait.

A Note on Craft:
In addition to the Charlie chapters being very satisfying to read, this book is an excellent example in terms of craft, in particluar Point of View.  These days it's rare to find a contemporary teen book written in omniscient POV, as this one is.  You can find it in middle grade novels, like DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux or the Lemony Snicket books, though these examples differ from Girl Parts in that they have a strong narratorial presence.  Cusick's choice of POV, on the other hand, is more akin to Eva Ibbotson's style where the narrator is virtually invisible and slips in and out of each character's viewpoint so seamlessly, you hardly notice it.  Overall, both because of the Charlie chapters and the POV aspect of craft, this book is definitely worth the read.

StoryFest!

This weekend, the Story A Day community is celebrating StoryFest.  Come check out some of the stories written during the Story A Day challenge.

I'd also like to extend major kudos to all the writers who completed a story a day.  Write on!

Fit for Summer

I recently learned about a Fit 'N' Healthy Challenge taking place this month and I've decided to join.  Now that my MFA program is behind me, I have no more opportunity for excuses not to get some exercise.

Sports have not been particularly kind to me these last few months.  Between a sprained ankle last fall and a nasty case of golfer's elbow this spring (and I don't even golf!) , it seemed almost like every time I started getting excited about exercise I'd get hit with an injury.  Now at last I feel like I'm back to normal and can get involved in some fun sporty stuff.

This challenge to get in shape and eat better isn't just about being healthy, it's about writing too.  As my friend, Missy, wisely said to me: "gabi, if you feel better, you'll write better too."  And I think there's something to that.

To Infinity! And Beyond!

A couple of weeks ago Ghenet at All About Them Words wrote a post called "I have an MFA!  Now What?"  Good question, Ghenet.  I've been wondering that very same thing.  Inspired by that post I decided to take stock in what lies ahead for iggi and me.  As it turns out, life as a MFA-graduate is busier than I expected, but fun nonetheless.  Here are a few of the exciting writing-related things that are in store:

Teaching a 5-week creative writing class.  Starting June 22nd, I'll be teaching a 5-week class in NYC called "Writing Sense."  This class uses the five senses to engage students' creativity and jump-start creative projects.  As for teaching long-term, I already have one freelance gig set up for fall and am working out the logistics of a couple more.

Starting a literary magazine.  As July fast approaches, we are nearing the kick-off for Verbal Pyrotechnics, the first literary magazine dedicated exclusively to teen literature.  For more information and submissions guidelines, visit our blog.  We open for submissions in July.

Finishing my novel.  I've been stalling and floundering around on this one for a few weeks.  Now, though, I have a goal and an incentive to get my act together and finish.  The first draft has to be complete by fall.

Summer reading.  At BEA I got my hands on a ton of galleys and now the summer reading frenzy begins.  Here's a sampling of the books on my list:

Looks like it's going to be a good summer!

...And We're Back! (Sort of)

For the month of May, I replaced the writing challenge with Story-A-Day.  Now May is behind us and the writing challenge resumes.  Sort of.

I've come to realize that if I want to finish my novel between now and August 1, then I need to write three pages or 750 words every day.  This sounds like no big deal--I mean, it's just three pages--but I'm terrified.  The very thought of writing a certain number of pages every day fills my head with a million "what ifs."  What if I can't do it?  What if I have a bad writing day and I can't finish my three pages?  What if I hit the wall?

It sounds like I'm hyperventilating over nothing, but the truth is, I'm playing with the big kids now and it's sort of freaking me out.  See, while I've been able to fudge my way around most of my previous self-imposed deadline, this one is more serious.  No, the world won't end if I can't finish by August 1st, but there's more at stake now than there has been with previous projects.  I've finished school; now I have to produce something.

So in light of this new goal: my new writing challenge will be 3 pages or 750 words per day.

What's that saying again?  You know, the one about paving roads with good intentions...  Well the intentions are here, now I just hope I get where I want to go.

Revision Pyramid

Last week Lady Glamis at The Literary Lab raised an interesting question about critique and how many times we writers are conditioned to look only for the negative.

In response to this thread, I started pondering how we critique not just other writers' work but our own.  Just as I am a believer in focusing first on big picture issues when I read pieces from other writers, I find that approach also works best when revising my own work.

As a former student of psychology, I'm reminded of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, where humans will fill their most basic needs first (food, water, shelter) before trying to fill needs that fall higher in the pyramid (love, companionship, success).  My own revision system falls into a similar pyramid shape:

Character: Whose story is it?  This is the most basic part of the book.  If you don't have a compelling character, then the rest of the pyramid will fall apart.  (Notice I say "compelling" character and not "sympathetic" or "likable," but that is a topic for another post.)

Plot/Story: What story are you going to tell?  Now that you have a character in place, the character needs to want something and that want will drive the story.  Things need to happen to get in the way of that want.  There needs to be conflict.


Structure, POV and Voice: How are you going to tell this story?  These are the main choices you make when you decide how to tell the story.  The voice of the narrator ties in directly with point of view and the structure you choose for the story.

Description and Dialogue: Decisions made at this level are less about "big picture" and are smaller in scale.  At the same time, though, they are not as nitty-gritty as the revisions at the top of the pyramid.  Description and dialogue also tie in closely with character development and elements of story so this is why they are in the middle of the pyramid, serving as a bridge between the macro decisions at the bottom and micro decisions at the top.  Description and dialogue also clue in the reader to Where and When the story is taking place.

Theme: This is all about the Why.  Why are you telling this story?  Why do we want to read it?  Usually these answers only come together once you've written a draft, maybe two, which is why theme falls at the top of the pyramid.  Very rarely do stories start with a theme and grow from there.

Language:  At the very top we have the micro decisions.  Word choice.  Grammar.  Spelling.  Small stuff.  Just because the writing might not be super-smooth on the language level doesn't mean it can't shine at the character or plot levels.  What I try to stress to writers is that the bottom of the pyramid is the hard part.  If you nail that, you'll have done the hard work.  Language is just a matter of using spell check and keeping a copy of Strunk & White's Elements of Style on your desk.  And getting a trusted friend to proofread when you're through.

Basically, revision all comes down to this:

Don't sweat the small stuff until you've dealt with the big stuff.