I think Trix (the main char from my CIRCUS books) would be a fan of La Roux. Especially that green eyeshadow! This video in particular is getting me excited to plunge into revisions on book 2 next week! (And thanks to both Megan Frazer and Malindo Lo for making me aware of La Roux)
In the meantime, here are two things that I have tacked at the top of my virtual corkboard as inspiration for the new project (THE BROKEN SKY) that I’m brainstorming:
First Fig
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends–
It gives a lovely light!
~Edna St. Vincent Millay
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
~Mae West
The lovely Shveta has an interview with me up on her blog here where you can read about why I like the fiddle and what recent multicultural MG books I’ve enjoyed. Thank you Shveta!
And lastly, one quick reminder that I’ll be at the Toadstool Bookshop in Milford NH this Sunday, July 25, from 2-4 along with a bunch of other YA and MG fantasy writers for this. I’d love to see folks there if you’re in the area!
Right now I’m in a fun but occasionally overwhelming stage of writing known as “Brainstorming the next book”. This is also known as the “Valiantly struggling not to charge forward after the shiny premise without any characters” stage.
The thing is, I nearly always start my books with a premise. A “wouldn’t it be cool” idea, like “what if someone had to make a fake fortune come true?”
But one thing I’ve learned (painfully, in a manner involving lots of dead books and trunked novels) is that a cool premise is not enough. If I charge forward with my premise, spin out a plot, and just start writing, I almost always have to toss it. Because characters drive the plot. I can’t just dance my characters through the plot like puppets performing for my amusement (though that would be a whole lot easier!).
That’s not to say that I must know my characters inside and out the moment I set finger to keyboard and start on Chapter One. I can learn a lot about the characters during the first draft — especially during the first few chapters (which is part of the reason those chapters are the hardest for me to write, and the ones I most often toss and rewrite).
For this new book idea (current working title: THE BROKEN SKY) I’ve been trying to do more work up front getting to really know my characters. Not only their quirks and emotional damage and favorite movies, but getting a sense of how they will ACT in different situations, and playing around with the lines of tension that might connect them to one another.
Endless possibilities! Sometimes it feels an awful lot like I’m trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle, but I can’t see the pieces until I pull them out of the pile. And I just have to keep playing around with them until they fit.
And when they do fit, I know it. It’s like reaching out in the dark and finding my husband’s hand reaching back. It just fits. It’s right.
So that’s what I’m doing now, playing around with a new project, seeing what pieces I can fit together.
How do you start a new project? How well do you know your characters when you start?
I love/hate drafting. Mostly I love it when it’s going well, and hate it when it’s not. It’s unpredictable and uncontrollable and maddening, marvelous things pop out and then other times all the energy just vanishes and I don’t know why. But there’s always (so far) a point where the book picks up so much momentum I almost cannot physically stop myself from blasting it all out. That happened this weekend on CIRCUS2. The only reason I got up from the computer on Sunday was to walk the dog (my husband’s leg is injured – but he helped by making me a veggie burger to eat as I worked). But now the draft is DONE.
And so is my brain. I refer to this as the “Fire Bad, Tree Pretty” phase of writing. Like Buffy, I feel triumphant but also completely drained. So I spent the rest of the day eating nachos and ice cream and painting my nails sparkly blue and watching Project Runway. I took it as a good omen that the final pre-Bryant Park challenge involved designing an outfit inspired by… the CIRCUS! Hah!
I’ve been thinking how Project Runway (the reality show where a bunch of designers compete for a chance to show a collection at NY Fashion Week and to launch their own line) really has a lot of interesting and potentially useful lessons for any kind of creative work. And since my brain has nothing else to fixate on right now, here’s what it came up with:
FIVE THINGS PROJECT RUNWAY TAUGHT ME ABOUT WRITING:
1) Better to strive for greatness, even if you don’t pull it off completely.
There’s one word that is (almost always) the kiss of death during the judging on PR. That word is BORING. People want to see something new, something unexpected, something that dares to be great. And as long as it’s not a complete trainwreck, they generally are going to be forgiving of its faults. On the other hand, you can make the most exquisitely tailored dress in the world, but if it’s boring, no one will remember it. No one will care.
2) But don’t get so wrapped up in your concept that you can’t edit it.
Another thing I notice a lot on PR is designers who have a particular concept for their design, or some element that they LOVE. This is a variation on the “murder your darlings” advice. Maybe it’s a particular fabric, or a beloved technique. Whatever it is, if it is compromising the success of the final result, you have to let it go.
3) Pay attention to feedback.
I love Tim Gunn, the design guru who serves as mentor to the contestants. He’s dapper, he’s funny, and he uses all sorts of lovely words like “flabbergasted” and “Sturm und Drang”. In fact, here, see for yourself:
Anyways, when Tim comes around to give his critiques during each challenge, there are always some contestants who listen to him, and some who don’t. And fairly often, the comments Tim has that get ignored are the ones that come back to bite the contestants during the judging.
4) But don’t let critical comments make you doubt yourself.
On the other hand, there are times when a contestant flips out after Tim’s comments, and loses focus, and then spends hours doing catch up for lost time. Or they get scared and disheartened, and play it safe.
The thing about criticism is that you have to allow it to help you, but not let it break you. Feedback is important. But so is remaining true to your own vision and enthusiastic about your work.
5) Be professional.
Every season on PR there are challenges that require the contestants to work in teams. And it always makes them groan and grumble, because they know (as we the audience know) that it’s going to present a whole new challenge. Almost always, the teams that end up on the bottom are the ones that didn’t work well together, regardless of how talented the team members may be independently.
You can have all the talent in the world, but if you act like an jerk and people hate you, it is going to hurt you. If you are a creative genius you can get away with it for a while, maybe, but fashion and publishing are businesses that require you to work with other people. Which means treating your business partners respectfully and understanding your own responsibilities.
~
What about you guys? Any other Project Runway fans? And if so, what do you think? Have you gotten anything out of it that you can apply to writing?
I hear comments now and again about how there isn’t much YA or MG science fiction out there. That it’s a tough sell, that people don’t read it (despite the fact that science fiction is everywhere on television and in movie theaters).
I am, however, wondering if maybe things are changing. Lately I have been hearing about lots of recently published or upcoming scifi. But I don’t know if it’s just the fact that I’m paying more attention (since I have my own scifi novel on the way in 2011). Thus it is time to gather data. Here’s the YA/MG scifi(*) I know of that’s out recently (2009 or later) or on the way:
Anderson, R. J. – TOUCHING INDIGO (2011)
Anthony, Joëlle – RESTORING HARMONY
Baciagalupi, Paolo – SHIP BREAKER (2010) and a sequel!
Bodeen, S. A. – THE GARDENER (2010)
Boyce, Frank Cottrell – COSMIC (2010)
Bransford, Nathan – JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW (2011)
Clayton, Emma – THE ROAR (2009)
Collins, Suzanne – CATCHING FIRE (2010)
Condie, Allie – MATCHED (2010)
Duane, Diane – A WIZARD OF MARS (2010)
Fagan, Deva – CIRCUS GALACTICUS (2011)
Gill, David Macinnis – BLACK HOLE SUN (2010)
Haddon, Mark – BOOM (2009)
Haarsma, P. J – the SOFTWIRE series, most recently WORMHOLE PIRATES ON ORBIS 3 (2009) and AWAKENING ON ORBIS 4 (2010)
Hall, Teri – THE LINE (2010), AWAY (2011)
Hirsch, Jeff – THE LONG WALK HOME (2011)
Holt, K. A. – MIKE STELLAR: NERVES OF STEEL (2009)
Hopcus, Anastasia – SHADOW HILLS (2010)
Johnson, Elana – CONTROL ISSUES (2011)
Karr, Julia – XVI (2011)
Klass, David – STUCK ON EARTH (2010)
Lore, Pitticus – I AM NUMBER FOUR (2010)
McEntire, Myra – HOURGLASS
Ness, Patrick – MONSTERS OF MEN (2010)
O’Brien, Caragh M. – BIRTHMARKED (2010)
Osterlund, Anne – ACADEMY 7 (2009)
Pfeffer, Susan Beth – THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN (2010)
Reese, Jenn – ABOVE WORLD (2012)
Reisman, Michael – SIMON BLOOM: THE OCTOPUS EFFECT (2009)
Revis, Beth – ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2011)
Smibert, Angie – MEMENTO NORA (2011)
Strickland, Brad – FLIGHT OF THE OUTCAST (2010)
Teague, Mark – THE DOOM MACHINE (2009)
Testa, Dom – THE COMET’S CURSE (2009) (re-release)
van Eekhout, Greg – LAST (2011)
Wallenfels, Stephen – POD (2009), and a sequel!
Westerfeld, Scott – LEVIATHAN (2009), BEHEMOTH (2010)
And there’s many more (see comments for some) from 2008, 2007 and earlier…
What else is there I’m missing? Or have I gotten any of the above wrong? Let me know! I will update this list (and the one xposted on livejournal). And feel free to spread the word if there are other folks who might be able to contribute to the list…
Thanks!
Long live scifi!
(*) – Of course this depends on your definition of “science fiction”. I’m not going to try to provide a definition. So this list may include things that one person or another may not consider “science fiction.” That’s okay. If you want a discussion on what scifi is, check out this post over on The League of Extraordinary Writers.
