F is for Firsts

Don't forget to enter my 300 follower contest for a chance to win a $30 gift card from Amazon.

One reason to read and write YA is to relive and create firsts. These firsts can be happy or sad. Just to be able to go back to that one moment in time and be able to relive that first, or experience something new or out of the ordinary that you haven't experienced before. This is the main aims of YA, to be able to go back to a time of "reasonable" innocence and relive those moments.

It's funny, I'm nowhere near my teens anymore, but I can still remember some of my firsts.

1. First kiss: Behind a brick wall and in front of half the school... yeah, for some reason two people kissing was a big spectator sport at 15.
2. First loss: My cousin died when I was 10. He was the same age as me. He died on a soccer field after being kicked in the head.
3. First time feeling real fear: Not till I was 18. I was involved in a car accident and found out what a pinball feels like. I surprisingly walked away from that (yeah, the cops and ambulance was surprised at that as well).
4. First regret: 17, when I was at my friends 18th. Yeah, being brought home by the cops wasn't exactly how I wanted to end the night either... hey, I only regret going out, I was actually the only sober one and spent the night baby sitting a passed out friend.
5. First novel complete: Yeah, I don't really want to go there. It was written by an 18 year old who was writing for a very strict audience... baby sister (which I pleased). Let's just say that she was written into the story and turned out to be a missing princess who was sent to earth to save her... yeah, she liked it but it's not seeing the light of day.

There are some moments in life that have been engraved into my mind, but I think all these events, whether happy or sad or even embarrassing, have made me who I am today. Maybe I would want to go back and redo some of the "firsts" that I've had, but where would all the fun be with that?

What are some of the firsts you remember? If you could, would you want to go back and change some of these?

E is for Empathy

Don't forget to enter my 300 follower contest for a chance to win a $30 gift card from Amazon.

 

The dictionary says empathy is "ability to identify with a person or an object". I say it's being able to put yourself in "one's shoes" and as a writer I find this an essential skill. Even as a reader, it's this suspension of disbelief to be able to understand and relate to the characters that I'm reading about. I love being all teary eyed or fearful about a character, because that means I care.

This, I feel, is the hardest part of writing and I commend anyone that can get me to really feel for a character. I write a lot of fantasy and horror, but that doesn't mean I don't have to get the emotions right. It actually means that I've got to get the reader to believe the character's emotions and attitude even more because the situation is totally made up.

In my current WIP, I have a character that dreams about death. She is the modern version of Cassandra (from the Greek legends who saw the fall of Troy) and I can tell you that I know squat about what it feels like to be burdened with those sorts of visions, but even worse that no one believes her.

So, how do you become accustomed with empathy?

1. Watch as many movies as possible which has that sort of situation/emotion
2. Go and sit in the park and watch people, making notes if needed, to see how people act (hey, this was what I was told about creating believable emotions in acting)
3. Start an emotion diary and write down the different emotions you feel, what brings them on and how you act
4. Listen to music and think about how each makes you feel. Perhaps create a playlist for the story/scene you're writing.

What do you do to create believable emotions for your characters? Do you continue reading if you can't relate to the character or their emotions?

D is for Danger

Don't forget to enter my 300 follower contest for a chance to win a $30 gift card from Amazon.

 

Yesterday I spoke about fears (especially around clowns), so today I'll keep with that theme and speak about Danger. Call me sadistic, but when I read or watch movies, I love to see the main hero/heroine put in a dangerous situation, and the more deadly and hazardous, the more it captivates me.

The same goes with my writing. My brother jokingly states that if any of my characters could come to life they would probably try to kill me because of all the torture I put them through. I think there is something with humans that love seeing others (that they don't know) in agony or danger. This is where most fiction comes from.

But, what about decisions? I usually don't like to play safe. I love thrill rides at the theme parks. I really want to go sky diving. I want to learn parkour (you know, for writing purposes only).I think different and dangerous experiences only helps a writer to be able to convey believable emotions on the page.

So, what about you? Do you live for danger? Or do you play it safe?

C is for Clowns

Don't forget to enter my 300 follower contest for a chance to win a $30 gift card from Amazon.

What is it about clowns? I don't have a fear of clowns, I just find them creepy sometimes (hey, there has to be something wrong if you can fit that many people inside a small car). But, clowns are actually one of the things people fear the most, and that's probably why so many great horrors have come out of clowns and circuses.

I think it also has something to do with what clowns are meant to represent. When young, didn't most of us have dreams of running away to join the circus? I can admit that I did (for a short time... I even practised some acrobatics with my cousin). That sense of freedom and happiness is the exact opposite of what clowns represent in horror stories.

Like I said, I don't have a fear of clowns. Actually, I don't have a fear of much (mainly because I had really traumatising cousins who took me to the carnival and left me standing at the opening of a haunted house... which was just a pitch black room with people waiting to scare you, when I was six... that's just one of the things that desensitised me to horror and other fears). Even though I'm not scared of clowns, doesn't mean I actually like them... I still find them creepy.

Give me spiders. Give me snakes. Give me anything except for clowns (and maybe cockroaches... I just can't stand them).

So, how do you feel about clowns? Anything that you're really scared of that you don't mind admitting to?

B is for Blog Contests

So today is day number 2 in the A to Z challenge, and I thought a nice celebration was in order. I love blog contests (even though I never win) and I decided to throw one myself. I'm nearly at 300 followers and I thought I would celebrate that milestone.

The rules for the contest:

1. You don't need to be a follower, but if you are the more entries you'll get.
2. Fill in the form below
3. On the 30th April I will announce the winner. That's right. It's going for the entire month and on the day that I post my Z post I will post the winner.

What is the prize? To start off with, the prize is a $30 gift card from Amazon.com. Since this will be going all month and I might be feeling generous the prizes could increase. So pass on the word and lets make this month a fun month.

And, speaking of contests. Shelley Watters is having a contest over at her blog. It's for writers of completed MS's. It is for a twitter pitch (140 characters or less) of the novel.

Here are the rules from her blog:
As this is a contest to celebrate hitting blog follower milestones, to be fair, only followers of my blog or twitter (@Shelley_Watters) are eligible to participate (but you CAN follow me now & enter! :) )

1. Follow my blog and/or twitter (@Shelley_Watters)
2. Sign up for the blogfest using the link below.
3. Spread the word about the contest (via blog/twitter/etc).
3. On April 1st and 2nd, post your 140 character twitter pitch on your blog.
4. Go visit the other contestants and provide comments/critiques on their pitch.
5. On April 3rd, in the comments section of my contest blog, post:

• Title, Genre and Word Count
• Your polished 140 character twitter pitch
• Where you follow me (blog/twitter). Please include your twitter handle.
• Link to where you spread the word (twitter/blog etc)
• Your email address where you can be contacted.

So get polishing your 140 character Twitter pitch!


Here is the pitch I'm going to be using:


"To control the creature threatening to take over her, 16-year-old Scar joins an underground fight club of witches, werewolves and vampires."


What do you all think?

A is for Already

So today is the first day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I can't believe April is ALREADY here. This year is off to a flying start and I've realized that I'm so far behind. It's like, for this month, I haven't even started thinking about what I'll post about.

I think I need to have a plan of action for this month. So, here's what I'm planning to achieve by the end of April:

1. Finish these posts
2. Finish first draft of my Superhero story
3. Catch up with Uni
4. Read at least 5 books
5. Send out queries for Shadow Embraced

So, what do you plan to achieve this month?

Review: The Lipstick Laws

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Synopsis (From Goodreads): At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.   For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. April is so unpopular, kids don't even know she exists. But one lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.   But Britney's friendship comes with a high price tag. How much is April willing to pay?


April Bowers isn't just unpopular, she's practically invisible. When her best friend, Hayley transfers schools, April is forced to start the new school year alone. When she gets the attention of popular girl, Britney Taylor, she isn't going to say no even though Hayley keeps warning her to stay away from Britney. Everything seems to be going great for April, she's been able to talk to her crush Matt "hottie-body" Brentwood and she's even sworn an oath to the Lipstick Laws, making Britney and her followers her friends... or at least she thinks.

When April breaks a law she is tossed out of Britney's group and they do anything to make April's life hell, like they have for so many others before her. April isn't going down without a fight and she decides that there might be others to help her. She forms the Lipstick Lawbreakers, a group bent on dethroning Britney Taylor. But, how far will April go to get her revenge? And, is it all worth it, especially when she might not get the boy she wants in the end?

With drama, boys and good old fashion revenge, The Lipstick Laws is a high school roller coaster about how far bully victims will go before they fight back.

The Lipstick Laws was a cute and easy read. There are plenty of ups and downs as April tries to find her place in the school. April is a really likeable character, and I'm sure a lot of people will be able to relate to her. I'm sure a lot of people either know or have known a Britney Taylor and would have given anything to give her some payback. This is the exact book for that.

Mix it in with two guys, the hottie and the geek and you've got the exact formula for high school chaos. Amy Holder does a great job at creating a fun little read that targets the more serious issue of Bullying and how far the victims can go before they become the bullies. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Amy Holder can deliver.


Source: Netgalley
Release Date: April 4th 2011
2011 Debut Author Challenge: #8 of 20
2011 YA Reading Challenge: #14 of 50

Recommend: