I’m doing lots of thinking and not much posting so here’s a quick update on my writing life. I think I have new names for the two major characters. I’ve been living with them for a few days and they feel pretty good. I have no doubt anymore that the MC is male and not female. I spent a lot of time (that I should have been writing) looking for pictures that might represent my MC and his world with the intent to make a collage. I still might do that but then I realized (after a frustrating number of hours going nowhere) that I am more auditory than visual so I don’t know that it would help.
I am struggling with too much thinking on this project. I am thinking in terms of story arc more than I did at this stage with HTR. When I started HTR it was a novel, then it was verse but this is verse yet I can’t not think about plot. Sigh. No two projects are birthed the same, that is a simple fact. I am most struggling with the idea that I have not yet hit upon the proper unique factor. In HTR the father/daughter relationship was unique. In MTLB, so far everything sounds ordinary. Kids grow up in bad familes, families have money issues, violence issues, addiction issues. Sigh. Perhaps later, working in the yard, I will be able to find that angle.
In the very happy news department I got the book jacket for HTR yesterday and it is lovely, simply perfect. I love the flap copy. I love my bio. I even don’t hate my photo. And on the back of the jacket, set off alone in the middle of the page, is a single blurb. A beautiful blurb. A blurb that made me cry. I can’t post it for public knowledge yet but the “wow” factor is major!
Hooray for the blurb with the major WOW factor!
I, too, think each book comes with its own set of struggles. Good luck finding the angle you need. If you come across 2 in your search, feel free to throw one my way. 🙂
Way late in my responding to this (sorry) but I had to laugh at me finding an extra angle (ha!) I was thrilled to discover that I have, without consciously intending too, a braid of three plot lines and a “device” (though I hate that word) which means there are lots of bones for the story and time to layer on the meat. Hmm…sounds like I’m writing a horror story. Must be the Buffy influence since we’ve just started rewatching the series.
Good luck with your new project and YAY for the cool blurb! I look forward to buying your book!!!
Thanks, Laura. The blurb is to die for.
I seem to do a lot more thinking about writing than actual writing lately. *sigh*
And yay! A book jacket! that is so exciting!
I hate it when I’m in that mode, thinking about writing and not writing, but my husband and my friends remind me that it is part of my process. I’m turning over the junk in my compost heap and soon enough, it will ripen and bear fruit. I hope yours does too.
As for the book jacket, don’t ya know I had to print it full size, cut it out, and then wrap it around a real book to see how it looked? And it looked damn fine, if I do say so myself. (sorry for the late reply.)
Congratulations on the amazing blurb! Can’t wait for you to share!
😀
Thanks, Jo. It is SO hard to not blab right now. Sigh. Soon.
Ooooh. Wow factor that is major. Intriguing! I can’t wait!
I can relate to too much thinking. Sigh.
Jayme
The wow factor about gave me a heart attack because I couldn’t even believe they were asking that person to read it and then when they did and they said, oh my! Pass the smelling salts please.
Thinking is an important part of writing. Remind me I said that when I start complaining about thinking too much again.
I’m so happy for you, and I can’t wait to see it!!!!
Thanks! I wish I could hand deliver a copy to all my friends here.
Aw, me, too! I’d be waiting with your favorite drink and dessert! (Which is…?)
😀
Margaritas and chocolate. Or Grand Marnier and chocolate. Or Benedictine and chocolate.
Hmmm….I’m sensing a pattern here. 🙂
Good Lord! I love all that stuff, too! No problem–I’m stocking up! ;-D
Oooh, I can’t wait to see your book jacket! Congratulations for scoring a major-wow blurb!
Thanks! I was such a dork, cutting out the jacket and putting it on another book. Then I left it on the table, walked by casually pretending I had never seen it before and picked it up and oohed and aahed all over again. Major dork, that’s me. (sorry for the lag time to reply.)
Ha, how cute!! I’m so, so excited for you.
No worries at all about the lag time. Hey, it’s important to take time for YOU (and your book jacketm of course, lol).
I like your quotes on the sidebar here…very nice.
Thank you. I love writing quotes. If you go to my website there are a ton more. One page that is nothing but quotes and a new quote (that doesn’t appear on that page) is at the top of every page on my site (and there are a lot of pages). My name is Susan and I’m a quoteaholic.
HOORAY for your book jacket! I can’t wait to see it and buy my very own copy of HTR! Awesome book! 🙂
Thanks! I am loving the way I get to see each piece of the puzzle with the novel as opposed to just getting the finished picture book.
Hooray!
It sounds like the book baby is almost here! The blurb sounds excellent! Congrats!
Re: Hooray!
I know…almost countdown time. And Kim, when you see the blurb, I think you’ll go “wow” with me.
Glad you’ve had a good blurb day!!
I like the collage idea. If you’re more auditory, maybe you could make a word collage… or better yet,a music collage! I’m the exact opposite, and I know how it feels to attempt to do it the “wrong”way–so non-intuitive! Hope it pays off in some new and interesting perspective!
Oh what a good idea…a word collage. Thank you! Funny thing, not long after I posted this we started rewatching Buffy from the beginning and I came across a kid that spoke to me. I went out on the web and found a bunch of pictures of him in horror films which meant stills with a very expressive face. I have a lot of pictures of him now that I am still going to try to collage with (been sidetracked lately, hence the late reply) because I think doing something different than usual will be good if nothing more than an experiment. I figure doing things that don’t work are good if they cause you to broaden your mind. I am actually thinking (don’t laugh – if you saw my doodles you would) of trying to doodle things as I write as though he were doodling though the story.
Go for it!! Doodling is a great foundationfor other kinds of drawing.
Until last summer, when I sold an illustrated puzzle to highlights, all I EVER did was doodle(compulsively, I’ll admit!) People had always told me,don’t attempt to illustrate unless you’re a professional, and so I hadn’t. I figured Highlightsmight take the puzzle idea and get someone else todo the illo. When they bought the whole thing, I decided I wasn’t taking any more “You ca’t do it” advice anymore…
Wow – love your story! I’m not even a casual doodling but I remember what some of the kids did in my class so I’m going to see if I can channel that.
Hurrah and hurrah and hurrah! Did you see I blogged on HTR? awesome awesome book Susan! :))
hope it is a marvelous weekend for you! 🙂
I did see, thank you. (Just went back to make sure I posted a thank you.) I can’t tell you, Meg, how much your support of this book means. The more people that love it and help get the word out, the better. Tricycle is a FABULOUS publisher but they are little compared to some of the big guns and I really hope to get as much of the word out as I can. Maybe I can get everyone to order a copy on the same day or some such thing. (I’m crazy, I know.) But thank you, thank you, double latte thank you with doggie kisses thrown in as appreciation for spreading the word.
YAY for excellent, eminent blurbs. Can’t wait to read HTR.
You will be okay with this new work. Just as I will eventually find a working way into my new WIP. So many dead ends, you’d think somebody rigged the maze. But I believe I can find my way in, and then back out again. And so will you.
Thanks, Kelly. Doesn’t it make you insane sometimes? I’ve been working hard on lots of thing these last few days (hence the delay of a reply – sorry) and I go alternately nuts and crazy with working on this thing. One minute I think I’m frigging brilliant and the next I wonder why I try to write and then I think about dumping this book and going back to the prose YA and then C says something under his breath and I’m back at it again. I have 3 plot lines. I’ve never done a story braid before with much success. Here’s hoping this is the first time.
Good luck on your own project.
What a tease, Susan. I tried to get your book today, Hugging the Rock and was very disappointed that it wasn’t available. I had the clerk double check and she found out that it wasn’t even due out until August. I should have checked first! I can’t wait, and now I’m dying to read the blurp and see the jacket. I’m so excited for you.
Linda P.S. Do you have book plates?
Oh Linda, I’m so sorry. I will do bookplates, no problem. And you can read an excerpt of Hugging the Rock on my website. The first section, a few poems, is available from my books page.
But hey, you helped by asking ahead of time on a book that isn’t out yet. Maybe the clerk made a note and they will stock it?
I really need everyone to go to their indies on the same day and order the book. That would be so cool!
She will definitly get it in, and she is ordering a couple of the others, and checking on some. I’ll take a peek at your poems. *hoping for huge success for Hugging the Rock!*
Thank you!
Thanks!