Kitchen renovations and writing

For the last week and a half my kitchen has been undergoing renovations. First, the room was emptied of years of accumulating gadgets and various appliances and dishes, then the workers came in and tore out cabinets, countertops, the sink and its' plumbing, the brick backsplash I had come to loathe, and the final thing to leave was, at last count, four layers of flooring. 

By the end of the first day, the room looked terrible, reduced to its original framing and subfloor. I did not miss a thing. I marveled at how the walls were constructed and the wiring. All of it reminded me of the home improvement shows I love to watch on HGTV, rooms filled with the promise and potential of what can be with skilled labor, the right supplies, and money. 

But what the framing also reminded me of was some of my novels. My paranormal YA, Everlast, has undergone many changes. Under a different title, the original version's first chapter was the very first thing I read when I joined my critique group years ago. This was when I was thinking of writing for young adults and had just started reading the genre. Books by Stephanie Meyer, Sarah Dessen, Elizabeth Scott, L.J. Smith, and others was just a sampling of YA titles I borrowed from my local library.

My main character in Everlast was simply named Lily. Over time I made sure her first name was Lilith and she preferred to be called Lily. Her opening chapter began at the new house, the night that she and her family moved in. There was a big dinner scene with arguing, things were thrown, tempers flared. Family dinners can be so wonderful, can't they? But the story wasn't working for me. It felt off. What did it need? I wasn't sure so I kept writing and outlining, meanwhile I began learning more. I joined the SCBWI, I went to my first conference, then another, I had a critique. I joined a writers group. What I frequently heard was that I was a good writer but what was my story really about?

Hmm, I realized I had an 'idea' of what it was about but not the complete storyline. I had yet to write a synopsis. Other stories began to take my attention away and I left Lily safely locked away in my documents folder on my laptop. After many hours of learning, reading, thinking and introspection, I decided to revisit her. Again and again I sat down and began her tale. 

The dreaded first chapters weren't working. 

Until I decided to totally toss the first, second and third versions of the ideas I had for her along with the drafts and opened a new document.

That empty white page was a shocker. But it looked like a canvas, full of promise and potential.  By sitting down at my laptop keyboard, I let the right person begin the book. I let Lily talk.

My my my, what a story Lily had to tell! Her beginning was a lot different from mine. Her inciting incident had to be mentioned in Chapter One, as were other things. She needed to prepare for her journey to the new house by saying goodbye to important friends. The focus changed, the characters interacting with her changed, the action changed, even the narration was different. When I had finished with what is still today's first chapter, I understood that in order to write this story I had to brave enough to throw away, to let go of things that weren't important, to push unneeded secondary characters back to their rightful chapters. 

It's all about growth and the changes (cue David Bowie song here).

Once I had 'renovated' my novel, I felt better about it. Things clicked. Pieces popped in. The pacing flowed, the voice was truthful, and everything felt right. Years had passed but time didn't matter because I felt satisfied. As I stand on my new porcelain tile floor and stare at the new maple cabinets, sparkling backsplash and everything else, one thing is certain--my kitchen is complete. And now it's time to go and let Lily help me complete her novel.

Remembering

There are never the right words to say when a loved one passes away. This week my family lost a warrior, a woman who smiled and always had a kind word for everyone no matter the situation, no matter how the illness continued to invade her body. Her upbeat attitude and caring manner must be why she was called home so young. 

Rest in peace, Aunt Barbara. 

May your infectious smile touch all those you come into contact with. 

Unicorn Writer's Conference 2012 Wrap-up

St. Clements Castle (taken from their website)

I can't believe it's already been a week since I attended my third Unicorn Writer's Conference in Portland, Connecticut. For two years this annual writer's heaven has been held at St. Clement's Castle, a truly unforgettable place. As a satisfied participant, this conference has every thing aspiring and published writers need all in one place. There were two guest speakers, fiction author Sandra Brown in the morning, and travel writer Patricia Schultze in the afternoon, numerous workshops on a wide array of topics, specific workshops on writing query letters and book summaries (synopsis), and opportunites to have a thirty minute one-on-one critique session with an agent, editor, or many of the day's guest speakers of your choice.

And did I mention the food? Breakfast goodies were so fresh and delicious, lunch was excellent, and the buffet at dinner was scrumptious. The desserts (fresh whipped creme, cheese cake, all yummy) were divine! As a frequent conference attendee, this is the one event I look forward to year after year. Why? Event founder, Jan Kardys, and her outstanding support group, always provide us with a "class act." A free gift bag with goodies, a gorgeous venue, the daylong extravaganza puts the emphasis on writing and honing one's craft.

As an aspiring YA writer, there are other genres I may want to expand to and at this conference there are so many opportunities to learn about the diverse world of writing and publishing. From marketing, platforms, distribution, contracts, to self-publishing, media training, screenplays, podcasts, to writing memoirs, mysteries, comedies and dialogue, as well as voice and pitching, there were sooo many workshops deciding which ones to go to proved troublesome.

Author Jana Oliver graciously holds my copies of her
three books right after she autographed them for me.

I found all of the workshops I went to educational. My favorite workshop had to be "Success in the Young Adult Market," which was presented by fantasy author Jana Oliver and her agent, Meredith Bernstein (she also reps YA behemoth, P.C. Cast). Since I read so much YA and was halfway through Soul Thief, the second title in Ms. Oliver's YA series, The Demon Trappers, listening to the author was a treat. Sixty minutes later and two Josh Whedon mentions, this attendee was in bliss.

I may be an adult but meeting the author afterwards and talking about her series while professing my love for her character, Beck (what a complex person), made me feel like a 'fangirl' of sorts. I think YA is such an exciting market to write for and there are so many talented writers tackling the genre, meeting those I admire from time-to-time is awesome. Thankfully, nowadays I'm able to garner my gumption together and openly admit my swooning for all things YA (something I didn't, or couldn't, easily do years before when YA wasn't so co-ol). Jana also signed my three books which I later gave to my youngest teen daughter as a gift (but had to take back the two I had not finished reading). Ah, more page time trying to figure out Beck...

Writing query letters and the dreaded synopsis are not my favorite tasks, yet after the day's two workshops aimed directly on these problem areas for so many writers, I realized what I had done wrong with my query (a huge thank you to agent Joelle Delbourgo for her help). Agent Nicholas Croce also pointed out my dystopian synopsis was well written, though a tad slick, and sounded like jacket copy.

The other highlights of the day were the two critiques I had with two highly esteemed literary agents. After a half hour of listening to excellent advice and suggestions, I will now approach my dystopian WIP with new eyes (and I already have after I decided to change the way I approach the second part of my novel). I was amazed and impressed at the level and depth of questions I received and the knowledge of both agents. After I finish my paranormal I now have somewhere to send the completed manuscript.

Even though I was not familiar with Sandra Brown's novels, she was a dynamic speaker. I loved her Texas twang and admired how easily she handled a ballroom full of people, putting them at ease while being humorous. She advised writers to "write from your gut instinct" and "not to follow the trends." When someone asked her what she looks for in other books, she simply stated "Tell me a good story." Which was what the entire day was about. Telling stories in strong, unique voices, with correct grammatical usage, and never forgetting to have some fun while doing so. Being a writer is cool when there are conference experiences to be had such as the one Unicorn provides consistently. I'm already looking forward to 2013.