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And so we come to the end of A Single Bell‘s first year! I thought it would be a good time to sum up the year and look forward to the next.

What I’ve Accomplished This Year

1. I started grad school. After planning for several different variations on the grad school thing, I’m glad to have settled on publishing. It’s a perfect fit.
2. I got a job. In October, after a year and a half of searching, I finally joined the workforce! I have a job I love, on a career path that makes sense for me.
3. I moved out of my parents’ house. Oh adulthood.
4. I finished Narrator, second draft. That’s a huge step for me. I’ve finished first drafts before, but I’ve never done a complete re-write before.
5. I’ve got a decent plan for several more novels. I’m not as worried about which novel to work on. Switching back and forth might make completion take longer, but it’s a great way to deal with getting stuck.
6. I’ve contributed to and learned from the blogosphere. I have fallen in love with this blog, and I’ve learned so much from reading others’.

What I Hope to Accomplish Next Year

1. Polish up Narrator and start querying. I am determined to get this novel out there. Hopefully someone will find it a gem.
2. Continue my studies, both in and out of class. Between school and work, I’m learning loads about publishing.
3. Kick this blog up a notch. I want to give the design a make-over, and try to make every post count. I want to be able to help you guys improve your writing and/or creativity.

Favorite Blog Posts, as determined by the Readers

1. 10,000 Words. I guess people like pretty pictures…
2. Writer’s Workshop: Weaknesses. Definitely something you need to research.
3. Eat Your Heart Out, Mr. Morgan. World building, anthropology style.
4. Adventuring Goblins. A great comic. Go read it.
5. How Not to Write a Metaphor. Hilarious examples of terrible metaphors. Please don’t write like this.
6. Writer’s Workshop: Writers as Sadists. A personal favorite, I must admit. Also, very true.
7. Self-Publishing: Vanity or New Credibility? A look at a very important question now that self-publishing is easier than ever.
8. When You Wish You’d Thought of It First. Good advice considering every idea has been done to death.
9. How Not to Emulate the Classics. Five mistakes people make because they’re trying to write a new “classic.”
10. An Editor’s Useful Advice to Writers. A must read for writers.

The cast of Dawn Treader, with no Peter or Susan

I’m going to do an official discussion on the new Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, next week. But today, I wanted to remind you that fanfiction isn’t the only place your characters can act Out Of Character (OOC).

When the monarchs of Narnia arrive at a barren island, they decide the natural thing to do is crawl into an underground cave. There they find a pool that turns everything it touches to gold.

Edmund, who we’ve seen jealous of Peter and willing to turn in his siblings for Turkish delights and wanting to be king of Narnia again, suddenly wants to become the richest man in England.

Why, C. S. Lewis / screenwriters? Why? Edmund has never been concerned about money before. You can’t make him greedy just to add some random – and boring, overused – conflict.

Writers, please do not fall into this trap. Do not force your characters to care about something just because you think it will make the story more interesting. Everything your characters do should stem from their wants, not yours.

Have you seen this OOC problem before in original fiction? Are you guilty of it yourself? How did you fix it?

A Single Bell wishes you a very merry Christmas!

Like a Christmas tree whose lights have gone out thanks to one faulty bulb, I am without internet at home. I should say, my new home, for I have moved! And this news shall have to content you for the time being. I hope to correct the situation this week, so that you can read a bright and cheery post come Monday morning!

A Review of Eon, by Alison Goodman

“Women have no place in the world of the dragon magic.”
- Prologue

Eon is a candidate to become the next Dragoneye, someone who bonds with an energy dragon and shares its powers. Unfortunately, Eon is really the girl Eona, and therefore forbidden to learn dragon magic. Other problems include: the 150-year absence of the Mirror Dragon, a dying emperor and his power-hungry brother, and a mean and ambitious leader of the Dragoneye Council.

Almost all events connected to the energy dragons were predictable, right down to the big reveal that I called in the first few chapters. It was very obnoxious, and I may have had a few sharp words with Eon for being so thick. However, the political situation always had unexpected turns, so I guess it evened out. The world building was exquisite, and the characters realistic and likable.

One aspect I found interesting is that there is only one romantic subplot in the entire thing; it doesn’t involve the main character, and it’s between two men. Another unexpected, but appreciated twist.

Now that the predictable bits are out of the way, I’m excited to see how everything turns out in the sequel.

My Rating (out of five stars)
★★★★

A Review of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

“Katniss, the girl who was on fire.”
- Cinna

Every year, each District hands over two children to fight in a reality TV style gladitorial fight – until only one remains standing. When Katniss’ baby sister is chosen, she volunteers to take her place. Katniss is thrown into the world of the Hunger Games, which is part theatre, part intrigue, and almost all death.

I’m not going to hold you in suspense. This is an amazing book. The characters practically leap off the page (and given their situation, I’m relieved that they don’t). Yes, children being forced to kill each other is a very squeamish choice of premise, but I think that quality is what helps give the novel its depth.

But the book’s not just about the actual Hunger Games. The Games have grown, enveloping the entire country, and it’s impossible to know who to trust – not even those you consider allies. Collins has created a post-apocalyptic world frightfully out of balance with itself, and it only teeters more during the rest of the trilogy.

While I’m not generally a fan of present tense, it works extremely well in this book, since it’s impossible to know whether Katniss will survive the Games or not. The writing captures you, draws you in, and refuses to let you sleep until you turn the last page.

I won’t say more lest I accidentally spoil something for you. So what are you waiting for? Go read this book!

My Rating (out of five stars)
★★★★★

Thanks for reading my blog! But do you read any others? Any by fellow aspiring writers or published authors or helpful editors?

This past year I have grown tremendously as a writer, and it’s all thanks to reading others’ blogs. The advice and experience I’ve encountered has been invaluable to me.

Today, I’ll forego my own post in favor of my favorite blogs’. If you haven’t checked out my Blogroll yet, I advise you to start there and explore the interwebs. You never know what you’ll learn!

If you’ve been writing for a while, you might have picked up on where you do your most creative work. Do you write at a desk? On the floor? On a picnic bench?

Writing spaces can be crucial to us neurotic folk. If we don’t have our particular environment, with theme music playing and inspirational quotes within easy view, it can be near impossible to make the words flow.

Now that I’m moving out of my parents’ house, I found myself wondering about where my writing space will be. I wanted to position my desk in front of my bedroom window, but my room will be too small for that. And I haven’t written at a desk since college. But I don’t want to take up my roommates’ sofa to write, especially if they’re watching their tv program or what have you.

So where will I write? Does it even matter? On some level, yes. I like to play music, and I don’t like people peering over my shoulder at what I’m writing, so that does play a part in where I write. But do I really need to create my own nook?

What’s your writing space like? How do you use your environment to get the creative juices flowing?

Do you ever wish you could be like your favorite author, churning out a fantastic book every single year? Well, you can’t. Not yet, anyway. It’s a difficult thing to do, and you can’t possibly have enough ideas simmering on your back burner yet.

The problem is, you can’t go chasing every idea that catches your fancy. There are too many of them. And most of them are so fleeting and half-formed, they can’t hold up for an entire story.

Instead, you need to let your story ideas marinate. Think about where you can take the characters, what kind of conflicts they can face. Experiment. Dream. Don’t rush into a septology with a half-baked idea for book #3.

I recently re-vamped my idea for Fragment of the Moon, combining conflicts I wanted to work with, adding (and subtracting) characters and side plots. It’s 100% more ambitious, but I think the story will benefit tenfold.

This weekend I will officially move into my new home: a townhouse! Crazy how independence can be thrilling and scary at the same time, huh?

Therefore I’ve been super busy this week, and will continue to be, which is why you’re getting this lame excuse for a post but hey! This blog is all about me, right? You just have to keep reading it.

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• Welcome

  

  Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

  You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
  jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

• Official Progress

  
  

  4/21 segments

  
  A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

  Status: Second revision

  
  
  

  1,639/70,000 words

  A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

  Status: First draft

  
  
  

  1,087/70,000 words

  When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

  Status: First draft

  
  
  
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  All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
  Jennifer Johnson © 2010
  
  
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