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Brenna on #WriteMotivation Continues!
Hey you! I haven't heard from you in a while, and this is old, so I was wondering how you...Jenn on #WriteMotivation Continues!
haha thanks!K.T. Hanna on #WriteMotivation Continues!
Oh I definitely agree. I think something writing related is still writing. Outlinging, Writing, Revising, Editing, Drafting out ways to improve...Jenn on #WriteMotivation Continues!
Thanks, you too! Oh...realized maybe I should have used my recommendation link for How To Revise...Ceridwen on #WriteMotivation Continues!
Good luck with your revision! And thanks for sharing the link. The site seems really interesting! :)
Campaign, Anyone?
Filed Under Tales from the Author's Desk | 12 Comments
I just joined the Third Writing-Platform Campaign, over at Rach Writes. Who else wants to join in?
When Do You Quit?
Filed Under Updates | 4 Comments
How to do you know when to quit? I’m not talking about being stuck, or writing a whole manuscript of crap and just tossing it (I’ve done that before). I mean, how do you know when to quit a project you love?
I’m halfway through my revision of Narrator, and I’m starting to realize I don’t have the chops to write it yet. (Meta is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.) I would try to write my most complicated idea first.
I’m still in love with Narrator, no doubt about it. But I’ve decided to put it on hold for now until I get a bit more experience.
As to my next project, I think I’ll work on Shadows, Echoes, and Reflections. I’m using it for the exercises for my writing courses. Shouldn’t be too hard to take the extra leap and do the rest!
Any projects you’ve been forced to quit?
TGIF
Filed Under Tales from the Author's Desk | Leave a Comment
No post today. Use what time you would have spent reading it to write.
WRITE!
Queries & Quakes
Filed Under Publishing | 2 Comments
You may have heard about the earthquake that hit the east coast yesterday. It was certainly interesting, but I wish the news wouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. It was definitely not as bad as the ones in Haiti or the one that caused the tsunami for Japan. Back off, news.
Since I talked about how Ladies Who Critique and WriteOnCon helped me with my query, I thought I’d post a before and after. Lots of readers were confused by my original one, but the revised version should be clearer.
Original
Dear Agent:
Prince Calder departs to rescue the kidnapped Princess Arianna. He expects dangers. But there is one thing he does not expect: the narrator.
Fed up with the author’s cliché plot, Pennington orders Calder to ignore the kidnapped princess. He will create a more engaging story. Calder doesn’t believe him and, determined to be a hero, refuses.
Then Pennington completely rewrites Calder’s backstory. Suddenly Crown Prince Calder…isn’t. He’s lost his inheritance and the confidence that he’s not a storybook character in one sentence.
Now Calder’s story is no longer what it seems. Does Arianna still need to be rescued? Is he surrounded by friends or by enemies? Is he the Crown Prince or the youngest son?
Losing his sense of identity, he clings to his quest, determined – at all costs – to beat the narrator and end his story, his way.
THE NARRATOR is an 80,000* word young adult fantasy told from multiple points of view.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jenn Johnson
Revised
Dear Agent:
Prince Calder departs the kingdom to rescue a princess from her classically evil captors. He expects dangers, but there is one thing he does not expect: his story’s narrator.
Refusing to narrate even one more boring quest plot, Pennington materializes and orders Calder to ignore the kidnapped princess. He will create a more engaging story, one that a truly great narrator deserves. Calder doesn’t believe his claim to be the narrator and, determined to be a hero, refuses.
Then Pennington completely rewrites Calder’s backstory. Suddenly Crown Prince Calder…isn’t. He’s lost his inheritance and the confidence that he is a real person in one sentence. Calder’s story is no longer as straightforward as he thinks. Does the princess still need to be rescued? Is he surrounded by friends or by enemies? Is he the Crown Prince or the youngest son? If he continues to defy Pennington, will he even recognize himself?
Losing his sense of identity and reality, he clings to his quest, determined – at all costs – to beat the narrator and end his story, his way.
THE NARRATOR is an 80,000* word young adult fantasy told from multiple points of view.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Jenn Johnson
Last Week
Filed Under Updates | Leave a Comment
Oops! Didn’t notice until now I forgot to put up a post on Friday! I was so busy at WriteOnCon and Ladies Who Critique. To say I was obsessed is a bit of an understatement.
WriteOnCon is an online conference for writers (obviously). Authors, agents, and editors wrote articles, held panels, and critiqued writing. There were even ninja agents who would hop around the forums and leave comments on queries, synopses, first 250 words, and first five pages. If they really liked something, they would PM you to request pages!
So of course, I had to get into gear! I pulled out my query from Lynnette Labelle’s edits and wrote a few more drafts. With the help of my friend Kailer, we got into some workable order and sent it off to the Ladies to critique more.
Thanks to the Ladies and the writers at WriteOnCon, my query is the best it’s ever been! I didn’t get any comments from agents, but that’s okay! It’s progress.
I’ve also signed up for Holly Lisle’s How to Think Sideways course. I’ll let you know how it goes!
The Narrator: First 250 Words
Filed Under My Writing Excerpts | Leave a Comment
Prince Calder of Anwingda, expert swordsman and tactician extraordinaire, surveyed the dangers before him. Eleven enemy soldiers waited for his first move. Beyond them, a fair maiden with golden locks and rosy cheeks breathlessly awaited his timely rescue.
With a shout, Calder swung his sword at the closest one. The soldier blocked, and received a kick in the stomach for his troubles. Calder had already moved on, slashing and stabbing with all the ferocity of a chained dragon.
Calder turned. A sword swept toward his head. He ducked and sent his own sword into the man’s heart.
In short order, all the soldiers were dead. Calder knelt at the princess’ feet. “Oh beautiful maiden,” he said. “I have traveled far and wide to reach your side.”
“You are brave,” said the princess. She tapped a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for besting the evil soldiers.”
Calder gazed up into her ruddy face.
And burst out laughing.
One of the dead soldiers sat up. “That does it. Next time, I get to be the princess!”
“You’re too new,” protested the princess. “Only senior officers have the privilege.”
“But whoever heard of a princess with a beard?”
He guffawed, breaking the illusion. The princess was replaced with the captain of the First Regiment.
“I need you where you are, Gunnerson,” Calder told the soldier. “You’re the best swordsman in the regiment.”
He was mollified a bit. Others sat up, rubbing bruised limbs. “Do you still require our services, Your Highness?” asked the captain.
Find Your Next Critique Partner
Filed Under Writing Group | Leave a Comment
Do you write? Are you down a writing buddy or two? Do you want to get sucked into another social media site?
Join Ladies Who Critique and find your next critique partner today!
It’s like a free dating site for writers. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to get published or just writing for fun – anyone can sign up. Join genre groups, talk in the forums, search for and message other members, and find The One. The site’s in beta right now, but it works well enough. And it’s really fun seeing what everyone else is working on!
LoNoFriPo 2
Filed Under NaNoWriMo, Updates | Leave a Comment
Update:
Day: 12
Word Count: 30,288 and counting
I’ve almost reached the half-way point! Hopefully I can claim that goalpost by the end of the weekend. Of course, the first half is bound to be easier than the second half, since I’m not changing as much.
Today I would like to push the awesomeness that is solitaire. I’m sure most people play it and go brain-dead – but to a writer, what a great tool!
I’ve spent the last few months floundering with Arianna’s new storyline. I have the basic arc, but in terms of scenes? It was all awash.
But yesterday, during my commute, I pulled out my ipod to play solitaire and let my brain figure out what scenes to do. I thought of three – all with sweet, sweet conflict.
This sort of technique works with repetitive tasks too, but I have a special fondness for solitaire’s ability to break creative blocks.
Too bad my Mac doesn’t have it.
I had an idea. A brilliant idea.
I decided to get a cover done for Narrator to post everywhere – my desktop, my bedside, my fridge, my mirror, heck maybe even my car – to help me visualize my goal. My awesome friend made me a cover…and then made me another! Enjoy! I know I am!
Planning vs. Doing
Filed Under NaNoWriMo, Planning | Leave a Comment
I suffer from a fatal flaw. I am a Planner. I cannot stop planning, no matter how much planning I have already done. And it doesn’t help that I find it far easier to plan than to do.
How else do you explain why I have so many ideas for stories and so few finished ones?
Writers cannot just be Planners. We also have to be Doers. If only there was a switch we could flip – but there isn’t.
Even writing this, I’m tempted to form a plan on how to become a Doer. Which pretty much sums up my problem.
NaNoWriMo is a good remedy for this. They encourage you do Do for a whole month, and give you no good time to Plan. It’s a good system. That’s why my friends and I came up with LoNoWriMo. You can see how much progress I’ve made in just the past week!
Are you a Planner or a Doer? How do you manage the other side of the coin?
Welcome
Official Progress
4/21 segments
A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.Status: Second revision
A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.1,639/70,000 wordsStatus: First draft
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?1,087/70,000 wordsStatus: First draft
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