Monday, September 26, 2011

Pinterest is Awesomely Evil and a Kindle Giveaway

First of all, Pinterest will be my undoing. Seriously, what was I thinking joining this site? Having said that, have you joined Pinterest yet? Why not?! It's so awesome! I can almost convince myself it's productive procrastination. ;)

Second, have you heard about the official launch of K.M. Weiland's book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success? 

She's giving away a Kindle and over $100 worth of craft books, plus a bunch of other prizes to celebrate!  

I know I'm a pantser and you're probably wondering why I'm promoting this, but through her videos featuring the first chapter of her book, Weiland has convinced me to give outlining an honest try. Maybe if I can master it, my next book won't take me a million years to finish. ;)

Want more info about the book? Here are links to the videos that reeled me in:

Should You Outline Your Novel? - Book Trailer for Outlining Your Novel, Pt. 1 of 3  

And a link to the giveaway: Win a Kindle and over $100 in writing craft books! 

In addition to the book, K.M. Weiland's blog is awesome. You know that short list of blogs you check every single day regardless of how much time you actually have to blog? If you're a writer, her blog should be on that list.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Blog Chain: You Keep Me Hangin' On

This round was started by Shaun. He asked:

What are three books you would tell people that they need to keep reading even if they aren't immediately sucked in by the first page?

This one was hard for me to answer. Before I started writing, I rarely put a book down because it didn't grab me right away. Now, I'm not so patient. There are just so many books I want to read, and my time is so limited, that if it doesn't hook me right away, I'm probably going to put it down and move on to the next one.

And this is why I've rewritten my opening 7,483 times. <That might be a slight exaggeration. ;)

Okay, here are my three. Please don't throw rocks at me for the first one. *ducks*

1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Even though this is one of the best books I've ever read, it took me a really long time to get into it. But everyone kept telling me I had to read it, so I persevered. And of course, once I was in, I was in. Excellent story, characters, pacing. If you haven't read it... Wait, are there still people who haven't read this book? ;)

2. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. She uses a lot of description, which made it difficult for me to get going on the first one. And some of the dialogue is kind of cheesy and over the top. But there's something so compelling about her stories and her characters, that even with a slow start, I'll keep reading, because I know it'll suck me in eventually and ultimately be a fun read.

3. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. It's been almost twenty years (that number can't be right o.O) since I first read this book and I can still remember slogging through the prologue and wondering what was happening and if the whole book was going to be that confusing. But my dad insisted it was good and that I'd like it, especially after flying through the Lord of the Rings trilogy in a month. And he was right. I love the whole Wheel of Time series and I've read Eye of the World at least four times and the rest at least twice. Well, up to book 10. At this point, I'm waiting until all the books have been released so I can start over from the beginning and read straight through. :)

What about you? Any books you recommend that might not hook you right away but are worth it in the end?

Be sure to check out Christine's picks from yesterday and Amparo's picks tomorrow. :)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Done!!!

I know I've been MIA, but I've been in my writing cave, wrapping up my rewrite. And now I'm done!

Now life can get back to normal. Ha! If there is such thing. ;)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Blog Chain: It's Writing Time!


It's blog chain time again already! This round started just yesterday with Christine.
Since we are all writers, I thought it was about time for us to stretch our creative muscles and do a little writing. So, take the following topic and go crazy! Show us what you've got. Your story can be as long or as short as you choose. 
 The topic: A dark and stormy night.
This is a possible scene from my currently on the back burner WIP, Descent. I say possible because most of it is still in my head and the plot is unclear at this point. I know it's rough. I just whipped it out this afternoon, so I apologize in advance if it's awful. I can never be objective about something I've just written.
 ***** 
I winced as a branch slid off Ethan and snapped me in the face. Again.
“Almost there,” he said for the thousandth time. Apparently, he only thought he knew where we were going. “Sorry it’s taking so long, Brynn. I’ve never hiked it in the dark.”
Another apology. He should change his name to Repeat. I took a deep breath. My crappy situation wasn’t his fault. Unfortunately for him, he just happened to be in the line of fire. And he was being way too nice about it.
“It’s okay,” I said, forcing a tight smile. “You’re sure Luke’s there? Because if he’s not…” Out of money and things to sell, this was my last chance. If Luke wasn’t there, I couldn’t afford to get home. Not that there was any reason to go back without him.
“He’s there.” Ethan put his arm around my shoulders—like he’d known me more than four hours—and gave me a half-hug. “Maybe seeing you will help him remember something.”
“Maybe.” I slipped out from under his arm and trudged ahead. If Luke really had memory loss, that would explain why he never came home, but it still stung that he could forget me so easily.
“So…” Ethan said, stumbling behind me. Good thing we didn’t need to be quiet. “Are you like Luke?”
“What do you mean, like Luke?”
“Uh, you know…”
I did know, but I didn’t want to talk about with him.
He cleared his throat. “Can you fly?”
“No.” We all had unique abilities, but that was none of Ethan’s business. If Luke wanted to tell random strangers he could fly, that was his choice.
The path ended abruptly, opening into a clearing in front of a small, wooden building. It was completely dark except for one narrow window illuminated by a dim, flickering light. I peered through the glass, my whole body trembling, and there he was, staring into the fire.
Luke was alive. A weight I hadn’t noticed slipped from my shoulders.
“You wanna…?” Ethan stopped behind me as a cute brunette walked into the room. “What’s Daisy doing here?”
Daisy? She wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist. He didn’t hesitate before he returned the embrace and kissed her on the forehead.
I barely noticed the biting wind that picked up, swirling around Ethan and me. A distant thought told me this was something I should be concerned about, but all I could see was Luke with that girl. He glanced up at the ceiling as freezing rain began to drum the metal roof. It quickly turned into a downpour, drenching me in seconds.
Ethan tugged on my arm, saying something about going inside, but I didn’t really hear him. I just stared, unable to move, as Luke pulled Daisy closer. How could he forget me so completely? Thunder rumbled in the distance. She slipped her hands into his dark hair and pulled his lips to hers.
Lightning struck a tree to my right. Then the tiny porch. That got their attention. And mine.
“Crap,” I mumbled.
“What the hell?” Ethan backed away from me, pointing at the tiny arcs of electricity crackling over my fingers. “You are like him.”
*****
Thanks for reading!
Want to participate? Feel free to take the topic and post your own story on your blog. Be sure to leave me a link so I can check it out. 
Don't miss Amparo's post tomorrow. :) 
Have a great weekend, everyone! 

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