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! 

Photo credit

Blog Chain: Changes in Publishing

The blog chain is back! This round was started by Sandra. She asked:

Have the recent changes in the publishing industry affected your writing plans/career? If so, how?

At this point, I'm going to say no. I haven't queried anything in quite a while, so I'm still in that delusional "I'm going to get published no matter what, because I'm awesome" mindset. Well, most days anyway. Today isn't one of those days, but yesterday was, so I'm sure I'll get back to that soon.

I'm really close to the end of my rewrites, so maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now I'm hoping to go the traditional route. Besides, I want to be able to hold my book, and I really want to see my book on a shelf in a bookstore with a pretty hardcover. Aim high, right? ;)

So what about you? Have the changes in publishing affected your writing plans?

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

Blog Chain: Research

It's blog chain time and I'm a day late, thanks to some procrastination on my part and Blogger deciding to quit working as soon as I sat down to post this last night. *shakes fist at Blogger*

Michelle M chose the topic this round. She asked:

There are so many things we have to include in our storyworlds...characters, world details, settings, etc. No matter what genre you write, your stories are full of tiny details that help create your storyworld. I know that for me, at least, finding or creating all these details can sometimes be a bit tough.

Where do you go for help? And what types of things are you more likely to research/search for as opposed to making up on your own? Do you have any favorite resource sites? Share links if you have them!!

Honestly, the only thing I can remember researching for my writing is the moon. And then I just googled something along the lines of “how far is the moon from earth” and “what are the names of the seas on the moon.” Really important stuff. ;)

And once I knew how far away the moon is (225,622 to 252,088 miles), I got curious about the other planets. I didn’t get much done on my writing that day, but I learned a lot about distances and the way the planets move around the sun and other stuff I don’t really need to know.

Oh, and I searched on Google to find out if that old belief about only using a small percentage of our brains is true. Which, from what I could find, it isn’t true, in case you were wondering. And that warranted a small change in my ms.

For the most part, I prefer to make stuff up, which is probably why I write science fiction with elements of fantasy. It’s much easier to come up with my own reality that way.

Most of my “research” is about grammar and punctuation. And for that I use Google. You all know that one, right? So I don’t need to include the link? ;)

What about you? Do you do a lot of research? Do you have any favorite resource sites?

Be sure to check out Christine’s post from Tuesday and Sandra’s post today. :)

Blog Chain: Cursed

This chain was started by Kate. She asked:

Curses, you've been cursed! You can write no longer. The story well has run dry, and you can't even remember how to type. Now what do you do? Where do you channel your creative energies? And to what lengths would you go to break the curse?

That is a cruel, cruel curse. Though some days I think it might be a blessing. I have my suspicions that writing actually kills the sane brain cells and causes the crazy ones to multiply. Rapidly. ;)

Now, it doesn't say anything about my desire to write disappearing, so I'd probably keep trying. I feel like I'm deluding myself most of the time anyway, so I don't know that it would really be that different.

But if my desire to write just faded away, I have plenty of discarded creative outlets to fall back on.

There's sewing, which I still do once in a while. Sometimes I need a break from writing. You know, to rebuild those sane brain cells.

This is my latest project, a camping quilt I made for my husband for Father's Day. Yes, this is totally a bragging photo. It turned out exactly as I wanted it to. :)

Or there's digital scrapbooking. Along that same line, I'd love to go back to school to learn graphic design and web design.

And someday I want to learn blacksmithing and welding and all kinds of metalworking so I can be the crazy lady with all the metal sculptures in her front yard. ;)

What about all of you? Where would you channel your creative energy if you couldn't write anymore?

Be sure to check out Margie's post from Friday, and Sandra's post tomorrow.

Blog Chain: The Good Stuff

Blog chain time again. This round was started by Michelle H. She wants us to:

Be positive! Name some of the positive aspects of your writing — be it a compliment from a mentor, friend or crit partner to anything special you learned concerning your writing skills.

This was way harder than it should've been. I could spend hours telling you the things I need to improve on, but to actually point out the positives is a whole other situation. Not that I think I'm a bad writer. If that were the case, I would've quit long ago.

Okay, I'll give this a try.

I've been told by several people that my dialogue is good and feels natural.  Also, after much research and experimenting I've started to feel like I have a handle on the concept of voice (not that I could explain it to anyone else) and I've had a few compliments on that.

Ummm....

I'm a very detail-oriented person (aka crazy perfectionist) so my writing is usually pretty clean when it comes to grammar and punctuation--even my rough drafts.

And I think that's enough about me. :)

What about all of you? What are some of the positive aspects of your writing? Don't be shy. ;)

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday and Kat's post tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Motivation

Or the post in which I use the word love five million times. Or just six. :)

A couple of things first. I changed the blog layout again. I know it's only been a few months, but the cutesiness of the old one was slowly killing me and this one feels more science-fictiony. Actually, the night sky in the alien world in Embrol is purple, so this one is pretty close to perfect. Now, if I could just figure out how to slip a couple of alien moons in there.... ;)

Also, my rule-breaking opening (first 117 words) is up on Blackbird in my Window if you want to check it out. I'd love to hear what you think.

Now for the blog chain. This round was started by Laura. She asked:

What keeps you going (either trying to get an agent or to get published or finish that WIP that's kicking your butt) when you know the odds are stacked way against you?

Well, I do love a challenge. Or maybe I'm subconsciously punishing myself for something I don't remember doing? ;)

Seriously, though, I think a lot of it is just the hope that maybe if I keep at it, one day I might be able to make a little money doing something I love, which I can't say for any job I've had in the past. And I would love, love, love to see my book with a pretty cover sitting on the shelf at the bookstore. Actually, I think this might be the end result I'm looking forward to the most. So the whole ebooks-taking-over-the-world thing needs to hold off a while longer. You think it'll wait for me? ;)

What about you? What keeps you going knowing the odds are stacked way against you?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday and Kat's post tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Genre Mindset

Margie started this round. She asked:

How do you get in the mindset of your genre? Do you research people or facts? Do you just reach into the recesses of your mind for events that would make a good story? Something else?

This isn't something I've ever really thought about so I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer. Bear with me. This might get kind of rambly. :)

Since I started writing, YA has always just felt like the right genre for me. There's a depth of emotion in YA books that I love and you don't really find it much in other genres. And since I'm a pretty emotional person, I guess that's why it feels so natural to me? I don't know. I was even more emotional as a teen (my poor mother), so there's a lot about those years that is still very vivid for me. I'm sure I draw on those memories and feelings a lot as I'm writing, but I don't know that I've ever used it to get into the mindset of my genre. Not intentionally, anyway.

As for the science fiction angle, I've always been fascinated with space and the universe and just science in general. That, combined with my husband's love for comic books--I think I've seen every comic book movie ever made--is probably why all my characters end up with some kind of superpower or ability, and why I keep wanting to put aliens in there, some way, somehow. So I don't know that it's a mindset so much as a compulsion. ;)

I'm pretty sure that didn't answer the question, but my writing process is pretty boring. I just need quiet and a general idea of where I'm headed, and then I sit down and write. Maybe I'm thinking about it too literally?

You all can probably answer it better. How do you get in the mindset of your genre?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday and Kat's post tomorrow.

Blog Chain: Writing Without a Map

Blog chain time! I got confused about my posting day so I'm late again. One of these days I'll get it up on the right day. Maybe. :) Eric started this round. He asked:

When was the last time you just sat down and started writing, with nothing but a whisper of an idea to guide you?  Did you find it easy to do or did you find yourself struggling for a more organized story?

I did this with the first half of the first draft of my first novel (which I was clueless then, so nothing was a struggle), but I don't think I've done it since. Honestly, just the idea of writing this way stresses me out. I'm not big on outlining, but I at least have to have a good idea of how the scene is going to go before I can sit down and write. Otherwise, I just end up sitting there, staring at my screen until I come up with a plan for the scene. And then, that's not really writing with just a whisper of an idea. ;)

I know it's something I should try, and it would probably help curb my perfectionism to learn to write like that. Just have to find the right motivation, I guess.

What about you? Do you ever write like this? Is it easy to do or do you struggle with it?

Be sure to check out Christine before me and Kat after. :)

And the last few days have been crazy busy and I haven't had a chance to pick a winner yet for the giveaway, but I'll try to have it up soon.

Blog Chain: Recharging

It's blog chain time, and I'm late. Again. My lack of blogging motivation lately is astounding. Oddly enough, where I lack the motivation to blog, I've been highly motivated to write and getting lots done in that area, so maybe it's good thing. Anyway, this round was started by Cole. She asked:

What hobbies, tips, or techniques do you have for keeping your writerly battery charged?

I didn't used to do anything. It was just write, write, write--more accurately obsess, obsess, obsess--all the time. Eventually though, this does burn you out. Now I know (and I had to learn this the hard way) that sometimes I just have to step away. Plus (and this one's huge) getting behind on my housework doesn't help. If my house is a mess, I can't focus, because I'm constantly worried about what I should be doing instead of writing. So, housework is definitely not a hobby, but it's important for me to stay on top of it.

I like to play around with graphic design. And along those same lines, I do a little digital scrapbooking, though not as much as I used to. I also like to doodle in the corners and along the edges of the manuscript pages I'm working on--this is how I procrastinate without my computer.

Also, watching movies with my husband. And just because I pick apart the plot lines and the character arcs and analyze the characterization does not mean I'm not recharging. Seems I can't help myself anymore and I do this without thinking. Just FYI, if your husband (or whoever you're watching the movie with) isn't a writer--and maybe if he is a writer--he doesn't want to hear your thoughts on these things during the movie and probably not afterward either. ;)

Hmm. That's all I've got. Maybe I should take up knitting again. :)

So what about all of you? What hobbies, tips, or techniques do you have for keeping your writerly battery charged?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from Tuesday and Kat's post today. :)

Blog Chain: Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Blog chain time again! Sarah started this round. She asked:

What has been the most unexpected part of your writing journey up to this point? What has happened that you could never have predicted? Has it been a help or a hindrance?

I live under the delusion that everything I do will be perfect the first time. Why should I need to practice or work to make myself better? Everything should be easy. And if it's not, I almost always quit. No, I take that back. Other than writing, I have always quit. Whether from boredom because I feel like I've mastered all I can master, frustration because I can't do something perfectly, or just plain laziness, I always quit--cross stitching, crocheting, knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, college, I could go on forever....

Then I started writing.

And writing is hard, like, titanium hard. Perfection pretty much impossible. Like you didn't know that already. ;) But even after nearly two and a half years of working seriously toward publication, I'm still chugging along with no plans of quitting. That's way longer than I've ever stuck with anything. So, the most unexpected part for me has to be realizing I'm actually capable of following through on something. I'm not a career quitter. Woohoo! ;)

And I never could've predicted how many awesome people I would meet along the way. Some I've come to think of as my close friends, even though we haven't met in real life--yet. :). This journey would be so much more difficult without their love and support, and without the amazing blogging community I get to be a part of. So, definitely a help.

What about you? What has been the most unexpected part of your writing journey? Anything that has happened that you didn't predict?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday, and Kat's post tomorrow.

And don't forget about my contest. There's still plenty of time to enter. :)

Blog Chain: Literary Love

This post was supposed to be up yesterday, but yesterday was crazy and I forgot. So I'm late, again, but I'm here. This chain was started by Shaun, who asked:

Who is your favorite literary couple and why?

This one shouldn't have been so hard for me to answer. I love a story with a good romantic angle, but for some reason, I really had to search for my answer.

Other than Katniss and Gale :(, the one that really sticks out in my mind is Violet and Jay from THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting. I love the sweet innocence of their relationship. There's no "Oh, we're both so hot, why aren't we making out?" element. It's starts out as friendship and slowly builds into something more. Much more believable than all the lust-filled romances out there. So since I love their relationship so much, it makes perfect sense that this is one of my favorite books. And the cover's pretty too. :)

So, who is your favorite literary couple? Any aspects of a relationship that have to be there for you to love it?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday, and Kat's post, which, since I'm a slacker, is up today and ready for your reading pleasure. :)

Have a great weekend!

Blog Chain: Networking

This chain was started by Amanda. She asked:

Are you a good social networker? What aspect of platform building do you focus on the most? Which aspects freak you out?

I am not a good social networker. This is definitely an area I can improve in.

My focus is usually on blogging, though I'm still kind of working my way back into that right now. I've done a little with Facebook and a teeny tiny bit with Twitter, but it's been difficult to get into those.

I always feel like I'm coming into a party that's already started, especially with Twitter. All the people there seem really nice, but I don't really know any of them very well, so I just lurk in the corner, watching and listening, like a creepy stalker.

So, yeah, the putting-myself-out-there aspect would have to be what freaks me out the most about social networking. But I'm not even querying yet, so I still have time to work on that. :)

What about you? Are you a good social networker? What do you love/hate about it?

Be sure to check out Christine's post from yesterday and Kat's post tomorrow. :)

Blog Chain: Olivia's Fears

This chain was started by the very awesome Christine. She asked:

What is the main character of your current WiP most afraid of and why? Don’t use a previously finished work. This is all about discovering the inner motivations of your current characters – the ones you don’t know all that well yet.

I feel a little like a cheater since my current WIP is the project I've been working on for almost 2 1/2 years. Wait. What? Has it really been that long? Okay, no more figuring out how long I've been working on this project until it's time to query. Which will be soon. Very, very soon. Ahem. Moving on.

Even with as much time as I've spent with my MC, Olivia, I had to dig pretty deep to sort out what she's most afraid of. After she loses her mother, Olivia worries a lot about being alone and losing the rest of the people who are close to her. And she has good reason to be afraid of that since the bad guy is willing to hurt anyone to get to her.

Ultimately, though, I think her greatest fear is that she won't be able to live up to the expectations she has of herself and the ones that have been placed on her by outside forces, seemingly against her will. This is compounded by the fact that she's very independent and doesn't like to rely on other people to help her, so she puts a lot of pressure on herself to just handle it, even though this isn't always a possibility. Learning to accept help from others is a big part of her character arc, so I guess it makes perfect sense that her greatest fear would tie into that. I just never really thought about it before. :)

What is the main character of your current WIP most afraid of and why?

Be sure to check out Kat's post tomorrow. :)

Blog Chain: Strengths and Weaknesses

Blog chain time! This round's question comes from Sandra. She asked:

What do you think your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are? Did you have to develop your strengths, or did they come naturally to you? How are you trying to overcome your weaknesses?

Well, based on my inability to get my posts done on time, I'd have to say that my biggest weakness is procrastination. But I think that's more of a character flaw and doesn't really count as a writing weakness. :(

Excluding things like not being able to write without editing and being easily distracted by shiny blog posts and emails, my biggest weakness as a writer is probably description. Any scene that is heavy on description is hard for me to make myself write. And I usually end up with too little description to make the scene clear. To overcome this, I read books and blog posts on writing settings and creative ways to show my characters. And I do a lot of rewriting. I don't know if I'll ever be totally comfortable writing description.

My biggest strength is probably dialogue. I think, to a point, this comes naturally to me. Sadly, this is most likely because I spend way too much time in my head coming up with awesome comebacks and more satisfying conclusions for conversations that have already ended. And I've had to work some to improve it and make it more realistic, but it's probably what I enjoy writing the most.

So what about you? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

Be sure to check out Christine's awesome post before mine and Kat's post after. :)

Blog Chain: My Sad Attempt at Poetry

I'm a day late, but I'm here. Michelle McLean started this round. And hers is less a question and more like a really hard homework assignment... :)

In 100 words or less, write a story using the words ride, post, soulless, local, dehydrator, girdle. Your story may take on any form you wish. The only two rules are 1. you can't simply list the 6 words; you must actually craft them into something creative, and 2. you must use ALL six of them. 

I'm so bad at these kinds of things, so don't expect much. And somehow, this came out as a poem, which I am not a poet. I know the rhythm is off at some points and it may not make any sense, but, yeah, I don't care. ;) And I cheated a bit with the title, but if you really think about it, it would make a great name for a roller coaster, right? So it fits. Or it could be referring to Post. You never know. Anyway, enough delaying. Here it is, in all it's awfulness. Enjoy!

The Dehydrator

There once was a girdle named Post.

She held up my booty the most.

And with her I lost a whole size!

But when the local fair started,

My good sense departed

And, sadly, Post met her demise.

When we got on a ride,

Post split down the side.

Oh, you should’ve heard all the cries.

As her soulless remains

Got caught on the chains

And freed my burgeoning thighs.

(72 words)

Be sure to check out Shaun's awesome post from Sunday, and Cole's post tomorr... er, today. :)

Blog Chain: My Imaginary Friends

It's blog chain time again, and I'm starting this round! Exciting and scary at the same time. Okay, here's what I want to know:

Where do your characters come from? And once they've been introduced to you, how do you get to know them?

Most of my characters are loosely based on people I've known throughout my life. Or, more accurately, different traits from multiple people crammed into each character. I've also stolen a trait or two from characters I've liked in movies or on TV. And, of course, all my characters have a little bit of me in them--some more than others. But that’s just the beginning. My characters have to feel like living, breathing people before I can really get to the heart of the story, which, to me, is the characters. :) So how do I get there?

I've tried all sorts of things to improve my understanding of my characters. Those dreadful character interviews. Ugh. I don't even like filling those out for myself. And journaling from the character's POV, but it never lasts very long. I always want to get back to writing, which usually happens after I'm distracted by a bit of dialogue that I just have to write down. That leads to a reaction from another character and, before you know it, I've completely forgotten about whatever lame interview/journal thing I was working on.

It's taken a lot of trial and error to figure this out, but the thing that works best for me is just writing--scenes that usually don't end up in the finished product but help me understand how a character would react in a situation. The key is to go in with no preconceived ideas about how the scene should go. I just present a conflict--story-related or otherwise--and let the characters take over. This has worked for most of my characters. Sure, in the end I have a lot of discarded scenes, but it's what works for me.

So what about you? How do you get to know your characters?

Be sure to check out Cole's post tomorrow. :)

Blog Chain: I am the Weakest Link...

I'm such a slacker. I was supposed to post on Wednesday, but I totally forgot it was my turn. I don't even have a good excuse. Not unless being brain dead counts. Feel free to throw things at me. :)

Michelle Hickman started this round. She asked:

If you could dine with any author, and I do mean any whether alive or dead (yes, we're going into the realms of time travel - but hey, we have science fiction writers on this chain so we can always ask for them to write up the time machine specs), who would you want to dine with? And if you can ask them for advice on one writing element you feel you might be struggling at, what would it be?

This question was hard for me. Honestly, the idea of meeting someone I've never had any interaction with and only admired from afar, terrifies me. When I get nervous, I turn into the babbling idiot, so I'm pretty sure whoever I dined with would feel like they'd been thrown into some bad sitcom. It wouldn't be pretty. Trust me.

So, pretending that I can be articulate and eloquent when I'm nervous, first, I'd love to meet all my crit buddies in person. I know that probably sounds like a cop out, but these are the people who have helped me improve my writing and I'd be nowhere near where I am today without their help.

As for published authors, there are a couple. Even though I wasn't totally happy with the ending of Mockingjay, I still think Suzanne Collins is an incredible writer, and I'd love to know her secret to awesome pacing. And Janice Hardy--not only is she a great writer, she seems like a really cool person. She gives out a lot of info on her blog, so I don't know that I'd have anything in particular to ask her, but I'd still like to meet her and have her sign my ARC of The Shifter. By the way, my contest to win a copy of her recently released book, Blue Fire, is still going on. You can check it out here.

Also, I have to say that even though I write science fiction, I have issues with time travel, so if you're needing a time machine, you probably shouldn't come to me. My heart just wouldn't be in the project. ;)

Be sure to check out who Shaun would like to dine with, and Cole's answer tomorrow, er, yesterday. :)

If you could dine with any author, alive or dead, who would it be?

Blog Chain: Mistakes

Seems like I just did one of these... So, it's blog chain time again. Laura started this round. She asked:

Regarding your writing career, what’s the best mistake you’ve ever made and why?

I think, at this point, my best mistake would have to be querying too early. That probably doesn't sound like a very good mistake, but if I hadn't queried when I did, I don't know if I ever would've realized that draft wasn't good enough. And if I hadn't realized that, I never would've started over, and I'd still be trying to perfect a draft that would never be good enough. It had way too many problems. So, yes, the few rejections I got were painful, but one personalized rejection (even though it was only one sentence) was all it took to put me on the path I'm on now and put me just a little closer to being the writer I want to be.

So, what about all of you? What's your best mistake?

Cole is up tomorrow and be sure to head over to Shaun's blog to check out his awesome mistake.

Blog Chain: When I'm Gone

I totally forgot it was my day to do the blog chain, so I'm a little late. This round's topic was picked by Shannon. She asked:

Imagine this: when you're gone, readers will remember your writing most for just one of these things: your characters, your plots, your settings, or your style. Which one (only one!) would you prefer over the rest? Why?

Being a perfectionist, you'd think I'd want to be remembered for all four because that would make me perfect, right? A literary genius... Okay, you can stop laughing now. I'm not crazy enough to think that's a possibility. Not yet, anyway. ;)

And though I strive for perfection in all areas, this was actually an easy one for me. I love a good, character-driven story. You know the ones that leave you longing for more when you hit that last page, and you wish could stay with them a little bit longer? That's what I want my readers to remember. Great characters—loveable or not—that come to life on the page and stay with you long after you've finished reading.

What do you want to be remembered for when you're gone?

Be sure to check out what Shaun wants his readers to remember and head over to Cole's blog tomorrow for her answer. And CONGRATS! to fellow blog-chainer and all-around awesome person, Christina Fonseca, on the release of her book, Emotional Instensity in Gifted Students!

Blog Chain: How Did I Get Here?

Blog chain time again! This one was started by Margie. She asked:

How did you come to write your YA genre (e.g. contemp, fantasy, etc.)? AND (yep, it’s a 2 parter), if you weren’t writing that, what genre would you be interested in exploring?

My current project, Embrol, is YA SciFi, though I don't think is falls squarely under that genre. And it's kind of a superhero novel, but it doesn't fall squarely under that either. The idea behind it has been brewing for as long as I can remember--even before I started writing seriously two years ago.

Growing up, I liked to imagine what I'd put in a world if I could create my own. I always thought at least some of the people should have superpowers, and I would go over and over in my head all the problems that might arise from that. And though I don't have any other completed novels, everything else I've started has ended up with the MC or the main secondary character having some kind of extra ability, even if I didn't start with that intention. I guess I just like my characters to be something more than human. 

And of course, there's always romance in there, no matter what I'm working on. :)

If I were to change genres, I'd really love to try horror, though that one really scares me. And not because it's horror. ;) I just think it would be a real challenge to write something that would scare someone else. Be fun to try though.

What about you? What drew you to your preferred genre? Is there anything else you'd like to try?

Be sure to check out Shaun's awesome post from yesterday, and I'm sure Cole will have some great stuff to share with us tomorrow. :)