Embracing the Awesome Redux & The Misleading Beauty of Bad Words

In this post I talked about breaking free of my Lit Bitch bonds and how I’ve rollicked about in my liberation ever since.  I originally meant to move that conversation into the television medium, but the post got a bit longish and I wondered if you guys really wanted to listen to me talk quite that much.  So I continue here.

Another of my odd personal characteristics that goes hand in hand with Former Lit Bitchiness is my complete Inability to Accept Compliments & Recommendations.  I don’t know where this came from other than a perverse mix of humility (I have a gag reflex when being complimented) and pride (if I want to read / watch something, I’ll find it on my own, thank you very much).  Kind of an odd quirk for someone who spends 40 a week giving recommendations, aye?

But, it is what it is, and yes, if you think I should read / watch something your best bet to get me to do it is to never, ever mention it’s existence to me.

With that in mind, I’ll recount a conversation between myself and my mother:

Mother: I’ve got two seasons of Castle on DVD.  You’d love it.

Mindy: *glances over at stack of books waiting to be read* I don’t have time.

Mother: But it’s about a writer, and there’s all these great pop culture references, and there’s this female cop, and he decides to shadow her for research-

Mindy: Yeah mom, I picked up on the cutesy plot from the ads.

Mother: But I think you’d really like it, they’ve got this great relationship – it reminds me a lot of Mulder and Scully.

Mindy: Dammit Mother, did you have to play the X Files card?

Well, once the X Files card has been played, it can’t go back.  So, BBC settled in one night (when she should have been writing, ahem) and watched oooohhhh….. well I won’t tell you how many episodes I watched on that first night.  But I will say that I was sold the second Nathon Fillion stripped off his sock and used the barefoot toe clutch move to pick up a handcuff key, cause that’s exactly how I retrieve dropped laundry when my arms are full with the basket.

And no – I’m not writing this post just to talk about the awesomeness of Castle. (and NOBODY better breathe a word to me about season three!!  I know there was a cliffhanger from my Twitter feed and I’m not even through season two yet – mum’s the word!)   Besides being appropriately humbled for rejecting the plot as “cutesy,” I’m learning a lot as a writer from watching the show.

And one of those things is how to use strong language without using bad words.

I like gritty shows, and I mean gritty like Brotherhood, Deadwood, Dexter and Game of Thrones.  It’s another reason why I laid off network television post-LOST.  I didn’t feel like anything had enough weight and grit for me after gorging myself on the brutality (both visual and audial) of pay TV.  But in watching Castle, I’ve noticed something  - they’ve got Irish thugs and scarred serial killers delivering lines of dialogue that make your fight or flight kick in… but I haven’t heard any swearing yet.  Beckett delivers threats without invoking any four-letter words, but her eyebrows convey them.

Yes, a large part of that is due to the acting quality.  Absolutely.  But the dialogue is clean, yet chilling.  I think it’s a good lesson (especially for YA writers) that we can write a bad guy, or a tough girl without making trash flow out of their mouths.  I don’t have a problem with swearing – at all.  BBC’sMother has already filed her complaint about my use of language in print.  After watching a season and a half of Castle, I question using those words though.  Is it a crutch?  Am I unable to convey the feelings without going for the shock value of the f-bomb?

Hmmmm…. Chew on it.

Oh, and yeah, I know that because I referenced Castle and X Files in the same post you all are going to bombard me with comments and emails saying I need to watch Firefly. 

And guess what?  If you do that, chances are – I won’t. 

Embrace the Awesome - Don't Be A Lit Bitch

Confession time - I'm kinda a lit bitch.

You know the type - the ones that like to carry around obscure authors in trade paperback and read them in really public places.  Yeah... that's kinda me.  Or at least, it used to be.  I had a breakthrough session with my sister a few years ago, when I was a post college grad with two shiny degrees in English Literature and Religion, reading Euripides in the backroom at Hallmark on my lunch break. (Sidenote: yes I worked at a Hallmark.  No, we're not going to talk about it). Meanwhile, big sis is clocking in as the chair of the English department at a rural school, and rollicking around in the YA market that is about to explode.

Sister: You really should read this Harry Potter book sometime.  It's pretty good.

Me: Yeah, that's what I hear.
Sister: No really.  It's good.
Me: Right, okay.
Sister: Stop blowing me off.  You might actually like it.
Me: Sorry, I've got some big person books to read.
Sister: You're just being pissy because it's super popular and you don't want to look like you've bought in to it.
Me: You're just being pissy because I like to read books with words like "transubstantiation" and you don't know what that means.

Well, if any of you have sisters then you know that the conversation totally degenerated from there.  For the record, I did not wizen to the awesome until ORDER OF THE PHOENIX was released, at which time I sullenly asked to borrow the series from big sis.  We made a summer deal - she gave the smoldery hot and intelligent OUTLANDER series by Diana Gabaldon a shot, and I gave JK Rowling the time of day.

Uh, yeah.  We spent the summer sprawled on beach towels untangling tiny plot details and discussing these amazingly talented authors whose backstory weaving is remarkable.  We also both ate a lot of crow, but that's besides the point.

My next lesson.  Lit Bitch status aside, the OUTLANDER series has had my heart since word one.  Whenever anyone (adult) asks me for a book recommendation the conversation goes like this:

Me: Alright, I'm going to talk to you about an awesome series, but you have to get past the first phrase out of my mouth without losing interest or mocking me.
Friend: Okay.
Me: It's a time travel romance -
Friend: *eyes glaze over, nods politely* Okay
Me: No seriously.  Here, just take it.  You have to promise me to read past page fifty before giving up.
Friend: Yeah sure.  I'll give it a try. *gives it dubious glance, tucks it away into purse*

TWO DAYS LATER -

Friend: Hey, I'm bringing this back to you.
Me: C'mon now - did you read past page fifty like you promised?
Friend: Er... uh.... I'm done.  *blushes* Can I get the sequel?

It's also true that the magic isn't always there for everyone.  I haven't found a vampire attractive since Gary Oldman played one, but I'm old school like that. The point is - don't be a snotty snot face when it comes to your reading material, like I did.  You might miss out on some awesome.

Interview with Cinda Williams Chima

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT - Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em! Even more special - this is a WoW! Edition of the SAT - We're Ohio Writers! Yeah - cause we grow 'em here.

Todays guest is New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.  Chima began writing romance novels in junior high school. Her HEIR CHRONICLES young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.

Chima’s best-selling YA high fantasy THE SEVEN REALMS series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) with The Gray Wolf Throne scheduled for fall, 2011. There are four books planned.

Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I'm a pantster. I've tried outlining ahead and it just doesn't work for me. Of course, that means there's always lots of revision to be done.

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

Depends on what you include. For a first draft, maybe seven months. For everything, a year. I've been publishing a book a year since 2006.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

Before I sold my first novel, I wrote feature articles and essays as well as novel-length fiction. Eventually, I made a conscious decision to focus on fiction and cut back on my freelance work. If you publish a book a year, you are almost always working on two or three things at once--writing the first draft of your next book, editing your previous book with your editor, and the marketing piece, of course.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

Well. I was in third grade and I had a lot of other things to be scared of besides writing. Like monsters under the bed. And dying young. And snakes.

How many trunked books (if any) did you have before you were agented?

Hmm. Well, The Warrior Heir was the first book I finished as an adult, and it was published. However, I do have a humongous high fantasy series that I never finished called THE STAR MARKED WARDER. My current series, THE SEVEN REALMS, is set in that world. So nothing is wasted. And I may yet go back and rework SMW.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

See above. I quit because it hadn't sold in a year, and my other series HAD sold, and I needed to buckle down and write another book in the series that was selling.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them?

I have had three agents. The first two I found through the query process and my current agent inherited me when my previous agent left the agency. It definitely wasn't through industry connections. I do think conferences can be a great way to meet agents and decide who you want representing your work.

How long did you query before landing your agent?

I went through two different agent search processes. The first time it took me four years to find an agent. The second time was relatively quick. On my last go-round, I sent out 25 letters to targeted agents and had positive responses from two.

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

The biggest mistake that I see writers make is focusing too much on the query process and not enough on craft. At the end of the day, it's all about the book. So before you start attending sessions on query letters, marketing, etc., make sure your work is where it should be. I think it took me four years to find my first agent not because my query letters were lacking, but because the work wasn't ready for prime time.
I included the first four pages of my manuscript because I hoped my writing would win them over. And, in this case, it did. Plus the agent that took me on was new to the business. I don't think a veteran agent would have signed up a 250k debut novel. When she wasn't able to sell that, she shopped THE WARRIOR HEIR, which did sell.

How did that feel, the first time you saw your book for sale?

I went out with my critique posse to a bookstore on the on-sale date and found out my book was still in the back room. We made them get them out and put them on the shelf. I've attached a photo of me on that day.

How much input do you have on cover art?

My editors have always asked me for suggestions as to what could go on the covers, and they run the artwork by me in its various stages. I don't have veto power or anything, but they've always responded to my input. I think the key is to be able to make a case for why you want what you want.

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

The most surprising thing was that all my troubles didn't end when I found an agent. And the second surprising thing was that all my troubles didn't end when I found a publisher.

How much of your own marketing do you?

My publisher's involvement in marketing has grown as my books have gained momentum. Early on, they were great about sending out review copies to librarians and bookstores. They printed advance reading copies and took them to conferences to increase the buzz. More recently, they've arranged appearances at venues like Book Expo and Texas Library Association. For the last two books, they've sent me on tour, which is awesome.

I do as much as I can myself. I have a website and a blog and pages on Facebook for The Heir Chronicles and The Seven Realms series. I don't Twitter--from what I can tell, most of my readers aren't on Twitter, though many of my colleagues are.

I also do school visits and library/conference appearances that I arrange on my own. I think of all the things I do, the website and the social networking pieces are key.

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I think you have to decide upfront where your talents lie and how much time you have for this. Some authors will build a platform by hosting a writing/publishing related blog. I think it's critical to have all that up and running when you publish your first book, but until then, your first priority is sharpening your writing skills. I've always had very challenging day jobs, and I was already getting up at four a.m. and falling asleep on the keyboard at night. I didn't have time for massive platform-building. If you sell a book, you'll usually have about a year's lead time for building that puppy.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

Yes, I do. I don't have any data to support that, though. I think it develops a relationship between you and your readers and helps keep you front-of-mind between books. Plus I enjoy interacting with readers.