Influential YA Authors

I didn't put together a writing post for today. Instead, I decided to list those authors who I love and who might have influenced my writing. I figured this was easier than listing the books I love since that would be one very long list.

YA Contemporary

• Sarah Dessen (Favorites include: Lock and Key, Along for the Ride, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen)


• Sarah Ockler (Her debut novel is Twenty Boy Summer. I cried. A lot.)


• Lurlene McDaniel (Hit and Run, Breathless, Prey, Letting Go of Lisa. I went through a gazillion boxes of Kleenexes with Lurlene’s books).


• Jay Asher (Yep, another Kleenex box worthy author.)


• Simone Elkeres (Perfect Chemistry. Definitely steamy. The book inspired me to add some Spanish to Lost in a Heartbeat to make the characterization stronger.)


• Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak and Wintergirls)


• Bethany Griffin (Handcuffs)

YA Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

• Lisa McMann (I can't get enough of her Wake series.)


• Alyson Noël (Actually, Saving Zoë had an influence on my current novel, Lost in a Heartbeat).


• Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instrument Series. If only I could write imagery like she does.)


• Richelle Mead (Dimitri. Need I say more?)


• Daniel Waters (Generation Dead and Kiss of Life. Brilliant themes. They’re the only zombie books I like.)


• Stephenie Meyers (I’ll admit I’ve switched to Team Jacob after seeing New Moon in the theatre.)


• Libra Bray (I loved the Gemma Doyle series—The Great and Terrible Beauty, etc.)

This is just a sample of my favorite authors, and I’m discovering new ones all the time. Who are some of your fav authors?

Now I’m off now to deal with my Wii injury (strained shoulder muscles). Turns out playing tennis on the system is not the same as playing it in real life. Lovely.

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year's Eve. And best wishes for the New Year.

Stina

The Kiss

I was just reading Elana Johnson’s blog, and apparently we writers are supposed to post a kiss from novel we are working on or have worked on. So here it is from Lost in a Heartbeat. Hope you enjoy it as much as Calleigh did. At least this kiss wasn’t disastrous like the first one.

We finished our breakfast, but I still wasn’t ready to move. Aaron didn’t seem to be in a big rush to leave, either.

I scooted closer to him, our bodies touching, my heart thumping so loud I was positive he could hear it.

“About the optional condition regarding this bracelet”—I held up my wrist to show him what bracelet I was referring to—“the answer is yes.”

He knew exactly what I meant. He leaned forward, his lips close to mine, then he paused, a smile on his face. “You’re not gonna hit me if I kiss you, are you?”

I didn’t actually answer him with words. Instead, I leaned in the rest of the way and kissed him. And unlike last time, the only thoughts I had were of Aaron and the caress of his mouth against mine.

Do you have a favorite book in which the kiss scene rocks? Check out this link to Absolute Write in which kissing in YA novels was discussed. There’re some great recommendations.

Season's Greetings

I hope everyone has a joyous season and a happy New Year.

Stina

Great Books for Fiction Writers

Here’re some great books for fiction writers who want to improve their craft. Perfect if your family is looking for last minute gift suggestions for you.

Characterization

Writer’s Guide to Character Traits by Linda N. Edelstein. It includes profiles of human behaviours and personality types.

Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors by Brandilyn Collins. No more flat characters if you use the suggestions in this book.

Miscellaneous

Hooked by Les Edgerton. What to do and not to do at the beginning of your story.

The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life by Alicia Rasley

Description by Monica Wood

Between the Lines by Jessica Morrell. This one's a huge favorite of mine.

Writing for the YA Market

Writing and Selling the YA Novel by K.L. Going

Editing Fiction

Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Style

Spunk & Bite: A writer’s guide to bold, contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

Sin and Syntax: How to craft wickedly effective prose by Constance Hale

The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier by Bonnie Trenga

A Dash of Style by Noah Lukeman

Getting the Words Right: 39 ways to improve your writing by Theodore A. Rees Cheney

Books Written Especially for Teens

Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly by Gail Carson Levine (the author of books such as Ella Enchanted)

Tip # 57: The Color of Temperature

Back in the olden *cough* days, when everyone used film, the typical amateur photographer would buy her film without paying any attention that it was labeled daylight film. But what is daylight film, and what does it have to do with you since you use a digital camera?

Daylight film refers to film designed for—hold on to your seat—daylight or natural lighting. Camera flashes were designed to mimic the white light of daylight. If you use the film (same deal with digital cameras) in a setting lit by artificial light, then the color of the individual’s going to look weird. In tungsten lighting (e.g. your table lamp), your subject will take on an orange hue. Under fluorescent light, you’re friend will turn a-not-so appealing shade of green.
To correct for this, you can use film that was specifically designed for these purposes, or use a lens filter that corrects the color. In tungsten lighting, you would use a blue filter. This is not necessary with the digital cameras. Yay!

With a digital SLR camera (and maybe with some of the digital point and shoot cameras), you can adjust the color temperature on your camera. See your manual to find out how for your particular make and model. You can also adjust the color temperature when you open the picture, if it is saved in the RAW format. Most digital point and shoot cameras save pictures as JPEG files, so you have to make the adjustments using a photo editing program such as Photoshop Elements. With the RAW format, you can easily make the color temperature cooler (add a blue tinge to it) or warmer.

In the photo on the left, the shot was taken in front of my computer screen while the room was dark. This caused the bulb and keyboard to look blue. I didn’t adjust the color temperature. On the photo on the right, I adjusted the setting so that the picture was warmer, and the bulb looked normal. If the picture had been taken in daylight, I could have made it look blue by adjusting the color temperature (sliding it to the left). This opens you up to all kinds of creative possibilities.

Don’t worry those of you who aren’t able to use the cool RAW feature. I’ll be discussing in the New Year how to get similar effects with a JPEG file.

Happy Birthday to a Miracle

Ten years ago today, I was rushed to the hospital in preterm labor. My first born wasn’t supposed to be born for another thirteen weeks (three months). But came he did, weighing only 2 lb 3 oz. He spent nine days on a ventilator, and ten weeks in the hospital. When he finally came home, it was to home oxygen and a mountain of medical appointments.

At seven months (developmentally he was the same as a four month old), he would sit intently on my lap while I read Dr. Seuss to him. It wasn’t until my later children would I learn that this wasn’t normal behaviour. After about fifteen seconds, they would start chewing on the book. Not so for my son.

By the time he started kindergarten, he could read and write. When I mean read, I’m not referring to a few sight words. I mean he could read his physiotherapist’s notes. We thought his teacher had taught him to read; she thought we had taught him. I guess being born wasn’t the only thing he was impatient to do.

Now in grade four, he’s recently been tested to read at a grade eight level. And like his previous years, he has no interest in toys. What he wants for his birthday and Christmas are books. Tons of books. Yes, a writer’s dream child.

So Happy Birthday Anton. And yes, the publishing industry loves you almost as much as I do.

Mom

Oh, Cometh Thy Ideas

My seven-year-old son’s teacher asked me if I could talk to his class about writing and the publishing industry. Hey, why not? I thought. Now this is something I definitely know about.

But then she asked if I would discuss where my story ideas come from. Whoa, I can’t do that. My current book deals with rape, not something that I want to discuss with second graders. So as you can imagine, I won’t be discussing with the class exactly where I found some of my ideas for Lost in a Heartbeat, but I can share some of those moments that triggered an idea.

Basically, anything that gets me thinking can lead to a story idea. For Lost in a Heartbeat, an element of the plot comes from a horrific event that occurred in a city not far from my own. The news story spurred an idea for something that happens in my novel (sorry, no plot spoilers here).

Another idea came from reading Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël. In it, the protagonist learns about the events leading up to her sister’s murder by reading her diary. This, to me, was a brilliant way to reveal something about the sister of one of my characters (again, no plot spoilers). Because of the diary, I was able to built suspense into the revelation.

Ideas also come to me while I’m running. My mind is free to wander (and wonder), allowing all kinds of ideas to flow. Unfortunately, I don’t usually carry pen and paper with me, so I have to repeat the idea in my mind the entire way home or else it will vanish.

So as you can see, anything can encourage ideas to visit you—a news story, book, song, movie, TV show. The main thing is to turn it around and make the idea your own. Use it as a stepping stone to something new.

My suggestion to you is to have a notebook with you at all times so you can jot down those moments of inspiration. You’ll be thankful you did.

Wanted: Dream Agent

Wanted: dream agent. Only those with the following qualifications need apply:

• Brilliant (She knows the industry like an old friend)


• Passionate about books (I guess that goes without saying)


• Loves YA novels as much as I do (I haven’t read an adult book in two years—other than those by Jane Austen)


• Eager to share her wisdom and challenge me


• Not afraid to tell it as it is


• Very approachable

But most important of all: She loves my book!

Are there any other qualifications I’m forgetting?

So I’ve been making my list, and checking it twice. And I’m now ready to begin the query dance for Lost in a Heartbeat. And maybe if I’ve been really good this year (thinks for a moment if she’s been good), Santa will bring me a partial or full request for Christmas. Okay, maybe in the New Year since agents are really busy right now.

What are you hoping for Christmas this year?

Tip # 56: ’Tis the season

’Tis the season for holiday cheer and Christmas lights. And what better way to start the season than to explain how I created these super cool shots.

They’re really easy. For the picture on the left, I set the aperture at F4.5. The one on the right was taken at F8.0. The camera speed was adjusted accordingly. Both were purposefully out of focus.

As you can see, the large aperture (F4.5) resulted in a circular shape, the smaller one (F8.0) a hexagon. Pretty cool, huh? It looks awesome with colored lights, but unfortunately none of ours work. Guess it’s time for some new ones.

Surviving Infidelity

My poor husband will never be able to show his face again in the public library. At least not after the books I borrowed this week. Surviving Infidelity plus Children and Divorce. They really are research for my new YA novel, End of Forever, which I plan to start writing in the New Year. My husband and I are very much in love, and have witnessed the heartbreaking devastation infidelity has on a marriage and family.

I came close to explaining to the librarian why I needed the books, but then changed my mind. That’s pretty much the same thing as saying they’re for a friend. Okay, maybe a tad bit more creative. Oh well, what’s a writer to do? On the bright side, one of my writer friends, who read my novel, Lost in a Heartbeat, told me it is so obvious how well researched my novels are. That’s always good to know.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend.

(P.S. The whole infidelity thing was decided on before the Tiger Wood’s scandal)

The Thesaurus Extraordinaire

Most people are familiar with the thesaurus. You’re writing a paper and you used the same word several times. Repetition is never good; actually it can be plain boring. So you grab your thesaurus and search for another word. Or better yet, you can grab your copy of Roget’s International Thesaurus, and you’ll be greeted by more exciting choices than you ever thought possible. Way more choices than in a regular thesaurus.

Unlike the typical thesaurus, which is listed in alphabetic order, words in the Roget’s International Thesaurus are listed according to categories. You look up the word you want in the index (which is listed alphabetically) and it will refer you to several different categories. You pick the one(s) that best represent the definition you’re looking for then zip over to the appropriate page. You’ll be astounded; I promise.

If you’re not positive what word you’re looking for, then you can skim through the categories listed at the front of the book to get some suggestions. For example, you want to talk about your protagonist’s fear of spiders.

You could say: I felt scared.

Or worse yet: I was scared.

Not good enough, you think. So you skim though the categories in Roget’s International Thesaurus and decide to show the movement of fear going through your body. Hmmm. Streams flow. So you flip to the section under streams, and study the verbs listed. Now this isn’t some tiny spider that’s causing ‘fear to seep’ into your body. It’s huge. Like one of those from the second Harry Potter movie, The Chamber of Secrets. Now your ‘fear surges’ through your body, or any of the other vivid verb that appeal to you. See how easy that was to breathe life into your writing? And the best part is the book isn’t expensive. It’s the same price of a YA hardback novel.