Category Archives: Non-writers just don’t understand

9:27 am - November 19, 2014 - sjcarlson

Non-writers just don’t understand: The joys of constructing a twitter pitch

Writer friends, have you ever participated in a twitter pitch contest? I’ve done a few now. I have to say, coming up with a pitch in 140 characters or less took longer than writing a query or a synopsis. How do you capture the essence of your entire novel in a tweet, especially if you’re a bit crazy like me and like writing dual POV with subplots? Thankfully, I met some awesome writers who helped me craft mine. On the plus side, I now have an arsenal of pitches, and creating them did help me focus my query letter.

Here are a few of my favorites for Hooligans in Shining Armour:

Seventeen-year-old Fiona’s dad may be a Northern Ireland terrorist; Danny heads into the Protestant paramilitary military. In this dual POV YA, they fall in love.

Star-crossed lovers Fiona and Danny inspire one another to fight for their futures; divided Belfast threatens to rip them apart.

Fiona’s on the track to being valedictorian. But when she is whisked away to Northern Ireland she gets more. She gets Danny.

17yrold Fiona’s dad may be a Northern Ireland terrorist; Danny heads into the Protestant military. In this dual POV YA, they fall in love.

Wherefore art my Romeo? In divided Belfast, protestant Danny has to climb the ‘Peace Wall’ to Catholic Fiona’s balcony.

Oh, and the best, best thing about participating in twitter pitch/other online writing contests? Making all kinds of writer friends. Since doing my first one in September, I’ve added at least 500 twitter followers, found a new online crit group, numerous CPs for chapters and query letters, etc. Awesome. Writers are awesome. Twitter has proved to be an excellent platform to connect, and contests are a venue to “meet.”

Have you ever done twitter pitching? What’s your favorite tweet about your MS?

Category: Non-writers just don't understand Tags: writing

5:18 am - November 12, 2014 - sjcarlson

Non-writers just don’t understand: Sneaking in some writing time on vacay

So as I alluded to in previous posts, I’m gallivanting (yeah, I said gallivanting, love that word) around Australia with my husband. Epic South Australian road trip. Great Ocean Road, tiny coastal towns, hiking in Wilson’s Promentory. Kangaroos, Koalas, Emus, and now penguins and seals! We’re off to Sydney today to see that Opera House. I mean, cuz you have to, right?

But, but writer friends, I was at a critical point in my WIP and I was not able to get through it before vacay. I’m sure many of you appreciate my pain. So I’ve been sneaking in writing time after the hubby goes to bed and before he wakes up. ( I swear my body only needs like 6 hours of sleep) So I’m writing in the dark trying to, um, I don’t know, type quietly and in the blinding sun on the occasional boring car ride where there isn’t awesome rolling hills of pastures or amazing coast line to look at. And good news, I’m getting through what I need to; I’ve re-written the first five chapters and pounded out chapters 17.5-21. They’re rough, but after I get through them once, I’ll be able to send them on to my amazing WIP collaborator! So I’ve done that AND enjoyed Australia. I’m pretty much feeling like the (wo)man 😛

Life’s about balance, right? And having a patient, understanding, awesome husband who understands my writing is…um…an addiction? No, not addiction, it’s my job, right? 😛 Totally made me pancakes–not once, but twice!–while I was pounding out the WIP.

Anyway, I’m going to get back to this….

Happy writing everyone!

Side note: I’ve found my favorite Australian coffee–a flat white with two sugars. Yeah, I take my coffee with cream and sugar, so what? 😛

8:02 pm - November 7, 2014 - sjcarlson

Non-writers just don’t understand…. There is no vacation from writing. Ever.

As you read this letter, I may already be on vacation 😛 Actually I AM on vacation, I totally scheduled this post. My husband and me are off in South Australia hopefully having a grand road trip along the Great Ocean Road.

My husband just walked in and said, “OMG vacation. It’s so exciting, I get to leave it all behind,” but here I am like, nope, not gonna be able to do that. My husband’s like, why don’t you just bring a notebook or just talk to me while we’re driving and I’m all like….

No, I will talk to him, I swear :P. I already know I’m going to be thinking about my WIP quite a bit: planning out scenes, thinking about setting, imagining dialogue, yada, yada, yada. I’m bringing my laptop for use on the plane and in the car. We will be driving many, many hours and since we have a manual rental car and they drive on the *wrong* side of the road (;P) my husband will be doing all the driving. I’ll probably sneak in some writing time in the early morning and later evening, too. I’m really on a roll with my WIP so I can’t stop now! And even if I did try, cannot stop my brain from thinking about it, so I’ll just embrace it.

Writer friends, are you with me? 😛

Category: Non-writers just don't understand Tags: writing

11:13 am - October 6, 2014 - sjcarlson

Writer friends…how do you decide what tense to write in?

My natural state of writing is past tense. It’s what I’ve written all of my books in.

I’ve been working with a writing professional on really nailing my first chapter in one of my manuscripts. She suggested I consider re-writing it from past tense to present tense.

Yeah, it really scares me. But…I have noticed that most YA in particular is written in present tense. Really, the only one I’ve read relatively recently that is written in past tense is Eleanor & Park. I’m not opposed to re-writing in present, or even the amount of work it might take, but what a brain shift that would be.

So my question is this…writer friends how do you decide what tense to write in? Do you tend to prefer a tense or a particular POV?

Categories: Non-writers just don't understand, Writing Tags: writing

9:53 am - October 2, 2014 - sjcarlson

Non-writers just don’t understand: The pain of having to sit on your hands while others work on your WIP

Yup. So I’ve got two works in progress right now, in case you haven’t read some of my previous blog entries. Hooligans is set in Northern Ireland, that one’s pretty much done and dusted…apart from the first chapter intervention I’ve got someone helping me with. The second, tentatively called Rafa & Rose, is set in rural Wisconsin. I just sent fifty pages to my co-author, whose job is to A) add Spanish language and Mexican culture references for Rafa’s POV chapters and help write family dynamics B) help me with everything else, from capturing awkward teenage puppy love to describing high school life (ranging from Homecoming competitions to English Lit curriculum 😛 ).

As a full-time, unpaid writer, WHAT DO I DO with myself while I wait? Hooligans I really just need that first chapter. Once that’s on lockdown, I’m querying. Rafa & Rose…I really can’t proceed until I get my good, great friend Ana’s feedback. We have to plan a turning point scene that’s of critical importance. Nothing I can do with that one. Which means I’m stuck on both my manuscripts. Non-writers be like read a book or watch a movie or something like normal people do. But my brain is still in the writing zone, you know that creative buzz that fuels all your best writing. The writer’s high, as I call it. I feel it in my brain, but I can’t use it! It’s driving me crazy!

“Hi, my name is SJC and I’m an (writing) addict….”

Hmm maybe I should paint. Rafa & Rose does feature a Homecoming window painting competition. My MCs get forced to work on it together and that’s what starts their relationship. I could try to recreate their painting…. Though I don’t know if I have the skill haha. Or I could bust out my first novel, the one I made fun of on my blog a few weeks back. I actually have a later draft that’s much better…

Writer friends, whether it’s at the editor’s or with a critique partner or you’re just stuck, what do you do when you can’t work on your MS? Do you ever feel like this? (or am I the weird writer here 😛 )