Friday Funnies

You have the right to not change anything, but don't be a fool. Change things if somebody else is right. But if you do change something because somebody else is right, you must instantly take credit for yourself. That's very important.

~ Edward Albee

Breslin's Rule: Don't trust a brilliant idea unless it survives the hangover.

~ Jimmy Breslin

Thirty Word Thursday

Be daring....Don't labor over...works in which every word is to be perfect. Technique holds a reader from sentence to sentence, but only content will stay in his mind.

~ Joyce Carol Oates

WIP Wednesday

Well, it's been a while, but I actually have a new WIP! Woohoo! I am, of course, still working on polishing up my NF manuscript for publication (I still need to add a couple new chapters, but the book should *fingers crossed* be completed by the end of the month).

So! I have decided to *gulp* outline my new YA. I don't know what's possessed me (maybe the desire to cut my editing time down to six months LOL) but this time around, I am going all out on the whole outline process.

I've set up a cork board with cards on each of my main characters, their characteristics, motivations, etc. The other side of the cork board has a card for each of my chapters. I have my story arc written (the main conflict, two main turning points, the climax and the resolution) AND I have a basic synopsis written.

I have an idea of how long I'd like the book to be so I will try and break down the events in the book by chapter and get those on the cards.

Now - do I think this will work? Not a clue. It's never worked before, though I've never tried to prepare a book to this extent. Then again, I've never had a clear idea before of exactly how the story will be, from beginning to end. Normally, I have a scene or two in my head and I just sit and write, building on those scenes. And then I generally end up cutting half the book and doing major rewrites and spending months filling plot holes and fixing other glaring problems. I am trying to solve a few of those problems before they start.

This time, I know where I want it to start, what I want to happen in the middle, and how I want it to end up.

This may be because I've been thinking about this story since December. I've never given that kind of thought time to a book before. I may have ideas and jot down notes and think of it now and again, but I really have been seriously stewing on this story for months now.

So, hopefully all this careful preparation won't be for naught once I start the story and the characters take over. I will admit that I am enjoying having a specific checklist of points to hit in the book. That must be the OC list maker in my personality, sighing with giddy delight at my mad organizational skills :D

Well, we'll see how this goes.

On a weird and slightly annoying note - I started writing chapter 1 and it came out in present tense. I don't like present tense as a general rule. Not horribly fond of reading it (though I've had my exceptions, and I have read more of it lately, so perhaps that is feeding into the strange and new direction my writing is taking). I've never written in present tense, so this could be interesting :)

How about you? Do you outline? If so, do you do a basic sketch or really dive in?

And have you ever found yourself changing from your preferred tense into something you've never before attempted...or wanted to attempt?

Ten Word Tuesday

A writer's life is not designed to reassure your mother.

~ Rita Mae Brown

Practice Makes Publishable

I've always heard the expression "Practice Makes Perfect," and, being a borderline perfectionist, generally try (and fail) to apply that saying to many aspects of my life.

Over the years, I've had to learn to let that expectation of perfection go. I'm never going to be the perfect wife, or mother, or human being, though I will continue to try my best.

Now, I think I am finally ready to admit that I need to stop trying to apply this to my writing. It's never going to be perfect. Even if my next book hits the NYT Bestseller list and outsells the entire Harry Potter and Twilight series put together....I'm still going to open that book one day and find something I want to change.

It will never be perfect.

And that's okay. It doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be publishable.

How do I make it publishable?

Practice. Writing more and more. Taking my next WIP and the WIP after that and the WIP after that, and pouring my heart, soul, and sweat into them. Hard work, revisions, more hard work, more revisions, confidence, persistence, faith, more hard work, and more revisions.

Very few people sell the first thing they've ever written. A first novel, maybe. But I bet they've written short stories or poetry or essays or something else before. At the very least, they've rewritten that first novel within an inch of its life. 

I've known people who have let this idea of perfection paralyze them to the point that they refuse to query a wonderful book because they don't think it's ready. They let this unobtainable goal keep them from sharing their incredible stories.

There's no such thing as perfection - especially when it comes to our writing. What one person thinks is perfect, someone else is going to hate. And what we think is perfect now, we may cut without hesitation six months later.

So, should we give up altogether?

NEVAH!!!!! :D

Practice. Keep writing. Shelve it all if you need to, but keep writing.

Practice may not make it perfect. But it will make it publishable.

What are your thoughts? Do you practice to make perfect? Do you still hold on to the dream that someday that book of yours will stand as a shining example of literary perfection? Or have you come to the conclusion that something may be excellent, but there's no such thing as perfect?

Do you strive for perfection, or for publication?

(and a quick personal note: Happy Anniversary Mr. McLean! :) You've bravely put up with being married to a writer for 9 years. Kudos :D  )

Emotionally Intense Friday Funnies

First of all, the very talented and all around fabulous person, Cole Gibsen, is guest posting over on Matthew Rush's blog,The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment,

today. Head on over and take a peek at the query that got Cole an agent! Thanks for the reminder, Matthew! :) 

And now, on to our Friday Funnies!

Shirley Hazzard on the occupational hazards of writing:

It's nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of.

The only reason for being a professional writer is that you just can't help it.

~ Leo Rosten

Thank you, Christine, for stopping by this week and sharing your thoughts about emotional intensity. It has been very interesting and I had a blast!

For more information on Christine and her work, visit her at:

Her blog

The Growing Up Gifted Blog

Her Website

Her Facebook Page

Her Twitter

Her Facebook Fan Page

Fan Page for Emotionally Intense

Thirty Word Thursday

If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it. 

– Anais Nin

Brought to us by our author of the week, Christine Fonseca.

                                     Links!!

Christine's Blog

Growing Up Gifted Blog

Christine's Website