Jessica Brody's Blog, page 19

Drunk Monkeys Wrote My First Draft: The Art of Finishing a Book

We’ve all been there.

You sit down at your computer. You’ve got your favorite mug full of your favorite beverage. Your favorite writing music is melodically humming through the speakers. There are no distractions. No kids. No texts. No barking dogs. It’s just you and the story.

You place your fingers on the keys. This is going to be good, you think. Today is going to beepic. You’re sure of it. You take a deep breath and start typing, waiting for angels to sing. For that mystical creative force to flow through you and transport you to a magical place where every word that comes out of you is gold and every sentence is award-winning. You type a paragraph, maybe two. Then, with a hopeful smile you read back through and discover that it’s…it’s…

Absolutely horrendous.

Verified word vomit. The most dreadful thing you’ve ever read. Drunk monkeys could have written something more inspired.

In the old, frustrated-writer cliché, this would be the moment you pull the paper from the typewriter, crumple it defiantly in your hands, and toss it across the room in protest (missing the trash can by miles, of course).

But I’m going to stop you right there. And I’m going to tell you to do something that might seem shocking. Maybe even downright ludicrous.

I’m going to tell you to keep it.

Those who know me know that I give out a lot of advice to writers. I post regular writing tips on my blog. I tweet about writing. I vlog about writing. I even teach writing workshops.  But if there’s one piece of advice I tout above all others it’s this:

Don’t be afraid to write badly.

Almost every published author I’ve ever spoken to about the craft of writing has said something along the lines of:

“My rough drafts are total crap.”

And yes, that goes for me as well. In fact, my rough drafts are the king of crap. They make crap look like a white-linen tea party with fancy hats.

Because guess what? They’re supposed to be. That’s why they’re called rough drafts. It’s so easy for aspiring authors to fall into the trap of comparing themselves and their writing to the polished, finished, edited books you see on the shelves of your local bookstore. But what you need to remember is that every book in that bookstore has gone through countlessrevisions, with countless people working really hard to make it as perfect as it can be. But I assure you, all of those books (yes, even your very squishy favorite one) once started out as a craptastic first draft.

Don’t be afraid to write crap. Crap makes great fertilizer.

I have a quote on my wall from Nora Roberts. It reads,

“You can’t fix a blank page.”

I look at this quote every time I sit down at my computer and nothing comes out but trash. I look at this quote every time I moan, “I’m just not inspired to write today.” I look at this quote every time I think to myself, “Well, I’m sure Future Jessica will be more than happy to write twice as much tomorrow.”

(Side note: Future Jessica is never happy to write twice as much.)

I know there are people who will read this post and argue, “But writing is art! I can’t allow anything less than art to grace the pages of my manuscript!”

Writing is an art form. Yes, this is true. But writing a book is a “process.” This, I believe, is the key distinction. And what I’ve learned about this “process” (after completing more than seven full-length novels) is that it ain’t always pretty.

But here’s the good news. Shhh. It’s a secret. Come close and I’ll whisper it in your ear.

Writing can be fixed! Books can be revised! Words can be changed! Entire scenes can bedeleted and never heard from again!

I know the concept of “revisions” isn’t breaking news but sometimes we authors just need to be reminded. Because we get so lost in the desire to make it good, we lose sight of the big picture: That it will be good…eventually. But first it might have to suck.

Just because you wrote it, doesn’t mean anyone’s going to see it. Just because you typed it on the page, doesn’t mean it has to stay on the page.

Whether you’re a debut author or a seasoned author, one of the hardest things to do when writing book is finishing a book. I swear, at times it seems damn near impossible. It’s like climbing the highest mountain there ever was and never really knowing how far you are from the top.

But I’ll tell you this: One of the most important steps to writing a book is finishing a book.

So how do you do it? How do you finish something that is impossible to finish?

You write badly. You vomit ugly words onto the page until you’re done. You sit down every day and you turn off your inner critic as best you can.

You get the story down on paper.

Believe me, you will come across things you know you want change. Write these ideas down in a separate document or notebook and keep going.

You will want to edit a scene over and over and over again until it’s perfect. Fight this urge and keep going.

You will get stuck on scenes that you just can’t write, no matter how hard you try. Skip them and keep going.

I often leave myself place holders within my manuscript that look like this:

[insert totally awesome James Bond-worthy fight scene here.]

And when I finish a first draft, I always have a long list of changes I want to make, stored in a separate document, of course. (I personally like to use Evernote for this.) But here’s the funny part: By the time I finish that rough draft and have a better idea of what the story is and where it’s supposed to go, half of those changes I was so desperate to make don’t even apply anymore. Aren’t I glad I didn’t waste days writing those into the story?

In some ways, making a story pretty and workable is the easy part. Because you have something to work with. You have a unblank page to fix.

You have to build the house before you can decorate it.

Or remodel the bathroom. Or put in new windows and fancy hard wood floors. Until you know what the house looks like, how are you going to know how to fix it up and make it livable?

So here is my official invitation to you. Come join the crappy writers club. I’ve been a proud card-carrying member since 2006. All are welcome. There are no membership fees. No applications to fill out. No credit score required.

All you have to do is refuse to be afraid to write badly. Accept it as part of the creative process. Know that “bad” is only a temporary state. A necessary stopover on the way to epicness. So, go ahead, open up that Word doc, let the ugliness flow. I can’t wait to read the beauty that becomes of it.

 

Originally published on SwoonReads.com

Related Posts:Tips for Writers: How to Trick Your Brain into WritingYou Have the Right to Remain Positive: My Reaction to…Sample PageGuest Star: Jessi KirbyF.A.Q.

The 2014 UNbelievable Giveaway!

Happy New Year, boys and girls! How is 2014 treating you thus far? I was a BAD BAD author last year. I missed TWO of my promised monthly ARC giveaways!!! *hand slap*

SO! I decided to treat you all to a giveaway of EPIC proportions (Okay, technically, it depends on how you define “epic,” but regardless, I think it’s pretty cool!)

First, here’s all the exciting stuff that’s going on:

UNFORGOTTEN releases in a little over a month! (GAH!)

And the paperback of UNREMEMBERED releases at the end of January (Double GAH!)

AND, if that wasn’t enough, UNDISCOVERED, my eBook novella from Zen’s point of view, releases on Valentine’s Day! (Pause for minor freak out flail. Feel free to read the excerpt here while I finish my freak out.)

So this month, in honor of two thousand FOURteen, I’ve decided to give away FOUR autographed paperbacks of UNREMEMBERED,  and FOUR autographed ARCs of UNFORGOTTEN!

That’s EIGHT winners! UNbelievable, right?

(Oh, and did I mention the paperback of UNREMEMBERED comes with tons of fun bonus content, like two short stories, an interview, AND a reading guide??? Okay, so now I did.)

There are TONS of ways to enter to win (and all of them help spread the word about the trilogy, WIN WIN!) Use the Raffle Copter widget below to enter. Now let’s get to it, shall we?

**Giveaway open to ALL countries!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related Posts:Announcing…UNDISCOVERED!!! An Unremembered Prequel…UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – OctoberUNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – AugustBooks StagingBooks

The first GIRLS GONE SCI-FI tour (and giveaway) is here!

Who doesn’t love a good sci-fi novel with a little side of romance? Well, that’s exactly what I thought when I got the idea to launch GIRLS GONE SCI-FI, a community of young adult authors who write the kind of science fiction that will will bend your mind and steal your heart! My dream was to group together amazing YA sci-fi authors and tour the country together celebrating this awesome genre! And now my dream has become a reality!

Announcing the first ever GIRLS GONE SCI-FI national tour! This March I’ll be touring with these lovely and talented ladies of science fiction!

Jessica Khoury, author of ORIGIN and VITRO
Lauren Miller, author of PARALLEL and FREE TO FALL (May 2014)
Tamara Ireland Stone, author TIME BETWEEN US and TIME AFTER TIME

 

Time travel, genetic engineering, futuristic technologies, parallel universes, memory manipulation! You can find it all (and more) in this awesome line-up of authors and books! The cities and stops will be revealed next week on the Girls Gone Sci-Fi Facebook page but in the meantime, we’ve launched a REALLY awesome giveaway to help celebrate our upcoming tour!

One lucky sci-fi fan will win a prize pack featuring autographed copies of ALL OF OUR BOOKS! That’s right! Even the ones that haven’t been released yet!

So without further ado, here’s the giveaway widget! Good luck to you all!

*Contest is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related Posts:UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – OctoberThe 2014 UNbelievable Giveaway!Fall Cleaning ARC GiveawayUNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – AugustComing in June: The Fierce Reads Tour!

Download the first 5 Chapters of UNFORGOTTEN…FREE!

Yeah, you read that right. This isn’t some mumbo-jumbo marketing speak to reel you in and then you have to jump through ten hoops, click eleven links, and ride 3 elephants to get the prize.

This is TRUTH people!

The first 5 Chapters of UNFORGOTTEN are indeed FREE to anyone who wants ‘em. (If you don’t want them, they’re still free.)

AND, if you like what you read, don’t forget UNFORGOTTEN is available for pre-order NOW! (Hey, I’m just sayin’)

I will warn you, however, these 5 chapters DO contain spoilers for book 1, UNREMEMBERED. And yes, you WILL learn fairly quickly what became of Sera and Zen after they…you know, *throat clear*…well, I can’t say. Don’t won’t to ruin the surprise for anyone who hasn’t read the first book! And if you haven’t, there’s no time like the present! Click here to learn more!

SO! All who wish to proceed, pick your poison, ahem, I mean eReader and start reading away!

  

  

 

And if you don’t have an eReader, I say to you, “No problem!”

You can download a FREE Amazon Kindle app or Barnes and Noble Nook app for your phone, tablet, or computer. And then you can download the free sampler.

See how easy I make it for you? SEE!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoy the FREEBIE!

 

Related Posts:SampleDownload the First 5 Chapters of UNREMEMBERED…FREE!SampleGiveaway! 5 Autographed Advanced Copies of UNREMEMBERED!The Intelligence Director

Guest Star: Kristina Springer

It’s time for another Guest Star! Our guest this time is Kristina Springer, author of My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours.

About My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours:

Now available everywhere in paperback, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours which Meg Cabot says is “Irresistible as a fluffy kitten.  I laughed out loud and so will you!” was a Scholastic Book Club Bestseller and a YALSA Quick Pick.

Seventh grade was supposed to be fun, but Tori is having major drama with her BFF, Sienna. Sienna changed a lot over the summer—on the first day of school she’s tan, confident, and full of stories about her new dreamy boyfriend. Tori knows that she’s totally making this guy up. So Tori invents her own fake boyfriend, who is better than Sienna’s in every way. Things are going great—unless you count the whole lying-to-your-best-friend thing—until everyone insists Tori and Sienna bring their boyfriends to the back-to-school dance.

In honor of UNREMEMBERED, I’m asking all my guest stars to tell us about a memory they wish they could “Unremember.” Here’s what Kristina had to say!

If I could erase one memory from my mind, it would be of my worst Christmas present ever.

It was my first Christmas with my first REAL boyfriend. We had been together most of the year and were quite in the giggly, touchy feely, calling each other nauseating pet names stage of the relationship. I had big expectations for this first perfect Christmas and the perfect Christmas gift that was sure to come from he, my Prince Charming. I imagined all kinds of things– would it be a book of love poems that he inscribed with some amazing note that I would look at every Christmas for the rest of my life?

Would it be some amazing piece of jewelry, like a necklace with our birthstones or a locket with our pictures side-by-side? Whatever it was, I knew it would be momentous and it would be something I’d take out to show my own kids and grandkids someday.

Or not.

Though I still remember it like it was yesterday. We were sitting on our knees, facing each other, in front of the lit Christmas tree in my living room. I had just given him an AMAZING gift (no, I don’t remember what it was, but certainly it was AMAZING). And he had just handed me mine. It was in what looked like a clothes box, but I knew it wouldn’t be clothes. Not on our perfect first Christmas. Clothes is an old person’s Christmas gift. Maybe it was a stunning photo collage of our relationship? I nervously lifted the flaps of wrapping paper, stealing glances at him. He was very excited and proud of whatever lay in the box. Finally it was open. I parted the layers of white tissue paper and froze. Him, giant smile, so pleased with himself. Me, afraid to lift the item out of the box and a hundred thoughts flying through my head of how I was going to make this ok and what I would tell people when they were sure to ask about my first glorious Christmas gift from my boyfriend.

Want to know what it was?

It was a navy blue sweatshirt with a white turtleneck sewn into the collar. And on the front of the sweatshirt were two big embroidered teddy bears hugging.

I didn’t know what to do. I was a teenager, after all, not eighty and in a nursing home. I couldn’t figure out why he thought I’d wear a turtleneck sweatshirt with teddy bears. “Did you read it?” he asked. Oh god, there’s more? I thought. I looked at the shirt and sure enough, over the teddy bears it said “I love you BEARY much.” Of course it said that. It couldn’t just stop at the teddy bears right? I let out some weird kinda giggle and tried to hide my disappointment. “I, oh, uh, love it” I said. I never was an actress. “I knew you would,” he said. “Wear it to my New Year’s Eve party ok?” I almost fell backward. What’s this? Some kind of joke? He actually wants me to wear this? In public? I tried to make like I had another outfit already but he was so darn proud of his bears in love shirt and insisted that I wear it.

I did wear it. But only that one time. I remember slipping it over my head and feeling like the turtleneck was choking me. I remember walking down the long hallway from my bedroom to the front door of my house, past my three brothers who were all rolling around on the floor laughing and pointing at me and my sweatshirt. And I remember my boyfriend’s big smile and him telling me how good I looked when I walked into his house that night.

That, of course, was the last of the sweatshirt. I got rid of it soon after. It never did become that item I’d show my kids and grandkids. And I don’t know whatever happened to that boyfriend but I imagine he’s somewhere living happily ever after with a wife and kids all sporting embroidered bear shirts.

What People are Saying about My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours:

“Irresistible as a fluffy kitten. I laughed out loud and so will you!” —Meg Cabot, author of the Airhead and Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls series

“Tori is an appealing, engaging protagonist whose peppy first-person narrative includes some introspective moments and incorporates issues that readers will appreciate, especially the importance of honesty, trust, and self-appreciation. An enjoyable, entertaining read.” —Booklist

“Friendship versus one-upmanship in seventh grade is the subject of Springer’s very funny and strongly realistic novel.” —Publishers Weekly

“The sheer exhaustion of a fake-boyfriend arms race, with the need to create fake email accounts and to come up with competing romantic gestures on the fly, is cleverly depicted.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“The themes will resonate with any girl who’s ever gone through the hardships of middle school: friendship, boys, popularity, and, most importantly, choosing to do the right, but often more difficult, thing. A fun read.” —School Library Journal

“The dialogue is realistic, and Springer brings refreshing personalities to standard character types; Tori’s parents are divorced, but both parents are active in her life, for instance, and the popular girls aren’t mean.” —Kirkus Reviews

Contest:

Kristina is running a My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours Release Contest on her blog. Here’s what the winner will get:

A $20 gift card (Starbucks or Amazon, your choice!),
Autographed copy of My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours,
Fake Boyfriend Emergency Kit, and a
Variety of bookmarks/stickers from all of my books

Go to Kristina’s blog to enter.

Deadline: 1/15/14

About the Author:

Kristina Springer is the best-selling author of The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, Just Your Average Princess, The Paparazzi Project and Boy Swap. She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and children. Read more about her at http://www.kristinaspringer.com and follow her on twitter @TinaSpringer.

Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinaSpringer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaSpringer

Buy the Book: Amazon | B&N | Indiebound

 

Related Posts:Guest Star: Kristina Springer#FastForward: Coming of Age in the Digital AgeGUEST STAR: Denise JadenGuest Star: Laurie StolarzGuest Star: Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Cover Reveal: UNDISCOVERED!

Last month I revealed that I had written a very exciting ebook novella set in the Unremembered world. (Here’s the post.) It’s called UNDISCOVERED and it’s the story of when Sera and Zen first met and fell in love, told from Zen’s point of view!!!

Is this ringing any bells? I hope so! It comes out appropriately on Valentine’s day (2/14/14) as an eBook exclusive.

And I’m SO excited that the GORGEOUS cover has finally been revealed!

Here ’tis!

I love how this cover fits within the trilogy theme but also is a little bit different. And yes, dandelions DO play an important role in this story!

Official Description:

Before the crash of Freedom Airlines flight 121 . . .

There was a top-secret research compound hidden deep in the desert.

There was a girl held prisoner in a restricted sector.

And there was a boy who found her. And risked everything to set her free.

Romantic and action-packed, Undiscovered is sure to thrill fans of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy. In this 100-page novella, told from Zen’s point of view, more secrets are revealed about Seraphina’s forgotten past, the corporation that created her, and the boy who fell in love with her.  Undiscovered also includes a sneak peek of Unforgotten, the anticipated second book in the trilogy.

I can’t wait for you all to read the book! I hope you love it!

Related Posts:Announcing…UNDISCOVERED!!! An Unremembered Prequel…UNFORGOTTEN – Cover Reveal!UNREMEMBERED Cover Reveal!Unremembered and Unforgotten UK Cover Reveals!Praise

Guest Star: Sara Hantz

It’s time for another Guest Star! Our guest this time is Sara Hantz, author of In the Blood.

About In the Blood:

For seventeen years, Jed Franklin’s life was normal. Then his father was charged with the abuse and murder of four young boys and normal became a nightmare.

His mom’s practically a walking zombie, he’s lost most of his friends, and the press camps out on his lawn. The only things that keep him sane are his little sis; his best friend and dream girl, Summer; and the alcohol he stashes in his room. But after Jed wakes up from a total blackout to discover a local kid has gone missing—a kid he was last seen talking to—he’s forced to face his greatest fear: that he could somehow be responsible.

In a life that’s spiraled out of control, Jed must decide if he chooses his own destiny with Summer by his side or if the violent urges that plagued his father are truly in the blood…

In honor of UNREMEMBERED, I’m asking all my guest stars to tell us about a memory they wish they could “Unremember.” Here’s what Sara had to say!

One thing that still makes me laugh but that I would like to erase from my memory (and also my son’s) is an incident which happened 12 years ago when we moved from the UK to New Zealand. Now, in my defense, we’d been delayed in Singapore so what should have been a 30 hour journey ended up taking us 3 days! Anyway, I went to enroll him in school and duly completed the necessary forms. The following day when he was actually to start we went in, only to find that not only had I given him the wrong first name (I’d put his second name instead) I’d also ticked the box to say he was girl!!

What People are Saying about In the Blood:

“Sara Hantz doesn’t pull any punches shaping this story of one of the toughest, most complicated family situations that a teen could face. Jed’s emotions are raw and real. I ached and raged with him and frantically turned pages to see where he would end up.”  Stephanie Kuehnert, author of Ballads of Suburbia and I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

“In The Blood is a gut-wrenching look inside the mind of a young man living with a nightmare. Jared has to learn to face life after his father is accused of an unspeakable crime. A ripped-from-the-headlines story that illustrates the power of unconditional love.”  B. A. Binns author of PULL, and Being God

“A dark and deliciously tense story that will make you wonder how alike our parents we can be.”  Kelley York author of Hushed.

About the Author:

Sara Hantz originally comes from the UK and is one of four children, having three younger brothers. Although she was an avid reader from a very early age, she didn’t get the writing bug until much later in life, though English was always one of her stronger subjects. She’s an avid sun chaser and now lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Australia (via 10 years in New Zealand). Sara lectured for many years before deciding to devote more time to her writing and working in the family hospitality business. She has two grown-up children and when not writing, working, or online with her friends, she spends more time than most people she knows watching TV – in fact if TV watching was an Olympic sport she’d win gold. Sara’s books: In The Blood, The Second Virginity of Suzy Green and Will The Real Abi Saunders Please Stand Up (due out May 2014).

Visit her online at: SaraHantz.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sara.hantz.1

Twitter: @SaraHantz

You can click here to enter to win a kindle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related Posts:Guest Star: Amanda AshbyGuest Star: Kelly ParraGuest Star: Jessi KirbyGuest Star: Eileen CookGuest Star: Myra McEntire

Announcing…UNDISCOVERED!!! An Unremembered Prequel Novella!

So, you may have heard me mention over the past month or so that I was working on a very TOP SECRET, soon-to-be-revealed project for my publisher, Macmillan Children’s. Well, I’m thrilled that I’ve finally been given permission to announce it!

I’ve written an UNREMEMBERED prequel novella!

UNDISCOVERED will be released in eBook only on Valentine’s Day 2014 (February 14,2014), right before the release of UNFORGOTTEN.

Why Valentine’s Day? Well, I think all you S+Z fans are going to be excited about this. The novella tells the story of Seraphina and Zen’s first meeting on the Diotech Compound, the evolution of their forbidden (and unforgettable) romance, and their attempt to escape. It IS the S+Z=1609 origin story!

And here’s the best part…

IT’S TOLD FROM ZEN’S POINT OF VIEW!!!!

I’m super excited about this book and I had SUCH a blast writing it! I hope you will all enjoy it!!! I will be sure to post links when it becomes available for pre-order!

In the meantime, tell me what you think! Comment away!

Jessica

 

Related Posts:Unremembered and Unforgotten UK Cover Reveals!Unforgotten ARC Giveaway – Vote on the Finalists!UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – AugustThe FIRST released summary of UNREMEMBERED!UNREMEMBERED sells in the UK!

Unremembered and Unforgotten UK Cover Reveals!

I have been waiting for MONTHS to be able to show you all the GORGEOUS new covers that have been designed for the UK editions of UNREMEMBERED and UNFORGOTTEN! And now the time is finally here!

So I won’t make you wait any longer! HERE THEY ARE!!!

    

I just can’t tell you how IN LOVE I am with these covers! I love the use of the elements (water is very important in book 1, and fire is very important in book 2!) and of course, the inclusion of the eternal knot from Seraphina’s necklace! They’re just PERFECT!

What do you guys think??? Are you as excited as I am???

UNFORGOTTEN releases in the UK on February 27, 2014! Pre-order now!

 

Related Posts:UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – AugustUnforgotten ARC Giveaway – Vote on the Finalists!Get a Sneak Peek of UNFORGOTTEN when you buy UNREMEMBERED!UNFORGOTTEN – Cover Reveal!UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – October

UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – October

Hey all! October is almost over, but I promised you a giveaway a month so here it is!

But don’t worry. This giveaway will run for three weeks, so you’ll have plenty of time to enter!

Okay, here it is!

Post Your Favorite Quote(s) from Unremembered!

 

Let’s paper the town with Unremembered quotes and help spread the word about the book!

I’ll be using Raffle Copter to manage the entries. So you have MULTIPLE ways to enter!

The prize is ONE AUTOGRAPHED ARC of UNFORGOTTEN!

Follow the directions in the Raffle Copter widget below to enter! OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!

(*Make sure to include the book title and author in all your quote posts!)

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related Posts:UNFORGOTTEN ARC Giveaway – AugustFall Cleaning ARC GiveawayUnforgotten ARC Giveaway – Vote on the Finalists!Win Seraphina’s Locket!Order 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, Win All My Other Books!