Jessica Brody's Blog, page 9

It Might Not Be Writer’s Block…It Might Be Perfectionist’s Block

I was on a panel the other day with a group of very talented authors and the inevitable question popped up that seems to always pop up on writing panels: “How do you deal with Writer’s Block?” I was ready and armed with my standard answer (almost all of which can be found in this ) But then, one of the authors, the lovely and wise Emily Hainsworth, said something that was so beyond brilliant, I simply had to write it down and share it with you all.

“It might not be writer’s block,” she said. “It might be perfectionist’s block” When she said this, I had to control every impulse not to stand up, slam my hand down on the table and yell out, “YES! That’s it! That’s what I’ve been trying to convey every time someone has asked me this question!”

 

I’ve tried to say this very thing in several not-so-eloquent ways, but Emily really nailed it right on the head. I truly believe that what we call “Writer’s Block” is most of the time just “Perfectionist’s Block.” It’s the fear of not being good enough. Not being perfect enough. When we sit down and face the daunting blank page, most of the time it’s not that we don’t know what to write, it’s that we worry that what we do write won’t be what we want. It won’t come out as perfect and beautiful as we envision it in our heads. Because we can all WRITE. That’s not the problem. We can all sit down and vomit out 10 or 100 or 1000 crappy horrible words that may not even make sense, right? Of course we can. But that’s not what we want to write. Because 1000 crappy, horrible words don’t fit the romanticized version of the writer’s life that we have in our heads. But sometimes 1000 crappy, horrible words are just the reality. Not every day of an author’s life is going to be unicorns and rainbows. Not every day are we going to sit down and spew out magic. Some days, we have to  bound and gag our inner perfectionist in the closet and just let ourselves be writers. And yes, we can always let that inner perfectionist out of the closet when we’re ready for them. (i.e when the book or project is done.) Until then, bring on the crap! Write that crap.Own that crap. And remember what I always say, “Don’t be afraid to write crap. Crap makes great fertilizer.

 

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YA Scavenger Hunt: Spring 2018 Edition

Welcome to the Spring 2018 YA Scavenger Hunt! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team! (THE BLUE TEAM!!) But play fast: this contest will only be online for 5 days!

 

 

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are six contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM — but there is also RED, GREEN, GOLD, PINK, & PURPLE teams for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt Author List.

If you get stuck or need help, you can check out the How to Hunt page.

Scavenger Hunt Puzzle

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the BLUE TEAM, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, April 8th, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Welcome, Amalie Howard!

Today, I am hosting Amalie Howard on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

AMALIE HOWARD is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 bestseller in gothic fiction, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national IPPY silver medalist and Children’s Moonbeam Award winner. She is also the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and historical fiction, My Rogue, My Ruin and My Hellion, My Heart, in the Lords of Essex historical romance series. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com.

Find Amalie online:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

About Dark Goddess

After a fierce struggle that unseated the Azura Lord of Death and elevated Serjana Caelum’s best friend, Kyle, to his role, the realms of existence appear peaceful, and the balance between good and evil—which Sera is sworn to protect—has been restored.

But a new threat to humankind has already begun: a scourge of demons has been invading the Mortal Realm, and no one can find the portal they’re using. In response, the gods of Illysia send Kira, the living incarnation of Kali, goddess of destruction.

Stunning and dangerous, Kira plans to protect the heavens at all cost, even if it means destroying all of humanity to do so. Soon Sera and Kyle find themselves not only fighting the demon plague, but racing against Kira to save the Mortal Realm. But when an even more sinister threat arises—putting not just the human world but all planes of existence in jeopardy—they must all learn to work together or lose everything they sacrificed so much to save.

Exclusive Content: An Excerpt from Dark Goddess

 

Demons were festering in the Mortal Realm.

No matter how hard they attempted to hide their disguises—human, animal, or otherwise—the Goddess of Destruction could see the rakshasas plain as day, scattered like black poisonous dust, tainting the very air around them. They lurked in any dark hole they could find.

Waiting.

The goddess frowned. Size was immaterial. Small demons were as clever and insidious as their larger counterparts. At times, even more so. Even now, she could foresee the black dust multiplying, paving the path for something monstrous . . . a plague that would only spread if left unimpeded.

Lord Devendra had been wise to forestall the end of the world by banishing the Kali rakshasa months before, with the help of his consort Lady Serjana and their mutual ally Kalias. But the truth was, the fate of man had been sealed the minute the binding wards of the Mortal Realm had been breached by Ra’al, the Demon Lord of the seventh level of hell. The gates of Xibalba had been opened, its very stench seeping through its seams and into the human world.

The goddess’s third eye slid shut; she contemplated what she’d seen.

It was too late.

The Mortal Realm had to be cleansed. It had to be destroyed.

*****

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Amalie! Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me (Jessica) and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 11. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the BLUE TEAM and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

 

Continue the Hunt

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author on Emily Skrutskie’s website.

 

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A Flawed Character is the Key to a Flawless Plot

 

Let’s face it, our characters are our babies. We birth them. We raise them. We sometimes even instill them with a few of our ticks and personality traits. That’s why it’s perfectly natural for us to want them to go out in the world and do nothing but succeed, just as we would with our own real children. But it’s this very want that is the downfall of countless potentially great plots. I’ve worked with so many writers who suffer from a problem I call “Overprotective Writer Syndrome.” It’s when you’re incapable of giving your character flaws and conflicts because you don’t want to “hurt” them. It when you want nothing but good things for your character…to the detriment of your story.

Here’s the cold hard truth, fellow “parents.” A flawed hero is essential to a good plot. You might even go as far as to say it’s the key to everything: strong character arc, fast pacing, effective conflict, and of course, reader engagement. No one wants to read about a perfect character, someone who doesn’t make mistakes and has all their s&%t figured out. Why? Because it’s BORING. Where does this person have to go?  Why do we care about their journey? Why would we root for them? And most importantly, how are they like us?

We, as readers, like to read about flawed characters because we are ALL flawed. We are all searching for little ways to improve our lives and our experiences on this earth. Whether it’s becoming more patient, controlling our temper, finding more motivation, learning to forgive, practicing letting go, taking better care of our body. These are all every day problems we all face and therefore your character needs to face one too. A flawed character is a real character is a relatable character. How much more satisfying of an ending is it when the guy gets the girl and improves himself? How much better of a story is it when the girl saves the world and finds some self truth along the way? Without flaws, there is no emotional arc. Without an emotional arc, there is no emotion. And without emotion, there is no story.

So go ahead, flaw up that character. Mess ‘em up good. Make them imperfect. Give them somewhere to go on this journey and I guarantee you’ll have much more people wanting to tag along.

 

Don’t Miss Out on Free Writing Tips!

If you’d like more free writing tips from Jessica delivered straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up for the Writing Mastery Newsletter below!

And as a free gift for signing up, we’ll automatically send you a copy of Jessica’s “Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Starter Kit”

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MOVIE UPDATE! – Guess Who Wrote the Screenplay for 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER!

   

There’s nothing more agonizing for an author than sitting on BIG news and being sworn to secrecy! But then, there’s nothing more EXCITING for that same author than finally being told you can share the big news with the world!

So here’s the big exciting update about the 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER movie!

The screenplay is finished…AND…

 

It was written by the screenwriter of LEGALLY BLONDE!

 

Excuse me while I faint a little in the corner. Honestly, if anyone had ever asked me, “Who would be your dream screenwriter to adapt this book?” I would have easily said, without hesitation, “Whoever wrote Legally Blonde.” It is not only one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME, it’s also the perfect comparison title for 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER (about a spoiled teen heiress who’s forced to take on 52 low-wage jobs over the course of a year in order to earn her trust fund.) So imagine my utter disbelief and excitement (not to mention flail arms!) when I was told by the 52 Reasons movie producers that they’d hired the one and only to adapt the book!

Karen is also famous for having written 10 Things I Hate About You, House Bunny, The Ugly Truth, Ella Enchanted, and She’s the Man!

So happy to finally be able to share! And if you want more info about the 52 Reasons movie, you can read the original announcement in the Hollywood Reporter here!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOOK HERE!

 

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Finding My Heart Book: How I Wrote the Chaos of Standing Still

To my Readers,

The Chaos of Standing Still is a very different type of book for me. I’d often heard authors, in the past, talk about their “heart books,” but I never quite understood what that meant. Wasn’t every book a “heart book”? Didn’t all books come from the heart? Wasn’t that the very essence of creative writing?

Then I wrote this one.

A while back, I had the idea for a fun, carefree “rom com” about two teens who meet while stuck overnight in the Denver airport during a massive blizzard. (No surprise with the amount of time I’ve personally spent in the Denver airport). And when I started writing it, that’s all it was: a fun rom com. With meet cutes, and illegal hotel parties, and food court serenades, and Illuminati conspiracies (FYI, the Denver airport is full of them.)

And trust me, that’s all still in there.

But then came Lottie. She was a character who literally just “appeared” on the page with no warning. She was not in the original outline. She was unlike any character I’d ever written. She was fun, she was spunky, she was bold, she spoke her mind.

And she was very, very…

Dead.

Confused by this sudden change of events (and tone), I decided to roll with it. I kept writing. And I soon discovered that Lottie was the best friend of the main character, Ryn, who had died in a car crash one year ago today. A car that Ryn should have been in, but wasn’t.

For the past year, Ryn has kept herself numb. Refusing to let go. Refusing to cry. Refusing to even read the last text message Lottie sent her minutes before she died. Because, in Ryn’s mind, as long as that text message is unread, as long as there is still something unsaid between them, Lottie is somehow still alive.

Ryn has been unable to let her best friend go. Literally. Lottie is still trapped inside Ryn’s head, still offering her opinions on everything, still guiding Ryn the same way she used to do in life.

The Chaos of Standing Still is a book about love, about loss, about friendship, about grief. It’s even a little bit about Illuminati conspiracies. But most of all, it’s a book about what happens when you are literally stuck somewhere (standing still) and you can’t move on.

I could speculate for days on how I came to write this book, or why Lottie suddenly appeared on the page of my fun, carefree rom com. But I won’t bore you with that. Just know that for some reason I had to write this book. Like Ryn, I was clearly struggling with some unresolved grief that had to get resolved somehow. So I (involuntarily) chose to resolve it in the form of a book. This is that book.

So, welcome to my very first “heart book.” I now understand what that term means. It’s not a book I love any more than my other books. It’s not even necessarily my favorite book that I’ve ever written. It’s simply the book that my heart needed to write.

Yes, it has all the laughter and swooniness you’ve probably come to expect from my contemporaries. But it also has something else. A layer I’ve never dug deep enough to reach before.

Which is why it both excites me and terrifies me to know this story is being released into the world today. I profoundly hope that you enjoy it. Actually, you know what? That’s not what I hope. Enjoying it would be a bonus. I profoundly hope that it makes you feel something.

Anything.

Whatever you need to feel right now, I hope it does that for you.

Because that’s exactly what it did for me.

From my heart to yours,

Jessica

Click here to read more about The Chaos of Standing Still – in stores now from Simon & Schuster!

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Inspiration Gets You Started, Discipline Gets You Finished

Inspiration is a wonderful, magical, coveted thing. Don’t we all wish that we could wake up every morning feeling inspired to write? Don’t we wish that every time we sat down in front of our computers, we had to fight to keep up with the words flowing out of us? But we all know that’s not the reality of the situation. The reality is inspiration is rare. And if you wait for it to strike before you sit down to write, you’ll never finish any project.

Inspiration is the lightning bolt of a new book idea, or a new awesome character, or a new dynamite scene. It’s motivating as hell, but it’s also, fickle, unreliable, and flaky. Kind of like that jerk of an ex you used to date. It comes over when it wants, leaves when it wants, and never asks how you’re feeling about the situation.

Professional writers know that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike in order to write. Not if you want to meet your deadlines and pay your bills, anyway. Inspiration might be what gets you started but discipline is what gets you finished. Setting up a daily routine and sticking to it. Sitting your butt down in the chair every single day, no matter how you feel about the page in front of you. Slogging through those muddled middles. Revising the same scene for the twenty-thousandth time. Discipline is the only thing that finishes a book. Inspiration has never finished anything.

So, the next time you hear yourself saying, “Ugh, I don’t want to write today.” Or, “Ugh, I’m just not feeling it this morning.” Turn on that computer. Get your butt in that chair. Show that fickle inspiration who’s boss.

Write anyway.

 

Don’t Miss Out on Free Writing Tips!

If you’d like more free writing tips from Jessica delivered straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up for the Writing Mastery Newsletter below!

And as a free gift for signing up, we’ll automatically send you a copy of Jessica’s “7 Essential Tools for Writers” handout!

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There’s No Such Thing as an Aspiring Writer

If you’re a writer you know it. It’s in your blood. In your DNA. You see stories everywhere. You live in a world of words. I meet writers all the time who say, “Well, I’m trying to be a writer.” Or “I’m an aspiring writer.” That’s like saying, “I’m an aspiring human being.” If you’ve subscribed to this newsletter than writer is what you are.

Don’t let labels like “published,” “award-winning,” “bestseller” or any other take away what is rightfully yours. You don’t have to wait for something to happen to you before you can own this part of yourself. You don’t require any validation except your own. No one thing or accomplishment makes you a writer. You make you a writer. So the next time someone asks you what you do, own it! Be it! Declare it to the universe.

Say, “I’m a writer.” Because you are.

 

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Don’t Miss Out on Free Writing Tips!

If you’d like more free writing tips from Jessica delivered straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up for the Writing Mastery Newsletter below!

And as a free gift for signing up, we’ll automatically send you a copy of Jessica’s “7 Essential Tools for Writers” handout!

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New Sci-Fi Series – “Les Mis in Space!”

 

YOU GUYSSSSS!!! Guess what!!!! I’m going to be writing another sci-fi series!!!!

I teamed up with one of my best friends and an amazing writer named Joanne Rendell and we recently sold a new sci-fi series to Simon Pulse (who is also publishing my upcoming contemporary novel, THE CHAOS OF STANDING STILL).

The series is called System Divine and it’s a futuristic “space opera” retelling of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (one of my favorite books and musicals!) The first book (coming in Spring 2019) will be called A SKY WITHOUT STARS. The second book, BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS will release in Spring 2020.

Check out the deal announcement below to find out more and SCROLL DOWN to see some fun pics of Joanne and I working and celebrating!

 

Nicole Ellul at Simon Pulse has bought, in a six-figure deal, A Sky Without Stars and Between Burning Worlds, the first two books in the System Divine Series by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell. The sci-fi novels, billed as Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles, are set on the French planet-colony of Laterre, where the fates of three teens from very different backgrounds intertwine amid the looming threat of revolution. Publication is slated for spring 2019 and spring 2020; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal for world rights.

 

Click here to see the rights report in PW’s Children’s Marketplace

PICS!

 

Filming an interview about the series (coming soon!)

Celebrating the sale of the book in NYC!

Off to our first editor meeting at the S&S offices!

Celebrating the deal announcement!

The work commences!

In brainstorming “space” (get it???)

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My New Middle Grade Novel: BETTER YOU THAN ME!

Hey all! I’m super excited to announce that I’ll be releasing another middle grade novel for readers 10 and up!

Coming in Fall 2018, look for….

BETTER YOU THAN ME

The cover will be revealed very soon (and spoiler alert: it’s pretty much the cutest thing I’ve ever seen like EVER!)

In the meantime, here is a quick snippet about the deal and the book!

Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought Jessica Brody‘s middle grade novel Better You Than Me, a Freaky Friday-like story of two girls – one who is a famous TV star, the other who is her obsessive fan – who switch bodies. It’s slated for fall 2018; Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management sold world English rights.

YUP! I WROTE A BODY SWAP STORY! I’ve always wanted to write one of these and this one was so much fun! I can’t wait for you to all read it in 2018!!!

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Descendants School of Secrets Book 3 Cover Revealed!

Hey Disney Descendants fans! So I’ve just emerged from the writing cave after finishing off book 4 of the School of Secrets series (WOOT!) And I discovered that (OMG!) Book 3’s release is right around the corner (on 2/28/17!) I was also ecstatic to discover that Disney had just revealed the AMAZING cover!!!

As you might know, the book is called ALLY’S MAD MYSTERY and it stars none other than Ally, the daughter of Alice in Wonderland! So I’m very excited to be sharing it with you all on my blog today! So without further ado, here’s Ally!

 

And why, yes, that is Jane on the cover next to her. “Why” you might ask. “Is Jane in the story, too?” Actually, she is! But you’ll have to read the book to find out what these two AKs are up to in this mad adventure!

Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies so I had a TON of fun telling Ally’s story. I even wrote it while sipping tea of out my special Alice in Wonderland tea cup! (Pictured below).

 

And in case you missed it in my YouTube video, here’s a picture of me (age 5!) with Alice herself!

If you missed my other two books in the School of Secrets series, be sure to check them out on my Descendants page here. 

And don’t forget, my tween novel ADDIE BELL’S SHORTCUT TO GROWING UP releases in a MONTH! Click here to read all about it!

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