Jennifer R. Hubbard's Blog, page 72
August 12, 2012
August 11, 2012
Blooming
Today, the best I can offer you is the words of others:
"Promotion is hard. Let's eat donuts," from Seanan McGuire (via Jon Gibbs). The next time I see people asking, "How can writers promote their books?" I should just point them there.
Then there's Careann's Musings on blooming where we're planted and writing whether or not conditions are ideal. (Hint: They are never ideal.) A sample: "We postpone our efforts, believing we’ll have more time to write that novel after the children are grown and away at school, or when we retire ... We rationalize that we need to be free of distractions, demands or other commitments ..."
"Promotion is hard. Let's eat donuts," from Seanan McGuire (via Jon Gibbs). The next time I see people asking, "How can writers promote their books?" I should just point them there.
Then there's Careann's Musings on blooming where we're planted and writing whether or not conditions are ideal. (Hint: They are never ideal.) A sample: "We postpone our efforts, believing we’ll have more time to write that novel after the children are grown and away at school, or when we retire ... We rationalize that we need to be free of distractions, demands or other commitments ..."
August 9, 2012
Skip it or show it?
I've been thinking about a book in which a Big Event happened that was not really part of the book's action. The book was about the characters reacting to it, but we never got inside the Big Event, not even in flashback. Which reminds me of another book in which the biggest events--including some romance and a death--all happened offstage. We only saw the characters in scenes before and after these events. To put it in a way that Seinfeld fans will recognize, the author yadda-yadda'ed over the Big Events. I felt like I'd ordered a sandwich and got nothing but bread and a scrap of lettuce.
On the other hand, May Sarton used the writing-between-the-Big-Events technique very well in her novel The Small Room. And many people (me included) think that the movie Jaws was at its best when we didn't quite see the shark.
Generally, it's best to plunge right into Big Events, to give them center stage in our books. They're likely to be the most important and interesting scenes. It takes skill to write around a Big Event without seeming coy, or putting the reader to sleep, or risking book-flinging frustration. On rare occasions, it's best for us not to see the Big Event, but only to feel its presence looming behind us, its fangs dripping onto our shoulders.
Bonus links today! Kimberly Sabatini over at YA Outside the Lines blogged about when to indulge in online venting (and when not to, of course) ... some of the most sensible guidelines I've seen.
And Sarah Rees Brennan blogged about the women behind the Nancy Drew series. Hint: They were kind of awesome, especially when speaking in dialogue imagined by Sarah Rees Brennan. And it also becomes clear why Nancy never got all gushy over Ned Nickerson.
On the other hand, May Sarton used the writing-between-the-Big-Events technique very well in her novel The Small Room. And many people (me included) think that the movie Jaws was at its best when we didn't quite see the shark.
Generally, it's best to plunge right into Big Events, to give them center stage in our books. They're likely to be the most important and interesting scenes. It takes skill to write around a Big Event without seeming coy, or putting the reader to sleep, or risking book-flinging frustration. On rare occasions, it's best for us not to see the Big Event, but only to feel its presence looming behind us, its fangs dripping onto our shoulders.
Bonus links today! Kimberly Sabatini over at YA Outside the Lines blogged about when to indulge in online venting (and when not to, of course) ... some of the most sensible guidelines I've seen.
And Sarah Rees Brennan blogged about the women behind the Nancy Drew series. Hint: They were kind of awesome, especially when speaking in dialogue imagined by Sarah Rees Brennan. And it also becomes clear why Nancy never got all gushy over Ned Nickerson.
August 7, 2012
Fun with excuses
Bloggers often return from a hiatus with explanations and apologies, the most common being, "I was so busy;" the second most common being, "I didn't know what to say." Even though I believe bloggers don't owe anyone explanations (unless they're blogging for paying subscribers), I thought it might be useful, or at least amusing, to compile a handy-dandy list of ready-made excuses. You're welcome!
--I've been fighting crime. Also, I never should've picked a cape that's "dry clean only."
--I've been creating new recipes to use up bread heels and carrot tops.
--I've been prying ink out of the closed letters on my typewriter. Oops, that one's obsolete.
--I have been training my cat to use the vacuum cleaner. I think he's almost got it.
--I've been discovering the meaning of life. I wish I could tell you what it was, but--I KNEW I should've written it down!
--I've been grooming my toenails.
--I just got back from an expedition to search for the lost continent of Atlantis.
Feel free to use any of these, or add your own.
On a side note, I'll mention two blog interviews I've done recently: At Read is the New Black, where I discuss some of the research that went into my books, as well as New England's iconic Mount Tom; and at We Have Words, where the Beatles and The Breakfast Club make cameo appearances.
--I've been fighting crime. Also, I never should've picked a cape that's "dry clean only."
--I've been creating new recipes to use up bread heels and carrot tops.
--I've been prying ink out of the closed letters on my typewriter. Oops, that one's obsolete.
--I have been training my cat to use the vacuum cleaner. I think he's almost got it.
--I've been discovering the meaning of life. I wish I could tell you what it was, but--I KNEW I should've written it down!
--I've been grooming my toenails.
--I just got back from an expedition to search for the lost continent of Atlantis.
Feel free to use any of these, or add your own.
On a side note, I'll mention two blog interviews I've done recently: At Read is the New Black, where I discuss some of the research that went into my books, as well as New England's iconic Mount Tom; and at We Have Words, where the Beatles and The Breakfast Club make cameo appearances.
August 5, 2012
Expect the unexpected
The other day, I was walking past a bus stop. A woman stood there, waiting for a bus. And then she took out a bottle of soap-bubble mix and blew some bubbles.
Naturally, my writer's mind started wondering how I could work this into a story. But part of me just loves it for the vignette that it is.
Books delight me when they do this, also. I'll be reading along, thinking I know exactly where the story is going. Woman at a bus stop, okay, nothing unusual there. Then she starts blowing soap bubbles, and I'm enchanted. In a story, she has to have a reason to blow bubbles, and it has to mean something. It can't just be random. But it's refreshing. If your characters are all just standing around waiting for buses, can you find a way to have them blow bubbles?
Naturally, my writer's mind started wondering how I could work this into a story. But part of me just loves it for the vignette that it is.
Books delight me when they do this, also. I'll be reading along, thinking I know exactly where the story is going. Woman at a bus stop, okay, nothing unusual there. Then she starts blowing soap bubbles, and I'm enchanted. In a story, she has to have a reason to blow bubbles, and it has to mean something. It can't just be random. But it's refreshing. If your characters are all just standing around waiting for buses, can you find a way to have them blow bubbles?
August 3, 2012
What writers observe
It's that season when I can hear the buzzing of cicadas, the chirping of crickets. They form the constant soundtrack of mid- and late summer, and one of the many things I dislike about air conditioning is that it cuts me off from that song.
I mentioned the cicadas and crickets many times in Try Not to Breathe. Much of that book takes place outdoors in August, and that sound was a part of the setting as real and vivid to me as any sight or scent. Perhaps even more so, because when I think of August, I think of two things. The first is heat, and the second is the songs of crickets and cicadas.
Through writing and publishing, I've become aware of just how much attention I pay to the natural world (at least, as natural as I can get where I live). My books are full of weather and seasons, insects and plants and fungi, mud and rock, even though none of my characters live in the wilderness. It's in my writing because it's part of my life. I'm always looking at the plants and soil and weather around me. When I was in Italy, I looked closely not only at the fountains and the ruins, but also at the umbrella pines and the wildflowers. "They have dandelions here, too," I remember thinking, because that is the kind of thing I pay attention to, and unsurprisingly, a lot of my characters pay attention to those things also. Even though I am coming to realize that not many US visitors to Italy notice whether there are dandelions there, or care if they do notice.
We all have these little--well, not quirks, but it's the best word I can think of now. But we all look at the world in a certain way, and one nice thing about writing is that it lets us share our particular focus and viewpoint. I get a kick out of the fact that the leaves of trembling aspen really do tremble, and that some sassafras leaves look like mittens. It's part of my worldview, and including such things is part of what makes my writing mine. What do you notice that flavors your voice and makes it yours?
Bonus links:
This photo of a bridge in Iceland sparks my imagination. It could even serve as a writing prompt.
Here's an awesome writing contest for new writers who would like to place a YA short story in an anthology. As editor Saundra Mitchell says: "And while the prize is open to all ages, it is limited to authors who have NOT made more than $2000 in publication, under this name or any pseud."
On Saturday, August 4, there will be a big YA author festival, aptly named YA Fest, in Easton, PA.
I mentioned the cicadas and crickets many times in Try Not to Breathe. Much of that book takes place outdoors in August, and that sound was a part of the setting as real and vivid to me as any sight or scent. Perhaps even more so, because when I think of August, I think of two things. The first is heat, and the second is the songs of crickets and cicadas.
Through writing and publishing, I've become aware of just how much attention I pay to the natural world (at least, as natural as I can get where I live). My books are full of weather and seasons, insects and plants and fungi, mud and rock, even though none of my characters live in the wilderness. It's in my writing because it's part of my life. I'm always looking at the plants and soil and weather around me. When I was in Italy, I looked closely not only at the fountains and the ruins, but also at the umbrella pines and the wildflowers. "They have dandelions here, too," I remember thinking, because that is the kind of thing I pay attention to, and unsurprisingly, a lot of my characters pay attention to those things also. Even though I am coming to realize that not many US visitors to Italy notice whether there are dandelions there, or care if they do notice.
We all have these little--well, not quirks, but it's the best word I can think of now. But we all look at the world in a certain way, and one nice thing about writing is that it lets us share our particular focus and viewpoint. I get a kick out of the fact that the leaves of trembling aspen really do tremble, and that some sassafras leaves look like mittens. It's part of my worldview, and including such things is part of what makes my writing mine. What do you notice that flavors your voice and makes it yours?
Bonus links:
This photo of a bridge in Iceland sparks my imagination. It could even serve as a writing prompt.
Here's an awesome writing contest for new writers who would like to place a YA short story in an anthology. As editor Saundra Mitchell says: "And while the prize is open to all ages, it is limited to authors who have NOT made more than $2000 in publication, under this name or any pseud."
On Saturday, August 4, there will be a big YA author festival, aptly named YA Fest, in Easton, PA.
July 31, 2012
The comfort of books
Sometimes, there's nothing as comforting as a good book, especially one you've read before. Maybe you curl up on the couch with it, stretch out in a hammock, lie in the grass, or take to your bed with the down comforter. The world of the book is familiar, somehow right. The outer world, with its insoluble problems, its injustices, its unpredictability, stops for a while. In the world of the book, the characters go where they must, and reach their destinies--again. And if reaching the end is too sad a thing to do, we can always turn back and start at page 1 again.
Happy reading.
Happy reading.
July 29, 2012
Summer happenings
I've spent the weekend mostly at real-life events, with real-life friends, enjoying the summer. My current writing project is at the stage where I have to think about it a lot but can't say much about it.
If you'd like to visit a virtual summer camp for readers of YA, Eve's Fan Garden is hosting one this week. It's a week of special features, events, giveaways, etc. You can find the Eve's Fan Garden summer camp here.
If you like live events, next Saturday, August 4, is YA Fest in Easton, PA, featuring 35 authors, panels, a raffle, and a performance of Josh Berk's "MasterBerk Theatre!"
If you'd like to visit a virtual summer camp for readers of YA, Eve's Fan Garden is hosting one this week. It's a week of special features, events, giveaways, etc. You can find the Eve's Fan Garden summer camp here.
If you like live events, next Saturday, August 4, is YA Fest in Easton, PA, featuring 35 authors, panels, a raffle, and a performance of Josh Berk's "MasterBerk Theatre!"
July 26, 2012
Give it time
Becky Levine wrote a fantastic post on dealing with feedback. As she says, "Don’t always assume your initial reaction to a critique comment is going to be your final reaction."
It's been my experience, too, that while some critique comments instantly make sense, immediately spark me to revise, others take more time. One of my least favorite experiences as a writer is facing feedback that I don't know how to respond to. Seeing that something isn't working, but not knowing how to fix it. As Becky says, sometimes we just have to give it time.
Part of being a writer is knowing when to back away from a project and let some deep part of our brains work away at the story for a while. Knowing when to wait. Knowing when to open our minds and consider other possibilities, other angles.
It's been my experience, too, that while some critique comments instantly make sense, immediately spark me to revise, others take more time. One of my least favorite experiences as a writer is facing feedback that I don't know how to respond to. Seeing that something isn't working, but not knowing how to fix it. As Becky says, sometimes we just have to give it time.
Part of being a writer is knowing when to back away from a project and let some deep part of our brains work away at the story for a while. Knowing when to wait. Knowing when to open our minds and consider other possibilities, other angles.
July 24, 2012
Inspiration
I love this quotation, from Archibald MacLeish's poem "Speech to a Crowd:"
"The world was always yours: you would not take it."
It has always been a reminder to me not to wait too long, hold back too much, be too afraid of risks. I thought of this line often while writing Try Not to Breathe--especially with respect to the main character, Ryan. I even toyed with the idea of including the quote at the front of my book.
When I finally found the whole poem (it's the last poem on this page), I discovered that the context is rather different from what I'd imagined; it's about casting off what the narrator sees as the delusions of religions and the supernatural. While a person of faith myself, I have not the slightest interest in pushing others either toward or away from religion; decide for yourself and make of it what you will. But in a larger sense, that last line still speaks to me of carpe diem. Those are amazing words.
Elsewhere in the inspiration department, I saw a picture of an intriguing sculpture called "Freedom" on the blog of
athgarvan
. Commenters on that blog identified the work and the artist, and you can see other views of it at sculptor Zeno Frudakis's website and the blog My Modern Met.
What really amused me was that even though
athgarvan
blogs from Ireland, the sculpture of "Freedom" is located in Philadelphia, my very own stomping grounds. It's even in an area where I've spent a lot of time (the neighborhood of Magee Hospital). And so, in the past few days, reintroduced to my own backyard by a blogger on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, I visited the sculpture in person. I was fascinated to find that, apart from the big figures you can see in the photos, there are also faces, body parts, and objects peeking out of the backdrop piece, including the artist's hands holding a sculpting tool.
That's one thing I love about Philadelphia: even though I've lived here for years, I'm still finding new things, without having to venture far afield.
The world is yours. Take it.
"The world was always yours: you would not take it."
It has always been a reminder to me not to wait too long, hold back too much, be too afraid of risks. I thought of this line often while writing Try Not to Breathe--especially with respect to the main character, Ryan. I even toyed with the idea of including the quote at the front of my book.
When I finally found the whole poem (it's the last poem on this page), I discovered that the context is rather different from what I'd imagined; it's about casting off what the narrator sees as the delusions of religions and the supernatural. While a person of faith myself, I have not the slightest interest in pushing others either toward or away from religion; decide for yourself and make of it what you will. But in a larger sense, that last line still speaks to me of carpe diem. Those are amazing words.
Elsewhere in the inspiration department, I saw a picture of an intriguing sculpture called "Freedom" on the blog of
athgarvan
. Commenters on that blog identified the work and the artist, and you can see other views of it at sculptor Zeno Frudakis's website and the blog My Modern Met.What really amused me was that even though
athgarvan
blogs from Ireland, the sculpture of "Freedom" is located in Philadelphia, my very own stomping grounds. It's even in an area where I've spent a lot of time (the neighborhood of Magee Hospital). And so, in the past few days, reintroduced to my own backyard by a blogger on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, I visited the sculpture in person. I was fascinated to find that, apart from the big figures you can see in the photos, there are also faces, body parts, and objects peeking out of the backdrop piece, including the artist's hands holding a sculpting tool.That's one thing I love about Philadelphia: even though I've lived here for years, I'm still finding new things, without having to venture far afield.
The world is yours. Take it.
