Maggie Stiefvater's Blog: Maggie Stiefvater, page 394
June 26, 2011
Shiver Audiobook Available for Free Download
Audiosync has put up the Shiver Audiobook for free download (no strings attached) until June 29th. That's here.
It's no secret, of course, that the Linger audio is my favorite, partially because of the new voice talent for Cole, and I have interviews with both him and the voice for Sam in the Linger audiobook coming up next month. Which is in, like, four days.
Which means it's only two weeks until I drive cross country in the Shiver-mobile.
Eek.
It's no secret, of course, that the Linger audio is my favorite, partially because of the new voice talent for Cole, and I have interviews with both him and the voice for Sam in the Linger audiobook coming up next month. Which is in, like, four days.
Which means it's only two weeks until I drive cross country in the Shiver-mobile.
Eek.
June 22, 2011
In Which I Talk About Blood, Guts, the F-Bomb, & Your Mom
I have been thinking a lot about writing for readers in the past week.
This is for a couple of reasons. First of all, because I was on the This is Teen tour with Meg Cabot & Libba Bray and we got a lot of audience questions that set my brain going. And secondly, because I’m working on MagicalNovel (no, I cannot tell you anything about it, but I reckon you expected that) where guiding reader expectations has been a preoccupation of mine. And thirdly, because I have a very little time to write MagicalNovel before I leave on my Giant Road Trip Driving Tour for FOREVER, and that always makes me philosophize instead of working.
Anyway, a bunch of times on tour, I got asked by readers or interviewers if I changed my writing for teens, or for my readers in general. And my first response was to get all prickly and snarl in a bristly voice, just what do you mean by that? and then growl I have my integrity! and ultimately explode I WRITE FOR ME.
Of course, that was before I realized I was lying.
I didn’t mean to lie, of course, it’s just that I was interpreting the question in a rather filthier way than it really needed to be. In my head, the question became about chasing trends and putting in kissy scenes because you thought it would make the book sell better and making certain you followed a certain commercial formula.
And yeah, changing your writing for a perceived audience can mean those things, but it doesn’t have to mean only those things. Because the fact is, I am very aware of my audience when I write, and the more I think about it, the more I think every aspiring writer needs to be. In fact, I think you HAVE to think about how readers are going to interpret your words if you want the story in your head to be the same one they experience.
This was a big issue for me in THE SCORPIO RACES — actually, in LINGER, as well. Both Cole St. Clair and Sean Kendrick are characters who don’t lend themselves to instant sympathy: Cole because he is a massively self-involved jerk, and Sean because he’s remote, keeping people at an arm’s length. As the plot moves along, I reveal why they are the way they are, and that there is more to them than the first impression. But the reader doesn’t know that. At any moment, they could pitch the novel aside, disinterested in reading about these unsympathetic characters. This is where I realize that I think about readers a LOT. Especially when I have unsympathetic or difficult characters, I obsess about how readers are going to see them. I have to give my readers something to hang their hat on, some promise that they will later like this character, or another plot element to identify with while I buy myself some time to make that hard character softer.
Actually, I was chatting with my friend Carrie about plotting once, and she had a great way of putting it. She said that she always felt that an author started with a certain number of gimmee points, and every time you did something to shake the reader’s confidence, like a convenient plot element, you lost some points. Once the gimmee points were all used up, the book was tossed against the wall.
I have an imaginary list in my head of things that use gimmee points. Every element that might make a reader stumble: A tragic ending. A hard to pronounce name for the narrator. A character with a really unsympathetic past. Elvis impersonators. Intimidating number of pages. A cowardly main character. Gore. Swearing. Politically charged elements. Killing the dog. Unusual sentence structure, unfamiliar mythology, loads of place names, high body count.
Do I think that all of these things are fine things to put in a novel? Yes. Do I think that the inclusion of any of them will make the novel less universally loved? Yes. Do I think if you put in all of them, it's virtually only going to be loved by you and your mom? Yes.
This is the part where I have to say that I write mainstream fiction, not literary. This entire blog post is less relevant if you’re writing literary, which is full of readerly stumbling blocks for important reasons. I think it’s crucial, though, that you know which one you’re writing. (Somewhere recently I talked about expectations, and how lots of people write books with limited commercial appeal and then wonder why they aren’t smash bestsellers.) If you’re trying to write a novel with a broad readership, you need to know how many gimmee points you’ve used up. You have to choose your battles wisely. If you really want the tragic end, do you really need to strangle that character with his own intestines in chapter four? Do you really need to name your main character Peliphenorious?
Some writers might disagree, but I have no problem with changing Peliphenoriuous’s name to Bob, if it’s all the same to me, if I know that readers will prefer reading about someone named Bob. I also have no problem curbing a shockingingly gory scene if I want to preserve the reader’s good graces for the gory scene that I really want later in the book. I really don't mind taking out all the f-bombs if I think it will make the readers that I otherwise think will like my novel stumble. It's usually not about changing elements entirely — it’s about changing the way you write about it, to make it less of a bitter pill for the reader. And my point of compromise will not be another writer's point of compromise. The readers I imagine in my head for my novels might not be the readers you imagine in your head. Not everyone, for instance, wants to write books your mom will like.
I do.
I do have a problem with changing major plot elements to what readers want, because I have gone on record multiple times saying that readers know what they want but not what they need. The story has to stay mine, at its heart.
In the end, it does come back down to how an outside viewer is perceiving your book, which is why critique partners are so important to me. I need to know if I’m playing the balancing act well, convincing a reader to follow a difficult character or managing a contentious story element. I don’t think of it as compromising my stories, though. In fact, I think considering my readers’ feelings is what lets me tackle hard elements in my novels. Knowing they’re going to be a hard sell gives me the foreknowledge to package them in the most universally appealing way possible.
What do you think about this, as a reader or as a writer? Do you have an element that will always push you away from a book? Do you want the reader to be part of the writerly equation?
This is for a couple of reasons. First of all, because I was on the This is Teen tour with Meg Cabot & Libba Bray and we got a lot of audience questions that set my brain going. And secondly, because I’m working on MagicalNovel (no, I cannot tell you anything about it, but I reckon you expected that) where guiding reader expectations has been a preoccupation of mine. And thirdly, because I have a very little time to write MagicalNovel before I leave on my Giant Road Trip Driving Tour for FOREVER, and that always makes me philosophize instead of working.
Anyway, a bunch of times on tour, I got asked by readers or interviewers if I changed my writing for teens, or for my readers in general. And my first response was to get all prickly and snarl in a bristly voice, just what do you mean by that? and then growl I have my integrity! and ultimately explode I WRITE FOR ME.
Of course, that was before I realized I was lying.
I didn’t mean to lie, of course, it’s just that I was interpreting the question in a rather filthier way than it really needed to be. In my head, the question became about chasing trends and putting in kissy scenes because you thought it would make the book sell better and making certain you followed a certain commercial formula.
And yeah, changing your writing for a perceived audience can mean those things, but it doesn’t have to mean only those things. Because the fact is, I am very aware of my audience when I write, and the more I think about it, the more I think every aspiring writer needs to be. In fact, I think you HAVE to think about how readers are going to interpret your words if you want the story in your head to be the same one they experience.
This was a big issue for me in THE SCORPIO RACES — actually, in LINGER, as well. Both Cole St. Clair and Sean Kendrick are characters who don’t lend themselves to instant sympathy: Cole because he is a massively self-involved jerk, and Sean because he’s remote, keeping people at an arm’s length. As the plot moves along, I reveal why they are the way they are, and that there is more to them than the first impression. But the reader doesn’t know that. At any moment, they could pitch the novel aside, disinterested in reading about these unsympathetic characters. This is where I realize that I think about readers a LOT. Especially when I have unsympathetic or difficult characters, I obsess about how readers are going to see them. I have to give my readers something to hang their hat on, some promise that they will later like this character, or another plot element to identify with while I buy myself some time to make that hard character softer.
Actually, I was chatting with my friend Carrie about plotting once, and she had a great way of putting it. She said that she always felt that an author started with a certain number of gimmee points, and every time you did something to shake the reader’s confidence, like a convenient plot element, you lost some points. Once the gimmee points were all used up, the book was tossed against the wall.
I have an imaginary list in my head of things that use gimmee points. Every element that might make a reader stumble: A tragic ending. A hard to pronounce name for the narrator. A character with a really unsympathetic past. Elvis impersonators. Intimidating number of pages. A cowardly main character. Gore. Swearing. Politically charged elements. Killing the dog. Unusual sentence structure, unfamiliar mythology, loads of place names, high body count.
Do I think that all of these things are fine things to put in a novel? Yes. Do I think that the inclusion of any of them will make the novel less universally loved? Yes. Do I think if you put in all of them, it's virtually only going to be loved by you and your mom? Yes.
This is the part where I have to say that I write mainstream fiction, not literary. This entire blog post is less relevant if you’re writing literary, which is full of readerly stumbling blocks for important reasons. I think it’s crucial, though, that you know which one you’re writing. (Somewhere recently I talked about expectations, and how lots of people write books with limited commercial appeal and then wonder why they aren’t smash bestsellers.) If you’re trying to write a novel with a broad readership, you need to know how many gimmee points you’ve used up. You have to choose your battles wisely. If you really want the tragic end, do you really need to strangle that character with his own intestines in chapter four? Do you really need to name your main character Peliphenorious?
Some writers might disagree, but I have no problem with changing Peliphenoriuous’s name to Bob, if it’s all the same to me, if I know that readers will prefer reading about someone named Bob. I also have no problem curbing a shockingingly gory scene if I want to preserve the reader’s good graces for the gory scene that I really want later in the book. I really don't mind taking out all the f-bombs if I think it will make the readers that I otherwise think will like my novel stumble. It's usually not about changing elements entirely — it’s about changing the way you write about it, to make it less of a bitter pill for the reader. And my point of compromise will not be another writer's point of compromise. The readers I imagine in my head for my novels might not be the readers you imagine in your head. Not everyone, for instance, wants to write books your mom will like.
I do.
I do have a problem with changing major plot elements to what readers want, because I have gone on record multiple times saying that readers know what they want but not what they need. The story has to stay mine, at its heart.
In the end, it does come back down to how an outside viewer is perceiving your book, which is why critique partners are so important to me. I need to know if I’m playing the balancing act well, convincing a reader to follow a difficult character or managing a contentious story element. I don’t think of it as compromising my stories, though. In fact, I think considering my readers’ feelings is what lets me tackle hard elements in my novels. Knowing they’re going to be a hard sell gives me the foreknowledge to package them in the most universally appealing way possible.
What do you think about this, as a reader or as a writer? Do you have an element that will always push you away from a book? Do you want the reader to be part of the writerly equation?
June 21, 2011
Winners of the Wolves of Mercy Falls Art Contest
I'm happy to be able to share with you the winners of the Wolves of Mercy Falls art contest. Thanks to EVERYBODY for entering and thanks to my secret family member and friend who judged. Thanks to everyone for giving me permission to share your art, too. Without further ado, the fifteen winners, in no particular order. (click to go to the artist's blog or site).
There were so many amazing things to choose from — songs written and dances choreographed and scenes acted out and passages illustrated and .. . . it was just awesome, guys. I know what it's like to be one of the entries not chosen in things like this, and I want to emphasize that I loved looking at all of them, and I'm really so glad I didn't have to choose between them. Keep arting.
The Golden Woods from Katherine Robson on Vimeo.
I think I feel a goal assessment post coming on, by the way, now that it's halfway through the year. Just warning you.
There were so many amazing things to choose from — songs written and dances choreographed and scenes acted out and passages illustrated and .. . . it was just awesome, guys. I know what it's like to be one of the entries not chosen in things like this, and I want to emphasize that I loved looking at all of them, and I'm really so glad I didn't have to choose between them. Keep arting.
The Golden Woods from Katherine Robson on Vimeo.
I think I feel a goal assessment post coming on, by the way, now that it's halfway through the year. Just warning you.
June 18, 2011
FOREVER Art Contest Winners!
It is the 18th and I'm finally back from This is Teen (wrap up to come on that!) and so it is time to announce the winners of the FOREVER art contest. We had 72 entries, and I was very happy that I managed to recruit a family member and friend to judge this for me, because if it had been up to me, I would've never been able to pick. I looked at every one of them and was blown away by the creativity, the hours of labor, and the sheer affection for the novels that I saw. THANK YOU to everyone for sharing that with me. I wish I had ARCs to give to everyone.
Now, I know I said I was going to give away three ARCs but I scrounged around my house and found 15, so we are going to have 15 winners instead. If you're one of them, shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address so I can send you your copy of FOREVER! If you're interested in letting me feature your winning piece on the blog, let me know.
And now, in no particular order!
PipAnimation
Miss Page-Turner
tanianault
bamboozerz
Taylor Ackerman
Cristina Escalante
Chelsea Pro
Katherine (Dreamingofrain)
Cim (chaex1)
Bandana1
Greta is Erikasbuddy
Rina (icklefruit)
Kusanar
MaeganisaWizard
kyo31
PLEASE email me by the 24th, or I will have to award your ARC to another winner. Congrats to all and THANK YOU AGAIN!
Now, I know I said I was going to give away three ARCs but I scrounged around my house and found 15, so we are going to have 15 winners instead. If you're one of them, shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address so I can send you your copy of FOREVER! If you're interested in letting me feature your winning piece on the blog, let me know.
And now, in no particular order!
PipAnimation
Miss Page-Turner
tanianault
bamboozerz
Taylor Ackerman
Cristina Escalante
Chelsea Pro
Katherine (Dreamingofrain)
Cim (chaex1)
Bandana1
Greta is Erikasbuddy
Rina (icklefruit)
Kusanar
MaeganisaWizard
kyo31
PLEASE email me by the 24th, or I will have to award your ARC to another winner. Congrats to all and THANK YOU AGAIN!
June 15, 2011
Maggies are Not Good House Pets
I have had 10 cups of tea. I have a This is Teen event in Chicago later this evening. I am not good at waiting in hotel rooms.
June 11, 2011
The Giant Maggie Appearances List - Updates
All right, this is going to be a monster of a post, and if you are totally disinterested in coming to see me at a bookstore or library or random popsicle stand, I apologize. Because what this is is an updated list of every place that I'm scheduled to be in 2011 at the moment, ESPECIALLY for my Giant Road Trip Tour for FOREVER in July and my This is Teen with Meg Cabot and Libba Bray (those four events are in blue) (only because I read somewhere that blue is calming).Just yesterday I was telling someone I felt like my summer and fall was going to be insane, and that I felt like I'd never be home. Then I did the math (I was a history major, so my version of math involves me opening a calendar and laboriously counting each day by hand) and discovered that, indeed, I only had 90 days left in 2011 that I would be home. Thank goodness I'm taking my kids on some of my trips, and Lover on others, and my car on still others. The only things I'll miss are the dogs and the cookie dough.
This is what happens when you drive all over the world to have Capers and Shenanigans.
And here is where those Capers and Shenanigans will be happening. (full list is always updated first on Facebook).
Monday, June 13 — 7:00 PM
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
601 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA
Wednesday, June 15 · 7:00pm
Anderson's BookshopWentz Hall - North Central CollegeNaperville, IL
630-355-2665
Thursday, June 16 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Wellesley BooksWellesley Middle School, 50 Kingsbury StreetWellesley, Massachusetts
781-431-1160
Tuesday, July 12th—7 PMB&N 2238: Tyson’s Corner
7851 L Tyson's Corner Center
McLean, VA 22102
For more information call: (703) 506-2937
** Will be raffling a Sharpie Guitar at this event - Also, live music by Sulaiman Azimi **
Wednesday, July 13th—12-1 PM
Children’s Book World
17 Station Road
Haverford, PA 19041
For more information call: (610) 642-6274
Thursday, July 14th—7 PM
Barnes & Noble 2908: Dewitt
3454 Erie Boulevard East
Dewitt, NY 13214
For more information call: (315) 449-2948
Saturday, July 16th—12:00 PM
Chapters Oshawa
419 King Street West, Unit #1135
Oshawa, Ontario
L1J 2K5
Canada
For more information call: (905) 438-8593
Saturday, July 16th—6:00 PM
Indigo Yorkdale
3401 Dufferin Street Unit #29
Toronto, Ontario
M6A 2T9
Canada
For more information call: (416) 781-6660
Sunday, July 17th—2 PMChapters South London
1037 Wellington Road,
London, Ontario
N6E 1W4
Canada
For more information call: (519) 685-1008
**There will also be a Sharpie guitar given away at this event! (details to come)**
Monday, July 18th—7 PM
Borders Novi
43075 Crescent Blvd
Novi, MI
For more information call: 248-347-0780
Tuesday, July 19th—7 PM
Anderson’s Bookshop
123 West Jefferson
Naperville, IL 60540
For more information call: 630-355-2665
Wednesday, July 20th—7 PM
Barnes & Noble 2720
7433 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53717
For more information call: 608-827-0809
Saturday, July 23 · 7:00pm
Books & Books265 Aragon AvenueCoral Gables, FL
305-442-4408
Monday, July 25th—2 PM
Dakota County Wentworth Library (hosted by Red Balloon Bookshop)
199 East Wentworth Ave
West St. Paul, MN 55118
Please contact Red Balloon Bookshop with questions: 651-224-8320
Monday, July 25th—6 PM
Wild Rumpus
2720 W 43rd St
Minneapolis, MN 55410
For more information call: 612-920-5005
Wednesday, July 27th—7 PM
Unity Temple on The Plaza (hosted by Rainy Day Books)
707 W. 47th Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
Please contact Rainy Day Books with questions: 913-384-3126
Thursday, July 28th—7 PM
Pudd’n Head Books
37 South Old Orchard Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63119
For more information call: (314) 918-1069
Sunday, July 31st—3 PM
Nashville Public Library
615 Church Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37219
For more information call: 615-862-5800
Monday, August 1st—7 PM
Little Shop of Stories
133A East Court Square
Decatur, Georgia 30030
For more information call: 404-373-6300
Tuesday, August 2nd—5 PM
Quail Ridge Books & Music
3522 Wade Ave
Raleigh NC 27607
For more information call: 919-828-7912
Friday, August 5th—7 PM
The College of William & Mary Bookstore
345 Duke of Gloucester Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185
For more information call: 757-253-4900
AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 10
Australia dates to come. I'll be at the Melbourne Writers' Festival, Brisbane Writers' Festival, and it also looks like I might be in Perth and Sydney to boot.
Week of September 12th.
Germany! I don't have locations yet, but will update when I do!
October
A few dates (west coasters, take heart!) being firmed up
November
UK!! Second week, details to come.
June 8, 2011
June 7, 2011
Duh duh DUH
Look what came in the mail! It matches my lips. Also, my tongue. Also, my head is really big? I can't believe it's almost here.
June 3, 2011
The FOREVER Contest is Dead, Long Live the Contest
So I have winners from the Facebook and Twitter FOREVER contests! And I have one last one to announce, running until the 18th of June.
First of all, here are the winners of the last contest:
The twitter winner: @xox_eziii_xox
The facebook winner: Rae Lutsky
And now, the new (last!) contest. Three lucky winners will each get a signed ARC of FOREVER. However, since the last one was easy, this one is hard.
It's a Wolves of Mercy Falls art contest. Any sort of art is acceptable — photo, computer, hand-drawn, paper cut out, play-doh, singing a song, doing a dance, throwing an impromptu Shiver skit on the steps of Town Hall and video-taping it — BUT it must have zippo copyright infringements. That means if you use anyone else's photos or material, they must be available through Creative Commons (and no, I will not explain Creative Commons. You should google it, because everyone should be familiar with it). You may quote lines from the book. But, it means if you were thinking of re-doing the cover with M&M's on your kitchen floor, you should reconsider and do something original. Well, actually, that might be cool . . .
This is NOT a random contest, it is a judged one (though possibly not by me. I might ask one of my friends who will not be biased in any way).
1. To enter, the art has to be visible to third parties. That means it has to be on a public blog (like Blogger, Livejournal, etc.) or on DeviantArt or something like that. Facebook and Twitter don't count on this one.
2. Somehow label that sucker as art inspired by the books — if you want to link back here, that's cool, or to the books, doubly cool, but you don't have to.
3. Then go to this website and post the link for where the judge can see it: https://contestmachine.com/hosted/promotion/QOCDWZMACR
DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY AS A COMMENT TO THIS BLOG
I feel I have to make that large and black. Otherwise I always have to end up disabling comments and people don't know how to ask questions then.
Okay, what else? Because of publishers' ARC rules, it is international, but ONLY if you have a U.S. address for me to ship to. It runs through June 18th, 9:15 a.m. EST.
Go!
First of all, here are the winners of the last contest:
The twitter winner: @xox_eziii_xox
The facebook winner: Rae Lutsky
And now, the new (last!) contest. Three lucky winners will each get a signed ARC of FOREVER. However, since the last one was easy, this one is hard.
It's a Wolves of Mercy Falls art contest. Any sort of art is acceptable — photo, computer, hand-drawn, paper cut out, play-doh, singing a song, doing a dance, throwing an impromptu Shiver skit on the steps of Town Hall and video-taping it — BUT it must have zippo copyright infringements. That means if you use anyone else's photos or material, they must be available through Creative Commons (and no, I will not explain Creative Commons. You should google it, because everyone should be familiar with it). You may quote lines from the book. But, it means if you were thinking of re-doing the cover with M&M's on your kitchen floor, you should reconsider and do something original. Well, actually, that might be cool . . .
This is NOT a random contest, it is a judged one (though possibly not by me. I might ask one of my friends who will not be biased in any way).
1. To enter, the art has to be visible to third parties. That means it has to be on a public blog (like Blogger, Livejournal, etc.) or on DeviantArt or something like that. Facebook and Twitter don't count on this one.
2. Somehow label that sucker as art inspired by the books — if you want to link back here, that's cool, or to the books, doubly cool, but you don't have to.
3. Then go to this website and post the link for where the judge can see it: https://contestmachine.com/hosted/promotion/QOCDWZMACR
DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY AS A COMMENT TO THIS BLOG
I feel I have to make that large and black. Otherwise I always have to end up disabling comments and people don't know how to ask questions then.
Okay, what else? Because of publishers' ARC rules, it is international, but ONLY if you have a U.S. address for me to ship to. It runs through June 18th, 9:15 a.m. EST.
Go!
June 2, 2011
How To Sharpie a Guitar (In Just Under Four Minutes)
This video is the camcorder disaster of which I spoke on Twitter last night. Technical problems too long and boring to relay plagued the making of this video, but finally, it is done.
This summer, as I have mentioned before, I am going on tour in July for FOREVER, in my car, (blue)Loki. It is a 3,700 mile trip of splendor (no, really, it is, check out the map)(all of the appearances are listed here).
In an effort to thank my readers for coming sometimes considerable distances to see me, I'm applying my Sharpie markers to two guitars and raffling them away at two of the locations. One of them will definitely be at the launch in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. The other will almost certainly be at one of the Canada appearances.
Anyway, the wonders of technology means that as I sat down yesterday to Sharpie one of the guitars, I set up a video camera. And now I shall make it look like you, too, can do it in four minutes.
That's a lyric from FOREVER on it, by the way.
Now, I am getting away from my blog because I have blogged 24 times in the last 3 days, or at least that's what it feels like. Away, away, away!
This summer, as I have mentioned before, I am going on tour in July for FOREVER, in my car, (blue)Loki. It is a 3,700 mile trip of splendor (no, really, it is, check out the map)(all of the appearances are listed here).In an effort to thank my readers for coming sometimes considerable distances to see me, I'm applying my Sharpie markers to two guitars and raffling them away at two of the locations. One of them will definitely be at the launch in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. The other will almost certainly be at one of the Canada appearances.
Anyway, the wonders of technology means that as I sat down yesterday to Sharpie one of the guitars, I set up a video camera. And now I shall make it look like you, too, can do it in four minutes.
That's a lyric from FOREVER on it, by the way.
Now, I am getting away from my blog because I have blogged 24 times in the last 3 days, or at least that's what it feels like. Away, away, away!
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