Janette Rallison's Blog, page 35
November 13, 2012
The question I haven't been asked, and the question that still makes me think
I was hoping to announce a new (well, rewritten) ebook, but that's still a couple days away, so I'm putting up a question I just answered on the Much Cheaper than Therapy blog.
My old writing teacher asked me: What question has no one ever asked you that you wish they would.
I should have come up with something funny. For example, I wish someone would ask me, "How come you look so much like Angelina Jolie?" Sadly, no one has ever asked me that. But the thing was, I'd gotten a question that I still think about, so I wrote about that instead.
After sixteen years of publishing, I think I’ve been asked just about every question there is about writing. At conferences people ask about agents, editors, and revisions. Bloggers ask about the writing process, how book ideas happened, and what’s next on the horizon. The really interesting questions come during school visits because kids will ask any and every question that pops into their mind. What is your favorite color? What did you eat for breakfast this morning? How much money do you make?
The question I’ve never been asked is: Is it all worth it? I suppose everyone thinks they already know the answer to this question. The aspiring writers are sure it is, the bloggers are glad it is, and many of the students--when they realize how much money I make--are sure it isn’t. (The first boy who asked me how much money I made pondered my answer and then said, “So, writing is really more of a hobby than a career.” It was back then, now it isn’t.)
Perhaps the best answer to the Is-it-all-worth-it question is: “If you want to know if you’re really a writer, try and stop.” That pretty much sums up life for the avid writer. We’ll write whether it’s a hobby or a career.
The question that surprised me and still haunts me sometimes, came from a young girl during one of my school visits. She couldn’t have had the wisdom or prescience to realize what she was asking when she said, “Have you ever written anything that you regret writing?”
At that moment I thought of every book I’d ever written and the millions of children who have read them. I thought of how books affected me as a child. Some made me want to be a better person, some expanded my mind, some comforted me, others influenced me to do things I shouldn’t have. Books are that powerful. You can’t step into a main character’s skin, live their story, think their thoughts, and not be affected somehow. Authors are kidding themselves if they think they can step away from that privilege and responsibility.
Standing in that school auditorium, I thought of the story ideas, plot outlines, and random chapters I have on my computer in my Possible Manuscripts folder. A lot of those story ideas are really good. Some of them might not have the best affect on readers though. I vacillate whether I should ever write those books. On one hand, I as an author want to go on those journeys, to give life to those characters, and experience their stories with them. And doesn’t an author need to be true to a story no matter where it goes or what paths it takes the characters on? Who am I to censor creation?
It’s not the fault of Batman’s writers that some psycho dressed up as the Joker and shot up a movie theater. It’s not Stephenie Meyer’s fault if some misguided folks try to be vampires, or Footloose’s writers fault that teens died recreating car stunt shown in the movie. People are born with common sense and should use it.
But once you publish a book, once it’s out in the world of sale and resale, it never goes away. You can’t ever take back what you’ve written. You can’t add disclaimers. No matter what common sense dictates, readers don’t even seem to fully realize that everything a character says or does isn’t condoned by the author. I’ve had people order food for me because I wrote that my main character liked that food.
The books I have out now are fun, romantic comedies and adventures. I write about good characters making mostly good choices. The others stories are still safely tucked away. For now at least, they’ll stay that way.
That's when I looked the girl in the eyes and told her there were books I wish I’d written better, but I didn’t regret anything I’d written.
November 6, 2012
Tourist sites: the good, the bad, and the creepy
I just got back from Disneyland and it's made me think about tourist sites in general and why we pack up our suitcases, pull out our wallets, and head off to see things. Some places are definitely worth the trouble, others, not so much. Here are a list of good and bad tourist sites.
On the good list: Any mountain range. Mountains are beautiful, peaceful, and make for good hiking. As an added benefit you don't have to stand in line to see them.
On the creepy list: Mount Rushmore. I'm patriotic and all, but who thought four gigantic heads that stare down at people was a good use of funds or sculpting talent? They're watching you, and they don't look pleased . . .
On the good list: The beach. Nothing is more relaxing than enjoying the waves on a floaty raft. That's the ultimate in vacation time. Here's a picture of Techno Bob and I on our 25th anniversary.
On the bad list: New York Times Square. According to Travel and Leisure Magazine this is the world's most popular travel spot with nearly 40 million visitors a year. I've been to New York and I think Travel and Leisure Magazine may have gotten it wrong . About 20 million of those people were lost in New York's corn-maze-like streets and just wound up there as angry taxi drivers honked impatiently at them.
On the good list: The Lincoln Memorial. It's not only been immortalized by the back of the penny (as a child I was convinced the trolley from the Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was really the thing on the penny) it's majestic at night when it's glowing in light, it's free, and the roof makes a darn good place to toss a character off of, if you happen to be an author. (Slayers 2, coming out 2013)
On the bad list: The Washington Monument. Okay, what is this thing supposed to be? How does a a really tall, skinny, useless building honor George Washington? Did anyone ask him about this design? Maybe he would have liked a nice statue with him on his horse instead. And am I the only one who looks at this structure and wants to play an areal game of ring toss? On the plus side, it makes a good place for flying characters to zoom around as they try to evade each other. (Again, a Slayers 2 scene.)
On the good list: The National Natural History Museum. You get to learn interesting stuff, covet precious gems, see frightening looking fish that lurk in the dark parts of the ocean--something for everyone. Plus, again it's a good place to set a scene for a book. Do you notice a Slayers 2 theme?
On the creepy list: Any museum that has mummies. I mean, there's something unsettling about seeing shriveled dead people from thousands of years ago laid out in front of you like they were treasures. If I ever inherit an antiquity, the last thing I want is a mummy. Shriveled dead people don't go with most people's home decor and there are just so many things you can prop up in your living room. A nice vase, I would take.
On the good and the creepy list simultaneously: Disneyland. The travel magazine says that 15 million people visit a year, and I believe them as there were at least that many people standing in line in front of me for the Toy Story ride. I love the princesses, the songs, the decorations--I mean, where else can you see a big, glowing pink castle? (Pure awesomeness!)
But sorry Disney, the large smiling rodent is creepy and giving Mickey a flesh colored face only makes him creepier because it looks like he's mutating into a person. (Yes, that is me as a teenager.)
Well, I could go on but I have a book to write. I'm officially done with five pages of the next Fairy Godmother book.
On the good list: Any mountain range. Mountains are beautiful, peaceful, and make for good hiking. As an added benefit you don't have to stand in line to see them.
On the creepy list: Mount Rushmore. I'm patriotic and all, but who thought four gigantic heads that stare down at people was a good use of funds or sculpting talent? They're watching you, and they don't look pleased . . .
On the good list: The beach. Nothing is more relaxing than enjoying the waves on a floaty raft. That's the ultimate in vacation time. Here's a picture of Techno Bob and I on our 25th anniversary.
On the bad list: New York Times Square. According to Travel and Leisure Magazine this is the world's most popular travel spot with nearly 40 million visitors a year. I've been to New York and I think Travel and Leisure Magazine may have gotten it wrong . About 20 million of those people were lost in New York's corn-maze-like streets and just wound up there as angry taxi drivers honked impatiently at them.
On the good list: The Lincoln Memorial. It's not only been immortalized by the back of the penny (as a child I was convinced the trolley from the Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was really the thing on the penny) it's majestic at night when it's glowing in light, it's free, and the roof makes a darn good place to toss a character off of, if you happen to be an author. (Slayers 2, coming out 2013)
On the bad list: The Washington Monument. Okay, what is this thing supposed to be? How does a a really tall, skinny, useless building honor George Washington? Did anyone ask him about this design? Maybe he would have liked a nice statue with him on his horse instead. And am I the only one who looks at this structure and wants to play an areal game of ring toss? On the plus side, it makes a good place for flying characters to zoom around as they try to evade each other. (Again, a Slayers 2 scene.)
On the good list: The National Natural History Museum. You get to learn interesting stuff, covet precious gems, see frightening looking fish that lurk in the dark parts of the ocean--something for everyone. Plus, again it's a good place to set a scene for a book. Do you notice a Slayers 2 theme?
On the creepy list: Any museum that has mummies. I mean, there's something unsettling about seeing shriveled dead people from thousands of years ago laid out in front of you like they were treasures. If I ever inherit an antiquity, the last thing I want is a mummy. Shriveled dead people don't go with most people's home decor and there are just so many things you can prop up in your living room. A nice vase, I would take.
On the good and the creepy list simultaneously: Disneyland. The travel magazine says that 15 million people visit a year, and I believe them as there were at least that many people standing in line in front of me for the Toy Story ride. I love the princesses, the songs, the decorations--I mean, where else can you see a big, glowing pink castle? (Pure awesomeness!)
But sorry Disney, the large smiling rodent is creepy and giving Mickey a flesh colored face only makes him creepier because it looks like he's mutating into a person. (Yes, that is me as a teenager.)
Well, I could go on but I have a book to write. I'm officially done with five pages of the next Fairy Godmother book.
October 29, 2012
A lyrics intervention--Train does it again
Long time blog readers know that I started the Enrique Awards--an award for songs with bad pickup lines.
(To see the five contending songs for last years award, you can follow this link: http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/2011/04/vote-for-worst-song-pick-up-lines_26.html
This year, Train won hands down (or wheels down, since we are talking about a vehicle of transportation) for it's song Drive By.
http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/2012/06/worst-pick-up-lyrics-award-2012.html
In it, lead singer, Patrick Monahan sounds like he's stalking some unfortunate woman who's greatest desire is to flee from him. She moves across the country (or at least tells him she does) in order to get away from him, but he still doesn't get the hint. And then there is the touching chorus where he proclaims that he is just a "shy guy looking for a two-ply Hefty bag to hold my love."
Yeah, it's always the quiet ones that you don't suspect who end up being led away by the police in handcuffs after the grisly remains are found in the basement.
So in a clear attempt to redeem themselves from the I'm-not-a-danger-to-society category, Train has come up with another song called Fifty Ways to Say Goodbye. (Catchy song, by the way.)
In this case, saying goodbye entails coming up with fifty imaginative ways to say his girlfriend died. Here's a sample:
She went down in an airplane
Fried getting suntanned
Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She met a shark under water
Fell and no one caught her
I returned everything I ever bought her
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died
Yes, Patrick, I think we can all agree that you are no good at goodbyes. Most people go with, "Let's just be friends." It's a little less violent.
Note to any women who are interested in Train band members: Don't. Just don't even go there. It will not end well.
Note to the Feds: Check the Hefty bags. That's where he keeps his love.
(To see the five contending songs for last years award, you can follow this link: http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/2011/04/vote-for-worst-song-pick-up-lines_26.html
This year, Train won hands down (or wheels down, since we are talking about a vehicle of transportation) for it's song Drive By.
http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/2012/06/worst-pick-up-lyrics-award-2012.html
In it, lead singer, Patrick Monahan sounds like he's stalking some unfortunate woman who's greatest desire is to flee from him. She moves across the country (or at least tells him she does) in order to get away from him, but he still doesn't get the hint. And then there is the touching chorus where he proclaims that he is just a "shy guy looking for a two-ply Hefty bag to hold my love."
Yeah, it's always the quiet ones that you don't suspect who end up being led away by the police in handcuffs after the grisly remains are found in the basement.
So in a clear attempt to redeem themselves from the I'm-not-a-danger-to-society category, Train has come up with another song called Fifty Ways to Say Goodbye. (Catchy song, by the way.)
In this case, saying goodbye entails coming up with fifty imaginative ways to say his girlfriend died. Here's a sample:
She went down in an airplane
Fried getting suntanned
Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She met a shark under water
Fell and no one caught her
I returned everything I ever bought her
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died
Yes, Patrick, I think we can all agree that you are no good at goodbyes. Most people go with, "Let's just be friends." It's a little less violent.
Note to any women who are interested in Train band members: Don't. Just don't even go there. It will not end well.
Note to the Feds: Check the Hefty bags. That's where he keeps his love.
October 21, 2012
Writing—it’s sort of like budgeting
Time and money never add up like I think they should. I’m always amazed at the amount of money my family spends. It seems like we should have lots of moeny left over at the end of the month, and yet we don’t.
This year I took on an insane amount of writing. Why you might ask? Because I have no grip on reality. It’s like all those times when I walk into Michaels and see cute scrapbooking stuff on sale and suddenly think I’m Martha Stewart—or someone with scrapbooking talent. Which I’m not. But that doesn’t matter, because I see said cute stuff and I think, “I should buy that because one day I’m going to put together cute, touching scrapbooks that are a tribute to my kids and their innate darlingness.
No, no I’m not. What I’m actually going to do is buy the stuff and put it in a box in my closet with the rest of the scrapbooking stuff I will never use until Armageddon or the zombie apocalypse hits. Yep, while all the electricity is down and we’re all holed ourselves in our houses with nothing else to do I’ll have plenty of scrapbooking stuff to keep me busy. (Assuming of course that I’ve previously downloaded pictures . . .)
Anyway, when my publishers both wanted a book within the same 6 month period, I thought I could do it. Here is my reasoning: If I type two pages an hour and work an average of five hours a day, I’ll produce ten pages a day. If I work twenty two days a month, I’ll have the first draft of a 300 page book done in a month and a half—easy. Then I can take the other month and a half to revise it. Bingo. Two books in six month.
Why is real life never like a math equation?
Perhaps because when all is said and done I write slower than two pages an hour. I actually average more like one page an hour (poof—I just gave myself ten hour days instead of five hour ones.) And my books are closer to 400 than they are to 300. (Poof—there went my Saturdays) And you don’t have a six month period without things like family reunions, holidays, birthdays, conferences, school visits and other things that don’t allow you to write for ten hours a day.
So what actually happened is I was ensconced in myroom without showering, cooking or cleaning. I was frequently up until 4:00 AM. But the worst is over now, I think.
Echo in Time is at the copy edits stage. I’ll have revisions for Slayers Two in a week or two. Masquerade's copy edits should be back to me any day now. And I’ll hopefully have revisions for The Wrong Side of Magic soon too.
And when I’m done with all of that, I’ll start working on the third fairy godmother book.
This year I took on an insane amount of writing. Why you might ask? Because I have no grip on reality. It’s like all those times when I walk into Michaels and see cute scrapbooking stuff on sale and suddenly think I’m Martha Stewart—or someone with scrapbooking talent. Which I’m not. But that doesn’t matter, because I see said cute stuff and I think, “I should buy that because one day I’m going to put together cute, touching scrapbooks that are a tribute to my kids and their innate darlingness.
No, no I’m not. What I’m actually going to do is buy the stuff and put it in a box in my closet with the rest of the scrapbooking stuff I will never use until Armageddon or the zombie apocalypse hits. Yep, while all the electricity is down and we’re all holed ourselves in our houses with nothing else to do I’ll have plenty of scrapbooking stuff to keep me busy. (Assuming of course that I’ve previously downloaded pictures . . .)
Anyway, when my publishers both wanted a book within the same 6 month period, I thought I could do it. Here is my reasoning: If I type two pages an hour and work an average of five hours a day, I’ll produce ten pages a day. If I work twenty two days a month, I’ll have the first draft of a 300 page book done in a month and a half—easy. Then I can take the other month and a half to revise it. Bingo. Two books in six month.
Why is real life never like a math equation?
Perhaps because when all is said and done I write slower than two pages an hour. I actually average more like one page an hour (poof—I just gave myself ten hour days instead of five hour ones.) And my books are closer to 400 than they are to 300. (Poof—there went my Saturdays) And you don’t have a six month period without things like family reunions, holidays, birthdays, conferences, school visits and other things that don’t allow you to write for ten hours a day.
So what actually happened is I was ensconced in myroom without showering, cooking or cleaning. I was frequently up until 4:00 AM. But the worst is over now, I think.
Echo in Time is at the copy edits stage. I’ll have revisions for Slayers Two in a week or two. Masquerade's copy edits should be back to me any day now. And I’ll hopefully have revisions for The Wrong Side of Magic soon too.
And when I’m done with all of that, I’ll start working on the third fairy godmother book.
October 15, 2012
The truth about revisions
The problem with writing a story is that for the author, the story doesn't occur on the page. It occurs in the author's head. And the story is always good there. I've got some awesome scenes in my mind. I do my best to translate those scenes on the page. When I write a novel, I always think the writing is good because I'm still seeing the scenes in my mind. This is why authors always need to take a break from their manuscripts. The longer, usually the better. After a couple of months, I reread what I've written and I can see all sorts of problems that I then fix.
And then I think it's good . . . until I read it the next time. Apparently the same is true in drawing because this comic says it all.
And then I think it's good . . . until I read it the next time. Apparently the same is true in drawing because this comic says it all.
October 8, 2012
More Erasing Time give-aways
Here are the rest of the blog tour stops. Enter all of them for a chance to win--and also, you can still go back to the previous ones and enter. Sopme of them have a lot of comments, but some only have a few which boosts your chances of winning. good luck!
October 8- LDSWBR http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/
October 9- PageTurners Blog http://www.pageturnersblog.com/
October 10- Reading Teen http://www.readingteen.net/
October 11- YA Bliss http://www.yabliss.com/
October 12- Wastepaper Prose http://www.wastepaperprose.com/
October 8- LDSWBR http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/
October 9- PageTurners Blog http://www.pageturnersblog.com/
October 10- Reading Teen http://www.readingteen.net/
October 11- YA Bliss http://www.yabliss.com/
October 12- Wastepaper Prose http://www.wastepaperprose.com/
October 7, 2012
for your next chance to win Erasing Time
Head over to Portrait of a Book. Oh, and by the way, it seems that a lot of these blogs are taking comments for a week, so if you missed some of the blog stops, go back and leave a comment because you may still have a chance to win.
http://www.portraitofabook.com/
http://www.portraitofabook.com/
October 6, 2012
Next blog stop the Mod Podge Bookshelf
The Mod Podge Bookshelf asked me for a deleted scene. A lot got deleted from the manuscript, but not a whole scene. So I wrote a bit from Taylor's point of view and sent that over. You can read it at:
http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/
October 5, 2012
Next blog stop at Books Complete Me
And of course there will be a chance to win a book. You can see BCM's review at: http://www.bookscompleteme.com/
October 3, 2012
Blog tour--celebrity fashion and another chance to win
The next stop on the Erasing Time blog tour is the I Am A Reader, Not a Writer blog. On today's guest post, I talk about future fashion. Are today's celebrities crazy or are they just fashion forward?
You can read it all at:
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/10/guest-post-giveaway-erasing-time-by-cj.html
Also, you'll have a chance to win the book.
You can read it all at:
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/10/guest-post-giveaway-erasing-time-by-cj.html
Also, you'll have a chance to win the book.
