Scott Tracey's Blog, page 15

When People Stop Being Polite…

Moving into a new place is always interesting.  There's the inevitable nerves about how you're going to deal with your new roommates, how bathroom time is going to be divided, who cooks…etc.

Now, I already lived with Leah for several years, so that wasn't anything new.  But now there was ANOTHER roommate, which was worrisome.   The thing that I've realized, though, is that the conversations are…not exactly normal fair.  They might even traumatize you.

Like Sunday's conversation, where Heather decreed that the only reason she'd kill the cat over yours truly is because the cat weighs a lot less.

I'd give you the context of that statement, but honestly it's not going to help.  And it'll probably just worry you enough that you'll start calling around to Ohio police departments to give them the heads up.

Anyway, there's a hashtag we started.  #actualhouseconversations.  Here are a few of the amusing things said lately:

"Why are you not speaking, and you'd better not be touching that eyeball!!!" #actualhouseconversations

"Slut-stained train wrecks read too!" #actualhouseconversations

"You need to stop inhaling around all my things!" #actualhouseconversations

Leah Versus Scott

Seriously, one of the most fun Rebels videos I've done in awhile.  This week, in honor of the trailer being released for Cowboys Versus Aliens (which, I mean….come on.  Plus, if the title alone doesn't move you?  It has Daniel Craig in it), the Rebels decided to do Versus week.  Us versus Other Stuff.  And Leah and I teamed up to bring you: Leah Versus Scott: the Dessert Edition.  It's like Ballistic: Ecks Versus Sever, but more severe.  (See what I did there?  Sever? Severe?  What, you mean you've never heard of that movie?)

The Litmus Test

I was supposed to film a vlog on Saturday night.  About 11 pm, my roommate comes upstairs, and asks me what the deal is.  And I say:

"I'm watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  How do you think I'm feeling right now?"

Now, I'm sure in a normal household, this is a strange and unusual conversation.  But not here.  Here, we regularly discuss what we'd do if a significant other admitted they were a werewolf, and creepy demon children who peep in your windows.

But I think it's safe to safe that a movie like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a litmus test for how I'm feeling.  It's not exactly…a Scott movie, shall we say.  If I wanted to watch something childreny, I'd watch Harry Potter (I mean, duh).  Normally I watch things that are a lot less visually stimulating, and rely heavily on dark, spooky things.

So long story short, no vlog, and I got to watch a magic flying elevator.  And I still don't feel fantastic, but I'm not watching…oh God, I don't even know.  All I know is that even a kinda dark and creepy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was too much for me.  Maybe if I keep feeling sick, I'll pop in The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea.

What about you?  Do you do something out of character like this when you're sick?  Or are you all about the comfort foods?

When You Assume…

I love assumptions in writing.  Mostly because I love the way assumptions shatter when you have some sort of Major Revelation.  And then you wonder how you ever saw things any other way.

In the first book I wrote, I wound up scrapping about 20K words of the ending.  Something was off.  So I went back, added in some missing pieces, and started over.  And then in the middle of a scene, a character laid out the final piece of their nefarious scheme, and it was like watching someone tug at a giant knot, and having the whole thing unravel into something amazing and perfectly organized.  That moment of illumination, that I wouldn't have had otherwise, became one of my crowning moments of the book.  Because it was perfect.  (Incidentally, the entire conversation that happens is almost word for word identical in the final copy as it was in the first draft, that's how perfect it was).

See, we're taught by the Bad News Bears (and others) that when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.  However, I think in writing that assumptions are a great thing.  Because that moment of genius that comes later on, when your expectations are challenged and things are suddenly shiny and new.

What about you?  Do you have moments like that?  Moments where suddenly things fall into place in a completely unexpected way?

If you want to write LGBT fiction

I wanted to parody If You Give a Mouse a Cookie with my blog title, but I couldn't come up with a quippy way to pull that off.  So if you've got any ideas, feel free to make some suggestions.  (And no, I don't know why I had this thought.  It's late.  Cut me some slack).

With NaNo going on, and after having finished the talk about LGBT issues in YA on #yalitchat a few weeks ago, I've had some thoughts percolating in my head for awhile now.  If you're considering writing a YA novel that heavily features gay issues, here are some things to consider.  For the purpose of definition, I consider a "gay book" to be one in which the gay characters are the main, predominant storyline.  The main character is gay, and that part of their life is a big part of the book.

1.  Expect a struggle

Honestly, this is the most meaningless thing I could say.  Getting a book published is hard.  Period.  Getting a genre book published is no less difficult.  First you have to write the book (and you ALWAYS have to finish the book, if it's fiction).  Then you have to edit, revise, and polish that book.  Then you have to decide if you want an agent (I would recommend it) and start submitting your book to them.  If you find an agent, then you usually do ANOTHER round of edits.  Then another round of submissions: this time to editors.

Then, if the book sells, you'll do MORE edits.  Maybe several rounds.  Maybe some will be severe.  Or they won't be severe at all.  Then line edits, copyedits, pass pages.  Every step of the way, it's a lot of work.  Be prepared to put in a lot of time and energy.  Oh, and amidst all this, you'll do lots of waiting.  The publishing mantra seems to be "hurry up and wait."  When things are needed, they're needed ASAP.  And then you hurry up and wait for the next thing (which might not happen for months)

2.  Don't limit yourself

I know I use the term "gay book" in this post, but don't limit yourself by doing the same.  Most fiction featuring LGBT characters is more than just a story about their gayness – it's a story about characters who happen to be gay.  It's self-limiting to narrow your book down that far.  One of the things you want to do when you're putting your book out there is that you want to give an agent or an editor as many reasons as possible to say YES, and as few reasons to say NO as you can.  The same way that you are more than your sexuality, so too is your book.

When I queried WITCH EYES, I was pretty clear that it was a paranormal book, and that it had a gay character/romance in it, but that wasn't the focus of my query or my book.  It was just another element; I wrote a paranormal that just happened to have a gay character.  And that's how I queried it.

I think if you narrow yourself down to "gay book" status, then you're limiting yourself to agents that want to handle gay fiction, editors who want gay fiction, etc.  And there are publishing houses that exclusively handle LGBT fiction, but you want your book to have the longest legs possible – to go as far as possible.  The ideal audience isn't just gay men, or gay women, it should be broader than that.  Keep that in mind when you're writing, not just after the fact.

3.  What kind of writer are you?

There are really two categories here.  You don't have to be gay to write a gay character.  You don't even have to be gay to write a gay book.   But I think it's important to figure out whether you want to write predominantly gay books, or if you want to write whatever you like, and one of those things just happens to be a gay book.

You might get pigeon-holed into that role as a "gay writer."  People will see your name, and assume that your new book is another gay romance like the others.  If this is what you want anyway, then there's nothing to be concerned about.  You'll be building a brand.

And if not, you can break the mold, but just know that it's there.  I get it all the time, and my book isn't even out yet.  Even though I don't write exclusively gay stuff, it's one of the things people assume.  Just recognize that this might happen, and you might have to deal with it.  Plus, you're kinda unofficially "out" unless you write with a pseudonym.

I don't particularly like being "the gay writer" but I chose to write a gay book, so I'll do what I can with it.  But that's not going to stop me from writing stories about *gasp* straight people, if that's what is in my head.

4.  Publishing is a business.

How does this affect YOU?  Because publishing is a business, that means that the focus is (to some extent) on the bottom line.  They are a business, that HAS to play a part.  You're looking out for your own best interest, and the publisher does the same.  So why do I bring this up?

"Gay fiction" is considered a niche.  Just like boys won't read "girl books" and certain people won't read "issue books."  "Gay books" are a niche, and there's a belief that a lot of people WON'T read your gay book.  Being widely commercial is an asset to a publisher – commercial books have wide appeal, they're expected to sell.  You may not get the kind of advance that Twilight got, or the amount of publicity that The Hunger Games received, especially starting out.  It may be assumed that the only market you will appeal to will be the gay market.

When it comes to the bottom line, Adam and Eve will sell a lot more copies than Adam and Steve.  And that's what the publisher has to consider.  Publishing is conservative because it has to be – because it's a business.  Like with point number 2 – if you limit yourself to just a gay market, you're not giving Publishing all the tools they need to sell your book.

5.  Challenges are inevitable.

Because of the last point, you may find your book harder to sell, or harder to find an agent.  You might have people suggest that Adam and Eve would be a lot more commercial, so maybe you could change the gay couple into a straight one.  Or they might want you to downplay the gay romance in favor of a gay guy/straight girl friendship.  There are a dozen different permutations that kinda boil down to "make your book less gay."  Again, it's partly just business.  They may like your writing, but the publisher knows they'll never get in-house support for your particular book.  Or an agent might realize that the book is great, but the gay element will make it a more difficult pitch.

Note that I say you may.  You may not.  You might find the right agent for you quickly.  The agent might have the perfect editor who will love your book.  This happens, just as often as it doesn't happen.

And I don't mean to make it sound like the gay books that are released are few and far between.  They're not, especially if you count all the books where gay characters take up supporting roles.  But expect to be challenged at some point.

So that's all I can think of at eleven at night.  Any additional suggestions?  Leave them in the comments.

Vlogging Monday

This week on the Rebels, we tackled the 7 Deadly Sins of writers.  Gretchen took Lust (obviously), Leah took Pride (and used the video to hold a Pride contest), and I was the lucky recipient of Greed.  So check out my video, which is all about how writers can find themselves succumbing to Greed:

How Critique Partners are a lot like Goldilocks

During the #yalitchat last night, one of the topics that came up was critique partners/beta readers/alpha readers.  Why are they important?  How many do you need? And where do you find them?

First, some definitions (since not everyone knows what's what).  An alpha reader is someone who reads along with you as you're writing.  You finish Chapter 7, they're reading chapter 7.  A beta reader is someone who reads the whole book once it's done, but before the book gets sent to any agents/editors.  And a critique partner is someone who critiques your work: so basically it's a catch-all term that includes alphas and betas.

"He said something about Goldilocks.  I can't wait to see how he pulls THIS one off."

Some people like their porridge hot, just like they like their critiques harsh and unyielding.  Some people like their porridge cold, just like they like their critiques with a lot of hand holding.  And some people like their porridge somewhere in between, just like their critique partners.

There is nothing wrong with any of these systems. The trick with HAVING a critique partner is that you have someone who gets your work, who likes your work, and who will challenge you to be a better writer.  I've had CPs who ripped my books to shreds, but that was a challenge to improve the book.  And I've had CPs who left me 100+ notes about how much they loved the book, and what parts where their favorites.  Both of these helped in different ways.  And you won't really know which you like best until you experiment a little bit and try some porridge.

So why is having a critique partner important?  Because it's getting your work peer-reviewed before it goes out into the Great Big World.  There's always something we can learn, and there's always improvements that we can make to our writing.  Having a CP can help you understand if your plot is believable, if your dialogue leaps off the page, etc.  Every time you polish your book, you make it that much stronger.  Also, critique partners (at least the good ones) will tell you the truth.  They'll tell you the things you NEED to hear, even if you don't WANT to hear it.

Critiques also help in other ways.  By critiquing someone else, you learn a LOT about your own writing.  It's hard to be thorough and analytical with our own books – we're too close.  But when you see someone ELSE make mistakes that you do, too, not only can you point it out to them, but you can fix it yourself.  And you can learn a lot about someone else by reading their novels – it may be that what they write isn't your cup of tea, and no matter how good of a crit partner they are to you, if you're not all about THEM too, then it's probably not a good match.

So where do you find them?  I've included a couple of links down below to message boards where a lot of writers gather.  Twitter's another great resource – finding like-minded writers and trading a couple of chapters to test the waters can work wonders.  You may find your One True Critique Partner just by random accident. Also, keep in mind that a lot of writers (especially ones who are already pubbed or have agents) may not be able to read your manuscript.  It's legal stuff.  So if you don't have an agent yet, look for other writers who don't have an agent.  Find someone "on your level."  The added bonus is that they'll be going through all the same things you are.

With critiques, just be sure to give as good as you get.  If you spend a lot of time and energy on someone else's book, make sure you're getting the same in return.  And vice versa.  I've been known to be a big slacker in this regard from time to time, which is why I try to only crit (aside from my roommate) only very rarely.

As for how many critique partners do you NEED?  As many as you feel comfortable with.  Keep in mind that usually, critiquing is an exchange.  I send you what I've worked on, you send me what you've worked on.  So if you have 5 CPs, you could end up with 5 projects to critique all at once.  I have one or two "constant" critique partners, and then occassionally I'll exchange with other writer friends, depending on who has time to read.

So, like I said, find the porridge that's right for you.  It may not be the same temperature as someone else's.  And that's totally fine.

Absolute Write
Verla Kay Forums (the Blue Boards)
Querytracker Forum

 

 

How Critique Partners are a lot like Goldilocks

During the #yalitchat last night, one of the topics that came up was critique partners/beta readers/alpha readers.  Why are they important?  How many do you need? And where do you find them?

First, some definitions (since not everyone knows what's what).  An alpha reader is someone who reads along with you as you're writing.  You finish Chapter 7, they're reading chapter 7.  A beta reader is someone who reads the whole book once it's done, but before the book gets sent to any agents/editors.  And a critique partner is someone who critiques your work: so basically it's a catch-all term that includes alphas and betas.

"He said something about Goldilocks.  I can't wait to see how he pulls THIS one off."

Some people like their porridge hot, just like they like their critiques harsh and unyielding.  Some people like their porridge cold, just like they like their critiques with a lot of hand holding.  And some people like their porridge somewhere in between, just like their critique partners.

There is nothing wrong with any of these systems. The trick with HAVING a critique partner is that you have someone who gets your work, who likes your work, and who will challenge you to be a better writer.  I've had CPs who ripped my books to shreds, but that was a challenge to improve the book.  And I've had CPs who left me 100+ notes about how much they loved the book, and what parts where their favorites.  Both of these helped in different ways.  And you won't really know which you like best until you experiment a little bit and try some porridge.

So why is having a critique partner important?  Because it's getting your work peer-reviewed before it goes out into the Great Big World.  There's always something we can learn, and there's always improvements that we can make to our writing.  Having a CP can help you understand if your plot is believable, if your dialogue leaps off the page, etc.  Every time you polish your book, you make it that much stronger.  Also, critique partners (at least the good ones) will tell you the truth.  They'll tell you the things you NEED to hear, even if you don't WANT to hear it.

Critiques also help in other ways.  By critiquing someone else, you learn a LOT about your own writing.  It's hard to be thorough and analytical with our own books – we're too close.  But when you see someone ELSE make mistakes that you do, too, not only can you point it out to them, but you can fix it yourself.  And you can learn a lot about someone else by reading their novels – it may be that what they write isn't your cup of tea, and no matter how good of a crit partner they are to you, if you're not all about THEM too, then it's probably not a good match.

So where do you find them?  I've included a couple of links down below to message boards where a lot of writers gather.  Twitter's another great resource – finding like-minded writers and trading a couple of chapters to test the waters can work wonders.  You may find your One True Critique Partner just by random accident. Also, keep in mind that a lot of writers (especially ones who are already pubbed or have agents) may not be able to read your manuscript.  It's legal stuff.  So if you don't have an agent yet, look for other writers who don't have an agent.  Find someone "on your level."  The added bonus is that they'll be going through all the same things you are.

With critiques, just be sure to give as good as you get.  If you spend a lot of time and energy on someone else's book, make sure you're getting the same in return.  And vice versa.  I've been known to be a big slacker in this regard from time to time, which is why I try to only crit (aside from my roommate) only very rarely.

As for how many critique partners do you NEED?  As many as you feel comfortable with.  Keep in mind that usually, critiquing is an exchange.  I send you what I've worked on, you send me what you've worked on.  So if you have 5 CPs, you could end up with 5 projects to critique all at once.  I have one or two "constant" critique partners, and then occassionally I'll exchange with other writer friends, depending on who has time to read.

So, like I said, find the porridge that's right for you.  It may not be the same temperature as someone else's.  And that's totally fine.

Absolute Write
Verla Kay Forums (the Blue Boards)
Querytracker Forum

 

 

Talent, Plus Fear = $300.

Confession: when you have to pay to use the washer/dryer, you do laundry more infrequently.  That is still a habit I haven't escaped from since moving in here.  Oy.

I'm busy working on The Sequel, now that everything is unpacked and all.  Of course, I'm writing this at 8 in the morning, which was for some reason an hour after I woke up this morning.  Seriously.  There's something wrong with a universe that has an 8 in the morning.

On the Faerie Drink Review this week, Devyn Burton is doing his own spin on the It Gets Better project, and has a lot of guest bloggers participating.  I was one of them, and you can read my post here.  Do me a favor and read through some of the entries, and leave those bloggers a comment with your support.

And sort of relating to that topic, I was very excited for last night's episode of Glee.  First we got to see Kurt interacting with a Real Live Gay, and then there was a whole bullying/being hurtful subplot going on.  Which was great, I'm glad to see Glee covering the topic of bullying, even obliquely.  But I liked the "twist" better when it was on Buffy.  Plus, it reinforces the stereotype that homophobes are all closet cases.  Sometimes, people just suck. That's all there is to it. 

Also, where the hell is Quinn?  She's my fave.  And why are we regressing to the mean spirited Quinn of last season?

And it kinda bugs that everyone else got a nice resolution to their storyline, except Kurt, who still deals with bullying as the status quo.  And I know the episode was written prior to the rise in bullying issues we've been seeing this year, but the ending still felt a little hollow.

Tuesday Truths: Passing the Buck and Distractions

What do you mean, I haven't posted a blog in over two weeks?

Really?

Wow.  I'm shamed.  You know whose fault this is?  Lisa Roecker. Lisa, as you may or may not know, is personally responsible for shaming me into blogging on a regular, active basis.  And when she doesn't, clearly I don't.  I don't have a co-writer, or Idea Whore files, or that whole maternal day-job.

So I'm fully moved.  I'm not fully UNPACKED yet, but it's a work in progress.  Living with roommates is a strange adjustment again.  There are things you can't do with roommates that you can do by yourself.

(Okay, not that you perverts.  Ew.)

Things like sleep on the couch so that your brain is closer to the computer, and you secretly hope that in the middle of the night you'll wake up typing as your subconscious kicks the crap out of Chapter 17.

Or eating all off the Pringles the same day you buy them, without sharing.  Because we all passed kindergarten, right?

Oh, and since this is Tuesday and I try to confess something on Tuesdays, all I've got for you this week is that I'm a broken Scott.  I swore, repeatedly and heatedly, that I would never listen to another Katy Perry song.  I'm not a fan, and if you are that's cool, but  seriously, it's not my thing.  It's the same reason I would never buy a LaToya Jackson album, I think.  There's something so plastic about it all.

Anyway, I have been OBSESSED with the Glee cover of Teenage Dream.  I've been watching, and rewatching, the video all weekend.  It's rather sad.  Although what's really sad is that when I went to buy the song on iTunes, it's NOT OUT YET.  What is that, Glee?  Honestly, it's like you don't even know me anymore.