Dawn Metcalf's Blog, page 50

Sex vs. Gender vs. Plumbing: A Rant

Okay, let me see if I can rant this coherently:

*ahem*

A body is biological; sex and gender are not. Period.

Sorry if that comes across harsh, but I am tired of having the same discussion that dismisses anyone else because of their sex, sexual orientation, or socialized gender with a shrug saying, "That's just the way it is." No, it isn't. In fact, that is very rarely a good excuse for anything ever, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.

Human beings come in all shapes, colors, and s...

Who Knew That Being Geeky Was Professionally Advantageous?

Some people ask me why I bother writing "genre" books, as if this is a lesser sort of thing. This is a comment folks also make about writing YA as opposed to writing something respectable like Adult literature. (Lucky me that I write genre YA fiction, huh?) But here's the thing: I think that genre books are some of the most engaging stories out there because of their inherent ability to take a step away, create some illusion of safe distance, and then one-two punch readers by testing their bo...

Squee in NYC!

Few know that in one of my many incarnations I worked in advertising. This was a loose association powered by my love of food, a knack for quippy taglines, and a bizarre talent for cartooning. Together, I managed to eke out a few jobs over the years, one of which still includes a yearly trip to New York to visit the Fancy Food Show and see what's what. This year I decided to pair this 4-day adventure of truffles, candies, salsa, chips, caramels, chocolates, pretzels, mustards, sauces, ices, d...

A Picture's Worth Approx. 70,000 Words

Okay, okay. In addition to *normally* not having songs that go with my stories and *usually* not having anyone in mind when casting my characters, I have been proven wrong again. Thanks to my fellow Tenner, blythe_woolston , who saw this and thought of me/Consuela and I thought, "Ohmigawd! It's Consuela! AWESOME!" ...which may say some things about me that are better left unsaid but, if you follow this blog, you shouldn't be surprised!

With that in mind, may I present the closest thing to a pho...

Who Broke Up The Band?

One thing I've noticed lately: YA books focus solely on the individual or, in many cases, the dyad (most often a romantic dyad, but some, like DEMON'S LEXICON, are family or friends [which I applaud:]). It's about the struggle of the One and in Western cultures, the value of individualism and the single person standing up for a greater cause is the ideal, but always bugs something in me where interdependence and co-creation is considered a bad thing like "dependence" or "co-dependence." (I fee...

Zombies vs. Unicorns Week

Did you know that it was Zombies vs. Unicorns week?!



If you didn't, you should follow the hoopla going on in the epic battle between all things shambling and all things pointy and pure; the (forgive me) "brainchild" of Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black and a host of other excellent authors who threw their hats in with one side or the other and has been making the news for some time now. There are giveaways and contests galore so dust off that machete and polish that golden harness, because...

Right On WriteOnCon!

Have you heard about what Elana Johnson's done now? She and brilliant cohorts Jamie Harrington, Casey McCormick, Shannon Messenger and Lisa and Laura Roecker are determined that EVERYONE in children's lit should be able to attend a cool writer's conference so they've created one *online*!

WriteOnCon!



There are contests, giveaways, keynotes, agents, authors, incredible conversations, amazing ideas and TONS of opportunities that you can enjoy for *FREE* and in the comfort of your own living room....

The Impact Initiative

I had a guest post yesterday over at Lindsey Leavitt's blog and I forgot to tag it so head on over there and read about her brilliant brainchild The Impact Initiative and possibly embarrass me by reading my entry there. Now go back and read all the great contributions of loving, caring outreach and kindnesses being shared by authors everywhere and stay tuned for more inspiring stories to come! It's really inspiring (although I think the best reads are found in the comments section) and underl...

A Mouthful of Sharp, Metal Objects

I got my teeth cleaned today. Hooray! I drove home licking my smooth enamel and checking my pearly whites in the rear view mirror (I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this), but my mind was on writing. Specifically: critiquing. (Yes, yes, I know...)

Okay, a trip to the dentist isn't my idea of a good time, but I love meeting new people and sometimes it's interesting to hear somebody new "behind the mask" as it were. A good hygienist won't ask you any questions while you're stuck in her chai...

"Breakable"

Unlike most authors, I don't write with music. I need silence. I don't imagine my characters as famous actors or create soundtracks or playlists that describe my book's plot. However, I will admit that I can sometimes stumble across a song that fits surprisingly well long after I've typed 'The End' and it brings up faces and scenes and moments like memories of the high school gang that I made up and made real.

This is one such song.