Charles Benoit's Blog, page 2
August 7, 2012
Hanging out with other writers -or- steal from the best
Recently I was at the very first YA Fest in Eaton, PA and a grand time was had by all. There were more than 30 authors in attendance and though the day I bet 200 teens came through the door. Like many book events, the authors were seated at long tables that ringed the library, and my table-mates included Jonathan Maberry, Jennifer Hubbard and Crissa-Jean Chappell. and if you're asking yourself, "how did you get so lucky?" I do not know. I DO know that just hanging out and chatting with fellow authors is time well spent. We didn't spend a lot of that time talking about our craft and the muses that speak to us because no one talks like that. But we shared stores of inspiration, frustration, motivation and doubt. A lot more doubt than you'd expect. It was therapeutic, yes, but mostly it was it was fun.
July 23, 2012
Hey writer - you'll relate to this
So Saturday I worked for about 4 hours on revising my latest YA, adding two whole chapters that were absolutely brilliant.
On Sunday I deleted both.
The time was not wasted, anymore than time was wasted when I practiced overtones on my saxophone for 45 minutes. (Rose claims it was closer to a million painful years, but I'm sure it was only 45 minutes.) It was a good exercise and by getting it out on paper, I got to better evaluate the plot change, which turns out to be meaningless and too off topic. So it gets cut. And that's good too.
Knowing what to cut is just as important as knowing what to keep.
July 3, 2012
Summer Writing Tips
Did you know that summer is one of the top four seasons in which people decide to start writing a book? It's true! And to help you get your book off to a hot start, here are a few tips on writing about weather.
1. Elmore Leonard says you should never open a book with weather, and if you think I'm going to disagree with Elmore Leonard you're crazy.
2. When it comes to describing the weather--which you now know not to do at the very start of the novel--it's better to describe the effects of the weather than the weather itself. Instead of saying there were thick black clouds and that it was raining hard, talk about how the street lights came on in the middle of the day and how an empty Coke can raced a Starbucks cup down the gutter next to the sidewalk. Instead of saying it was hot, describe the sound bike tires make when they kindda stick to the asphalt or how colors seem to wash out, everything just a little too white.
May 13, 2012
What I hope Happens at TBF 2012
The 7th Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival is only days away and I've been busy thinking of the people i want to meet and the things I want to do while I'm there. If you're a YA author and you know TBF, you know why I'm so excited. If you are a YA author and you don't know TBF, you probably should be thankful since if you did, you'd be soooo jealous right now.
Naturally, I'm looking forward to meeting readers. It's the #1 reason I attend any event, and the readers at TBF are among the most wide-read, engaging and intense readers I have encountered in my ten or so years of attending book festivals. Teens who enjoyed YOU will stop by to say hello, and teens who didn't enjoy it will have no problem telling me exactly why. In either case, there'll be thoughtful discussions about my books and that, my friends, is always wonderful.
May 7, 2012
It's Official: Fall From Grace is now available
When you start writing a book, you can't imagine what it'll be like when it finally comes out.
That's because at that starting point, you have no idea of how many hundreds of hours it will take to write it, the number of nights you'll spend alone in your room, struggling to find just the right word. You have no clue how many social events you'll have to miss, how many celebrations that will have to go on without you because a tiny sliver of a hint of a shadow of great scene snuck into your brain and there's no way you're going to let it get away.
Internet Stunned byNew Website
A new book calls for lots of updates to the old website. Big thanks to Wayne Gormont and Andrea Swierat for making it (and by extension, me) look so cool.
Offical book launch is tomorrow, so expect a thanks-filled blog post.
April 26, 2012
Tweaks to the website coming soon
My colleagues and pals, Wayne and Andrea, are making some nifty updates to the website, just in time for the new book launch. Now is this blog-worthy? Maybe not, but when the changes happen it will be! Drop me a note on Facebook and tell me your favorite author websites, just so I can check to see how I match up.
April 20, 2012
Direct me
April 13, 2012
Washing Away Writer's Block
When I’m not reading the kind of books I’ve posted on my GoodReads account, I’m reading books about creativity—where it comes from, how to increase it, where it goes when you lose it (hint: look under the sofa) and how to get it back without going crazy.
April 1, 2012
Overuse, Poor Writing Blamed for Exclamation Point Shortage.
Washington, DC—Government officials confirmed today that supplies of the popular punctuation mark used to express surprise, shock or outrage, has reached critically low levels and shortages this writing season appear to be unavoidable.
“The exclamation point has been over-used to the point of near-extinction,” said senior staff member, Janet Falcone, of the Office of Manageable Grammar (OMG). “People seem to be unable to write even the most basic thought without adding an exclamation point.”
According to industry sources, the dwindling supplies and increased demand have depleted this once-rich resource. Compounding the problem is the growing number of English speakers in traditionally non-English regions. Exports of exclamation points have doubled every ten years since the mid-1970s, a growth rate that is only expected to increase this century.
