Kelly Hashway's Blog, page 123

Evil Can Be Sooo Tempting

How many books have you read where a character was tempted by evil? I've read a lot. And right now I'm wrapping up my WIP and guess what? My MC is tempted by evil. Yup. She's drawn to it. She knows it's wrong, but sometimes it feel so right.

Now this got me wondering why characters are tempted by evil. Is it freeing? Is it exciting? Is it because they feel the need for something different? Or does it mean they have a little evil in them?

I think it's all of the above. Even the best of characters can be tempted. No character is perfect, and if they are, then they aren't real. And that's the most important thing for your characters to be. They have to have a weakness, an evil that tempts them.

So I thought it would be fun to share the evils/temptations we've created for our characters. I'll start. My MC gets power hungry, only the power is destructive to the people she cares about. Still she wants it. She can't help herself. The temptation is too strong for her to fight. And call me evil, but it's fun to tempt my character like this.

Your turn. What evil is your character dealing with?

It's Getting Hot in Here

Right now I'm writing a YA novel and it's totally throwing me. I'm used to my characters surprising me, but this is beyond that. The synopsis I wrote before I began my draft is NOTHING like the story that's coming out of me. Why? My characters pretty much laughed in my face. They let me know that they are 17 years old and they are full of emotions.

Am I beating around the bush? Yes. My face is probably red right now, too. Okay, I'll say it. My characters can't keep their hands off each other. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped typing and said, "Really, you're kissing again?" And a few times, I've had to step back and ask, "Um, are you going where I think you're going with this?" 

Here's my dilemna. As a mom, I'm afraid to write a YA novel where the characters have sex. As a former 17-year-old, I'm not stupid. I know that age is riddled with raging hormones. But do I want them in my novel?

So basically, I've held my characters back. I'm letting them feel things without fully acting on those feelings. But am I doing the right thing? That's the question I'm posing to you all today.

Should our manuscripts and characters be true to the age they are intended for? Or should we try to hold back from exposing kids of any age from certain topics like sex? What do you think?

Monday Mishmash 10/31

Happy Halloween Mishmash! That totally made me think of the song Monster Mash. Remember that? Okay, here's what's on my mind today:

Halloween  You probably saw that coming, huh? I love Halloween. Any holiday where I don't have to travel is awesome in my opinion. The costumes are a plus, too.Snow  I'm not a snow person. Yes, it's pretty, but other than that, I don't need it. My parents' flight was delayed on Saturday because of the snow. They sat on a plane and didn't move for 3 hours only to be sent back to the airport. They officially hate snow now.Broken refrigerator  My fridge is acting up. Ugh! Thankfully we have two, but why do things keep breaking in my house? I'm starting to think I'm cursed.Candy & dentists  Someone please tell me why I scheduled a dentist appointment for November 15. I'm not going to be able to eat a lot of Halloween candy now. :(NaNoWriMo  I'm not doing NaNo because I'm 60K into my WIP and don't have 50K more to go, but good luck to all those getting ready to type up a storm starting tomorrow.That's it for me. I hope everyone has a spooky fun Halloween! What's on your mind today?

Skype

Skype. The word alone used to make me tremble with fear. It was a lot like the word vlog. See myself while I talk to others? What could be more frightening? Well as most of you know, I gave in to doing the occasional vlog. But recently I decided to give in to Skype as well.

I set up a Skype account a little while back when a book publisher wanted to hold a virtual meeting with me. And you know what? It was fun! I ignored my own image on the screen and focused on the people I was speaking with, and it was kind of like sitting around a coffee table discussing books. 

Well, it's no secret that I love doing school visits. The former teacher in me loves being back inside those school walls. But school budgets are hurting. Enter Skype. I've decided to do Skype visits with schools. It's cheaper for the schools, and I don't have travel expenses. Everyone wins. Will I miss being in the actual school? Yes, and I fully intend to keep doing in-person visits to schools within traveling distance, but Skype will let me reach schools all over the country.

And... I've decided to give away two FREE Skype visits to the first two schools who contact me to set it up. So if you are a teacher or homeschooling parent and you would like to Skype visit with me, simply contact me through the contact me button. And if you are one of the first two, the visit will be free.

What about you? Would you ever do a Skype visit? 

Winner! & Never Say Never

Thank you to all who entered my giveway for signed copies of May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition and The Purrfect Puppy and SWAG. I appreciate everyone helping me celebrate the releases of both books. Without further ado, the winner is...

Katrina DeLallo!!!

Yay, Kat, you won! Please email me with your mailing address and the name of the person you'd like the books signed to. Congrats!

Now, for today's topic "Never Say Never." I've learned a lot this past year. In fact I blogged about it a few weeks back. And one of the things I learned is never to say you'll never do something in connection to your writing. I swore I would never write a novel out of order. And I swore I would never do NaNoWriMo because I couldn't write that quickly. Well, I was wrong.

First, I still haven't officially participated in NaNo, but I did completely shock myself by writing three books this year. And one was drafted in 13 days. I swore I couldn't be a NaNo candidate because I couldn't write without editing along the way. But I was wrong. This August, I broke every writing rule I had, and the manuscript is the best I've ever written. Lesson learned. Never say never.

I also swore I'd never write whatever scene struck me at that moment instead of going in order from chapter one to whatever chapter ended the book. Enter my current WIP. Yesterday I wrote a scene from about four chapters away. I had to. It was coming together completely in my mind and if I didn't put it to screen, I would've lost it and written something less stellar down the road. So I gave in and broke my usual pattern of writing every scene in order.

So now I know never to say never. When was the last time you said you'd never do something, only to have to eat your words?

Monday Mishmash 10/24

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

Safe Trick or Treat  Tuesday evening is Safe Trick or Treat at the high school where my husband works. My daughter and I are really looking forward to it.Aruba  My lucky parents are heading to Aruba this weekend. They go for two weeks every year. I'm jealous. I love Aruba.The Purrfect Puppy  I've got my first book signing set up for The Purrfect Puppy! Yay! I'll be at Panera Bread (in Stroudsburg) on December 3 from 2-4pm. (Also The Purrfect Puppy and May the Best Dog Win are in the 4 for 3 promotion on Amazon. Buy 4 copies between the two and only pay for 3!)Giveaway  Don't forget to enter for your chance to win signed copies of The Purrfect Puppy and May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition as well as some SWAG. Contest ends Wednesday.Catching leaves  My daughter and I have been catching leaves and wishing on them. Just another reason why I love fall.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

 

Writing Bubble

I'm deep into a new WIP, and I've developed a writing bubble. Okay, I can hear some of you saying, "What?" Well, when I tell you what I mean, I think at least some of you will admit you have a writing bubble, too.

A writing bubble is something that engulfs you when you are working on a manuscript. It sheilds you from the rest of the world. Tunes out all the distractions. Makes you lose touch with reality--at least while you're writing. It takes you into your writing and makes your manuscript your world.

Anyone with me? When I get into a WIP, I want to write all the time. I squeeze writing time in anywhere and everywhere I can. I give up sleep as much as possible. I find myself thinking about my characters as real people. I will stop mid-conversation with my daughter or husband to write down a bit of dialogue that's swimming around in my head. 

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I like my writing bubble. It allows me to be creative and really get into my writing. To non-writers I probably sound crazy, but I like to think I'm giving in to my writerly self.

So what about you? Does your WIP take over your life and put you in a writing bubble? Or do you find yourself struggling to get your butt in the chair and write?

*And in case you missed it, I have a giveaway going on through next Wednesday. 

It's a Party! (With a Giveaway!)

Yesterday was the release of my new picture book, The Purrfect Puppy. Yay! And earlier this month (October 1) May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition released. Yay again! So I'm hosting a giveaway to celebrate.

Here's what I'm giving away:

Signed copies of

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and...

some SWAG! You'll get postcards, a bookmark, a pencil, two magnets (one for each book), two stickers (one for each book), a dog bracelet, and a dog ring.

How do you enter? Easy, leave a comment on this post. That's it!

Want extra entries?

Be a follower of this site (either through GFC or VIP member) +1Sign up for my free monthly newsletter +2Tweet about the giveaway +1Post on Facebook about the giveaway +1Blog about the giveaway +3Follow me on Twitter +1Like my Facebook fan page +1
Add up your entries in the comments to make sure you get all the points you deserve! And please leave an email or website/blog url where I can contact you if you win.

I'll announce a winner next Wednesday, October 26. Good luck and thanks for helping me celebrate!

 

Monday Mishmash 10/17

Happy Monday! Here's what's on my mind today: 

Reading  This weekend I got in a lot of reading time. I finished one book, got halfway through another, and read almost half of yet another.Revisions  This week I am diving into revisions on the first 25K of my WIP. I don't usually stop drafting to revise like this, but I need to have this opening polished and ready because it's a sequel.Editing  I've been editing a lot this month. I really love that because not only do I get to read great stories, but I also get to help other writers polish their work.Snakes  Shouldn't these gross creatures be out of sight by now? I saw one last weekend and my husband hit one with the lawnmower. Now they pop up in my dreams nightmares.Apple/pumpkin picking  Last Friday, my daughter had her pre-K apple and pumpkin picking field trip. She and I had a blast. Just another reason why I love fall.That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

 *A huge thank you to all who voted for me for 50 Great Authors You Should Be Reading. I made it in the book! Yay! Thanks so much!

May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Vlog

Okay, I think I've become addicted to vlogging. Here's a peek at the May the Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition, which released October 1. I hope you enjoy it!

And just for fun, if you could make any book into a coloring book, which one would you choose?