Sarah Allen's Blog, page 30

I FINISHED THE NOVEL!!! AND I'M MOVING TO VEGAS!!! AND I WON THE LOTTERY!!!

Okay, so only two of those things are true. But guys. TWO OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE.

(Hint: I didn't win the lottery. But it kind of feels like it.)

I did finish the novel! My YA book, called, bababadum! Breathing Underwater, complete at 44,000 words. I know that's short, but maybe after editing it will end up a bit longer. I am so, so excited about this one. I'm going to give it a while to ruminate, then take it on the editing rounds, then send it off to readers.

This novel stars 14 year old Olivia who is on a road trip with some family friends and her big sister Ruth. Ruth, who has a TARDIS-blue faux-hawk and a stud in her nose. Needless to say, Ruth provides most of the drama of the story. Well, almost.

And I am moving to Vegas. Moving the first couple weeks of next month. I've just finalized with my two jobs, so now I can make it public. I am going back west. People give me the "that's random" look when I tell them I'm moving to Vegas, but its actually been very thought out. I'm moving with a bestie from college, which is making this all so much more possible than it would be otherwise. I know Vegas well, and I know I love it. It's also perfect distance from my Utah family, so that's another bonus. And to top it off, I've accepted a job teaching high school English :) I'm going to be a teacher!!! So, all in all, a little bit perfect.

Besides, VEGAS BABY!!!

Sarah Allen
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Writing Challenge: Describing Eyes

The eyes are the window to the soul, right?

And they are one of the hardest things to describe and not make cliche.

Ugh. Can you tell I've been having cliche battles?

Eyes have been described so many times it feels like there's no way to talk about them without sounding completely trite. We all know the words: deep, haunting, piercing. But what do those words really mean? How do you really get the image into the readers mind?

The best way, I've been thinking, is to take the known and expand it as best you can. So, for example, rather than saying

He had clear, hazel eyes that made me shiver.

you could maybe say something like

He had clear eyes the color of sand, eyes that somehow always left me wondering if I'd seen them right, like I'd looked at the sun too long. Eyes that always left me wondering where he really went at night.

Better, right? Kind of? More interesting at least.

So now I put it to you. I'll give you a picture of a character with eyes that are...well, haunting, deep, piercing. Go all out. See what you can do.

Why I Think Submission Fees are (Sometimes) Worth It

We writers can't go far in the blogosphere without being warned against up front fees, and rightly so. There are too many scammers out there for us not to be careful. Especially any "agent" that wants to charge any kind of up front fee. Big red flag.
So what about writing competitions that charge submission fees? I've often heard people express hesitation, including in blog comments here, about those fees. I think it's wise to be cautious, absolutely, and writing competitions are by no means exempt from possible scams.
However. I think if there's any area where you're going to fork up some cash to invest in your writing career, I think the many awesome legit competitions that go on year-round are a great place to do it. Short of logistical costs for self-publishers (cover designers, editors, publicists, etc.) it may be the best place for writers to put their money.
Why? I'll tell you why.
There are limited ways for us writers to invest in our careers. We're putting in all this work, but there are only so many ways for us to put our writing out there, get it in front of people. If we're serious about our careers, then we want to take every chance we can, don't we?
Think of it from a purely financial standpoint. The chances of winning any of these competitions is very slight, right? That's true. So say you spend, over a year long period, maybe two hundred dollars on entrance fees and win one contest, where you win five hundred. That's three hundred, right? So say its not even that. Say you barely brake even when you finally win a competition. Say that puts you in a magazine that maybe three hundred people read, and ten of those people buy your book. That's ten more people who buy your book, who tell your friends. Profit gained. And because its hard to gauge something so exponential, it just all keeps building and building into a larger career. Bam. Win.
And then there's the people you're submitting to directly. They're members of the literary world. You never know when you're going to get your work in front of the exactly right pair of eyes. Plus building up that list of credits only helps you when you're querying agents and writing bylines.
The end. That's why I think many writing competitions are worth the entrance fees. I'm not suggesting you need to spend half your paycheck on it. I am suggesting it might be worth it to, every so often, stay in for dinner instead, and use the money to put some writing where it might be seen.
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
Sarah

Top Ten Underrated Movies

There are some spectacular movies out there that have received very little attention. Not everyone will agree with my list, obviously, but these are some of the movies that I feel deserve way more acclaim then they've gotten. And so, in no particular order:

Sarah's Top Ten Underrated Movies:

1. Dan In Real Life: So sweet, so adorable, and the music is awesome. Maybe I have a thing for Steve Carrel, but how can you resist the adorableness? He is perfect as flawed and very real Dan, and with Juliet Binoche as his romantic interest, you know why she's worth the drama.

2. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: This movie does have a bit of a cult following, but fewer people have watched it than should have. Such a genius conglomeration of literary awesomeness, and maybe my favorite action movie (competition being, of course, Red.) And besides. Sean Connery.

3. The Painted Veil: I don't know why this movie didn't win more awards. For its scope and historical intensity, it is a deeply personal and emotional movie. You will feel changed by it. And there is this odd combination of the sinister and the pleading in Edward Norton that adds up to something utterly haunting.

4. The Visitor: So I can basically sum up why I fell head over heals at this movie when I saw it at BYU's International Cinema in two words: Richard Jenkins. Talk about underrated. We all know I'm an obnoxious and predictable sucker for lonely, broken old men, and this movie/character was no exception. Totally real, totally heart-wrenching.

5. Another Year: Everybody has their thing(s) they particularly notice when they watch a movie, and for me it's the script and the acting. I don't typically notice the score or the cinematography or even the plot arc. That said, it means something that this movie made Mike Leigh my official favorite director, except for maybe Pete Docter. The style is very slow, almost documentorial (is that a word?). But his story, his message, for some reason sat super, super well with me, and I have thought about it ever since.

6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: I'm sorry, okay, I will just never get over pining old people. So of course this movie was basically made for me. I acknowledge that, and acknowledge I might have an inordinate love for it, but the writing is spectacular and the performances by the all-star cast are, of course, goosebump incredible. (Oh my good heavens Bill Nighy.) Do yourself a favor, watch this movie, give yourself a smile.

7. Babe: This movie might be one of the more well-known ones, but it saddens me that most people know it as "that pig movie." There is an underrated stroke of genius in this movie, and it is called James Cromwell (Another adorable old man, I know, I'm sorry.) Farmer Hogget just goes straight to my heart. It's not just that, though, that is fabulous about this movie. There are so many genius little pieces, like the fabulous voice-work of Christine Cavenaugh, the hilarious singing mice, the storybook style, and of course, Jim Henson's fabulous puppet work. Every kid (and adult) needs to see this movie.

8. Miss Potter: This one comes with a warning. Definitely watch with a box of tissue, or twelve. Renee Zellweger is fabulous as Beatrix Potter, but I think the heart-string-pluckingness of this movie can be best explained by what happened when I first saw it in theaters. There was a row of girls in front of us and there's a scene where a music box plays and Ewan Macgregor says "I know this song," and the girls in front of me were like "OH MY GOSH HE'S GOING TO SING." Yes. He sings. And then you melt.

9. Phoebe In Wonderland: So, Elle Fanning may be an even better actress than her big sister. In this movie, at least, she is remarkable. This is a unique, strange, difficult, almost uncomfortable movie. In the end it really feels weird to come back to reality, which is important once you know what the movie is about. You feel your brain stretched, in a very good and refreshing way.

10. Shadowlands: Not just a pining old man movie, but a C. S. Lewis as a pining old man movie. I almost don't need to say anything more, but I will, because oh my heart Anthony Hopkins. How he didn't get an Academy Award for this movie I don't know. And since it's Anthony Hopkins saying things written by Lewis himself it is just pure heart brimming all over the place. With all the ache and tears and joyful pain that that entails.

Well there you have it. Have you seen any of these movies? What is your favorite "underrated" movie?

Sarah Allen

Story Gathering at the Smithsonian

We've got some relatives in town, which means we're doing all the fun touristy DC things we wouldn't normally do. Like the National Air and Space Museum. I'm not talking about the normal one in DC, I'm talking about the extension, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at the Dulles airport in Chantilly, Virginia.

A few things about this center. First, I thought it was way cooler than the main museum, and if you're in this area, this is the one you should go to. Not only that, but I thought this was one of the most well-designed museum's I've ever been to. The railings had built-in seats and there were genius old guys like everywhere just standing there waiting to answer all your questions and listening to them talk, describe how the shuttle lands like a helicopter crashing, was the best part.

Anway, there's my plug. On to my point.

So I did something while we were at this museum that I've never done before, but that I plan on doing at every museum I ever visit from here on out. I feel like museums can be super intimidating, and even if you have good intentions and want to learn there's just too much and you can come out barely remembering anything at all. This time I approached it as a story hunter.

One of my favorite things at this museum (although it was all freaking awesome) was the collection of WWII planes from Germany. So many of the plaques said that they were the last plane of it's type in the world, and talked about how it had been captured and restored and the process of it ending up with the Smithsonian Institute. Can you say fascinating story?

(sorry for the small font and crappy phone pictures)
What about the guy in charge of getting the plane back from Germany? What about the guy who gave it back to Germany? What about the guys who restored it? There are some characters and stories for you. Even just for background history.
So yeah, I was the dufus taking pictures of the plaques with my phone. And it was so much fun! Like I said, this story hunting approach is the one I'm going to take at museums from now on.
 The space plane shuttle thing, that the pilots apparently say lands like a cinderblock. All the outside is made entirely of pure glass. Except for the nose-tip and wing-fronts, which get hotter than the glass melting point. Those spots are coated with an extra layer of a special substance that includes the bodies of dead carpenter ants. Yeah. 

You can't quite tell, but there is a swastika on the tail fin back there.
Anybody else a museum nerd?
Sarah Allen

17 Writing Contests to Submit To

So normally links like this are something I save for a link roundup or a Facebook or Twitter post, but I thought this one was so important it needed its own entire blog post.

I talk about writing contests a lot here, because I think there are a myriad of reasons to submit to them and really no good reasons not to. Contests can inspire creativity and be the impetus you need for pumping out more work. It can help with exposure and experience in the industry and networking within the literary community and all sorts of things. If you have short competition pieces, submit, and if you don't, write some.

With that, here is a Writing in Wonderland post with 17 Writing Contests for you to submit to. Check it out.

Also make sure you're periodically checking out the competition lists on NewPages and Poets&Writers and Writers Digest. Not that you have to spend a bunch of money and submit to a bajillion things, but I think we'd all do well to just be aware of what's going on, of the options and possibilities.

Now I need to see which of these contests look the most interesting...

Sarah Allen
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Top 5 Strangest Animals to See Before You Die

So there are a ton of weird animals out there, but these are just some of the ones I want to see, at some point, in real life.

1. Bald Uakari: A monkey with a red face? How cool is that! Native to Brazil and Peru, these monkeys are listed as "vulnerable" on the endangered species list.

2. Barreleye Fish: So, um, this fish has a transparent head. Nuff said.

3. Pink Fairy Armadillo: These are just adorable. Less than five inches long, nocturnal, and found mostly in Argentina.

4. Helmeted Hornbill: This bird averages, get this, about 3 1/2 feet in length, not including tail feathers. It eats mostly figs and is found in Sumatra and Borneo.
5. Tube-nosed Fruit Bat: Okay, I just think these are cute too. Endangered, and native to the Philippines.

What other animals would you add to this list? 
Sarah Allen

Now That Google Reader and Friend Connect are Going

Well, we're down to the final days before Google Reader is officially kaput. I've been using Feedly for the past week or so, and while I think I still like the Google Reader layout better, Feedly is remarkably organizer friendly. I've also heard some good things about BlogLovin, but haven't found it quite as user friendly.

I've also heard rumors that Friend Connect is leaving, which makes me very sad. No longer can we look at the lovely faces of our blog subscribers. No longer do I get to have a little party at every plus one. I suppose some will say its a good thing, and maybe serves to neutralize blogs a little bit, but I will miss it.

So, in lieu of all that, let's not loose touch okay? I've got Feedly and Bloglovin buttons over here -----------> for your convenience. If you're not an RSS reader or have decided to let it drop with the demise of Google Reader you can also keep updated via the Facebook Page. Or Twitter or Pinterest or Tumblr. I'm a little obsessed :) For reals though, if you use any of those sites I do try and post blog post links on all of them as well as other awesome stuff I find around the interwebz. There are some seriously amazing/useful/entertaining/helpful/awe-inspiring things out there.

With that, we'll say goodbye to Google Reader and see what happens! I've asked this before, but it bears asking again, how are you going to follow bloggers/writers now that Google Reader is going?

Sarah Allen

Challenge: Write in the Genre You Could Never Write

We've all got the genre that is our genre. The one, maybe two, genres we usually work in. Then there are genres that are more on the periphery, that we read occasionally and think would be fun to write one day.

Then there is the genre that you look at and go, whoo boy, I could never write that.

I can think of a couple right off the bat.

Historical fiction. I so admire anyone who writes historical fiction, because I am so intimidated by the amount of research it seems like it would take. You want the story to pop, to be as real life as the world outside the window, and it just seems so hard to do that for a time that's not...well, now.

Christian romance. While I do think every story could do with a little lovin in it, I feel like specifically Christian romance would be so much harder than it looks. I feel like it would be incredibly difficult to get the writing so that its not cheesy or didactic, and anyone who trods in this territory, my hats off to you.

That being said, I think it could be a cool experiment to make myself write a short story or two in these genres. Alaska in the 1700s, maybe, or some story involving a preachers widow and an architect.

What about you? What's the one genre that intimidates you the most?

Sarah Allen
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What Type of Blog Posts are Most Useful to You?

I have another bit of a poll post for you today.

I hope you don't mind it too much. But the only way we're going to improve and progress around here is for me to make sure I know what you guys like, what you find helpful and/or entertaining and do my best to provide that for you. And I think its maybe time to level up.

This is my 703rd post. I started this blog in 2009. That is three years ago. That feels like forever. So much has changed in the span of my blogging, and so much is still changing. I feel like when I started this blog, blogging was just coming out of its hey-day, and it's sort of been declining ever since. However I feel like the waning has sort of leveled off. And all that doesn't matter anyway, because I blog for more than reasons than because it's the "it" thing to do. I do it because of the awesome community and how much I've learned and the opportunity to interact with like-minded people. I think this is the reason--while some days have definitely been harder than others--I've never seriously wanted to give it up, or gotten irredeemably tired of blogging. You guys are just too awesome.

I hope over the years things have progressed around here. But I do want to keep improving, keep progressing, and part of that is getting your feedback and seeing what you want most.

So what type of posts are most useful to you? Tips on plotting and character? Pictures and prompts for ideas? Social media guides? Personal anecdotes? Links to good stuffs from all around the internetz? Lists of writing contests and places to submit writing? Anything else?

And guys?

Thanks.

Sarah Allen