Kristi Helvig's Blog, page 7
July 8, 2013
3 Things that Star Trek Into Darkness Can Teach You About Writing
First of all, if you haven’t yet seen the movie, get going. This is a movie that has to be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated. Though I’m an admitted sci-fi nerd, even people who don’t usually like sci-fi have said they loved it too. The writers of the Into Darkness screenplay (Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, based on the series by Gene Roddenberry and directed by J.J. Abrams) can also teach you a thing or two about writing in general. Here are some things I took away, without giving any spoilers:
1) The bad guys don’t know they’re the bad guys. At least at first. Remember the old cartoons where the evil villain twirled his mustache while tying a damsel to the railroad tracks for the sheer glee of it. Star Trek does bad guys so much better than that. The “bad guys” are complex characters with reasons and motivations behind their actions, which makes them much more interesting. I thought the reveal of Khan in Into Darkness was brilliant. Even in the first 2009 movie, the Romulans had their justifications for being total asshats.
2) You can always be meaner to your main character (MC). I like to pride myself on being mean to my MC’s. I wonder what would be the worst thing that could happen to them and try to create it. What Star Trek: Into Darkness does to Captain Kirk, as well as the rest of the crew, makes it look like I sent my MC on a Disney Cruise with unlimited free ice cream. When the climax of the movie came, the thought that went through my head was “He is so f#*ked.” Anyway, that’s what I want readers to think while reading my book.
3) Lack of time increases tension. If Chekov or Scotty had days to fix the warp core or McCoy had hours to defuse the bomb, the tension wouldn’t have been nearly as high. The whole movie felt like a giant race against time, which kept me on the edge of my seat. Even if your chosen genre isn’t sci-fi, you’ll usually find some sort of time element working against the main character (e.g. cancer in The Fault in Our Stars, war in The Book Thief). Use time to raise the stakes in your novel.
Anyone else see the awesome that is this movie? Any tips you’d add? Any opinions on the best ever Captain Kirk? (cough*Chris Pine*cough) Also, this is the LAST day to enter my big cover reveal GIVEAWAY and win the YA book of your choice PLUS Defy the Dark.
July 6, 2013
New Blog
July 3, 2013
Cover Reveal for The Defiance by A.G. Henley
It must be cover reveal season, because today is the cover reveal for my friend and fellow psychologist, A.G. Henley. First of all, if you haven’t yet read the first book (The Scourge), please do so immediately. I promise that you’ll want to jump right into the sequel, The Defiance, to see what happens to Fennel and Peree.
First, here is the cover for THE DEFIANCE:
Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc., http://www.gobookcoverdesign.com/.
THE DEFIANCE (Brilliant Darkness, #2)
Suspicion Trust. Fear Compassion. Hate Love.
Fennel and Peree learned the truth: the Scourge, and their world, is not what it seems. Now they need to convince their people that everything they believe is a lie.
An impossible task, especially when someone seems resolved to try anything—even arson and butchery—to destroy Fenn and Peree’s new bond and crush the frail truce between the Groundlings and the Lofties.
Unable to tell friend from foe and with the Scourge pushing both groups to the breaking point, Fenn must again decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to ensure the people of the forest’s future.
Only this time, the price of peace may be too high to bear.
Publication Date: July 29th, 2013
Author Bio:
A.G. Henley is the author of the BRILLIANT DARKNESS series. Her first book, THE SCOURGE, was a finalist for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Award.
A.G. is also a clinical psychologist, which means people either tell her their life stories on airplanes, or avoid her at parties when they’ve had too much to drink. Neither of which she minds. When she’s not writing fiction or shrinking heads, she can be found herding her children and their scruffy dog, Guapo, to various activities while trying to remember whatever she’s inevitably forgotten to tell her husband. She lives in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at aghenley.com
Author Links:
July 1, 2013
Cover Reveal for Daughter of Chaos by Jen McConnel
I’m so excited to help out with the cover reveal for my fellow YA Valentine, Jen McConnel. I love me some witches, and started drooling when I heard about Jen’s book. First, here is the awesome cover for Daughter of Chaos:
From Goodreads:
Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.
Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be. But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.
DAUGHTER OF CHAOS is the first in a YA paranormal trilogy.
Jen is doing a giveaway in celebration. You can win Embrace by Jessica Shirvington and Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Bio:
Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).
She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.
A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.
Links:
Website: http://www.jenmcconnel.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jen_McConnel
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18106165-daughter-of-chaos
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenmcconnelauthor
June 26, 2013
My BURN OUT Cover Reveal and Publication Date
I seriously stared at this for like an hour, because 1) did I mention I love it? 2) it reminds me of Star Trek which I also love and 3) I finally feel like my book is A REAL THING. Also, I have a real publication date: April 8, 2014! That's less than a year away which is mere minutes in the publishing world.
To celebrate my cover happiness, I'm doing a giveaway. The winner will win the YA Book of their Choice PLUS a copy of DEFY THE DARK (a short story anthology by amazing YA authors, including Myra McEntire, Carrie Ryan, Saundra Mitchell, and the aforementioned Valerie Kemp ). The contest runs through Tuesday July 9 and is open to US residents (sorry, but I'm doing another giveaway soon that will be global).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Last but not least, I'm so excited to announce that my book is available for pre-order on Amazon . I'm giving something special to every single person who pre-orders, so let me know at kristi (at) kristihelvig (dot) com.
June 18, 2013
Release Day for DEFY THE DARK
From Goodreads: It features 16 stories by critically-acclaimed and bestselling YA authors as they explore things that can only happen in the dark.
You can order the book here . Also, if you don't win Valerie's giveaway, you have another chance to win next week. I'm giving this book away too, because I have something big to share with everyone...so check back for details next Tuesday the 25th!
June 14, 2013
Cover Reveal for DEFY by Sara B. Larson
From Goodreads:
The fiercest member of a prince's elite guard is actually a girl disguised as a boy, who gets embroiled in a deadly game of thrones while keeping her secret, and realizes she has far deeper feelings for the prince than she thought.
I can't wait to get my hands on this one, and in celebration of her cover reveal, Sara is giving away two books to a lucky winner! Enter below for your chance to win...good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 11, 2013
3 Tips for Dealing with THE EDIT LETTER
Anyway, after getting the letter (which, thankfully, was WAY less than twenty-five pages), and later, after finishing all of the edits and having them accepted, I thought, "Huh, that wasn't so bad after all." More importantly, I couldn't believe how much stronger my book was afterward. So, here are three things you should do after you read your edit letter for the very first time:
1) Nothing. Seriously. Don't open your manuscript. Don't bust out the highlighters and red pens. Don't think about how you're going to address the plot issue raised about chapter seventeen. So what should you do? Take a day and let it all sink again. Then, when you're ready, read the entire letter again before you do anything. The subconscious mind is a powerful thing and I'm a big advocate for "sleeping on it." By the time I re-read my edit letter, the answer to several issues had magically appeared in my head, and I hadn't even started on the edits yet. Next, read the comments by your editor within the manuscript itself. Let these sink it as well, even if your fingers are twitching on the keyboard.
2) Talk to your editor. Schedule a phone call with your editor after you've done Step 1, not before. This way, you can ask for clarification on any issues that you are still unclear about. If you're going the traditional route, you can also discuss the expected time frame for edits. I had one month to do my edits, so I knew I'd have to work quickly. This phone call only lasted about 30 minutes for me, and I hung up feeling very confident about what I needed to do. Excitement had replaced the fear--well, mostly.
3) Develop a strategy. Some writers I know like to go through the edit letter and address each point in turn, so they can check it off as they go. This works great for some people. For me, after talking to my editor and reading his first few comments within my manuscript, something clicked and I went through the entire manuscript without even looking at the edit letter. When I finally went back to the edit letter at the end, I found that I'd addressed almost everything, and only had to tweak a few more minor things. I tend to be less detail-oriented and more big picture oriented, so this system worked better for me. Everyone is different, so listen to what other people have tried, but do what works best for you.
I'd say you can relax after this hurdle, but I'd be lying. I only had one week of downtime after turning my edits in before I received my copyedits to do. That's another post, but I'm finished with those now as well...hence, why I have time to do my first blog post in forever. The bottom line is that having a great editor is priceless, and the end product is totally worth all the blood, sweat, tears, and Haagen Daaz ice cream. NOTE: If you haven't tried the Caramel Creme de Leche variety, you don't know what heaven tastes like.
In other fun news, I saw my book cover and can't wait to share it, because it's SO FREAKIN' COOL! Also, I have a shiny, new website coming soon, and I'm posting a book rave today over at the YA Valentines.
Any other editing tips you'd add to the list? Any favorite editing snacks, like ice cream?
April 19, 2013
Goodreads and Public Humiliation
March 6, 2013
The Next Big Thing Blog Hop
I'm so excited to be asked to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. I've been tagged by the awesome Phil Siegel to answer a few questions about my debut novel coming in 2014. Here goes:
1) What is the working title of your book? BURN OUT
2) Where did the idea come from?A song I heard on Pandora (right after watching a space documentary) led to an intense dream that became the basis of this book. Strange but true. Tora’s character was pretty fully formed upon waking and she was screaming at me to write the book already.
3) What genre does your book fall under?YA sci-fi.
4) What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Emily Browning looks almost exactly how I pictured Tora and would be incredible in the role. Cam Gigandet is probably the closest match to James, and definitely Alexander Skarsgard as Kale because he’d be perfect. Oh, and Joss Whedon would be the screenwriter—because hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?
5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? During Earth's final years, a teenage girl struggles to escape the planet after the sun turns “red giant,” but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.
6) Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? My book will be published by Egmont in Spring 2014, and I am represented by the amazing Jessica Regel from the Jean V. Naggar Agency in NYC.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About 6 weeks for the first draft, but it took about a year total before I felt it was ready to send to agents.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Well, it’s strange but the book that I’d most compare it to is Graceling by Kristin Cashore, which is a YA fantasy. They both feature a strong female character facing terrible situations, albeit in very different settings. In terms of sci-fi comparisons, I’ve been told my character is the female Han Solo, which is hands down my favorite compliment so far about the book.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? Aside from Question #2 above, I have a fascination with a concept captured beautifully in the movie, Kung Fu Panda (no, I’m not kidding). The quote is something like “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoidit.” Without giving too much away about my book, mankind tries to avoid its destiny--with catastrophic consequences.
10) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Hmm, an astrophysicist helped me with some of the technical science behind the story because I wanted it as real as possible. The “science” in sci-fi is so interesting to me, because several of the things I imagined in the book have already come about in the year since I submitted the book to my agency, and last month, astronomers discovered a planet remarkably similar to the one in BURN OUT.
Also, it's a great book to read if you want to feel better about your own life. No matter how much your job or situation might suck, you’ll glimpse Tora’s world and think, “Hey, things aren’t so bad after all.” How’s that for an ad?
As the final part of the bloghop, I'm tagging two other fabulous writers with books releasing in 2014: Paula Stokes and Jaye Robin Brown . Check out their posts next Wednesday!
