In which I shatter the rules of Blogging A to Z...
I did it again. I didn't post for a few days, so I'm going to do three letters in one day. Again. Don't worry, we're nearly at the end. Also, I am going to have a SUPER EXCITING POST FULL OF EXCITING THINGS later tonight. I'll give you a hint: it involves you winning things. EXCITING THINGS. Trust me, you want to stay tuned for that.
Onto Blogging A to Z! First up is letter W, which stands for WORDS. I know, right? Silly thing to choose. But still, you couldn't have a book without words. It's choosing the right ones that's the tricky part. Some words are better than others. Words like shiver and effervescent and dark are good words. But used in the best way. Also, said is a good word, no matter what. I had that beaten into my head in college. Said. Is. Golden. Also, there are certain words that can be used too often. Like like. And really. And things like "she said haltingly" should never happen. Some words can make or break a sentence. Or even a book. There was a debacle about a character watching another character "shift" on the ground. Only the word was missing a letter. Words are weapons. They are power. Use them wisely.
Next up, we have letter X! Which today stands for eXpletives. I'll admit it. I curse. I try not to in mixed company, at work, or online. Because I think it's crass in certain situations. But yes, I have cursed on my blog and on twitter. Not often, but I have. Everyone does. Even if you try not to, sometimes that four-letter word comes out. Here's the thing about YA. Teens curse. A lot. Next time you're near a group of them, go ahead and listen in. Better yet, go look at their Facebook pages. Yeah, they really don't know that's going to haunt them later, do they? Anywho, here's the moral of the story.
If you're writing YA, you have to address it. Every character in the book isn't going to say, "oh fudge!" It's unrealistic. Also unrealistic is every single character dropping an F bomb three times in one conversation. It's all about balance. I used curse words in my first book, because my character did. It fit the story, and if it offends someone, that's not really my problem. For my new book, my character is more reserved. She babysits and has a little sister and wants to be a teacher. So her curses are more rare. My favorite are the made-up curse words. Tiffany King, author of Meant To Be has some really good ones I've stolen for my own personal use. Like, "mother of pearl!" I'm also fond of, "shut the front door!" Have fun with it. And if you aren't comfortable writing curse words, don't. Kiersten White doesn't, because of her Mormon beliefs. Does that make her books any less exciting? Nope. Pretty sure there's also no swearing in Twilight. Didn't seem to have hurt that book any. Still, it would have been nice to see Edward say, "oh sh*t" when he found out about Renesmee.
Lastly for today, we have Y. Which is for yearning. Oh yeah. Every character in a book wants something. Deep down. They may not know what it is, but the purpose of the story is to have them strive for it. Part of that is yearning. Wanting. Because you wouldn't accomplish something if you didn't want it. Part of the journey is wanting something, but not being able to have it. There's a pain, but also a beauty in it. Maybe it's that boy you meet eyes with across the cafeteria that doesn't know you're alive and you don't know how to make him notice you, and you're ugly and boring and he wouldn't want you anyway. Oh, the yearn. It's delicious.
Onto Blogging A to Z! First up is letter W, which stands for WORDS. I know, right? Silly thing to choose. But still, you couldn't have a book without words. It's choosing the right ones that's the tricky part. Some words are better than others. Words like shiver and effervescent and dark are good words. But used in the best way. Also, said is a good word, no matter what. I had that beaten into my head in college. Said. Is. Golden. Also, there are certain words that can be used too often. Like like. And really. And things like "she said haltingly" should never happen. Some words can make or break a sentence. Or even a book. There was a debacle about a character watching another character "shift" on the ground. Only the word was missing a letter. Words are weapons. They are power. Use them wisely.
Next up, we have letter X! Which today stands for eXpletives. I'll admit it. I curse. I try not to in mixed company, at work, or online. Because I think it's crass in certain situations. But yes, I have cursed on my blog and on twitter. Not often, but I have. Everyone does. Even if you try not to, sometimes that four-letter word comes out. Here's the thing about YA. Teens curse. A lot. Next time you're near a group of them, go ahead and listen in. Better yet, go look at their Facebook pages. Yeah, they really don't know that's going to haunt them later, do they? Anywho, here's the moral of the story.
If you're writing YA, you have to address it. Every character in the book isn't going to say, "oh fudge!" It's unrealistic. Also unrealistic is every single character dropping an F bomb three times in one conversation. It's all about balance. I used curse words in my first book, because my character did. It fit the story, and if it offends someone, that's not really my problem. For my new book, my character is more reserved. She babysits and has a little sister and wants to be a teacher. So her curses are more rare. My favorite are the made-up curse words. Tiffany King, author of Meant To Be has some really good ones I've stolen for my own personal use. Like, "mother of pearl!" I'm also fond of, "shut the front door!" Have fun with it. And if you aren't comfortable writing curse words, don't. Kiersten White doesn't, because of her Mormon beliefs. Does that make her books any less exciting? Nope. Pretty sure there's also no swearing in Twilight. Didn't seem to have hurt that book any. Still, it would have been nice to see Edward say, "oh sh*t" when he found out about Renesmee.
Lastly for today, we have Y. Which is for yearning. Oh yeah. Every character in a book wants something. Deep down. They may not know what it is, but the purpose of the story is to have them strive for it. Part of that is yearning. Wanting. Because you wouldn't accomplish something if you didn't want it. Part of the journey is wanting something, but not being able to have it. There's a pain, but also a beauty in it. Maybe it's that boy you meet eyes with across the cafeteria that doesn't know you're alive and you don't know how to make him notice you, and you're ugly and boring and he wouldn't want you anyway. Oh, the yearn. It's delicious.
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