Party Scooper

Scoop is a term in journalism that refers to a magazine, paper, news broadcast, etc.. that breaks a story before its competitors. At least it did. Thanks to my mishap last Sunday the definition now includes authors who show up to Twitter parties one week before everyone else. I will now use it in a sentence.

I scooped you guys by showing up at the Twitter Party one week early.

The problem is, in journalism it's a good thing to scoop. When it comes to parties, especially ones you happen to be throwing, it's LAME! Yeah, that's right. There I was all logged on and ready to Tweet at 1pm PST. And no one showed. I was so depressed.  It took me a half-hour to figure out I had the wrong date.  So puh-lease tweet me this Sunday at @TheClique where we will be talking about a Tale of Two Pretties. Save me from being a party scooper two weeks in a row.

I am beyond impressed with the stories you guys are coming up with for the Figment.com contest. I was checking some out today and I was blown away. The artwork, the creativity! My Gawd it's going to be hard to pick a winner. I heart so many of them. I also loved the writing questions several of you submitted to the site. I answered  a bunch, which figment will post tomorrow. But here are the first three (because you know how I love to scoop.)

-How do you organize your work? Do you do a chapter by chapter outline or do you just go with it and hope for the best (that's what I do…haha:)  (Charlotte Rose)

Charlotte your brain and mine are wayyy different. I could never pull that off.  I spend about two weeks figuring out my story on index cards, napkins, and notebooks. Once I have it down I write an INSANE outline. Chapter by chapter it details every event, outfit, and moment of the book. This part of the process is where most of my work is done. It's always easier to change up a plot when its in bullet form rather than book form. My outlines are at least forty pages (Told you they were insane). I see them as the blueprints for a house. Writing is the decorating.

-Do you ever find yourself rushing through a story? Do you ever have trouble coming up with the 'little details"? (Heather Fails)

My monster outlines keep me from rushing and getting lazy with details.  This is key because details bring the story to life.  They are like fabulous accessories- they leave a lasting impression. Remember Angelina Jolie's green earrings at the Oscars a few years ago? Thought you might.

-What is your favorite why of showing characterization? For example, do you prefer to show characterization through dialogue, actions, descriptions, etc? (Annie)

All of the above. Think of your friends. They are all different and special and annoying and fabulous not because of one trait, but rather, a combination of different ones. Personal style, nervous habits, facial expressions, catch phrases, mannerisms, skills, hobbies, pet peeves…I could go on. The more of these you give to a character the more real they become.

For the rest of the Q&A log on to Figment.com tomorrow. And for those of you who aren't budding writers, take a look at the contest entries anyway. Each one is a quick read about one of the PC members and her life in the future. They are ah-mazing. So ah-mazing in fact they got me thinking about picking up the Clique series again and writing about the girls in college. But then I thought some more and I reconsidered. Why? I will tell you. Or rather, Teenreads.com will tell you. I just finished a blog about it which they will be posting some time this week. Once again, I am going to scoop them and give you the first two paragraphs.

All good things must come to an end. Leave while the party is still going. It's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at …Ehmagawd, ENOUGH!

Cliches are even more ah-nnoying when we're upset, aren't they? Those smug little sentences think they're sooo much better than we are. Judging us for being emotional while passive-aggressively urging us to stop moping and get on with it. Like they have all the answers. Like they never lick their wounds. Like they aren't bummed the Clique Series is over. Puh-lease! Well, here's one for ya; easier said than done!

Go to teenreads.com for the rest.

SHOUT OUT to Cici for being the only person tweeting with me last Sunday.

TTYSunday

LISI