A-Z Challenge...Y

Today Y=Your order is on its way! I love those e-mails. You know the ones I'm talking about...you go a little nuts ordering books one day and then sit back anxiously awaiting their arrival. Then you get word that they are on their way. And then you wait, vowing not to attack the mailman when you see him carrying one of those small brown boxes.

So here is what's heading my way:

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Illusionsby Aprilynne Pike

Bite Club (Morganville Vampires #10) by Rachel Caine

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Like I said...I went a little nuts, but what can I say? They had a good sale! So what books have you ordered or purchased lately? Are you chomping at the bit to read them like me?

W=Writer's Insanity

Do you have it?

Check out the signs below and if you can nod and smile with even just one, well then I'm sorry my friend. You've got it. You've got it bad.

How will you fare? Read on and find out:

10. You leave the house in such a spastic hurry for work that you're not sure you're wearing matching shoes. (This is due in large part to taking that extra few minutes out of your morning routine to finish that chapter you've been dying to get down on paper.)

9. You opt for a ponytail and slap on the make-up in order to buy yourself more writing time.

8. Mac and Cheese/Hamburger Helper become gourmet meals at home.

7. You start referring to your characters like they are real life people.

6. Caffeine becomes its own food group.

5. Sleep becomes highly overrated. That's what the weekends are for right?

4. You can carry on an entire conversation by yourself.

3. In the car on the way to work you get an idea out of the clear blue sky, have no paper so you write on your arm with your lipstick because you also have no pen. (Do not even judge me it only happened once!)

2. Non-writers often look at you like you're speaking another language when you talk about your manuscript or even your favorite books.

1. Last but certainly not least...Someone can be talking to you and you hear nothing. Not a darn word because you have dialogue running through your head and you secretly want to get to a quiet corner to write it down.

So how did you fare? Did I leave anything out that you our willing to share? Come on spill, you know you want to!

A-Z Challenge...Voice

We've all heard it. We've all read it on countless blogs posted by agents and editors, that key ingredient that pulls a manuscript out of the slushpile and separates itself from all the others.

What is it you ask? Voice.

Simple right? Not exactly. You see though voice is the key to making or breaking a story, it's also the toughest to grasp. I know it's a constant thorn in my side. There's no clear cut way to add voice to your work and no two authors utilize it in the same way. Think of it as your very own fingerprint in the writing world. Which is a good thing. It's like people, if we were all alike this world would be a very boring place.

So how do you find your voice? There is no sure-fire way...but here are a few tips that have helped me.

1. Read-read whatever you can get your hands on. Read the genre you write in. Read outside of your genre. Give yourself the knowledge of what's out there and how your favorite authors use their voice. Then think of your own. It's essential to know what's been done in order to set yourself apart from it.

2. Write-write whatever you're passionate about. Write what you love. Don't lend yourself to writing trends or whatever you think is the "it" topic of the moment. I've found that if I'm not one hundred percent in love with what I'm working on my voice falls flat.

3. Personality-let your personality show. Ultimately that's what voice is. Your own personality shining through your characters. Personality adds the spice and flavor to your writing so don't hold back.

4. Don't be afraid to rake risks!- Writers can't be afraid to put themselves out there. Be terrified, afraid...but then tell yourself this: If you don't try how will you ever know what potential you possess?

Still uncertain? That's okay. Voice is one of those elusive traits that one person will love and another...not so much. This is a subjective business after all.

Here are a few questions to ponder the next time those creative juices start to flow.
*Am I enthusiastic about my topic?
*Does this writing sound like me?
*How do I want my readers to feel?
*Will my story hold a readers attention? Will they want to hear more?

Now its your turn. How do you find your voice? I'd love to know!

A-Z Challenge...Under Pressure

Writers put themselves under an immense amount of pressure. Usually before they even sit down to write. So how does this factor in when you are under a deadline, going through revisions or even completing a first draft?

The truth is it doesn't. So what do you do when inspiration remains evasive? Do you sit there gaping at the screen, pondering what deity in the universe is laughing heartily at your expense? Not quite. The next step is really quite simple.

Take a break. It's okay, trust me. Procrastination is one thing. It's a whole other post if you want to get down to it. But accepting the fact that you may need a break is something entirely different. There's no shame in admitting that your mind needs a rest. Is it hard? Absolutely.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a walk- You'd be surprised how effective even a short walk can be. No I don't take them late at night, but I do like to walk right after work and I've found that the ideas tend to come more readily. I've even run straight into the house to jot some down.

Watch a little TV- TV always relaxes me and allows my mind to wander. Usually I keep my trusty little notepad with me and if ideas come, I can write them down during the commercials.

Read a good book- Reading a good book always gets me in the mood to write. I love getting inspired by the words of other writers, seeing what they have achieved. It also reminds me why I do what I do.

Shopping- Retail therapy is always a great motivator for me...oops, its research, that's the party line that I feed my husband. Research for current trends is my reasoning for spending hours at the mall. I know this sounds like a crazy way to get inspiration, but I never claimed that my methods made sense.

Starbucks- When all else fails make a Starbucks run. Or sit and stay a while. Something about sitting and working in those places gets the creativity going for me. Okay so we all knew I would throw in Starbucks. It's pretty much a given for me.

Bottom line...when your mind gets all tangled in the web of craziness that we as writers all like to weave, relieve a bit of the pressure by doing something for yourself to relax. The ideas will return.

Okay, now it's your turn. When your thoughts go by the wayside, how do you get them fired up and sparking again?

S=So Many Books...So Little Time

Every single time I make the slightest dent in my TBR pile I manage to discover even more books to add to my list. But that's okay, I'd rather have too many books than none at all. So here are a few little gems I stumbled across yesterday:

The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1) by Aimee Carter

Goodreads Description:
It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Thank-you Lindsay for recommending this one...
Chime by Franny Billingsley

Goodreads Description:
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

The Vespertine (Vespertine #1) by Saundra Mitchell

Goodreads Description:
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Now it's your turn...what books are you just dying to read?

A-Z Challenge...R

R is for Renae! Oh yes, I am taking the easy road today. Thank you Jen for giving me this great idea that I'm stealing. This has been such a long week and my brain is fried! So since you made the trip over here let me share a few things that most of you no doubt probably already know.

1. I have a day job...teaching second grade and no I can't formulate coherent sentences at the end of the day.

2. I have two adorable kids. Scarlett and Schandon. Scarlett is the diva extraordinaire and her brother Schandon is the football playing saint that endures her antics.

3. I hate cheese. There I said it. (Want to gross me out? Force me to make mac & cheese. Yuck!!!)

4. But I do love chocolate cake. (Though I try to avoid it!)

5. I do have weird quirks. I like things in a certain order. I'm a little OCD about it to be honest.

Okay enough about me...well that is unless the rest of you have anything you are just dying to know. This is your one and only chance, otherwise share something about your wonderful self!

Q=Quiters

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel and quitting it all? Has there ever been a time that you felt like you couldn't possibly write another word?

I have. There are those days when you have one to many let downs, or get a rejection on some requested material or even hit a rough patch in your new manuscript. Those days are tough.

So why do we stick with it? What makes writers dig deep and stay on this roller coaster of a journey?

Well for me it's simple...I just can't stop. When all is said and done, writing is my outlet. There's nothing like polishing a scene until it's exactly they way I want it. Or typing the last sentence on that manuscript I've been working so hard on.

The list goes on and on. Bottom line though, since I have started writing I have an escape. A place to go where I can control what happens.

Now it's your turn, why do you stick with the writing game? What keeps you coming back for more?