Being Brave: Entering a Short Story Contest

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Kourtney

Entering a short story contest is like putting on a bikini (or speedo if your a guy) and walking onto a crowded beach. In your mind everyone is looking and critiquing. Some of them actually are. It’s a cringe-worthy, anxiety-ridden moment. But you want to get in the ocean so you take a breath and step onto the sand.

My writing friend, Katrina Bender, has done this very very brave thing. She entered her short story, The Owl’s Omen, in a contest online over at Figment. If you have a moment, please check it out. It’s a Edgar Allen Poe meets Dickens, Victorian gothic with a touch of horror. An incredibly enjoyable read. I’m so impressed by her skills. She’s not just an awesome crit partner but a truly gifted writer!

The grand prize is having your story included in the print edition of Defy the Dark, $500 cash prize awarded by HarperCollins and five copies of Defy the Dark. My fingers are crossed for Katrina.

You can log in with your Facebook or Twitter account to leave a comment or give it a rating. Please show a little love for a fellow writer who’s stepping out onto the beach in an itsy-bitsy bikini.

Here’s her description of her story: A young poet in Victorian England decides to end his life, until he receives an unexpected visit from a most unearthly caller. Gothic fiction for the Defy the Dark contest. Inspired by the work of Dickens, Goethe, and of course Poe.

While you’re there, you might want to take a look at Figments upcoming contests. After reading Katrina’s short story, you might be inspired to Be Brave too!

Posted in Contest, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Writing Girls and Writing Emotional Truth: SCBWI Highlights

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Kourtney

At the Summer SCBWI conference, I attended Sara Shepard’s workshop on Issues Writing Girls. One of the most interesting points she raised had to deal with dating your books. And not in the going out for coffee sense. But rather by making too many allusions to brands like Abercrombie or J. Crew or Iphone.

This was one of those lesson she learned from writing Pretty Little Liars. The first book has lots of brands and labels that help establish who the characters are.

She said it’s very tempting to drop a modern reference, but that what is hot in 2012 may not be in 2013, 2014, 0r 2015 when the book is published. She suggested finding other ways to define characters without using those references.

She also cautioned against the use of slang like “frenemy” and using music to define a character. Both define, but date quickly.

Ruta Sepetys’s Keynote address was my favorite key note of the entire conference. She is a fantastic speaker. Every word/sentence she spoke built on her central premise. She moved me to tears with her honesty.

Her talk “You Can’t Break the Broken: Writing Emotional Truth” is why I go to conferences.
Her debut novel, Shades of Gray, is the story of a Lithuanian girl sent to Siberia during Stalin’s regime in Lithuania. The novel explores what it takes to bear the unbearable.

It’s next on my to read list.

Ruta grew up in America, knowing her father and his parents fled Lithuania under Stalin because Stalin forced everyone he deemed “anti-soviets” in Lithuania (including all writers, teachers, librarians, landowners, musicians, military) to go to Siberia.

Her dad grew up in a refugee camp before they came to the U.S. That was all she really knew of her story.

Until she went back to Lithuania and found out that 12 of her relatives were taken in place of her father’s family. 11 of them died in Siberia.

She decided to tell the emotional truth of what happened to the people of Lithuania under Stalin. She fictionalized it so she could speak for the people who never spoke of what happened to them.

When she decided to write the truth, she had to decide how much she was willing to pay and give of herself–her emotional self. She explained that you have to be willing to turn yourself inside out and expose your deepest deepest feelings.

She encouraged us to “write the novel only you can write.” She reminded us that for the things we feel “there is a reader out there who feels it too.”

Posted in Conferences, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Surprises and Suspense: SCBWI Highlights

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Kourtney

Karen Cushman spoke to us about the importance of courting surprises in our writing. One of her best tips is “Don’t fear surprise, welcome it.” Sometimes we have no idea why something comes unbidden. But it’s okay to stray from our outline. She advised that we “ask the questions we don’t know the answers to.”

What I appreciated about her talk was that she made a point of saying that we “are not channeling someone” nor is there “a muse at work.” We as writers do it unwittingly. Sometimes we leave clues in our own writing about what will happen. We just have to look for them. We prepare ourselves for the surprises.

Jay Asher is one of my favorite workshop teachers at the entire conference. He conveyed so much useful knowledge while constantly engaging the audience. If you get the chance to hear him speak, GO!

He really made us think about how to inject suspense into any type of book. One of the key takeaways was the importance of ANTICIPATION. The reader is waiting for something to happen, something that is supposed to happen, and eventually it has to happen to satisfy the reader.

He mentioned how with Twilight the back cover created anticipation about the vampire discovery. The first 10 pages of the book are all about the weather and setting, but it makes it the perfect place for a vampire, which the reader know to anticipate because of the back cover.

In terms of how to inject suspense at the end of a chapter, he advised that writers can: cut the action early, hint at the story to come, or have multiple narrators so the chapter end is a bit of a story cliffhanger.

My favorite quote? “It’s our fault, but their problem when a reader is up all night reading our book.”

Posted in Conferences, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Book Review: Immortal Beloved

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Kourtney

Did you ever stumble upon a book that was exactly what you needed to read at that exact time? That’s what happened to me with Cate Tiernan’s  Immortal Beloved.

At the LA SCBWI Summer Conference, there was a pizza party and book signing party for all SCBWI members with published novels. This is my favorite way to stumble on new books. By reading the backs and meeting the authors.

Anyway, I was making my way around the room when Immortal Beloved grabbed my attention. Partly because I have a manuscript with immortals and partly because I loved the title and the cover. I picked it up and perused the back cover.

The first line on the back cover grabbed me “Nothing ever really ends when you’re immortal.”

The author, Cate Tiernan, was very friendly. Something in her face sold me on the book. She kindly autographed it and I moved along to discover a few more books.

Anyway, throughout the conference I kept running into Cate. The poor woman must have thought I was stalking her. But I think the universe was telling me to talk to her. So I did.

And I decided to read her book first (of the dozen I purchased at the conference).

I’m so glad I did. Because I needed to hear her words so badly.

I needed to hear Nastasya’s story. I needed to be there for her soul searching  and her realizations.

And I walked away with a new perspective on my life.

That’s the power of the right book at the right time.

Here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say about the book:

“Born in 1551, Nastasya is immortal, wealthy, and at the end of her rope. After centuries of hedonism, one casually cruel moment in present-day London shatters her composure and leaves her grasping at the slimmest of chances to save her sense of humanity. That chance takes the form of River’s Edge, a farm and retreat in the heart of Massachusetts, where a varied group of immortals seek to regain the immediacy and emotion of life fully lived. It’s not an easy fit for Nastasya, and as she learns about her companions, the ghosts of her long and dark past rise vividly to haunt her.”

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

SCBWI Highlights: What Editors Do and First Page Dos and Don’ts

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Kourtney

This week, I thought I share some highlights from the workshops I attended at the 41 st Annual SCBWI Summer Conference in LA.

Jordan Brown spoke to us about his list including what, how and why he publishes. Lately, I’ve come to appreciate his advice about how great writers are great readers. They are aware of what is out in the market. My dear friend and writing buddy Katrina Bender is forever introducing me to new books and I love that about her. 🙂

He described the editor’s job as being to: look at the page and figure out what is in the author’s head and try to get it onto the page better. As I’ve been working on feedback from an agent, I can see what he meant. This agent is helping me get to the heart of my story and tell it better.

Krista Marino gave an insightful workshop filled with terrific tips on “The Importance of Firsts: First Line, First Page, and First 5 Pages.” One of the key points in her talk was the importance of not leading the reader astray or boring them in any of those firsts.

She touched on some elements that can make a first line intriguing: having an inherent question, introducing a main character, giving a sense of setting, and voice. Those will all tug the reader into the story.

A couple things she advised against doing in the first five pages included: introducing too many characters, including flashbacks, POV jumps. I think these were “don’ts” because they can confuse the reader and/or disorient them.

Posted in Conferences, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Hendry Ranch Wines In Napa Valley

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Kourtney

J and I booked a tour of Hendry Ranch Wines because it was ranked #1 on TripAdvisor for activities in Napa. It had some of the best reviews ever. We decided this was our winery tour and tasting place. The cost was $40 each but they spent 2.5-3 hours with us. It exceeded all expectations and put all other winery tours and tastings to shame.

 

The Hendry Ranch winery had been family owned since 1939 and is composed of 114 vineyard acres stretched over 47 vineyard blocks. It’s a picturesque spot in Napa and the perfect tour and tasting for someone who wants to learn more about the wine making and wine tasting process.

 

Our tour group consisted of 14 people plus our guide, Mr. Hendry, who was the actual owner of the winery. He took two hours out of his day to talk to us about his vineyard. He regaled us with interesting tidbits about how closeness to a creek can affect a vine’s grape production and the taste of the grape. He confided how some of his experiments yielded cool things and others were a lesson learned. Through it all, he has a curious spirit that pushes his vineyard to be better and better.

 

He took us inside the building where the wine making occurs.

 

And down into the cellar where wines are barreled and aged.

 

These are the containers where the wine is made. The grapes are poured in from the floor above.

 

The vineyard dog stopped by to say hello to us and then patiently waited for a staff member to take him back out to the vineyards.

Here’s a look at the 47 vineyard blocks. We had this in front of us at the tasting. Pictures were not allowed during the tasting to ensure that we focused on the tasting. Listening, learning, and being present in the moment.

 

This is the fabulous space where we had our tasting. The owner spent almost an hour teaching us about his wines. I learned that many reds taste bitter to me because I have a tannin sensitivity. It’s also why I love lots of cream and splenda in my coffee.

This is the first time I really savored wine. It was a wonderful experience. I appreciated Mr. Hendry’s frankness about wines. He explained that everyone’s palette is different. So what is delicious to you might not be to me. Award-winning wines may not please your palette, but that’s okay because wine drinking should be tailored to the individual.

I enjoyed most of his wines, which is very rare for me. I found out I have a liking for pinot noir and zinfandels (which are both reds). I don’t need sweet but I require wetness to enjoy a wine. Nothing worse to me than having the feeling that someone just suctioned all the moisture out of my mouth.

The tasting included 10 wines. I ended up purchasing six bottles and sending them home. Two for Dad and four for me. The staff  were extremely efficient in the purchasing process. Made it a joy to spend money there. I’ll definitely be ordering more of his wines in the future.

Posted in Food and Cooking, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 34 Comments

Requests for Revisions and Request for Manuscript

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Kourtney

So I’ve been sitting on two amazing piece of good news. Debating if I should share it or just wait and see what comes of it…

But life is lots of moments that have to be shared or else the goodness of the news expires, so here goes.

Back in May, I got a full request from my dream agent on my adult fantasy manuscript. A few weeks later, the agent’s assistant came back with tons of positive feedback and a two-page editorial style letter outlining the five areas that needed work. After digesting all her insightful points, I started work on revisions.

And as hard as they are to make, they are really amazing. Improving the manuscript so much, I want to hug her.

I committed to addressing all of their concerns and getting them a revised manuscript by Mid-October, which might sound like a lot of time, but there are substantial POV changes that have to be made throughout the manuscript. So for the next two months, I’ll be cutting back my FB, Twitter, and Pinterest time. I’ll be here on the blog and still reading other blogs, but revisions will be my priority.

And my other unexpectedly lovely news–I got a full request from an editor during my manuscript consultation at the SCBWI conference. I really loved my beginning and wanted to test the waters of my new YA novel. I had no idea if I’d be talking with an agent, editor, or author, but I figured a little feedback on the first ten pages would be cool.

The editor really liked my pages and requested the whole manuscript. I was not expecting that. She was really gracious when I explained that I had committed to doing revisions for an agent on my other book and it might be several months before I could send her the revised version of my new book.

I have no idea if either of these requests will lead me closer to publication, but I’m excited by the possibilities. 🙂

Posted in Querying, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 51 Comments

SCBWI LA Conference Highlights: Timelessness and The Inner Child

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Kourtney

1,234 people were on hand for the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA August 3-6th. The biggest children’s book writers and illustrators conference of the year kicked off with some hilarious opening remarks by Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser.

Stephen regaled the audience each morning with a story of how he broke his wrist.

Inspired by the Summer Olympics, Lin lit the SCBWI “torch” and began our “opening ceremonies.”

She had each of the panelists/faculty for the event introduce him/her self and then say one word. Literally one word.

It was AMAZING.

Jay Asher’s word was “Hysteria” from Def Leppard. Let me pause here to catch my breath. Jay *freaking* Asher. This man’s books are some of the best I’ve read in years. I <3 Jay Asher.

I forgot this speaker’s name, but I absolutely loved her enthusiasm at 9 ish am.

The first keynote of the day was Arthur Levine who spoke about timelessness in books.

He defined timelessness as a story capturing the moment of intimacy between the author and the reader.

This point would reverberate through other speeches at the conference that stressed that an author tell their truth to the reader.

One common thread in timeless book is the perceptiveness of the author about what makes people tick.

He gave a few examples of books that had timelessness: The Once and Future King and The Golden Compass.

The next keynote speaker was Tony Diterlizzi. Wow. Just wow.

By far the most entertaining and engaging speaker of the day, more akin to a late night talk show host.

He talked about never abandoning imagination. One of his main points was that he writes books that 10-year-old Tony would want to read.

The trick is staying in touch with the 10-year-old version of himself as he progresses further and further from that age.

He stressed the importance of writing books you’d love to read at the age you are writing for.

He was such an engaging speaker, I bought both books that he had for sale and got them signed.

 

I’m going to pause here, but I’ll be covering snippets from the conference for a few weeks.

Posted in Conferences, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Book Review: 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Kourtney

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost was recommended reading from one of my writing workshops. It’s a super slim pocket sized volume that is the perfect take-off and landing read on a plane. In fact, that’s how I read the entire book. During my flights to and from LA.

Because of its brevity, I would recommend this book to writers who have read other books on the craft of writing and writing techniques first. This is a terrific refresher and contains some great nuggets, but there are short bursts of insight that could leave the beginner baffled.

He does include examples of the right and wrong way to apply what he’s teaching–which helped drive home his points. I’m a fan of examples. Especially ones that illustrate how to apply and not apply the teachings.

Also keep in mind, this book was published in 1985 so there is a quaintness to some of the ways that may not translate perfectly to this time.

Overall, I enjoyed it and I took away new techniques and new insights so it was a worthwhile read to me.

 

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Reblog of August McLaughlin’s Lessons from Acting

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Kourtney

Since I’m attending the SCBWI Summer Conference all day today, I thought you might appreciate a blast of brilliance from one of my favorite bloggers, August McLaughlin.

Her post is brimming with insight, swirled with straight talk, and sprinkled with hope as she talks about lessons she learned from acting and from transitioning from actress to writer extraordinaire.

 

Posted in guest blogs, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments