Exciting News!

If you haven't heard already, I am officially a Goodreads Author.  Just check out my Goodreads Author Profile!

And now, for even more exciting news, the ebook cover for Archer of the Lake is finally here, courtesy of my new cover artist Graphicz X Designs.

I don't have an official release date for the book yet, but it's closer than ever!

Kelly's Tips for Rewriting

Doodlings can help too.

Let's all pretend I have an iota of writing sense to be able to teach people what I know on the subject.  Today's topic is about 'rewriting' because that's what I've been doing lately with Archer, RE-writing it.  I was extremely hesitant to do so because, well honestly, I'd spent a year and a half just completing it.  I'm not really a fast writer, and I want to get it published as quickly as possible.  Plus, rewriting something is just tedious work.  All the same, it needed to be done.  Not all of it, mind you, mostly the beginning and some sparse scenes throughout.  Drawing from this experience, I have compiled a list of things that I hope can help others with rewriting.  Let's be honest, I just hoped for one take and to be over with it.  When I read articles of authors talking about their "second draft", I'd always cringe a little.  But perhaps some enlightenment on the approach can make the task a little more bearable and a little less daunting

*Make bullets.
And by this, I mean to compile a list of the bare necessities of what is needed to be expressed in scene x.  Whether the list is written or mental, it doesn't matter.  You just need a grasp of what you're trying to get across--why should these bits make it into the final cut?

Also, don't forget those one-liners you were so proud of.  They were great for a reason.  It's okay to cross reference with the original draft.  It can help keep your second draft on track.  Remember, the first draft is finished, and your second draft won't be finished if you veer off wildly into the abyss.

*Start fresh.
Add new details, different dialogue, and variant actions.  Sometimes, it's hard to do this when you have so much planned and set in stone.  While rewriting the beginning of Archer, I have changed a lot of introductions--the way a scene is approached, the way a character is introduced.  You can use this opportunity to create new characters or reintroduce/re-purpose your old ones.  For example, I had a character who originally did not show up until the end.  Second draft allowed a glimpse of him in the very beginning, which can help prove you know what you're doing and that you have plans for your characters.

Create new scenes.  My protagonist had to take exams to be accepted into magic school.  Originally, I skipped over the actual exams and her first impression of the school.  Next time around, I fleshed those details out. I also had to develop my world with physical details. Following that same train of thought, you can develop your characters by adding internal dialogue.  Some people may not have problems with going into detail, but after reviewing the comments from my editors, I have found that's where I suffered.

But the biggest problem with starting fresh in the rewriting process is reworking your fixed scenes, because that can be hard.  Here's some bullet points to help with that:

• Rethink your narrator.  Can they enter a scene differently?  At a different time?  Can they meet the other characters in a different fashion?  
• Perform osmosis with a dictionary.  Look for words you are unfamiliar with and challenge yourself to use one in rewriting a scene, write around the word, and either keep it or throw it away as the need fits.  The goal is to approach a scene differently.
• Translate your writing with an online translator. (I use Google Translate)  See how your writing translates into another language.  Sometimes, the translations offer synonyms or other such suggestions.  Use those to your advantage and let them inspire you to do some more writing to fit the needs of another language.

*Transition.
Look at the order of your scenes and see if they can be logically switched around.  By doing so, obviously, observation details and introductions will have to be rearranged.  Is it possible?  Schedule characters to enter a different time.  It may work better for your story.

*Foreshadow.
By the time you rewrite your second draft, it should go without saying that you've already written the first one.  You've finished; you know, for certain, what happens (because we all know that stories can change on you while in the writing process).  So by the time you rewrite, you can sprinkle some seemingly throwaway details that will later allow your reader to go, "Oh!" when they fit the puzzle pieces together.  Foreshadowing makes you a better writer and readers appreciate that.

*Emulate the masters.
Of course, the best way to perfect writing or rewriting is to read the works of successful authors.  They made it for a reason; so research that reason.  Analyze how they approach a scene, introduce a character, express sensory or internal details.  Don't copy or plagiarize, obviously, but let it inspire you.

Appreciating All Literature

This was a speech I did for speech class. More specifically a persuasive speech. I'm transcribing it here because of a friend's Facebook status, asking, "Can you even consider 50 Shades of Grey literature?" I believe I may have answered the question, at least a single facet to the definition of literature in my speech. This garnered a bit of a response on my Facebook so I've decided to share this here. Note, it is written as a speech so there's *blocking.* And unfortunately I could not find my sources mentioned here.

I encourage discussion, or even disagreement. Questions are welcomed.

--- How many of you are familiar with this book series---?

[present picture of Twilight's book cover]

Most often, the reaction this images spurs is typically negative. Why? I can list why Twilight is a negative influence to its readers; I've written a research paper on the subject. A few examples-- anti-feminism, advertises unhealthy, abusive relationships. But that is not what I'm speaking to you about now. I'm trying to convince you of the opposite.

Few realize that even though Twilight is not usually a favorite, as a published work, it does hold literary merit.
Anna Silver writes that some problems with young adult books is that they're written by adults who usually tend to preach a moral or lesson to their audience. Silver points out that the unique thing with Twilight is that the teenage protagonist has no real didactic authority in her life--Bella's mother is childlike, Bella is represented in a way that's mature, which saves young adult readers from the sermon and continue with the story.

Meanwhile, Liesha Jones argues in a critical essay that the merit behind Twilight is its representation of a girl and her conflicted growth into a society where she grapples with womanhood, only to reject all of it for fantasy and a fantasy that she conditions. In essence, a coming of age story for the introvert teenage girl--
This easily relatable feature of Stephenie Meyer's stories are what could be argued as a key component to its success. It fuels a deeper need for fantasy in its readers and fans. Katherine Frank contests this in her book that "girl-next-door" types are deserving and eligible for tall, dark, and handsome hero types.

With this brief validation of Twilight, I'll move onto another and slightly more controversial topic.

[present picture of 50 Shades of Grey's cover]

Many people like this book, many more do not. For those of you who don't know, this was originally a "fanfiction" of Twilight called "Masters of the Universe." The author changed the names and made millions in self-publishing it as an ebook.

One reason it is not well liked is because it is a derivative work. If that is your issue with it, I submit to you these examples--Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, the Scary Movies. Or even the less obvious, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion King, Star Wars, Harry Potter, 10 Things I Hate About You. All are technically derivative works stealing something deeper than names and characters--plots.

Of course, the flashing neon sign is that the reason why many people do not like 50 Shades of Grey is because it is a budding success in the genre of erotica--erotica filled with bondage, sado-masochism, and clunky prose.

But just because it is erotica does not devaluate it as literature. Famous author Claudia Gray strongly argues that just because something is erotic does not make it 'cheap.' It is a genuine genre enjoyed by individual readers, just as fans enjoy Twilight, just I would enjoy science fiction and fantasy. Gray continues that the marvelous thing with 50 Shades of Grey is that it opens the platform for the success of other erotica genres--and not strictly the Harlequin market.

In a hypothetical scenario, if a woman were to be seen reading 50 Shades of Grey, the common response of its critics would be to ridicule her over it. This is wrong. This is the book, the story, this woman has chosen to read and expand her horizons. To ridicule her choice of reading material is ridicule her. Because it's more than just the subject matter, that woman is reading, an activity that is fast disappearing in an emerging culture of high-speed internet access and the mindless entertainment it provides. It must be understood that something we read, no matter what it is, offers a new perspective, which readers can take to help understand their own lives.

I recognize that young adult fiction and erotica may not be in everyone's taste. But when you see someone reading 50 Shades of Grey and think how utterly ridiculous they are--they may think the same of your Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or even Harry Potter. Books are stories written to entertain their readers, not to insult them.

So here, have a picture of Sean Bean in drag.