The Movie Was Better Road Trip Wednesday!

Good morning! How's the weather from where you're sitting? I'm looking at gray skies and fog cover out one window and blue skies out of another. Love that Washington weather.


So, over at YA Highway, they're asking a question: What movie have you seen that actually improved the book?

Here's my answer:

I laughed during this movie, and most importantly, cried...a lot. But, the book felt jumpy and confusing at times compared to the steady, smooth flow of the movie.

 vs   

And...

Don't throw tomatoes at me, but while I enjoyed the book, it didn't draw me in nearly as much as the movies. Anne of Green Gables.

That's all I could think of off the top of my head. I bet if I sat and pondered, I'd remember more, but why when I can go hop over to other blogs and see what they put?

Happy Wednesday! Oh, and what's your answer? Any movies you thought were better than the book?

Four Types of Critique Partners

They've lurked in the shadows, behind the laptops, and on the writer's forums. They've made you smile, made you cry, and most likely made you want to throw something.

If you've ever had your work critiqued, you've experienced them.

If you've ever critiqued another writer's work, you've been one of them.

CRITIQUE PARTNERS.

I've been doing a lot or critiquing these days. And after my own experiences and chatting with other writers, I thought it'd be fun to compile a list of four common types of critique partners. And I use the term "partner" loosely. Of course I've had amazing ones too, but the not so amazing are funner to poke fun at.

*Disclaimer. This is ONLY for fun. No panties getting into bunches here.*

-The Over Achiever
This critiquer seems to think it necessary to point out EVERY little problem they find with your work. Even the problems that aren't there. Like a blood hound, they're sniffing the issues out and by golly they're gonna find something! They've read about ten words of your first page, and already they're making comments in the sidebar of how the main male character wouldn't think or do such-and-such because it's out of character for him. And if they've used track changes, there's now a lotta red on your manuscript document.

-The Gusher
This person absolutely LOVES your story. I don't care if it's only two pages long, they love it. The plotting? Perfect. The dialog? Perfect. The pacing? Perfect. The world-building? You guessed it. Perfect. Now, at first you're thanking your lucky stars for a reader like this, but at the end of the day, without helpful feedback, your manuscript is no closer to being...perfect.

-The Doomsday
This one makes me laugh because while I've had each of these types critique my work (and I've been some of them too), I've had one run-in with a doomsday critiquer, and I can still remember her words. This person is a fine critiquer. Not too much, not too little. But then at the end, when they're summing up their thoughts, they add bits about how hard it is to get published. How the odds are against you. How if you don't follow ALL the rules in your writing, and don't attend as many conferences as possible, and don't work tirelessly for years and years, then your odds of getting published just went from bad to almost non-existent.

-The Stoic
This person is a little like Doomsday, except they don't add that heaping of fear at the end. Actually, they don't add any emotion at all. In fact, they don't tell you if they've even liked or disliked your work. They'll answer your manuscript related questions, give their suggestions for possible changes, and even go so far as to tell you that you did it all right, without so much as cracking an online smile.


Of course there are plenty of wonderful critique partners, and I hope I've been helpful to those I've critiqued, but we all know that at one time or another, at least one of these types have graced us with their presence. And if we're being honest, we've also donned one or two of these hats ourselves. I know I have. That's why it's so enjoyable to poke fun!

So, even if you're the BEST critique partner in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD, which of these types do you sometimes tend to become? Me? The Over Achiever. I've gotten better. I've realized that just because the writer chose a way to explain something different than what I would have preferred, doesn't make it worth highlighting and commenting on. ;) But, have I been completely cured of it? Is anyone ever COMPLETELY cured? ;)

Finger Waggling

If I were a finger-waggling type of gal, I'd write the letters "R&R" on a 3x5 note card in big, black lettering, stare at that note card, waggle my finger and say, "Oh you Revise And Resubmit, I've been burned by you before."

Of course, I'm not a finger-waggling gal.

If you've been with me for more than a year, you'll know I received one of those R&R's from a very insightful and friendly agent. You'll also know that she was the first agent (who took my genre) I had queried. The only agent I had queried. And, *sigh* you'll know that I thought she was the one. Which, in writer terms means: I went straight to work revising, then nine months later I resubmitted, waited another few months to hear back from her and received a rejection.

Did I query other agents while I waited?

No.

Will I make that mistake again?

No.

Then why do I feel like I'm cheating on the agent who's recently emailed me an R&R on Dark Waters?

And by recent I mean, like, a month or two ago.

Because I loved his feedback. Because he really seemed to get the story and was intrigued by the whole eating men thing. And let me tell you, that in itself is a miracle. I'm thinking even the content of my query can be upsetting to some. Case in point: the very short--not even form--rejection I received today twenty minutes after I had sent out the query. Which, by the way, is a new record.

So as I revise, I'm also submitting queries. Regardless of my weird sense of duty, or loyalty or whatever craziness this is.

Do you have craziness going on? Tell me about it.  

Views

I gotta tell ya, a month and a half ago, I was a sad woman.

We had been house hunting for months, and finally had an offer we'd put on a house accepted. The house was everything I thought I wanted, and even had a green belt in the backyard! (For those of you who don't know what a green belt is, it's a nature-filled piece of property owned by the government and gives you a great view).

Then things went sour. It was a HUD home, and although the folks in charge of the sell of this home originally agreed to our terms of using VA, they soon began fighting those terms and ended up denying VA. We had to use a different type of loan, or walk away. Eventually we walked away. If you were to look at me, I was fine. Great even. The very next day after we pulled out of the contract, I was house hunting again. But, while I knew I had to pull my big girl panties on and find my family a house, I also realized nothing I looked at would compare to the beautiful view of trees I almost had.

When I went house hunting that next day, it was a gloomy out. I had two homes to look at. TWO. I liked the floor plan of the first one, but it was just so...blue on the inside. And the second, I disliked the floor plan altogether. I mulled over this decision for days before putting an offer on the blue house. An offer that was accepted.

The day I visited the house (it's a two hour drive from where I was currently living) for the inspection, it was sunny. And what I saw took my breath away. Trees shmeeze. (I'm sorry trees, I didn't mean that, you know I love you).

I have a view of the water! The Puget Sound to be exact. And the Olympic range. Oh, and the San Juan islands. The very San Juan islands where my book takes place. The very Puget Sound my characters swim in. :)

So, here's a picture of one of the views. And as soon as I locate my camera, I'll take more.

Before and After Pictures

So, as you know, I've been knee deep in paint and boxes. It's a happy place to be when you've been wondering for the last couple years, and not because you've wanted to. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I painted my house a deep purple (it's called Chianti) and a beige color. Just looking at my walls gives me an urge to write and sip red wine. Hum.

I thought I'd share my before and after pictures. I've painted and had the floors re-done. I plan on changing out the light fixtures, but all good things in time. ;)

 

Muse Muscles

It. Is. Done.

Well, the moving part. The unpacking part has yet to officially begin. And after a week of painting my new house, having all new flooring installed, and basically running myself ragged, the ol' body has a few choice words to share at the mere thought of unpacking.


So, today I sit. Today, after a super long time, I get to check in on my blog-world buddies and place my proverbial fingers on the writing-world pulse. With of course my dog on one side of me and a mug of coffee on the other.    


This last week was amazing. I have been moving at least every two years since I was seventeen. I have mainly lived in military housing and rental homes, with the exception of a home we purchased and then two years later sold. I have never painted the walls the color that I preferred. And honestly, up until a year or so ago, I hadn't even known what I liked.

So, painting my house, the walls that would surround me day after day, year after year, was almost, in some strange way, therapeutic. And as the deep, dark purple slathered those walls, I felt my muse grow and flourish. Crazy. I'd never felt that before. The hope inside, that I'd sign with an agent and ultimately with a publishing company, sparkled and shone until I knew inside that it isn't a matter of "if", but a matter of "when".

I want to keep going, excitedly ramble on about my house the way a grandparent would about her new addition. To post before and after pictures of the house and the breathtaking views from my porch and windows. But, I'll save that for future posts. Right now, I'll let you snicker at the pictures taken during laughable moments yesterday. My sisters and best friend (and their husbands) helped us move. And when we get together, there's always fun to be had.

My best friend Rayna pulled as I pushed the heavy piece of furniture. As you can see, I was also falling and grabbing onto another piece of furniture. I ended up on the floor.

You can barely see my sister back there. Packed into the SUV

So how about you? Have you ever done something that took you by surprise in how it strengthened your muse?

Sirens Conference

I am in the throws of busyness. Right, smack in the middle of buying a house. Literally. Like, yesterday we signed a ton of papers at the mortgage office, buying a house.

You know what that means? No lap-top time. :(


Which means, lots of iPhone time. Sitting in offices waiting, standing in lines waiting, sitting at the school waiting. Yeah, you get the picture. So, it's no wonder I've been reading lots of twitter updates, which I normally don't do. 

An agent twitted--that just sounds weird--about a conference in Portland Oregon called Sirens. Never heard of it. Have you? So, naturally I clicked on the link and checked this Sirens thing out. WOW. It's a conference on women in fantasy literature. How fun does that sound?!

Love these pictures. They were created to represent this conference. 

So, I thought I'd tell you guys about it. See if you've ever heard of it. What you've heard. And if you've been, what did you think?

Oh, and wanna see a picture of the house? How about a sneak peak?

My front yard is a hill--lots of beautiful ground cover. :)