Category: Writing (Page 3 of 4)

David Gilmour was not a Mary Sue — David Gilmour: young, beautiful, insanely talented and not a Mary Sue

The big-ass Mary Sue

January 6, 2017 / Grace

Friday evening, 13°F
Listening to Tame Impala, 41 Mosquitos Flying in Formation

Sometimes I lay awake at night worrying about all of the poor, innocent pixels being inconvenienced by online discussions of what does, or does not, make a Mary Sue character. Many of these conversations revolve around the accused Mary Sue’s looks and talents. I contend that those things alone are not what make up a Mary Sue.

Greg Lake was not a Mary Sue

The one and only Greg Lake of ELP.

Despite what you may have heard, the problem with a Mary Sue isn’t that she’s* precocious, ridiculously beautiful, has remarkable hair, is phenomenally talented, sings like an angel, or is lusted after by all. If those factors alone made a Mary Sue, then the biggest-ass Mary Sue who ever lived was 1971 David Gilmour. Or possibly 1971 Greg Lake. And if you call either of them a Mary Sue, we will surely come to blows, my friend.Continue Reading The big-ass Mary Sue

interview your characters

Why You Should Interview Your Characters

January 5, 2017 / Grace

and how to do it.

Thursday evening, 7°F and starry
Listening to ELP, Take a Pebble

Why interview your characters? As a writer, you may find yourself stuck at certain points in your story. Maybe you know that things go from point A to point C, but you can’t figure out what point B looks like. Maybe you know that a certain thing happens but you’re not sure exactly how it happens. Or one of your characters does something that doesn’t add up, and you can’t figure out why.

Here is what not to do. Don’t go to your favorite writers’ group and ask the other members “Why would my character do this?” or “How exactly could this have happened?” or “What’s a plausible reason for my character to say/think X?” While other writers can explain the difference between active and passive voice, or show you how to properly use a semicolon (or mount a silly argument against semicolons) it’s always better to get your story specifics straight from your characters.Continue Reading Why You Should Interview Your Characters

NaNoWriMo

I was wrong

November 4, 2016 / Grace

Friday morning, 38° and sunny
Listening to Whitney, Red Moon

(about my years doing NaNoWriMo)

All this time I’ve been saying 2016 was my ninth NaNoWriMo. I just realized it’s my tenth.

And my lifetime Nanowrimo word count is over 500k.

How did this even happen?

*scurries off to correct previous NaNoWriMo posts*

Cover image: author’s Nanowrimo stats.

I'm just a NaNoWriMo squirrel trying to get a nut to move my butt.

NaNoWriMo Rebel

November 1, 2016 / Grace

Tuesday evening, 73° and hazy
Listening to Led Zeppelin, The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair

Why I’m Editing Through NaNoWriMo

I thought quite a lot about how I would approach NaNoWriMo 2016, and didn’t settle on a decision until late last night. This will be my ~~ninth~~ tenth NaNoWriMo. For the last ~~eight~~ nine years, I’ve written an all-new novel. I’ve gotten skilled enough at NaNo that three of my last four Nano novels are in the queue to get revised, polished and published. You could say I’m a little like a chipmunk writing stories and socking them away like acorns to be feasted on at a later date.

Finding that brand new story and getting most of it committed to paper in just 30 days is part of the beauty of NaNo. But my hang up this year is that I’m already mid-story and going full-steam on a book I deeply believe in. I was torn between setting that aside for an entire month to chase a new story, or using the added pressure of NaNo to finish the story at hand.Continue Reading NaNoWriMo Rebel

My NaNoWriMo dilemma — Instead of the Hogwarts Express, there's a Ford Econoline van.

My NaNoWriMo Dilemma

October 24, 2016 / Grace

Monday night, 41° and cloudy
Listening to Hiss Golden Messenger, Like a Mirror Loves a Hammer

NaNoWrimo starts in one week

And oh boy do I have a NaNoWriMo dilemma. November is when I till the soil and plant the seeds of my novels. I’ve won NaNoWriMo every year since my first attempt in 2007. Don’t hate me. I know how to NaNo and I dig it. I’ve amassed a small arsenal of NaNo novels, several of which I will revise and publish. One of them (originally titled Anything In Between) became the backbone of my first published novel, State of Love & Trust.

I’m on board with nailing my vicious inner editor into her pine coffin and letting a new story rip. (Don’t worry. I’ll let her out when it’s time to edit). I have no problem with the magical daily word goal of 1667. That number is painted on the inside of my special NaNo coffee mug I made at a pottery place during the Saginaw Bay Wombats’ kick-off party a few years ago. I’m all about the write-ins, writer friends, word wars, stickers, commitment, and coffee drinks. I love NaNo like Elf loves Christmastime.Continue Reading My NaNoWriMo Dilemma

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