WIP The Movie Bloghop

Kyra Lennon and Rachel Schieffelbein are hosting a cool blogfest today.

This blogfest seems custom made for me since I'm having some trouble concentrating on my wip. The idea is to cast at least one character from your work in progress, post a picture of him or her on your blog and post at least one song that would be on the soundtrack. Kyra says that, if you've never imagined your book being made into a movie, your pants are probably on fire. I've checked my pants and there's not so much as a suggestion of smoke.

Before Interview With A Vampire became a movie, someone asked Anne Rice what actor she thought should play Lestat. Not only was Tom Cruise NOT even her last choice, she always thought of Lestat as a young Rutger Hauer.

Rutger Hauer

Huh? Him? WHY? I thought. He's so not Lestat (though I liked him in Blade Runner.) That's when I realized that authors should not cast their own characters. But I'm going to anyway.

That said, I have trouble picturing my protagonist. I know what she's like. I know how she feels and how she thinks. I know what would make her laugh and cry. But I only have a rough sketch of what she looks like. She's sixteen. She's tall for a girl. She's on the lanky side. She doesn't think much of her looks, so she doesn't think about her looks much. She's got short dark hair with long, in her face bangs. She's got a shock of white hair (natural) in her bangs. She wears dickies and t-shirts and bites her nails. She's actually quite beautiful - or she will be. She's a cygnet waiting to be a swan. She's also isolated by her ability to find things, especially things that want to stay hidden. It makes her lonely and awkward.

She actually looks a lot like my best friend Joyce did in high school. But if I post a picture of Joyce from high school here, she will probably never speak to me again.

So here's a bunch of pictures that give a rough approximate of what Mop (Margaret) from my wip Find Me looks like:

From Let the Right One In- Lina Leandersson

And what Lina looks like when she's not a vampire

Errata Stigmata from Love & Rockets

Gorgeous drawing of Hopey by Jaime Hernandez

And though I've been writing to the Downton Abbey soundtrack (which is totally inappropriate for the Find Me soundtrack!) I think one song that's got to be on is The Thin Man by Kristen Hersh. It's just so atmospheric and it matches the bittersweet ending I'm planning for Mop!

I'm actually SO GLAD I did this. I was apprehensive at first, about pinning the character down (which is why I did the bloghop, if it makes me nervous, I tend to want to do it!) But I actually am amped to get writing. This is a great exercise to add to the writer's arsenal of motivating tools. Thanks Kyra and Rachel!

So, how would you cast your wip? Also, go check out other's in the bloghop.

1.	Write Here, Write Now	2.	Chock Full of Words
3.	Theresa Paolo	4.	Leigh Covington
5.	Clare Dugmore Writes	6.	Use You Words
7.	Robin Moran	8.	Kelley Lynn
9.	Angie Cothran	10.	Juliana Haygert
11.	The Ubiquitous Perspective	12.	Melissa Hurst
13.	Larissa's World	14.	PK Hrezo
15.	magpiewrites	16.	Jenny S. Morris
17.	Emily R. King	18.	Cortney Pearson
19.	tara tyler	20.	Writing With Hope
21.	Twenty Something Fiction Writer	22.	Tracey Joseph
23.	Limey YA Lit Girl	24.	Stephen Tremp
25.	A. K. Fotinos-Hoyer	26.	Jaycee DeLorenzo
27.	4 Little Doodlebugz	28.	Jolene Perry
29.	Kelley Vitollo	30.	Thardrandian Thoughts
31.	Adjective, Not a Noun	32.	M.J. Fifield
33.	Jade Hart	34.	defcon's defunct delirium
35.	Ashley Nixon	36.	Fresh As A Daisy
37.	Circa: The Movie	38.	Entertaing Interests

Critique My Blog, Go AHEAD!!!

I've been thinking a lot about this blog and how it's evolved in the year that I've been writing it. When I first posted I pretty much thought it I was whistling in the dark - just keeping myself company in my head and faking it until I made it - as a writer. I think I've done that. I write. I identify as a writer. I'm not going to stop writing. In that way, mission accomplished.

But this blog hasn't changed as much as I have and I'm not so sure it's the right venue for my awesome self. KIDDING. But I do want to know how I can make it better. In March, the awesome Laura Barnes will critique my blog with a keen marketing eye. And today, I'm participating in the Critique My Blog blogfest hosted by Teralyn Rose Pilgrim at A Writer's Journey.

Here's how you can participate:
1) crit my blog
2) leave me your (nice or constructive) thoughts in comments
3) feel good about paying it forward

You can make comments on:

a.      Appearance: Does it appeal to you? Is it too busy, or too plain?

b.      Layout: Is it difficult to navigate? Is it cluttered, or sparse?

c.      Frequency: Does the blogger post too often? Not often enough?

d.      Content: Are the posts interesting? Unique? Are they focused, or all over the place?

e.      Quality: Are the individual posts too long, too short, too sloppy, or too generic?

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Short Fiction OR I Suck at Economy

As part of Rachael Harries Platform Building Campaign, we're doing some flashing.
I've never done flash fiction before. Seems awfully newfangled to me. And anyway, I've always been terrified of short stories. Writing them well seems so difficult, employing an economy and elegance I just don't come by naturally.

The rules are to start with "The door swung open." and hopefully, end with "The door swung shut." Extra points for having both and being exactly 200 words. I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of that, but I'll give it a go.

When I'm stuck in my wip, or just want to understand a character or situation better, I write a scene about them- a scene that will never be in the book. This is really liberating especially since my POV is first person. In these 'exploration' scenes I can really let loose. So the below is a snippet of a 'deleted' scene.

I'd love to know what you think. I'd also like to know, what do you think of writing short stories/flash fiction? Can anyone do it, or is it a special talent?

Update: I think I was supposed to say that you can 'like' my entry here. I'm number 196. thanks!


Rachel Sew and the Gold Man

     The door swung open and Rachel stopped dead. It was only the black cat she sometimes fed, come for more scraps. It was well past dusk and the gold man was late. He’d said to leave her things behind, but it pained her so. On the day she’d been made, she’d been given clothes, a word locket, a home and a living. But it was a long time before she could barter for things she chose herself.

     The first time she’d gone into the package store with a basket of woven flax, Mr. Tend gave her the credit to buy anything off the first shelf. She looked at each item carefully, picking up a tea set, so delicate and white that it had a bluish cast. She passed on to the next item, a clothes mangle that would make washday easier. It was the practical choice and she felt like she should want it, but didn’t. She passed on again.

     When she saw it, she blushed. She wanted it desperately, and she was sure wanting something that much was wrong. Still, the shawl was exquisite. It was black and satiny with a fringe that tickled her arms when she tried it on. Embroidered roses bloomed across the shawl; red, yellow, blue, purple. Rachel was sure that there were no such roses in all the world.

     The door swung open. The gold man’s shadow fell across her doorway, her cat twining around his legs.

     

     “Aren’t you coming, Rachel?” She wrapped the shawl tighter around her shoulders and stepped outside as the door swung shut.

Gearing Up to Get an Agent -Blogfest

Just a reminder that Gearing Up To Get an Agent Blog O Rama starts with a mini blog-hop tomorrow. Head on over to Deana's blog to sign up. You just need sign up here and post on Wednesday (tomorrow) on "I Just Had to Ask" - that is, any wonderfully, stupid, obvious, deep, insightful, strange and/or interesting question you have on writing or publishing. Then you hop on over to the other players' blogs and try to help them answer their questions. Hopefully everyone gets some answers they can use.

That's it, simple, right?

Any good blogfests you're participating in this summer that I should know about? Do you love blogfests? Hate them? Wonder how useful they are?

Tagg-ed OR Random Things About Me

Bryce Daniels has just swatted me on the arm and yelled 'You're IT!" while running a way like a little girl. OK, not really. He's tagged me to answer the below questions, but the sentiment is the same. Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it. Now everyone will know what a nerd I am. Sigh.


Do you think you are hot?
When I was younger, in my teens and twenties I was actually hot, but I thought I wasn't. Now that I am no longer in my twenties and the likelihood of hotness is fading, I think I'm smoking. I'm really not all right in the brain. I also can't convince myself that I'm short, though I have lied on my driver's license. It says I'm 5'3". See? Writing is the only viable option for a liar like me.

Upload a pic or wallpaper you are using.

I am a Nerd. I'm knitting Gryffindor scarves as we speak.

When was the last time you ate chicken?
Um. I ate kielbasa today, ham yesterday and steak the day before. Probably Tuesday. I know what I ate the last few days because I was onsite at an event I was producing and the catering table becomes extremely important when doing an event. 

What were you thinking while doing this?
I was thinking that no one could possibly care. And that I have to change out the laundry.

What song/songs have you listened to recently?
This afternoon I listened to my seven year old sing Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa  by Vampire Weekend while my husband strummed it on the guitar. She asked me who Peter Gabriel is. I love this girl so much.
Do you have any nicknames? What are they?
Magpie (of course) and Perla and something secret.

Tag 5 blogger buddies (That means, in a soon-ish post, you'll respond to these same self questions.)


I hereby tag the following folks who are much more interesting than I am:


L.G Smith at Bards and Prophets
Suze at Girl Wizard
Brea at Just Words
Aimee at Portrait of An Artist as a Young Woman (because the Joyce book changed my life)Laura at Writing Unleashed

Thank you, Bryce, for tagging me. I appreciate the invitation to play. But next time, don't hit so hard, kay?

School's Out 4EVER Blogfest - Manic Panic & Battleship

As part of Sommer Leigh's blogfest, I'm reminiscing about something that happened just after I graduated high school. Check out all the blogs in the blogfest here and add your own high school memories.

We were dyeing my hair green, but Krissy insisted I hadn't bleached my previously black hair enough. I was wearing one of my dad's white undershirts over my regular clothes, a tartan dress with a pleated skirt-awesome thrift store find-fishnets and army boots (Doc Marten's were for wimps, we'd say.)

This was taking place in Liz's house because her parents were out of town and my parents didn't know that. I had my head over a large yellow chip bowl, trying not to drip electric green Manic Panic onto the nice hardwood floor, as Liz and Krissy decided if the color had taken, if my scalp would always be green, and what tattoos they should get.

"Hey guys."

Liz and Krissy turned to greet whoever it was who'd shown up at the door. I tried to crane my neck to the left without causing hair dye catastrophe. Through my drippy algae green hair this is what I saw:

My husband and next to him, his girlfriend clinging like ivy.

I didn't know he'd be my husband. I remember, really clearly, thinking, "Boy. Girl. Together. Weird cardigan" and going back to trying to squeegee the rest of the dye out of my hair. I later found out that my eventual-mother-in-law bought Tim his cardigans at the Gap. Tim didn't much care what he wore, and if she bought those funky, early 90's cardigans that were way too long and baggy for him, he'd put them on.

After Tim and his girlfriend left, we went to the Ramsey diner and ordered cheese fries. The reactions we got from the patrons and the waitress decreed that my hair dye had been a total success.

Tim says he thought of me ever since that first time he saw me. Even though he had a girlfriend, even though my hair was green and slimy.

I didn't really remember him at all. When he showed up a week later to Liz' 90210 party, then when he called me to see if I was going to the next 90210 party (it was an ironic kind of thing, apparently), I didn't think much more than, cool guy. My radar was so set to find the next Nick Cave look alike that wasn't a jerk and an alcoholic (did that already), that I never thought about Tim that way.

But he turned up, again and again. And we'd talk and be silly. He is the kindest, funniest person I know and I somehow got that into my thick, dyed-green skull. A miracle.

Later, Tim asked me out on a date to the IHOP. He brought Battleship and we played after pancakes. He beat me again and again (he still does) and I didn't mind (still don't). When the waitress came over the fourth time to refill our coffee cups, I got up to go to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Take off the lipstick."

That night we kissed and started dating. We only stopped dating in 2000 when we got married.
October 14, 2011 will be twenty years since that night in IHOP.