How-to guide if you're friends with a writer

* Don't intrude when she is arguing with her characters, and you certainly should never choose a side.
* Don't ask her why she continues to write a book when it only depresses her. She doesn't know that answer either.
* If she bursts into tears in the middle of a restaurant without any previous signs of sadness, just leave her be. She will dry it up soon and laugh at herself. On a side note: Perhaps it's best to shield that laughter from other restaurant-goers as they'll consider her insane.
* Don't ask her how her writing is going unless you have plenty of time (and patience) to listen. Seriously, give yourself at least an hour.
* Never, ever say: "Maybe you're drinking too much coffee." And never come in between her and her coffee (or tea).
* You don't have to offer to read her chapters. But if you say you're going to read them, do it.
* Good comment: I really like this, Lisa. Better comment: Your character is aggravating, and I don't like the flashbacks.

As time goes on, I'm sure this short list that I've compiled will double. Check back to see how to stay on your writer friend's good side.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I want to thank Daniel Kaye for asking me to take part in The Next Big Thing.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop is a chance for authors around the world to tell you what they’re working on. The author answers 10 questions about their current project, and tags the person who first tagged them, plus two other authors.

Dec completed his blog hop last week, you can learn more about him on his blog http://daniel-kaye.blogspot.com/ where he answered the set of questions and tagged me.

Here's mine!


1) What is the title (or working title) of your next book?

I'm in the wee morning stages of my newest book, meaning I'm plotting and developing characters. It's called  Spin the Love, and it's about three upper middle class bored teens playing emotional games they have no business playing. It's dark and psychological.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was sitting outside when I saw a fender bender - an accident. Stuff happens often that messes with our heads and we have to deal with it, some times we deal better than others. But what if we caused our own mental anguish just to see if we could handle it? Just because we're bored and think nothing can shock us anymore.

3) What genre does your project fall under?

Young adult psychological drama (Maybe I'll change the drama to thriller - it depends on where my characters take me)

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Saoirse Ronan (Whispy-main character - but she has to dye her hair black since my character does), Emma Stone (Flic - Whispy's frenemy), and Jason Dolley (Teddy - Whispy's best friend).

5) What is a one sentence synopsis of your work?

It's so new I haven't totally wrapped my head around an elevator pitch. I'll give it a go though.
Three teens think they can't handle the boredom, and they find out they can't handle their new love game either.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

An agency.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I'm not even in the nitty gritty of it yet, but my projects usually take six to nine months to write.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
 Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos is the only thing I can think of to compare it to right now. Maybe I'll see similarities to other titles as I continue to write.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My daughter for some reason likes to read books that have an insane asylum in them. My older daughter, who's off the reading bandwagon at the moment, likes to watch American Horror story which is set in an asylum. Basically I decided to write about a teen going crazy because my daughters enjoy that sort of thing. And I  wanted to write it because of what I spoke of earlier:  What if a character's downfall has nothing to do with an accident or an act of passion, but it's her own intentional activity that sends her into a mental spiral?

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
My main character is obsessed with her Great-Aunt Whispy (deceased) who was into the roaring twenties scene, for whom my character was named. Whispy wears dresses that look like they might have fit in with the 20s and reads her aunt's journal repeatedly.


So here are my two tags:

Jenna Lehne  http://theprintingprincess.blogspot.ca/

Katherine Amabel  http://beyondthehourglassbridge.wordpress.com/

You're it!

The Joys of the Internet

I've been attending a sort of internet writing conference this week. It's been so very helpful. I suppose I should go ahead and apologize to my customers and employees for my inattentiveness. Nah, I'll wait until the week is over - more apologies might be needed.

But all this learning was perfect on the heals of my mini vaca-Ahem, research trip. We took a trip to Cape San Blas (yes, it's a real location and yes, it's in my book White Star), and St. George Island. Let me tell ya, that place is gorgeous and the lighthouse was so adorable and quaint. But the most surprising little discovery was Apalachicola. I had no idea it was so beautiful. I thought it was going to be the typical briny, rough-around-the-edges port city. Not even. The downtown is so pretty and it's so rich in history. The natives take so much pride it in also. My sister and I will be going back soon. Gibson Inn, here we come!

(pictured St. George Island Lighthouse)

Present tense equals walls or freedom?

A lot has been said recently about the lack of correctness or lack of natural feel with a novel written in the present tense. What if a book written in past tense feels false for the very tense that's being acclaimed as right and best?

There are many writers turning to the present tense, especially in young adult novels. Is it a trend or a desire to stay in the "now"?

For me, writing in the present tense if done right, will leave readers feeling like they are reading the messiness of a possible real life. Much like reality t.v. shows that rope people in, it's real and it can get messy.

And it's current.

In the past tense, an author is  telling the reader, "I shaped this story, I wrote this." In the present tense, there seemingly isn't an author, just a point-of-view character. This character makes mistakes in his or her summation of events sometimes. Sometimes those mistakes are very clear to the reader and sometimes they aren't. But in the character' actions in a present tense novel, the reader traverses this life. In a past tense novel, the reader is told about this life.

Much like reality t.v., in a present tense novel, the watcher sees the action as it's going down. Whereas in a constructed television show, the watcher is conscious these series of events are shaped, edited and portrayed by actors. And none of it's real.

Of course, many believe (including me) that reality t.v. is just as constructed, however, to the regular watcher tuning in, they don't believe it. Or else they don't care because it feels real. After all  it is real. Snooki does get drunk; Brad does actually have a huge fight with Jennifer. And in present tense books, the characters are fighting, eating, barfing--right then and there. There's no waiting, there's no being told about it after the fact.

I think a present tense novel allows readers to feel like they are living this moment in life with the narrator, or even fall into the story so thoroughly they feel they are living these moments themselves. It's current. And even re-reading, it's still current--it's still there. It's not over.
I wish there were studies done on how often people put a present tense novel down vs. past tense novel (or would a study like that even be possible?). In my opinion, more people would continue on reading a present tense book without pausing because they have the uncomfortable feeling it would continue on without them. They might miss something with the story that they are in. But in a past tense novel, there's always that division, that line - "I am being told a story. I can take a walk then pick this back up when I come back."

This is just my opinion. What do you think?

Some say present tense writers are following a trend. What about the story with a girl who dies at the end of the story? This story almost has to be written in the present tense. She's not around afterward to tell the story, so factually, this story has to be told in the present tense or else in third person (which I desire to do less than write in past tense). Trend here, no, just a desire to keep the writing correct in that she couldn't be retelling this story from the grave...unless she's a vampire.

I have no problem with past tense writers, either, and I don't automatically endorse present tense writers.
I'd merely like to open up the conversation...and maybe even take up for us writers who've delved into present tense works. There's been a lot of negative talk about writing in the present tense. Maybe I'd just like to balance that out. And clear the air about it too as there is plenty of incorrect information out there about it.

A popular fallacy with present tense novels is that they have to be told in a linear, non-breaking fashion. No, they don't. A reader can be dropped into a scene that's halfway over in order to view the important things. Days can be skipped, weeks even, just like in a past tense novel. No boring small talk just because we all know that would happen in real life. We just skip it and cut right to the stuff the moves the plot forward, just like any other narrative.

With that said, my favorite novels are written in past tense because my favorites are classics--it has nothing to do with the tense. I think I might like DAVID COPPERFIELD in spite of its tense now, not because of it.

Books written in past tense used to be easier for me to read. But now that I've gotten used to present tense books, it's not as fun or in the moment to read a past tense book. Many people just don't like present tense because it's different. Change is bad...right? I once had someone tell me she'd only read first person, past tense. I thought that was a good way to close yourself off to many good books, but we all have our preferences. What's yours? Past or present tense? First, second, or third POV? Have you ever read a book written in second person?

Another year older… Another year wiser *Dedicated to a freaking awesome boy, Kaden

October has always been my favorite month of the year because it is rockin’ with fun stuff to do. There’s football, oysters, fall festivals, Halloween parties, scary movies, scary pranks and haunted houses. And when I moved to Alabama I was introduced to even more fun things - the Peanut Festival, Harvest Day Festival and all kind of other events held in the month because the weather is just better.
But even though all of these events are great, they can’t surpass a very important day in my life - my birthday!Yes, your beloved newspaper editor and author will turn thirty-seven tomorrow, and I am not afraid to admit it.
As a little girl I never understood the propensity for adults to dread their birthday coming. Now I understand it but, nevertheless, disagree with it. I understand you don’t want to get older. I’m sure you've heard the saying "Want in one hand and…” AA members have a more polite way of saying the same thing, “God give me the strength to accept that which I cannot change…” My point is your birthday is going to come no matter how much you wish it away, so find the good in it.
I have compiled a list below of reasons to enjoy your birthday no matter how old you are turning. Hopefully this will make that inevitable turning of age just a little bit easier to swallow.
1. You are a year wiser now. You've made mistakes and watched others make them. Hopefully you've learned from them and are that much wiser for it. Also, eventually you will be out of mistakes. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.
2. Reverse psychology. Everyone else is overjoyed that it’s your birthday and loves to make fun. If you act happy about it, people don’t have as much fun giving you a hard time. It’s like pretending you aren't ticklish so someone will quit tickling you.
3. It is actually the day of your birth. Aren't you happy your parents had the forethought to bring you into this world? Of course you are and so are your friends and family. And for the people belonging to the "oops" category, and this includes me, your parents were still just as happy to see your screaming, red face on delivery day. So get happy about it too.
4. And my fourth and final thought about celebrating your birthday - enjoy it, rejoice in it, revel in it. You do realize what the alternative is….

No, I'm not famous but....

No, I'm not famous, but two people have found me interesting enough to interview. Teehee!

Check out interviews on me here:
http://writersinkspiration.blogspot.com/2012/10/interview-with-querying-author-lisa.html?showComment=1350310135669#c1780817971551084289

http://daniel-kaye.blogspot.com/2012/05/interview-with-author-lisa-terry.html

Home

Some of my best memories are from home. And what I call home is not the house my parents purchased: not a home I lived in while I was in my teens; nor was it my great-aunt’s home where many of my life's problems and goals were discussed. Home was Granny's house and all the little pleasurable things that surrounded it.

The history of Granny’s home in Florida is admirable.
My grandmother and grandfather married young and did not have very much money. But they worked hard and soon built a home by themselves (with the exception of a few relatives). I am not sure which came first, the house or children, but they had one girl and two boys.
They added on to the home when they adopted the four children belonging to my grandmother’s sister—she had passed away. I believe the youngest of those children was about five.
So, with all of the responsibility she already had and the new ones acquired, my grandmother was still able to create the fondest memories for them and their children. The nature of her personality took care of almost everything. Mother Nature took care of the rest.

Let us go back in time to the smells. A smell bordering on bad comes from the back room. It is the yeast coming from rising dough. She is making homemade cinnamon buns, yes buns since they’re too big to call rolls. They are as big as two of my seven-year-old fists. Then she bakes them and prepares the icing. The aroma of cinnamon and vanilla pervade the furthermost corner of the house and my mind. I can’t think of anything else but those sweet, gooey pastries.

“Are they done yet, Granny?” I ask for the fifth time.

Then there are the mental pictures stored away. Crepe myrtle trees cradle the driveway like the precious path that it is. The nurturing arms are blooming the sweetest pink petal that float to the drive like a dream. The trees blossom often but they seem prettier every year. This is so lovely my eight-ear-old mind can’t understand why this picture isn’t on everyone’s walls.

Sounds. Can I describe the sounds well enough to convey how special they were? Every Sunday the whole bunch got together and had lunch. It was such fantastic chaos. Her seven children along with their children came together for a day of food, play-time and catching up on each other’s lives.

BANG!

“Melanie, I’m going get after you if you slam that door again,” Aunt Sara says.

“That wasn’t me; it was Sally.”

“Are you watching her out there?” Aunt Terry asks.

“Yes ma’am."

“Debra, did you boil the potatoes?” Granny asks. “You know what happened last time.”

Everyone laughs. One day our potato salad was made with raw cubed potatoes. It was a case of too many cooks. No one turned the burner on, but each one thought the other turned it off.

“Yes,” Aunt Debra says. “But I have a new recipe I want to try.”

“Remember to keep some out for me before you add relish,” my mother says.

“Amy, go out the back door – you’re letting the cold air out.”

“Yes ma’am,” Amy replies.

I start follow Amy out. Melanie, Amy and I are going to make sand castles.

“Lisa, you haven't given me a hug yet,” Granny says.

This episode leads me to the feelings part. My grandmother has mentioned a hug three or four times since I've been here. I am ten now and feel too old for hugs, but I know she will eventually get one. I have to walk out the back door, which is beside the bench she is sitting on.
“Ah-ha-ha. I got me one,” Granny sings in the childish voice she uses when she teases us, and then she grabs me and squeezes.

Hugs. She thought about that bit of affection continuously, and I knew it.

You see, she loved all of her children. That feeling of unconditional love came through in her hugs, her cooking and even her discipline. My grandmother’s love has never been replicated in my life, and it is unlikely it ever will.

I love you too, Granny. You are my Grand Mother. I miss you.