I've already told you about the free online Writers Conference, writeoncon, but I've only just had a chance to really check it out. In a word, it's AWESOMESAUCE!!!
It's hosted by 6 cool MG/YA authors, and they've managed to gather some incredible contributors. Most of the live events will be held in the evenings, so don't worry about missing work. And you can get transcripts of events if you miss them. Also the creators have contests on their blogs to celebrate. August 10-12, mark it on your calendars!
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Today I went to pay my keitai (cellphone) bill, which I really hate to do, because the only time I ever pass a conbini is in the bus on Thursdays. I either have to get off the bus two stops early or walk the 20 minutes to Lawson and back. In case you wonder what a combini is, it's one of the many weird Japanese takes on English words. It comes from the word convenience- and is, in essence, a convenience store. But it's so much more convenient than a Western convenience store. Most (if not all) are open 24 hours. They sell bentou (boxed lunches) and ramen and liquor and anything else you might need at 3 am at a party. You can also pay your bills at the combini. There are many different chains, include Seven Eleven. My town only has two. Lawson and Mini Stop. And Lawson has an awesome grease-soaked fried chicken (the L-chickie). Sorry to be a stereotypical balck person, but it's like kryptonite for me.
Anyhow that's so not the point.
So I was walking back from Lawson, and I started daydreaming. What else is there for a writer to do on a 20 minute walk. And I started thinking about my latest novel endeavour. It made me so happy that I danced half the way home. The last 8 minutes was uphill into the sun, and that sapped all my energy, so I just walked. lol.
I'm supposed to be going to a conference in August. I need to submit 25 pages by July 1. So I reread WIP1 and WIP2. ACK! It's all crap!!!! Well, maybe not. But it made me miserable enough that I decided to write a whole new novel instead.
The result??? FANTABARACIOUS!!! ( Good moods and being a writer are a bad combination for English lexicon :)
It feels so right. I feel strongly about a lot of things and I want to teach people with my books. But I feel like my first two tries were too heavy. Tawna Fenske once said that people who like her blog will like her novels. And the people who are offended by her risque wit on her blog, probably wouldn't like her novels either. I want my novels to be like that.
But the first two WIPs were way too heavy. They felt kind of like documentary material. There's nothing wrong with documentaries. I just don't like stuff to feel like one when it isn't. Entertainment is supposed to entertain and all that jazz.
WIP3, a mere 1500 words in, is light and breezy and fun, and so easy to write. It's a little lighter than my blog, but it still bears a message. Hopefully I'll find a happy medium soon!
Remnants and Revelations
5 years ago
2 comments:
"Easy to write" are the magic words here. I had the same problem--the voice in my first fiction work tried too hard to be detached and sounded derivative. When I found my own voice, the sentences seemed to write themselves. Congratulations on finding yours. Your blog has a fun but informative voice, and that may be what you've found in the new work.
I love Tawna's blog and I think she's right in saying a writer's fiction voice should echo on a blog. If it doesn't, you may find that one or the other isn't your "true voice."
Good luck on WIP3!
Good luck on your new ms! I had to break away and write something YA because I was getting too serious with a documentary of schools in my area. 'Course my YA is so-so but it's a good escape. I bet your ms will be AWESOME! Way more awesome than mine!
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