Lets talk Innuendos.

Okay, not really innuendos but how about symbolism in writing instead.

I used to stress about what someone would read into what I write. What kind of things they could pick up about me or the intent of every letter I put down when I didn't actually intend more than what was there. What about all those things psychologists, philosophists, crazy people, etc see that I don't? Do writers intend on half the messages that people pull from their work?

What if they think I'm writing about the inadequacy of orphanages, the decline in society, or trying to push SIN and SEX on children.Or worse still, killing children! When none of that is what I mean in INTO, I could see validity in the what ifs. And if I can pick up on those things, surely I'm going to be put under a microscope and judged as being evil by every parent, church, organization dedicated to book-hate in the world!

What will a careful analysis of my story get? Anything? More than enough? Things I didn't intend? Probably.

Crawford Kilian wrote: "Nevertheless, as soon as you start writing, you start writing on some kind of symbolic level. Maybe you're not conscious of it, but it's there: in your characters, their actions, the setting, and the images. (Some writers are very powerful symbolists, but don't realize it; that's why authors are often poor critics of their own work.)"

I wonder if that is true. Do we, as writers,  make decisions about what goes in on a symbolic level without realizing it? I hope so. I'd feel a lot smarter, either way, if my story is deeper than I think it is.

******************This is where I stopped writing this post and put it aside for a few days. Check this junk out>*****************************************************

As I was working on my characters last Friday, sketching my MC(it helps me see her better) and wondering about them all -- if I had enough of them in my pages to be real to anyone but myself -- a song came on Pandora Radio. It hit me, like a wet hand to my face and I felt SO STUPID!

It was one line: "We lost our love somehow". And there, on that page that I scribbled that line down on was a sketch of my MC and her man. And I got it!  Just that simply!

My Story is ABOUT something! Yes, it's about what I intended to write it about but more than that IT HAS A THEME!!! Wow. I wrote and entire novel, been editing, staring at, editing some more, hating, threatening disembowelment, loving, editing it for months, almost a year, and never noticed the theme that runs through the whole thing - ties every character together! *facepalm* And it's good. I'm not bragging on myself at all. I'm not trying to be all "damn I'm awesome." Because, as I just mentioned, I never saw it. I didn't even know it was there. I just think it's cool how it worked out.


More Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian is HERE. 

Do you think your story has some deeper meaning? Did you mean it to?  What messages can you see in your own novel you don't mean to be there?

(I did warn you about random HP movie images) 



RANDOM: 



Andy over at Writing Myself Crazy has honored me with another One Lovely Blog Award! How freakin' cool is that?! 2 in 2 weeks! I feel like one special gal today so thank you Andy for that. Be sure to check him out. He is witty, smart, and always has some awesome info going up on his blog!

I try not to pay much attention to the stats of my blog, but sometimes I just get curious, like today. That's when I discovered someone/some people found my blog by searching "for private" and "for private reading". So I just wanted to give you a big 'ol one-eyebrow-raise in your honor.

The lady who checked me out at the bookstore looked like the albino from The Princess Bride. I don't mean that to be mean but...she totally did. On the plus side -- found Everlost by Neal Shusterman for $3.50.

I blazed through If I Stay by Gayle Forman this weekend while flying hither and tither. Ate up every wonderful word. LOVED this book! BUT: Never bring a book you KNOW is going to make you cry on a trip unless you are not ashamed to be a blubbering idiot in public. I cannot tell you how hard it was to master my girl-side when reading this. My eyes teared up, got sniffley, the whole bit. If anyone saw me they surely thought I was a freaking lunatic. I could just imagine people praying they didn't sit next to me. All of this I mean in the best way possible. I loved it.

If anyone missed the J.K.Rowling on Opera episode its HERE


Have you ever been eating a bowl of cereal and notice a dark speck, then worry for a moment that it could be a bug. But don't investigate farther because you just started eating and the cereal is really hitting the spot. So you just ignore it for a while until you just can't stand yourself for justifying possibly eating around a bug? Me neither. (It wasn't. It was an over-cooked frosted flake.) 



Happy Wednesday!

 

WINNER Of Speak!

Was going to wait until tomorrow but got back in enough time to announce the winner today, as promised originally. So, thanks to Random.org's Integer Generator our winner is..........


Anita M.!!

E-mail me your info and I will send your copy of Speak along asap! (ce.murphy@yahoo.com)
I don't have your e-mail so I'll give you 10 days to contact me before I'll have to chose another winner.



I loved everyone's entries so I'm going to post them here.
First is Anita's: 
My wish is that one day Mr Scroggins himself write a book like this. That one day he see through the eyes of an author who wants to help people with his books. How would he feel if someone calls his help filthy? How would he feel if he has to say something to the world and nobody is there to listen?


Abby Minard said...

My only wish for Mr. Scroggins is that he can see how wonderful it is when a community can come together because of someone's ignorance. That he'll see how wonderful the written word is, no matter what the content. And, that teenagers are not stupid like he thinks.

Jen said...

My wish for Mr. Wesley Scroggins is that he takes a look at the bigger picture, I want him to see all the good that this author is trying to portray within the bad. These words are raw, honest and should not be taken lightly, they are real and it's important he realizes that.

Andy said...

My wish for Mr. Scroggins is that no teens or children, (including his own) would suffer due to his ignorance. I hope the school board eventually rejects his challenged in full and that all the kids who read these books have long an healthy lives and relationships

Anne said...

My wish for Dr. Scroggins would be that he actually read the books he so easily condemns and think about what they actually advocate. 

Jennie Bailey said...

My wish for Mr. Scroggins is that he has a life altering event that opens his eyes, his mind and his heart.

Lisa_Gibson said...

I wish that Wesley Scroggins comes to understand that the vile acts of rape, incest, etc. perpetrated against women are in no way pornography. I would hope that he comes to see these as acts of violence committed by sick individuals and not a turn-on. That he could open his mind and see how many have been wounded by his senseless comments.

Cold As Heaven said...

I hope Mr Scroggins end up in Heaven, bored to eternity. Then I can go to Hell to enjoy free speach, great literature and black metal concerts ... and I won't even mention all the fun we'll have every night >:)  

Brad Jaeger said...

My one wish for Wesley Scroggins is that his mouth sort of melts to his face, like Neo's in The Matrix when Agent Smith has him alone in the interrogation room. (HAHAHA!) 

- Melissa - said...

My wish is that someday Mr. Scroggins understands exactly what it was he did that made so many people so very angry. It wasn't that he expresses his opinion about the book, it's that he is basically saying that rape, in books or real life, can be compared to PORNOGRAPHY. What a sick, twisted many he is...

Sarah E said...

My wish for Mr. Scroggins is that he realizes that everyone should be free to read whatever book they wish.

Professionalism is too long

My mom got me hooked on My Fair Wedding. David Tutera is crazy awesome. I'm not a big fan of wedding shows (Bridezilla's makes me sick.) but this one is pretty darn sweet. 

I read recently a list of what it means to be a professional writer and a hobby writer. And based on that list, I'm apparently a hobbyist. Could be true. I could be more professional and more driven and stop slacking off and surfing the web instead of writing. I admit it. I need more discipline, but does that mean I don't consider myself professional?

I don't mean to bash whomever wrote it, they had some good points BUT I don't think being professional means to lose yourself.

And reading that list really brought me down to a sad level instead of motivating me. The more I thought about it the less I could agree. Because, to me, being a hobby writer is my own death as an author. Mean's I don't want it enough to ever be published. Mean's I'm doing something wrong as a writer.

Having a professional internet image? I can't. I wont. If i did, I would just have to delete this whole thing and disappear. I'm just me. I forget commas and apostrophes and have to remember to spell check so people wont know how incredibly terrible I am at spelling. I try and make sarcasm come across in my writing(it never does) and make cracks that might only be funny to me. I ramble and blab about nothing at times and like sharing my opinion however misguided or wrong. Also have an unruly subconscious that is always trying to write the longest sentences possible without stopping to start a new sentence where there could obviously be a break.

Being professional means losing all that about myself. Might not be true but that's my mindset.

I don't think someone can put each writer into two bubbles like that. Each writer has their own technique, routine, and goals for their novels. Their own time frames they want to work within. And their own lives they can work around.

Writers with children have a limited time they can write and just because they won't neglect their children doesn't mean they aren't professional.

Writers with jobs they need to not live in a refrigerator box in an alley can still be professional writers too.

Writers who enjoy other things in life; movies, parties, friends, husbands, wives, not having a filthy, roach infested homes, can still be professional.

And what really stuck in my craw was the internet surfing comment. Professionals will ignore the internet and focus all their attention on writing instead of surfing? Yea right, maybe if that computer wasn't connected to the internet.

My writing routine is usually: write write write write write internet break write write write write look up something and get distracted write write write. Just because I take those youtube video and facebook checking breaks means I'm not serious? If so, then whoever is judging me can suck it. I don't want to be a professional if it mean I can't have a life.

Like I said I have some issues with not procrastinating and confidence. I may not be a real honest to goodness, published professional because my book isn't behind a beautiful cover with a publishing house stamp on it.

But it does exist, I have held it and read it and reread it and reread it again and edited(x100) and cried over the possibility that I suck at life and no one wants to read my dribble. I have worked hard and am still working hard on it. I have written another novel and have a file full of ideas for others. I have crit. partners and people who have faith in me. As far as I'm concerned I'm a professional writer.

You want professional? I'll show you professional blog posting ...

                                                                                                          ...BAM! (This probably wont stop until after the movie. Just warning you now.)

What do you think? Are you a pro? Are you a hobbiest? Does it matter to you either way?

HERE are 5 things writers always overlook.

Tomorrow I will announce the winner for Speak as the contest is now Closed! Got some AMAZING answers to it too, would def. check them out if you're interested.

Funny Friday!

Just because everyone should have it bookmarked, follow it on twitter, or stalk stalk stalk it, this is Mugglenet.com   (yes. All those are links to the same place: MUGGLENET.COM)

Right now you can bet I'm either rushing to the airport. Waiting on my plane, listening to strangers conversations, and reading/editing(yeay!). Freezing my heat-loving buns off on another too freaking cold airplane. Or bookin' it to my connection flight and crossing my fingers that I actually have a seat as I will be standby.

I love flying. But. I hate flying.

Someone needs to communicate with the people in charge and let them know that fitting all my liquids in ONE ziplock bag is impossible. They are seriously hampering my beauty routine.(I'm fine with the size restrictions on containers but, come on...1quart size bag?) I NEED 2 kinds of lotions of the same brand. I NEED face lotion(different than hand/body lotion) for after the face scrub. I NEED all my girly crap dangit!

Men. Men did this. Because all they need is a bar of soap and a toothbrush and their set.

 And because I had to mash it all in a too small bag, I would bet money this very moment that something is oozing out of its crappy little 98cent 3oz plastic bottle.

Can I get some prayers, good energy, thoughts, or whatever is your particular brand of good vibes my way that I make all my flights and get to my best friends rehearsal and following wedding on time? I thank you.

Already can't come home until a day later than planned as apparently everyone and their mother is trying to come to this area on Sunday, so I won't be able to make my rounds on answering comments or making it to blogs until late Monday night. (Already stressing on how behind I'm going to be on my own life and my ever growing obsession blog life)

ANYWAY. On to funner things. Wait. More fun things. nah...screw it, it's the weekend. Goin' with funner!

HERE are 50 reasons no one wants to publish your first book. Sounds funny right? Well it is. So click click click.

Now a break for something FREAKY. Need conclusive proof ghosts exist? You got it.



FLASH BACK!



Even though its a Walmart commercial, we can still appreciate its simplistic comedy.



In honor of my painful obsessive love for all things Harry Potter: (WARNING! This will get stuck in your head. In the best way possible)



And finally, a daily dose of insane cuteness!





HERE are 6 things you can stick in your ears to improve your writing.


The lovely Kelly Dexter over at Nerdville Rhapsody (who just got an AGENT! ((shout out)))gave me an amazing award!

Few months ago I had 5 followers and, though I didn't mind, had no hope of gaining more than 10. But I have been blown away by you guys! And this is just icing, my friends, on a delicious cupcake of blogging happiness.  Unnecessary Awkward Acceptance Speech Over.

So, Rules say to pass along to 15 folks, but I, like Kelly, am breaking all the rules. Cause that's how I roll. I'd like to pass it along to:
Abby Minard @ Abover Water,  Katie Mills @ Creepy Query Girl, Elana Johnson, Jennie Bailey @ Garden Full Of Lily, Samantha Vérant @ Life, Love, and Living in France, Jennifer Daiker @ Unedited

This just looked like a very "lady" award. And these are ladies I stalk frequently, so appropriate much?

 
Don't Forget to get an entry into my Freedom Contest going on right now and win your own copy of SPEAK HERE! You Have Until Monday!

Banned Book Challenge Round 2

As previously mentioned, the Banned Book Challenge is going on between NOW and October 15th. My post on the info is HERE with the link to the original blog there as well. This week is actually the official Banned Book Week! So..WOO!


I chose:
Forever. . .~ Judy Blume
The Rose and The Beast~ Francesca Lia Block
The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide~ Jeremy Daldry

I don't dabble in reviews so I'm going to go over WHY these books are on the challenged/banned list and how I felt.

These 3 are actually part of 55 being challenged by some moms-with-summat-up-their-rumps group in my area. So Its Personal...

The first is The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide: Goodreads Synopsis: Girls just have too many advantages. Have you seen the covers of Seventeen Magazine or YM lately? "Does He Like You? 10 Ways to Know" or "What Is He Really Thinking On Your First Date" or "When to Kiss and Tell." It's enough to leave a guy feeling pretty outgunned! But cheer up, fellas. The new book The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide has just leveled the battlefield! Full of advice on everything from asking a girl out to picking clothes, managing all the changes in your body to the rigors of the social scene, The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide is packed not just with information, but with guidance.

A quick read, at 130 fancy-fun pages. This one I recommend to teen gals everywhere who want to understand what the crap is wrong with guys their age(or any age really...) It also opened my eyes to how EMBARRASSING these things must be to teen guys.(and also wish some guys I knew growing up had had a copy, cause I'm pretty sure I was friends with or dated every BAD, what NOT to do, example in this mug.)

TTGSG was a laugh. In a good way. From the beginning I knew I was going to have to get it should I ever have a son. I thought it was great at laying every awkward, puberty-ridden boy moment out there in an easy, cringe-less way. It even addressed the possibility of being gay and that being something to not be ashamed of. Love it!

From going over the right and wrong ways to handle break-ups to handling peer pressure, to building your own confidence, this has it all for those parents who haven't got a clue what to say or how to open the discussion. 

On that point, it has a lot of insight that a kid might not accept from their parents as fact because, lets face it, when you're a teen your parents become, somehow, full of crap. So this is a good way to give them what they need without lecturing them into a comma where they glean no real content.

On that praise note for this book, I do see why some parents would object to its content.(though I don't agree) It isn't bashful about things like porn and sex and hairy butts and what not. Which, I think is great, but more modest folks might not.

I think, however, this book should only be the first step in communicating with kinds about the issues inside it. I don't think it should be all they ever get from their parents. Parent's need to discuss with their children the issues of drugs and sex and relationships as well as giving them useful information to go over on their own.

That being said, this book being banned is ridiculous,and I kinda hope I do have a boy just so I can buy this book for him and point out the chapter on what romance really is all about. (and that bit about wet dreams, just to watch him get all embarrassed.)

Forever- Judy Blume - Goodreads Synopsis: Katherine and Michael meet at a New Year's Eve party. They're attracted to each other, they grow to love each other. And once they've decided their love is forever, they make love. It's the beginning of an intense and exclusive relationship, with a future all planned. Until Katherine's parents insist that she and Michael put their love to the test with a summer apart...
 
I took this one to work with me so I could just polish it off in one of our slow days. BAD IDEA. This book was so freaking unafraid to blatantly throw out squirm worthy details about sex. I'm not saying it upset me at all, I just didn't expect it(somehow, I had never heard details on Judy Blume's books).

It has some great stuff in its pages and some stuff I don't agree on personally. It was, all in all, entertaining for me and would have made being a teen girl a little easier. Feelings, experiences, relationships, etc weren't the end of the world as I knew it kind of stuff. If that makes sense.

Touched on being gay as well, included a good bit about the importance of birth control and how girls shouldn't always count on the guy to be souly responsible. AMEN. It also had bits about STD's teen pregnancy, drinking, parent fights, death, cheating, and how the first love doesn't mean it's the last kinda stuff. Good stuff.

A great line, I loved: "But you have to be sure you can handle the situation before you jump into it...sex is a commitment...once you're there you can't go back to holding hands." SO TRUE!

The problems I had with it: 1. The POV changes weirdly. I donno if this is on purpose or if I just missed a pattern but it was really jarring to realize and then have to fall back into the story to have it change again.

2. The girl, Katherine, is forgettable. I tried to remember her name 5 min. after I had put the book down and couldn't remember to save my life!

3. There are SO MANY " . . ." in this book! OMG! I was going insane looking at them all! It was. . . ridiculous! Hated that. . . My least fav thing about this whole book. If THAT. . . was why it is challenged/banned places. . .  I'd be all for it. . . (j/k) but really. . .really. . . annoying.

4. The first time this girl has sex it's all "lalala no big deal!" She was relieved it was over. Her parents tell her one thing, how sex is special and a big step and a huge deal then she experiences another. Didn't like how casual she made sex for a teen. NOT BAN WORTHY though. Just irritated me is all. (even though the first time I had sex was like...whatever. bahaha so it wasn't exactly a lie. But afterward the whole relationship DID change.)

All in all, the biggest problems I had with this book was not content but structure. And those, very well, could have a reason I don't know about. That's it! What do you all think about Judy Blume/ Forever?

The Rose and the Beast- Francesca Lia Block Goodreads Synopsis: With language that is both lyrical and distinctly her own, Francesca Lia Block turns nine fairy tales inside out.Escaping the poisoned apple, Snow frees herself from possession to find the truth of love in an unexpected place.
A club girl from L.A., awakening from a long sleep to the memories of her past, finally finds release from its curse.
And Beauty learns that Beasts can understand more than men.
Within these singular, timeless landscapes, the brutal and the magical collide, and the heroine triumphs because of the strength she finds in a pen, a paintbrush, a lover, a friend, a mother, and finally, in herself.

I can't tell you how much I loved this book. It was a quick read(which was good since I just got the e-mail reminder that all three books were due back that day, not the next week like I thought.) And such a wonderful book. 


The reason it is being challenged and or banned is because of drugs, cursing, sex, rape, and a bit of lesbianism (which was actually my favorite story in the book)

Each story starts a bit confusing, in my opinion. By that, I mean, it just took me a minute to understand what was going on. But once you get going it was magical. I loved the poetry way each story was told and how they included the premise for all our favorite fairytale's, now darkened by a lot of peoples reality of life. 

Each one was about pain, loss, death, sex, drugs, rape, and/or fear.  Things real people have to deal with and overcome. The stories are about just that, overcoming the pain and loss. People using drugs to try and find freedom from their tragic pasts but finding real freedom in the love of someone special who lifts them back up. About standing up to the big bad man who darkened a childhood. Appreciating the love you have. And things of that nature. 

It was beautiful, and interesting to find the fairytale in each one. It was truthful and painful to read about some of the characters because you can't help but ache for them. And I HATE this one being looked down on by anyone. I loved every fantastic page. 




Banning a published book from the public at large is wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. We trust in the publishing and editing agencies to weed out what is okay and not. If you don't like a certain kind of book I suggest you not read it. But just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have a right the do away with it. You want to oppress people, buy your own island and rule away. But I don't think we should stand for it. No one has the right to tell me what I can and can't read. 

Parents who challenge any of these books because of content are seriously depriving their children from things they need to know. And if a parent is willing to ban all books for issues like being gay, sex, drugs, cursing, etc. then I can't imagine what kind of cave world their child lives in. I do understand restricting a book because a parent might not approve and what is FINE. Parents are more aware of how and what their own children can deal with, but I don't know what your kid is capable of so I have no right to say.

These are things of the world. Smoking and cursing, kids do it. Sex and experimenting, kids do it! And if their parents, the people who are souly responsible for the well-being of their offspring, aren't willing to talk to them about such issues and enlighten them on the dangers and their choices, then how can they be surprised when their kids screw up badly?  

I love and appreciate all books that can make a kid feel better about themselves and less like a freak. Parents need to be there for their children, willing to talk to and support them. As well as to give them books by people who went through and know about the same kind of issues a kid can have that will make them feel like they aren't alone; Not try and shut out all the bad things in the world, putting blinders on them and then sending them out into it unprepared emotionally. 

I would love to hear what you all have to say about any of these books or about any of the issues in general. Get out a read some banned books, see what all the hubub is about. It's wonderful! They choose to ban some of the best books! 


If anyone missed the epic debut of SHARKTOPUS (as I did...ehem) HERE is an equally, if not more, epic rundown of the entire movie over at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog. A quick, terribly funny read.


HERE is why you may be getting rejected with your novel.

HERE!!!! is how to raise boys to read!! My husband needs this. Badly.




Don't Forget to get an entry into my Freedom Contest going on right now and win your own copy of SPEAK HERE!

DUDE YA Help

Didn't have a planned post til tomorrow but:

Chatting with my lil bro today, I'm trying to get him into YA. (He laughed at me when I suggested it) He seems to be getting into the idea. So I told him to get The Hunger Games first for 2 reasons. 1. it's killer awesome! and 2. I couldn't think of guy friendly books I love other than that one! SO...

What are some fella friendly YA novels I could recommend for him? (he's not little. 22. But always my lil bro in my eyes.)So not tween.

I get to hang out with him this weekend when I go back to my home state so might have to show him around the YA section and hand him some good books so bring on the recommendations!

Not the best? No surprise there.

This is why I don' talk about my novel's with my husband. I love him like nothing in the world but damned if he isn't the worst about literature.

"I wanna go somewhere." -Me

"Like where?"-Hubs

I debate just outing myself right here, but know my husband could set himself up to get suckered into going where I want to go if I just hold out. "I donno." Add a exaggerated bored sigh here. -Me

"Want to go to Lowes?"- Hubs looking genuinely psyched. 

Holding back a gross face as, while I enjoy Lowes when I need something, I don't care to 'window shop' there. "What do you need at Lowes?" Sneer/smile- Me

"Some bolts and screws. I want to remove the computer from the Ruckus and blah blah blah blah my wife just zoned out but is still maintaining eye-contact so I will think she gives a crap as I explain something though she really has no idea what I'm talking about."-Hubs

"Well, I was actually thinking about the bookstore. Maybe I would go to Lowes with you if you will go to the bookstore with me?" -Me

Hubs fails to even attempt to FAKE interest. "Well that doesn't sound like fun. Don't like books and you know what's more? Don't like learnin'. So...No." That last bit he said with the worst, cringe-worthy southern accent ever. Which he doesn't really have.

*leSIGH*

I have been waiting so long to see these two together in a film. <3 Can't Wait.

Looking forward to this, Tangled, Let Me In, Black Swan, TRON: Legacy, The Green Hornet, Beastly, Sucker Punch, Easy A, Monsters, gosh... Some great movies coming out!

But the best, the one I get choked up watching the trailers for. The one who's books I have been obsessed with for a decade and make me push my own writing to bigger, better, stronger...is....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(1)

What I'm NOT looking forward to coming out, or even being made: Hong Kong Fooey, Yogi Bear, Footloose, Smurfs 3D, (Anyone elses childhood screaming with pitchforks and torches?) Final Destination 5(how many more ways can they manipulate this insane loop of a plot? no more? cause they couldn't even change it up twice? oh yea...I said it..) Breaking Dawn(only because 2 movies is ridiculous. That book barely had enough content for 1 movie. SPOILER: NOTHING REALLY HAPPENS.) not trying to hate on Twilight, enjoyed the books personally but come on.


It's the life of someone who can call themselves "the best" at one thing or another to know, on a daily basis, that someone is going to not only challenge their "greatness" but also overcome them. You can jump the highest? Watch me jump higher. You can run the fastest? Watch me smoke you.

It's easy to be the best at physical things like swimming, jumping, running, swinging, skipping, yawning, throwing etc. Because those aren't objective. It can be proven without someones opinion getting in the way.

But being the best writer? Impossible. It's too objective. You can't even hope to be the best in a genre. Some writers write with so much descriptive poetry its like a song. Some write with so much heart you can't help but disappear in their words. Some are raw and hard and real. Some are soft and kind and uplifting. People like all different kinds just as people write all different ways.

I can't even tell you who my favorite author is right now if you had a gun. I love lots for lots of reasons.

Obviously, I adore J.K.Rowling. She is so spellbinding with her words. We all pictured her HP world clearly and easily and loved every magical moment. I loved every character she gave us, good or bad. Because she could make me love or hate them so completely. She held my attention for years, and still does any time I pick one up again. I envy people when they read them the first time because I remember how that felt. And every book has something new or a twist or a person that ties into everything else. I was amazed at the way she brought everything together in the end and even added a much loved twist that still surprised me.

Suzanne Collins can break your heart without ever spelling out what has happened. She doesn't have to come right out with it. It's like you watch it all happen and don't need to be talked down to by her writing it all out. She has a power to make you swell with emotion and force you to read her right then, right now. No matter what anyones opinion of the last book is, no one can deny how she snagged you in the beginning and how real she made the war.  Nor can any deny the points she was making.

Laura Whitcomb writes in a musical way. I couldn't get enough of the way she describes things, its hard to describe her accurately. But it is just hypnotizing, reading her words. I'm a gal that loves some action and all but when this woman describes a teenagers room you can help but get tingles, she's that good.  

But I can't say they any one of them is better than the other. That is the nature of being a writer.

This brings me much comfort, rather than bringing me down. I would hate to be considered "the best" at writing because I would know every moment of the day that I will inevitably fall short.

As it is, there is enough pressure to top yourself with a second novel after you have had great success with the first. And if you're a great writer you will always be able to match yourself, if not better yourself from the last time. And that's comforting, to know you will always be able to improve or at the very least stay consistently good. But if you're "the best" you know, without a shadow of a doubt, you will eventually fall.

As long as you do the best you can, make your novel great and amazing and magical to someone, I don't think it's that important to make it perfect to everyone, or possible really. Every writer dreams of being great, me included.  I think that's enough for us all.

But that's just my opinion.

HERE are 7 links to encourage your inner writer. A great must read. 

Apparently one of my email addresses is sending spam about vitamins or some junk like that of its own free will. SO, If anyone gets an email from me and it's about anything other than something relevant: Don't Open It.  My advice? We all need to hunker down for the computer revolution. Almost as threatening as the zombie outbreak. You've been warned.


Don't Forget to get an entry into my Freedom Contest going on right now and win your own copy of SPEAK HERE!