Le Romance!

Close your eyes and imagine the following scenario:

You have all your favorite YA books lined up on a shelf in front of you. Each story is different, unique and follows fascinating plotlines. Maybe these books have made you feel all the feels. You may visualize individual books if you like.

Now I may be wrong about this, but I don't think so. I can practically guarantee you that there is something the same with all of these books, despite the possible variety of genres and storylines/. Something that maybe made you laugh, swoon, curse, or feel any sort of emotion. Probably a good emotion though, because you love these books.

What is that? Romance.

Romance has become a popular trend within the YA genre that it's almost unthinkable to have a YA novel without a romance lead. In fact, tt's often one of the first things that comes to me when I get a new novel idea or begin to plan my next project.

There's nothing wrong with romance either! Who doesn't love books with a good romace on the side of a fast-moving plot? Or a a sweet swoony chick-flick? It's fabulous! But in some cases a romance can make or break the book. So let's talk about this trend, how to create a working romance via The Blender Method, and why it's such a big deal in YA.

YA Romance

The Blender Method

So you’ve decided to have a romance in your book! Good for you. Now let me guess, in your head it sounds fantastic. The Hero’s hot, and the attraction is instant. They work well together and you can’t help but swoon when they kiss in your head.

There’s just one little catch, YOU might love them, but unless you add some crucial ingredients, your readers aren’t going to love them. Enter what I like to call, The Blender Method. Close your eyes again and imagine your romance as a tall glass filled to the brim with a mouthwatering smoothie of your choice. It could be berry, citrus, or even chocolate. Doesn’t matter.  It’s delicious and compliments your meal (*cough* your plot *cough*) perfectly.

But it didn’t start out that way. No-siree, it began when you gathered up the ingredients and tossed them into a blender. Then after letting the blender chop and spin and whine, it became what it is now. And I’ve got the recipe for you: 

THE RECIPE FOR MOUTH-WATERING ROMANCE:

Start off with 1 Hero and 1 Heroine. These are the main ingredients. They can be any flavor, or proportion of your choosing. But make sure they are compatible and different, if only by a little bit.

Next, portion a heavy dose of Character Flaws. This is to change up and add some unique flavor to the mix.

Dice up some Conflict, be it actions, opinions or interests. But don’t forget some Similarities which will be used to soften the differences between them.

Consider sweetening the Conflict with one or more of the following ingredients; Respect, Consideration, Sacrifice and Caring. This will increase our love in the face of difficulty.

Once you’ve gathered up these ingredients, throw then into the blender of Difficult Circumstances. If you are feeling especially naughty you might consider flavoring this romance with Lies, Betrayal, Arguments, Stubbornness or anything spicy of that nature.

Don’t forget to top it off with a cup of creamy Swoon Factor.  Rough times might make it more believable, but a romance just isn’t a romance without that delicious taste.

Now you’re ready to mix it all together. Cover the top of the blender with a lid, allowing nothing to escape as it mixes together. Turn the machine on to the lowest setting  and slowly all the power to grow until the highest setting is blending away at full blast. If you are unsure whether the smoothie is just right, you may turn it off and take a taste. All the smoothie to settle before jacking up to speed again. This will allow the shake up to be all the more effective. Once your smoothie has reached perfection you are ready to serve and enjoy.  Bon appetite!

-----

PS. Don’t Forget to check the list of Romantic Smoothie No-Nos before you serve. Add any of these into the mix and it will almost always mess up your drink.

  Insta love/lust – this will cancel the differences you have thrown in and enhance the Swoon Factor to a horrendous amount.

  
  Perfection – Characters without a flaw will upset the balance immensely. Remember that conflict is a crucial ingredient to your drink.

  Unnecessary Conflict – This can come in the form of stupid inconsequential arguments, or other characters that pull apart characters.

DISCLAIMER: You may feel inclined to dabble with this ingredient. They are appealing and very easy to use in your smoothie. This is a lie. The use of these tempting beverages will only make it easier the next time you need a quick drink. We don’t want easy and quick. In the event of any of these ingredients making it into the blender, scrap it all and start again. There’s always a fresh start.

**********************************

With all that laid before you, it might look like an impossible task, trying to write the perfect romance. And I hate to break it too you, it is kinda impossible. It's not going to come all at once either. Sometimes ingrediants will be overlooked the first batch, and added in later. Sometimes this will be left our or changed to fit each new flavor. It's all up to you to make it the best smoothie ever, but here are a few baking tips before I go

Get A Taste Tester. Unsure if the smoothie is just right? Friends and "beta readers" are perfect to let you know if it's not just you totally in love with the romance you've created.

Focus On Love-Showing Actions. I once read a post by author Kasie West, in which she shared a tip on how to write good romance that I've never forgotten. She said that it's more important to SHOW the "I Love You" through actions than to be saying the words "I Love You" all the time. Oftentimes, it's the sacrifice and the way the characters interact that means more than kissy-sentimal scene covered in cheese. Actions speak louder than words right?

With those in mind, I'm off to revise my cheesily fun chick-flick and make the horrendous first draft of a romance into something swoon worthy. Still worried that your romance skills are lacking? GO WRITE! The more you implemant what you learn the better it will be. So go get that romance! I believe in you.

PS. Thanks to the minions of Tumblr for helping demonstrate these points.

The Enigma of Character Massacres

Killing seems to have become a major fascination in this day an age as a writer. All the time you see writers jumping up and down exlaiming about how fun it was to kill off this or that character. There are countless stories of friends and family members, who personalized in the story, will be killed off quite dramatically. It's not uncommon to see writerly threats along the lines of "If you don't behave I'll kill you off in my next book" or something like that.

It's all too easy to get caught up in the "I'm an Evil Author, oh this is so fun MUAHAHA! Here a bomb, there a duel, everywhere an execution!" mantra. But if you stop and look at our reasons for this craze, does it even amount to anything?

Why yes it does. And I, Hawkeye am going to attempt to explain it.

Beyond the delight of making our readers feel things -terribly painful things- I believe that it's all about making our characters feel things. Hard things. Making them hurt is fun to us. As a reader? It sucks, but as a writer, you live for these moments. Why?

Because flawed characters are the best characters. As readers we hate perfect characters that do everything just right, and have everything turn out just right. It annoys us, because we aren't perfect. We want realistic portrayals. And sometimes the way we can realistic, is by putting them through the wringer. The emotional wringer.

I wrote a novel. Obviously. And in this novel, my protaganist I knew, have quite a bit of struggling to do. There were things she needed to develop, but in order for her to reach her full potential, she had to have them taken away from her. I will admit with great pleasure, how fun it was to rip away all her loved ones andthe things that were important from her. It was sad when I killed one of my favorite side characters. I hadn't expected to do that, but I knew that it was right for my character, and that she would come out better because of it.

Sometimes, you have to make the touch decisions to find the toughness in your characters.

Besides it is fun to think up ignominious deaths right? What author doesn't live for those moments?

I guess where I'm going with this, is that while we have fun making characters suffer, we need to understand the reason behind it. And the importance of making our characters grow in an emotional level, not just a kick-butt-heroine-who-can-shoot-down-all-the-Nazis kinda way. True character development is not measured in shots, but in weaknesses and the overcoming of them.

One of my recent favorite books, that demonstrates this, is Deception by C. J. Redwine. [Please note that this book is a sequel.] Following the events of the first book, Defiance, we see our narrators (Logan and Rachel) dealing with quite the emotional aftermath. Traumatic heartbreak, stress and tension combined to make my heart practically hurt just watching my favorite people hurt. What's more is, they're still completely kick-butt, despite their issues. But it was the reality of the emotional drama that made them so much more endearing to me as a reader.

So with that said, go kill some characters, break some hearts and write an emotionally compelling novel. I can't wait to die of feels as a reader. Actually, that will hurt, the result will be astounding. I have faith in you.

They Did It, Not Me!

Hullo everyone. Legolas here with a thoughtful, rambled, somewhat discussion post.

So a few weeks ago, I went to a book signing for one of my favorite authors ever. Ever. And when I got up there to meet him, I actually had the nerve to ask, why he killed my feels at the end of one of his trilogies. His answer was so cliched and yet true. "I'm sorry, but they did it not me. It wasn't my ending to choose."

That's got me thinking lately about the writing phenomenon of  "They Did It, Not Me." It's interesting when you think about it, how often as writers we refer to our characters as real people. This used to confuse me back when I was a young twelve year-old writer, but lately I've really been able to see how true this is.

The more you get invested in your story, the more you write and develop it in your brain, and the more real your characters become to you. Right? Sometimes I've even had characters be the first thing that shows up. It's almost like we've got this psychic connection.

Such as my Pinterest board SKYLAR SAYS. When I met Skylar through a pin all I really know was two things. A) That she was blonde and she was part of a contemporary story, and B) That she loved converse shoes. But that alone was enough to give me a peek into her story. And as I pinned things I felt represented her, I've learned so much more about her story. She's one of the most vivid characters I've ever had, and I don't even know her full story yet.

Has this ever happened to you? When you've just been so emotionally and physically connected that you know things about them that you didn't know? That things show up and you just feel that it belongs with that protaganist? Hands down it's a wonderful feeling. That's writing at it's core. When it's not just telling your story, but feeling and knowing your story. It's more than words and it needs to be.

Which brings me to thinking about the "They Did It"  part. Once we know THEM and can begin to discover who they are without having to make things up, that's where it happens. For instance, I wrote a first draft and I produced a character that I loved. She was my baby and she character that brought out so much in my protaganist. And yet...she had to go. She needed to die. And I didn't give it a second thought. My friends protested loudly, but nope. I knew that was her story, and I was okay with that. It got the MC where I wanted her, and it just needed to happen. Yeah, I'm sad, especially since she's a marksmen herself, but it's her story, and it would be wrong otherwise. 

Okay, so what if you don't have that THEY part? What if you've never felt this inner connection? You're probably gonna need to find it, is my guess. So how do you go about this character discovery? Well there are many ways. I've heard lots of tips for these kinds of things and I'm just gonna mention a few.

Visualize It - This is my way! If you're a visual learner, chances are that's how you connect! Surf Tumblr or Pinterest for things you already know about your story. Create places to bunch them together and keep a stock. [hence why Pinterest is so great for writers] However you learn, is probably gonna be the best way to discover you character.

Think It - Go somewhere public and sit. Watch the people around you. Guess they're stories. Make some up! Imagine your character in their place. Would they react more like the shifty-eyed teenage boy in the corner over there? Or the shy girl? Who knows!

My dad and I used to drive by the same person walking to the same place at the same time each day. After a few weeks, we had his whole life story playing out that we could have written a book about him. Maybe we will!

Write It - So maybe you're not a visual learner. Maybe you need to pick a random and totally bizarre scenario and write a few different reactions to it. I did this once, and it was interesting to see what I came up with. Need a prompt?

• Your protagonist finds her/himself trapped during an Indiana Jones like mission. He or She is lowered by a rope to the ground and lands in a big pile of sticky goo. Write three scenarios in which your MC is afraid, annoyed, and curious.

• A giant squid just attacked your protag's cruise ship! Write three scenarios in which your character is terrified, wimpy and active(takes action).

• It's a sad day for your MC when the ex-love of his/her life starts to make moves on his/her archenemy to make him/her jealous. Write three scenarios in which your MC is feeling revengeful, bored and angry.

With that sad, I want to hear what you have to think! Tell me about your connections and how you find them? Do you think it's important? Let me know. And lastly, my challenge to you: Pick a character you don't feel connected too and DISCOVER THEM. Get to know they're personality. If you can't, they won't contribute to the story and they'll just be totally

----
Originally Post HERE. 

What Archery Teaches Us

Admit it. Archers are so cool.. Like WAY cool. So I'm gonna do a little roundup and tell you about a few of my favorite Archers in literature! You've probably heard of them, maybe you're read or seen their own unique stories. And then, I'm gonna take a look at them from a writers perspective.

First up is Katniss from the Hunger Games. Are you really surprised? She kicks some serious butt. This girl knows what she wants and is passionate about it. She holds the things she loves close and protects it with the said passion. She's got a soul and not to mention she won a freaking gladiator match.

Second, we have Legolas from Lord of the Rings. Um, do I really need to say ANYTHING at this point? Nope. Didn't think so. 

Our third observation is Robin Hood from...well, Robin Hood. This guy is a legend. So many stories, movies, plays, re-enactments and stories have been done of his famous tales and adventures. (Like Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen) His efforts to bestow justice in a community where none exists. He's loyal to his people and his band, and is willing to do what is necessary, but on the side he has a romantic side. Gosh, darnit, he's pretty legit if I do say so myself.

Kudos must also be given to Princess Merida from Brave. First Disney princess anyway to break out of the Disney Princess icon. She's fierce and she knows what she wants. She'll fight for her freedom and she's pretty vocal about where the stands. But in the end she's still loyal to those she loves. She's a little fireball of independence with a pretty great aim.

***********************

So yeah, just to name a few. But what exactly, can we learn from these great archers, and/or their skill sets? I'll tell you. Here are a few comparisons I've found:

#1) Writing isn't all Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Of course we all know that. Anyone can write, just like anyone could probably make the arrow leave the bow. But the real writers are the ones can perfect the craft. Those who learn how to do it just right and make it a skill, just like the archers that learn how to hit the bullseye  .

#2) In many cases with the above mentioned Archers, yes, they developed this skill, but they used it to defend themselves and the people they loved. They are using their skills to protect their beliefs and what they live for. For example, take Robin Hood, why was he an outlaw? Because he was fighting the wrong-doings that were made right by the corrupted leadership. He was helping because he knew it was the right thing to do. He was protecting the right. And I think writing can be a lot like that.

Sure, we all have genius imaginations. And some of us take action upon that to make a great story. But what I love to see in books, is when authors move beyond that. Beyond the imagination, to another level. Writing is usually at it's best when it portrays some belief or aspect of the human nature that you can connect with on a deeper basis. That's when it's .

#3) Writing can be pure fun. Take Merida for example. There is a scene in Brave where you see her galloping through the forest, as free as the wind, while practicing her archery at different set up targets. And what's the most obvious thing in that moment? Not that she's free of her duties, or an amazing archer, but that it's something she loves and is connected too. Writing and totally should be about it. It takes work, when the better you get, the funner it gets along with it! You can do so much, you can take your imagination to higher levels than you ever dreamer. It gets pretty legit.

So what is my point? A) Archers freaking rock. It's a legit skill and one that's totally fun to read about! and B) Archery is actually a lot like writing. Fancy that.

And with that, I will leave you now. But first, what connections I might have missed that you find in archery? Who are your favorite literary archers? Let me know down below! I'm off to do some target practice...

---
Original Post made HERE.

They Said It, Not Me (1)

So, in the last post I talked about writing slumps. And I mentioned in the post, that one thing that helps you get out of one, or never get stuck in one, is to have supportive friends who can boost and encourage your creativity. It's totally one of the best solutions out there. But there's another thing that can motivate me.

Awesome Quotes. 

I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to quotes and funnies about writing that lift my spirits and keep me encouraged when it gets hard. So I'm going to share some with you. Because sometimes you don't need advice, just a little reminder to keep chugging. And basically, because them all and I can't paste a whole Pinboard on here, I'll come back every couple weeks with more. 

Way to keep it positive. I love the way this is put.

My knees hurt already. 

It's really hard to get that perspective sometimes. This is a great reminder.

*giggles* Hehe...okay

First, isn't this quote seriously eye-poppng? 

Second, Woot. All those grammar mistakes are worth something! 

This is a HUGE one for me. I love this tip. It's so easy as an amateur to get caught up in how amazing your writing is, but forcing yourself into a humble mindset like this, does wonders for development. 

And because we all need a little humor in our lives...

Okay. I'm gonna stop there before I paste my whole board onto a post. If you are looking for more, feel free to check out my BOARD. And with that inspiration get to it! Go write like the wind! 

The Dangers of Writing Slumps

My original post HERE. Edited to fit this blog.

What Exactly Is A Writing Slump?

A writing slump is a period of time - usually more than a week - where you don't want to write, or you can't bring yourself to write. Every time you try to make yourself write again, you just can't seem to pick up the story.

Now, in some cases this can be called writers block. But we're talking slump here. A step up from a lack of inspiration. In this case, to put it bluntly, it's laziness. For example, take this popular movie scene:

You probably know what I'm talking about here. Superheroes called to duty, spend hours being said heroes and then, bam, they crash in a schwarma shop for a break. However, they have a confession to make. After all that crazy hero schebang, they didn't want to go back to training and saving the world. They just wanted to sit there eating shawarma for the rest of time. Therein lies the problem. 

What's The Problem With Writing Slumps?

Let me get this straight. I have nothing against taking a short writing break to clear your head and get back in the right mood. But it's when you don't start writing again, that we hit trouble. Why? Because we simply aren't writing. Anything. We're relaxing and focusing on other things, slowly pushing writing to the back of our brain. And well, when we think about writing again, it's so much easier to push aside for another time.

And another..

And another...

I think it goes without saying from this point on. We don't want to get caught in a situation where we aren't writing because we don't feel like it. Cuz, if we never FEEL like it? We ain't never gonna write. And if we never write? Well down the drain go all your writerly hopes and aspirations. You can wave goodbye now. 

I'm talking from experience here, you do not want to be in a writing slump. For one thing, they are like a very bad habit. It grows super fast, and takes forever to break out of. Second, a part of you just feels gone. I admit this freely. I adore my characters however crazy they may be, and if I'm not writing at least somewhat regularly, I start to feel withdrawal. And it's not fun. At all. 

And going back to my definition, once you are in a writing slump, you won't WANT TO WRITE. I mean sure one side of your brain is all "I need to find out what happens to my characters next!" But the other side of your brain will be all. "It's so much Woooork. I'll do it later." So not wanting to, turns into can't bring yourself too, and that's when you turn into a quitter.

How Do I Avoid A Writing Slump?

or pull myself out of one?

The number one thing you're going to have to do if you are serious about staying out of these death traps, is Write. Force yourself to write. 

This is where you butt in, "But what about breaks!"

We do need breaks. But even if you're on a break for your most recent WIP, doesn't mean you have to stop writing. Write something new! Focus on a completely different genre. Have a secret project that is your guilty pleasure. Something you love. Something you can read without thinking how freaking hard writing is.

Breaking away from a slump is another matter though. In this case, I would surround yourself with your writing buds. People who you can relate to, who can encourage you. Positive peer pressure works wonders for the down-trodden soul.

You can also start small. Write a quick scene, or something related to your novel to get your brain back into the world you are focusing on. Brainstorm. If you keep a notebook full of notes, crack it open and read. Who knows what will inspire you. 

So it's up to you now. Draw the line between failure and success. Aim for the goal and shoot for the sky. No writing slumps can stop you! Go and write like the wind! You got this in the bag.

Jumping Back In

This past week I've started printing out and reading through my first draft of my most recent finished work. It's been about roughly four months since the draft was completed. When I first finished it, I was all relief that I had finished this hunky thing that had been following me around for two years. But the other side of me was all, OH MY GOSH, YOU FINISHED A BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are so many mixed feels that come with finishing that first draft and being able to set it down with the words The End written on.

And yet, after I got over the initial excitement, the first thing I thought was. "Oh crap. Now comes the revising." I'm going to be honest here. Revising scares me like heck. It's that whole LOVE IT, HATE IT relationship.

On the one hand, I'm thrilled that I can finally make my book that book I want it to be. After four months of thinking about it, I finally know how to take this ball clay and shape it into something worth loving.

But then we've got the fact that it's like SO FREAKING HARD to edit! Cutting lines, find the right words, scribbling out half of your novel, sometimes even cutting characters...it's kind of disheartening! And the thought of going down that road and repeating the process oh, like A MILLION times isn't exactly reassuring.

So I guess, for me, the challenge is finding the right balance between the excitement and the depression of jumping back into your novel. I don't even know if there is one! But I guess, just facing the fact that it's going to be hard and that I'm going to come face to face with my terrible writing, and then running on all the excitement is what's gonna get me through.

Which means there is only one thing left to do; JUMP RIGHT IN.