Free-for-All | Beth Hull

Friday Five

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Beth Hull

And more randomness!

1. Poll: How would you feel reading a book in which the main character’s name is Areola (as in, yes, part of the breast)? Would it make you uncomfortable? Would it be funny? Would it make you uncomfortable but it’d be okay if she were nicknamed Ari and went by that for the majority of the story? Would you read a book with her name in the title? Should I just change her name to Ariana and avoid all the awkwardness? Her mom’s a stripper, though, and the story’s pretty whacky, so keep that in mind.

2. When I returned to Wednesday’s post to respond to a comment, Z happened to walk by and see my lovely illustration (which I will put here as well, because I am rather fond of it), and she said, “Oh NO! The Whoofle!” I couldn’t stop laughing, because she wasn’t afraid, just…awed by it, I guess. She later told me that the picture in the computer was a dinosaur because the Whoofle isn’t that big. It turns out the Whoofle is about the size of our cat. It’s brown in the day time and turns black at night.

3. My belly button is still an Innie.

4. I’m having quite a bit of success with Deborah Underwood’s recommendation (given at an SCBWI event in December) to write first, then do email/blog/Facebook/Twitter/other business afterward. My success could also have something to do with FINALLY HAVING THE HOUSE TO MYSELF AGAIN HUZZAH, but it is nice to start writing time off with a clear head, no disappointments or excitements clouding the creative thoughts (and there have been disappointments. A short story “came close” according to the zine editor. Is this better or worse than a flat rejection? I have no answer). Added benefit: on Wednesday I was so excited about all the work I’d gotten done in the morning, that after email/blog business, I turned the computer off and did more writing – finishing the day with ten pages instead of the five that had been my goal.

5. This weekend I get to celebrate Christmas II with my family up in the mountains. It feels strange having it so late, but it gives me a little extra procrastination time for the “homemade” gifts we’re supposed to be doing this year. I admit my “homemade” is really stretching the term, but what’s a little linguistic leeway in the name of Christmas?

Don’t forget to answer the poll in #1. I’m curious what people think.

The Gift of Belief

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Beth Hull

The Gift of Belief. No, I’m not talking about Santa Claus.

Last week, the YA Muses wrote about gifts for writers. What do writers want for the holidays? Things like people to read their books (Katy), ultra-fine tipped Sharpies (Donna), conferences and retreats (Talia), fingerless gloves (Veronica), and guilt-free writing time (Bret). Yes, sign me up for all of those. But the most important thing I want is something I already have, which is a community of people who believe in me. They believe in me not only when things are going well, but even when I have no faith in myself. When I’m thinking of herding goats in a cold remote country that has no computers or typewriters or notebooks.

Friends and family – writers & non-writers alike – post encouragements via email, texts, and Facebook. They listen to me whine. They talk me down when I’m facing the Crevasse of Insecurity. They celebrate the good things, and believe more good things are to come.

They also read my words over and over and over and come up with brilliant suggestions to make my words into something people – not just goats – would want to read. They listen to me obsess about plot, character, revisions, querying, success, and failure.

And all this time invested comes down to one very simple thing: belief. They believe in me. Maybe they don’t think This Book is the one, but they won’t say so. Because even if it isn’t This Book, it’s the one after that, or the one after that, or – you get the idea. And they’re all along for the ride, with all its ups and downs.

I’m frowning a little as I write this, because it’s so sappy. But it’s true: I love you.

So We All Understand Each Other: Just because I’ve already received the Gift of Belief does NOT mean I will turn down other, more materialistic offerings this holiday season.

So tell me – who do you have to thank for believing in you?

NiFtY Author Katherine Longshore

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Beth Hull

I’ve had the immense pleasure of getting to know Katherine through SCBWI and through following her (and her critique group) through their blog at the YA Muses. Here today, we get some questions answered about her upcoming debut novel, GILT, due out in May from Viking/Penguin.

BH: Welcome, Katy!

KL: Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Beth! It’s a pleasure to be here.

BH: Tell us a little about GILT. (To our studio audience, click here to read about Katy’s agonizing title-selection process.)

KL: I came up with the idea to write “something” about Catherine Howard several years ago. She is often depicted as an air-headed little tramp, and I just felt there was something else about her that needed to be told. And then the voice of her best friend came to me, to do the telling.

BH: What were some of the joys of writing this book?

KL: I love being able to reach deeply into history, to live and breathe it. I love that I can find a connection to historical characters, and hopefully create that connection for my readers as well.

BH: If you had a daughter, which of Kitty’s attributes do you wish she shared? Which ones would you never want to see her display?

KL: I love Kitty’s loyalty. She has strong convictions and believes that friendship is sacred. But it’s that same loyalty – a misguided loyalty – that gets her into trouble. So I would wish for my daughter to value friendship, and to be loyal to it, but to have the insight to apply it to worthy people.

Katherine's Critique/Blogging Group - yes they are wearing endearingly dorky sweatshirts at SCBWI-LA 2011

BH: The other day we were discussing a writing slump you’d been in with the second book in this series. What do you do to get yourself out of a slump? Or do you wait for it to pass?

KL: I think it depends on how deep the slump is. Sometimes, I can get over a block by just continuing to keep my bum in the chair, my fingers on the keyboard, and my mind spinning. Sometimes I have to write a kissing scene. If it gets really bad, I bake. If it gets worse, I clean. But the one we were talking about the other day is the worst I’ve ever experienced, and I cried. A lot. It helped to be able to talk about it with a good, close writing friend. But the only thing I could do was wait it out. My house was pretty clean that week.

BH: What does your workspace look like?

KL: No matter how hard I try to keep it tidy, my workspace is always a mess. It’s a little desk in the window bay of my bedroom, looking out into the back garden, where I can watch the hummingbirds and scrub jays. I’m surrounded by books, and a giant poster on the wall with the entire genealogical heritage of the British royal family on it. Plus my storyboard.

BH: What is your favorite book on the craft of writing?

Katherine's Storyboard

KL: Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. She is so honest. I suppose the ultimate appeal isn’t her description of craft, though her take on character, dialogue, and setting is spot on. For me, it’s the fact that she gives me permission to write a shitty a first draft, she acknowledges the radio station that plays constantly in my head, and she understands the pain and joy of it all.

BH: Any words or advice to aspiring writers for keeping the hope alive?

KL: Love what you do. Don’t try to write to trends or stay ahead of them. Don’t second-guess whether or not your concept will sell. If a story and character come to you, write them down. That passion will come through in your writing, and it won’t matter if it’s another vampire book, or that mermaids were so last year or that historical novels don’t sell. Good writing sells. Passion sells. And in the long run, writing what you love is the ultimate reward.

BH: The end. Seriously, just read Katherine’s response above, over and over again. Thanks, Katy!

ETA: Today through Tuesday, December 12, you can enter to win an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) of GILT. See this post at the YA Muses for details!

Blog: http://yamuses.blogspot.com

http://katherinelongshore.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/KALongshore

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katy.longshore?ref=ts

The Baker’s Dozen Auction

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Beth Hull

Today, you can head on over to Miss Snark’s First Victim’s blog and see the 60 winning entries for her annual Baker’s Dozen contest. Why should you do this?

Because mine is one of the winning entries.

The entry is the log line for the story and the first 250 words. Which is really not a whole lot of words. You can say nice things about mine, and about the other winning entries. You can also offer (constructive) criticism and feedback.

This is the second year Miss Snark’s First Victim (also known as “Authoress”) has offered the contest. A very basic description is that after the entries are posted, agents can bid on them by number of pages they’d like to see, up to a full manuscript. Bids are not guaranteed, but it’s kind of cool (okay, fine, awesome) to be included and have even a chance at a bid. The bidding won’t start until Tuesday, December 6th, giving me plenty of time to stress and obsess and hyperventilate in the meantime.

Please distract me.

For my entry, you can click here. Then you can scroll ALLLLLLL the way down to the “archives” section of Authoress’s blog and see the other entries’ genres, titles, and links.

For a description of some of the logistics and a list of the participating agents, editors, & authors, click here.

For distracting me in my time of need, click here for my contact page to send me jokes. Or tweet them, or email them, or waft them over with smoke signals.

By the way, I must also say that although I haven’t participated in the comments on Authoress’s blog yet, I have absolutely loved reading all the support given to winners and nonwinners alike, from the amazing community of people who frequent her blog.

Maggie over at Maggie Madly Writing has already given me a great little distractor by awarding me with the Liebster Blog Award, given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Thanks, Maggie! If you’re in the “Blogs I Heart” category (see my home page for the list), and you have fewer than 200 followers, consider yourself nominated.