We're In New Yooork...Well, Almost!

Writing Song of the Day: "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys

Taken from: SCBWI

Yep, you read that right. We're about to take our SECOND trip to New York. The first didn't really count since it was one of those day trips on a bus. This time, we're gonna spend a WHOLE weekend there. And we're gonna be amongst our brethren, other writers! We are attending our very first, SCBWI New York Conference.

While we've gone to the LA conference four years in a row, we wanted to change things up this year and try out the New York winter conference. We're hoping to take in NY on Friday, experience the whirlwind conference on Saturday, and hop back on the plane Sunday. The goal of attending the conference is to get our mojos going again. With the hectic schedules of our lives, our writing has definitely suffered. We want to get to work on revising our 2013 NaNo novels and hopefully the panels and keynote speakers will inspire us to get our crap together.

Don't worry, we'll tweet and Instagram throughout the weekend and give you a brief wrap up when we get back next week. Yes, we've given you promises before on this blog that we haven't kept...but this one we promise to keep. Promise. We swear on all that is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And you all know how we feel about him!

Taken From: http://fashionvertigo.com/joseph-gordon-levitt-covers-out-october-2013/

Cuz We Write: The Remix

Writing Song of the Day: "The Phoenix" by Fall Out Boy

Taken from Forbes.com

This seems vaguely familiar, huh? Don't adjust your blog roll...wait, is it even still called that?

Anyway, WE'RE BACK! And we're all changed and new and shiny. We're ready to get back into this blogging thing and keep you guys up-to-date on our lives because we know you care.

We're so close to 2014 and with that in mind, we've been remixing our lives since last spring. How so? Well, if you really wanna know...

• We left our former jobs! That's right, we got out of the classroom and the school building. We're both working on doctoral degrees (Pam full time at The College of William and Mary, Quita part time at Old Dominion University--shifting to The George Washington University) and Quita took a promotion to work in a school system's administrative offices. 

• We changed our eating habits--once again. All summer, and throughout the fall, we tried eating clean. It worked well at first (we both lost around 7-8 pounds) and then we gained all of that weight back. Something wasn't clicking so we've gone back to a low carb lifestyle. So far, so good.

• AND, did you see our new banner? Yeah, that was created by our second sistah from another mistah, Natalie Henry (recently featured The Huffington Posted for a Hunger Games themed wedding--ahhh!) and it's perfect for our newly remixed minds.

• Finally (and this is one we wanted to tell you about a month ago) we rewrote both of our very first novels for NaNoWriMo this year. Pam worked on a new version of WANTS to get to know her characters again and Quita revisited a novel set in the 1960s called CHASING MANSON (a novel adaptation of a screenplay we actually wrote together). 

Whew! That's a lot of changes...Oh! And another big one--we moved for the SECOND time within four months. We just can't stay settled. Who knows, in a few months we may be updating you all on more changes.

So there you have it. All of our changes. What have you remixed in your life lately?

NaNo Update #1

Writing Song of the Day: "Half Alive" by Secondhand Serenade

So, we stole this idea from the awesome Katy Upperman. We had planned to give you all weekly updates on our NaNo novels but...well, we were doing ALL THE THINGS in addition to writing our NaNo novels. Since we both have crossed over the halfway point (woo hoo!), we felt this was a good time to let you all know how we're doing...

Pam's Update:

Progress (word count or a general status update): 26,404

Current Mood: Hungry. A bit overwhelmed. But, surprisingly, I still like my story.

Inspiration: Not a quote from anyone--but this is the first time during NaNo that I've written a story that I ACTUALLY believe that I'll return to and revise. In fact, I can't wait to start revising it!

Goals as of Today: I usually try to reach at least 2000 words, but I'm a little stuck. So tonight, I plot a little more and make up the word count over the weekend.

Recent Favorite NaNo WIP Bit:

“I see you didn’t have to go far for your costume.” I tug at his basketball jersey. I actually tug it. I guess a beer and a half does wonders to my confidence.

Brandon shrugs. “Lots of kids want to be basketball players when they grow up.”

“Lots of kids want to be Brandon Lane when they grow up,” I correct.

Non-NaNo News (because life DOES go on): Well, Quita and I had the AWESOME opportunity of seeing one of our favorite actors, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in person (more on that next week)! In less exciting news, I injured my foot in an accident last month, and it's still bugging me. Alas, I have to report to the doctor next week to see what's going on. Boo.
  
In my downtime (ha!) I’m reading: I've been starting and abandoning lots of novels lately--with hopes that I can return to them once I get some extra time (because THAT will happen). I most recently cracked open Ellen Hopkins' adult novel, Triangles. So good so far!!  

Quita's Update:  

Progress (word count or a general status update): Over 26K

Current Mood: Agitated that I can’t just write and instead must be responsible. However, I am also getting excited about where my novel is going.

Inspiration: Two words: Five Guys.

Goals as of Today: I want to try and get at least 4k done by the end of this weekend.

Recent Favorite NaNo-WiP Bit:

“What do you know about voices?”

Walker tapped his chin. “Like cartoon voices? I’m pretty sure I know who talks Bart Simpson.”

Kenzie laughed. “No…like, voices, voices.”

Walker stopped walking and stared at Kenzie. “Like, voices in your head and sh*t? Like schizophrenia?”

Kenzie continued to walk, already regretting that she said anything to Walker.

Non-NaNo News (because life DOES go on): We just saw JGL LIVE last night. Also, I’m working on finding more internship opportunities in the publishing world.

In My Downtime (ha!) I'm Reading: Rage Within (Dark Inside # 2) by Jeyn Roberts. Proving to be just as good as the first book!

Both of Our Updates:

You should read this blog post: Shady Business by the uber smart literary agent, Sarah LaPolla. A very informative look at the legitimacy of newer agents and publishers.

Gratuitous Photograph (because we love ‘em!):

Joseph Gordon-Levitt at The National in Richmond, VA (11/15/12)
The moment where Quita lost it & cried...

For all of our fellow NaNo-ers out there, how are you doing? For the non NaNo-ers, what have you all been up to?

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Revising Song of the Day: "The Space Between" by the Dave Matthews Band

So, something interesting happened this past weekend--

ME: I don't feel like revising my thesis.

QUITA: Me neither.

ME: (thinks) Hey--I never read my NaNo WIP from last year.

QUITA: Hmm, me neither.

ME: Want to do that?

QUITA: (shrugs) Whatever.

And so that's what we did. To read about me and Quita's NaNo 2010 novels, you can click here. Or, if you're lazy like me, I'll save you the extra click--I wrote about fairies, and she wrote about genies. You see, we wanted to write outside of our comfort zones, so we both decided to write supernatural YA stories. And you know what we found out?

They weren't THAT awful.

Of course, they're by no means perfect either. It's just that while we were writing them, we both whined about getting words on that paper. We both declared that they had to be the worst things that we've written. Ever. But as I read through my first draft, I found myself laughing at parts that were meant to be funny. I found myself flipping the page to see what will happen next.

So what does that mean?

Just what pretty much everyone else has confirmed. Time away from your WIPs is absolutely crucial. You need to be able to see your writing with a fresh pair of eyes. My first step in revising is: Read your story for personal enjoyment. Pretend that this is a story that you've chosen from a bookshelf, sit back, and just read it like you're a fan.

Now what? Well, I do what I do before I review any other book. I look at what works and what doesn't work. I think about the characters: do they sound the same? Are they all needed? What are their motivations? I consider the plot and whether or not the story builds to a worthy climax, and if it results in a satisfactory ending.

So yeah, I think Quita and I both plan on revising these babies now. And I can't speak for Quita, but this revision might just be for me. I won't worry about submissions and whether or not there's room in the marketplace for my little fairy story. And sometimes, when you're writing just for fun, the work really shines through.

What about you all? Have you fallen in love with a project again that you haven't read in forever?

We Did It!!

Celebrating Song of the Day: "Oops!...I Did it Again..." by Britney Spears

Saturday, November 26, 2011 is a date that will live in infamy...at least in the household of two greedy, sleep-deprived cousins. You see, we managed to collect this:

That's right--Quita and I won our second NaNoWriMo challenge! Can we get a woot woot? How about a little dance?

Thanks.

So yeah, my contemporary YA (with a hint of magical realism), So Now You Are Cursed, clocked in at a lovely 56,441 words. And Quita's contemporary YA, The Captive Soul, ended at an awesome 57,205 words. So, as promised, we treated ourselves to this:

I tell you, victory has never tasted so sweet.

We thought last year's NaNoWriMo was difficult, but this year was a pure juggling act. I had to work on revisions for another novel, while Quita started up a part-time job (in addition to her full-time one of yelling at...I mean, TEACHING high schoolers). Not to mention everyday we pretty much wanted to punch our WIPs in the face. But with will power, and the thought of chowing down on some Five Guys grub, we got through it.

So now what?

Well, we're going to ignore our stories for a while--and by a while, I mean MONTHS. Then we're going to eventually draft ideas for our next WIPs. But most importantly, we're going to READ like it's going out of style.

What about you all? Have you finished NaNo yet (if you participated, of course)? What are you going to do with your WIPs once you're finished? But most importantly, how are you going to REWARD yourselves? :)

NaNo Check In: Almost to the Prize!!!

Writing Song of the Day: "Race for the Prize" by The Flaming Lips

Morning, peeps :D

We hope you didn't miss us too much last week. As we stated, we had to take a week-long break from blogging to focus on other matters. One of those matters is getting through NaNo and conquering that pesky challenge for the second year in a row.

We're both writing novels that we were sooooo excited to start (you can read more about them here , here and here), but now? Well, we're ready to throw all 25k (and counting) words out of the window...and let a car roll over them.

We're sure we're not the only ones hating our NaNo novels, right now. And if we are, just indulge us and pretend that you're just as frustrated, 'kay? Anyway, we wanted to let you all know where we stand with our novels and also hear how you're doing with yours.

OH! And we forgot to mention the prize that we've agreed upon if we are

successful with NaNo this year. What is it, you ask?? Drum roll please....

A MEAL FROM FIVE GUYS!!!!

Sound familiar? Yes, it is very similar to the prize we granted ourselves last year. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

So, tell us--how are you doing with your NaNo novel and what's your prize waiting for you November 30th??

We'll Be Right Back...

Writing Song of the Day: "Right Back At Ya" by The Spice Girls



**Due to NaNoing, the start of a new nine weeks at work, and revising other projects, we are going to be MIA for the next week. Don't fret, we'll be back before you know it!**

Happy NaNoing and/or other writing or reading!!!

RTW: The Perfect Coach

Coaching Song of the Day: "I'll Be There For You" by The Backstreet Boys

So, today Quita and I are venturing on Day #2 of the NaNoWriMo madness. Yesterday, we both had a good writing day--we passed our daily goals even. However, today we returned to the day jobs, and our writing goals are looking...well, bleak. That's why YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday is perfect for us right now. They want to know:

What kind of writing coach do you need? When you have to coach friends, what kind of coach are you?

Hmm, well, we definitely wouldn't want this type of coach:

You know, the type of person that's going to bark orders at you and grill you for not meeting your goals. But we also don't want this type of coach:

All of us probably know this guy. The type that's going to put a Band Aid on everything and never call you out on your crap.

Basically, we just need a sounding board. Someone we can vent to when times seem rough. The kind that will give us both a pat on the back or a reality check when we ask for it.

And that's the type of coaches we are. If you just want to blow off steam, so be it. But when you tell us what kind of help/motivation you need, we'll be there for you like Chandler was there for Joey (okay, nineties sitcom reference. My creativity dwindles during this time of the day).

What about you all? What are your coaching needs?

Countdown to NaNo: Trick or Tweet!

Writing Song of the Day: "Story of My Life" by Social Distortion

Ahh, yes--it's a magical time of the year. Sure, it's Halloween--but it's also NaNoWriMo's eve. Gah!

So Quita and I've been planning for NaNo by settling on our story ideas and outlining our plots. And this week it's all about character, baby!

Sure, we'll probably do the usual character worksheets and playlists that we've grown to love. But for our NaNo projects, we wanted to also try a unique spin. We decided to fabricate Twitter profiles for our main characters! Squeezing in a bio for fictional people in a 140 characters or less? Sounds pretty difficult, right? Well, it was.

Pam's Characters:

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my NaNo novel is a modern YA version of Cain and Abel, so I decided to create a fake profile for my two main characters--Casey and Aiden.

Casey Porter

@caseclosed Williamsburg, VA

17. Senior. Insert interesting bio here. Seriously, who reads this shit?

Aiden Porter

@aidinfull Williamsburg, VA

Lover of life--that includes my fam and my girl! Wrestling for UVA next year. Full ride, baby! Swag.

Quita's Characters:

So my story is all about a boy who struggles with his identity after surviving an abduction. I chose to write his bio, along with the girl he may or may not like.

Derek Harris

@darkderek Washington, D.C.

Lacking a soul, but working hard to get it back. Also working hard to find a movie scarier than my life. So far...no go.

Haylee White

@thehayleeexperience Washington, D.C.

Jr. class president & current valedictorian. Engaged to Haze, my electric guitar. Usually searching for nothing.

thehayleeexperience.wordpress.com

So, that was tough! What about you all? Have you tried these for your main characters? If not, give it a shot in our comments. :)

P.S. Don't forget to leave us your NaNo usernames so that we can be buddies! Pam is pharris81 and Quita is mhockaday.

Countdown to NaNo: It's Plotting Time!

Writing Song of the Day: "The Plot" by White Rabbits

Okay, we are less than a week away from NaNoWriMo and the nerves are kicking in. Two weeks ago, Quita outlined our prep for NaNo, and this week we had to start outlining our plots.

Confession: we're not quite finished. But we're getting there! First, we have these:

That's right--our Michael Jackson notebooks from our abandoned Plot and Paper Projects. Also, we have this:

This nifty book was given to us by the AWESOME Alicia Gregoire. You see, Quita and I wanted to plot a little differently this time. Instead of filling our MJ notebooks with a few sentences that describes every--single--chapter, we've decided to use the Act Formula from this book. What's that, you ask? Here it is in a nutshell:

Act I: Introduce your protagonist, possibly the villain, and some kind of turning point that startles the reader.

Act II: Huge chunk of the story that introduces subplots, such as a love interest. Your protagonist also has a glimmer of hope. Well, until the second turning point creates IMMINENT DOOM!! Dun dun DUN

Act III: This is where you have a climax that rocks your protagonist's world, and then wrap this baby up in a quick pace that'll keep readers turning the pages.

Does that sound like a cool process? Then by all means--by this book! Quita and I would loan you ours but...okay, I can't think of an excuse. We totally need this book so it's not leaving the house.

I know you all have mixed feelings about plotting versus pantsing, so how are you all preparing to get your story moving for NaNo? Oh, and if you haven't done it, yet--leave your usernames so we can be buddies. :)

Countdown to NaNo: Choose Your Idea!

Brainstorming Song of the Day: "I Choose" by The Offspring

Happy Monday, lovelies! You may be asking why I'm so stoked at the start of the work week. Well, that's because we're just TWO WEEKS AWAY from NaNoWriMo! Can I get a woot woot?

Last week, Quita outlined what we were going to do to prepare for NaNo. And our job last week was to actually choose our idea. Simple enough, right? Well, not quite. Let's break it down for you:


Pam's Idea: Last year for NaNo, I wanted to get out of my contemporary YA comfort zone. So what did I do? I wrote about fairies. And you know what? I had a blast.


After writing Ins and Outs this year (AKA, the WIP formerly known as Project J), I wanted to return to my darker roots--and I'm not talking about my hair. Ins and Outs was more of a funny ha ha story about a possibly serious topic. I had fun writing it, but I felt like getting a little moody again.


I saw a Twitter conversation that my agent had about Bible retellings, and it hit me--I wanted to write a story featuring a teenaged Cain and Abel! But wait--there's more. Since NaNo's all about getting out of my comfort zone, I knew I just didn't want to write straight up contemporary. So not only am I writing a Cain and Abel retelling, but I'm adding a magical realism twist. And that's all I'm telling you guys about it right now--but just know I'm SO EXCITED to get started!


Quita's Idea:

Like Pam, I tried to get out of my comfort zone last year, as well. I wrote about djinns or genies. And it's the WIP I've hated the most. I don't think fantasy or paranormal is my strong suit. Also, after revising the mess out of my historical, In Limbo, I knew I didn't want to go there again--especially not for NaNo.

Then I read an article in my People magazine about a boy who was abducted and I realized, I haven't read any YA books about boys who get kidnapped and what happens to them. Thus, my idea was born. But of course I want to do more than that, so my story is about a teenaged boy who was once abducted but is now free--only his family can't deal with what happened so he's sent to a boarding school. That's all I'm gonna give for now. You can find out more next Monday when we talk baby plots!

So what about you all? Have you chosen your story ideas for NaNo yet? Please share with us below!

BTW, add us as a buddy when that function works again! Pam is pharris81 and Quita is mhockaday!

RTW: Our Writing Journeys...And Boy Are Our Hands Tired!

Writing Song of the Day: "Tie My Hands" by Lil Wayne ftg Robin Thicke

Can you believe that the ladies at YA Highway have hosted 100, count it, 100 Road Trip Wednesday posts?? Well, they have! And this week, in honor of reaching the 100 Mile Marker, the ladies want to know:

How has your writing journey gone so far?

You mean, we get to shed light on our successful (okay not always successful) writing stories thus far? Don't mind if we do!

Pam's Response:

Wow, where do I begin? I have definitely been on a journey since I participated in my first RTW. First of all, this blog began as a solo venture, but then I joined forces with my annoying/lovable/most-awesome-person-in-the-world cousin, Quita. Second, I've written three, count them, THREE YA novels: one is a hopefully funny contemporary that I'll soon be revising, another is a supernatural modern tale about fairies that I wrote for NaNo 2010. And the third? Well, the third is my baby, Wants. And why is it my baby? Well, because it landed me the incredible Sarah LaPolla, who has just put my shiny new version of said baby back on submission (fingers crossed).

So what lies ahead? Well, I'm trying NaNo again this year, and I'm possibly delving back into my dark, contemporary roots this time around. I have a couple of ideas for future novels scrawled in my journal, so now I just have to find out which one is calling me next. Oh, and even though I graduated with my MFA in creative writing this past summer, I actually have to defend my thesis, gulp, TODAY. Wish me luck!

Quita's Response:

Since I began to take my writing seriously (about two or so years ago now) I've completed three novels, and "graduated" from my MFA program (for which I wrote a collection of short stories). Two of my novels have been through the ringer numerous times. My historical, In Limbo, is completely different from its first draft (which I wrote over a year and a half ago). It's moved from a single POV story about a white boy in love with a white girl, to a two person POV novel--and that white girl is now African American. Two agents have a full of this manuscript at the moment, one of which seems like she's REALLY excited about it--we'll see where that goes.

My other novel, The Blues, a contemporary mystery (I began writing this one a year and ten days ago), came close with three agents and finally one requested a revise and resubmit. I'm still working on the revise part. The final novel was a NaNo project--my foray into the world of paranormal/supernatural and I hated it. I think I'm just not good at telling those kinds of stories--at least not in one month. Maybe if I try and revise it, it might be okay...you never know. Now I'm on my way to taking another shot at NaNo--this time with a quiet story, and I'm gearing up to defend my MFA thesis next week. WHEW! I think that's it.

Now that you know all of me and Pam's bidness, how has your writing journey been so far?

Countdown to NaNo

Writing Song of the Day: "Countdown" by Beyonce

As the title states, we are UBER excited for NaNoWriMo this year. We have our notebooks ready, our minds are stewing new WIP ideas, AND we're already thinking up what the prize will be when we complete the novel in one month challenge.

If you're like us and you just can't wait for NaNo to start (in about three weeks...), we have some tips for you. The tips give you something to do each week in order to prepare for NaNoWriMo. Completing this will have you ready to start writing on November 1st, and will shave off some of that anticipation as you wait to begin your new novel. Here's what we think you should do each week to prepare for NaNoWriMo 2011.

Week 3 October 10th-16th: Choose your idea. This may sound simple, but if you have ADHD like we do, it ain't. We always have a bajillion ideas running through our heads and it's hard to narrow that down to one idea. During this week, at least by Sunday, you should be settled on exactly what you want to write about. What genre will it be? Are you going to write YA, MG, or maybe even go for early readers or an adult book? Also, ask yourself why you need to tell this story in particular. Once you think of an answer for that last question, you'll be settled on that one perfect idea.

Week 2 October 17th-23rd: Narrow down the focus and create your layered plot. Now that you have your idea, what is your major plot point? Use books like Fill-In-The-Blank Plotting by Linda George. Me and Pam are definitely planning to crack this one open during the week of the 17th to narrow our plots and create a well rounded story. Make sure you have baby plots, too. Without baby plots, your story won't work and you'll be staring at a blank screen trying to squeeze out those words come November.

Week 1 October 24th-30th: Get to know your characters on a personal level. Now that you have your focus, plots, and baby plots, it's important to delve into those characters more. There are numerous places you can go to gain access to character worksheets (if you don't know of one, e-mail us, we have plenty saved and are willing to share). Some are more in depth than others. The more in depth, the better. This way when you're trying to meet your word count on November 15th but a scene just won't come to you, you can can pull out that character worksheet and use those quirks to add more dialogue or describe a setting in your character's voice.

What else do you think should be added to this countdown to NaNo? We'd love your advice--especially those NaNo veterans. This is only our second year and we could use some of your tricks.

RTW: When You're Strange

Researching Song of the Day: "People Are Strange" by The Doors

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic:
What is the strangest/weirdest thing you've ever researched (for your novel/WIP)?

We often find ourselves typing in questions and topics to Google or Bing pretty much every time we sit down to write. Seriously, what did people DO before the Internet? Anyway, even though we do this often, there have been a couple times where we realized: hmmm, this is pretty strange...

Pam's Answer:

While writing Wants, I had to look up the proper spelling of painkillers--that may look a little strange to someone browsing my computer history. Oh! And when I wrote (and completed, thank you very much) my NaNo WIP on fairies, had to research mythical fairy homelands--and of course how to kill a fairy. So, to an outsider looking through my computer, I look like a painkiller addict who wants to kill fairies. Nice.

Picture Taken From: http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/wp-content/upload/2010/08/fairies.jpg

Quita's Answer:

While writing In Limbo, I had to look up causes and cures for the Spanish Influenza. I had to look up how it spread, what kind of symptoms one would show etc. The symptoms were pretty gross--and I looked at pics of victims *shudders*. But, I guess the strangest thing I had to research was how to kill someone with a blunt object. In The Blues, Blake has to figure out who murdered his best friend who was killed with a blunt object. I had to make sure that was possible. So, if the police were to search my computer after someone is killed with a blunt object, I might be in trouble...

Picture Taken From: http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000904139/GO187_answer_3_xlarge.jpeg

Tell us, what the strangest thing you had to research?

First, This Happened. And Then This Happened...

Writing Song of the Day: "Action" by Blink 182

We hope everyone had a good weekend. How was our weekend? Quick, tiring, and eventful. We exercised two out of the three days, met the lovely and AH-MAY-ZING Abby Stevens for lunch on the one day we didn't exercise, and worked on revising/editing.

What?

Was there something lacking in that description of our weekend? Details, sensory elements? Well, that's because we kinda suck at writing action.

Yeah, it's hard for us to believe that we suck at anything as well (;P), but alas...we do. We discovered this when we traveled into the world of paranormals for our NaNo novels. We've discussed those WIPs before, mine is about jinns (genies) and Pam's is about fairies. We realized that we can't have a paranormal that's worth anything without at least one action scene. And we found that writing action is a lot harder than it seems.

When our scenes should make the reader feel like this (I Am Number Four RAWKS!):

They often come out like this (if you have not seen My Soul To Take--then don't.) :

So, what can we do to help us write some kickass action sequences? We turn to some writing resources around the Interwebs to answer this question.

The most helpful site is Kidlit.com. This website suggests a couple of ways to write a good action sequence here. To summarize, mainly write out the action sequence and then go back and revise it using the following checklist:

* Make sure your words are clear and precise (that they cannot be perceived in any other matter then what you meant to show).

* Be consistent with the way your characters act and speak-- even if action is occurring, the characters should still behave in the same manner.

* Have varied sentences to ensure that the reader isn't reading a bunch of sentences that start with: he/she ______ (insert past or present tense verb here) the ______ (insert noun here).

* Have brief action sequences even if the story calls for a lot of action. Put other scenes in between the quick action sequences.

* Make sure your scenes are believable. Do not have tied up abrupt endings and/or neat deus ex machinas.

We will definitely use this checklist when we start to revise the NaNo novels this summer as well as some of the links below:

Utah Children's Writers- Writing Action Scenes

Writing Action Scenes

Writing Action Scenes (for Thrillers)

Paperdemon.com-Writing Action Scenes

Tell us, do you have any tricks for action sequences? Do you struggle with action too, or do you have another Achilles' heel (as Kidlit.com puts it) when it comes to writing?

Victory Lap

Jumping for Joy (and also to work off calories) Song of the Day: "Winner" by Jamie Foxx ft. Justin Timberlake and TI (check it out on or Rock With Us tab)

Yes, people...you read that right. We finally got our reward for completing NaNoWriMo on Saturday. We indulged ourselves, as promised, in the deliciousness of one of the best burger joints EV-AH!

Yep, Five Guys. All we had to do whenever we were stuck on our NaNo WIPs was think about ordering our burger and fries in the end. I know what you're thinking: Ok, why are you telling us about this...without giving us specifics?

So, here it goes. We weathered the long line of others who couldn't wait to get their hands on the illustrious brown bags and aluminum wrapped burgers, and ordered the two items we'd been looking forward to for months:

Bacon Cheeseburger (pickles on mine, fried onions on Pam's).

Regular cajun style French Fries, which next time we'll go with the Five Guys style fries-our mouths were on fire!

If you have a Five Guys near you, Go. Get. Some. Food. NOW! But in the meantime, tell us what your victory lap was for completing NaNoWriMo? Do you ever reward yourself when you complete a first draft??

The Finish Line, Baby!!

Chill-axing Song of the Day: "The End" by Kings of Leon

So, Quita and I have done the unthinkable. As you may recall, a few weeks ago we announced we were going to participate in NaNoWriMo. You see, we attempted and failed miserably last year. But after some coaxing from our writing sis, Racquel Henry, we decided to take a stab at it again.

And we didn't just stab that sucker--we filleted it!

Okay, that was a rather lame analogy, but not only did we meet the 50,000 requirement LAST Monday, but we also surpassed it! We both finished our first drafts last Wednesday and felt like doing this:

And this weekend, as promised, we will indulging ourselves with this:

Yeah boy!

So, I know that NaNo has been getting some flack by a few people. You know, if you were a real writer, you wouldn't need NaNo to get your butt in the chair and yadda yadda yadda.

Well, I'm sorry, as much as I heart writing, sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes I put everything and everyone first so much that my writing ends up taking backseat. It felt good making writing a priority--no matter how much I wanted to cry and pull out my hair this past month. Plus, after spending the past year writing and revising Wants, I had a great time just writing something for fun. Maybe I'll polish it up and let a few other eyes read it, but just finishing it is also reward enough.

Oh, and did I mention that both Quita and I know that writing everyday isn't necessarily impossible? As much as we whined about it, we always ended up writing more than our daily quotas. This is a habit that I know I can continue EVERY month (though maybe not as strenuously).

So, our lovely followers, how do you celebrate when you finish a first draft? How long do you wait until you start revising it?

Psst--by the way, we FINALLY came up with titles. My Lost Boys meets changelings manuscript is called The Switching Kind, and Quita's coming-of-age genie project is called The Yearning. For now at least. :)

Contest...Fail!

Reading Song of the Day: "Shake" by Jesse McCartney" (check it out on our Rock With Us tab)



Once upon a time two girls tried to run a contest for their NaNoWriMo novels. Now, these girls are writers...but they suck royally at picking out titles. They sent out a notice for their writing buddies to lend a hand. While some of them tried and came up with some really GREAT titles (thanks ladies!) none of them seemed to be the right fit for the two girls and their nameless WIPs.

Which makes them feel like this:

Okay, cutting to the chase. Even though we extended the contest in hopes of more entries...we received four submissions to our contest. Four really unique, interesting, and talented novel titles that are just not right for us. However, we didn't want Alex Mullarky, KO, Abby Stevens, and Holly Dodson to go away empty handed (you RAWK so much ladies!!!). Therefore, we are offering a $5.00 Borders gift card to each of you.

Please e-mail me at: marquitahockaday@gmail.com with your name, home address and your e-mail address. I will try and send the gift cards electronicaly and if that doesn' t work I will use your mailing addresses to send the gift card to your home.

Thanks again for entering ladies and we hope the gift card helps you buy a book you've been looking forward to reading!

***BTW- this means we still have TWO novels to give away at some point in the future...stay tuned!***

Once, Twice, Three Times the Story

No, we have not gone senile... we didn't forget to announce our winners, we just wanted to give more people a chance to enter our contest. You will now have until next Wednesday at midnight(11-17-2010) to enter for a chance to win an Amazon gift card and an awesome YA book!

Reading Song of the Day: "3" by Britney Spears (check it out on the Rock With Us tab)


Raise your hand if you have read The Hunger Games trilogy? The Twilight series? Okay, so we can't really see your hands...but you get the point. These two series are where our expertise ends. We've started others (Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, Fallen by Lauren Kate) but we know there are so many others out there that we haven't been able to read/find yet.

This is a problem.

For our next writing adventures we are taking the plunge into this territory hard core. We are not only composing (ideas for) trilogies for our NaNoWriMo projects--Pam's is based on fairies, mine on djinns or genies--but we are also co-writing one (more of a dystopian) and we needs our peeps to help us out! We get the basics, all novels need a beginning, a middle, and an end. And we get that each book in a trilogy (should) stand alone. But what about paranormal novels? How much do you expose in the beginning to get the reader hooked? Are prologues neccessary?



I think it's pretty clear that we can use your guidance. What other paranormal, dystopian, supernatural YA trilogies/series can you all think of that we need to read in order to get some good research done? OR if you are creating your own trilogy please share a tip or two about your process.

We Answer Your NaNo Questions!

Writing Song of the Day: "21 Questions" by 50 Cent ftg. Nate Dogg

Contest Reminder: Don't forget to enter our NaNoWriMo Titling contest! Give us title ideas, and we'll give you gift cards and books. Contest ends this Wednesday at midnight, EST.

So, Quita and I (as well as thousands and thousands of our writer friends) have signed up for NaNoWriMo this month. And we're doing surprisingly well, actually. As I type this, we're both around 17,000 words or so--which is little higher than where we should be. The end is actually looking possible now!

But we've come across a few roadblocks. And if you're participating, we sure some of you have as well. So we're here to answer all of your deepest, darkest NaNo questions and hopefully provide you with some inspiration.

How do you meet your daily writing quotas?

One word--liquor. Okay, and maybe chocolate. Oh, and a little bit of whining. But ultimately...liquor.

How do you shut off your internal editor?

See first response to question above. Seriously, get one or two grape wine coolers in me and I'm not going to care if I switched from present to past tense.

What do you when you start hating your story?

Do something really crappy to your characters. Not only will that provide much needed conflict, but it'll also teach them for making your dialogue sound corny and unrealistic.

Dancing with the Stars comes on tonight. How am I supposed to get my writing done?

Are you kidding me? The Situation got kicked off weeks ago. Now we're stuck with Bristol Palin and some Kurt-guy that may or may not have played professional football. Pull out your laptop--you'll thank me later.

I've outlined my first few chapters and now I'm stuck. Now what?

See first response to the first question.

I've pretty much covered two of the major conflicts: man vs. self and man vs. man. How am I supposed to tackle man vs. nature when my story involves two men's quest for self-fulfillment?

*Blinks*

NaNo's been getting a lot of flack this year. How do I fend off the haters?

You don't. You write 50,000 words of a novel while the "haters" write anti-NaNo blog posts. Maybe they'll have fun revising those in the future.

So, did I leave anything out? Do you have any burning NaNo questions? Also, how are you all doing with your NaNo projects? And if you're not doing NaNo this year, how are you tackling your daily writing goals. We'd love to know! :)