The Five Senses Of Spring: SMELL

Can you believe this is the last post for Spring? You know that means! :D

Find my other spring senses posts, here: TOUCH, SIGHT, TASTE, and SOUND

1. Fresh blueberries, strawberries, kiwi. Sweet and tangy.

2. Grass. Subtle and earthy.

3. Lilacs and hyacinths. Fragrant and intoxicating. 

4. Rain. Clean and metallic.

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REMEMBER

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! See you next week.

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This Month I Love...

KITES

SOARING

CLIMBING

REACHING

BELIEVING

FLYING

DRIFTING

DREAMING

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Outside Your Comfort Zone

You may have seen the stats that tell us there's an overwhelming majority of YA stories and covers, featuring white females. Kate's recent POST breaking down the percentages, is especially surprising (and then she got all famous for her charts, here).

And yeah, there's more to this equation--like publishing, gatekeepers, the reading public, and subjectivity--but I'm just focusing on the writing end.

I've written my share of middle class white stories. Because it's what I know. And when you're first learning how to write, you need a cushion of comfort through which to practice the mechanics.

But I have many more stories in me. And so do you.

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 I love writing from the male point of view. It didn't come easy at first, but now, smoother sailing. My newest YA features a gay male teen. And another that I'm outlining features a black male teen. But that's writing what I know, too. I have gay friends and family members. I was a social worker and special education teacher for fifteen years, working with kids and families from many different cultures.

So, I KNOW. And you know, too. You have experiences you can draw on. To make the YA experience more diverse. So teens of all backgrounds can find themselves in our books. 

And even if you don't know, there are basic human needs that we all share. Belonging, fear, love, respect, vulnerability. Research like heck and ask questions. If the worry is that you can't pull off the voice or the story, there are plenty of betas and CP's to check us. And I bet you'd surprise yourself.

(Transcendence book/cover)

So, if you've been tinkering with one diverse idea or another, I encourage you to leave your comfort zone, too. Even if it's a side character or a super secret practice book. Do it. You'll feel richer for it.

Let's change the tide. Let's create a tidal wave of diversity.

FLY

Writing is flying in dreams.

When you remember. When you can. When it works. 

It's that easy.

-Neil Gaiman

Happy Weekend. See you next week!

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The Five Senses Of Spring: TOUCH

1. The sun's warm kiss on your skin, or the breezy shade under a tree.

2. Toes immersed in warm soupy puddles, or in the cool dewy grass.

3. The silky smooth petals of a flower, or the rough and damp soil from your flowerbed.

HAPPY THURSDAY!


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Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

Kindness ROCKS!

There are some people on the interwebz who are always *ALWAYS* kind, encouraging, and supportive on blogs, Twitter, Facebook etc. no matter how crappy their day may be. I actually could list a few others but that would be overkill. 


Here are the THREE writer friends I'd like to spotlight for there unfailing KINDNESS:

1) Lola Sharp- Your consideration and honesty is electrifying. When you speak out about rudeness and meanies, I'm always like, "Yes, exactly what she said!" Can I be you when I grow up?

2)  Lindsay Scott- You always have a virtual smile for me in the high school halls of Twitter. You're like the sweet girl cheering by the lockers with your pom-poms, not even realizing how cool and gorgeous you are, inside and out!

3) SA Larsen- You're always lifting other writers up and cheering them on, in your own sophisticated and classy way. You put together a writer's support group on Facebook. Enough said. :D

SO, Lola, Lindsay, and Sheri, what can I give you in return? I'd like to offer you my time and hope that it's enough. I will always be here to beta read anything you've got for me. Hit me up, I'm waiting! xoxo

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Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness?  Let me know in the comments!

Happy Mom's Day Weekend

It is not what you think, this reaching across the generations. There is no effort of will, no fierce glare in the face of the sideways dance of everyday.

There is only the quiet house each morning, filled with soft breathing while you hold your tea in the cool air & always that moment when your love spreads a cloth upon the table & invites the whole day in again.
(Story People)

See you next week!

Sticky Note Thursday

:D Anything you're wishing for?

Make your own sticky notes, HERE.

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WORD.

"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.

Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine."

Emily Dickinson

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Words. They have authority and influence. 


To motivate and encourage, devastate or heal.


And in books they leave me breathless---a sheer force of beauty. 


They possess the strength to transport me to another world or time or place.

I think of the best sentences I've read and cannot imagine them any other way. They would merely lose their impact.

TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, a simple sentence from the book, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE.


Jandy Nelson could have written it this way: My heart beats wildly again, ready to burst through my chest.


Instead, she wrote it this way: The flower is blooming again in my chest, this time three seconds from bud to showstopper.


Or a sentence from THE NEAR WITCH.


Victoria Schwab could have said it this way: The wind gusts in the dark night, the windows shuddering and squeaking. 


Instead, she wrote: Outside, the night is still and streaked with silver threads of light, and the wind is breathing against the glass, a wobbling hum that causes the old wooden frame to groan.


See what I mean? MAGIC!


YOUR words--the way you write them--are unlike any others. So choose them carefully. Make them yours. Make them SHINE.


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Hope Your Weekend Shines!

See you on the flip side! 

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The Crow Flies At Midnight

I've written about symbols of HOPE before, but how about symbols of DOOM?

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting, 

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; 

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, 

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; 

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, 

Shall be lifted - nevermore.

(Edgar Allan Poe)

The Game of Thrones uses ravens and wolves to create tension and mystery.

In The Lord Of The Rings, Ringwraiths inspired panic and fear much like the Dementors in Harry Potter did.

But the symbol doesn't have to be an object or creature. It could use any of the five senses. In one of my novels, I use a certain sound as well as a point of light in the woods, to hopefully create a sense of foreboding.

The idea is to craft an atmosphere of intrigue, impending trouble or tragedy. It's not necessary, but certainly can ramp up the tension in your novel.

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