christina lee

The Five Senses Of Spring: SMELL

2012-05-29T07:05:00.000-04:00

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

2012-05-26T07:10:00.000-04:00

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! See you next week.

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This Month I Love...

2012-05-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

KITES

SOARING

CLIMBING

REACHING

BELIEVING

FLYING

DRIFTING

DREAMING

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Outside Your Comfort Zone

2012-05-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

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

2012-05-19T07:10:00.000-04:00

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

2012-05-17T07:05:00.000-04:00

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!

2012-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

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

**********

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

2012-05-12T07:15:00.000-04:00

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

2012-05-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

:D Anything you're wishing for?

Make your own sticky notes, HERE.

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WORD.

2012-05-08T07:01:00.000-04:00

"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

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

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!

2012-05-05T07:04:00.000-04:00

See you on the flip side!

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The Crow Flies At Midnight

2012-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

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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The Five Senses of Spring: SIGHT

2012-05-01T07:10:00.000-04:00

After the dull greys and winter whites, can we deny the vivid, happy, luminous, uplifting colors of spring?

All supplied by nature.

We're surrounded by so much inspiration. Happy writing!

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The Layers Of Life

2012-04-28T06:30:00.000-04:00

“The best kisses are those between lovers, because those are the consequential ones, the risky ones, the transformative ones, the ones that call the nymphs and satyrs back to life, the many-layered kisses that we dive into as into a fairy-tale frog pond or the murky gene pool of our origins.”

(Tom Robbins)

Today hubz and I are happily celebrating our eleven year anniversary!

Whoa. :D

See you next week.

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Luke, I Am Your Father

2012-04-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

I bought the cutest book for the two Star Wars geeks, er...fans, in my life. It just released this month and it's called DARTH VADER AND SON.

It's more gag then story book, but little bean requests it most nights and then snickers the whole time.

From Publishers Weekly: Jeffrey Brown crashes headlong into George Lucas’s galaxy far, far away with endearing, funny—and fully licensed—results. A series of full-page gag cartoons focusing on the “what if?” of Darth Vader raising a four-year-old Luke Skywalker, the book twists father/son moments into scenarios within the Star Wars playground.

For instance, the addition of a wailing little Luke turns the Bounty Hunter scene into, as one bounty hunter’s thought balloon puts it, Awkward!” Trick-or-treating, toy shopping, a day at the zoo, and more are rejiggered with a lighthearted, charming tone.

Do you have Star Wars fanatics in your life? You can order it HERE!

This Month I Love...

2012-04-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Bicycles!

Let's RIDE!

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Whisper To Me

2012-04-21T07:35:00.000-04:00

May my heart always be open to little birds,

Who are the secrets of living.

-by E.E. Cummings

This weekend, listen closely. Chirp, tweet. :-)

See you next week!

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Make The Bad Guy BADDER

2012-04-19T07:07:00.000-04:00

In SAVE THE CAT, Blake Snyder says: If your HERO seems average, unheroic, insignificant, boring, maybe it's the ANTAGONIST that's the problem. So make the bad guy BADDER!

Sometimes we want our hero to win so badly that we don't make it impossible for him to do so. We don't up the ante or have him take larger risks. Making the bad guy badder automatically makes the hero BIGGER!

But here's what I would add (if I may, Mr. Snyder): Make both of them more complex and therefore, more compelling! It's obvious that the reader needs to feel something for the protagonist, so we spend loads of writing time making sure that the reader cares.

But what if the reader feels conflicted--just a little--for the antagonist, too? Moments of compassion or understanding or insight.

Take Klaus, in THE VAMPIRE DIARIES:

He is one BAD dude. But wait a minute--what's this softer side he shows around Caroline? Why does Klaus suddenly look cuter, sexier, more appealing? *bow chicka wow wow*

Or how about Lady's Maid O'Brien, in DOWNTON ABBEY?

Behind the scenes she's self-serving, mean, and vindictive. But in season one (that's as far as I got, so no spoilers from season two, please), she shows a conscience and a certain helplessness during the soap/bathtub/baby scene with Lady Cora.

And last but not least, Cersei Lannister in GAME OF THRONES.

I mean, let's face it, there are so many villains in this book/television series it's hard to choose just one. But from the beginning she's compelled me.

Vicious in her own right as the Queen Dowager, she had a direct hand in who her evil son Joffrey has become on the throne (I find NO redeeming qualities in him yet). Still, she's quite vulnerable when it comes to love (no matter how masochistic it might be) and the well-being of her children.

Who would you add to this list?

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This Is All I've Got

2012-04-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

Heh, heh. Kinda how I'm feeling today.

Coming off a busy spring break, making lots of jewelry, and writing my butt off on my newest WIP. So I'm feeling kinda fuzzy, like a warm cozy blanket.

But hey don't despair, I used the alert half of my brain over at Janice Hardy's blog, where I'm guest blogging today (THE Janice Hardy--you know, the MG author that has the crazy-good writing blog?)

Help a mush brain out and say hi over there instead?

XO See you in a couple of days!

CLIMB

2012-04-14T07:24:00.000-04:00

"Come Boy, come climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy!”

And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away.

And the tree was happy."

(from THE GIVING TREE by Shel Silverstein)

This weekend: GIVE!

See you next week.

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The Last Peep Show

2012-04-12T07:07:00.000-04:00

That's IT. I am SO done.

If I see ONE.MORE.PEEP. in this house, leftover from Easter I'm liable to...EAT IT!

*groan*

I must rid my house of these naughty sugary treats that whisper my name when I'm not even hungry!

So here's what's on the agenda for today:

PEEPS RICE KRISPIE TREATS

15 peeps (double this recipe if you have more to get rid of)
3 cups of Rice Krispies cereal
1 1/2 tbsp butter

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then the peeps (take off the burner just as they begin to meld together). Fold in the cereal and press into a pan.

**People who've made this recipe encourage you to eat them within a day or when warm, because they tends to harden more quickly than the regular recipe.

NOT A PROBLEM. O_o

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Perhaps

2012-04-10T07:03:00.000-04:00

Perhaps an unwritten book is an even more powerful weapon than one which has been published.

It has a way of filling the air with its menace or its promise, the sweet art of what might have been.

-by Colm Toibin

**Ponders this quote while searching my file, remembering each idea as it came. Hopes for the gift to write them ALL.**

P.S. So tell me, are you on spring break this week (or your kids)? What have you been up to?

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HAPPY EASTER

2012-04-07T07:02:00.000-04:00

Enjoy your weekend! See you soon.

The Five Senses of Spring: TASTE

2012-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

1. Spring vegetables like asparagus and peas: fresh, crisp and earthy.

2. Confections: Peeps are sticky puffs of yummy goodness, jelly beans have a soft sweet or tart center.

3. Spring fruits like oranges and strawberries: a tangy, sugary, citrus bouquet dancing on your tongue.

4. Chocolate treats: dense, melty, gooey pleasure.

HAPPY EASTER!

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Three Reasons Why I Loved the Hunger Games Movie

2012-04-03T07:02:00.000-04:00

1. PEETA. I'll be honest, I didn't know how I'd feel about Josh Hutcherson portraying him. But he pulled it off. By the end of the movie, he became Peeta.

Liam Hemsworth was just as I'd pictured Gale and Jennifer Lawrence was AH-mazing as Katniss.

2. The movie kept Suzanne Collins vision of the arena and the characters. Amanda Stenberg was PERFECTION as Rue despite what these nimrods had to say (haters gonna be haters, but do me a favor and remember why you loved the book).

I was elated they showed the wildflower scene--such an emotional parts of the book. Woody Harrelson was nicely cast as Haymitch, and in a lot of ways Stanley Tucci stole the show as the outrageous TV host Caesar Flickerman.

3. The capitol, with all of its pomp and circumstance, was exactly how I'd pictured it. It showed the irony of a society that needed bloodshed to be entertained. The stark difference between the districts and the Capitol was palpable.

Love this Vanity Fair picture of the cast:

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