Friday Book Recommendation: The Dark and Hollow Places

THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan

From CarrieRyan.com

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

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

The Dark and Hollow Places is the third and final installment of the Forest of Hands and Teeth series, and this book is truly unforgettable. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone but they have so much more depth if you read them from first to last. Carrie Ryan is one of those authors that others, namely me, aspire to be. Her writing is magic.

Hollywood crush posted a much better review of this book than I possibly could.
http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/03/22/the-dark-and-hollow-places-review/

Also, sometime in the near future, while my co-writers at Tangled Fiction are off in the mountains for another fabulous writing retreat (that I regrettably can't make *sniffle*) we'll be doing something special for our readers, and I just might have a copy of one of Carrie's books that I am (reluctantly) willing to part with. So stay tuned.

Exercise Your Voice

Sometimes, when I'm writing or revising, I get so sick of my voice. You know the part where my characters sound like me rather than themselves. Or when they've described something the same way, like, three times in a row. It drives me nuts when I notice that the character is having the experience/thoughts that I would have in any given moment, rather than their own. But sometimes I feel stuck in my own word patterns and can't find the right words.

Recently, I wrote a character who has nothing in common with me or how I talk, and it was a challenge, but a really fun challenge, to come up with things that only he would say. And when I finished, I had a bit of an epiphany.

What if I turned that into an exercise?

And so here is a way to freshen up your voice:

Take a scene you're feeling is particularly lackluster. Where the voice is blah, or sounds like you, or is just not true to your character, and rewrite it with the voice of someone who's so distinct they're almost a cliche. Like, a southern belle, or a non-native English speaker, or Cookie Monster, or a Victorian era detective, or even a favorite character from someone else's book ... you get my point. Something where you're forced to stop and think of character voice specific ways this person would describe their thoughts and feelings and the events happening around them. Be over the top. Be cliche. Have fun with it.

For example:

Your character says: "I'm hungry."

Cookie Monster says: "Me want cookie!"


A very cliche southern belle might say: "Good Lord in heaven if I don't eat something soon, I'll be standing right up there with him at those pearly gates myself."

A Victorian lady might say: "I feel as though I might faint, I'm so weak with hunger." (and um, honestly I have no idea if this is even close, but that's okay because it's just an exercise!)

These are ridiculous examples, but you see how each one made me think past the bare facts of the statement, and into what that experience is like for each particular character. And they were fun. I wasn't agonizing over the exact right word, I was just getting out of my own head and seeing what happened.

At the end of the exercise you will have cleared your own voice from your head, and you'll be better able to see where the character-specific bits need to be. They will stand out in the scene as those over the top bits. Then use what you've discovered to re-write that scene the way your character would see it, in their voice.

So the next time you're feeling stuck, give this a try, and let me know how it works for you! Do you have any fun exercises or tips you use for freshening things up? Please share!

Query Tips Part Deux

As of last night, I have finally finished all of the query critiques! I may or may not have had a glass of wine to celebrate (okay, I totally did). If you sent me a query during the open submission time and haven't received a critique, please let me know. I read some wonderful queries and had a blast. Since people told me they found it so helpful, I think I'll add in some on-going query critique opportunities. Last week, I discussed a few query tips and after finishing the critiques, I thought of a few more to add. Again, these examples are my own, so no actual query excerpts are contained here.

1) Keep it simple. You want to include the hook and main characters (generally 2 or 3 characters) in your query. Of course your book will have subplots and numerous side characters, but adding these elements into a query can make it confusing and overwhelming. The same goes for fantasy lingo if it's an alternate world with made-up vocabulary. Keep it to a few, relevant terms and save the rest of it for the book. Your goal is to give just enough info to make the agent want more.

2) Get someone who hasn't read your book to read your query. Don't get me wrong, I think your beta readers/critique partners can give great feedback on your query (my crit partners gave fabulous advice), but it's also helpful to have a fresh pair of eyes look at it. Someone who has read your book might miss something in your query because they already "know the entire story." Someone who does a cold query read without having read your book can easily detect if something is confusing or needs more emphasis.

3) Don't lose your voice. Several people told me that multiple people had critiqued their query and they'd taken it apart so many times that they weren't sure if the query even made sense anymore. One of the drawbacks of multiple beta readers is that everyone has their own suggestions and opinions. It's wonderful to have helpful writer friends, but make sure to keep your own stamp on the query. You want the voice of your novel to shine through, not a mish-mash of other voices. Just like with your manuscript, if more than one person gives you the same feedback, then you should pay attention to it. If not, see what resonates with you and let the rest of it go. One "voice" tip that I've heard is helpful is to write your query in first person, then change it to third person, present.

That's it for now. To those who sent their queries, best of luck with querying and don't give up!

Motivation

I'm back, more or less, from my semi-extended blog hiatus! You missed me, yes?

I've had a major lack of motivation lately, with holidays, birthdays, and school getting in the way, but then I met my agent. For the first time, I was able to see her for dinner, along with three other clients, here in NYC and it was fantastic! She's a real, tangible person, not a figment of my writerly imagination. I can't even tell you how awesome it feels to know I have such an amazing person in my corner. Her confidence is truly contagious.

I suppose the point of me telling you this, is that you can do it. Whether you are still trying to craft the perfect story, or you already have an agent, a publishing contract, a physical book with your name on it, you are a writer. I forget who said it, but there is a quote floating around the web that says something like, "Writing isn't something you do. It's who you are." Nobody understands that like a writer.

I know how daunting rewriting and revising can be, but don't you feel better when you do it? No matter how many bags of twizzlers, cups of coffee, or bowls of ice cream that it takes to get it done, you've done it, and that's an amazing accomplishment. So pat yourself on the back, because you are a writer.

Just Because

So, this post is not writing related, but it made my day, which is otherwise gloomy and wet, and so I thought I would share it with you. Veronica Mars had pretty much cemented my love for Kristen Bell, but I think even if I hated the show, I would still love her after seeing this:



Hope you're having a great hump day!