So, I'm having a crisis here. The next part of LAOS is nearly ready to go up - only, in a way, it's been ready to go up before I even started this venture. Because you see, the version you guys are reading is not the original version. I have about 5k worth of story that I wrote a year or so ago, and it's different, and I'm frustrated.
See, in the original version, instead of getting a Ping Pong ball in an improbably-placed cup, Chris puts his hand through a desk. Much more exciting, makes the point much more clearly, and is just... more fun. Only problem is, no matter how many impossible things these guys can do, even the LAOS can't actually put their hand through a desk. *sigh*
So I'm rewriting that section to the Ping Pong ball event - only, as I said, it's frustrating me. The original had a spark that this version is just... missing. *more sighs*
I'm stuck. On the one hand, I think you guys would like the original a lot more (I do). On the other hand... It's really truly not plausible, and I wanted LAOS to remain at least theoretically possible. And as one beta-reader pointed out, if they can phaze through solids by manipulating atomic structure, there is technically no limit to what they can do - and magic (scientifically explained or not) without limits is not great fiction.
What do I do???
29 May 2012
23 May 2012
Linkabet Soup
Haven't done a linky post for a while, and I'm currently hunting through my archives of starrred/favourited posts in preparation for teaching creative writing again next semester - this time I'm going to be ORGANISED and have BOOKLETS! Woohoo!
So anyway, a few fun things I've found around the nets of late:
How To Secretly Work On Your Novel While At Your Day Job - priceless information for those of us who aren't lucky enough to be able to lock everyone out of the house and write all day (includes a section fo SAHMs)
What My Job Is... - Yeah, I have to say I agree with Liana on this one: sure writers need to work at representing reality, but I don't think that means they're bound and required to reflect the crappy parts of life just because it happens.
And speaking of The Job, editing. (Yeah, that was an awkward segue. The Minion is crying because He's Not Tired, Mum, No He's Not!, so you'll have to forgive my brain). But anyway, Maggie Stiefvater managed to convince a whole bunch of published authors to dissect some pages from their own novels to provide some excellent insight into the editing process.
For something a little more lighthearted, Ilona Andrews has collected all the various incarnations of rules for mystery writers. Some of the historical ones are somewhat o.0.
Also in the o.0 realm, Jim C. Hines did a follow-up to his January post about female cover poses on Posing Like a Man. Also amusing, and equally illuminating.
And now that you've had fun with those links (don't tell me you didn't at least consider trying one of those poses), something a little heavier. The King Of Elfland's Second Cousin has done a marvellous job of differentiating between voice and style. It's a long one, but worthwhile.
In order to make it through, it might be useful to know How To Be As Energetic As Your Kids.
And of course, no post is complete without the obligatory tasty food - and for that, I shall just direct you to my Pinterest board O:)
Any exciting links you guys have found of late that I need to read?
So anyway, a few fun things I've found around the nets of late:
How To Secretly Work On Your Novel While At Your Day Job - priceless information for those of us who aren't lucky enough to be able to lock everyone out of the house and write all day (includes a section fo SAHMs)
What My Job Is... - Yeah, I have to say I agree with Liana on this one: sure writers need to work at representing reality, but I don't think that means they're bound and required to reflect the crappy parts of life just because it happens.
And speaking of The Job, editing. (Yeah, that was an awkward segue. The Minion is crying because He's Not Tired, Mum, No He's Not!, so you'll have to forgive my brain). But anyway, Maggie Stiefvater managed to convince a whole bunch of published authors to dissect some pages from their own novels to provide some excellent insight into the editing process.
For something a little more lighthearted, Ilona Andrews has collected all the various incarnations of rules for mystery writers. Some of the historical ones are somewhat o.0.
Also in the o.0 realm, Jim C. Hines did a follow-up to his January post about female cover poses on Posing Like a Man. Also amusing, and equally illuminating.
And now that you've had fun with those links (don't tell me you didn't at least consider trying one of those poses), something a little heavier. The King Of Elfland's Second Cousin has done a marvellous job of differentiating between voice and style. It's a long one, but worthwhile.
In order to make it through, it might be useful to know How To Be As Energetic As Your Kids.
And of course, no post is complete without the obligatory tasty food - and for that, I shall just direct you to my Pinterest board O:)
Any exciting links you guys have found of late that I need to read?
09 May 2012
Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
May 2012, HarperCollins
544 pages, Hardcover
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Violence, kissing, betrayal and a hearty dose of guilt
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Violence, kissing, betrayal and a hearty dose of guilt
Summary from HarperCollins:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has
consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris
Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while
grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and
loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Amy's Thoughts:
**Some mild, general Divergent spoilers**
Picking up right where Divergent left off, Insurgent explores what Tris will do now that war has erupted. As far as she knows, almost everyone she loved is dead - some by her own hand, something that she can never forgive herself for. Plagued by doubt and overwhelming guilt, Tris has to decide if there is anything worth living for after all. And of course, we all know what Tobias thinks about that :D
Look, you all know I loved Divergent. Insurgent is even better. I really like this trend that I'm seeing of YA trilogies/series getting stronger and stronger as they progress. Roth really steps things up here in terms of stakes and plot twists, but most importantly (for me), she really digs deep into the psychology of the characters to create compelling motivation and character growth that feels so real, it's like you know the people involved. If you fell in love with Tris and Four in Divergent, you'll really never want to leave them after Insurgent.
Speaking of love, I have to say I really admire the way that Ms Roth dealt with Tris and Tobias's relationship in this book. Without spoilerising, suffice to say it is real, and difficult, and an exceptionally honest portrayal of love that you don't often find in mainstream fiction. Well done Roth.
Of course, being book 2 of 3, Insurgent ends on a cliffhanger that had me literally screaming at it (ask Boyo, the husbandical one) and I CANNOT BELIEVE I now have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the conclusion. Urgh. Want.
In terms of the bad, there are a few copyediting/continuity errors that have crept in (Ms Roth apologises), but only in one instance did it jolt me out of the story, and it still wasn't a biggie - I flipped back a few pages to double check, went "Huh, must be a mistake", and kept reading.
Final Conclusion:
LOVE. THIS. BOOK. Mostly for Tris's character arc - her growth and development, and the sensitive way that Roth handles it.
More:
Find Ms Roth on her website and on Twitter.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Amy's Thoughts:
**Some mild, general Divergent spoilers**
Picking up right where Divergent left off, Insurgent explores what Tris will do now that war has erupted. As far as she knows, almost everyone she loved is dead - some by her own hand, something that she can never forgive herself for. Plagued by doubt and overwhelming guilt, Tris has to decide if there is anything worth living for after all. And of course, we all know what Tobias thinks about that :D
Look, you all know I loved Divergent. Insurgent is even better. I really like this trend that I'm seeing of YA trilogies/series getting stronger and stronger as they progress. Roth really steps things up here in terms of stakes and plot twists, but most importantly (for me), she really digs deep into the psychology of the characters to create compelling motivation and character growth that feels so real, it's like you know the people involved. If you fell in love with Tris and Four in Divergent, you'll really never want to leave them after Insurgent.
Speaking of love, I have to say I really admire the way that Ms Roth dealt with Tris and Tobias's relationship in this book. Without spoilerising, suffice to say it is real, and difficult, and an exceptionally honest portrayal of love that you don't often find in mainstream fiction. Well done Roth.
Of course, being book 2 of 3, Insurgent ends on a cliffhanger that had me literally screaming at it (ask Boyo, the husbandical one) and I CANNOT BELIEVE I now have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the conclusion. Urgh. Want.
In terms of the bad, there are a few copyediting/continuity errors that have crept in (Ms Roth apologises), but only in one instance did it jolt me out of the story, and it still wasn't a biggie - I flipped back a few pages to double check, went "Huh, must be a mistake", and kept reading.
Final Conclusion:
LOVE. THIS. BOOK. Mostly for Tris's character arc - her growth and development, and the sensitive way that Roth handles it.
More:
Find Ms Roth on her website and on Twitter.
07 May 2012
L.A.O.S.: A Serial Novel-Thing
Guys, GUYS! I am SO EXCITED about this announcement! I'm so excited I don't even know what to say! But nonetheless, I should say something, because if I don't then you won't know what I'm squeeing about, and that would just be awkward. So I guess I will just get to the point, which is that starting Friday, Inkfever will be home to a brand new, hopefully shiny, serialised novel!
No doubt you are now gripped with pressing questions (which are talented, in that they can press while gripping) such as, "What is this marvel of which you speak?", "How often can we expect this delight?", and, "What on earth possessed you to do this mad thing, you mad, mad person?" I shall now endeavour to answer these questions satisfactorily, and hopefully in a manner that will excite your... excitement. Incite excitement? Blah. Something like that.
1) This marvel is L.A.O.S., which stands for the League of Absolutely Ordinary Superheroes. They are a group of teens who have no superpowers (bwa ha ha) and their motto is saving the world through science. Superheroes + science = #FUNWIN!
2) I'd love to feed you chunks of gorgeously tasty LAOS, dripping with delectable delight, twice a week. However, I think we all know that's not going to happen, given my history with blogging. So I'm going to be aiming for once a week, but as always, I reserve the right to be completely and utterly erratic in my posting. Ha. As if you didn't see that coming.
3) Um, yeah, about that. This is pretty much me forcing myself to have a 'just for fun' project the only way I possibly can - i.e. in public. Because if I try to write something 'just for fun' by myself, it INEVITABLY ends up a Real Project, For Serious, Like Proper, because my brain is secretly plotting against me and wants to spaz me out. It likes plotting. And if I start writing just for fun stories by myself, it gets carried away with the plotting, and before we know it the just for fun short story is the beginning of a ten-part series with 900 years of prehistory, fifty-three main characters and seventy-nine continents, and I'm stalled out because all of a sudden I Got Stuck. (I wonder why? *sigh*)
But see, if I am drafting in public, then I can't care about it too much, because if I do, I will totally and utterly freak out over the fact that YOU GUYS HELLO I WILL BE DRAFTING PUBLICALLY, and mistakes Will Be Made (and capital letters Abused). So the only solution is to do it, and not care, and then I will have fun.
If that sounds twisty and insane, that's because it is, and I am. Hai.
Bonus) LAOS will run in episodes and series. Five episodes per series, about 20k per episode. No idea how many series (until I get bored, and you do to?), but five would be fun, because then the whole thing would have Balance and Symmetry (and I swear, I have been away from the English teaching for too long, because that's like the third word I've had to double check the spelling on so far in this post o.0). See above, re ten-part series-es with 900 years of history. And yes, there will be a way for you all to participate if you want to, and I plan to release each episode as an ebook (edited, ha!) as they are completed.
So. HURRAH!, and see you Friday :o)
2) I'd love to feed you chunks of gorgeously tasty LAOS, dripping with delectable delight, twice a week. However, I think we all know that's not going to happen, given my history with blogging. So I'm going to be aiming for once a week, but as always, I reserve the right to be completely and utterly erratic in my posting. Ha. As if you didn't see that coming.
3) Um, yeah, about that. This is pretty much me forcing myself to have a 'just for fun' project the only way I possibly can - i.e. in public. Because if I try to write something 'just for fun' by myself, it INEVITABLY ends up a Real Project, For Serious, Like Proper, because my brain is secretly plotting against me and wants to spaz me out. It likes plotting. And if I start writing just for fun stories by myself, it gets carried away with the plotting, and before we know it the just for fun short story is the beginning of a ten-part series with 900 years of prehistory, fifty-three main characters and seventy-nine continents, and I'm stalled out because all of a sudden I Got Stuck. (I wonder why? *sigh*)
But see, if I am drafting in public, then I can't care about it too much, because if I do, I will totally and utterly freak out over the fact that YOU GUYS HELLO I WILL BE DRAFTING PUBLICALLY, and mistakes Will Be Made (and capital letters Abused). So the only solution is to do it, and not care, and then I will have fun.
If that sounds twisty and insane, that's because it is, and I am. Hai.
Bonus) LAOS will run in episodes and series. Five episodes per series, about 20k per episode. No idea how many series (until I get bored, and you do to?), but five would be fun, because then the whole thing would have Balance and Symmetry (and I swear, I have been away from the English teaching for too long, because that's like the third word I've had to double check the spelling on so far in this post o.0). See above, re ten-part series-es with 900 years of history. And yes, there will be a way for you all to participate if you want to, and I plan to release each episode as an ebook (edited, ha!) as they are completed.
So. HURRAH!, and see you Friday :o)
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