My secret adiction

Before I go into a post all about how awesome the writers conference has been, I thought I would gather my thoughts (and photos) and decide what to write. Didn't want to plunge in without a moment after it was all over to download and otherwise process the events.

Meanwhile...

I purchased three books...actually, I take that back (see, this is why I have to think before I write), I bought two books (the third was graciously given to me by Jennifer Hunt and Sara Zarr...more on that later). These books I plan on using for inspiration for my next stint of writing. I already started Sara Zarr's book 'Story of a Girl' and am already pumped up.

Anyway, more on my point for this post...I happen to have a weakness for The Lord of the Rings. I have read the books several times, of course watched the movies. But something I do that may seem crazy to anyone but myself (and my husband can attest to this because he does it with me) is that I watch ALL of the discs of the making of the movies in the extended collectors adition. I also love watching the entire movie with the commentary (and I'm talking about EVERY movie, Fellowship, Two Towers, etc) listening to the actors, art dept., you name it, ALL the commentary. (I know, crazy right?) This is something that absolutely fascinates me to no end.

If I didn't have children (which would be sad, because I love them to death)...IF I didn't and IF I knew what I know now, had the experiences etc that I have now, I would have LOVED to go off to New Zealand with my husband and work on the LOTR Trilogy! That would have been the absolute best. I don't even care what dept. I would do anything just to be apart of something so amazing.

My point with this is...I was watching 'The Making' of LOTR tonight instead of reading (because I just had to =) and it got to the part where they talked about the editing of the film. Well, it was totally inspiring.

When they showed the part where Gollum dies and the ring is destroyed, they decided to change the sequence. Originally it was very quick. Gollum falls. Ring sinks. The end. The hobbits get the heck out of there. Well, to make it more dramatic, they decided to prolong the agony, so to speak. This made it so much more enjoyable. They followed two struggles:

One: Sam trying to get Frodo not to let go and...

Two: The fall of Gollum and the demise of the ring.

This cutting back and forth really impressed me with my own MS. How can I make that moment, where the 'bad guy' is conquered, more dramatic? Do I just kill them off and that is it? Or can I go back and add, drag out (in a teeth chattering way) the final demise? Now, this may seem obvious, but it really hit me just then for some reason.

I know I can do better.

Now I have been inspired. I have more of an idea on how I can do this. And now I know I can do it. (Thank you Peter Jackson!)

But in all earnestness I have always been inspired by JRR Tolkein as well as Peter Jackson when he turned those amazing books into film. Very great. Love it!



Now..to the rest of the conference. I will try to gather my notes soon and create a post on my experiences. In the meantime, if anyone has questions about Writer's Conferences, please email me. (this is my first, so I am in no way an expert, but I will do my best =).

Tomorrow is the last day. I am in part happy that it is over (no more long drives and painful 'goodbyes' with baby) and in part very sad. I really have loved the experience.



PS. If this post was poorly written, just keep in mind that I wrote this after 11pm at night...WAY past my bed time! =)

What do you read? And, What do you think about bookstore reading?

photo

Confession: Today I am selfish.

For the most part, I have tried to post things that are useful to others...BUT...as I am in the middle of a move, yet still thinking about my goal of reading as many books as I possibly can before re-starting the revision process again, I would like to hear YOUR opinion on what you have read recently. What do you like as of this moment? And WHY?

I, of course, check Amazon and Barnes & Noble quite frequently, as any 'would be' author should, but I love hearing what other people think about the books they have read. Do they have merit? Are they entertaining? What was it about them that made you keep turning those pages? (and please don't mention TWILIGHT...I have exhausted that path).

And while we are on the subject... How do you feel about people sitting in the local B&N, downing their sumptuous coffees', sinking down into tempting arm chairs, reading books that don't belong to them as though they were in a public library??

Now, I am not saying this is a horrible thing to do. From time to time I wish I had the courage to sneak a lengthy peak at certain books of interest, hoping that no one will notice that I don't leave after the acceptable half hour of window shopping, or actual purchase of said books (and really in all reality stay all day long because I am SOOO loving the book I am reading).

I am too timid. Or, well, I am in certain situations =). My own dear sweet older brother spent hours and hours on end doing this. After a while he switched to libraries (where reading for hours on end was more acceptable) and in the process found his future bride...hahaha...a librarian! BUT that is another story.  (hmmm...maybe I should write a story about that...mmm...NAH =).

You know people like this. Those people that sit in the bookstore for so long that they 'look' like they have been sitting there all day. With piles of books around them, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they just kicked off their shoes right away, pulled a pillow out of their purse (or man-purse as the case may be), stuffed it behind their backs...Heck, they could pull a 'Mary Poppins' and grab a lamp out of there for late night reading. That would be great. If only they could bring popcorn...or ice cream, or chocolate, to accompany their stolen reading sessions...but, of course, they MUST purchase something from the 'coffee bar'. B&N, I'm sure like any movie theater, would have rules against such personal accommodations.

Okay, I'm rambling. My imagination is a quirky thing. (Just kick me). Can you say 'tangent'?

Anywho. Thoughts? Comments? Love to hear from y'all!

Sorry my posts aren't regular. Give me a couple of months...or hopefully less. But no promises! =)

Where Do You Get Your Inspiration In Writing?

This weekend I decided I needed a little inspiration, so I thought of what has inspired me as a writer, and I want each of you (Yes, that means you MARK=) to tell me what has inspired you.

For me, one of the most impactful speaches in history is found in Shakespeare's play Taming of the Shew. It is the speach given by Katharina at the very end of the play where she chastises the widow and her sister for not respecting their husbands. Partly, I admit, this is because I really love the topic of this speach (Yes, I love my husband =), but also it is just very powerfully written.

I know there are probably a million other speaches, plays or books that have inspired me and others, but this has definitely been one of them.

Now for the inspiration behind writing YA Fiction. If you are like me, you read read read as a child, teen and adult. The moment I knew I wanted to write Teen Fiction was when I was a teen. I had read my hundredth or so book and wanted to begin creating worlds of my own. I moved around (a lot!) as a teen and after flitting between groups of friends (not really deciding who I liked, because let's face it, I didn't like making friends if I was just going to move again...why get my heart broken every time?) I would spend a lot of time on my own.

Notebook in hand, I would write story after story, usually the inspiration of which came from my many strange and exciting dreams.  I never finished these books, because I didn't know how they ended, but I have since come back to some of the ideas and incorperated them in my current YA Series, FATE.

Here is a list of some of the Teen Ficiton I read that made me want to write (please share yours as well!)...

WILD MAGIC by Tamora Peirce

I LOVED this book, though I admit I wasn't quite as inthralled with the rest of the series, not that they were bad, but perhaps because my expectations were set for something totally different. But this first book is great!

LJ Smith is another author I read A LOT from. These are just a few of her series that I read. She is a truly gifted writer and kept me turning the page time and time again. In fact, these book covers that I have displayed aren't the originals. This is a newer reprint. The Vampire Diaries Series has also been made into a WB series.

Anyway, this is just the tip of the iceberg for me, but these are definitely worth checking out. Another new favorite that I just read was James Dashner's The Maze Runner.

Great read! If you like the series LOST, then you will like this book. It is like a teen version =).

Now, GO TO, and READ! (And post, really, tell me what inpsires you!)

PS. I totally think I found out a way to save my first chapters!!! Yea!!!