Blog Hop Help!

I know, I know, I said I probably wouldn't blog today. And if you're reading this, I'm most likely still on a bus right now. But I actually wrote this yesterday when I was struck with an idea and decided I really wanted some input.

So my 4th blogging anniversary (or blogiversary, or however you're supposed to spell it) is coming up at the end of May. I've thought for a while now that I'd want to do something to celebrate, probably some sort of blog hop or fest, but I felt my initial idea was a bit too complicated.

But anyway, I came up with another idea which I thought was simpler and could be a lot of fun! But I would really like to see what people think before I start really developing the idea.

I was initially going to call it "Have You Been Paying Attention?" but then I thought of a much better name: "The Great Blog Scavenger Hunt." (Or something along those lines). Basically the idea would be that anyone participating would ask a certain number of questions (maybe around 10?) to their blog followers, asking certain questions that they have at some point answered on their blog. Since I'm sure no one wants to spend their entire day hunting through old blog posts, I figured there could be levels of difficulty. Like, the easiest ones could be found on the first page or in your bio. Next hardest could be things you've mentioned several times. Hardest could be one time things. And the people guessing can answer however many of the questions they want.

Here's where I'm having some difficulty figuring it out, or maybe it's just becoming too complicated in my head. I don't really know what the end result will be. I had a thought that maybe I could go through all of the posts, find the person who answered the most correct questions, and that person gets an Amazon gift card from me or something. Also I wasn't sure about what should happen when someone gets the correct answer. Should the blogger update their post to say so? Or maybe that could be recommended but not required. If I do the prize thing, I would still be able to see who got the answer first. But at some point the blogger *would* have to list the correct answers, and I'm not sure if that's too much to ask of people. I also thought that if people weren't getting them all, you could put up hints.

Ok, I'm obviously putting way too much thought into this right now and I think I just have to step away from the idea for a bit. But what do you guys think? Would it be something you'd be interested in doing? How much would you be willing to do or how can I make it less complicated?

Or, my original idea was a sort of "muse party." I "host" a party on my blog where you can bring your muse or a character from one of your books. I'll provide a series of questions that you can answer on your blog (like, what are you guys wearing? Did you bring food or a gift? etc). Would that be easier? I thought I was leaning toward the new idea more, but the more I explained it, the simpler my original idea seems, and it kinda fits in with my blog more.

AGH. I don't know. I'm sorry I'm so awkward. But I would love any and all opinions on this!

Still Busy!

I had a good idea for a blog post, I swear. Actually, I had two! I thought I would write one of them for today and the other for Friday. But I'm kinda just not feeling it, and I'd rather save the good ideas for next week when I can actually pay attention to blogging. I still haven't even started packing for this weekend's trip. Yeah, so I should probably get on that.

The good news! I'm down to only needing posts for the letters J and O for the A to Z Challenge. I have a few ideas I'd like to use, but I'm not sure if I can make them work for these particular letters. Maybe I can talk about this more on Monday for the theme reveal and get some input.

The even better news! I have two 4+ hour bus rides this weekend and I'm hoping to get a lot of work done on my posts during this time. Or at least lots of reading. Or maybe both. I need to charge my Kindle before we leave. I have so many blogger buddies' books on there it's a bit ridiculous. I need to catch up. But hey, I'm a slow reader.

So I have a hunch that I won't be blogging on Friday. Or maybe I could write something on the bus on my phone. Right now I still have so much to get done but I just want to take a nap. Perhaps it's coffee time...

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I'll keep this short because I'm probably about to start running around like a crazy person...

This past weekend was busier than my usual stay-at-home-and-hide-from-the-world ones. On Saturday we went to see my fiance's best friend in a dinner theater show, and then last night my fiance had a stand-up comedy show. So I had to actually dress up and go do things and also ignore everyone around me having alcohol because I'm trying to lose weight...

This upcoming Friday, my fiance and I are going to New York City (I have no idea how many times this will be. I've lost count). He's turning 30 next Tuesday so it's kind of an early celebration. He's doing an open mic there on Friday and I got him tickets to see Larry David's play Fish in the Dark, so it should be fun. I'm not quite sure what else we're doing. Figuring that out is just one of the many things we have to get done this week.

So at some point I have to pack, plan this trip, do laundry, clean the apartment, and probably some other things I've forgotten. I'd like to still have a blog post on Friday but if I don't get it done ahead of time it's definitely not going to happen that morning. But I also haven't missed a blogging day at all this year, so hopefully that will be motivation to get it done.

So if I have time for anything else before Friday, then I really really need to work on my A to Z posts. I have most of them planned out, but none of them written. I'm worried that I picked a theme that's too hard to come up with 26 posts for. But I'm going to keep trying. I've come way too far to try to start over now. I still need a post idea for B, E, J, K, O, W, & Y. I have no idea why certain letters like Q, X, & Z were easier to come up with, but anyway, that's where I am now. I don't know if I can get all of the posts done before April begins, but if I can at least get the first week done, that will help out a lot.

Here's what I know so far: my very first post is going to be an overview of the theme. I'm pretty sure my last post is going to be satire. And I'm trying very hard to come up with pictures to put in with the posts, but it's a hard theme to find pictures for. So I may just put in various reaction shot gifs from my favorite movies & TV shows. I've already started collecting them...

Ok, I've rambled enough. Gotta go be productive.

Questionable Google Searches

I thought I'd do a quick little fun post today (and make a list! I love lists!). As writers, we have to do a lot of research when we're writing our books. No matter how familiar we are with our subject, there is always going to be something that we don't know. So chances are you're gonna have to do a little research. And maybe sometimes you have to Google some questionable stuff. Stuff that makes you think whoever is monitoring this sort of thing probably thinks you're some kind of weirdo.

But hey, books can be complicated. Maybe one of your characters commits a crime, or one gets hurt and you have to search for what happens during blood loss (it was a vampire story, ok??). Not every story is happy and fluffy and requires zero sinister or questionable activity.

I've had a particular story on my mind for the past few days and I was thinking about all of the research I'm going to have to do for it. And when you put all of those things together, it seems like a very screwed up kind of story. So that's what I did. Put all of the things I have already searched for or will eventually have to search for in order to write this book into one weird list. Some of the things are more tame, others are not.

So here are all of the potential Google searches for this particular novel, whose title is most likely going to be Truth or Dare, and I may or may not ever write it. It could just stay in the back of my brain forever.

• Colleges in New York City
• Wedding announcements
• Private investigators (although I'm more than likely going to have a character find another one through Facebook instead)
• Paternity testing 
• Candy Land
• Do open bars ask for ID? 
• Characteristics of an abusive relationship
• Types of recreational drugs 
• Effects of rohypnol
• Several legal questions, including:
• Third degree assault
• Attempted sexual assault
• What the victim has to go through to report these things
• How likely it would be prosecuted & what happens when the defendant pleads guilty
• Also, statute of limitations on a past crime
• How long does a black eye take to heal? 
• Bunk beds 

I figured I'd end on a light note there with the bunk beds. And maybe at some point I should write just a normal, happy, fluffy story. Yeah, at some point...

Happy Friday!

Question: What's the weirdest thing you've ever had to Google while writing a story? 

Too Tired to Do Anything

I'm having the hardest time being productive this week. Like, I was supposed to write today's blog post two days ago, for example. Remember my crazy color-coded schedule from last week? I made another one for this week but I haven't followed it at all. So like most of my ideas to stay organized, I feel like this one is already going out the window.

I'm sure it's some combination of Daylight Savings Time and just not feeling well (*cough* PMS *cough*). I want to get up early every morning but when the time actually comes I just can't make myself get up. And then when I sleep in, it makes it so much harder for me to be productive. My brain just doesn't feel like functioning lately.

And I had so many things I wanted/needed to get done this week! I really need to get my A to Z posts done, look for pictures for them, finish my editing list, write these new scenes that are buzzing around in my head, write a guest post, finish my resume and cover letter and apply to some jobs, look into submitting some poems and short stories to magazines, start trying to figure out freelance writing. Not to mention several trips to the gym, keeping up with my diet and daily exercising, some deep cleaning of the apartment, grocery shopping, and all of the other daily chores I have to do.

Oh, wait. Maybe my brain was way ahead of me. Maybe it looked at all of the things I planned on doing and was just like, "Hahaha nope. Sleep." I know I should focus on one thing at a time, but I really want to get all of this stuff done. But maybe having all of these things to choose from makes it impossible to choose one at all.

So I don't really know. Maybe the whole schedule thing was a bad idea. Or maybe this was just a bad week to try to do it. I'll probably try it again next week and see what happens. For now I'm just going to make some coffee and try to get at least one thing done today.

Getting the Setting Right

Setting is one of those elements that every story has. Whether your characters travel across the globe or stay in the same room for the entire story, a setting still exists. It is the place or places where all of the events in the story happen. Depending on your story, setting can play a large role or a small one. It can be a new place your characters adventure to or the same place they've lived all their lives. Once you've chosen your setting, how do you get it across to the reader? How do you make it feel natural and believable?

A lot can go in to choosing the setting for your story. You may know right away where you want it to take place, or it could take you a while to figure out. It can be a real place or somewhere you've made up. Every story requires its own unique setting. But conveying that setting can be another issue entirely. How do you make the reader see what you see when you envision your story? How do you make that place feel real?

Sometimes choosing the setting can seem a lot easier than executing it. For instance, I knew right away where I wanted my book to take place. The hard thing is actually making it feel like it takes place there. Do my characters actually sound like they've lived there all their lives? What information is necessary to get across to the reader?

First, I should probably say that about 90% of my book takes place indoors, where the setting is irrelevant. Well, the outside world is irrelevant, I should say. Every room your character inhabits within a scene still counts as a setting. It may not be necessary to provide every single detail, every piece of furniture or speck of dust, but there should be a general idea of what things look like or how it feels to be in that room. My characters have to deal with a lot of isolation, which works for the story. My problem is that when they actually go out into the real world, am I getting it right?

Sometimes I worry that whatever reference I make to the setting feels forced. Like, if I have my narrator reference a particular landmark, does it feel like I'm just doing it for the reader's sake? Because he's lived in this city all his life and is used to everything (and doesn't care), what actually needs to be said? Maybe I'm just paranoid that every subway ride or walk through Central Park makes it look like I'm trying too hard. But these are things that my characters do. So how do you make these sort of actions feel natural?

There really is no one answer because every story will require something different from its setting. For me, at least, it means making those brief moments where the real world sneaks in feel like a real place. Don't scream the setting at the reader, but hint at it. Make it feel like any place you would go where you live. It can be difficult writing a book that takes place where you don't personally live, but if we restricted ourselves to the setting we know, then we'd miss out on a lot of great story ideas. The important thing is to do your research, and don't worry about it so much. If you try too hard, then it will show. Just let the setting work for you.

How do you make your settings feel natural? Do you typically choose a setting you're familiar with? 

Listen to Your Playlist!

Anyone ever have an epiphany on a treadmill? Just me? Ok...

I know a lot of writers make playlists, whether it's for your book, a character, or just to get in the mood to write. You may seek out songs to put on these lists, or you may just be listening to a song and realize that it fits your book. The main motivation for a playlist is to inspire, obviously, but have you ever considered that it could also help you figure things out?

Ever since I started rethinking the last third of my book, I knew a lot of things had to change. I've come up with at least one scene that makes things completely different from the last draft I wrote. What I've really been struggling with is what scenes from the old draft get to stay. One in particular is a scene in which my characters have a huge fight. I've gone back and forth about whether or not to keep any of this scene, wondering if it's necessary with the new way I've been imagining things. I was pretty much settled on completely cutting the scene, even though there were quite a few moments in it that I was heartbroken about parting with.

That is, until I went to the gym the other day. I decided to listen to my book playlist while on the treadmill to see if I could get some inspiration. I hadn't actually listened to the whole thing in quite some time, so I thought it was a good idea. Until one particular song started to play, and I realized that song was only on there because of the scene I was most likely going to cut.

My first thought was "oh noooooooooo!" Did I have to change my playlist? Or was I wrong to cut this scene? I didn't think that one song should really influence what needs to happen in a story, but it did make me stop and think. What did I really want to do with this scene? I've known since I first thought about it that I still wanted to keep it, and the song just seemed to reinforce that idea.

I'm still not 100% sure on what to do. I know if I keep it, it has to drastically change. Mostly I just want to find a way to keep all of the good lines. What actually starts the fight will probably change. I don't know where in the sequence of events this fight will go anymore. I'm considering changing the end of the scene just because I'm not sure if I should have used a particular word (let's just call it the "p-word") even though having one character use it was the sort of brutal effect I was going for. I don't know what I could replace it with the get the same effect. So like the scene itself, I'm on the fence about it. It's a lot to figure out, but I'm taking it one step at a time.

When it comes to your playlist, let it influence you in whatever way ends up working for the story. Maybe you'll get a new idea, maybe it'll reinforce an old one. Really think about why you chose these songs and how that reflects the way you see your story. But most importantly, don't ignore it like I did. You made it for a reason, so listen to it!

How do you use your playlist to inspire you? Have you ever been unsure whether to cut a scene? What helped you make the decision?