The Secret One: Revealed!

So last night I finished a major edit round/rewrite on my WiP. You remember. The one I finished in mid-April. "The Secret One." The one I promised to tell you more about.

Yeah . . . I guess I forgot about that part. What can I say, I was busy.

Well, now that it's all fresh and shiny, and 14k longer, not to mention sitting in my beta's inboxes, I suppose I can share a little more.

You may be wondering what's with the secrecy anyway. Well, it wasn't an elaborate plot to build suspense and blog readership. (If that had been the reason, I'd call it a massive fail.) It wasn't because I was afraid someone would steal my idea. No, the real reason I didn't share more about this story is because I'm kinda shy about it.

Here's why: it's a mermaid story.

Yep. Mermaids.

Don't get me wrong. I think, and have always thought, that mermaids are officially The Bomb. What's not to like?! Trouble is, I say mermaids and most people think . . .


Truth is, awesome as they are, there is something inherently Middle Grade about mermaids (to put it in book world terms.) So I get a little sheepish telling people that I'm writing a mermaid book, because I assume they're suddenly envisioning talking fish and cute purple clamshell bras.

Not my mermaids.

This mermaid story is dark and pensive, with a semi-tragic romance. People die and stuff. I wouldn't call this book fun. Exciting (hopefully,) but not "fun." And definitely not cute. Think more along these lines . . .

So there. I finally talked about it. *exhales* I feel much better. And now I'll go back to biting my nails in the corner while I wait to hear back from my betas. ;)

And the baby makes . . . like, twelve or something

*wipes the cobwebs away from blog*

Sheesh, it's been a while hasn't it? I've been pretty busy lately. Just a small thing called having a baby.

It's funny how adding one tiny creature into the mix makes everything about life more complicated. And more crazy. But I'm not complaining. I'll happily take the chaos. My new little girl is healthy and sweet, and life is good. :)

That being said, if I continue in my diminished blog/internet presence, you'll all know why. I'm aiming to have things under control and back to reasonable normalcy by July. Now this might be a huge pipe dream, but we'll see. Gotta set goals for yourself, right?

Anyway, here's some pics. I'll show you this one first, because it's so sweet.

But then I'll post this one, to help plead my case. Is this the face of a kid who'll back down for Mom to do some blogging? Yeah . . . not likely.

The Big Reveal

*and no, I'm not writing a review of the Lost finale. I actually didn't even watch it.

Today I'm writing about a type of scene that we come across a lot in YA fiction, particularly YA Fantasy and Paranormal. It's a scene that I have just finished rewriting for the tenth or maybe fifteenth time in my own WiP. I'm talking about . . .

The Big Reveal Scene

You know the type. The scene where Main Character is told that she has Fill In the Blank Power. Or that she's actually a Fill In the Blank Paranormal/Fantasy Creature.

Or when Main Character's gloriously Hot New Crush reveals that he is actually Fill In the Blank Paranormal/Fantasy Creature. Or that he has Fill In the Blank Power.

These scenes are inevitable in any story where the fantastical and paranormal are thrown into a real world setting. And a lot can ride on them. Haven't we all read a book where we thought, sheesh, she accepted that pretty easily. Or, hello when is she going to just freaking accept that this isn't a dream?!

In my slaving over my own Big Reveal Scene in my WiP, I've tried to pinpoint exactly what makes these scenes work. Here's my rough list:

1.Balance
This is the vital ingredient, and the most vague concept. When faced with a startling truth, characters have to struggle with accepting it. Especially if this fact challenges their concept of reality.
However no reader wants to slog through twelve chapters of the Main Characters refusing to believe what is right in front of their eyes. It just gets old. Frankly, I think readers want to move along as quickly as realistically possible. Realistic being the operative word.

2.Strong Characters
This seems like a no-brainer. You need this in any story. True. However I do think that strong characters are vital in pulling off the Big Reveal Scene (BRS.) If you don't have well defined characters, the risk is that you will fall into the dreaded Cliche Reactions. Readers are smart. If they feel like your character "would never act that way" than you risk losing them.

Ideally, your BRS will breeze by without a wince because your characters are reacting exactly how they "really would." Know what I mean?

3.Mix it up a Little
So many times, the BRS are two talking heads in a room. All necessary info is shared. Reactions are made. Then a form of acceptance. End Scene.

If you think about it, this moment has the potential to be very exciting. This is a chance to show us exactly what Fill in the Blank Power/Fill in the Blank Paranormal creature can do. Dazzle and distract us. We might be more forgiving of any lack in the actual dialogue. (Maybe. I'm a pretty easy going reader. Others demand perfection. Just something to keep in mind. No pressure . . .)

So there's my rough list. I know there are many more points you could add to it. What do you think? Have you ever written a BRS? How did you pull it off? Any tips? (Because, frankly, I feel like my WiP's BRS is still not just right.) Please do share.

Maybe I ain't the blogging kind

This is Just to Say

I have switched
to Twitter
instead of
blogging.

which is
probably not
a huge loss to you,
but anyway

Forgive me.
Twitter's just so short
and fun
and manageable.




(*no, this is not my blogging swan song. :) But I am much more active on Twitter, so if for some odd reason you have been missing me, feel free to follow me there.)

Dreams come true!!

Today, I head out of town to buy a minivan!!! Every mom's dream!

(Did I getcha? Did you see my post title and think I had amazing, writing related news? *grin* Sorry, I'm feeling a little cheeky this morning.)

In truth, my feelings on the purchase of a minivan are fairly neutral. I can't say I've dreamed of owning one, but I'm not one of those people loathe the idea. Truth is, it may not be the coolest car out there, but it will fill our needs in the most price and fuel efficient way. So there you go.

As far as writing related news, nothing dramatic to report. I'm busying away on edits. This is the first time I've ever had to add words in the revision process. It's surprisingly hard. After taking a few weeks to ponder, and getting some great feedback from a beta, I'm pretty sure I have some solid areas to expand. However, for me, editing has always been all about cutting. So it just feels weird.

*lovingly strokes Delete key* Next editing round, baby. Next round.

Anyway, here's hoping I can still get some work done on my little minivan-purchasing pleasure cruise. I'll see you all when I come back next week!

Apparently I was a violent child

Alternate post title: Authentic Teenage Voice

So my older sister Rebecca sent me this little gem from her 8th grade diary, and I wanted to share it with you. Becca was 13 when she wrote this, and my twin sister and I were 10.


"I'm so angry. I can't believe how violent the twins are. Instead of saying be quiet or stop it, they lunge out in viciousness. In the past 12 hours I have received 4 bloody scars and several welts. All from the Twins!! My parents just say its too bad. They never listen. I dread each day. What new problems will remain unattended? On a happier note, I realized how much I am falling in love with Michael. I can't wait for school. I get to see him."


I'm not sure which amuses me more: the supremely dramatic prose, or the abrupt shift at the end to talk of romance. :)

Well I'll be hornswaggled!

Dude, guys, I just finished the first draft of my WiP!!

You're thinking: ?!??!?!?

But seriously. I'm done. Maybe it's because the book was outlined, or maybe I just hit that exciting second half and couldn't slow down, but I've been pounding out this baby. And now I'm DONE!!

(btw, in regards to my post title, haven you noticed how weird I get when it's one a.m. and I'm kind of giddy?)

At any rate gang, this novel was complete MUCH sooner than I expected. It's kind of insane. Details about this super secret book will soon follow. (Maybe . . .) What's up next for me? A nice break. But only from writing! That means I might actually blog more!

You: No. Way.

Me: WAY!

You: I just wet my pants out of sheer delight.


*ahem* Loopy. Anyway. I'd better hit the sack for now, but I really will be around online more now. This party's just getting started. See you then. :)