Winners Winners Everywhere

Okay, so, if you remember, last week I ran a contest to give away my signed copy of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor to thank my followers for supporting me and getting me to over 100 followers in just 3 months (I still can't believe how fast that was).

And this time, instead of counting entries and drawing names I put the work on you and required a short story in order to enter. AND, because I knew I'd NEVER be able to decide between you guys, I forced my mom--you remember her right? You don't? Uh oh, I guess I have to post the picture again then...

(*giggles* Yep--she's DEFINITELY going to kill me now)

Anyway, I forced her to be the judge because she has impeccable taste (after all, she LOVES my book) and she's basically the Most-Universally-Well-Loved-Person-Ever (or MUWLPE for short) so I knew there would be no way you guys could get mad at her for her decision.

I got six amazing entries (which I highly recommend you take a second to read--there's some incredible talent there people!) and my mom read them all this weekend and...

Well...here's the thing:

She loved them ALL. And it's not just because she's a MUWLPE--they really are very good. So she called me up and asked if she really had to pick only one. To which I said: YES! (because I am not a MUWLPE--I didn't get that gene) Plus, I only have one book, and there are six entries, so YES she has to pick one.

So she got off the phone and reread them and called me back...AND STILL COULDN'T DECIDE.

At which point I was starting to worry. I mean, what would I do if she couldn't pick a winner? I certainly couldn't pick one. I was counting on her. SHE HAD TO COME THROUGH FOR ME! So I made her get off the phone and read them again. And this time she must've read them a few times because it took her a while to finally call me back.

So I answer the phone--and at this point my palms are really sweating because if she doesn't pick a winner I have NO IDEA what to do--and she tells me she's finally decided that: (drumroll please)

It's a tie!

To which I said...um, that's great and all...but...I still only have the ONE book and I don't think they're going to want to share and mail it back and forth to each other so YOU HAVE TO PICK ONE (and no, I didn't actually raise my voice to my mother--I would NEVER do that.)

To which she said: I AM PROVIDING ANOTHER PRIZE!

Yes, you heard that right. She went and bought a $25.00 Barnes and Noble gift card for the second winner--I have it here IN MY HAND right now.

So that means the winners are: (drumroll please)

Frankie Diane Mallis

and

Simon C. Larter

Now, since this is a book about Fairies (kinda girly) and I happen to know that Frankie REALLY wants the book, I'm going to give Frankie the signed Dreamdark and Simon the Barnes and Noble gift card. Hopefully they'll both be happy with that arrangement. If not, well...tough (like I said--I am NOT a MUWLPE) :)

But wait--there's more!

My mom (proving once and for all why she's a MUWLPE) went and bought $10.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Cards for the other four entries because she thought their stories were SO good, she couldn't stand not giving them something to reward them. So that means:

Heather Zundel

Sara

Angie Kate

and Carolina Valdez Miller

all win $10.00 Barnes and Noble gift cards. (Again, I hold them all in my hand right now, it's SO tempting to just keep them all for myself. Hmmm *ponders*)

No! I wouldn't do that to you guys.

So...since I don't have email addresses for all of you--if you see your name there, please email me at packratx (at) hotmail (dot) com with your snail mail address so I can send you your prize (otherwise I might just have to spend it myself. BarnesandNoble.com is just a couple mouse clicks away :D)

Thank you all for participating. I can't believe you guys came up with such brilliant, unique stories from the same word cloud, and I can totally see why my mom had such a hard time deciding.

And, my mom forced me to add that she really is sorry she couldn't give the same prize to everyone because you were all great and she went on and on and on about the stories and you guys and how hard the contest was--but I'm not going to repeat it all here because my fingers are tired of typing and frankly she makes me look bad--like, why aren't you as nice as your mom?--so yeah, just know that she's wonderful and you're wonderful and she thinks everyone who entered should definitely keep writing. :)

Oh, and stay tuned. I am planning a contest of EPIC proportions for December. I won't tell you what it's for yet--because frankly, I'm still a little scared of how much work it might turn out to be--but keep checking back. I have a strong suspicion it will be my biggest contest yet--BY FAR!

If You Think Il Primo Is Scary...

Well...Il Primo let me out of the closet--for now. But he's currently hovering over me, breathing down my neck (and I'll end your suspense...his breath DOES NOT smell good) so I only have a limited amount of time to write this post.

*Snarls*

Uh oh. He noticed the bad breath comment. Typing faster now...

Okay, so really I just wanted to remind you that you only have until midnight tonight to enter a short story in my EPIC contest to win a signed copy of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor. My mom will spend the weekend deciding her favorite and I'll post the winner Monday. Don't forget to leave your email address with your story so I can contact you. Also, Blogger apparently has some limitations on how long a comment can be, so if your story is on the longish side you'll probably have to split it into two (or maybe three comments) Just make sure you label them Part One, Part Two, etc., so it's easy to follow. And if you're still having trouble email it to me and I'll post it for you.

Also, if any of you remember, the last time I ran a contest my husband had a little run in with a opossum the night before it ended, inspiring one of my favorite posts (if you missed it you can read it here). Well, apparently the universe likes to pair my blog contests with opossum sightings because we had another episode last night--and this time I got a picture of the little critter.

Now WHAT is so scary about this little guy--huh?

Sorry. I think he's kinda cute. I wanted to name him and give him his own food dish.

But if you think my husband was any braver this time around, you are sorely mistaken. There was definitely another girly scream. (And you should've heard the way he carried on when I went outside to take the picture, like he was convinced it was going to eat me alive.)

Sadly, I guess he will always see this when he sees one of these little critters:

Which is a bad thing, because--it's hard to tell from the picture--but the opossum on our fence was not a big guy. In fact, I'd bet anything he's still a baby. Which means instead of only facing this:

We may really be dealing with this:

And the best part is, my husband hasn't come to this realization yet. I can hear the girlish scream now when he finally puts the pieces together. (I have a feeling it'll be so loud you guys will be able to hear it too.)

So I'm not the only one in my family being haunted by terrible rodents. But I still think Il Primo is scarier.

*Shudders*

Good luck in the contest everyone! Can't wait to read the entries--I have a feeling it's going to be a VERY close call. :)

Bow to Il Primo

Know this!

If you are here to see Shannon you will not find her.

Shannon is gone.

Shannon has been banned from the Internets.

It is November 19th.

At this rate she is not going to meet her NaNoRevisMo deadline.

This reflects badly on me.

So I have  taken matters into my own hands.

Yes that is right. I am Il Primo.

Bow to me Minions.

*Evil Laugh*

*Bangs on Door* 

Il Primo--is that you? Please let me out of here. 

I'll revise--I promise. 

No!

You can come out when your draft is revised!

But you took my laptop! 

*Kicks Door* 

I can't revise without my laptop!

Lies!

You can do plenty without this foolish, time-wasting contraption.

*Slams body against door* 

No I can't! 

My draft is on there!

 How can I revise without my draft?

Do you think I am an Idiot?

Do you really want me to answer that? 

*Cracks Knuckles*

That was not a wise thing to say.

*Wimpers* 

Sorry. 

It's just--you have me locked in a closet!

You know how I feel about small spaces!

Il Primo does not concern himself with such things

I will release you when you have finished your revisions

BUT YOU TOOK MY LAPTOP!

*Kicks Door*

Yes.

And I happen to know that you have a printed copy of your draft.

You--unlike Frankie--are capable of working printers

I saw you print it this morning.

*Shudders*

You...you saw that?

*Evil Laugh*

Yes.

I was hiding in the shadows.

NOTHING escapes Il Primo.

You can revise on paper today.

PAPER?!?

What century is this?

A century where too much time is wasted on Internets!

No more!

You will revise.

I will handle your Internets!

I will answer your comments!

I will do your Twittering!

IT'S TWEETING!

*Kicks Door*

Whatever.

And first, I will correct a bigger problem.

I am unhappy with the picture you are using of me.

I will supply my own.

Wait, what are you doing?

Are you downloading things?

*Evil Laugh*

Oh man. I REALLY miss Ninjadillo. 

When is he coming back?

Never!

He has failed me.

Ah.

This is much more like it.

See my bulging abs.

See my deadly pivot.

Fear me minions.

I am NOT to be trifled with!

*Slams body against door*

This isn't funny Il Primo

Let me out of here--or else!

Ha!

Or else what?

*silence*

That is what I thought.

Now revise!

I will take care of your...followers.

*Gulps* 

But...they're such nice people Il Primo.

What are you going to do to them?

Nothing they do not deserve.

What is that supposed to mean?

Revise!

But...you have to remind them about the contest.

They only have until midnight tomorrow to enter.

*Evil Laugh*

Fine.

They are reminded.

Get back to work!

Okay, okay.

Will you bring me some lunch later?

*Snarls*

*Squeaks* 

Never mind.

I need to um...diet anyway.

Good.

Now...who has a question for Il Primo?

USC Lesson #2: What Would Paul Walker Want?

First of all, in case you missed it yesterday, I'm giving away my signed copy of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor--but you have to work for it this time and write a short story if you want to enter. Full details can be found here, along with an adorable picture of my mom--who didn't even kill me for making her judge the contest. :)

Okay, on to today's lesson from my wonderful notes from USC. (By the way, my plan is to make this a weekly series. I'm thinking every Wednesday--and sometimes Thursdays and Fridays if the lesson has multiple parts. Anyone have any thoughts on that?)

Today's lesson is: (*herald trumpets blast*): What would Paul Walker want?

And for those of you who don't know, Paul Walker is this guy:

*Stares*

*Drools*

*Husband Glares*

*Ignores Husband*

*Stares some more*

*Hours Pass*

*I'm sorry, was I doing something?*

*Oh Right!*

The original lecture was actually called "Thinking Like an Actor," but I'd MUCH rather have an excuse to stare at Paul Walker all day, wouldn't you? (And for my intrepid male followers, feel free to picture Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta-Jones or Natalie Portman or whoever strikes your fancy--I won't mind.) :)

Okay, man candy aside *steals one more look...okay!* I do have a point to this--I swear. In fact, I have to say, I personally felt this was the MOST valuable thing I rediscovered when I went through my old notes, and it's sort of become my mantra as I've been NaNoRevisMoing (hear that Il Primo? I'm working on my revisions. You don't need to check on me. I'm doing what you want.)

*hides*

But what does it mean? Why would we want to ask ourselves what Paul Walker wants while we're writing our drafts? What could that possibly accomplish? (Besides making us wander off into fantasies we REALLY don't have time for...)

Well, here's what they told us in film school: "Remember that you are writing the screenplay to appeal to ACTORS. It can be the most creative, well written, genius script in the world--but if actors aren't interested in playing the roles it'll never get made." See, that's the thing about screenplays--they're written for specific people: actors and directors--and the point is to get them interested in MAKING YOUR PROJECT. If they don't want to--even if they love the script--your beautiful creation will get tucked away in the studio archives never to fulfill its movie destiny.

And how do you get actors interested?

By giving them what they want.


Now, actors want many things including: money, Academy Awards, "it" directors, keeping their wardrobe, all the yellow M&Ms picked out of their candy dish, and all sorts of other things that just don't apply to writing. But they do want something we CAN use:

They want you to make them look good.

And when I say "make them look good" I don't necessarily mean in the way you create the characters themselves (though it is still VERY important to create interesting, unique, dynamic characters, which we'll talk about another time). No, what I mean is this: they want you to use the characters in the best way possible. They want great scenes. They want awesome dialogue. And most importantly: they want something to do in the scene.


Here's what they don't want: They don't every scene to be them standing (or sitting or laying) and talking--this makes for a VERY boring movie.  Even worse: if their character is in a scene, they want to really be a PART of the scene. (Producers want this even more than actors do. There's NO WAY they want to pay a big name actor to be on set all day just so they can stand in the background like an extra and say/do nothing. That makes them VERY unhappy, and unhappy producers are scarier than Il Primo--trust me, I would know.)

So what does this mean for our drafts?

Well, do our drafts give actors what they want, or are they riddled with scenes where characters stand around having long conversations whist doing nothing more than sighing, looking at the ground, and twiddling their thumbs? Sure, some scenes really are simple, and really do have a couple of people talking and doing not a whole lot else and I'm not saying you have to get rid of them. If it's important, keep them that way--by all means. But for the rest of the scenes, can you give your characters something else to do?

Instead of having the scene where Little Timmy tells his mom about his bad report card take place standing in the entryway as soon as he gets home from school--why not move it to the kitchen and have Mom rushing around trying to make dinner? You'd be amazed at how a change like that amps up the dynamics of the scene. Is the Mom ignoring Little Timmy and doesn't even hear him when he tells her about the report card, thus letting him get off scott free? Or does she stop to lecture him and burn dinner in the process, landing poor Little T in even bigger trouble? Can you see the point?

The point is, the scene becomes richer and more interesting because it has a second layer to it. You can even add a third layer and give Little T something to do too--maybe he's fighting a boss in the RPG game he's playing on his Gameboy and isn't really paying much attention to his mom--who knows? It's up to you, but as a general rule, the more layers you have going on, the better.

Of course, you don't want to be too heavy handed with this because then you can lose your purpose to a scene or end up lingering too long. Plus, it would be a little weird if your characters were constantly going going going in every scene (unless your book is about the Energizer Bunny) But, do yourself a favor and check your scenes. If your characters are standing/sitting/laying around talking most of the time, try adding some stage business for the characters and see what happens. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the result. I know it's made a HUGE difference in my revisions--seriously, like a "Where has this been all my life?" kind of difference (which is particularly annoying because it was stuffed in my closet for six years...grrrr!)

Oh, and for the love of all that is Holy--if you have a character in a scene, please, HAVE A REASON FOR THEM TO BE THERE! Let them play an active role--even if it's not a "speaking role," and there better be a reason why they're in that scene because if they stand around doing nothing you are not doing that character any justice and you are seriously ticking off Il Primo, and Paul Walker and I don't think you want to do that, do you? :)

So there you go--more info straight out of my dusty old notebooks. I hope it helps. And, as usual, here's the homework assignment to do on your own time for your own personal enjoyment:

Exercise

Write a scene where a character is trying to tell another character something BIG (pregnancy, confession of love, cancer, death in the family, that they're really an alien life form invading the body of the character--whatever you want so long as its HUGE news)

BUT: They must be doing something VERY complicated while the conversation goes on (again--go BIG: a sport, a game, a dance, brain surgery, disarming a nuclear bomb.)

Hint: The point was to be extreme, and yet not have the scene run too long or change the essence of the conversation that has to happen. And fair warning: this one was TOUGH (for me at least. I'm having several flashbacks to the read around session where my Professor ripped my scene apart quite brutally. *shudders*)

Win a Signed Copy of Dreamdark: Blackbringer

*UPDATE*
Apparently Blogger is being difficult and won't let you post your comment if your story is on the long side. I tried to adjust settings to fix the problem but couldn't so my best solution is, if your story is long, split it into two (or even three) comments and label them "Part One" "Part Two" etc. If that still doesn't work, feel free to email the story to me: packratx (at) hotmail (dot) com and I will gladly post it for you. Sorry. Stupid Internets!


I'M OVER 100 FOLLOWERS!!!!!!!


*throws confetti*
*blows noisemaker*
*happy dances around the house*


Can you tell I'm exited--BECAUSE I AM!

I really can't believe I've built up to 100 followers in just 3 months--that's insane! Plus, I firmly believe I have the best followers EVER. You have no idea how much I enjoy reading your comments (and yes I am guilty of obsessively checking my blog to see if there are any new comments on my posts). So thank you all, you are awesome!

And to reward you, I'm going to FINALLY give away my signed hardcover of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor. But I'm going to do things a little different this time.

I'm a little busy with revisions right now, plus I have this guy breathing down my neck...

*Shudders*

(In case you're confused, this is Il Primodillo--Ninjadillo's terrifying Uncle.  He showed up when I hit the halfway point in the month and was NOT halfway done with my revisions and well...he's scary. Incidentally, for a MUCH more clever introduction to Il Primo, check out the masterful post Frankie wrote about him. I was too busy making Ninjadillo's commercial to do him justice.)

Anyway, what I was trying to say (before I interrupted myself with terrifying warrior armadillos who look like they want to eat me) is that I'm going to skip the whole writing entries on little slips of paper and let you guys do all the work this time. *Evil Laugh*

Here's how it's going to work:

Those of you who want to win (and I'll go ahead and open the contest to the US and Canada this time) have to do two things.

One: You must be a follower of my blog (a public one, so I can find you). I don't care if you're a new or old follower, but I do want you to be a follower, because this contest is all about rewarding my followers. If you aren't a follower and want to enter, make sure you click that "Follow" button first and become a follower. (Wow, how many times did I just use the word "follower" in that paragraph? Eh, I think it needs one more. Follower. There. That should do it.)

Two: You must write the best short story you can come up with from the words in the Word Cloud below and post it in the comments of THIS post. The favorite one will win the book. Why? Because I know some of you REALLY want this book, so I thought I'd make the contest a little harder to enter to weed out the people who don't want it all that badly. Plus, then the work's all on you guys. :)

Okay, so here's the word cloud:

You don't have to use every word--or even close--just use the ones that inspire you and make your story as long or as short as you want (Though try to keep it under 2000 words, just so it doesn't get too out of hand)

(And in case you're wondering, this word cloud comes from The Revenge of the Shadow King, the first book in the Grey Griffins series by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis. I picked it because it has quite a few main characters for you to pick from, and because J.S. Lewis was the MC of the event where I got the copy of Dreamdark I'm giving away.)

I'll take entries until Midnight on Friday November 20th (and yes, I realize that's the day New Moon comes out--so you might want to write your entry early so it doesn't interfere with your Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner ogling). And please include your email address when you post your story so I have a way to reach you if you win. (Update: So, I had a Brain-Fart and listed the wrong date for Friday--thanks Wendy! The date is now correct. Sorry for the confusion. Remember, I'm blond--you have to bear with me.)

Also--so there will be no accusations of shenanigans--I will not be the one deciding who wins. I like you guys WAY too much--I'd never be able to pick between you. Instead, I'm going to make my mom decide the winner--shhh, don't tell her--she doesn't know yet! (And by the way, Hi Mom! I know you read this every day so...SURPRISE! *tosses more confetti*' *runs and hides*)

Why her? Well, because my mom is pretty much the Most-Universally-Well-Loved-Person-Ever  (or MUWLPE for short) and I know there's no way you guys will get mad at her. I mean, look at her...

...she looks like a Stepford Wife!  (oh, she's going to be SO mad at me for posting a picture of her. Heh!)

Plus she bakes cupcakes from scratch and makes the most amazing spaghetti and used to drive up to LA and do all my laundry and clean my apartment and buy me groceries when I was in college and was too busy to take care of myself. (Like I said, she's a MUWLPE) She also has impeccable taste (I mean, she LOVES my draft, what better proof do you need?) So it's impossible for you guys to get mad at her--even if she doesn't pick you.

Okay, there you go! I think that covers everything, but if I missed something feel free to ask.

I hope you have fun with this (I know I'm looking very forward to reading your entries--especially without the pressure of having to decide the winner *winks*)

Good luck!

USC Lesson #1: Lazy Writing (Part Three)

Before we get into the final lazy writing lesson (I'm sure you can barely contain your excitement) I had to take a minute to mention a few things.

First, in a moment of insanity over the weekend I went ahead and made Ninjadillo his own commercial. It is not--I repeat, NOT--an accurate reflection of my video editing skills (in fact, I'm fairly certain my film school professors would've failed me for it, but it's the best I could do in a half hour with iMovie.) Anyway, if you want to check it out you can find it here.

Second, I noticed I'm at 98 followers--SO close to 100 it's killing me--so if any of you are lurking in the shadows I'd love to bribe you into clicking the follow button by offering to FINALLY give away my signed Dreamdark: Blackbringer when I hit 100. I'll post the contest deets (Heh. I love that word!) as soon as I hit triple digits.

Finally, I just have to share something that has me all giddy and smiley (Ninjadillo would not like those adjectives, btw). I've been asked to participate in a blog tour! I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say who it's for but she's an AMAZING writer and I can't believe she asked me to be a part of it. It won't be until January, but I'm already putting together plans for an EPIC week in her honor. So stay tuned for that--I can't wait.

Okay, that's enough updates for now. On to the final Lazy Writing lesson!

If you missed either of the prior lessons or want a refresher you can read them here and here.

Today we'll talk about the third and final lazy writing sin and I have to warn you, it's a toughie.

"Don't think that you can tell us or show us something and we'll believe it."

Okay, this one is multifaceted and complex and actually spanned more than one lecture because essentially we're talking about "suspension of disbelief" which is what good writing is all about. Every word we write will either keep the reader "in" (good) or pull the reader "out" (bad) so I could pretty much apply this to anything and everything. But that would make a REALLY long post, so I'm going to focus instead on the way I most often got in trouble for breaking this rule because I have the most notes on that.

Here's two examples of ways I have personally broken (and probably still am breaking) this rule:

#1) Writing something like the following: "I never noticed it before but..." (can also be written third person)

Now, I'm not saying that you can never use that line (I'm sure you could all find TONS of examples where it's done well), but you have to be VERY careful, because a lot of times you're violating Lazy Writing Sin #3 when you do it. Why?

Because usually what happened to prompt that line is that something big just happened--but it's also something that's been happening all along--and you've decided that NOW is the time for your character to notice it. But your brain also knows that it's a little weird that your character didn't notice it before so you throw that line in there to try and smooth it over, almost like, "See, see--the character thinks it's weird too, so it's okay!)

Except it isn't. If anything, doing that only draws more attention to the fact that it's a little weird.

How do you fix this problem? Well, it could be that the real problem is that you're breaking Lazy Writing Sin #2 and having your characters ignore clues because you're afraid of giving too much away. If so, the best thing to do is time the arrival of the clue better and have the character acknowledge it the first time it happens.

But if it really does need to be that it's happening for a while and the character misses its importance, give the character a REASON for missing it. Do they have a lot on their mind? Have they been misinterpreting it? Are they just THAT dumb? Something. Anything. And mention it at least some of the times they miss the clues, that way when they FINALLY put the pieces together we buy it. Then you don't have to take the time to go back and tell us that it's weird, because it isn't weird anymore. Now we understand why the character missed it.  Now we'll believe it, because you did the work to SELL us on it.

I know, easier said than done. But it makes a BIG difference.

#2 Having a character do something that's a MASSIVE departure from their normal personality and having another character think, "Huh, that's weird," (or something along those lines) and then make some vague excuse for the behavior. 


Okay, again, this isn't always wrong. In fact, sometimes it's exactly right, if your character is actually going through something and is acting weird. It may even be that this is your way of planting a clue (and avoiding Lazy Writing Sin #2) But sometimes it's lazy writing.

Sometimes it happens because you want the character to have this departure--even though they really have no REASON for doing it--so you throw it in there to cover yourself.

Why would you do this?

Well, there's TONS of reasons, but usually it boils down to the fact that our characters have distinct personalities, and sometimes don't want to cooperate with our plot--so this is our way of getting around it.

For example, maybe you have two characters that are dating and it's not going well and they're fighting ALL the time. Then something big happens that's going to cause another HUGE fight--but it's also something big and important to your plot and you really want to have the characters focus on that and NOT fight about it. Some tiny part of your brain knows the characters would still fight about it, so you slip a little "Huh, that's weird in there" when they don't fight to try and trick your reader into believing that the character shift works. Well, sorry--it doesn't--and deep down you know it doesn't because that's why you're slipping it in there in the first place.

How do you fix it?

Well, it's hard to give a general answer because the answer really depends on the specific issue in your draft. But the main point is that you have to SELL it.  You have to put the work in (that's why this is called Lazy Writing people). If you want your characters to do or not do something, give them a reason (that fits with their character). It may mean you have to explore some new aspects of their personality. It may mean you have to change the external circumstances.  It may be some combination of the two. It really depends on the issue. But you cannot just announce that it's strange and make the problem disappear.

I wish you could (it would solve SO many of the issues in my draft), but it just doesn't work that way.

Basically, you could sum up the whole lecture with this: Writing is work. Obviously it's also fun and rewarding, or none of us would do it. But it's also WORK. It's about problem solving and pushing yourself and examining everything from every possible angle and revising, revising, revising! And anytime you try and treat it with a quick, easy fix, it's not going to work. Good Writing does not come from laziness. It comes from a writer putting the blood, sweat, and tears into their draft to get it right.

Well, I hope that helps you guys (and makes sense). If you have any questions feel free to ask in your comments--I'll do my best to find the answer from my notes. And, like the other times, here's the homework assignment that came with this lecture in case you want to give it a try.

Exercise

Pick one of your characters and think of the one thing they

are LEAST likely to do.

Now write a scene where they HAVE to do it.

(Hint: Think about external factors--which are easier for you, the writer to control.)

SQUEE! I figured it out! Ninjadillo is Live!

Okay people! I figured Youtube out!

Apparently they have issues with Warner music (who knew?) so I did some googling and found out the song I originally thought of using (the Mortal Combat Theme Song--which is oddly the same song Frankie thought I would use...it's REALLY weird how much we think alike) is not part of Warner Music. So, I caved in and spent the 99 cents to download the song, swapped it in imovie and reimported to youtube and IT WORKED!

(Really wish I'd just done that in the beginning. Would have saved A LOT of time. Grrrrr!)

So I now proudly present: Enter the Ninjadillo-The Awesome Youtube Edit



And now, I will take Ninjadillo's advice and go back to revising.

Ninjadillo's Premiere

Ok, while YouTube works out its "Issues" I decided to post the video this way with its original audio. Whenever I get the youtube link working it'll have different music (this song wasn't allowed on youtube, which is fine, I wasn't totally sold on it--I just didn't want to buy one) It's video uploaded through blogger so I hope it works okay.

(Also, you are not allowed to judge my video editing skills on this. My USC Professors would kill me for this kind of quality but I only had a half hour to spare so I just slapped it together in iMovie. Masterpiece it is not.)

***UPDATE***

See the better, bigger, snazzier version I finally posted on youtube with better music here

A Couple Things...

I'm sure you're all in breathless anticipation for the final segment of Lazy Writing Sins (okay, I'm sure you aren't, but I'm going to delude myself and believe that you are), but revisions are taking up ALL my time right now, so I'll have to continue with the USC Lessons on Monday.

Instead, I just wanted to take a second to update you on a couple of things. Number one, Frankie! (you guys know her by now, right?) Doesn't she look cute in this picture? (I hope she doesn't kill me for using it.) Anway, Frankie made Publisher's Weekly this week! Mind you, it's not for a $750,000 3-Book deal like Stephenie Meyer got, (though I have a feeling that will come someday) but still, HER POST IS LINKED IN PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY! I'm so happy/proud/jealous/giddy for her it's not even funny. Check out the link, it's awesome!

Also, Ninjadillo.

Some of you are missing him. He wants you to know he's missing you too and he threatened to go Kung-Fu on me if I didn't include him in my next post. Because he scares me, I went one better and made him his own commercial, which I had planned on posting today.

But...youtube is having some hiccups right now (something about audio swap and servers being down and all kinds of tech speak I don't fully understand. Long story short, I've been instructed to try back later.) Therefore,  I don't think it's going to happen today. I promise to post it as soon as it's working. And prepare yourselves people. It's going to be EPIC.

So that's all for now, but stand by. Ninjadillo--The Video is coming!

USC Lesson #1: Lazy Writing (Part Two)

Okay, so yesterday we started our discussion about Lazy Writing (if you missed it, you can read the post here) and today, we're tackling Lazy Writing Sin #2, which is as follows:

Don't think that because you know what's going to happen, other people will too.


I'll be honest. I cringed as I typed that because this one is REALLY hard (for me, at least--you geniuses of writing probably breeze right through). But here's why--and to explain, I'm going to share a conversation between me and my professor from back when I was in film school and struggling with this very issue. I can't remember the EXACT wording--and I won't share what my script was actually about (far, far too embarrassing)--but it went something like this:

Me: Excuse me, Professor Awardwinner?

PA: Yes, inexperienced underling? How can I help you?

Me: Well, *shuffles feet* See, I went through the notes you wrote in bright red pen ALL over the script I poured my heart and soul into and, well, I noticed the words "Lazy Writing" in big block letters a lot.

PA: And?

Me: Well, not to be disrespectful--but, *deep breath* um, I guess I don't understand what I did wrong.

PA: *heavy sigh* Were you paying attention during my lecture?

Me: Yes, of course--all four hours of it--every week. I've been taking so many notes my hand hurts by the end. But...I followed your rules, and worked very hard, and I really thought I had it right this time.

PA: Really? *takes marked up script from my sweaty palms* Well, let's see, shall we? *flips through pages*  *finds first example on page one* Ah, here we go. What's this tidbit in your scene description about there only being one earring on the dresser. 

Me:  That's very important. It's a clue. That missing earring saves the world. Don't you remember my climax?  

PA: Yes, I do. But, why are you mentioning it like this? 

Me: Because I'm building my mystery. You know, the whole "earring of destiny" plot line. I'm slipping it in right from the start--like we're supposed to. How is that lazy?

PA: *Eyes fill with pity* Um... Shannon?


Me: Yes?


PA: Do the characters even notice that the earring is missing?

Me: Well...no--but I figured, this is only page 1. I don't want to give too much away.

PA: Uh huh. So do you bring it up again later?

Me: Of course. In the climax.

PA: What about before that?

Me: Well...no, because I don't want to give everything away. I mean, if I tell too much I'll ruin the surprise when everyone finds out the earring holds the super secret last ingredient to the elixir of life, wiping out death forever.

PA: And your climax happens on what page?

Me: Around page 100. 

PA: So let me get this straight. You really think your audience is going to remember something your characters didn't even notice or know was important, something you only mention once and then don't  mention again for 100 pages?

Me:  Oh. *Swallows lump in throat* Right. Never thought of it that way. So, I guess I need to work that in a little more, huh?

PA:  If you want to pass my class.

Me:  Right. *stomach lurches* So...I'll just go get cracking on that then. *Slinks away with tail between legs*

Well, that was...painful. (I swear I'm going to start having film school nightmares again) But I think it illustrates the trap pretty well.

For some of us, our plots involve complex mysteries, and we get afraid to give away clues because we don't want to "give too much away" or "ruin the surprise." But do you see the problem?

If you don't give enough away, you kill your suspense, ruin your climax and confuse your readers. You can't assume that they're going to put the pieces together the same way you do--and you certainly can't hold back from giving them the pieces because you're afraid they'll put them together too soon.

And yet, sometimes that's exactly what we do. We mention a clue once, and then we don't mention it again until it pays off in the end. Even worse, when we mention it, we do so only in passing, not even drawing any attention to it. Why? Because we get afraid that if we draw attention to it, like, I don't know, have the character actually NOTICE it, we'll send up red flags in our readers heads, "This is a clue! Alert! Alert!" and suddenly they'll know everything and decide our book was totally predictable and stop reading. And that, unfortunately, is lazy writing.

Why?

Because we're assuming that our reader knows where we're going and most likely, they don't. Never assume your reader knows what's going on. Hold their hand through it. You don't want to beat them over the head either, but you certainly have to guide them--especially with a complex plot line.

The trick is to lead them along slowly. Think of your clues like a trail of breadcrumbs. Scatter them throughout your plot, spread them around in tiny pieces. And when your character reaches one, have them acknowledge it! If the character doesn't acknowledge it, one of two things will happen: either the reader won't acknowledge it either (bad) or, the reader will notice it and then question the intelligence of the character for missing something that seems so obvious (worse). Either way, you haven't done your plot or your book any favors.

I think this problem--more than many others--is why you need good Critique Partners, people with fresh eyes who can read your story and let you know if you're being to vague or too blunt. It's a fine line to walk, and I'm still struggling with it every day in my draft. But it's a battle we have to fight, because if we don't, we won't do our beautiful stories the justice they deserve.

Like yesterday, I'll share the homework assignment that went along with this lecture. You don't have to do it, but it's there if you want it. And if you decide to give it a try, you're welcome to post it in your comments.

Exercise

Take a book that you think does an especially good job of leading you along the plot, and write a list of all the clues the author provided and when and how they were brought to the character's attention.

(the original assignment was with a script, but since most of you are writing books I figured it would make more sense to do this with a book)

Then take your outline/draft/idea and write a list of all the clues you have (or are planning on) providing and when and how you bring them to your character's attention.

Compare.