Fools Rush In, but Winners Never Quit

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Had enough adages?

I've got millions more:

• Never say die.
• Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
• Ours is not to question why; ours is but to do or die.
• Fail your way to success.
• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Okay, I don't have a million. I have five.

This is my lame attempt at an introduction to a man with something important to say: Larry Brooks of the Storyfix web site talks today about how, in the literary industry, NO means I DON'T KNOW.

Go read his article, and then...

Don't rush in. But don't quit till you win.

Also worth a read: Kelly's post on The Limits of Hope

Cue the Violins: Emotional Triggers in Literature

I cry at movies. All. the. time.

Just before the birth of my second son, I went to a movie with a group of moms and our toddlers: Madagascar 2. It was a free matinée, and you really do get what you pay for, unfortunately. Between old ladies getting punched loudly by cartoon lions and sultry romance scenes involving wet hippos (yeah, it really was that bad), there was a scene that made me cry.

It had to do with the lion and his dad. And it should NOT have made me cry.

(In my defense, I was pregnant.)

Tracing back through my past crying-in-movies behavior, there's one common link that threads these incidents together:

Music.

Usually violins, but it can really be anything that's lyrical, legato, and swelling. My brain knows without me even thinking about it that whatever accompanies the music is going to be touching, tragic, or joyful--and my body reacts.

At various times, I've felt a little angry at how easily I'm manipulated by movie scores. After all, I don't wear mascara for nothing! And I don't want it dripping slowly down my cheeks, defeating its whole purpose.

But I really can't help it. Since I was a child, I've been watching movies--lots of movies. And they all use the same tactics to manipulate (or if you'd rather, evoke) emotion. So it makes perfect sense that, just like Pavlov's salivating dogs, I'll cry every time I hear the swelling, power ballad whistle.

But it got me wondering... can the same effect be achieved in literature? Not that I want to go around making people cry for nothing! But emotions trigger memory recall, and if you want your readers to remember the story you're telling them (and the point, because every story has a point), then it's worth thinking about emotional triggers.

So what sets the stage for an emotional connection between a reader and your characters?
Here's what I've come up with based on my reading. Add your insights to my list in the comments.

Setting the Stage for Emotional Triggers


-signs of stress, like hearts pounding, tongues swelling??, stomachs fluttering


-prolonged longing finally actualized (the back-and-forth couple realizes at last that they're perfect for each other, e.g. Twilight, Pride and Prejudice)


-threatening death and then letting a conflicted character's decision to do the right thing save the day (mouthful, e.g. Harry Potter a million times over)


-"Please Mia, don't make me write a song." (from IF I STAY by Gayle Forman) aka inside joke made tragic


-"You love me. Real or not real?" 
I tell him, "Real." (from MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins) aka tearing the reader's heart out with tender manifestations of vulnerability

Now you know what makes me cry. What triggers your sob reflex?

Mystery Agent and Middle Grade Love

Head over to Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent Reveal Party right now...

Come back and read this later. :)

I've got some love for a middle grade book today. It's cute. It's clever. And even though the protagonists are two little girls, it's a book that defies the gender gap.

The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)

For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

The good news? There's even more of this book to love! I'm counting EIGHT Sisters Grimm books on goodreads (and when we finish reading those, there's a fun book also by Michael Buckley called N.E.R.D.S. that looks like it's right up my--er, my sons' alley).

I'm the mother of two little boys, so maybe it seems odd that I'm all excited about a series written about girl detectives. And I'll admit, when I started reading this book to my almost 4-year-old before nap time, I thought it would be something mainly for me to enjoy as his little head lulled off to sleep. But each page was filled with action and attitude, which boys and girls love just the same. It took him much longer than usual to fall asleep because he was engaged in the story (not that I'm complaining).

Michael Buckley did an excellent job characterizing Sabrina, the older sister, as a brave, distrusting soul who always has their next home cased for escape, should the need arise. She's the perfect body guard for little sister, Daphne, who thinks Great Danes are adorable, and green meatballs are exciting! Together, they navigate a strange new world where everything they read in fairy tales is true... more or less. Daphne's more at home in this world than Sabrina, with her childlike faith and forgiving nature. Ironically, it's Sabrina--normally suspicious of everyone--whose sudden bout of trust gets them double-crossed. And since there's more than one trickster in the story, you'll have a fun time trying to figure out who the double-crosser will be!

With action, humor, and a touching dose of realism in the relationship between the girls and their missing parents, The Fairy Tale Detectives won my heart.

How about you? Read any great middle grade lately?

Character Meme (a.k.a. procrastination tool)

It's Nano month and I'm swamped with writing I should have done and beta reads I've committed to (that I swear I really, really want to do and am on my way to finishing up very soon)!

Time for some character meme fun!

Using my Nano WIP, I'll answer a few bizarre questions about my characters that I hope will give us all a clearer understanding of who they are. At least that's the excuse I'm giving myself for having some fun with my characters instead of writing. Hey, maybe this will help me understand where to take them next. 

Choose ten of your OCs, then answer the questions. (My MC, Azalea, is not listed here)

1) Gabriel Blake: the seventeen-year-old love interest/mission target

2) Natalie Blake: Gabriel's dramatic fourteen-year-old sister

3) Zinc: the mysterious, centuries older paranormal being who haunts my MC

4) Brody: Gabriel's BFF, the pervy Aca-Deca genius

5) Tabitha: the Seer and my MC's scary-powerful mentor

6) Garrett: jazz scenester with a volatile temper and sordid past

7) Mrs. Blake: slightly overweight housewife, member of an ancient secret society

8) Sara Cross: Gabriel's ex-girlfriend, fly girl cheerleader

9) The Kenzian Council: several powerful beings merged into one

10) Mrs. S: high school band teacher

1. 4 invites 3 and 8 to dinner at their house. What happens?

Brody would never invite Zinc to a dinner with Sara. He'd want to keep her all to himself, and Zinc is just too charming. So what probably happened was that Sara and Brody were on a date and Zinc crashed it for his own nefarious reasons. Sara's going all googly-eyed on him, and Brody's frantically trying to gain control of the conversation by listing his various academic accomplishments. Brody would call the night a disaster. Zinc would call it a lark, and Sara would call it a much-needed distraction.

2. 9 tries to get 5 to go to a strip club. What happens?

LOL. Okay, so the Kenzian Council is trying to get its Seer into a strip club... probably in an effort to acclimate the pure-hearted Tabitha to the seedier musical element of society. Perhaps they think her process would be improved in matching people with the most opportune callings. Tabitha will perform chakra cleanses every twenty seconds and then zap out. The Council will realize its error and spend the next century apologizing.

3. You need to stay at a friend's house for a night. Who do you choose: 1 or 6?

Hmm, it would have to be Gabriel. I'm a sucker for the softies. Garrett is too, umm, scary.

4. 2 and 7 are making out. 10 walks in. What is their reaction?

Okay, Natalie is making out with her mom... Mrs. S is calling social services. Yuck. Some of these just don't work.

5. 3 falls in love with 6. 8 is jealous. What happens?

Okay, Zinc and Garrett, huh? This one doesn't work either because of a sexual orientation problem. But Sara definitely would be jealous b/c WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE HOTS FOR ZINC? She'd just go off and sulk, though. Confrontation isn't her thing.

6. 4 jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue: 10, 2, or 7?

Brody is totally creepy enough to jump me in a dark alleyway. Natalie would save me, though. She's a little firecracker who's never liked Brody and hates his guts for betraying her brother. She'd kick his butt all over southern California.

7. 1 decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what is happening?

Azalea is gently trying to explain to Gabriel that, while he is good at many things (surfing, car-restoration, grammar, jazz, and cuddling), cooking just isn't one of them. He's not horrible, mind you. But a cooking show would be a sad waste of his real talents. There are enough recipes for meatballs floating around, anyway.

8. 3 has to marry either 8, 4, or 9. Whom do they choose?

Oh, this is kinda funny, actually, but you won't get it unless you read my book (ha!)-- Zinc has to marry Sara Cross, the Kenzian Council, or grody Brody. While any other guy would totally go for the hot cheerleader, Zinc has only ever wanted one thing: power. He'd totally marry the Council.

9. 7 kidnaps 2 and demands something from 5 for 2's release. What is it?

Mrs. Blake would demand Azalea be bound and delivered to her. But since she has kidnapped her own daughter, she's not likely to get anything from Tabitha, especially not her prized pupil. Nobody would believe she'd hurt her own daughter.

10. Everyone gangs up on 3. Does 3 have a chance in hell?

Definitely. He's wily. But it would be tough if the Council and the Vanquishers teamed up to destroy him, especially if Azalea stopped kissing Gabe long enough to join the fight. In that case, there'd be no fight. Just Zinc zapping around till his light snuffs out.

11. Everyone is invited to 2 and 10's wedding except for 8. How do they react?

Another match that wouldn't happen, but Sara Cross wouldn't care she wasn't invited. Social status is the last thing on this cheerleader's mind. Her goals don't involve a lot of people--just her and her career.

12. Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Anybody would be afraid of Mrs. Blake. Sure, she seems sweet at first, until you find the collection of daggers in her hide-a-pantry.

13. 1 arrives late for 2 and 10's wedding. What happens, and why were they late?

Gabriel is protesting his kid sister's marriage to a much, much older woman (his band teacher, no less). All sorts of laws are being broken in this meme.

14. 5 and 9 get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! After I stop laughing, I pull out the fire extinguishers. The Seer and the Council are angry drunks with absolutely no tolerance for alcohol.

15. 9 murders 2's best friend. What does 2 do to get back at them?

Natalie's going to join the Vanquishers, intent on destroying the Council, but not because she believes in their cause. It's totally personal.

16. 6 and 1 are in mortal peril and only one of them can survive. Does 6 save themself or 1?

Garrett always saves himself first. Not that Gabriel needs his help. Surfers are tough and resourceful.

17. 8 and 3 go camping. For some reason they forgot to bring along any food. What do they do?

Ha! Sara wishes Zinc would camp with her! Since Zinc doesn't need the same kind of fuel Sara does, he'll probably just ditch her and go look for Azalea. Sara's spunky. She'll survive.

18. 5 is in a car crash and is critically injured. What does 9 do?

What Tabitha is doing in a car when she can just zap around the world on a whim, I'm not sure. Perhaps she's pretending to be human... Even if her chi is thrown completely off balance in the crash, the Council could right her with a simple light-cleanse.

19. The quiz is over. Tag someone.

Some of that was weird, but most of it was really fun to think about. 

Are you plot-stuck during Nano? Maybe this meme will help. I'm not going to tag you officially, but if you need some character development or plot ideas ("ooh, maybe 3 and 7 SHOULD get married"), then give it a go. :) 

Right, then. Back to work, Katrina. I'm at 16,400 words on the Nano WIP.

Is all middle grade Harry Potter now?

Got your attention with that title, huh? You know and I know that not all middle grade is like Harry Potter, but I wonder about the general population sometimes.

I wrote a middle grade novel this past year. It's around 40k words long, has goofy titles and the super villains all have special names, usually using alliteration and universal symbols.

It's about a thirteen-year-old boy with two living, co-habitat parents, and an evil twin brother who drives him nuts--not an eleven-year-old orphan forced to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in the Muggle world.

So why are my anonymous reviews coming back with, "It's like you're trying to copy Harry Potter but not as good," or "Great story! Reminds me of Harry Potter"?

What the heck, people.

First of all, not a fair comparison. No other middle grade novel has been as popular as Harry Potter... ever. Second of all, if you must compare one work to another, there are other middle grade novels in the world, certainly others that more aptly match what I've written. I don't claim it's entirely unique. After all, how unique could a super villain story be considered in the year two big-budget animated movies came out about super villains? (Despicable Me and Mega Mind)

I love Harry Potter, don't get me wrong. Have my tickets for Deathly Hallows: Part I bought and waiting. I'm a big fan.

But this is my own story. It's not about Harry. Not about wizards or wand lore or magical creatures of any kind.

Like many other middle grade novels, it is about kids solving their own problems. It's about goofy or wicked adults who pose problems for the kids, and it's about the complexities of being loyal to your family while simultaneously becoming your own person.

But that doesn't mean it's Harry Potter.

I feel like shouting from my rooftop, "READ MORE MIDDLE GRADE!"

For the benefit of anybody who stumbles across this post by Googling "harry potter", please leave your middle grade book recommendations in the comments. Let's start a new trend where middle grade is taken for what it is and not endlessly compared to one (albeit brilliant) series. :)

p.s. I wrote 6k words on my YA Urban Fantasy Nanowrimo WIP last night!! I'm not totally caught up, but halfway there. My word count stands at 15,500 now.

p.p.s. I'll start the recommendations: In keeping with the super power theme, I highly recommend POWERLESS by Matthew Cody. I'm currently reading THE SISTERS GRIMM by Michael Buckley and finding it absolutely delightful! There are classics like WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson Rawls, and THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster.

And the winner of a full NaNoWriMo beta-read is...

Ready to crown our winner?

Me, too! Let's do it!

The TWO winners of last week's NaNoWriMo Logline Contest are:

Emy Shin 

and 

Feywriter 

(Emy and Fey, email me your finished stories at katrina.lantz (at) gmail (dot) com in December, or whenever they're ready for a beta read. I'm looking forward to the exciting reads!)

It's so hard to sum up your novel in one line, whether you've finished writing it or not. I was impressed with all the entries and it was tough to pick one (umm, impossible, really). So I picked two, but that's my max! You guys know how busy December is. :) Thanks to everybody who entered!

Keep polishing your completed novel pitches because Operation Awesome will be having a December contest. (Note about the December contest: please do not pitch your Nano novel to our Mystery Agent. Give it time to simmer before you really tackle your revisions. You'll be glad you did.)

Kristal also has declared a BLOG BANNER WINNER over at her blog, so check that out, if you entered, to see if you're the lucky winner.

I've got a new article up on The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog:
Writers, do you read?

Lastly, but not leastly, I must direct you to Operation Awesome for a fabulous guest post by... 

Cortnee Howard 

Editor in Chief of The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog...Period.

Taboos for Aspiring Writers

(Picture from this website)

Confession: I'm a nerd.

This won't be a surprise to my friends who have been following this blog for any length of time. I've always been a dweeb, but now it's getting dangerous.

Because now the cool kids are actually waving to me in the halls and signing my yearbook. And now they're going to notice if I do something horribly taboo.

So, I need your help to compile a list of taboos for aspiring writers. What are the common-sense no-nos that dweebs like me don't have the common sense to avoid?

I'll start it out with a few I've heard of (or maybe at some point actually committed myself). I'll let you guess (silently, in your head, please) which ones I've committed. Add your own suggestions in the comments. Here I go.

TABOOS FOR WRITERS

1. Complaining about writing/querying/agents/publishers/bestsellers in the public eye. Jonathan Franzen, I'm looking at you.

2. Responding to a rejection or a bad review, even politely.

3. Being too familiar or chummy with an agent or editor in email, blog comments, twitter, or facebook.

4. Querying a book that hasn't been written (unless it's non-fiction, of course).

5. Querying a non-fiction book without a platform.

6. Talking about yourself more than your book in the query letter.

7. Giving agents parenting advice using twitter @ replies.

8. Fangirling (fanboying?) over favorite authors/books/movies with excessive squee-ing and OMGoodness-ing on your writing blog.

9. Posting bad writing on your blog.

10. Publicly disagreeing with the mainstream of agents or others in positions of power ("And that's why, you see, agents should be querying writers.").

11. Querying a novel in a tweet.

12. Pitching an incomplete book idea in a tweet.

13. Proposing marriage to an editor in a tweet.

14. Emailing an agent at more than one email address, for any reason.

15. Putting a smiley face in an email to an agent or editor who hasn't first smiley-faced you.

Okay, that's a good start. I'm relying on you guys to fill me in on what I've missed. 

Other interesting links and tidbits: 


Operation Awesome (always something fun going on there)


Elana Johnson (she's been writing about her writing process--good stuff)


My logline contest has closed. THANK YOU to everyone who entered. My final decision will be posted Friday. I'm excited to read somebody's awesome Nano novel this December!


And my Nano update: 8,360 words


Yes, I am some odd-8,000 words behind. I'm aware of the problem, and technical representatives are standing by to.... I'm working on it, okay! :) Have a nice day, and happy writing!