This Friday we want to introduce you to the YARebels vlog. Vloging is definitely becoming a huge hit with authors and readers, so check them out. According to their site they are:

"Seven young adult writers and authors, in different stages of the publishing world, vlogging about what its really like behind the scenes. The agent hunt, revising, books we're loving, everything's fair game."

Also be sure and check out Gretchen McNeil, one of the founding members of the YARebels vlog who writes under the name Monday. Her debut novel titled POSSESS will now make its debut Fall 2011!

Does anyone else have this problem?

I don’t outline.  Like Talia, as she mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, I’m a pantser, not a plotter.  I count myself lucky that I write historical novels, because at least I have a framework already in place.  However structurally unsound it might be.

Instead, I have a fully-formed character, who leaps at me from some cryptic corner of my brain.  Often surprising me in a mundane activity, like chopping vegetables or walking the dog.  Or recently, on a road trip.

This character needs to be heard.  She has a fabulous voice.  Strength.  Integrity.  Flaws.  (oh, heartbreaking flaws!)  And she has a story.  It’s sketched out in history.  But present and tangible and emotional in this fictional avatar (for want of a better word). 

So here’s the problem (you knew I was getting to it, right?).  I sit down at the keyboard.  This character is there on my fingers, ready and eager to dance.  I’m a little sketchy on the sensory details of setting (the palace was torn down in the 18^th century.  I need a research trip…) but I can address that in revision. 

What I can’t address first thing, on that page, at that very moment, is that my first chapter bites.  From the first word (the – how boring is that?).  It begins sluggishly and goes downhill.  It is completely bereft of hooks.  Pacing has been thrown out the window.  Nothing advances the plot.  The character loses her voice halfway through. I introduce a character we are bound never to meet again.  I switch tenses.

And that’s the good stuff.

So what do I do?  I whine.  (The Muses nod). I decide on a tense, grit my teeth, lie back and think of chapter two.  I start over.  Twice.  I pull out every research book I own.  I go to the library.  I buy more 3x5 cards.

And then, last Friday, my friend Bret Ballou sent me an e-mail.  And said this:  Ok. Pay attention: WRITE A CRAPPY FIRST CHAPTER. Just do it. And then move on. I give you permission.

And that’s all I needed.  I couldn’t give myself permission to write a crappy first chapter.  And I know, from past experience, that I can’t write a good first chapter until I’ve already been through at least two (OK, five) revisions.  (OK, more like ten).  Sure, it makes me feel wimpy and weirdly dependent, but it gave me the kick in the pants I needed.  I’m now on chapter four. 

So to anybody out there who’s beginning a novel – your first, your second, your tenth – I give your permission to write a crappy first chapter.  Heck, I give you permission to write a crappy first draft.  And if you don’t accept my permission?  Call Bret.  Or read Anne Lamott.  Or go to your writing friends.  We’ll all tell you the same thing.  Muffle the inner critic that says your first chapter bites.  And write.

My daughter once told me that the only reason I wrote a novel and worked toward getting it published was so I could get free books.  She watched me covet tweets and posts of writers reading ARCs of books that haven’t even been released, and said, “that’s the reason you write, isn’t it?  To get free ARCs?”

At the time I laughed and admitted that she wasn’t entirely wrong.  I write for a thousand reasons, all of which only slightly outnumber the hundreds of reasons I can come up with not to write.  My love of reading is one of the things that tips the scales in my favor.  Just walking into a bookstore gets my adrenaline pumping.  That new book smell gets me every time.  It doesn’t matter if I have a dozen books stacked on my nightstand, I can always make room for one (or three) more.

I got my first ARC in August, just before my manuscript was sent out on submission.  I hung back after an SCBWI lecture to say hello to an editor who had passed around an ARC of a book by an author that Sarah represents.  I asked the editor if she had worked on the book.  Not only was this editor kind enough to chat with me about the book, and even ask after my own project, she let me take her ARC of DARK GODDESS, Sarwat Chadda’s follow up to DEVIL’S KISS.

It was all I could do to keep from running through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt shouting “The new phone book is here!  The new phone book is here!”  

Flash forward a few months later, and here I am in a New York hotel room, fresh off a lovely trip to visit the Egmont offices, where I had the joy of meeting the editor of my debut novel, Elizabeth Laws.  Elizabeth pulled out a canvas bag and took me over to the Egmont bookshelves and let me pick some ARCs to take home.  I tried to act all cool and I think I even managed a look of mild interest, but inside there was screaming, squealing and not a little jumping up and down. 

Five gorgeous ARCs are laid out on the bed:  THE LOST SAINT by Bree Despain; HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire; THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski; A & L DO SUMMER by Jan Bazanin; and MY LIFE, THE THEATER AND OTHER TRAGEDIES by Allen Zadoff.  This makes me very, very happy.  Of course I’m thrilled to get to read these books now, rather than later. 

But the truth is my daughter was right.  Getting my hands on these amazing books makes it all worthwhile somehow.  I’m finally a part of the world and not just looking in from the outside.

I’ve had a fabulous time in New York.  I’ve met my charming agent Sarah Davies live and in person (she’s just as lovely and brilliant as you think), dined with fellow Greenhouse author Megan Miranda (who was sweet as can be even after I drank her orange juice) and sipped Vampire-themed martinis with Elizabeth Law (who is something of a kindred spirit). 

What could possibly top that? 

Books. 

I think my daughter is on to something.  I’m in it for the books. 

Megan Miranda and Talia Vance in NYC.

For the past two weeks, I've been revising my manuscript for Barbara Lalicki, my wonderful editor at HarperCollins. One thing became abundantly clear when I received her notes: Barbara is a total, top-notch, scary-good pro. She's taken my story and put it under a microscope, weighing character, plot, setting, word choice, etc. I can't tell you what a relief it was to see such a close eye on my pages. It really made me feel like I've got a partner - and I do in Barbara. I know she wants to see UNDER THE NEVER SKY rise to its greatest potential, just as I do.

What does that have to do with finding the writing groove? Well, the revisions I'm doing now have jumped to a whole new level. Much of the time it's difficult work. Yes, I said work. Important work. My husband tells me that the last 10% of any undertaking is always the hardest part and I'd say that's true here (although I can't be sure I only have 10% to go... Might be closer to 15%) The point is that lately as I begin my writing days I feel a bit as I'm going into battle. It's something of a new phenomenon for me. Usually, I'm slavering to get to writing. (Yes, I did just use the word slavering. That's another side effect of revision brain. Random word choices.)

So I've developed a few habits that help get me going. I'm sharing them with you in case you find yourself in a slow groove, when getting started is tough.

1) Leave home - In general, at my house these days, there's more laundry in the hamper and less food in the refrigerator. One day, I didn't even make the beds. (This is unheard of for me.) I am a stay at home mother, but what's happened in becoming a professional writer (OMG I can't believe I just said that) is that, well, I have to be a pro. Just like my editor. This is my priority now. It's always been up there. But now, I'm a writer first and foremost. The laundry and groceries will get done. But until the revision is complete and returned, the writing needs to take precedence. By leaving home and going to my parent's house or a coffee shop, I don't see all the tasks that could suck me away from important time on my manuscript. (Side note: I used to work full time, as I am now on this revision, but I've never done it before as a mother. And I have to say, I want to give all you working mothers out there a giant hug and then a day at the spa. You're all amazing. Oh, and p.s. any tips on juggling home and work are greatly appreciated.)

2) Music - Quite simply, it puts my head in the right place. For this story, I've been gorging on Kings of Leon, Bach's cello concertos, and opera. Yes, opera. It's a long story... about 365 pages or so. You can read it sometime in early 2012.

3) Walks - When I'm struggling, a walk around the block does wonders to shake things loose. Reminds you there's a big world out there, with lots of other things happening, and you know. Don't take yourself so seriously! You're going to sit down to WRITE, for goodness sakes! How lucky are YOU???

4) Freedom - This is a downloadable program that lets you set a timer in which your computer is taken off line. No facebook or twitter = productivity. I think a simple google search will pull it up. Or you can just turn off your wi-fi.

5) Photos - I have a file for all my research photos for UNDER THE NEVER SKY. There are pictures of people who remind me of characters, places that look like the settings I'm trying to create, etc. Browsing through these can help me get in the zone.

6) Reading - Sometimes, picking up a research book will get me excited or spur a fresh idea. Also, I have what I like to call an author-trainer. He has no idea he's my trainer. But he is. His name is Justin Cronin and he wrote THE PASSAGE, which was out this summer (along with several other award-winning books.) I love Justin's third person voice. Something about it really resonates with me. When I read a few pages, I get inspired. It's like Justin is going, "Come on. You know you want to write like this. Get moving, V. You got this. Blood, sweat and tears, V! Get off your lazy---" OK, actually I'm sure Justin is much nicer than this. But that's the feeling I get when I read a bit of his writing. So thank you, Justin.

7) Indulge in a little self congratulation - When it's really tough, I go digging for all the positive comments I've received on my writing. It's like the opposite of a pity party. I look for my editor's praising comments. I'm so fortunate to find these readily in my emails and notes with Barbara. Those comments can give me a real shot of confidence to get back to work. I might throw out an email to good friends or the Muses, looking for a little validation (Muses & dear writer friends - you rock). And I might, just maybe, make a little comment on the phone with my super-agent, Josh Adams, who's always ready and willing to dispense with some encouragement. Folks, we all need a little dose of the positive here and there. Don't be afraid to remind yourselves of the progress you've made. Feeling good never hurt anyone.

8) Read something that's yours but fresh - This one I just remembered, but I'm going to try it this morning. When I dig up old projects that are forgotten and dusty (virtually dusty) with age, I see that, yes, I can in fact write something decent. I know that sounds silly, but when you get as close to a manuscript as I am now with UTNS, you're looking for all the mistakes and weaknesses. You get so close that these are the only things you see. Reading old writing can remind you of the point, which is to tell a good story. To string together words in such a way that some kind of magic happens, and they aren't words anymore. They become a person with a particular kind of personality. A person with a problem, or a need. They exist in a place that you can see and smell and even feel with your hands. That's good stuff, knowing you can do that. And if you've managed it once, well, you can do it again.

All right. Those are my tricks. I meant to wrap this post up nicely, but honestly, just writing about getting inspired has gotten me inspired. It's time to get to work.

Go forth and write!

I walked into a bookstore this weekend and found myself wandering up and down the aisles of the Young Adult book section. Somewhere between the volumes with author names beginning with R’s and the W’s, I pulled out a blue spine of a book and stared down at the cover. How in the world does this book, from an author I’ve never heard of, compete with all the other books on these shelves? Books with big name, proven authors and gorgeous displays of mesmerizing covers on endcaps for everyone to see. The even bigger question was how do I, a yet unpublished author of Young Adult books, compete with all of these amazing titles? It felt completely overwhelming.

Competition is hard wired into my nature. I can’t help it. My father was a star high school athlete and later a coach. Not the Saturday morning kind of volunteer coach, but a football/basketball “does-it-for-a-living” kind of coach. Growing up in Texas, that was serious. There were many a Saturday morning when boys with squeaky adolescent voices would show up on our porch to ask, “Can your father come out and play?” One of my favorite childhood pictures shows a bench full of gawky fifteen year olds in basketball uniforms with one tiny, pigtailed little girl sitting at the end. That was me.

When I was barely able to hold a glove, my dad was playing catch with me in the front yard. That led to a passion for playing fast pitch softball. I was a catcher –a not-so-glamorous position that required a high tolerance for pain. I spent many a summer day, with my broken fingers taped together inside my glove, catching a ball thrown toward me at amazing speeds. I didn’t endure all of that just for the love of the game. I played to win.

That childhood love of competing has, for the most part, served me well. It’s helped me do things I never thought I could do-both personally and professionally. And even though competition surely has a dark side, here are some things that help me when I feel that competitive spirit kick in:

1) Compete at the proper level. In order to make the best of my competitive energy there has to be a chance of actually “winning.” The goal has to be obtainable-maybe slightly beyond my grasp-but possible to reach. If the goal is too overwhelming, it’s easy to lose the desire to compete, give up and walk away. Sometimes my writing goals are to finish a couple of pages of a new manuscript, sometimes the goal is more far reaching-but there always has to be the possibility that I can actually get there. That’s when I’m competing at my best.

2) Celebrate the “wins” along the way. I’m approached every day by people who want to write books, but few actually take the journey. So I try to compete with myself to reach the next step in the process-not the ultimate goal. I celebrate finishing a manuscript, completing the edits, finding an agent, going out on submission. I know the odds to this game, but each time I reach one of those milestones, I know I’m joining a smaller and smaller percentage of writers out there.

3) Find a support group that serves as a team. When the team wins, you win. The Muses have already had amazing success this year and we all celebrate together every single one. A good writers’ group should function like that. Supportive, challenging and focused toward the success of all. I’ve been involved in groups in the past that it was apparent that some participants had absolutely no desire to help anyone else in the group. They just wanted their moment in the spotlight. You can’t have a softball team full of fantastic catchers-you need every position to play their unique best.

So if you happen to see me wandering around Barnes and Nobles with a completely overwhelmed expression, I hope you’ll remind me-the game is on. And, while you’re at it, remind yourself, too.