Some snow, a fire, new book—oh my!

Yesterday I said this on Twitter:

Let's just say that it was an exciting day. Shall I explain?

Despite the fact that it's only the beginning of October and that it was 80ºF earlier this week, I woke up to something that looked like this:

This is my backyard . . . look at that poor hammock!

Actually, my entire day looked a little like that, but increasing amounts of snow. It was certifiable blizzard weather with whiteouts and slush and fender benders everywhere. Also, because none of our trees have changed color yet, a lot of broken branches. Driving downtown was a little like going through a warzone, with branches and leaves and destruction everywhere.

The part where this starts getting really memorable is up next though. Our power went out. This, in itself is not a big deal. Happens every winter. However, twenty minutes later our chimney got clogged somehow and smoke began billowing into our house.

How do you fix this? Well, you dump your fire (aka: flaming logs) into an ash bucket and throw them outside into snow. Then, when the fire is fully out, you open all of your windows in an attempt to air out the smoke. Then you freeze to death since, you know, there's no heater because the power's out.

Haha, kind of a ridiculous combination of events, yeah?

Well, things are better now. There is light and heat and internet (the important things). The upstairs is a bit of a smokey . . . but I supposed we'll get a better chance to air it out in two days when it's supposed to hit the 60ºFs. *rolls eyes* Oh, and the book I bought? Ilsa J. Bick's Ashes. :)

So, you guys have any particularly interesting weather stories? I've got another good one about a tornado on Valentine's Day, but we'll save that for another time. Anyway. Has it snowed yet where you live? Or have you ever bought a good book that somehow transformed your crazy day? Tell me in the comments.

How should we rec books?

So, Brenna Braaten and I were at the bookstore the other day, when something kinda entertaining happened.

But let's set the scene. Teen book section. Lots of glossy, delightful covers. A table stacked full of books. Supernaturally on display, despite the fact that it was a few days before the official release. There was also a couple wandering the aisles, looking confused.

It turns out that they were trying to find a book for a 12-year-old girl who loves to read. And they didn't really know where to start. So they asked us. Because somehow we looked reliable. Or something.

I found the whole thing kind of hilarious, especially considering the whole WSJ drama of late. Of course, there was a happy ending to this story. We suggested a bunch of different books and the couple seemed super happy with our wealth of knowledge on the matter.

But unfortunately, not everyone has access to a pair of aspiring authors in their local bookstore. And not everyone has perused the book blogs or goes to the library or has someone to make appropriate suggestions.

So how do you guys think we can go about recommending books for teens? Or, more generally, to people that don't usually read? How can we make it easier to help people find something worth their time? And what about a rating system--should we implement something similar to the manga rating system for all books? Tell me what you think in the comments.

10 things I did this weekend

A lot of people will tell you that the best thing a writer can do is write. And read. And repeat. And then maybe do some social networking. This is somewhat true, but it's also important to step away from that cycle and live a little. So here are ten things I did this weekend instead of writing up a blog post:

1. Went to the Montana Folk Festival and fell in love with Vishten.
2. Ate a lemondairy. It's basically ice cream and lemon slushie. Together. How was it? Well, it was pretty lemon . . . wait for it . . . dairy!
3. Watched Boyfriend play the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood online multiplayer. Not so terribly interesting, but the costumes were super pretty. Lots of ruffly sleeves and corsets and jackets with lacy bits.
4. Played pinochle. Lost miserably.
5. Had a horrible migraine that lasted for about six hours. That was delightful. I also slept a lot and strapped an ice pack to my head. It was stylish.
6. Got tan. Or rather, freckled. This is coming from a white girl who doesn't really change color. Ever. So it's relatively eventful. And I even managed to avoid getting a sunburn. Win!
7. Went to Walmart three times in an attempt to get cash back. Forgot every single time.
8. Saw a bunny rabbit!
9. Ate a bunch of other festival food. You guys don't really know this about me, but I'm a bit of a secret foodie. Because food is delicious. I'll resist subjecting you to the list, though there was a gyro to die for.
10. Had a decent idea for the revisions on my WIP. Because it's impossible to keep my mind off it for long.

So there you go. I did some stuff. What exciting things did you guys do during the weekend? Did you get some writing done, or did you soak up life like I did? Tell me in the comments!

I write with Boromir

Let's cut to the chase. Right now I'm living with my parents and we have three cats. Let me tell you about them.

1. Lucky: A fifteen-year-old Siamese who runs at the sight of any living creature that isn't part of our family. She also adores my father and follows him around the house, crooning with a special little "I love you" meow.
2. Eowyn: Yes, she's named for that warrior woman from Lord of the Rings. She's also referred to as hotdog, because when we first rescued her from the ditch (all of our cats were abandoned as kittens), hotdogs were the only thing she would eat. Eowyn has perfected the mournful cat yowl.
3. Boromir: Yes, like the dude from Lord of the Rings. What can I say, we have a running theme in this house. Our sheep are named after Grecian gods. Anyway, Boromir is also a girl. She is particularly fussy about being touched and is quite talkative. I've mentioned her before.

They are all good and dandy, but what you're all probably wondering is where I'm going with this. Well, while I've never had the joy of attending a writing retreat, I've can safely say that cats make some of the best writing partners.*

Now, I'm talking about Boromir in particular, as she's the only one who will visit me for extended periods of time. While I write, she likes to sleep on my bed. Occasionally I poke her with my foot, she lets out an adorable sleepy cat noise, and then we both get back to business.

Boromir is possibly the cutest cat ever. Just saying.

It doesn't seem like much, but it's nice having a low-key writing companion that isn't always asking why I haven't edited my next chapter yet or why I'm watching videos on YouTube. Also, Boromir's particular enough about being touched that her presence isn't super distracting. If I shower her with too much love, she'll whip out those teeth and claws as quick as a bullet.

So, yeah. That is my daring writing companion. But what about you guys? Who do you write with? Any pets, or are you lucky enough to have a writing buddy in the flesh? Tell me in the comments!

*Disclaimer: I am a rabid cat person.

The great binder clip hunt

One of my favorite times of year is Back to School season. Not because I have an affinity for the moans of young children as summer's end draws near, but because cool office supplies are in abundance. Ha, bet I've lost you all now, since, you know, it's not actually Back to School season. Well, that's the reason behind this post, actually.

Now, I told myself a long time ago that when I finished a full-length manuscript I would do two things: 1) I would get said manuscript printed out so I could luxuriate in its papery goodness, and 2) I would hold that papery goodness together with big, sexy binder clips. For some reason, I have always associated manuscripts with binder clips, so this seemed like a fantastic idea.

Then, of course, I finished a manuscript in March.

So Boyfriend and I went to Office Max. There we printed my manuscript out and searched for shiny new office supplies. I felt like I deserved delicious new goodies in which to rip my writing to shreds. Unfortunately, I usually binge on such supplies during back to school season, where there's an actual selection.

We grabbed some Sharpie highlighters, but found that there were no boxes of red Bic pens. And the binder clip selection? Totally wussy. They were all small and black. They couldn't hold 20 pages when my manuscript was almost 400. It was a disappointment, but we left the Office Max in good spirits and headed towards our other options.

There was nothing promising at Fred Meyer but some cool Post-It notes. Staples was home to the rare and elusive box of red Bic pens, but their binder clip selection was just as weak as Office Max's. Maybe this should have been an issue--but I had seen shiny fleur-de-lis binder clips there just a couple months ago! Wal-Mart was the last option, and while there were colorful binder clips, they were still so small. My manuscript was three inches thick. Where was giant binder clip for which I was searching?!

Simply enough, it was nowhere to be found.

I know they exist. You know the ones I'm talking about. Those giant binders clips that, if necessary, could work like a tourniquet for a young child. I've seen them before. So have you. But their absence, plus the strange rarity of those red pens brought me to a conclusion: no one cares about office supplies in March.

The moral of the story? August and September are the blessed months of the office supply nerd. Go shopping then.

In the end, I bought a butt-ton of small and medium binder clips, which I've been using on individual chapters of my manuscript. Someday though, mark my words, I'll find the ultimate binder clip. The god of binder blips. And you can bet that I'll be scoping the stores come Back to School season.

Wow, my hand looks extremely deranged in this picture. Also, binder clips!

So what about you guys? Do you have a fetish for office supplies? Can you only work with a special writing pen or with a specific brand of post-its? Or is any old thing good as long as it works? Also, how do you feel about binder clips? Tell me in the comments.

Be brave and write dangerously

Let me tell you about the best test I ever took in college.

It was the final for my fantasy literature class. This class sounds better than it really was. Our teacher was a quirky old man that looked like Colonel Sanders and couldn't stay on topic for the life of him. Normally students like teachers that don't stay off-topic. This was eighty minutes of rambling hell. When it was nearing finals week, I was actually kind of worried because we rarely talked about fantasy literature and all Colonel Sanders did was tell us that he rarely gave high grades.

Test day came. We sat at our desks with pens and blue books, waiting for inevitable doom. The prompt was handed out and it went something like this:

Write a thoughtful, multi-page answer to one of two following questions. One choice is safe, the other is dangerous. 

1. "Fancy quote about fantasy writing reflecting reality" according to Ursula le Guin. Support this claim using at least three works we've read over the semester. 
2. Write the beginning of a fantasy story. Make sure to follow the conventions we've been talking about all semester. It must take place in one of the following locations:

• Billings, MT (the "magic" city)
• A farmland
• Two other places I don't remember

I just remember sitting in my desk, watching as everyone else in class immediately started jotting things down in their blue books. Apparently they didn't need any time to make a decision.

At first, I almost answered the first question. But then I remembered something: I was a creative writing major. If there was anyone in this class of literature people that could write the beginning of a fantasy story, it was me. Sure, the other prompt was definitely the safe one, but if I had to be stuck in that room for two hours writing something, I was going to be writing something fun.

Everyone I talked to after class chose the first essay question. Even my fellow creative writing majors. Apparently I was the only one brave, or stupid, enough to take the plunge.

In the end, I got an A in the class. Some of those other people didn't.

Can you guess what the moral of this story is? One choice is safe, the other is dangerous. Sometimes we need to pick the scary choices, even if they don't seem like a good idea at the time.

Everyone in that class could write a decent answer to the first essay question. A lot of writers can write a candy coated fantasy with teen girls looking for love and elements of Harry Potter. Sure, it's not original, but it's trendy and might get you published.

Maybe it's hard to be brave enough to make something new and edgy. But you should do it anyway because your work will suffer if you don't. Don't make yourself write something because you think someone else will like it better. Write the things you want to write. Have fun! The next time you're dipping into cliche, challenge yourself. Cliches are all about being safe, but if you break away the walls, you can find something fresh.

Have you ever made the dangerous choice? Was it in your writing, or just in life? What were the stakes? Tell me your story in the comments.

My cat could be your super villain

Sometimes the craziest things happen when you least expect them . . . aka, when you're sleeping. For those of you who were following me on Twitter a few days ago, you might have found something entertaining in your early morning feed. For those of you that missed it, a quick rundown:

Yes, my cat was dive-bombing headfirst into furniture while playing with a mouse, which was screaming for its life as she flung it into the air. I love cats, but the next time you want to write a good villain, go watch a cat play with a mouse for a while--they're sadistic little fuzzballs.

In fact, animals in general are great to observe when you need help developing a character. Kinda sounds ridiculous, huh? Why not just watch a movie or read a book and observe on those characterizations?

Well, the emotions of animals are often expressed in the extreme.

When your dog is afraid of being left alone and accidentally locks himself in a room, he'll freak out and dig through the sheetrock (the dog was fine, btw). When your prissy cat refuses to drink water out of her bowl, she'll show up every time you go to the bathroom in hopes that you run the tapwater for her (this is a different cat).

They may be a little melodramatic, but these kinds of behaviors are fantastic. They're raw and primal and sometimes that's what a writer needs when trying to flesh out a character. Like animals, people don't always act according to logic, they act according to how they feel.

So next time your characters feel a little flat, channel your pets. Go visit a friend with a dog and watch how he reacts to things. Remember my cat as a super villain: she tortures the hero until he thinks all is lost, but somehow, in the end, he survived to fight another day.

What about you guys--any interesting pet stories? Have cats left you fleshy goodies on your front porch? Have you ever transported a dead llama? Tell me in the comments!

Oh, and if you haven't done so already, go enter my giveaway!

Writing is all about the pancakes

In my hometown there is a delicious pancake/steak restaurant called Smitty's. It looks something like this:

Yes, it's cute and quaint and strangely Scandinavian-looking.

To paint the scene: Smitty's is the kind of establishment that has doilies everywhere and antique plates lined across the walls. There's a large grandfather clock by the entrance and, in general, the people who eat there are three times my age.

Now, Boyfriend and I went for a late breakfast because, frankly, for me breakfast is a food group and Boyfriend claims that Smitty's has the best eggs benedict he's ever tasted. At the time, there were a grand total of two people on shift and six people in the restaurant. These six people were Boyfriend, myself, and a family of four.

So there we were. Food was ordered, juice was delivered, and everything was awesome. Then I heard thumping.

Thunk thunk thunk. It was the father at the table next to ours. Thunk thunk thunk. He was hammering on the base of a powdered sugar shaker with the palm of his hand. Thunk thunk thunk. I ignored him and went back to the conversation at hand. Thunk thunk thunk. A minute later and he was still pounding out sugar onto what must have a been a german pancake underneath that pile of snow.

Now, I've never eaten a german pancake. But I'm under the impression that you're actually supposed to be able to taste the pancake when eating it. Or, at least, see the pancake. There were two large powered sugar shakers on that table and both were over half empty. These people were not eating pancake--they were eating sugar.

Unfortunately, people do this with writing too.

No, we don't dump sugar all over our manuscripts. I'm talking about overwriting.

You've probably done it. I certainly have. I'm talking about those paragraphs where all you do is babble on about something for much longer than anyone would care to read. Or when you're trying to sound witty, so you add awkward flourishes to your dialogue. Run-on sentences fit in here too.

Make sure your writing is delicious and nutritious!

Overwriting is a product of trying to make something vivid and overdoing it. When you're making something pretty it's easy to go off on a tangent. Sometimes it's because we don't realize we're doing it. Other times it's because we're struggling for the words. Maybe sugar can spice up your manuscript, but you don't want to drown it!

So next time your trying to make something sound lovely, stop. Take a breather. Look at the sentence you just wrote and see if it needs to be pared down a bit. Like a german pancake, writing needs some sweetness--just make sure that your writing is more about the pancake than the powdered sugar!

Also, before I go, I need your help! Blogger's lack of nested comments is driving me insane. Thus, I'm experimenting with the DISQUS commenting system. I'd love it if you guys could tell me whether it's obnoxious or not. Nested comments equals more replies from me, but at the same time I don't want to scare anyone away with something annoying. Tell me what you think!

Research and the doom flowers

One of the things I love about writing is research and how ridiculous it can be. I'm a spur-of-the-moment researcher. One minute I'll be writing an interrogation scene and the next minute I'm googling burrowing frogs because my character needs a good insult! Yes, burrowing frogs = good insult.

Anyway, for my current WIP I've been looking up flowers. Flower symbolism has always kind of fascinated me and thus, it's a big deal in the world of my WIP. Subsequently I have a folder in my Scrivener document that looks like this:

Flowers, flowers everywhere! Flowers, flowers in your hair!

Darling, isn't it?  Unfortunately flower research has a dark side. Yes, you heard me right. A dark side. How is this possible, you ask. Flowers are pretty and fresh and lovely and grow in meadows! Well, let me tell you a story.

Last December a dear friend of mine got married. Now, there are thousands of different flowers and my story mentions seventeen of them, so the chance of me knowing anything about wedding flower was slim. Especially since I can't recall most of the meanings on command.

Then the wedding flowers turned out to be orange lilies, I couldn't help but giggle to myself. They're gorgeous, but didn't anyone know? Orange lilies mean hatred!

The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride was gorgeous and the groom couldn't stop grinning like a lunatic. The munchies were delicious and the cake was a thing of dreams. The happy couple is still doing well, despite parading around with orange lilies during their wedding. I have no doubts that they'll keep doing fine.

So, has your research ever taken a turn for the ridiculous? What strange things have you learned from your research and have those things ever come to haunt you? And what about orange lilies--gorgeous or portent of doom?

Pay attention to the dead llama

I have a confession: when horrible things are happening to me, I consciously tell myself to pay attention to every detail so I can write about it later. This habit is not so awesome. It usually happens during really awkward moments: like in the middle of an argument with my boyfriend or when I'm bleeding into the dishwater after slicing my hand open with a Slap Chop.

An example, you demand? Okay. But I'm warning you now squeamish people.

For context, this story takes place a few years ago when I was home for the summer and my parents had ditched me for Yellowstone National Park. They're animal-watching people, so they do that. Anyway, we used to have a llama. His name was Astro and he looked like a cuter, fluffier version of the llama from Napoleon Dynamite.

While my parents were gone, Astro the llama decided to lay down and die. I didn't notice this because when I went to feed and water our sheep, Astro looked like he was busy taking a nap instead of being dead. Two days later my parents returned, and as you can imagine, it is unacceptable to leave dead llamas decomposing in the pasture. Something had to be done.

Now instead of asking a neighbor to scoop Astro up with a tractor, my father decided that we were fine with rope and the flatbed trailer. Important fact: an average llama weighs somewhere between 250-450 pounds. And Astro had been decomposing for two days.

Let's sum this up simply: I have never experienced anything that horrifying since. But, if I ever write a zombie story, moving Astro the llama onto the flatbed trailer will be the best research I can ever do. Why? Because I know things about maggots and rotting flesh and the slime that oozes from dead bodies. I could go into great detail about this. But I'm not going to, because it's gross.

Paying attention to details like this is important to being a writer though. I mean, how can you properly describe something even as simple as wood if you've never really paid attention to it? So next time something horrible is happening to you, focus. Things like dead llamas don't come by everyday, and you can never have too much experience on the matter.

So does anyone else do this? Or are your thoughts a little more removed from the event? Tell me in the comments!