Classics Challenge: "A Tale of Two Cities"

Oh, boy.
I'm really embarrassed. Last update I mentioned how A Tale of Two Cities was picking up and I was on page 150 or so.
Well, it's almost the end of April and I'm currently...
On page 163.

I just can't stand Dickens' writing. Trust me when I say that I tried. I even had my youngest sister read aloud. She giggled at the wording every few sentences. It was that bad.
Not to mention A Tale of Two Cities jumps around with different POVs. Which always made understanding what was actually happening that much harder.
In the end, I'm closing the book on this one (ha ha, punny!). Maybe I bit off more than I could chew with this whopper of a book. Maybe it would've been different if Dickens wasn't so satirical and complicated with his writing.
Maybe, maybe, maybe...
This isn't much of a review, but if you have lots of time and enjoy thinking while you read, then this book is for you. Otherwise, you may want to choose another classic.

Rhode Island Run-In's

If these tweets during the six hour car ride are any indication...

...my recent trip to Newport, Rhode Island was an interesting one. (Too bad I couldn't leave my cold behind) I've never travelled farther north than New York City, so visiting "the ocean state" was quite the experience. Not only is it colder up there, but the water is so blue. And I'm not talking "tropical" blue. I'm talking a deep, mysterious, sapphire blue.

Not only that, but everything is rocky. The beaches, the front yards, the soil. Fences and property lines were a plethora of rocks. Some mansions even had enormous boulders in their front yard!

Seeing the ocean again really helped me with TWW. Imagination will only take you so far! While on the Cliff Walk one night (a path that takes you along, well, cliffs as wells as the ocean and past mansions), my fear of the sea rekindled. Ever since my "incident" two summers ago, the ocean has terrified me. Coincidentally, my main character, Annie, is scared of water too. Now that this fear is fresh in my mind, editing TWW will be that much easier. Though, in the picture below, I look more cold than scared. Next to me is my mom. Which of us looks colder? We like to call ourselves Red Riding Hood and The Astronaut.

Another interesting place we visited in Newport was the Vanderbilt's "summer cottage." I'll let the pictures speak for me here.

Amazing, huh? There's not much left to the imagination here!

Rhode Island was a beautiful state, but I have to say, there's nothing quite like home.

And I don't think there ever will be.

Contests for Writers: Ink & Insights 2016

Boy, do I have a treat for you guys today! I have with me Catherine, owner of Critique My Novel. Critique My Novel runs an annual contest for writers called Ink & Insights. I've participated in Ink & Insights for (almost) three consecutive years. Click here to see my placing in 2015 and 2014!
With April under way, Ink & Insights 2016 is winding up. Knowing this contest is huge for writers, new and seasoned alike, I asked Catherine for an interview. Being the amazing person she is, she agreed. Buckle your figurative seatbelts, writers. 
Here we go!

Catherine, thank you so much for chatting with me about a fantastic contest for writers! Before we start, could you give me a little background about Critique My Novel, the business behind Ink & Insights, and some of your services?

Critique My Novel is a low-cost editing service that got its start in 2011. I discovered a love for editing and critiquing the work of others in a critique group while I was writing my own novel in 2009. I dabbled quite a bit back then, took a few classes, marked up a few books of my friends, then decided I wanted to try my hand at it on a more professional level. Critique My Novel was born.

In the beginning, the only service I offered was a Full Edit/Critique. But as time wore on and I worked on all levels of manuscripts, I saw a need to split that service up because it wasn’t right for many manuscripts. So we offer several different services now to fit any level or draft of manuscript.

Onto the contest information! What is Ink & Insights? Give us the details! (For example: Is there an entrance fee? How long does this contest run? Are there different entrance categories? etc.)

Ink & Insights is a writing contest geared toward helping independent writers by focusing on feedback.

We require the first 10,000 words of your manuscript. Each entry is assigned four judges who specialize in the genre of the manuscript. They read, score, and comment on specific aspects of the novel. (Characters, dialogue, style, pace, tension, scene structure...) This year’s fiction scoresheet is eight pages, with spots for plenty of feedback. With four judges reading, that’s a minimum of 32 pages of helpful feedback for EVERY entry!

The categories are Apprentice for the beginning writers or early drafts, Master for those novels ready for the market, and Nonfiction. The Master and Nonfiction categories include an Agent Round for those that place in the top three spots as determined by judges’ scores.

There is an entry fee, but this isn’t for the contest itself, it is to pay the judges who pour over the submissions and write detailed analyses. Most spend over an hour on each. (I personally average four hours on the ones I work on.)

So anyone who doesn’t want to enter because they’ve heard that contests shouldn’t have an entry fee can rest easy. They are paying for the critiques with an added bonus of a competition.  

Regular entry goes from April to May and is $40. Late entry goes through June and is $45.

What types are the prizes awarded to the winners of Ink & Insights?

The biggest prize we offer that EVERY submission wins is the invaluable feedback.  

There are cash prizes as well as a few other things—free entries, books, free CMN services. But the most exciting prize is the Agent Round.

The top three Master and Nonfiction submissions are passed to the panel of agents who read and comment on each. The agents also determine the final placement of these top three submissions.

Their invaluable feedback is priceless as it is, because it is rare to get that far during a novel’s query stage, but if they like your book, they have the option of asking to see more!

What advice would you give prospective entrants when prepping to enter?

You may think that formatting guidelines are not important, but contestants earn bonus points just for following instructions. And when it comes to the final fight for those top spots, every point matters. Last year, only a half point separated the third and fourth place winners in one category! Only the top three go to the agent round.

I’d also suggest not waiting until the last minute. We have a deadline and once the frenzy hits, judges get frazzled trying to finish. Early in the contest, while everything is calm and judges have plenty of time to spend a few hours on your MS, is the optimal time to submit.

Are there particular genres judges are looking for?

Each judge has his or her personal genre tastes and those genres they have more experience with, but all genres are accepted and there are readers for everything.

While we’re on that topic, are there any genres that are not accepted for Ink & Insights?

Nothing is off limits. Most of the judges are writers themselves and write in a wide variety of genres and topics. As long as we get a bit of warning about questionable material such as excessive violence, language, gore, sex, rape, or stories that involve child/animal abuse, I can find readers who are not turned off by the subjects. I have an extensive list from each judge about reading preferences (even though not all are listed on the bios page) as well as the types of stories or ‘situations’ they are not comfortable with. This way, I can make sure that each novel has the best team to represent its target audience.

Is there anything else you would like to add before we wrap up?

I’d really like to make sure it is widely known who came up with the fantastic title of our contest.

One of my favorite writers, who has landed in the top three more times than anyone else, came up with this incredibly fitting title that embodies our entire aim. (Before it was Ink & Insights, the contest had the drab title of ‘201_ Novel Writing Contest.’) The fabulous Emily Layne! (applause applause.)

(Oh, don't make me blush!)

Thank you for your time and for doing all the background work to ensure Ink & Insights 2016 shines!

You are most welcome. And thank you for supporting us year after year. We really have a blast doing this and love reading so many great new novels. 

Interested? I thought so! Here are some links you should check out:

Ink & Insights Facebook Page

Ink & Insights Website

Ink & Insights Twitter

Critique My Novel Website

If this interview has sparked your interest, make sure you take me up on my free critique on your first 500 words before you enter.

Good luck!!

Follies of Familiarity

When I bought my first car four years ago (brand new!), I was enchanted. I wanted to drive Betty, the cyclone-grey Accent, anywhere and everywhere. Love at first sight.

Fast forward to present day. While I still love Betty, when my sisters ask me to take them somewhere, I curse the slow progress of teleportation research. See, driving has become routine, a thing I do every day. On top of that, Betty is no longer a new car. She's four years older with 40,000+ miles on her. Plus quite a few stains and crumbs in the backseat (courtesy of said sisters).
The same thing happens with writing.
Ever wonder where the magic goes? Say you're struck with this amazing idea. All you want to do is plot, plan, and write. The first chapter is exhilarating (after you get past the tricky first sentence/paragraph). Chapter two is great. Chapter three is fine. Chapter four...
And you run out of steam. The "magic" is gone. You don't want to write anymore (or, in my case, edit). In fact, you want to give up. 

Luckily, I have a few tips for combating the Follies of Familiarity. How do I know they work? Last week I got hit with my once-in-awhile dark thinking. Things like...
That all the work I've done won't amount to anything. 
That I don't possess a teaspoon of writing talent. 
That I should just give up and get a "real" job. 
The list goes on and on. I followed the four steps below and the "magic" slowly trickled back. By the time this post goes live, I'm almost 100% sure that I'll be at full strength again.

Now for Those Tips...

1. STOP working on your book. You have a deadline, you say?  I don't care!  But, Emily Layne, you say, you just said a few posts ago that deadlines are good things!  Not if they're draining your love for writing. Sometimes it's better to take a break than to keep pushing something. You'll find after a break that the words will come faster than if you forced them.
2. Read. I usually like to read in my genre (YA fiction) since I enjoy it and because it invigorates me to keep writing. But sometimes, if your lack of "magic" is severe, you may need to venture out of the status quo. Check out classics, childrens' books, even nonfiction if you like! Broaden your horizons.
3. Treat this break as YOU time. I don't know about you, but when I'm focused on a project things start to, well, be "let go." (Sorry in advance if this is TMI!!!) I always have painted toenails. Red, blue, pink, whatever. Since I started editing TWW I've let the polish chip. I did snag a few minutes one day to take it off, but since then my toes have been...naked! THE HORROR! While you're letting your "magic" refuel, refuel yourself too. Take a spa day (my favorite thing)! Take a bath! Do some shopping! If it's for you, then you should do it.
4. Plop in front of the TV for a movie marathon. I'm an action-flick kinda girl (with a weakness for a smidge of romance and period dramas). Not only are movies a great opportunity to sit and not think, but they're also inspiring. Instead of imagining, you're seeing things play out on the screen. You never know what might catch your muse's interest!
I hope these tips help any of you that are struggling (like me). If you have any other ideas or things that have worked for you, please share!

Classics Challenge: Mid-Month Update

Wait, it's mid April already? Wow. Where did the time go?
Luckily I am making progress with this month's Classics Challenge: A Tale of Two Cities. Sort of. Okay, I'll admit it took me a long time to get into Dickens' novel. There were moments where I had no idea what was going on, if my Facebook post is any indication.

If any of you are reading along, I'd say Chapter 5 is where things start to make sense (though there are still a few passages that boggle me). While Dickens does have a penchant for unnecessary descriptions and paragraphs that I'm 98% sure are pure satire, the story is interesting. I already have a sort-of crush on Charles Darnay, a falsely accused young Englishman.
As far as the ending, I have no idea what to expect. I've never seen a movie based off of the book. All I know is that the French Revolution is going to be involved somehow--which is always a very scary "war" for me to read about. As a kid, I read Sovay and was terrified. 

Hopefully that won't happen with A Tale of Two Cities.
That said, I'm only on page 150 out of 400+, so I've got some work ahead of me. But I'm looking forward to it.
...I think.

Stages of Editing a Book

I feel like I've been editing THESE WICKED WATERS for as long as the sirens in the book have been alive. (*hint*: it's centuries)
As I've been slogging through paragraph after paragraph, making some tweaks or huge overhauls, things have been interesting. There have been high points (where I'm moving through with lightning speed) and low points (where I flop on top of my sister who's trying to study and demand for her to pay attention to me).
Which is why I'm devoting this post to my editing adventure--in fun gif-form. Prepare yourself!
Finding typos you can't believe you missed.

Reading a scene where you didn't have to make any changes (so, so rare).

Stumbling upon a plot device that makes absolutely no sense.

Realizing halfway through that you tried to query this book.

When laziness strikes and all the words blur together into, "Blah, blah, blah..."

When you're convinced that this book stinks, and there's nothing you can do to salvage it. In fact, you're never going to be published. EVER. 

But then you remember that you love the characters.

And that this book is worth it.

Happy editing!

A Deadline is Anything BUT Dead

I'm just going to come out and say it: Writers are infamous procrastinators. 
The thought process goes something like this:
"I really need to write my book..." *Notices a t-shirt is out of place in drawer* "Hmm." *Commence reorganizing entire bedroom*
And this is just one example. Writers have an amazing super power to do everything but write. I can say this because I am a writer.
So, how to conquer this age-old nemesis? 

Easy. Enter in THE DEADLINE.
For some people, this deadline involves a certain acronym that rhymes with RaRoTiSo.
...Okay, it's NaNoWriMo. In fact, Camp NaNo is going on right now, and it's really helping me to get motivated on my THESE WICKED WATERS edits. Well, that and an upcoming trip to RI (I want to have my book totally edited so I can listen to/read it in the six hour car ride).
But if it's not NaNoWriMo season, no problem! Pick a reasonable date for yourself and TELL PEOPLE. This way, you're accountable. Or if you have a pride problem like me, you won't even need to tell people because you're always in a competition against yourself.
Yikes.
Seriously, though. If you're struggling to write, plot, edit, make dinner--it doesn't matter. Set a deadline for yourself, and you'll find things moving along rather quickly.
Good luck!

Classics Challenge: Charles Dickens

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again." ~ Charles Dickens
Next up on our Classics Challenge is the equally famous as his predecessors, Charles Dickens. If you like a guy with crazy hair and a penchant for writing confusing (read satirical) stories, Mr. Dickens is your man!

I'll just let you sink in this hairstyle for a moment...

Ahem. Moving on.

Charles Dickens was a hard-working, creative, and determined man. At the age of twelve, Dickens' father was thrown into debtor's prison. His family moved to be close to his father and in order to pay for board and help support his family, Dickens was forced to quit school. He found employment at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. Dickens worked ten hour days for six shillings, pasting labels onto pots of boot blacking. His experience here would forever color his future literary pursuits (i.e. Oliver Twist).

Dickens' early writings involved short stories and political journalism. His first full-length novel was The Pickwick Papers, though at the time it was published in an episodic format. It was between Episode 1 and Episode 2 that Dickens married Catherine Thomson Hogarth. The couple went on to have ten children.

Many works are credited to Dickens' hand. Some of his famous works are A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and Little Dorrit.

Dickens separated from his wife, Catherine, after beginning an affair with 18-year-old actress Ellen Ternan (he was 45 at the time). The Dickens children were given to Catherine's sister Georgia, save for the one Catherine took with her.

On June 8, 1870, Dickens died of a stroke. Against his wishes for a simple funeral he was buried in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Writerly Things to Learn from Charles Dickens

1. Use your life to inspire you. Dickens' life heavily influenced his works. His time employed at the boot blacking factory is alluded to in Oliver Twist. People in his life are echoed in his works as characters. For example, Elizabeth Roylance, the woman with whom the Dickens family boarded with, is immortalized in print as Mrs. Pipchin in Dombey and Son.

2. Interacting with your audience is vital. After separating from his wife, Dickens embarked on reading tour after reading tour. His first reading tour involved 129 appearances in 49 towns throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland.

ELEMENTALS: Chapter Eleven