Getting Into the Writing Zone (or For the Love of Music)

Tip of the Day: Scrivener, the Must Have Digital Writing Tool, is on sale for only $20 for a limited time through AppSumo! I just bought my copy and can't wait to use the Save the Cat outline + Scrivener to write my next MG novel; I'm sure the novel will practically write itself.

I have committed myself to e-pubbing DESERTED, the sequel to BLACKOUT, on August 1 -- if not before! In order to make this deadline, I need to finish writing it, get crit partner feedback, get it copyedited, send it for formatting, and upload it in just four short months.

Can I do it?

Of course I can!

What do I need to do to make it happen?

Write like there is no tomorrow!

Or at least write like there is no internet/Candy Crush/distractions.

It's not like writing DESERTED isn't fun -- it totally is! It takes place in Las Vegas and involves rogue environmental groups and secret chemical experiments to harness natural energy. I get to call on both my sister and brother for their Vegas and chemist expertise.

Still, like many people with 21st century technology at our disposal, it's easy to get -- oh, wait, it's my turn on Words With Friends. I'll be right back.

Oh, right.

What helps me tally up my word count is going to the library (not where I work; that would be the opposite of productive writing time) or Panera, plugging in my earbuds and pumping up the tunes, and cranking on the keyboard for 2-4 hours. Not only does the location make me stay on task (since I'm not on my couch getting too comfy), but the music helps, too.

How does the music help? I'm not sure exactly, but last month I went to an author talk by Heather Terrell and she said what helps her switch her brain from mom/household chores mode to writer mode is playing the same music that she's been writing to all along. She couldn't remember where she'd heard that the musical association worked like that, but once she said it, something clicked for me:

THAT'S why I keep listening to the Twilight Soundtrack!

Ahem.

To be fair, I alternate it with the rest of the saga's music, plus Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and The Great Gatsby. For some reason, albums with various artists work for me, as do those with a YA flavor when I'm writing contemporary YA fiction.

The other night I needed to get some writing done, and the library wasn't open and I didn't want to leave the warmth of my living room to head to Panera, and my mind was already wandering to Things Other Than Writing. So I decided to give the music association theory a shot. I queued up my Stephenie Meyer inspired iTunes tracks...and finished my outline in 2 hours while sitting on the couch!

I won't give up my library/cafe writing zone, but I do feel like I have another option that can work fairly well when I'm at home.

What helps trick your brain into being Writing Ready?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

What the Teens are Reading Now (*or Hunger Games and What Else I Don't Have to Weed)

Tip of the Day: Catch up with the books I read and what I think of them here.

A few weeks ago, a reader asked what teen books are currently going out from the library like hot cakes. I've been monitoring my YA library collection in order to properly answer this question. And I've learned that the answer is: It depends.

Here are some observations.

1. I had a YA display up for all of May, Asian American Heritage Month books; titles that featured Asian characters or themes. And over the course of the month, only a handful of books were checked out -- and I have a fairly large Asian population in my town. These books were a mix of historical, contemporary, and fantasy stories.

2. I had a YA display up for two weeks in May, Jewish Heritage Month books; titles that featured Jewish characters or themes. And over the coures of the two weeks, a large number of these books were checked out -- and I have a very large Jewish population in my town. These books were a mix of historical (WWII/Holocaust primarily) and contemporary.

3. I had a YA display up for four days in June (so far), Gay Pride Month books; titles that featured GLBT characters or themes. And over the course of the four days, a lot of these books were checked out (and this display was super popular last year over the course of June as well) -- and I have no idea how big the gay population is in my town. These books are primarily contemporary fiction.

4. In the books that were NOT recently on display, I've noticed these titles/genres going out:

a) high fantasy (ex. Cinda Williams Chima's HEIR series)


b) spy novels (ex. Ally Carter's series)


c) action adventure novels (ex. James Patterson's series, Anthony Horowitz's series, Cassandra Clare's series)


A lot of "midlist" books that I bought in 2009/2010 are now languishing on the shelves, even if they are good books, and sadly I will probably have to weed them to make space for new stuff soon. BUT it's amazing how much these same titles can suddenly take off when they are put on the local school's summer reading lists or for assignments. I can see why authors get so excited when their books make the "state award lists."

Another conclusion is that while high fantasy and some paranormal romance are still going strong, contemporary is being read a lot, too, compared to the past couple years (during the TWILIGHT series' debuts).

Oh, and if you want to know the title in general with the most holds in our system, it is 50 SHADES OF GREY (about 700 holds between the hard copy and ebook versions; yes, it's beating out HUNGER GAMES).

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Hunger Games Jokes

Tip of the Day:  22 more days until Hunger Games comes out!! Get your ticket early!

Ok, you had to know I would scour the Internet for jokes. FYI, the last one is the best. :-) Here ya go!

From: http://panemhungergames.com/threads/mad-magazine-parody-of-the-hunger-games.178/
(click to enlarge)

From: http://abakersson.tumblr.com/

From: http://jezebel.com/anticipation/

From: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/571f8533d1/the-hunger-games-hamburger-helper-trailer

The Hunger Games - Hamburger Helper Trailer - watch more funny videos

Kristina, Miss Author in Action