Megan Lentz

It’s a new year, and I’m hoping 2012 will be a year of good things to come. With that in mind, I settled down today to retackle my work-in-progress, and I’ve got to say, I was actually excited to read it. With my last rendition, which I am more or less completely rewriting, I was bored to tears. I didn’t care what happened. I wasn’t excited to follow the storyline. But with the current draft, I wanted to know what would happen, which is saying something since I wrote it and should know what happens.

In the past, I’ve berated myself for not having a published manuscript, for not yet achieving my lifelong goal of publishing a novel. Please insert laughter and snide remarks here, since by lifelong I really mean my dream of 28.5 years, assuming this dream started when I was an infant. When I’ve read about the unpublished novels published writers have tucked away in drawers, I always said that wouldn’t be me. But I currently have 2 more or less completed novels that will probably never see the inside of a publishing house. But out of those experiences, I am learning how to be a better writer, how to create engaging content and engaging characters. My failures are not actually failures. They are just test runs.

My fiance’s brother works for a video game company, and when he got the job, his father made a joke about how all of the hours he spent playing video games, he was actually interning for his current job. I’d like to think that my unpublishable books have all been part of an internship. And hopefully those efforts will pay off with the final prize, the right to legitimately call myself a writer.

The internet has been buzzing all week. The Hunger Games movie trailer is finally here.

I’ve watched the trailer a few times and I’m left with mixed feelings. The gritty scenes don’t seem to be living up to my imagination – they feel a bit too clean – but the glamour of the Capitol is working for me. The actor choices could work, but I need to see more to be completely sold. Of course, it’s hard to tell much from a preview. One thing I will say for this trailer is that it did not give away the movie for those who haven’t read the books. What do you think about the trailer? Did it get you excited for the movie, or were you left feeling a bit blase?

I’ve watched the first three episodes of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, and I’ve got to say, I’m really loving it. It’s a lovely combo of real life meets fairy tale with a dash of dystopian. Based off of the growing interest in reworked fairy tales and the continued popularity in dystopian fiction, it’s a pretty clever mix.

If you haven’t seen it, Once Upon a Time takes all of the fairy tale characters we know and love and, due to a curse meant to take away their happy endings, they are transported to Storybrook, Maine, where they are locked in a prison of mundane lives.

What I love about this show

First, have you ever been to Maine in the winter? I cannot think of a more perfect place to to send people if you want them to live out miserable lives. Not to say I’ve got anything against Maine, but even the most die hard Maine fan has to admit, it’s desolate and down right scary in the winter.

The second thing I love about it is that it takes the story of Snow White and mixes it up. As the story progresses through the episodes, we are shown pieces from before the curse juxtaposed with scenes from post-curse. Think Lost, which, since Once Upon a Time was created by two of the writers from Lost, makes sense.

Reworking Fairy Tales

Reworked fairy tales, when they work, are wonderful. There is comfort in already knowing the main characters, but there is also an added interest in not knowing how the events will play out. And I’ve got to say, so far the reworking and expansion of this fairy tale is proving to be quite successful. I cannot wait to see more.

Photo by: Jon McGovern, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmcgovern/

I’m sure few people would disagree that dystopian is huge right now. And it’s not just the Hunger Games trilogy that is drawing readers to this genre. But why do people like reading dystopian? What’s the appeal?

Dystopian What?

For those of you that do not know what dystopian books are all about, here’s a quick primer. Basically, dystopian fiction depict dystopian society (the opposite of a utopia). These books often have elements of science fiction and usually also fall into the parameters of speculative fiction. Some classics include Huxley’s Brave New World, or, one of my favorites, Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.

More recent dystopians include The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, The Uglies, Matched, and XVI. For a list of additional dystopians, check out the Goodreads Dystopian List and the Dystopian Book Club list from the Teach 8 YA Book Blog.

Why Dystopia?

I’m sure everyone has their own reasons for why they love dystopian fiction. For me, I have several. While it comes off sounding a bit glass half-empty, seeing how much worse life could get actually makes me feel more optimistic and hopeful. If things could always get worse, maybe any troubles in my life aren’t as bad as I think.

Then there is the sci-fi element. I enjoy sci-fi, but only when it doesn’t go too far. Most of the dystopians I enjoy, and the ones I’m currently writing, have elements of sci-fi but they keep them vague. They give just enough. I like to refer to this as casual sci-fi.

And then there is the alternate history or the possible future, which I think of as reverse history. In my 9-5 life, I think a lot about history. I’m a trained archaeologist, after all. Most of the successful dystopians I’ve read have a good grasp on history and sociology. They ask what-if and then take it to the next level, exploring what could actually happen were the what if to come to fruition. The realism behind most dystopians is extremely appealing.

To me, dystopians are the ultimate sociological experiment. But the writers also tell good stories full of all of the plot elements we have come to expect from any good book, regardless of genre. So if you like a good story but also enjoy those make-you-think moments that dystopians are so good at inducing, then dystopian fiction may be for you.

If you haven’t read a dystopian novel, go ahead and give one a shot. The worst that could happen is that you end up not liking it. Or you could discover an entire genre you never knew you loved.

If you already are a dsytopian fan, why do you like them? What’s your favorite dystopian novel?

As a follow-up to my previous blog post, I am reimaging my blog for my intended book audience, YA dystopian fans. Before this decision, the blog was a bit of a mess, with zero consistency and no real targeted audience.

Why should you care?

If you do not like dystopian YA, you may no longer be interested in the blog content. If you do like dystopian YA, then this blog is for you. If you know anyone who likes dystopian ya, then you may want to recommend this blog. And if you have no clue what dystopian YA is, you just may learn something.

This change doesn’t mean that I won’t still share posts about my writing process or industry trends, but as much as possible, the blog will have a dystopian YA focus.

I hope you enjoy the changes. And for those of you who have no clue what I’m talking about, stay tuned for my next blog post, The Dystopian Appeal.

Photo from Raider of Gin's photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/fairerdingo/

I read a great blog post today about author platform and when/how to focus on building one. In short, publisher Rachelle Gardner said to stop trying to build your brand.

As writers, it is sometimes easy to tell ourselves that we are being productive when we blog and tweet and facebook. But are we really being productive? Or are we just procrastinating?

According to Gardner in her post Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself, an unpublished/unrepresented author should be focusing more on the actual craft of writing. Sure, writing blog posts and tweets helps with this to a degree, but what good is it if you have nothing to show your audience? And then we come to who your blog/twitter/facebook audience is. Are you writing these things for your future readers, or are you focusing more on attracting other writers/professionals in the industry?

Gardner stresses the importance of focusing on who you are writing books for. Industry professionals play into this, but the most successful writer blogs I’ve seen are the ones that focus more on the reader. And if you are writing to your reader, then it’s not procrastination. You are honing in on your voice while also attracting an audience.

How can an unpublished writer take their blog from industry focused to reader focused? How have you made your blog more reader friendly?

My writing has been slacking lately, mostly because I’m in the editing stage and I hate editing. It took about as long to edit my Master’s Thesis as it did to write the darn thing. Anyway, I am now debating – should I buy a Mac Air or not?

An argument for:

If I have a lighter computer, I will be able to take it places. Therefore, I can write more.

Why this argument fails:

Having increased portability does not guarantee that I would write more. In fact, it might encourage less writing. I may take my computer to the coffee shop and then sit and look at all the people. Or I might decide to just sit around the house instead of leaving. Not a good argument.

Another argument for:

It will be shiny and new and pretty. Therefore, I will want to use it.

Why this argument fails:

Yes, I will want to use it, but will I want to use it for editing?

Basically what it comes down to is this – the speed will be the same as my current mac, the screen will be smaller, and the computer will be lighter. So there’s really only one improvement, and in all honesty, that improvement will not magically make me more motivated or more creative. I shouldn’t need something new to finish my writing. But who knows, maybe when I finish editing my book, I will get a shiny new computer. After all, a little bribery never hurt anyone.

Photo by: yukatafish (flickr username) - http://www.flickr.com/photos/yukatafish/

Writing with an authentic voice is a difficult thing to learn, but lately I’ve been honing in on writers who do it well in an attempt to understand what makes a good voice. The writer I’ve been spending a lot of time with lately (through his books, not in person) is Scott Westerfeld. His books are compelling not just because of his ability to emerse the reader in a wonderfully built world, but also because of his amazing use of voice (which contributes to the world building, but more on that later).

Voice in the Uglies series

In the Uglies series, the main character, Tally, goes through a series of transformations. In each book, the reader can feel these transformations because of Westerfeld’s use of voice. Although told in third person, Westerfeld uses words and thoughts that Tally would use/have. He utilizes slang from his world (e.g. “bubbly” and “icy”) but also gets into the heart of the story. And because the voice is so authentic, he seemlessly transports the reader into Tally’s world. His use of voice wraps around the world, snuggling the reader inside; it is completely devoid of influences from our own world which keeps the illusion from being shattered.

Not only does his use of voice help to make the world real, but he also does a great job portraying many of the things that teenagers and adults alike face – wanting to fit in, insecurities about one’s appearance, never being good enough, etc. While he does this through the plot, these internal struggles would not be nearly as successful without the addition of a believable voice.

Voice in the Leviathan series

The other series of Westerfeld’s I’ve been reading is the Leviathan series. In this series, Westerfeld switches POV between Alek, the properly raised aristocrat fleeing for his life, and Deryn, the spunky Englander pretending to be a boy so she can be an airman. Again told in third person, Westerfeld switches the voice between the chapters. The reader can tell without thinking which POV belongs to which chapter. As with the Uglies series, Westerfeld is successful not just because of word choice and his addition of slang, but he brings out the thoughts and internal struggles of each main character in a believable way.

Other examples of good use of voice

If you are looking for other good examples of voice, Suzanne Collins’ the Hunger Games series uses great voice and is told in first person. In Ally Condie’s Matched, as in the Ugly series, the voice changes as the main character evolves. M.T. Anderson’s Feed, like Westerfeld’s books, incorporates rich dialog into the narration to aid the voice. Another book I recently read is Megan McCafferty’s Bumped, which, like the Leviathan series, uses two POVs. It’s not done to the same degree as what Westerfeld has done, but it’s still a good example of using two narrators within one book.

Do you have any other examples of authors/books that make good use of voice? What other skills can we learn from reading works by other authors?

I have finally made the tough decision to rewrite my entire WIP. I’ll still keep some of the same characters and the same general concept, but it just isn’t working. Coming to this decision was not easy, but you can only do so many edits to a piece of writing. Sometimes you need to just take what you’ve got and toss most of it out the window.

Have you had to do that? When you make that decision, is it something you just feel, or do you give yourself a certain number of editing rounds/time limit before coming to this decision?

Outside In, by Maria V. Snyder

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: Freedom is not as sweet as Trella thought it would be. As she struggles with the expectations that she continue to lead Inside when all she wants to do is explore and get to know Riley, disaster strikes. There is something Outside. And it wants In.

I’m always a bit hesitant when it comes to a sequel, especially if I really enjoyed the first book. I was a bit worried that Outside In would not live up to my expectations. But Maria V. Snyder has delivered just like she always does.

It quickly becomes evident that the lessons Trella learned in the first book, Inside Out, have been forgotten, as often happens to real people – we change in the heat of the moment but once everything stabilizes, it is easy to fall back into your old routine. But despite her reverting to her old ways, the plot is anything but routine. As the story unfolds, we are thrown into a believable fantasy/sci-fi world full of intrigue and suspense.

The characters we fell in love with in Inside Out continue to grow, with greater depth added to their personalities and new, realistic motives thrown into the mix. In addition, we are introduced to a new enemy and a new level to the history of the world of Inside.

A great sequel and a wonderful addition to Maria V. Snyder’s resume.