A Breakdown of My WIP

A few days ago, author Kiersten White blogged about her newly-drafted manuscript, which is tentatively titled FLOOD AND STONE. I had such fun reading Kiersten's post that I decided to steal the idea from her. (Bwahaha! Stealing is fun!) So without further adieu, I bring you a breakdown of my work-in-progress!


Title
REVOLUTIONARY

Genre
YA Alternate History with Fantasy Elements

Pages
148 currently. (I wrote the book single-spaced in 11-point Calibri font.)

Chapters
Erm...I have no idea. I stopped writing the chapter numbers because my book kept on shifting.

Word Count
When I first finished the draft, I was around 71K. Now I'm at 75K and I expect the book to grow to 80K by the time I'm done with this revision.

Draft Time
Early February to early May for the rough draft. That's about three months, which is very fast for me. My middle grade sci-novel took me over a year to write. And my YA dystopian...well, let's just say that I started writing that in January 2010 and I'm still not finished. *Shame*

Concept Time
The spark for this novel came to me in January. I had just finished reading The Aquariums of PyongYang, a memoir about a North Korean refugee who spent his teenage years living in a work camp. That's when a Shiny New Idea hit me: "What if I write a story about a teenager living in North Korea? What if this teen is trained by her uncle to assassinate Kim Jung Il?" The storyline has changed a ton since then (the novel is now set in an alternate history America) but I owe a thanks to my husband for recommending that memoir to me.

Random Details From The Book:
* My protagonist, Zara, is named after one of my favorite clothing stores. This is kind of ironic because Zara is a total tomboy whose beauty routine consists of brushing her hair in the morning.
* Zara is half-Japanese. I always try to incorporate an Asian character into my novels...because I'm Chinese if you haven't noticed. :)
* The love interest in the book, Bastian, is modeled after actor Hunter Parrish. I wanted Bastian to have a boyish handsomeness and a charming smile that girls simply swoon for.

* I seriously love Bastian as a character. He's quiet, shy, and soft-spoken. And he has a really big heart despite being raised by his super evil dad.
* I wrote my first ever kissing scene for this novel! That was a ton of fun. Especially since it was Zara's very first kiss. Aw.
* The book takes place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I wanted a rural setting that was lush and green and beautiful.

Anyway, I really love Revolutionary and, despite a few headaches, it has been a lot of fun to write. This is the first book I've written where the protagonist's voice has come through to me loud and clear. Sometimes I even feel like Zara is living in my head, telling me how she would say a certain phrase or chiding me when I don't get her dialogue just right. (Is that weird? Yes, probably.)

As of now, I'm working on Round 2 of revisions and I hope to complete another round before I send the whole thing to my beta readers. Honestly, I'm kind of petrified of sending my book into the great unknown. Confession: I've never had someone beta read my novel before, outside of my husband or little sister. I mean, I've used my critique groups to offer feedback on the first few chapters of my MG space opera but I've never asked a non-family member to read an entire book of mine. *Cue biting of fingernails*

Ah well. I'll get over my fears, right? RIGHT?

Right!

*Bites nails more*

Sunday Six

1.) I went shopping yesterday for the first time in about a month. Sometimes I get that sudden urge to buy skirts or dresses, you know? Especially now that the weather is getting warmer. (Although it's still kind of overcast outside. Damn you, clouds!) I ended up buying a black accordion skirt from Zara, which surprised me since I usually stay away from black. But I love how flouncy it is! *Flounces*

2.) Since Justin is gone on a business trip, my little sis and I have been spending a lot of time together. Little sisters are awesome! Today, we went to a local garden to walk around and to scare off the Canadian geese. (I hate how they poop everywhere. Damn geese!) Here I am in my flouncy black skirt! You can't really see how flouncy, it is. I should've been skipping...

3.) And here's Kristy looking over the great wilds of the garden. We've decided that we're going to move here some day and build a house overlooking the pond and gazebo. You're all invited! You can stay in our guesthouse. We'll have three of those.

4.) The best part of the garden was the roses! *Dies* They were so, so, so pretty. Especially this pink one with a yellow center. It looked like a sunrise.

5.) Speaking of sisters, I made a mock-up this weekend for Kristy's new blog. She's going to China this fall for study abroad and she wants a blog to share pictures with friends and family since the Chinese government has banned Facebook. Ah, the Chinese government! I'm so glad my grandparents fled from you.

By the way, I'm seriously loving this blog design thing. So. Much. Fun. And so much easier than writing a book!

6.) And finally, THANK YOU for all of your encouragement! I sent an excerpt of my WIP to Jim on Thursday and now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. Fingers crossed he'll like it!

How are you guys doing? What did you do this weekend?

Who Wants a New Blog Header?

Does anyone want this Blogger header that I made? Totally free! 

(Don't worry, I'll customize it for you so people don't call you Zara St. James. That's the name of my protagonist!) 

If you're interested, I'll customize the header for you by:

1. Adding your name.

2. Adding your choice of two titles. Like "ya author" or "writer" or "kickass juggler."

3. Changing the colors of the fonts to your liking.

Shoot me an email if you're interested! (carolinetrichmond AT gmail DOT com) 

It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect

Guys! I'm sort of freaking out right now.

I plan on sending the first few chapters of my new novel to Agent Jim but I'm nervous. Actually, I'm pretty scared. What if he doesn't like it? What if he really doesn't like it? In short, my stomach hurts.

For the past few days, I've been editing and re-editing the first three chapters of my manuscript, adding new details and then deleting them and then adding them again. Yesterday, I spent ten whole minutes fretting if I should use "for" or "from" in a certain sentence. Damn it, I just want everything to be PERFECT!

But then I realized something...

I have become a crazy woman. 

Seriously, Caroline? "For" or "From"? Who the hell cares?! And so, I gave myself a time out and then I created a new mantra:

Eh? Eh? Catchy, right?

I really like this new motto of mine but it's still hard for me to let go of my perfectionist tendencies. (Case in point: it bugs me that I didn't properly center the "but do check your grammar" portion in the image above.) But I've come to the realization that it's okay for my book to be imperfect. In fact, I should stop trying to aim for such an impossible goal!

(Ha! I'm sure you're thinking: "Well, duh, Caroline. Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now I'm going to go read Jessica Spotswood's blog because she's so much less neurotic than you are. Plus, she talks about cupcakes.") 

Anyway, you know what has helped me come to this realization? Remembering how imperfect my first novel was when I sent it to Jim. Granted, I thought my manuscript was pretty kick-ass at the time but then I received my revision notes and I was like, "Oh...." I couldn't believe all of the things I had missed! Like a rounded-out character arc. Like inner dialogue. Like important world-building details. 

My little book was terribly imperfect--even after I implemented Jim's advice--but you know what? That's okay. Books don't have to be perfect before you send it to your agent or editor or crit partner. They're not meant to. That's why these people give you revision notes! 

So. I'm going to take the plunge and send my excerpt to Jim this week. Yes, that's what I'm going to do!

But, wait. Maybe I'll do it next week instead... Hey, BEA is coming up! I don't want to bombard him!

Excuses, excuses. Someone please slap me.

A Showcase of Writers' Blogs!

To prepare for my big blog revamp over the weekend, I poked around a few writers' websites so I could steal some of their ideas.

Ahem, that came out wrong. I wanted to find inspiration. (And maybe "borrow" a couple ideas. *Cough*)

Luckily for me, I found inspiration in spades--there are so many cool/beautiful/kick ass blogs out there! Writers may not be graphic designers but a lot of you have some really neat blogs. Here are a few of my favorites:

1.) First, we have Stephanie Perkins, who wrote the extraordinarily romantic YA novel Anna and the French Kiss. I absolutely adore Stephanie's header (I want that typewriter!) and I love the cool black-and-white color combination with splashes of pink. In short, simply lovely!

2.) Next up, this is Ebony Joy Wilkins' blog, the YA author of Sell-Out. I really love the playfulness of this design (another typewriter! yay!) and the bright colors add a nice pop.

3.) Oh, sweet Jesus. How I love Erin Bowman's blog! The swirly design in the corner is just beautiful. Don't you think it would make a really cool wallpaper? You're so pretty, little blog! Much prettier than I am!

4.) I think Carrie Harris' blog can be summed up in two words: zombie fun! This design screams with personality, from the cool color scheme to the hilarious zombie avatar in the header. Oh, you guys have to check out Carrie's favicon too! (The favicon is the small icon located next to a website's name on the browser tab.) It's an eyeball!

5.) Finally, I love how Kate Hart's blog combines simplicity with a punch of personality. (More typewriters!) The font she used for the blog title is bold and graphic while the body itself is clean and easy to read. Also, I love how the horizontal sidebar spreads across the entire web page--it offers a nice division between the header and the rest of the blog. Simplicity is awesome!

So what are some of your favorite blog designs?

P.S. I've kind of gotten addicted to designing blogs. It. Is. So. Fun! I even convinced my little sister to let me create a blog for her when she heads on study abroad in the fall. Bwahaha! 

A New Look!

So my little blog has a new look!

Since I was kind of tired of my old template, I spent the better part of Saturday looking for interesting layouts and drooling over custom designs that I don't have the cash to pay for. When I couldn't find anything free that I liked, I decided to try my hand at revamping my blog...

Cue hours of trial and error! And lots of tea!

But I finally came up with this design. Voila! I ended up having way too much fun making my own blog header and sidebar buttons. I also spent an inordinate amount of time on DaFont.com, which has seriously the coolest fonts ever. It even has entire fonts dedicated to Charlie Brown and The Simpsons!

Hope you guys like the new look! I think it's more readable and I sure do love those buttons!

Who Really Says "Making Love?"

Right before I went to bed last night, I read a few chapters from the YA contemporary novel that's currently sitting on my nightstand. I was flipping through the pages, enjoying the story, but then my eyes stopped cold when I hit a specific phrase. 

"Making love." 

To be more precise, the male protagonist mentioned how he wanted to "make love" to the girl he's chasing in the novel.

I started giggling. I couldn't help it. First of all, have you ever heard a teenage guy say the words "make love" in a very serious tone? And secondly, can anyone really say this phrase without cracking a smile? Anyone? Anyone?

I mean, really. Really! Let's say your spouse/significant other/alien lover walked up to you and caressed your face and murmured in a sultry voice, "Baby, I want to make love to you right now. Oh yeah. Make love." Wouldn't you start giggling? Wouldn't your face turn a little red? Wouldn't you think something odd has happened to your spouse/significant other/alien lover?

So...yeah. Maybe I'm immature. I'll admit that. Maybe I laugh at things that I shouldn't laugh at. Like "making love." But COME ON! It's funny!

At least, I think it's funny. :)

Question time: So what do you think of the phrase "making love"? Funny? Romantic? Gross? Awesome? Should it be used in YA novels or does it sound too dated? 

After The Call: Lessons Learned From One Year Later, Part II

"After the Call" is a new feature on my blog! It chronicles what happens after an agent offers you representation: how to choose the right agent, how to communicate with your new agent, what the revision process is like, etc. For previous posts in this series, please see the "After The Call" sidebar to the right.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the lessons I've learned during my first year as an agented writer. Since I tend to be kind of rambly, I thought I'd follow up with another list. And so, I bring you PART II!

1.) On one hand, life does get a bit easier once you find an agent. More than anything, there's a huge sense of relief. Relief that you can stop querying. Relief that a publishing professional believes in you. Relief that your book might actually get published. Finally, you have someone to help shoulder your burden!

2.) But on the other hand, getting an agent brings on a new set of complications and worries and frustrations. After the initial glow of "I've got an agent!" recedes, the Doubt Monsters creep back in. What if my book doesn't sell? What if my agent loses interest in me? What if my agent doesn't like my second book? And so on and so forth.

Don't get me wrong--I'm so grateful to have Jim on my side! But I've learned that getting an agent doesn't make those Doubt Monsters go away. ('Cause those Monsters are a crafty bunch!) Writing books is a tough, tough business, which means writers will face doubts on all facets of their journey--whether they're querying or submitting or working on their twentieth book.

3.) I've often heard people say, "Don't compare yourself to other writers!" I often try to take this advice, but I fail miserably.

Look, you're going to compare yourself to others. Don't feel bad; it happens! There's always going to be someone who gets more offers than you do, who sells their book faster than you do, who gets a bigger deal than you do. When this happens, you'll probably flail your arms. Gnash your teeth. Flail some more. It's okay! We're human!

Just don't let it eat away at you. It's natural to feel a little envious of others but once you start getting heart-wrenchingly jealous then you need to put yourself in a time-out. Take a break! Enjoy life! Don't let the Jealousy Monsters turn you into something ugly.

5.) Finally, don't be afraid to talk to your agent. When I first signed with Jim, I was a little apprehensive about asking him questions. I mean, he was a bona fide literary agent! He worked in a fancy office in New York City! He repped bestselling authors like Carrie Ryan! Surely, he didn't have time for silly questions from little ol' me.

You know what though? Agents are super nice! And patient! So if you have a question or two, open that mouth of yours! Or, you know, open a new email. You know what I mean...

Questions? Rebuttals? Leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you shortly! 

Sunday Six: Picture Edition!

Greetings Friends, Romans, and Countrymen!

Justin and I flew back from Colorado last night and, boy, are our arms tired! *Ba Dum Ching!* All in all, we had a lot of fun exploring the Denver/Boulder area and we think it could be a great place for us to settle down one day and raise a flock of half-breed children. 

Without further adieu, here are a few pictures that I found on my camera this morning--some from our trip to Colorado, some from our trip to Gettysburg, and some from our trip to Indiana. Wow, I really need to clean out more camera more often, eh?

1.) This past Thursday, Justin and I drove up from Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park. In one word: STUNNING. We also saw a lot of deer and elk, which made me clap my hands with glee and which made Justin smack his lips together and say, "Delicious!"

2.) A couple weeks ago, I flew to Indianapolis to spend Easter weekend with Justin, who was in town for a business trip. After much hemming and hawing, I basically forced him to take me to the Benjamin Harrison Historical Home because a.) I am a history nerd, and b.) I am a history nerd. I love historic houses!

3.) Wanna hear my favorite story about Benjamin Harrison? No? Not at all? Oh, I'll tell it to you anyway! Here we go: 

Although Harrison was educated as a lawyer, he joined the Union Army and led a troop of soldiers from Indiana. By day, Harrison would train his troops; and by night, he would study military history to teach himself how to lead men into battle. I love this imagery of a future president reading military strategy by candlelight. It's kind of romantic, I think!

4.) Back in early April, Justin and I spent a long Sunday at Gettysburg, driving around and checking the various battle sites. This was my favorite memorial that we saw. Pretty, no?

5.) Ha! I look really ridiculous in this picture, but I wanted to have a picture of Justin and me together at Gettysburg.

6.) Lastly, there was a SCREAMING toddler on our flight last night. And I mean screaming--we're talking 3 hours of loud crying. I felt really bad for the kid because it was obviously his bedtime and he was really tired but he was confused and disoriented. So I have a question to you parents out there...what do you do when you're on a long flight and your child is crying and crying? I'm really curious! Plus, I want to glean some parenting pointers before I find myself with a screaming baby one day.

I'll be back soon, Little Blog!

I had grand plans today to write another "After The Call" post about what I've learned since I've signed with my agent a year ago but alas...real life got in the way. Also, I'm heading to Boulder, CO tomorrow with Justin for a few days and so I'm not sure when I'll be able to write, much less blog.

But fear not! I shall write more posts next week! Topics may include: double rainbows, Donald Trump's hair, American Idol vs. The Voice, and "After The Call: What to do when you become a bestselling author and your life is full of awesomeness."

:)

So what's new with you?