Sarah Alderson's Blog: Writing and all the bits in between - Posts Tagged "romance"
Trusting your instincts
FATE
I have a book coming out in January 2012 called Fated. Here’s the blurb.
What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?
When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.
But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.
If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it?
Following the Bologna book fair I had a quick chat with my editor at Simon & Schuster who told me that paranormal is on the way out, dystopia very much on trend at the moment thanks to the fantastic popularity of The Hunger Games and the eagerly anticipated Divergent which I can’t wait to read. Though what’s going to be next year’s trend is anyone’s guess.
The thing is, Fated is very much a paranormal romance and I was asking her whether she thought it therefore worth my while writing the sequels that I had planned. Her advice was probably not. And she’s probably right, given that I have no contract for them and she works in publishing so has a much better idea of what will sell and what won’t. But she did say, and for this I’m hugely grateful, that if they had to be written then they had to be written.
And I felt like these books had to be written.
With Hunting Lila the characters got into my head so much that they’d have whole conversations with each other. It got so I couldn’t ignore them and needed to write the second book in the series or check myself into an asylum and start receiving treatment for the voices in my head. I needed to let their story finish.
With Fated it’s been similar. When I finished writing that book I couldn’t stop imagining what happened to my characters next. So I mulled and I ummed and I arred. Should I work on the other ideas I had? Should I leap into Dystopia before that craze died too? Or should I follow my heart?
I was still unsure of which direction to go when I bumped into a friend of mine here in Bali. He used to work as a head of something very impressive for a big video games company. We discovered a mutual love of Buffy and all things vampire the first time we met and since then most of our conversations revolve around films and ipod apps.
Anyway I explained to him my dilemma about what to write next and he told me a little story.
When he was working in the gaming industry he had an idea for a baseball game but everyone said, ‘you can’t make that game, there have been dozens of baseball games, they never sell well.’
But he went ahead and did it anyway. They made it so well that it became the biggest selling baseball game of all time.
So write that book, he said.
So I did. And then I wrote the third book. And when I’m done I’m going to write the fourth book too.
Part way through writing the second book I realised that the theme was about trusting your instincts. I don’t think there’s any better advice for living or writing.
Hunting Lila
I have a book coming out in January 2012 called Fated. Here’s the blurb.
What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?
When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.
But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.
If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it?
Following the Bologna book fair I had a quick chat with my editor at Simon & Schuster who told me that paranormal is on the way out, dystopia very much on trend at the moment thanks to the fantastic popularity of The Hunger Games and the eagerly anticipated Divergent which I can’t wait to read. Though what’s going to be next year’s trend is anyone’s guess.
The thing is, Fated is very much a paranormal romance and I was asking her whether she thought it therefore worth my while writing the sequels that I had planned. Her advice was probably not. And she’s probably right, given that I have no contract for them and she works in publishing so has a much better idea of what will sell and what won’t. But she did say, and for this I’m hugely grateful, that if they had to be written then they had to be written.
And I felt like these books had to be written.
With Hunting Lila the characters got into my head so much that they’d have whole conversations with each other. It got so I couldn’t ignore them and needed to write the second book in the series or check myself into an asylum and start receiving treatment for the voices in my head. I needed to let their story finish.
With Fated it’s been similar. When I finished writing that book I couldn’t stop imagining what happened to my characters next. So I mulled and I ummed and I arred. Should I work on the other ideas I had? Should I leap into Dystopia before that craze died too? Or should I follow my heart?
I was still unsure of which direction to go when I bumped into a friend of mine here in Bali. He used to work as a head of something very impressive for a big video games company. We discovered a mutual love of Buffy and all things vampire the first time we met and since then most of our conversations revolve around films and ipod apps.
Anyway I explained to him my dilemma about what to write next and he told me a little story.
When he was working in the gaming industry he had an idea for a baseball game but everyone said, ‘you can’t make that game, there have been dozens of baseball games, they never sell well.’
But he went ahead and did it anyway. They made it so well that it became the biggest selling baseball game of all time.
So write that book, he said.
So I did. And then I wrote the third book. And when I’m done I’m going to write the fourth book too.
Part way through writing the second book I realised that the theme was about trusting your instincts. I don’t think there’s any better advice for living or writing.
Hunting Lila
Hunting Lila, Fated and what I'm working on now...
The ARCs for Hunting Lila went out about a month ago and much to my delight it’s getting awesome reviews…there’s a real buzz starting which makes me giggle and freak out in equal measure. I never thought two years ago that these characters, that Lila and Alex, would have an audience outside of my best friends and my head. I find myself walking around all day at the moment grinning like an idiot at how stupendously exciting life is at the moment.
The consensus so far seems to be that everyone loves Lila and is lusting after Alex. Just as I had hoped. Waterstones and WH Smith are doing a big promotion on the book in August, offering it as part of their 3 for 2 deals - so keep an eye out for it on their tables and snag it at a bargain price. I'm also doing an 8 day Blog Tour starting on 28th July where some giveaways are planned.
I’ve had several emails over the last week from people asking whether there is a sequel to Lila, so I thought I’d post a blog about what I’m working on at the moment.
The sequel to Hunting Lila is written! I wrote it even before I had a book deal. I wrote it on the beach in India. I just re-read it the other day (it’s been a year since I wrote it) and it made me laugh out loud a lot. It’s possibly even more action packed than the first book, with some equally big twists. It’s slightly darker in tone, with more conflict and Lila really struggling to control her growing power. Alex also features a lot, as does his body. But that’s all I’ll say on the matter for now. Let your imaginations run riot.
It’s due out next summer though there’s no release date yet.
However…don’t despair. In between times I have another book coming out called Fated. It’s about a girl called Evie, who discovers that she’s a Hunter – a demon slayer. There’s a love interest who’s possibly hotter than Alex. His name is Lucas and he’s half Shadow Warrior and half-human. He belongs to a band of demons sent to kill Evie before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy. If you visit my Goodreads profile you can read an extract.
I’m so excited about this book – so excited infact that I’ve already written two more books in this series, though these haven’t yet been bought. Apparently paranormal is taking a hit says my publisher, but let’s hope that it isn’t. I personally choose to believe it isn’t! I love paranormal! And hopefully after Fated comes out it’ll change their minds.
At the moment I’m working on edits for Fated and the sequel to Hunting Lila but I plan to start another book in August (top secret at the moment but I’m grinning as I think about it).
Anyway, thanks to everyone blogging, reviewing, tweeting or just adding Hunting Lila to their TBR shelf. I really appreciate it.
Sarahx
Hunting LilaFated
The consensus so far seems to be that everyone loves Lila and is lusting after Alex. Just as I had hoped. Waterstones and WH Smith are doing a big promotion on the book in August, offering it as part of their 3 for 2 deals - so keep an eye out for it on their tables and snag it at a bargain price. I'm also doing an 8 day Blog Tour starting on 28th July where some giveaways are planned.
I’ve had several emails over the last week from people asking whether there is a sequel to Lila, so I thought I’d post a blog about what I’m working on at the moment.
The sequel to Hunting Lila is written! I wrote it even before I had a book deal. I wrote it on the beach in India. I just re-read it the other day (it’s been a year since I wrote it) and it made me laugh out loud a lot. It’s possibly even more action packed than the first book, with some equally big twists. It’s slightly darker in tone, with more conflict and Lila really struggling to control her growing power. Alex also features a lot, as does his body. But that’s all I’ll say on the matter for now. Let your imaginations run riot.
It’s due out next summer though there’s no release date yet.
However…don’t despair. In between times I have another book coming out called Fated. It’s about a girl called Evie, who discovers that she’s a Hunter – a demon slayer. There’s a love interest who’s possibly hotter than Alex. His name is Lucas and he’s half Shadow Warrior and half-human. He belongs to a band of demons sent to kill Evie before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy. If you visit my Goodreads profile you can read an extract.
I’m so excited about this book – so excited infact that I’ve already written two more books in this series, though these haven’t yet been bought. Apparently paranormal is taking a hit says my publisher, but let’s hope that it isn’t. I personally choose to believe it isn’t! I love paranormal! And hopefully after Fated comes out it’ll change their minds.
At the moment I’m working on edits for Fated and the sequel to Hunting Lila but I plan to start another book in August (top secret at the moment but I’m grinning as I think about it).
Anyway, thanks to everyone blogging, reviewing, tweeting or just adding Hunting Lila to their TBR shelf. I really appreciate it.
Sarahx
Hunting LilaFated
Hunting Lila, Fated and what I'm working on now...
The ARCs for Hunting Lila went out about a month ago and much to my delight it’s getting awesome reviews…there’s a real buzz starting which makes me giggle and freak out in equal measure. I never thought two years ago that these characters, that Lila and Alex, would have an audience outside of my best friends and my head. I find myself walking around all day at the moment grinning like an idiot at how stupendously exciting life is.
The consensus so far seems to be that everyone loves Lila and is lusting after Alex. Just as I had hoped. Waterstones and WH Smith are doing a big promotion on the book in August, offering it as part of their 3 for 2 deals - so keep an eye out for it on their tables and snag it at a bargain price. I'm also doing an 8 day Blog Tour starting on 28th July where some giveaways are planned.
I’ve had several emails over the last week from people asking whether there is a sequel to Lila, so I thought I’d post a blog about what I’m working on at the moment.
The sequel to Hunting Lila is written! I wrote it even before I had a book deal. I wrote it on the beach in India. I just re-read it the other day (it’s been a year since I wrote it) and it made me laugh out loud a lot. It’s possibly even more action packed than the first book, with some equally big twists. It’s slightly darker in tone, with more conflict and Lila really struggling to control her growing power. Alex also features a lot, as does his body. But that’s all I’ll say on the matter for now. Let your imaginations run riot.
It’s due out next summer though there’s no release date yet.
However…don’t despair. In between times I have another book coming out called Fated. It’s about a girl called Evie, who discovers that she’s a Hunter – a demon slayer. There’s a love interest who’s possibly hotter than Alex. His name is Lucas and he’s half Shadow Warrior and half-human. He belongs to a band of demons sent to kill Evie before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy. If you visit my Goodreads profile you can read an extract.
I’m so excited about this book – so excited infact that I’ve already written two more books in this series, though these haven’t yet been bought. Apparently paranormal is taking a hit says my publisher, but let’s hope that it isn’t. I personally choose to believe it isn’t! I love paranormal! And hopefully after Fated comes out it’ll change their minds.
At the moment I’m working on edits for Fated and the sequel to Hunting Lila but I plan to start another book in August (top secret at the moment but I’m grinning as I think about it).
Anyway, thanks to everyone blogging, reviewing, tweeting or just adding Hunting Lila to their TBR shelf. I really appreciate it.
Sarahx
Hunting LilaFated
The consensus so far seems to be that everyone loves Lila and is lusting after Alex. Just as I had hoped. Waterstones and WH Smith are doing a big promotion on the book in August, offering it as part of their 3 for 2 deals - so keep an eye out for it on their tables and snag it at a bargain price. I'm also doing an 8 day Blog Tour starting on 28th July where some giveaways are planned.
I’ve had several emails over the last week from people asking whether there is a sequel to Lila, so I thought I’d post a blog about what I’m working on at the moment.
The sequel to Hunting Lila is written! I wrote it even before I had a book deal. I wrote it on the beach in India. I just re-read it the other day (it’s been a year since I wrote it) and it made me laugh out loud a lot. It’s possibly even more action packed than the first book, with some equally big twists. It’s slightly darker in tone, with more conflict and Lila really struggling to control her growing power. Alex also features a lot, as does his body. But that’s all I’ll say on the matter for now. Let your imaginations run riot.
It’s due out next summer though there’s no release date yet.
However…don’t despair. In between times I have another book coming out called Fated. It’s about a girl called Evie, who discovers that she’s a Hunter – a demon slayer. There’s a love interest who’s possibly hotter than Alex. His name is Lucas and he’s half Shadow Warrior and half-human. He belongs to a band of demons sent to kill Evie before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy. If you visit my Goodreads profile you can read an extract.
I’m so excited about this book – so excited infact that I’ve already written two more books in this series, though these haven’t yet been bought. Apparently paranormal is taking a hit says my publisher, but let’s hope that it isn’t. I personally choose to believe it isn’t! I love paranormal! And hopefully after Fated comes out it’ll change their minds.
At the moment I’m working on edits for Fated and the sequel to Hunting Lila but I plan to start another book in August (top secret at the moment but I’m grinning as I think about it).
Anyway, thanks to everyone blogging, reviewing, tweeting or just adding Hunting Lila to their TBR shelf. I really appreciate it.
Sarahx
Hunting LilaFated
Book birthdays, Ecstatic Dance and MORE ALEX...
Lila had its Australian book birthday the other day – I wish I was there for it. Instead I had to make do with drinking frozen margaritas and going to ecstatic dance (moving meditation where you dance like a lunatic in the dark wearing only a bikini until pouring with sweat and ready to collapse – upside is you feel really amazing after). It’s when I dance or swim that I come up with new plot ideas for my books. That’s my excuse anyway.
At the moment I’m writing my sixth book. It’s very different to Lila or Fated, though similar in that it features a teenage girl who’s caught in a situation not of her choosing and who has to figure her way out of it. I’m having fun writing it – loving the flow. And the boys. There are boys. Naturally. In fact there’s only one girl. All the rest are boys. Like where I’m going with that? :)
Am also half way through writing a short story from Suki’s perspective – a side story to Hunting Lila. It’s going to be sold as an e-book on Amazon with all profits going to my friend’s new charity Girltank.
I spent yesterday at the beach dribbling into the sand whilst plotting the story and wrote some pretty awesome dialogue between Demos and Suki and between Jack and Alex. It’s fun to explore these characters outside of Lila’s perspective. I’m still struggling though on how to create a storyline that allows me to have Alex half-naked.
Fail on that score. He’s going to be clothed. BUT we will be finding out more about his love life over the last few years and more about his feelings for Lila – remember Suki can read minds – ACCESS ALL AREAS!
Finally I’m freaking out about Fated. It’s being released in January. With so much Lila love and reviews ending with ‘How is she going to top this?’ I’m having to learn to step away from the refresh button on Goodreads. There should be a cover reveal soon and I had my first reader give it five stars (thanks Jenny!)which helped ease the panic.
And whilst I’m here I need some advice. I’ve been invited to a school to do ‘something.’
Any ideas on what ‘something’ might look like? If I was coming to your school or college what would you want me to do? What would you want me to talk about? Any suggestions gratefully received! Because right now all I can think of doing is an ecstatic dance demonstration.
At the moment I’m writing my sixth book. It’s very different to Lila or Fated, though similar in that it features a teenage girl who’s caught in a situation not of her choosing and who has to figure her way out of it. I’m having fun writing it – loving the flow. And the boys. There are boys. Naturally. In fact there’s only one girl. All the rest are boys. Like where I’m going with that? :)
Am also half way through writing a short story from Suki’s perspective – a side story to Hunting Lila. It’s going to be sold as an e-book on Amazon with all profits going to my friend’s new charity Girltank.
I spent yesterday at the beach dribbling into the sand whilst plotting the story and wrote some pretty awesome dialogue between Demos and Suki and between Jack and Alex. It’s fun to explore these characters outside of Lila’s perspective. I’m still struggling though on how to create a storyline that allows me to have Alex half-naked.
Fail on that score. He’s going to be clothed. BUT we will be finding out more about his love life over the last few years and more about his feelings for Lila – remember Suki can read minds – ACCESS ALL AREAS!
Finally I’m freaking out about Fated. It’s being released in January. With so much Lila love and reviews ending with ‘How is she going to top this?’ I’m having to learn to step away from the refresh button on Goodreads. There should be a cover reveal soon and I had my first reader give it five stars (thanks Jenny!)which helped ease the panic.
And whilst I’m here I need some advice. I’ve been invited to a school to do ‘something.’
Any ideas on what ‘something’ might look like? If I was coming to your school or college what would you want me to do? What would you want me to talk about? Any suggestions gratefully received! Because right now all I can think of doing is an ecstatic dance demonstration.
Losing Lila Cover & Giveaway!
Very excitingly, Losing Lila's cover is finally ready to be revealed to the world. What do you think?
I love the strapline: 'It's time to stop running and start fighting.'
I wanted it to express how this book is all about the action and Lila coming into her own. And she does. She kicks ASS. Am very excited about its release...just three more months now and counting. Expectations are high for this one and I so want it to deliver for all the fans and bloggers who loved Hunting Lila.
I can confirm that there's tonnes more steam and some epic action scenes and a few more twists. All the characters from Hunting Lila are back in the sequel and all the questions still to be answered are finally resolved...Is Sara a goodie or a baddie? Is Jack alive? And if he is will he and Alex ever become friends again? Will Alex & Lila be able to make a go of it? Will they rescue the people from the base?
Is it a happy ending? That I can't tell you. What I can say is, it isn't a happy ending for everybody. And I can guarantee tears.
And if you need any more incentive to pre-order it let me add this extra morsel of information...there's a story from Alex's point of view in the back. So if you've ever wanted to know what Alex was thinking when Lila fell down the stairs and into his arms at the start of Hunting Lila, or ever wanted to know what was going on behind those inscrutable blue eyes of his when he was listening to her talk, then you'll be able to find out!
I'm also hosting a giveaway on Goodreads...so don't forget to enter for the chance to win a signed copy!
Losing Lila
I love the strapline: 'It's time to stop running and start fighting.'
I wanted it to express how this book is all about the action and Lila coming into her own. And she does. She kicks ASS. Am very excited about its release...just three more months now and counting. Expectations are high for this one and I so want it to deliver for all the fans and bloggers who loved Hunting Lila.
I can confirm that there's tonnes more steam and some epic action scenes and a few more twists. All the characters from Hunting Lila are back in the sequel and all the questions still to be answered are finally resolved...Is Sara a goodie or a baddie? Is Jack alive? And if he is will he and Alex ever become friends again? Will Alex & Lila be able to make a go of it? Will they rescue the people from the base?
Is it a happy ending? That I can't tell you. What I can say is, it isn't a happy ending for everybody. And I can guarantee tears.
And if you need any more incentive to pre-order it let me add this extra morsel of information...there's a story from Alex's point of view in the back. So if you've ever wanted to know what Alex was thinking when Lila fell down the stairs and into his arms at the start of Hunting Lila, or ever wanted to know what was going on behind those inscrutable blue eyes of his when he was listening to her talk, then you'll be able to find out!
I'm also hosting a giveaway on Goodreads...so don't forget to enter for the chance to win a signed copy!
Losing Lila
Advice for aspiring YA authors
For the last three months I've been contributing to a new Australian Blog called 'Writing Teen Novels'.
There are over a dozen authors and I'm honoured to be one of them. We all write blog posts on different aspects of writing to help aspiring authors. There are some great posts there if you're looking for inspiration.
I've done posts on how to write a thriller, writing steam for a teen audience and writing teenage characters.
You can find them here...
http://writingteennovels.com/tag/sara...
There are over a dozen authors and I'm honoured to be one of them. We all write blog posts on different aspects of writing to help aspiring authors. There are some great posts there if you're looking for inspiration.
I've done posts on how to write a thriller, writing steam for a teen audience and writing teenage characters.
You can find them here...
http://writingteennovels.com/tag/sara...
WIN A SIGNED COPY OF LOSING LILA
There's less than a month to go before Losing Lila is released! I'm so excited. And to celebrate, as well as the giveaway on Goodreads, I'm also doing a signed giveaway through my Facebook page.
It's super easy to enter, via Twitter or Facebook, and is open until August 3rd.
For more details visit my Facebook page.
www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson
It's super easy to enter, via Twitter or Facebook, and is open until August 3rd.
For more details visit my Facebook page.
www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson
How to become a better writer
Write for as many hours a day as you can. Write emails, blog posts and bucket lists. Write letters to lovers, to friends, to your grandmother. Write a letter to the person you admire most in the world and a letter to the person you most regret hurting. Write a complaint letter, a condolence letter and a congratulations letter. Write copy for websites, write tweets and write job applications. Write stories and essays. Finish your homework.
If you practised piano two hours a day for five years imagine how good you would be. If you write for five hours a day for five years imagine at the end of that time how accomplished you would be at crafting words.
In the times you are not writing, read. Read incessantly. Read books, magazines, blogs, websites, reviews, scripts, newspapers, political journals, Facebook status updates, interviews with writers, celebrities, politicians and the everyman on the street. Read fiction and non-fiction. Read the greats. Read the truly awfuls. Read poetry. Read the signs in public toilets and on the subway. Read advertising. Read flyers. Read comic strips and newspaper headlines and Wikipedia.
Don’t be a snob. Read everything. Learn how other people speak and write. Absorb beautiful words and turns of phrase. Jot them down. Flinch at bad writing and figure out why you’re flinching. Learn how a journalist’s words differ from a poet’s and how they are the same. Learn the art of an advertising tag line and the craft of a politician’s buzzwords. Read what you’ve written. Out loud. Don’t scrunch it up and throw it away. Work on it. Improve it. Keep going.
Listen. Watch the news, watch comedy, watch drama, watch movies and, whatever you do, watch every HBO series made. Watch Hollywood blockbusters and independent art house films. Watch children’s television and go to the theatre. Watch chat shows and YouTube videos.
This is how you will learn the art of great dialogue, the conventions behind the genres, the archetypes and the power of great storytelling. You might not realise it but you’ll be absorbing the conventions of three act story building, of character development and imagery. You’ll figure out how and when to incite incidents.
Listen on the subway and on buses. Listen to your friends. Listen to your parents and teachers. Listen to strangers at the table next to you and to the person spouting nonsense on the street corner through a megaphone.
Listen and learn the cadence and rhythm of speech. Study accents, slang and etymology. Revel in every new word and expression you come across. Listen and collect stories and names and the funny turns of phrase you overhear. One day that person you walked past in the street, that story you overheard waiting in line for your coffee, that piece of scandalous gossip at the water cooler, might lead to your Pulitzer.
Do all these things and always keep challenging yourself. Don’t just write one genre. Experiment, play, enjoy. Try writing a movie, a kid’s book, a young adult novel, a poem, a short story, a thriller, a horror, a romance, a TV Pilot, an episode of your favourite show. Try writing a haiku or a book blurb or a film poster. Figure out what you’re good at through trial and error.
The blank page is not something to be frightened of. It’s a new adventure waiting to happen. And there’s always the delete button.
Words. Make them your best friends.
*this post originally appeared on www.writingteennovels.com
If you practised piano two hours a day for five years imagine how good you would be. If you write for five hours a day for five years imagine at the end of that time how accomplished you would be at crafting words.
In the times you are not writing, read. Read incessantly. Read books, magazines, blogs, websites, reviews, scripts, newspapers, political journals, Facebook status updates, interviews with writers, celebrities, politicians and the everyman on the street. Read fiction and non-fiction. Read the greats. Read the truly awfuls. Read poetry. Read the signs in public toilets and on the subway. Read advertising. Read flyers. Read comic strips and newspaper headlines and Wikipedia.
Don’t be a snob. Read everything. Learn how other people speak and write. Absorb beautiful words and turns of phrase. Jot them down. Flinch at bad writing and figure out why you’re flinching. Learn how a journalist’s words differ from a poet’s and how they are the same. Learn the art of an advertising tag line and the craft of a politician’s buzzwords. Read what you’ve written. Out loud. Don’t scrunch it up and throw it away. Work on it. Improve it. Keep going.
Listen. Watch the news, watch comedy, watch drama, watch movies and, whatever you do, watch every HBO series made. Watch Hollywood blockbusters and independent art house films. Watch children’s television and go to the theatre. Watch chat shows and YouTube videos.
This is how you will learn the art of great dialogue, the conventions behind the genres, the archetypes and the power of great storytelling. You might not realise it but you’ll be absorbing the conventions of three act story building, of character development and imagery. You’ll figure out how and when to incite incidents.
Listen on the subway and on buses. Listen to your friends. Listen to your parents and teachers. Listen to strangers at the table next to you and to the person spouting nonsense on the street corner through a megaphone.
Listen and learn the cadence and rhythm of speech. Study accents, slang and etymology. Revel in every new word and expression you come across. Listen and collect stories and names and the funny turns of phrase you overhear. One day that person you walked past in the street, that story you overheard waiting in line for your coffee, that piece of scandalous gossip at the water cooler, might lead to your Pulitzer.
Do all these things and always keep challenging yourself. Don’t just write one genre. Experiment, play, enjoy. Try writing a movie, a kid’s book, a young adult novel, a poem, a short story, a thriller, a horror, a romance, a TV Pilot, an episode of your favourite show. Try writing a haiku or a book blurb or a film poster. Figure out what you’re good at through trial and error.
The blank page is not something to be frightened of. It’s a new adventure waiting to happen. And there’s always the delete button.
Words. Make them your best friends.
*this post originally appeared on www.writingteennovels.com
My first ADULT BOOK!
It's been a long time coming, but the romantic comedy novel that author Becky Wicks and I started working on together last year is finally ready for your eyes! Together we're Lola Salt (like it?) and the reason for this nom de plume will all become clear, the more you read...
It's my first adult novel and a little bit different to my YA novels (though with lots of action and hot men still). I don't however, recommend it to anyone under the age of 18. You have been warned. Nor to anyone easily offended ;).
So what's it about?
When ex-circus employee Lara Craft is dumped for a contortionist, there's no point in sticking around. Delivering packages to random global corners for a mysterious concierge company seems like the perfect way to hide from her humiliation.
As she travels, a suitcase full of whips and props might well prepare Lara for proposals by Arabic princes, advances from Christian cowboys and kidnappings by pirates, but nothing can prepare Lara Craft (not Croft) for what happens when she discovers that the best and most exciting thing about her life is right where she least expected to find it.
Pack your bags. And your glitter. The adventure's about to begin.
Check out the Lola Salt facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lola-S...
And the GR page here:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...
For a free taster, the first 13 chapters are on Wattpad.
http://www.wattpad.com/story/3773167-...
It's my first adult novel and a little bit different to my YA novels (though with lots of action and hot men still). I don't however, recommend it to anyone under the age of 18. You have been warned. Nor to anyone easily offended ;).
So what's it about?
When ex-circus employee Lara Craft is dumped for a contortionist, there's no point in sticking around. Delivering packages to random global corners for a mysterious concierge company seems like the perfect way to hide from her humiliation.
As she travels, a suitcase full of whips and props might well prepare Lara for proposals by Arabic princes, advances from Christian cowboys and kidnappings by pirates, but nothing can prepare Lara Craft (not Croft) for what happens when she discovers that the best and most exciting thing about her life is right where she least expected to find it.
Pack your bags. And your glitter. The adventure's about to begin.
Check out the Lola Salt facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lola-S...
And the GR page here:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...
For a free taster, the first 13 chapters are on Wattpad.
http://www.wattpad.com/story/3773167-...
FREE PREQUEL to HUNTING LILA
I'm thrilled to be part of this year's World Book Day...
The NEW World Book Day YA app is out NOW for FREE on iOS and Android.
They've teamed up with Movellas to create a fab FREE app, with new stories from top YA authors including Patrick Ness, Josephine Angelini, Will Hill and ME!
There are 5 stories on it (including mine: Turning Amber) and more to come on World Book Day (7th March 2013). Find out more AND find a local bookshop where you can use your £1 book token (UK only).
Plus each author has started a Story Chain for YOU to add to as well.
Here's the link to the World Book Day site:
http://www.worldbookday.com/community...
and here's the link to the APP:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/world...
Turning Amber is a prequel to Hunting Lila (set 5 years before). Grab your copy of Turning Amber and find out just how she met Ryder, why she fell for him, what the hell Demos was doing in a thrift store in Ventura and why it's not a good idea to steal from a gang of Hell's Angels.
The NEW World Book Day YA app is out NOW for FREE on iOS and Android.
They've teamed up with Movellas to create a fab FREE app, with new stories from top YA authors including Patrick Ness, Josephine Angelini, Will Hill and ME!
There are 5 stories on it (including mine: Turning Amber) and more to come on World Book Day (7th March 2013). Find out more AND find a local bookshop where you can use your £1 book token (UK only).
Plus each author has started a Story Chain for YOU to add to as well.
Here's the link to the World Book Day site:
http://www.worldbookday.com/community...
and here's the link to the APP:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/world...
Turning Amber is a prequel to Hunting Lila (set 5 years before). Grab your copy of Turning Amber and find out just how she met Ryder, why she fell for him, what the hell Demos was doing in a thrift store in Ventura and why it's not a good idea to steal from a gang of Hell's Angels.
Writing and all the bits in between
I have a blog at www.canwelivehere.com which documents my life living in Bali, writing, drinking coconuts, dancing ecstatically and meeting crazy people.
I have a website at www.sarahalderson.com where ...more
I have a website at www.sarahalderson.com where ...more
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