Jacqueline Levine's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

I just hate it when I decide to change a plot point or character trait in a story but forget to thoroughly edit the book all the way to make sure there is some consistency. All of a sudden, I'm in my writer's group sharing my piece and I stumble over conflicting sentences/ideas. Argh!! Anyone else experience this?

I've written a new post on my blog, spiralseries.com, to share some of my favorite songs that I use to write the upcoming sequel to Spiral, Twist. I'm so excited about the sequel, and my goal is to publish it in spring 2014. I'll be posting an excerpt on the blog soon, as well as here on Goodreads!

For now, check out the post to see what kind of things you can expect from Twist!

http://spiralseries.com/2013/10/06/mu...

XOXO

So, I'm embarking on the journey that is Nanowrimo this year. I attempted it once, about three years ago, and then life got in the way and forbid me from really investing myself. Now that I'm in a steady flow of writing daily(on the train, at home, in random places where it's okay to simply whip out my iPad and go to it), I think I can take the writing challenge head on. I'll probably get to my 50,000 word count goal too but, more than that, I'll be able to finish Twist.

I can't tell you how excited I am for this book. Spiral is and always will be my baby, but Twist has given me the chance to step out of the glittery, candy coated world of two teenagers fighting the love they feel to the theme of two people fighting to stay in love. Entering the darker parts of Jack's psyche has been a really cool adventure, and the book is only halfway completed at 76,000 words. There is so much more to be told, so much rise and fall.

In Twist, the reader follows Jack and Cherie through a year of ups and downs and, like in real life, there are a lot more downs than ups. My theory behind this was that downs are a big part of everyone's life. Everyday, people are met with challenges that test their strength, their commitment to others, and their faith in themselves. Celebrities aren't any different than regular people - their problems are just out there for the world to see and, sometimes, their problems are made worse because the public hungers to hear all about their drama. Suddenly, things that wouldn't happen or wouldn't even matter in real life are exploited and exacerbated for the sake of ratings.

My hope is that, by the end of the book, the reader will have a hard time deciding who is at fault. More than anything, I want the reader to step back and say, "Wow, there really are two sides to every story." I'm sure we have all been in the line of relationship fire before, and no matter which role you played, you can sympathize with Jack and Cherie, and all the hurdles they will have to jump through to stay together. If they stay together.

So I will be using my NanoWrimo time to finish Twist. For now, you can check out the excerpt, and take the poll. I'd love to hear your thoughts! http://spiralseries.com/2013/10/25/tw...
Spiral