On Subjectivity

Art is subjective, I know. Talent is as well. I write, paint, recreate furniture, and create things. Some come out good; some not so good. All in all, it's very rewarding and frustrating at the same time. I don't like subjectivity. But, then again, I do. I care if you like my work, but I don't care. I care if you like me, but I also don't give a crap.


All I know is I work hard to be creative - to make things. Yet, I often feel there is no reward for my efforts. I wonder if all I'm looking for is financial reward. People sing their praises of my work. "It's fantastic." "We love it." "It's so beautiful." "I read it - it's amazing." And my favorite: "This is totally going to sell." But when that piece (of work) doesn't sell, and I have to stare at it in my garage, in my living room or on my hard drive, I wonder about this subjectivity thing and how bad it sucks.


How can twenty people think something is so brilliant and one person (the person who needs to like it) not? I'm seriously frustrated. And it's not with writing. I'm not submitting work all over the place and getting rejections. You'd think that was the case by how frustrated I am. The one biggest person in the way of my writing is me. I have this beautiful YA fiction book that I pulled from submission because that one person who doesn't agree on its artistry is me. It's not good enough...for me. Art is subjective. Others love the book. To steal a line from Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary, "Just as it is". But I don't love it just as it is. Therein lies the problem. There's always something to do, somewhere to go, something to fix. Subjectivity gets in the way of my own talent.


I get on Facebook, which I have a serious love/hate relationship with, and see everyone's wonderful lives, and think, "God, if I could just sell everything I create, I could have that pool, too. I could go on vacation. I could pay for my kids' braces." But I don't sell everything I make. And I blame it on subjectivity. Subjectivity is my scapegoat on my good days. On my bad days, I just think my work sucks.


I don't want to end up a talentless nobody, but I don't want to be a mediocre sell-out. This is what holds me back. I want to be awesome. I want my work to be awesome. I don't like "ok". I don't need the pats on the back or the recognition for my ego - it's not an ego thing. It's more of an accomplishment thing. Or a contribution thing. It's like, "I offered my talent to the world and the world accepted it. Subjectivity aligned with my talents." Or maybe it all comes down to luck.


I had talent the other day when I helped a teen with her writing skills. There was reward in that. I had talent when I wrote a business piece for a company. There was reward in that. I had talent when I crafted an angry email to a company I was super pissed at for reasons I shall not discuss. HaHa. I had talent when I made up a story for my 10-year-old daughter. There was major reward with that. I finished a piece of furniture - an old school desk. It's lovely. Will it sell? Who knows. I love it and so do my kids and so does my husband. There is reward in that. Selling it will be a bonus. (And it will pay a medical bill if it does, relieving some stress in my life.) But it's subjective - someone will look at that desk, skim the picture and click on to the next item unimpressed. Hopefully, the next person will linger on the picture a little longer and decide which room will work best for the little desk.


And writing...

So many projects going at the same time. The fiction, non-fiction, memoir and magazine pieces are all in the works. Only two of these are actually in the submission process. I hope these will be read with less subjective eyes, especially the non-fiction proposal as this is my "baby". This is real life stuff that will make a difference in the world. This will change lives. Although, changing lives is subjective and relative.

Here we go again.



#subjectivity

Books in Verse

Do you like books in verse? 

The definition of verse novels according to Wikipedia is: A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voices, dialogue, narration, description, and action in a novelistic manner. 

Verse novels are different. And by different, I  mean they're different from regular books AND they differ from each other. It seems every verse book I read is different in style from the last. Even the chapters vary. For example, Ellen Hopkins, who is a master at verse, uses different styles to differentiate the character voices in her books. They're all in verse, but the styles of the characters' voices are so different it's amazing to me. She differentiates the sentences, the wording and the stanzas, assigning a particular style to each character. Some of the sentences are choppy and short and bounce around, while some are normal sentences, just divided and moved around the page in paragraphs that vary in size. 

Personally, I love verse novels. I find them interesting. What do you think about verse compared to 'regular' books?

Can you connect with characters? As easily as with 'regular' books? 
Can you feel the emotions? 
Can you feel yourself in the moment? 
Do you 'get' the scenes?
Can you see/feel/understand the settings? 
What do you like/love about verse?
What don't you like?
Does it annoy you?

What genre works best for verse? Middle Grade? YA? NA? etc.

What theme/mood works best for verse? Dark? Sad? Happy? etc.

What is / are your favorite verse book(s)?

What are some of your favorite lines from verse books?

What if we took awesome books and turned them to verse? Like The Fault in our Stars? Would it work? or Wonder? Duff? Twilight?  haha Grown up books like All The Light We Cannot Sea or Astonish Me or Gone Girl (if shortened, I almost think it could work).

Okay, so not all books would work in verse. Thankfully, there are some kick ass verse authors out there. I'm working on a verse novel right now. I guess we'll see if I can get the flow right. The funny thing is...who's to say if my flow is right or wrong or good or bad? That's the beauty of verse. It's like a beautiful disaster that makes sense. 

Can't wait to hear what YOU think of verse novels. Below are some great examples. Feel free to add to the list!

~missy <3 <3 <3

Lists of Novels in Verse

This blog post is old, but it has a link to some cool verse novels:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/mar/20/top10s.verse.novels

Goodreads has a great list of verse novels: Goodreads Novels in Verse


Young Adult
Psyche in a Dress, Francesca Lia Block (2006)
Because I am Furniture, Thalia Chaltas (New York: Viking Juvenile, 2009)
Frenchtown Summer, Robert Cormier (New York: Random House, 1999)
Heartbeat, Sharon Creech (New York: HarperCollins, 2004)
Keesha's House, Helen Frost, (2003)
Dark Sons, Nikki Grimes (New York: Hyperion Books, 2005)
Downtown Boy, Juan Felipe Herrera (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1999)
By the River, Steven Herrick (Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, 2004
Kissing Annabel, Steven Herrick (New York: Simon Pulse, 2009)
The Wolf, Steven Herrick (Honesdale: Front Street, 2007)
Cold Skin, Steven Herrick (Honesdale: Front Street, 2009)
Aleutian Sparrow, Karen Hesse (New York, Simon & Schuster, 2003)
Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse (New York: Scholastic, 1997)
Witness, Karen Hesse (New York: Scholastic, 2001)
Crank, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Simon Pulse, 2006)
Glass, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007)
Impulse, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007)
Burned, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007)
Identical, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008)
Tricks, Ellen Hopkins (New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009)
Perfect, Ellen Hopkins (2011)
Tilt, Ellen Hopkins (2012)
Rumble, Ellen Hopkins (2014)
My Book of Life By Angel, Martine Leavitt (2012)
Realm of Possibility, David Levithan (New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008)
Street Love, Walter Dean Myers (New York, CarperCollins, 2007)
The Weight of the Sky, Lisa Ann Sandell, (New York: Viking, 2006)
Song of the Sparrow, Lisa Ann Sandell, (New York: Scholastic, 2008)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2008)
Far from You, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2010)
The Day Before, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2011)
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Sonya Sones (New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001)
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, Sonya Sones (New York: HarperTeen, 2001)
What My Mother Doesn't Know, Sonya Sones (New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001)
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know, Sonya Sones (New York, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007)
Orchards, Holly Thompson (New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2011)
Love and Leftovers, Sarah Tregay (New York: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, 2011)
Jinx, Margaret Wild (New York: Simon Pulse, 2004)
One Night, Margaret Wild (New York: Random House, 2006)
Glimpse, Carol Lynch Williams (New York: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2010)
Make Lemonade, Virginia Euwer Wolff (New York: Scholastic, 1994)
True Believer, Virginia Euwer Wolff (New York, Simon Pulse, 2002)
This Full House, Virginia Euwer Wolff (New York: HarperCollins, 2009)
Lonesome Howl, Allen & Unwin
Johnny and the Seven Teddy Bears of Sin, James Venn (Toronto, 2012)

On New Beginnings....

I have an idea! 

How often do we writers say that? Do you ever get new ideas for books? Do you write them down? Sometimes I do; oftentimes I don't. When the idea strikes, though, I find myself acting out the scenes in my head. It's as if the characters are real people and I'm seeing the action take place in my head. Weird, huh? It's like that when I write. I see the scenes, and then write them. I tend to see the scenes more easily than write them. In fact, many times I'll go to write the scenes and they come out all wrong. It's as if they don't translate well to paper.

So, why am I telling you this? I have a brand spanking new idea that's been bugging me. It's keeping me up at night. The 13-year-old boy character is all over the place in my head. He's scaling walls, sneaking in and out of the building, stealing blue prints and almost getting caught. He's doing exactly what I want him to do...only it's all taking place in my head. The 14-year-old girl is doing everything she's not supposed to be doing and it's annoying me, which is good. That's how I want her to be. She comes with a side order of eye roll. But...I can't seem to get it onto paper (or computer). Grrrrr. So frustrating. 

If you didn't figure it out, it's an MG adventure. 

We'll see if I can go from my head to the keyboard to Word. 
Wish me luck.

In the meantime, tell me in comments if this ever happens to you!

Missy <3 <3 <3

#MGfiction #amwriting #novel #author

Fascinating First Lines...

FIRST LINES. 

I'm completely obsessed with first lines.

They fascinate me. I highlight them.

First lines of books.

First lines of chapters.

First lines of letters.
First lines of magazine articles.
First lines of sales pitches, newspaper articles, scripts, brochures...

First lines of songs.

First lines of the dreaded query letters. Some of them are fantastic!

Anything.

I ask everyone I know to tell me the best / worst first lines they've ever read. If they write, I love hearing the first lines from THEIR works.

I challenge you to find some creative first lines (and their sources) just to see the variety.

Maybe it's the first line your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/loverrrrrrr said to you.

By the way, the first word/line my daughter wrote: Kiss. (which sort of scares me)

So, I'm looking for first lines.

And GO!

+firstlines #queryletters #amwriting

Money Can't Buy Happiness...

Money Can't Buy Happiness and Other Lies My Fairy Godmother Told Me.

Do I even need to elaborate? Okay, I will. In a pitch.


Dear Ms. Editor:

The old adage "Money Can't Buy Happiness" is complete crap. You may be wondering, "How can this woman be so negative? Maybe she's never found true love," or "Maybe she's never seen any of the original Seven Wonders of the World." Of course, only one wonder still exists - the Great Pyramid of Giza - which I have no intention of visiting any time soon. Or perhaps I'm just cynical and deprived of the things that offer "true" happiness in life.

Nope. That's not it.

I have most of the things money can't buy. I found my true love. In fact, I gave up Stanford and Berkeley and medical school for him, and we're as happy as two clams in the waters off the coast of New England. I have two beautiful children. They love me unconditionally and endlessly. And, yes, I have God. I think. I hope? Are you there God? It's me, Missy. (<< At least that's how I feel most of the days about my relationship with Him.)

If I have all those, what else would I want? What else would I need? My wants are endless (though I can live simply). My needs, however, are...let's just say the list isn't short.

There are twenty-seven things that would make me happy, and all require money. The list isn't as obvious as you'd think. Some are breathtaking; others are life-saving. In any event, I want a new fairy godmother - one that understands even a visit to the meth clinic ain't free.

And before you even ask, no, I'm not a crackhead.

I propose a knock your socks off type of memoir that will prove money can buy happiness. It's a sliding scale: the more money I get, the more happiness I buy. Do you agree?

~~Missy



********************************

What about you?

Would you ever pitch a memoir? Do you have a story to tell? (Here's a hint: most people have something in their lives worth sharing.)

Do you believe money can buy happiness?

Remember, this is a fun "pitch". I mean it's true - I've written a memoir, but if you could see the list of what I want/need the money for, your face of shock or disgust or curiosity would most likely change. ;)

Smart Phones.

I spent all this time writing up this long post, which I just deleted. I hesitate to write on this topic, but it's something I really want to ask people. I love my smart phone. I do. I also hate it. I hate what smart phones do to people.

So here's what I think...

Dear MS. Magazine Editor:

Imagine walking up to your best friend's hottie husband and taking your shirt off? Did you just spit out your coffee? Probably, because the thought of doing this is ludicrous. This, however, is no different from sending a topless selfie to a married man during a hot text session, which is something that happens every day, flying quietly under the extramarital affair radar. Text message, Facebook messenger, and email are the new go-to communicators when you're looking for some quick action and you own a smart phone.

As you are well aware, smart phones are...smart. They can make marriages dumb. I've witnessed several marriages go awry because of smart phone affairs. Talk about technology at its finest. These people didn't even have to do anything but lift a finger to cheat. And cheat they did. Texts, Facebook messages and emails were exchanged, including inappropriate and suggestive words and pictures, which ultimately and permanently damaged relationships. All from a smart phone. Sounds pretty stupid if you ask me.

I did meet a couple who used their smart phones to get off...with each other. It was a daily hobby and their no-limits Sprint plan seemed to work wonders for their sex life.

I propose a 1,000 word article on smart phones and their effects on marriages. I will tell you this: the research is either going to piss me off or be pretty darn exciting. I'll let you know.

***************************

I'm not sure how I'd position this article. If it were an opinion piece, I don't know if you'd want to hear my opinion. You might get words like, "They're such desperate, lonely women who have no business texting married men." You might also hear me say things like, "What kind of asshole guy would continue or perpetuate the relationship with the woman (who is desperate, lonely, etc) when he's married?"  Or vice versa, whoever's at fault or involved.

Then again, I might tell you I like it. I think it's hot. You just never know. I don't mind texting my husband, "Can you get milk? And what are you wearing?" << It may be a little better than that. Give me some credit.

What do you think? Do you know anyone who's used their smart phone for dumb purposes?

Here's The Deal

If I had ten minutes with a magazine editor, and he/she was forced to listen to me...
With no wine involved.
And no opinions, other than mine, of course.
I'm kidding.
But here's the deal. What I wouldn't give to sit with magazine editors every week just to pitch everything that goes through my head. I'd love to say, "People, here are the stories. Here are the thoughts. Here are the ideas. Where do you want to start?"
Why magazine, you ask? I don't know. It's the medium of choice for the articles I'd like to write. They're not too short and not too long and can be fiction or non-fiction, easy-going or controversial. They can make you smile or cry or want to throw the damn magazine across the room (or punch the computer screen). Don't get me wrong, I love love love books. But magazine articles are just so cool. If I could, I'd spend a whole day with (dreamy) Andrew McCarthy and ask him all about (Pretty in Pink) his writing experiences (or his beautiful face).

But really...I'd love to write for magazines. In a perfect world, the editors would call me. My smart phone would beep more than it already does. They'd beg for more stories on healthcare and heart kids and football and why cell phone batteries don't last and why kiwi's are named kiwi's and why I have to watch my daughter suffer and how my son shoots par and couldn't give a crap...

I'd write about why college basketball is better than NBA and why Ohio State is awesome. Or why the $^#&*^@& I can't get a break on my student loans. Or how on God's earth my husband, as a public high school teacher, makes too much money to receive medical aid for my daughter's medical bills...

I swear the things that happen to me in a single day could fill a month's worth of articles.
So this is where I will "pitch" them. Just for fun, I'll write the stories/articles I'd pitch to magazines. Feel free to comment, add to the idea list and/or subscribe and read. Don't worry, we'll probably get controversial. Just remember, it's my blog, so my opinion is the one that matters most.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll ask you to pitch to your favorite magazine. Just for fun. Any takers?

*winks*
Missy