Katniss Excitement!

The Hunger Games. It was the first Dystopian book I'd read, and once I got past the depressing circumstances of Katniss and the other citizens of District 12, thought it was pretty fantastic. Like so many friends before me, I literally couldn't put it down. Who will be killed next? Who will Katniss have to kill? Is Peeta on her side or what!? So many questions. So much tension. I loved it. I haven't read the next two in the series yet because a) they're checked out at the library and b) I'm too cheap to buy the hardcover (can't find a paperback yet.) Plus, it's only nine days until the movie premiere. I think I'd rather enjoy all the hype, go see the movie, hopefully love it, and then move on to Catching Fire, which my daughter tells me is awesome.

Until next time, Happy Writing!!

A Hodgepodge of Stuff

Today I have several items I want to share with you. The first is a website that I found while researching names for my characters. It's called Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names. www.behindthename.com  You can browse names in a variety of ways; by popularity, country of origin, biblical or mythological names, etc. I even searched by meaning, needing a name that would be very specific to my character's journey.

Next item on the agenda is the 50th anniversary edition of
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It has 8 pages of bonus material including a picture of Mr. Keats and Madeleine L'Engle at the awards dinner for the 1963 winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. They won for their books A Wrinkle in Time and The Snowy Day, respectively.

And that leads me to my third item. Lena Roy is the granddaughter of Madeleine L'Engle and also an author. www.lenaroy.com. Her first book, Edges, was published a little over a year ago but I just recently finished reading it. It's a very well written, character-rich study in addiction, told from the view points of the two protaganists, Luke and Ava. With New York City and Moab, Utah as the backdrop, we are both saddened and hopeful for our MC's on their journey.

Until next time, happy reading and writing everyone!

Another Great Resource

I just finished reading The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. This book is fantastic and a must-have resource for writers. As Mr. Lukeman points out, "Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript." What Mr. Lukeman has done for the writer then, is to provide a list of the most common bad-writing identifiers that will cause an agent or editor to almost immediately toss a manuscript. Divided into three parts; Preliminary Problems, Dialogue, and The Bigger Picture, it offers a wealth of knowledge for the beginning or well-seasoned writer. I plan on putting these words of wisdom to use right away on my WIP.