Old People Writing for Teens, IV

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Stuck In Kansas

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mellymel: You? Me? We're gonna' have to talk about horror films at some point. Film is a huge influence on my writing as well. It's true that most horror films are terrible. For some odd reason, that's why I like them. I read a recent article that said critics instantly dismiss horror films because they affect the physical attributes of people (heart racing, etc.), as opposed to "art films" which engage the mind. I guess like cinemax.

justbishop: Thanks! I'll check out that website-website you recommended.

And who welcomed me, saying I was one of the few "old" people here? I can't find the post now. But, HELLO! 50 is the new teenager. It's called evolution. And if that argument didn't work out...you kids get outta' my thread! (Kidding, of course. Obviously, if I'm the oldest one here, I'm also the "new kid on the block" so I take all of your advice to heart).
 

mellymel

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Melly- Krista(Juneluv) is one of my beta readers. I feel like you're her friend Melanie?? :)
Okay back to yr question...My novel is 54k (about 215 pages), contemporary/edgy YA told in non-chronological order. I basically want someone to tell me if the chronology is at all confusing (an agent called it inventive and original - but I still want some help), if the love interest seems okay and if overall I need anything else... I'm doing it for an R+R so I'd love for it to be done within the next month or so (trying to get back by Sept)
And WOW it sounds like you're busy!:D

Yes, Krista and I are pretty good friends (and, yes, I am her friend Melanie) :) Texted with her for like 45 min last night. I've beta read some of her stuff as well. And edgy YA is my thang! I mean even my blog says, Read on the edge, Write on the edge, Live on the edge :D

ETA: it's for an R&R? THAT'S AWESOME YAYAYAY! Gl. If I finish things fast enough, I'll let you know, but dang it, I only have a few more days before my girls are out for school and then it will be so much harder to get ANYTHING done. sigh.
 
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mellymel

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SIK, Scream and Poltergeist are still my all time faves. The book I'm writing now I'm calling Gossip Girls meets Scream :D

I've been into a real foreign horror kick lately. LOVE NETFLIX!!!!!! I just love the slower pace of them sometimes and usually find the original foreign version of movies that get remade into Amercian ones (REC vs. Quarantine, Let the Right one In vs. Let Me In, A Tale of Two Sisters vs. The Uninvited etc.) to be a hair better.
 
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Smiley0501

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Did someone say horror films??? *runs out of the threads/boards/forum forever*





...Seriously those things terrify me. *hides under covers*
 

mellymel

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Did someone say horror films??? *runs out of the threads/boards/forum forever*





...Seriously those things terrify me. *hides under covers*

bwahahahaha! Don't go! It's okay. I promise not to discuss any gory details in here.
 

justbishop

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Did someone say horror films??? *runs out of the threads/boards/forum forever*





...Seriously those things terrify me. *hides under covers*

Me too *hides under Smiley's covers*

And Kansas, there are two versions of WordPress, depending on your needs/how deep you want to get yourself into the nuts and bolts:

WordPress.com, where you can just sign up for a free, hosted, powered by WP blog. You can also pay a small monthly upgrade fee for some extra freedoms, but it's nothing like...

WordPress.org, which is where you can go to download the open source code package that you then upload/install to your own hosting account, giving you a free, completely customizable, completely closed (as in not part of a bigger network) WP powered blog/CMS site. I won't just call this a blog option, because WP is so flexible when self hosted that it really exceeds the usefulness of other blogging scripts.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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WAIT, smiley0501 & justbishop! I'll promise not to derail the forum into a horror film discussion! That was just bad manners on my part, my being new and everything. My apologies.

(psst...mellymel...Spain is where the truly, creepy, artistic horror films are coming from these days). And your book sounds way cool, by the way.

Ahem. Smiley0501, I truly want to add things to my signature, but I don't have anything to add yet! My book is slated to hit the intronets in January...How soon is now (anyone like the Smiths?) to begin promoting? I suppose I should start blogging immediately...

...instead of watch a HORROR FILM! (Sorry...I digressed in very bad form).
 

Stuck In Kansas

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mellymel: at first I thought you said your book was a combo of GILMORE girls and Scream (instead of Gossip Girl).

Now, wouldn't THAT be something? Hmmm. Sharp, fast, witty dialogue with a masked murderer? Quirky characters under the knife?

Anyway, your book really sounds cool. I'm on board.

And...I promise, no more chat about horror films.
 

Smiley0501

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The Smiths!!! I only know that one song from them (How soon is now) because of Charmed :D

And how exciting that your book will be available in January. Congrats!

Melly- I definitely understand the time thing. I just put out a call on FB and 2 of my writer friends were like "I'm critting other people/going away". *sigh* I just need a fresh pair of eyes you know. Krista just kicked my butt with her suggestions. I feel really good about it as a whole. I had another friend read it too and give me suggestions which I think I've added most of them in. And how old are your girls? I just stalked went to your blog and saw you named them after LOTR (awesome!)
 

Stuck In Kansas

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I hate to derail the thread again (okay, "hate's" a very strong word), but THE SMITHS is perhaps the greatest rock band that ever was. Morrisey has the most soulful voice that ever blared through my eight track player (showing my age). There truly wouldn't be a FOSTER THE PEOPLE or 'fun' or any of the other current indie bands without THE SMITHS trailblazing the way. If you're not familar with them, do yourself a favor and check 'em out.

On a side note, I had a dream last night my book was optioned for a movie. The down side was they wanted to cast Justin Bieber as the protagonist and Nicolas Cage as his father. Well, a guy can dream, right (even if it was a nightmare)? Right?....RIGHT?

Back on topic...Seriously, should I start blogging now? Or wait closer to "publication" date?
 

mellymel

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The Bieber...:flamethrower

Not. A. Fan.

Smiley, my girls are 6 :D (Arwen and Lorien :) :)). And thanks for visiting my blog!

SIK, I think you should start now so you can build up your followers. But the best way to pull people in is to visit a lot of other people's blogs and leave comments. I have to admit it can be VERY time consuming though which is why I prefer Twitter. You have to also be consistent. I have not been as of late because I'd rather spend my time reading/writing. However, I would also suggest reading Elana Johnson's post on how to build a better blog http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/p/building-better-blog.html It has some really great tips!
 

Smiley0501

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I love Elana's blog! I second reading hers - so helpful.

6! Arwen and Lorien. Awesome:D (I'm an Eowyn girl myself but Arwen and Lorien are much easier to pronounce :ROFL:)
 

mellymel

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I love Elana's blog! I second reading hers - so helpful.

6! Arwen and Lorien. Awesome:D (I'm an Eowyn girl myself but Arwen and Lorien are much easier to pronounce :ROFL:)

I'm an Eowyn's brother girl :D :D *fans self 'cause DAMN it just got hot in here*

LOVE. EOMER. Well, actually I'm all about Aragorn, but Eomer is my 2nd fave.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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Thanks, everyone. I'll check out Elana's blog.

Actually, I'm currently working on my first blog post as we speak.

By the way, I am also not a fan of 'the Bieber.' (That's why it was a nightmare).

I know I'm being dumb, but...I've been hesitant about Twitter because from what I've seen, it can be quite intrusive and annoying. Do I just not get it? Or is that truly the way to go?
 

JKRowley

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Smiley, I hope you find a beta reader or two. I wish I could help you out, but I am invested in a critique group and don't have much more to give.

Welcome, SIK, I would start blogging now, and blog about your passions, not just the book. I like to read about the author more than the book. I can read the book.

The owl in my WIP doesn't do anything but appear at odd times and disrupt the MC's sleep. I want it to do something dramatic near the end of the book. Owls are a sign of wisdom, so maybe it needs to be a harbinger of something wise.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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mellymel: Your girls are 6! It's a great age!

My daughter just turned 20. Sigh. She was a really good girl when younger. She's just now decided to take out her rebellious years.

She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life yet. I suppose that's okay...it took me about, well... 50 years.

The good news? We get to spend a LOT of time together in the day time.

The bad news? We get to spend a LOT of time together in the day time.
 

Bing Z

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On a side note, I had a dream last night my book was optioned for a movie. The down side was they wanted to cast Justin Bieber as the protagonist and Nicolas Cage as his father.

My friend, Bieber is MG. You've dreamed the wrong dream. Next time tell 'em to stick to one of the Hemsworths.

Nick can only play a drunk dad in incestuous gay romance. Stick to George Clooney or Xander Berkeley for a sexy nice dad.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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JKRowley: Thanks for the welcome! I have to agree with you...people are much more interesting than press releases. I'm going to take your advice and just lay my life out on my blog...warts and all. Okay, maybe not the warts.

Still feeling intrigued by your owl. If you could somehow make it an actual "character," I think that would truly be intriguing.

I've written a trilogy of books about a teen witch boy. His "familar's" are cats. Unfortunately, he's allergic to cats, even though they've saved his life several times. I wish I could actually anthropomorphize them, but that would dilute what I'm trying to do. I want to keep things as "real" as possible to get my teen issues across.

But, if you could do something with your owl, that would really be cool.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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Bing: I have no idea what "MG" stands for. It took me some time to figure out that "WIP" didn't stand for "Women In Prison."

Xander Berkley? ReallY?

I know that my dream was outdated as per popular culture, but those damn Hemsworth boys are just too...handsome, hunky and confident. I need an "anti-Hemsworth."
 

Dorothy

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Welcome, Kansas!

(You want to talk about how many times I've heard "Kansas" in my life? - Look at my name and tell me if you get the connection. ;) )

You'd think I'd like horror movies, what with the plot of my book and all. But, um, yeah, I'll be hiding under the covers with the rest of the gang. But maybe that's what works for me: Write what scares the crap out of you. LOL
 

Stiger05

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Morning all.

Welcome, Kansas! Don't worry, I'm from the deep South where "mullet spotting" is a bit of a sport. I don't know much about setting up websites, but I have a blog at wordpress (see my signature). If you're starting a blog recommend having a tab for your book, but using your blog posts as a way for people to get to know you and secrets behind how you write, where you inspirations come from, etc. Like someone else said, I hate it when writers just use social media to beat me over the head with their book details. (There have been lots of agent blogs over the last few weeks about this as well).

So, I'm with mel, I kind of want to see Abe Lincoln vamp hunter as well. The concept has amused me since I saw the book. Can you imagine how hilarious the movie is going to be?

I got no writing done yesterday, but I have Hubby talked into a new car!! Today, my goal is to get a new chapter done. *crosses fingers* It might be difficult though because I apparently work with complete dolts who can't figure out simple concepts and have to hold their hands a lot thus restricting my personal time. Sorry, just had to vent. I'm cool now. : )
 

lisalulu09

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I badly need to revive my blog.

Invincible is going to have a sequel!
 
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