Writing Tip- Sequels

Now that I have finished the first book in the series, Souls of Thyne, as well as my short story for Five Glass Slippers, I need to work on the sequels. I have one for each, Lone Souls and then the tentatively titled Poet and the Politician (can you guess which fairy tale this is?).

While I am itching to write and begin these new stories, I am also having difficulty with how to start them. I know when they need to me started, who needs to be there, and where I want to go. But the opening eludes me.

Do any of you ever have that problem? So far I plan to brainstorm. Write down some ideas and see which has more promise. Hopefully, I will have the opening scenes written by next week and can share them with you :).

Since I do not have much of a tip for this, do any of you? Please share in the comments!

Divergent- Veronica Roth

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description:In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts:
The story line and premise of Divergent are amazing. The agony of one choice that determines the rest of your life is one that most people are familiar with, yet this novel takes it beyond what you major in or who you marry to one choice that determines how you will live your life (or as the back of my copy says: One choice determines your friends, your beliefs, your loyalties. One choice can transform you).

The struggles Tris goes through were real. Who does she want to be? Who can she trust when those she trusted betray her? And then the determination needed to stick by her choices when they become difficult.

But I can not give the book five stars. The reasons contain spoilers, so I have covered them.


[ 1) Tres repeatedly refers to God and says that most of Abnegation believes in God. There is no explanation as to why this is, and I found it hard to believe. Especially after some of the things Tris does and then only feels guilty about it when she thinks she will die and she is glad that she didn't kill Eric... [ then she turns around and kills Will and says she would have killed Marcus if she had not believed that to be Four's right.

The way the Aptitude tests work perplexes me. The best I can figure out is that the only way to test abnegation is to also test for most of the other factions, but to test for more than one faction makes you divergent. Yet not all the abnegation are divergent.

And then the second half of chapter 31. It felt out of place, like the author created the conflict in chapter 30 and then scrambled to diffuse it so that Tris and Tobias could have their "happy" ending.
[ 1) Tres repeatedly refers to God and says that most of Abnegation believes in God. There is no explanation as to why this is, and I found it hard to believe. Especially after some of the things Tris does and then only feels guilty about it when she thinks she will die and she is glad that she didn't kill Eric... (view spoiler)[ then she turns around and kills Will and says she would have killed Marcus if she had not believed that to be Four's right. (hide spoiler)]

The way the Aptitude tests work perplexes me. The best I can figure out is that the only way to test abnegation is to also test for most of the other factions, but to test for more than one faction makes you divergent. Yet not all the abnegation are divergent.

And then the second half of chapter 31. It felt out of place, like the author created the conflict in chapter 30 and then scrambled to diffuse it so that Tris and Tobias could have their "happy" ending. (hide spoiler)]

Writing Tip- Cutting It

Your book is your baby. You have loved it and watched it grow. Nothing could feel worse that cutting out some of the words that you spent hours slaving over.

Except for the knowledge that you did not allow it to reach its full potential.

I know how it feels. I am at the point in my novel, Bonded Souls, where I have to make some difficult choices. What will make it better, what will make it shine? After receiving the comments and critiques from the judges at Novel Rocket last week, I saw that I needed to start cutting words. While few looked like this, one paragraph had this comment from a judge: "Write tight".

The paragraph I had written was:

“Oh, no.” Tilly pushed back to her feet with a moan. “Mother is going to kill me.” She attempted a swipe at a green stain now visible on the back of her dress. Instead, her hand swatted at the air behind her.

The suggestion from the judge was:

 

“Oh, no.” Tilly pushed back to her feet and moaned. “Mother will kill me.” She a swiped at a green stain now visible on the back of her dress. But her hand swatted only air.

While I will still need to make changes, the suggestion did helped me to see where I need to cut out unneeded words. Where one word will fit better than two.


I hope the example helps you as well!

The Miner's Lady- Tracie Peterson

My Rating: 4 Stars

Description:When Chantel Panetta's younger sister claims to be in love with Orlando Vittorio, Chantel knows there is no hope. The Panettas and Vittorios have been sworn enemies for decades, and young love cannot heal the deep wounds between the two iron-mining families. Yet, unable to resist Isabella's pleas, Chantel agrees to help her sister spend time with Orlando...only to have a run-in with Dante, Orlando's brother. The older, more handsome one. 

Chantel can't deny the attraction that flares when she's with Dante. But when a tragedy occurs at the mine, is there any hope that the hatred that has simmered between these two families might be resolved? Or will Chantel's hope for love be buried amidst decades of misunderstanding?

My Thoughts: After a string of terrible reads, this book came as a relief. It was truly enjoy able. I loved the characters and their interactions. Dante was a great hero and his struggle between family and forgiveness was believable. As was Chantel's.

 The only thing that I would have liked better would have been to know more of Marco's story. His subplot seemed to end abruptly without anything leading up to it. And it had been a few chapters since the last time the story was in his POV when it ended.

I have not read anything my Tracie in years, but I plan to ratify that mistake. Since I just learned this was the third in the series, I will have to read the first two.

Novel Rocket Results

Thank you to everyone who wished me well in the Novel Rocket contest. I wanted to let you all know that, sadly, I did not win. If you would like to read winning entry for the Speculative category, you can read it at this link.

Writing Tip- Dealing with Anxiety

Sometime today, I will find out if I passed the first round of Novel Rocket launch pad. I don't know when I will know, though I will be checking all day.

Ever since last Thursday, I have felt anxious. Not because I am afraid of losing, but because I am afraid that if I do, I will never know if it was because the person who did win was just a little better than I, or if my book is no where near ready to publish.

The worry about being good enough sent me into a little panic attack Thursday morning while I was giving a speech at school. It cost me a good grade on the assignment. I have never had something like this happen to me before. Not when I took theatre in high school or when I entered into Novel Rocket last year with another of my novels. But this time I did, and I had no idea how to deal with it.

I went on Facebook and reached out to some of my friends for prayer. I am grateful to all who did pray, though I did not feel any better that day. The next day, anxiety followed me around and made everything miserable.

That night, I had a long talk with my Mom about how I felt. She listened, let me know that she would be there for me if I lost, and then prayed for me. That was what did it. As soon as my Mom and I stopped talking and praying, I felt so much better. She had let me unburden myself to her and then had gone to God with me to lay it all down.

We all need someone who will do that for us. If you ever feel anxious about your writing, or life in general, find someone that you can talk to, who will listen and pray. My Mom does that for me.

Today I will find out if I advance to the final round. But now I look forward to the announcement, it no longer cripples me. And if something ever does again, I can always talk and pray with my Mom.

Into the Whirlwind- Elizabeth Camden

My Rating: 3 Stars

Description:After her father's death, Mollie Knox takes over his watchmaking company and uses her head for business to solidify the good name of the 57th Illinois Watch Company. Her future looks bright until the night her beloved city is destroyed in the legendary Great Chicago Fire. With her world crumbling around her, Molly must do whatever it takes to save her company in the aftermath of the devastating fire.

Zack Kazmarek is an influential attorney with powerful ties to the political, mercantile, and ethnic roots of Chicago. His only weakness is Mollie Knox, a woman who has always been just beyond his reach. However, all bets are off after the fire destroys Chicago, and Mollie is in desperate need of assistance. Just as Zack finally begins to pursue the woman he loves, competition arises in the form of a hero from her past who can provide the help she needs to rise from the ashes.

While Mollie struggles to rebuild, the two men battle for her heart. One has always loved her, but the other has the power to save her. In the race to rebuild the city, can she survive with her business and her heart intact?

My Thoughts: This book was far from a whirlwind. There was no grand adventure or mystery. I knew what to expect and where things were going. Perhaps if Zack had been a mystery to the reader or their had been something more to the deed. But there wasn't.

What brings this book to three stars is the tension between Mollie and Zack. How they fight and fight, and Zack does not seem to get why Mollie is so upset. And then when Zack fights to keep Mollie, even when she continually "kicks him in the teeth". I liked that. in the end, they worked out their relationship even though it was difficult. So few people are willing to do that today.

The book had things that I did enjoy. The history of the Chicago Fire is one that I have not read in fiction before and was a great setting. I just wish that the story had been more true to what the title hinted.

I  received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.