As we close out week three of NaNoWriMo, we can see the finish line in sight. For some of us, 50k is easily within reach, and for others, there may be a few all-nighters ahead on the road to 50K. But no matter where you are on that spectrum, there’s a good chance that you’ve hit some creative lulls by now. You might even feel lost at this point in your story, stuck in a morass of half-formed ideas and feeling like your creative tank is empty. I know I’ve had days like this over the month, but I learned an important lesson from NaNos past that helps me turn[...]
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writing
2 We’re celebrating NaNoWriMo this week at The Midnight Society. Because, let’s be honest…it can get a little scary. I am not participating. I have never attempted the crazy race to write 50,000 words in one month. Dude, that’s insane. So I have been watching the tweets and FB posts as the month progresses and cheering you on, because you’re nuts and by nuts I mean FANTASTICALLY CRAZY AWESOME! The month began with hope and planning, with excitement and readiness to write all the words. However, the excitement has faded. Word counts vary from ahead of[...]
Currently for NaNoWriMo, Brian and I are writing our new series, ORCHARD POINTE #1. Without giving too much away (though Brian did give away a few more hints today...that's right Brian. I see you.), it’s a young adult novel series that was inspired by some of our favorite creepy movies and novels and television shows and our HUGE imaginations. Currently we are sitting over 30,000 words, and if I’m being honest, it’s mainly due to the unwavering dedication of my incredible writing partner Brian LeTendre. I am so proud of our book. I really can't explain it o[...]
Well, another October here and gone. And now it's November. I'm not quite sure where the time went, but I'm planning Thanksgiving dinner which is incredibly important. But there's also another reason to celebrate...NaNoWriMo. BTW, I suck at NaNo. I've never won. Never finished a manuscript in a month. Have I stressed myself out during NaNo? Um, yup. BUT NOT THIS YEAR! This year WILL be different. Mostly because I have a different attitude about my writing. There will be no sucking at NaNo this year. And there are a few reasons why. 1. Because I'm not[...]
I was initially going to post this week about my favorite slasher Jason Voorhees, and why I love him so. But my fellow Midnighters have done such a great job writing about different slashers and why they’re so great, I decided instead to write about the Woodsview Harvester. The Harvester is the slasher that Jolene and I created for our new Woodsview Murders series as our love letter to all the slashers that have come before. I can honestly say creating a slasher was one of the items on my writing bucket list. I literally grew up in the era of slashers. Texas Ch[...]
I decided to tackle a post on something I am asked about all the time. Like, really, all the time. I don't think more than a day goes by where someone isn't emailing/tweet/DMing/PMing me for querying advice. It comes with the territory of being a literary agent intern (multiple times). So I decided to do a comprehensive post on my top advice for those who are querying horror. As not only someone who writes it, but someone who interns for the Bree Ogden (horror queen), I know plenty about it. Giveaway! I'll be selecting two queries to help in the month of October[...]
So last week, I posted a few questions for us all to think about. Horror writers have to be inspired by something to get the story ideas that they cultivate into scary novels and films. But the question is, where? How? And just so you know, not all horror writers are crazy;) So, for all of you out there that wonder where the hell it all begins...here are a few answers: Where do your ideas for a new story come from? 1. My ideas come from taking all the things I love and slamming them together until they work. 2. My brain is sort of always marinating in a 80s ste[...]
Okay, this title may be a tad misleading. There is no way I will tell you HOW to write, let alone how to write horror. However, there are some things to keep in mind when writing horror in the NA category. Keep in Mind the Age of Your Characters NA characters are to be college age--meaning 18-25ish. This doesn't mean they have to be in college, but at the very least they should be out on their own for the first time. The main character in my story actually turns 18 and begins her journey into full time employment. Your Characters Should be Having New Experiences M[...]
The strange and dark things that exist in my mind surprise people. I seem so nice. So innocent. Well, not exactly. For my first post here with The Midnight Society (EEEEEEKK!) I want to introduce myself... or more specifically the dark side of myself. The weird, the fantastic, the scary have always drawn me to gaze into the shadows, to look under the bed and in the closet, well, maybe not the closet. Let's not go crazy. There are monsters in there. Seriously, you know that, right? My love of horror began long ago. Books like 'The Spell of the Sorcerer's Sk[...]
The Scream by Edvard Munch I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to write YA horror. I suppose a lot of fiction that I like is horror but maybe not in the typical ways. I love Gothics of all kinds and am reading a book by Carol Goodman right now. In some places, it’s pretty horrific. People die. There’s constant tension over a really nasty villain. Even some of the good people are willing to kill over their beliefs. But I don’t think many readers consider The Blythewood series horror, but it’s very dark, dark in all the right places. So, I did so[...]