Post by Elisabeth TenBrink Kelley, co-founder
Hello everyone. As all of you who know what the word "hiatus" means have probably guessed, we're taking a break. We will not announce any new contests until October 1st or post any new articles until October 4th. I know that that's a long time, but because contests stay active for two months, we kind of have to if we want to have any kind of substantial break.
Why are we doing this? Well, multiple reasons, some of which are the fact that we have a lot of school (yeah, we're both still in high school), we want to be more prepared when posting contests and articles, and that we want to kind of re-think things. Don't worry, we will be back, and we'll be better! We plan to have the articles written earlier, so that we have more time to go over them for spelling and such, we're going to try to get more guest posts, a new and much cooler banner, and we'll also have one, or possibly two, ads on the website. While that last one may seem like a bad thing, it actually means that we'll be able to start having cash prizes occasionally, and we still don't plan on having any entrance fee. Neat, huh? I know how hard it is to find a contest that doesn't have an entry fee, but does have a cash prize, and isn't obviously some sort of scam.
So, for these reasons, we will not be seeing you until October, but remember, we're still happy to answer any questions, receive guest posts, and we still have a contest open. See you in October!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Blog Hop!
Hey, guys!
So sorry it's taken, like, forever to get this post up. We've been busy with real life and working out some blog-related ideas (and problems). We'll let you know more about the latter sometime (hopefully) soon.
A while ago, one of our loyal followers (that sounded funny...), Writefury, asked us to participate in a blog hop. It looked like fun, so we agreed. :)
We each took turns answering the questions, and then we'll pass them on to three other bloggers.
Catsi:
What are you currently working on?
I'm editing the rough draft of my current novel, under the working title Pitch Black Stars. It's about an orphan boy with no memory of his past who becomes entangled in a plot to overthrow the king, and must choose between the royal family he's fallen in love with, or the truth of who he is. (Read that all in one breath, because that's how I wrote it.)
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Good question.
*goes off on a long mental bunny trail*
Y'know, I'm not really sure. It's shorter. A lot shorter. (Epic fantasy, only 30,000 words....) I guess the only good answer I have here is that I wrote it, so it's different to me because of that.
Why do you write what you do?
Because if I didn't, my main character would kill me.
:P Kidding.
Mostly, I write because I have to. I tried to go without writing for a month, and nearly went insane. I write because I love this story. (Which is a big deal for me. My last story I ended up hating by the time I finished the rough draft.)
How does your writing process work?
*snicker* What writing process?
It's different every time for me. With my last novel, I plotted and outlined and developed every little thing before I even thought about writing. With Pitch Black Stars, I started it totally spur of the moment and just had fun seeing where the story went. I'm definitely a character-first writer--I develop every nuance of the MC's personality waaay before I have pretty much any of the plot figured out. It's just how I work.
Elisabeth:
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a mystery series, the first of which is currently named Beautiful Murder. Normally, I write fantasy, plus some dystopian, but never non-speculative. (speculative fiction is set in a different world or reality) My brother challenged me to write a non-speculative book to help me grow in my writing skills, and so far it has been pretty fun!
It is set in the 80s, which forced me to make it the first book I’ve ever researched for. The main character is a girl named Rachael, and a detective named Linda. Rachael's uncle is murdered, and she believes it is connected to the deaths of her cousin and father, both of which were believed to be accidents. Unfortunately, the only person who even accepts that as a possibility is Linda, but, being a female police officer, no one will take her seriously either.
To be honest, a lot of the plot is my brother’s creation, but that generally means that it’s better, so I’m glad it is.
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Um, I have no idea what I’m doing? Haha, not really, but I don’t read mysteries very much. My brother actually checked one out of the library for me to read. But the book is probably unique in the plot (which I can’t reveal, due to spoilers) and the fact that it isn’t just mystery. It’s not at all what they call a “cozy mystery”, and edges more and more towards thriller with each book, which I’m currently planning three, my brother says four.
The story goes deeper than the individual murders, while yet being completely unconnected.
Why do you write what you do?
I write because I like to make worlds and characters, as well as stories, and to play them out. I usually write fantasy and dystopian, because that is what I like to read. Telling a story is very enjoyable (sometimes) and I write to find those occasional nuggets where you write something that flows, that is full of emotion. I LOVE that feeling. I've only done it twice, but it's reason enough to write.
Also, though, I write because I want to make a living doing it. I "have the writing bug", as people say, and so I will write regardless, so I figure I ought to try to make a living off of my passion.
How does your writing process work?
I write a particular amount of words per day or week (I rarely meet the quota) until I finish the rough draft, then I set it aside until the next rough draft is done. Then, I set aside the second book, and rewrite the first one. I'll keep doing that hopping, sending out the manuscripts to people to read, and posting them on the OYAN writer's forum.
Honestly, though, I haven't completed that writing process at any point. I have finished the rough draft of one book, but I hate it so much that I doubt I'll pick it up when I'm done with Beautiful Murder, but instead will likely move on to writing the rough draft of a different book.
Like Catsi, I'm a character-first writer. Though my book ideas may start with any random thing, from a character, to a plot point, to a novel title, to a funky way of speaking, my characters are the most developed part of my books, and the most important to me. Plot? Well, while I usually have some scenes in mind such as "good guy arrives at certain city", "friend is nearly killed by villain", and "main character defeats villain", I certainly don't know how they're going to get there. My characters tell me that.
These three bloggers are also going to do their own version of this post. If you're interested in doing it for some extra views on your blog, talk to one of them, I'm sure they need some more bloggers to pass it on to!
Lela: http://justmeandmysinger.blogspot.com/
Elly Gard: http://ellygardspilledtheinkwell.blogspot.com/
Tabitha and Azaria: http://www.flamesofinspiration.com/
So sorry it's taken, like, forever to get this post up. We've been busy with real life and working out some blog-related ideas (and problems). We'll let you know more about the latter sometime (hopefully) soon.
A while ago, one of our loyal followers (that sounded funny...), Writefury, asked us to participate in a blog hop. It looked like fun, so we agreed. :)
We each took turns answering the questions, and then we'll pass them on to three other bloggers.
Catsi:
What are you currently working on?
I'm editing the rough draft of my current novel, under the working title Pitch Black Stars. It's about an orphan boy with no memory of his past who becomes entangled in a plot to overthrow the king, and must choose between the royal family he's fallen in love with, or the truth of who he is. (Read that all in one breath, because that's how I wrote it.)
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Good question.
*goes off on a long mental bunny trail*
Y'know, I'm not really sure. It's shorter. A lot shorter. (Epic fantasy, only 30,000 words....) I guess the only good answer I have here is that I wrote it, so it's different to me because of that.
Why do you write what you do?
Because if I didn't, my main character would kill me.
:P Kidding.
Mostly, I write because I have to. I tried to go without writing for a month, and nearly went insane. I write because I love this story. (Which is a big deal for me. My last story I ended up hating by the time I finished the rough draft.)
How does your writing process work?
*snicker* What writing process?
It's different every time for me. With my last novel, I plotted and outlined and developed every little thing before I even thought about writing. With Pitch Black Stars, I started it totally spur of the moment and just had fun seeing where the story went. I'm definitely a character-first writer--I develop every nuance of the MC's personality waaay before I have pretty much any of the plot figured out. It's just how I work.
Elisabeth:
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a mystery series, the first of which is currently named Beautiful Murder. Normally, I write fantasy, plus some dystopian, but never non-speculative. (speculative fiction is set in a different world or reality) My brother challenged me to write a non-speculative book to help me grow in my writing skills, and so far it has been pretty fun!
It is set in the 80s, which forced me to make it the first book I’ve ever researched for. The main character is a girl named Rachael, and a detective named Linda. Rachael's uncle is murdered, and she believes it is connected to the deaths of her cousin and father, both of which were believed to be accidents. Unfortunately, the only person who even accepts that as a possibility is Linda, but, being a female police officer, no one will take her seriously either.
To be honest, a lot of the plot is my brother’s creation, but that generally means that it’s better, so I’m glad it is.
How does your work differ from others in its genre?
Um, I have no idea what I’m doing? Haha, not really, but I don’t read mysteries very much. My brother actually checked one out of the library for me to read. But the book is probably unique in the plot (which I can’t reveal, due to spoilers) and the fact that it isn’t just mystery. It’s not at all what they call a “cozy mystery”, and edges more and more towards thriller with each book, which I’m currently planning three, my brother says four.
The story goes deeper than the individual murders, while yet being completely unconnected.
Why do you write what you do?
I write because I like to make worlds and characters, as well as stories, and to play them out. I usually write fantasy and dystopian, because that is what I like to read. Telling a story is very enjoyable (sometimes) and I write to find those occasional nuggets where you write something that flows, that is full of emotion. I LOVE that feeling. I've only done it twice, but it's reason enough to write.
Also, though, I write because I want to make a living doing it. I "have the writing bug", as people say, and so I will write regardless, so I figure I ought to try to make a living off of my passion.
How does your writing process work?
I write a particular amount of words per day or week (I rarely meet the quota) until I finish the rough draft, then I set it aside until the next rough draft is done. Then, I set aside the second book, and rewrite the first one. I'll keep doing that hopping, sending out the manuscripts to people to read, and posting them on the OYAN writer's forum.
Honestly, though, I haven't completed that writing process at any point. I have finished the rough draft of one book, but I hate it so much that I doubt I'll pick it up when I'm done with Beautiful Murder, but instead will likely move on to writing the rough draft of a different book.
Like Catsi, I'm a character-first writer. Though my book ideas may start with any random thing, from a character, to a plot point, to a novel title, to a funky way of speaking, my characters are the most developed part of my books, and the most important to me. Plot? Well, while I usually have some scenes in mind such as "good guy arrives at certain city", "friend is nearly killed by villain", and "main character defeats villain", I certainly don't know how they're going to get there. My characters tell me that.
These three bloggers are also going to do their own version of this post. If you're interested in doing it for some extra views on your blog, talk to one of them, I'm sure they need some more bloggers to pass it on to!
Lela: http://justmeandmysinger.blogspot.com/
Elly Gard: http://ellygardspilledtheinkwell.blogspot.com/
Tabitha and Azaria: http://www.flamesofinspiration.com/
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