Weekend Musings

iTunes Highlight: MAKE THIS GO ON FOREVER by Snow Patrol

I wanted to include these musings/updates with my weekly Sunday Scribblings entry, but the prompt isn't up yet, so I decided I'd push through and use SS later this weekend to post about something else. I'm also working on the second part to the "writer's online presence" series, so expect that at some point.

There are some new "updates" about my mom.
Note: The following is a bit "icky," so read with caution.

I mentioned in my first post that the problem was a cancerous formation blocking tracks in her digestive system, creating a blob of undigested food and liquid. The first time my mom appeared in the clinic, the docs withdrew four liters from her stomach after approximately three months of stomach cramps and that sort of thing. Her pain was so significantly great yesterday that she opted to go to the hospital and spent the day there (and she will do so again tomorrow). They withdrew six liters today after just one week. Anyway, nine hours today were dedicated to testing, etc., and they managed to confirm that it's cancer. The biopsy has been rescheduled to 11:00am on Monday morning, and an operation to remove the cancerous cells will occur right after (I don't know why they need to differentiate one from the other?). I will not be working on Monday as a result of the operation. (In the photo, my mom is at the center; my 14-year old brother Milosz is on the left and my aunt Majka is on the right.)

Thank you again for the overwhelmingly kind response and for the prayers. We're hoping for the best and I'm doing my best not to think about it.

Next, I wanted to highlight some things I've added to or changed about the blog (in case you haven't noticed):

• I'm constantly updating my Links tab with fun and interesting things to check out. Most links are specific to writers or individuals with literary interests.
• I've added a list of more than 110 things to read and watch in a lifetime here. I'm open to suggestions as I continue to update the list (I've made notations about good books in hundreds of places -- from Post-It notes, to notebooks, to journals, to book covers, to napkins, to plastic bags...).
• Check out my Critics' Corner. I had a piece for critique up until earlier this evening but took it down so I could make some necessary revisions. Otherwise, I mention there that I am open to beta reading for those in need -- just drop me an email.
• I hope you've all become familiar with the fact that I have a WiP blog, too, that shares some snippets from WHERE THE DOVES FLY, my current novel. On average, it's updated about every two weeks--a bit more recently because I've been writing a lot.

Also, anyone know an easy way of getting a hold of ARCs? I want to start adding some timely reviews to the site here and I can't figure out how so many bloggers are reviewing what's out in stores. I sure hope they're not buying all those books because I sure don't have the piggy bank for that.

Covering the Scene

iTunes Highlight: STAINED GLASS MASQUERADE by the Casting Crowns

I think that the title of this post is the first semi-successful pun I've made in ages. *pat on the back*

Today's post is a combination of a wide array of things -- including debates on the web about covers and the author's role in designing them, the "voting" I undertook on my collection of quickly put-together covers, and musings about the publishing industry as it progresses (and the importance of the cover in said industry). I had wanted to wait a few more days until a few more "votes" came in (called "votes" due to the lack of a better word), but I realized this topic may soon be old in a few days, so why not get it out there when it's fresh in everyone's mind.

At risk of being repetitive, I've highlighted the few blog posts and one website page that have stood out to me regarding cover discussion in the last week or so. If you don't yet know about the issue, here is a quick rundown: Author Justine Larbalestier is, in my opinion, the unfortunate victim of bad cover art -- cover art that misrepresented her MC entirely. Read her take on the issue (the website page I mentioned) here and see the cover choice (the US one being radically different from the perfect UK one).


I also suggest skimming through these posts if you haven't already (they all offer a different take on the issue of covers):

• What's in a Cover? - Literary Agent Nathan Bransford
• Speaking of Bad Covers - Literary Agent Kristin Nelson
• Judging a Book By Its Cover - Pimp My Novel (<-- this is a great resource, I promise!)
• Better Late Than Never - Pimp My Novel (follow-up to the above post)

So, what's the issue? The question comes down to this: Should authors have any influence on their cover art? Before I offer my take, I'll mention that I read somewhere -- I couldn't find the link to share -- that, if authors wish to have much influence on their covers in the modern day publishing industry, they will have to fight the largest uphill battle of their lives and most likely not succeed. It's a bummer, really.

What do I think? I agree fullheartedly that there are individuals in the world that have been educated in graphic design and that have an "eye" for the type of artistic creation that goes into cover-making, and we ought to definitely respect their artistic process. However, and I am a big advocate of this, I think that authors need to have more than a .01% say in the final cover -- they should have the right to protest (and protest loudly!) if the cover is entirely counterintuitive to the book's premise. Whether or not the cover came out according to an author's liking is one question, and whether or not it is true to the book's intentions and premise is another.

I understand the incredible complexities of the publishing business -- the behind-the-scene committees, the tens and hundreds of people a book has to make it past before it hits the bookshelves, etc. But how difficult -- truly? -- would it be for a publisher to send an author a .pdf of the file and say: "You have 12 hours to request any 100%-necessary changes to this cover" or something of the sort in the form of a clearly written request? I'm sure that these cases happen rarely, but when they do happen it must be heartbreaking to the author. It's like blasphemy in the literary world: the worst kind of sin.

That's my take. I feel very sorry for the author of LIAR (the killed cover, poor thing), and I wish she could have the opportunity to change it.

On that note, let's take a look at my "dreamy" escapade into what I would consider doing with my covers -- if, in fact, I had any control over them. First of all, many thanks to Ben, Steph, Icy Roses, Old Grizz, Jen, Susan, and Michelle for dropping by -- your feedback was incredibly appreciated (and surprisingly interesting).

First of all, the "factors" that came in making a decision regarding the most favorite cover (and later the reasons for picking up or not picking all of them up) are as follow:

• amount of components of which the cover consists
• mood conveyed by the cover
• artistic qualities used on the cover (color, font, texture)
• personal artistic preference
• literal interpretation of the cover in context of the title
• literary qualities (i.e., multiple meaning)

I did my best to interpret the posts (because no one actually cast a virtual ballot) and determined that the cover choices for WHERE THE DOVES FLY, my current WiP, ranked like this:

1. Cover Choice #3 (4 'official' votes)
2. Cover Choice #1 (2 'official' votes)
3. Cover Choice #4 (1 'official' vote)
4. Cover Choice #2 (0 'official' votes)

My favorite, with a lot of thought, would definitely be cover choice #3 as well.

After that exercise, I'd definitely like to raise a toast to all of the cover designers out there -- boy, do they do a great job. I spent an average of three minutes on each of the covers above after downloading the photographs from here, and I am quite positive not one would make it into a bookstore.

The point, though, was to give everyone a glimpse into the decision-making process of buyers in stores. I would never be able to bring myself to pick up cover choice #2 (which, by the way, is a photograph that resembles crows but was yet filed under 'doves' on the site -- I just didn't want to put unnecessary energy into prettying it up) -- not even to read the back blurb. Cover choice #4 is a toughie for me because it's a bit too girlie for me, but my title does catch my attention (I hope -- *gulp* -- that it's sufficiently mysterious). Cover choices #1 and #3 were difficult for me. #3 is literary fiction at 100% (so very true to the story message, and I adore the photograph), while #1 best conveys the story theme (reflected in the actual flight of doves).

Publishers take into consideration all of the factors in giving books a title and then conveying a message on the cover. The final decision is tough, and we have to remember that as we go through our writing process. In the end, our stories are taken, fiddled with, and then bundled tightly so that they can sell. Business is what drives a cover's beauty and exceptional detail.

Finally, I just wanted to point a few more things about the publishing business and covers:

E-books are going to change a lot. Covers will need to be clear enough to translate onto readers such as the Kindle (most of those systems don't have perfectly crystal computer screens -- they are often black and white without the best of details). This is going to affect book sales and cover productions. People do, in fact, still judge a book by its cover.

Environmentalism and publishers' budgets will affect the materials on which books are printed. A lot of the books that I read have some form of texture to them -- embedded lettering for the title, rougher texture in some parts to emphasize a quality (such as character clothing), etc. Design artists take into account all of these needs and abilities as they design a cover. I imagine it's a primary concern before the designing process even begins.

The one thing to keep in mind is that your novel will always be your baby, but once it makes it into the publisher's office, that kid of yours is in college and you can't do nothing about it. ;)

* The image that began this post can be found here.

Update on my Mom

Thank you to everyone who has asked about my mom and to those who have offered their thoughts and their concerns. Last week's test results came back earlier today and my mom sat my brothers and I down for a talk earlier this afternoon.

The results revealed that whatever is pestering her digestive system is cancer. The biopsy that is currently planned for Tuesday will reveal what type, but my mom feels so sick she may end up spending this weekend in the hospital. The docs say that there is a small possibility it is not malignant, but if it's not, my mom would be a very, very rare case.

To those who are religious, I ask for prayers, and thank you in advance for any comments.

This blog helps me keep my thoughts on the positive things in my life, so I don't plan to stop blogging, but if you don't see me around for a few days my mom's sickness would be the reason why. (Update: Please do not let this stop you from sending emails about website help or critiquing of pieces via my Critics' Corner tab above. I want to do that stuff and this isn't a reason for me to stop. If things get worse, that may change, but for now -- keep in touch!!!)

A Writer's Online Presence = More Reads, Better Chances

If you haven't already, please "vote" on the covers!

This is Part I of this series. Later, tune in for what you can do with the less popular sites that already exist to maximize your online presence.

When MySpace hit the web, it almost immediately became the standard for social communication online. A few years later, the so-called "social portal" is still in use by millions, but it's not at the top of the lists anymore: sites like Facebook and Twitter are now taking the world by storm. Facebook isn't just "in" anymore -- it's a necessary component to communication for nearly everyone.

It's intuitive that, due to the constantly changing nature of the World Wide Web, we'll see something new come up within a few years. Fortunately, the changes come slowly enough for the "regular" public to allow the sites to grow at booming rates once the word is out (the first populations on these sites are tiny in comparison to what they become in the future).

I always get the feeling, however, that individuals with "importance" (and I mean that in a highly vague manner) should have something more consistent. The day that Facebook became popular, everyone with a MySpace was obviously behind the trends.

Below I've offered some ideas relating to "online presence" for writers, authors, freelancers, etc., to consider -- and to prefer above the sites that tend to become cliche.

("REAL") EMAIL ADDRESS - I don't know anyone who doesn't have an email account. I do know some people who set up an email account six years ago with the name "pixieprincess1992" and still use it, even when applying for jobs. Get real. Set up a email address at a free site online and give this email address to everyone (maintaining a personal one elsewhere). When you send out emails, add your blog URL or website / domain name to the signature so that more individuals can contact you.

Recommended (in order of preference):

• Gmail
• Yahoo!
• AOL/Hotmail

One thing to consider is starting a newsletter. You can, for example, focus your blog on 'professional' posts and offer personal updates via a newsletter, or vice-versa. Perhaps you prefer a newsletter to a trusted group of friends than a blog that's open to everyone. (Do note that Blogger has a 'private' setting that allows you to invite individuals to read your blog, so you control the reader base.)

BLOG - For us bloggers, this doesn't come as a surprise. Because it's so easy now to follow the RSS feeds of a particular blog using phenomenons such as Google Reader, which blogging site you use rarely plays a part in whether or not you're being read. Individuals can set up Blogger accounts to post and comment here, for example, but maintain a blog on a new website released a month back -- a link on the Blogger profile connects the two.

For those who aren't blogging, here are some suggestions (listed in order of preference):

• Blogger
• Wordpress
• LiveJournal

Make sure that whatever username you choose, it's professional. (I set up this blog in 2007, as a ninth grader, and by the time I realized it should probably be my name, it was too late -- I can still change it, but the links I've placed everywhere would unlink. I can't wait for my domain name!)

For those of us who do blog, being able to communicate/follow with bloggers on all of the sites is important, so either set up a Google account (which most sites now allow you to connect with) or an account on the specific site listed.

WEBSITE / DOMAIN - Setting up a website is a good idea if you have something to put on it. If you do choose to set up a site, I recommend going with the domain (www.yourname.com, for example). Otherwise, set up a blog and then buy just the domain name, leaving the website hosting business for later. Entering both the domain name and the blog URL (yourname.blogspot.com) (if the blog service allows you to do so -- Blogger does) will take you to the same place: your blog!

Check out the following if you're looking for either a domain name or web hosting (listed in order of preference):

• GoDaddy
• Yahoo!

If you need help with the process, leave me a comment or click here to send me an email.

I am available to work through the designing with you, too, if you have no idea where to start. Here is an example of a site I designed for free with very limited resources and very little time in 2007. I did all the Photoshop work, etc., and helped set up the domain management through Yahoo!, then transferred the work to the school board.

Some great books to check out:

• anything from The Missing Manual series
• anything from The Visual Quickstart Guide series
• anything from the Master VISUALLY series

Consider purchasing the programs below -- the ones that you would need (if, of course, you have an idea of how to use them) *:

• Photoshop
• Photoshop Elements
• Dreamweaver
• WebPlus X2 Website Maker

* Don't forget to look for the cheapest prices, too. Original software will be far more expensive than what you can find on Amazon.

[Discussion] Money, Money, Money

iTunes Highlight: MONEY, MONEY, MONEY by Abba

At the end of the summer, I will find myself with a few extra hundred dollars to spend due to my work through the Autism Society of Minnesota (a great place of employment for anyone from the Twin Cities area -- check it out!). Over the last few days, I've been thinking about what would be the best use for that money: saving it, membership to writing/publishing organizations, subscriptions to magazines, etc.

Below I have listed the few things I am considering spending money on. What I want to hear from everyone else is what they spend their few extra dollars on (if any) and why. I'm most curious about things that are writing- and publishing-related.

Currently, these are my related spendings:

• Membership at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis
• Subscription to the Writer's Digest magazine

Here is everything that I am considering:

• Timbuk2 Backpack
• Official Domain (www.weronikajanczuk.com)
• Writing Classes through the Loft
• Membership to the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators
• Membership to the Authors Guild (once I qualify)
• Membership to the International Women's Writing Guild
• Writing conference (though I don't know of any in MN)
• Summer 2010 travel

I will also need to spend or assist with the spending on:

• a new suit for school activities
• senior photographs
• college applications

Any ideas as to what is most beneficial? Is anyone familiar with any other organizations or have an opinion about any of the above? Has anyone spent money on a writers' organization, a conference, a workshop -- and was thankful? regretted the decision?

I have so very little experience with all of these money issues because I have not worked so many hours before (and therefore not had any extra moola to spend). I've already taken into account the money I need to set aside for private interests later in the year -- things I want to do, etc. Should I do the things above in stages -- i.e., is something more beneficial to do during the WiP stage or during the query stage?

Any thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!

WiP Wednesday #3

Make sure to "vote" on the covers!

iTunes Highlight: PEARLS by Josh Groban

WHERE THE DOVES FLY Progress <-- Click here to read recent excerpts.
Word Count: 20,000/100,000 (I went for exact, and I got it!)

Again, if you are new to this novel-in-progress, please check out the Writings tab for background information on the story.

I'm so glad that I decided to make these WiP Wednesdays routinely. They help me concentrate more of my efforts during the week on actual writing something solid and concrete versus what my daily Word Count reveals about writing habits (aka, the one thousand words I wrote on an early morning that I will have to throw out during the rewrite because they don't add one bit to the story).

I'm very proud of myself this week. The Word Count (6,900 words this week) could be larger, as always, but I did cover a lot of important ground:

• I wrote the love scene, which actually turned into two mini love scenes (imagine that!). My friend, Sara J. Henry, told me not to concern myself with issues like that since I--hopefully obviously--haven't experienced any of them (they include a love scene, miscarriage, affair, and a wedding). I pondered her words a little bit and then remembered what an editor friend of mine once told me: Writing what you know doesn't mean making your main character a computer programmer because you are one -- it's conveying the emotion as honestly as possible. So I asked myself: What are the emotions that need to be conveyed?

Love scene: I wanted my MC, Anna, to feel empty inside, to not necessarily regret the decision but realize that there has to be a solid emotional relationship outside of pure physical contact. I know the importance of strong relationships more than many people, having moved numerous times and experienced various events in my life that have defined the person I am -- and I tend to be lonely.

Miscarriage: I shall interview my mom, who had a miscarriage before I was born; I would have a nineteen-year old sister had the miscarriage not happened. I read about the details online (when it happens, what it looks like, etc.) and I think I can carry out the gruesome details, but the emotion that must be conveyed is loss. I've got that covered quite well.

Affair: This is similar to the love scenes, and I will also need to convey guilt, which I can do quite well. I like to say I've made few mistakes, but the mistakes I have made -- well, one or two made me feel quite guilty. What is easier for me, though, is that Anna is selfish and actually wants this, which I think is sufficient enough to make the scene work.

Wedding: When I get to this, it'll be the toughest. Anna will have to feel relieved, secure, guilty, depressed, and happy all at the same time -- and, in the end, she will have to come to terms with the decision she makes. I'm not sure how the scenes will work out in that scenario, but it's something I'm already thinking about.

• Two spontaneous characters came up in one of the scenes, and I'm so glad they did! I now have two more "witnesses" to Anna's life that will play a big part in Fatemah's story. This is when writing is most refreshing for me. *does happy dance*
• I actually need to worry a little bit about the arts program. I have very little experience with a camp or living-with-other-people-for-a-long-period-of-time scenario, which will make the dialogue and the scenes difficult. I also need to figure out how many new characters I want to introduce; I'm keeping in mind the whole characters-need-to-play-an-important-part-or-throw-them-out lesson. I may end up merging characters during the rewrite. I'm also wondering if artists--good artists--have any definitive quirks about them, like snob-iness? Do they do finger exercises every morning? I need to sit down and research this (the latter, I mean).

Another thing that has come up recently is the huge and quite unbearable doubt. What a freaking monster. I'm doubting my ability to write, my ability to convey human emotion and interaction; I'm doubting this story, wondering if what I'm envisioning as conflict is really conflict, whether or not the idea to write this story in two distinct POVs was a smart idea or if it'll just end up being another novel (the eighth) that makes into the backlogs of my computer files... I know that I will have to rewrite, but I don't want to rewrite the entire story from the beginning. The purpose of this novel is to combine the things I've learned and make it work. Not perfectly. But work.

*Sigh*

Just hope that I don't throw my hands up in the air and quit on this thing.

Cover Bonanza

iTunes Highlight: TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW by The Postal Service

I won't explain why I'm doing this until later. Right now, I just want you to take a look at the four covers below and answer two questions. You're welcome to make positive/negative comments about the covers but don't say anything about covers and how they relate to the publishing business (considering some of the cover craziness that has occurred recently). I'll do a follow-up blog post later this week.

1. Which cover(s) are your favorite? Why?

2. For each cover, give a reason as to why you would or would not pick it up. *

Thanks for participating in the fun!

* This question was changed -- was originally incorrectly worded for my purposes, but I will use all of the responses!

[Interview] Steph Bowe: Teen Writer, Reviewer, Funny Gal

Steph Bowe is a fifteen-year old teen writer and book reviewer (from Australia--how cool is that?), and she manages to maintain one of the funnest blogs that I read. Check out her website and blog.

Steph, welcome to my blog! Thank you so much for taking time to answer these questions.

I'd like to start by asking some silly questions to get a feel for your personality. You're giving a speech to your fellow classmates on any topic you want. What do you choose (and why)?

Diversity. It's something I think about a lot, something I'm well versed in. I think people should be considered equal regardless of age, race or sexuality.

I guessed you would say something of the sort. Now, if you could change one PHYSICAL thing about this world, what would you change?

I'd make the ocean and the sky bluer.

So, how 'bout it: Sunrises or sunsets?

Sunrises - I love it when I know I've got the whole day ahead of me.

Hardcovers or paperbacks?

Paperbacks - the sleeves hardcovers are in always slip off, and I like compact paperbacks, especially when I'm reading on public transport (I can't drive yet!)

Longhand or typing?

Typing. I'm not the fastest at longhand, but I can write a 2000 word chapter in an hour on the computer.

Okay. Just like me on all three. Now, hoping you have an interesting life worth writing about, what would you imagine to be the first sentence of your autobiography?

'Death did not smell of cheap perfume, as I had imagined Death would.'

A random reference to one of my novels. I'm aware it cannot logically make sense. Shh.

What is one thing you dislike about yourself?

I'm very quiet sometimes; people think it's strange and awkward, but I'm just listening. I wish I'd participate a bit more.

Ah, yes, that too I can understand. How about this one: In 2050, a movie is being made about you. What is it called and what is its basic storyline?

The Girl Who Knew Too Much And Talked About It In A Very Loud Voice is the title. It involves alien cyborgs, the CIA, etc. No, just kidding. The answer to this question was actually a really early post on my blog, a bit of an If My Life Were A Movie. You can read it here.

That's fair - thanks for the link. Now, on to the more serious questions (finally!). What are your plans or the next three years? Five? Ten? Twenty? (If, of course, you plan to live that long.)

The future: I'd like to get a Business-Arts or Professional Writing and Editing degree. I'd like to travel around a bit, around Australia, perhaps the world a bit later on. I want to get a job in publishing, as an editor or agent. I want my novels to eventually be published. I want to write, and take photographs. For now, though, I'm not really thinking more than five years ahead - just saving for university, looking into where I might go after high school.

I plan to live for ages. Immortality would be nice.

I can definitely sympathize with your plans, as mine are nearly identical. Why don't you tell us then - Why do you write?

I have several answers for this question.

First is the joke one: Because I can't kill teenage girls in real life (In every novel I write, a teenage girl dies. I have no idea why; things just work out that way).

Second: Because I want to affect people, if only in a teeny, tiny way.

What do you write?

I write contemporary YA - my writing concentrates more on character than plot, and I write about and for teens. I've written a couple of novels.

And my readers can read one of your novels on the blog (psst: it's worth it, dear readers). In my interview, you asked about imaginary friends, and I'm curious about yours. Introduce us to your imaginary friends and tell us one quirky thing about them.

Gracie Dove is a character in a novel I wrote when I was thirteen, and she's sort of my imaginary friend as well. She is me, but she's brave, fearless, a little bit crazy. We're a lot alike, and we're a lot different.

Imaginary friends are the signs of true writers. But how old would you consider yourself to be (on the inside)?

I'm simultaneously seventy-odd years old and five. I'm a child, but I'm mature. I like to have fun, but I'm serious too. I'm friends with people who are a lot older than me or a lot younger than me. It's a difficult thing to explain, but I've never felt like a teenager.

Again, I understand. I know that some of my mentors helped fuel my maturity. Which individual out there in this great, wide world is your biggest mentor?

My mum. She's wonderful to me (sorry about the predictable answer - it's just true!).

That's quite all right -- what a sweet answer. On to the grand finale. Give us one thing you love about blogging.

I love being able to get to know authors I admire as well as other bloggers, some who live across the world.

Tell us about your blog, Hey! Teenager Of The Year. Why is it special?

Hey! Teenager of the Year is a blog I've been writing since May of this year, and I blog about all things to do with reading and writing for teens, as well as my own funny little observances. I think it's a pretty darn cool blog, and it's been a fantastic learning experience for me - I was invited to a writer's festival by an author through my blog, and editors have requested to read my novel. It's always changing, and I especially love it when people comment or email and say hi.

That is definitely quite an experience. Out of curiosity, who is your favorite author? What is your favorite novel? What is your favorite poem?

I don't have a favourite poem, though Steven Herrick writes wonderful verse novels which I love, like The Simple Gift. My favourite novels include Town by James Roy, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - there's just three. I could go on all day, and I talk about books a lot more on my blog.

You've just added to my list of things to read. So, on a goodbye note, tell us one secret about yourself (preferably dark!).

I'm an incredibly honest person, so I don't have any dark secrets, but I do have one odd personality quirk that a lot of people I know don't know about me: I like to hug strangers, because I want people to feel loved. I think if everyone feels loved, than we'll all be living in a much nicer world (weird, I know!).

Nah, not weird at all (mhm ... maybe just a little? *wink*).

Thanks again, Steph! As for my readers, check out her blog. You'll enjoy it.