Writing Victories

Every once in a while I need a small writing victory to keep me motivated. It's usually just positive feedback on something I have written, or the completion of a step in a project I'm working on.

This week my victory came in the form of a writing contest win. I won 1st place in the American Fork City's Scary Story Contest in the adult age group for my short story "Dine With Lady Death." I won some cash...oh yeah. Along with my picture taken by the newspaper (check out my beauteous pose on the top row, far left). And my name in shining lights is listed on the AF Library's web page.

It's no publishing contract, but it sure feels good to know someone liked what I wrote. But you know what's even better? I found out the 2nd and 4th place winners are both published authors, one of them with an MFA in creative writing. That made me feel pretty good.

And now I'm ready to take on NaNoWriMo. Bring it on !

NaNoWriMo approaches...

Anyone else doing nanowrimo this year? Are you ready?

**asks the girl who will be doing nano for the first time and is uber excited-slash-nervous**

Thoughts? Advice? Tylenol?

I heart book signings

Oh yeah! This is how I spent my Tuesday night:

Q&A panel at Provo library with four YA authors.

Crit partner Katie talking with BLOOD RED ROAD author Moira Young:

Her novel has been optioned by Ridley Scott...super cool. And she writes for 7 hours a day in a dark room with ear plugs. And oh yeah, the room is down the street from her home in the back of a salon. Too funny.

Here I am with hilarious Elana Johnson, author of POSSESSION:

Elana writes behind her piano in a spot hidden from the front door (so no one can see the chaos). She blasts music on her headphones to drown out the kids when she's working. I love hearing about how other moms write.

And here is Becca Fitzpatrick, author of the HUSH HUSH saga.

She announced that there would be a fourth book in the series. I even came home with a signed poster of SILENCE complete with a sexy shirtless picture of Patch. Ooh la la. (Husband LOVED it, by the way :)

Michelle Hodkin, author of THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER:

There's been a lot of hype about this one in the YA world and I am excited to read it. Of course, its the first piece of fiction she's ever written, period. Jealous...

Fun fun girls night out!

Write What You Know

I had a unique childhood having grown up in Hawaii. I didn't realize how different and special it was until I left for college away from home. Not only did people make fun of my 'accent' (and my frequent use of the word 'yeah'), they would ask 'what are you?' when trying to determine my ethnicity, or spontaneously start speaking to me in Spanish in which I just stared, dumbfounded.

Having lived on the mainland now for many years, I realize how blessed I was to have such an upbringing. Ordinary, every day things like camping on the beach, going to school barefoot, eating raw crab and sugar cane, or flagging down the manapua man (think of it as a chinese ice cream truck that delivers noodles and steamed buns instead of ice cream) became extraordinary.

When writing stories, suddenly my MC's go spear fish diving, play tag on the elevators at Turtle Bay Hilton, get stung by a portuguese man-o-war (jellyfish) and meet a cute boy at a hidden waterfall. (Okay that last one didn't really happen to me, but I FANTASIZED about it through my teen years, so yes, it made it into one of my stories.)

As a writer, I realized I had a wealth of information and experience that was unique, interesting, and best of all REAL. Most of what I've written so far has been Hawaii-related because this is what I love, and hopefully others will find it just as fun to experience along with my characters as I did writing it and living it.