The Aftermath

Photo credit: inefekt69 on Flickr

Note: I wrote this November 9th. As I know many of us are still grieving, I'm sharing it today. Stay safe out there. <3

It's November 9 when I'm writing this, and today my heart hurts. My head hurts. My body hurts. When you're chronically ill, stress can cause flares, so I'm not surprised it's 9AM and I'm already thinking about painkillers.

And still, I have work to do. NaNo words to write. This post. Editing work for clients. An overflowing e-mail inbox that needs attention. A vlog to record—and hopefully record without it being obvious I was crying this morning. I'll get through it one step at a time, but right now moving forward feels like walking through molasses.

I'm scared for myself. For so many of my friends. For what this will mean tomorrow, and the day after, and every day for the next four years and two months.

I'm telling myself I have today to process emotionally but tomorrow I have to start fighting.

Among the grieving, I've seen a lot of inspirational threads online. About the importance of writing children's literature, especially now. About art. About supporting people who need it. About loving each other.

I'm going to share them here:

Kidlit world: Our jobs are so much more important this morning. Reading forges empathy. It's time to get to work.

— Alison Weiss (@alioop7) November 9, 2016

Your voice matters.
Your story matters.
Your art matters.
Your love matters.
Your hope matters.
Your friendship matters.
Now more than ever.

— A witch, probably. (@kellybarnhill) November 9, 2016

Kidlit community: many of us are going to retreat into our art. Now, more than ever, we must also lift up the work of others. Of "Others."

— heidi heilig 🔥 (@heidiheilig) November 9, 2016

here's what you need to know:
your people are not gone.
people just like you are still here.

— hannah moskowitz (@hannahmosk) November 9, 2016

Do what you need to do to give yourself some light today. Light candles. Snuggle a baby or a pet. Listen to Christmas music. Eat chocolate.

— Brett Jonas (@BookSquirt) November 9, 2016

Read a book today, any book. They are there to save us.

— Lucie Britsch (@LucieBritsch) November 9, 2016

Mourn today.
Fight tomorrow.
Love each other every day.
All of these, with all your might. You are not alone.

— Sarah Gailey (@gaileyfrey) November 9, 2016

Sending love and hugs to all my scared friends. We'll get through this one day at a time.

The Quiet Joys of Re-Reading

Photo credit: ThomasLife on Flickr

Even though I'm behind on my yearly reading goal at the moment, and have been over a month, I've been doing some re-reading lately.

The first was Six of Crows, mostly because I wanted to dive into Crooked Kingdom without worrying about not remembering details or minor characters. This turned out to be a smart decision, because while I remembered the overall plot, I'd forgotten a lot of the details. As a bonus, Six of Crows is one of my favorite books ever, so it deserved a re-read anyway.

Right now, I'm finishing up my re-read of Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amy Kaufman, once again because I have the sequel (Gemina) and want to go in with the previous book fresh in my mind. This is also proving to be a good decision, not only because I'd forgotten details (which I had, even though I technically finished reading it for the first time this year), but also because it's been really interesting to go through it already knowing the twists. Plus there was one major twist I'd forgotten about, and then remembered before it was revealed, so it's been pretty fascinating to look for the clues and foreshadowing going in. Also, I don't really remember how it ended, so there's that minor tidbit.

Earlier in the year I also re-read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the fifth time, for two of my classes. That was also fascinating, because my last read had been years prior, so it was really cool to re-experience everything I loved about it the first (five) times and read it a little more analytically.

So even though my yearly reading challenge has been yelling at me, it's been a nice change of pace to sit and re-read some of my favorite books before diving into the sequel. And I do think it's productive—examining what it was, exactly, that you liked so much the first time can be a great way to learn. Every time to read a book, you can walk away with something a little different—and to me, that journey never gets old.

Do you enjoy re-reading books? 

Twitter-sized bite:

Do you enjoy re-reading books? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: 3 Common Protagonist Problems

Writing a compelling protagonist is essential to every book—so today I'm sharing three common protagonist problems so hopefully you can avoid these mistakes.

RELATED LINKS: 

• How to Write Without Filtering (vlog)
• On Character Motivations & Goals (vlog)
• Elements of a Great Protagonist (vlog)
• How to Make Your Villains Awesome (vlog)
• The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

Have you made these mistakes with your protagonists before?

Twitter-sized bites:

Working on a novel? Make sure your MC doesn't have these 3 common protagonist problems. #vlog (Click to tweet) 

Writing a compelling protagonist is key—but does your MC have these 3 common protagonist problems? (Click to tweet)

Writing First vs. Third Person

Photo credit: shaylamyst on Flickr

My NaNo novel this year is in third person. This is a pretty unusual shift for me—I haven't written a book in third person since literally my first novel ever, over a decade ago. But somewhere along the way, as I've read more third person that has become perma-favorites, as I decided to write a book with three POV characters, I decided it was time to experiment with third person again.

I like it.

In a way, writing first person helped me learn how to write third person better. With my very first book, I saw narration as a sort of separate thing, something tacked on to explain what was happening. But as I began writing first person, I learned how to meld narration with character, how every word mattered. I learned to think about whether this POV character would use this specific word, and whether they'd notice that detail, or how the way they saw a room or character would be different if it were narrated by someone else.

Now I'm bringing all of those lessons back into limited third person, and I'm pretty delighted with how seamless it's been to switch over. Because when making the switch from first person to limited third, the truth is while it does have a very different feel to it, the mechanics are basically the same. You filter the narrative through a single character's perspective and consider how that character experiences the events around them.

Ultimately, the difference between, "I stared at him; what was he talking about?" and "She stared at him; what was he talking about?" isn't all that large. But when a manuscript calls for one over the other, you'll know because it'll fit the tone the story in a way the other tense couldn't.

Have you played with first and third person? What has your experience been like? 

Twitter-sized bite: 

Author @Ava_Jae shares her thoughts on switching from first to third person. (Click to tweet) 

On Diving Into a New Story

Photo credit: tableatny

As of this writing, I'm about 9,000 words into the NaNo novel I'm calling #MagicMurderMayhem. There's something really special about starting a new manuscript; there's that thrill of diving into a new world, getting to know new characters, and immersing yourself in a completely new story. It's also a little scary—there's the uncertainty of whether or not you'll reach The End, the niggling whispers of knowing what you're going to have to fix even as you write, the possibility that you'll finish the draft and never look at it again.

All of that is real, and valid, and seems to never actually go away, no matter how many manuscripts you write. #MagicMurderMayhem is my sixteenth manuscript (which kind of blows my mind, to be honest), and while there are definitely differences with this experience than, say, my first (more confidence, trusting myself and my process, solid organization, etc.), there's still a lot of the same, emotionally.

In many ways, for me, first drafting is the (second) hardest part of the writing process. Creating something out of nothing is hard, and I think it's important to acknowledge that. (The first hardest, for me, is plotting, where you're really creating something out of absolutely nothing.) Every time you look at a blank page and turn it into a combination of letters that tell a story, you're doing something a little like magic. You're creating a reality where the things your characters do, think, say, and feel will matter to a reader. You're weaving words until they create pictures, until readers form attachments and feel very real emotions.

Writing a book is a really special thing, so I hope those of you who are first drafting take a moment to pat yourself on the back and smile. Because no, writing isn't easy, but it certainly is amazing and worth celebrating.

Are you working on a first draft right now? 

Twitter-sized bite:

Working on a first draft? Author @Ava_Jae has some encouraging words for you. (Click to tweet)

Book Review: CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo

Photo credit: Goodreads

So Crooked Kingdom! Where do I even start? I've been psyched about this book since I read and loved Six of Crows last year and I'm happy to report the duology is going on my hall of fame perma-favorites list because wow, did this sequel deliver. Before I tell you how so, however, here is the Goodreads summary:

"Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world."

So here's what I was expecting from Crooked Kingdom after reading Six of Crows:

• Respectful portrayal of disability (Kaz's bad leg and PTSD)
• Really clever con/thief-like plots
• A look at addiction
• All the twists
• Action
• Tons of wit and snark
• More detailed and layered world building
• A realistic and satisfying end to an awesome duology

With Crooked Kingdom, I got all of that and more. 

There are so many things I loved about this book. You learn a whole lot more about each of the main characters (Kaz, Inej, Matthias, Nina, Jesper, and Wylan), you get an even better sense of not just Ketterdam but how the Grisha world fits together, and there are soooooo many twists throughout the book. And of course the humor and wit I loved in Six of Crows was back in Crooked Kingdom, plus the relationships from the first book were really fleshed out in the sequel. My only nitpick was sometimes it felt like we had a little too much background for some of the characters? But I honestly didn't mind because I loved the book so much I didn't want it to end, so really it was an added bonus.

Plus! One thing I really admired was over clever the plot was in Six of Crows and I didn't think it was possible to one-up that but wow, Crooked Kingdom's plot was like three clever plots in one and it was so incredibly gratifying to read. I loved watching Kaz and his crew go from plan to plan and build on both their successes and failures to create one truly epic conclusion to the duology. 

It's also good to note Bardugo delved more into racial dynamics, which was really great to see. Multiple characters dealt with racial microaggressions throughout the novel and it was clear those elements were more well thought out in this sequel. Then of course, there was one scene that really made me pause and nod. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say Kaz is offered a "miracle cure" for his disability and not only did he not take it, he was appropriately pissed about it. I was really glad to see this handled so aptly and it made me respect and love the series even more. 

The Six of Crows duology is a masterpiece. From its diverse cast to perfect dialogue to incredibly clever plots, I'll be passionately recommending this duology for-freaking-ever. If you're even remotely interested in fantasy, make sure you pick this one up for sure. 

Diversity note: Kaz, one of the main protagonists, has chronic pain and a limp from an old injury and uses a cane to help him get around. He also deals with sometimes-debilitating PTSD. Another POV character, Jesper, is black and bisexual and Wylan also likes boys. A minor character is queer, too.

Twitter-sized bites:

.@Ava_Jae gives 5/5 stars to CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo. Is this stunning sequel on your TBR? (Click to tweet)

Looking for a clever YA Fantasy w/ a very diverse cast? Check out CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: How to Make the Most of Writing Sprints

What are writing sprints and how can you make the most of them? Today I'm sharing tips for sprints to get those words down during NaNoWriMo and any other time of year.

RELATED LINKS: 

• MyWriteClub's Word Sprints
• Write or Die 2
• How to Use Timers to Be More Productive
• myWriteClub's Word Sprints
• How to Write Quickly
• All the NaNoWriMo (YouTube playlist)

Do you use writing sprints? 

Twitter-sized bites:

Want to get some words down quickly for #NaNoWriMo? @Ava_Jae vlogs on making the most of writing sprints. (Click to tweet)  

Need to focus while writing? Check out @Ava_Jae's writing sprint tips. #vlog (Click to tweet)