Really good books

Quote on my mind: Writing is a socially acceptable form or Schizophrenia. -E.L Doctorow

Catching Fire: the sequel to the hunger games. I loved this book. I thought it was even better than the first which I already thought was fabulous. I have been recommending it like crazy. It's just a really fun, different read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also read WINGS by Aprilynne Pike and enjoyed it. I thought the beginning was a little slow and this is lower YA than I usually read but the end picked up and I enjoyed the writing style. I think that Aprilynne is very talented and I wouldn't be surprised if her books got better and better.

The Hollows. Hmmm. I really wanted to love this book. I bought it the day it came out and ogled over the gorgeous cover. Unfortunately I soon found that the cover was the best part. The story was boring and slow and I couldn't get into the characters.

So there you have it. My three latest book reviews. On a personal note my new favorite Canadian Band is Marianas Trench. If you are looking for new music check them out (Their music videos are pretty entertaining as well)

XOXO
Tracy

How much time does it take to write a book?

Quote of the day: A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. -Baltasar Gracian

Many authors have a strict writing schedule. I think this is a good way to channel the left brain and combined it with the workings of the right brain. The muse won't always grace your shoulder whispering sweet nothings in your ear but that doesn't give you an excuse to not write. I, myself, am finding that I am a little different even from other writers. Maybe it's because this is only the beginning of my third year writing but I still have trouble pulling myself away from the computer and doing anything else. And even as I am washing dishes and scrubbing bathrooms I am still revising my plot and better defining my characters in my head. I used to average about 5,000 words a day. Then I read Stephen King's book on writing and he mentioned that his goal is 3,000 words a day. Which I think is very impressive. He gets up in the morning and forces himself to sit at that desk. Whether it takes two hours or seven hours he squeezes out 3,000 words. After hearing that I decided that I needed more moderation. So now I try to write between 2,000 and 3,000 words a day. I'm not very strict with myself because most days I write more than that and like I said, my children, husband and house become very neglected. I then read a book (one that I shall not name for now) and the author said that he made sure that he sat down and pounded out 300 words a day. Rain or shine. I sat back. 300 words? That's it? If a person were writing an average sized book say 80,000 words and only wrote 300 words a day it would take 266 days just to get a rough draft. Then the real work begins. I average a book about every three months and can't imagine staying on a single project for an entire year. Yes, I think having a writing goal is important and yes, I think it should be tailored to you and your schedule but I also think that you should push yourself and, to me, 300 words a day...is weak.

XOXO

T
This is a video that I use to inspire myself when I need to write a romantic, heartfelt scene. And no it is not porn although I am from Vegas!
Allison and Ivan SYTYCD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4equUWc_K1k

P.S this picture of me and my husband has nothing to do with this post....I just like it.

Burning Books

Quote of the week: Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan. "The voices are back! Excellent!"

So this week I am curious what everyone is reading. I just turned a good friend onto the Dresden files series and he is loving it more with each progressive book. (They really do get better as they go on.) I, myself, have been drooling over several books at the bookstore. I bought The Hollows by Jessica Verday which just came out last week. I want to read the sequel to Hunger Games, Catching Fire, I want to read the sequel to Goose Girl, Enna Burning by the fabulous Shannon Hale and I am also looking forward to reading My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent when it comes out Jan 2010. (Why the covers all look like they are on fire or burning except for the Hollows which is doused in water is beyond me. I'm not a pyro. Really!) Book reviews to follow soon. So what is it that you are reading?

And I leave you with the Venetian Princess's spoof on Miley Cyrus. The seven things guys don't have to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTC4qkb8Ppk

XOXO

T

I just can't do it!!!!

Quote: All you need is ignorance and confidence and success is sure. -Mark twain

I know I know. Over and over it says in writing books that you need to just write a bad first draft and then go back and edit. I can't do it. It bothers me that my chapter isnt perfect and I go back and fix it. Then I go forward to chapter 2 and things change so I have to go back to chapter one and adjust. Then I go to chapter 3 and that changes things so then I have to go back to chapter 1 and 2 and make them perfect again. It's a vicious cycle I tell you. But no more. From here on out (I am currently on page 50 of my 250 page novel thirteen hours) I will not look at anything I previously wrote. I can make notes for things that will need changed later but no going backwards. It's the new me baby.

Here is an amazing video by singer Nick Pitera. Make sure you listen to the whole song or you will miss out on his amazing talent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9-CS2v8wcc

XOXO
T

Is that like American Idol?

Soooooo..... when I am not writing I spend my weekends judging gymnastics. Now I know that not a lot of people are familiar with gymnastics; it is obviously an elite sport but whenever people find out that I am a judge they never quite know what that means.

For anyone who was ever curious here is a super condensed version of how to judge gymnastics. First off there are ten levels. One being the easiest and ten being the most advanced. Judging has a manual that is thicker than my husband's pilot manual and changes just as frequently. To make it simple I am going to focus on level 10 for this entry. For every skill that a gymnast does it is designated a letter A-E. 'A' being an easy skill (for example a round off on the floor) versus E being an advanced skill (like a back flip with three twists on floor). The gymnast is requires to do 3A 3B and 2C's in her routine. She starts from a 9.5 and has to earn 0.5 in bonus (bonus is earned by preforming hard elements like D's and E's and also by element combinations like 2 C's in a row.) There are also 4 special requirements per event that must be met or the gymnast will lose 0.50. For example on floor she must have a tumbling pass with two saltos in it. On bars she must have a flight element that is at least a C. After you, as a judge, have figured all that mess out you know what the gymnast's routine will start from. Now you have to have also taken deductions off of moves that weren't preformed completely perfect. The most you can take on bent arms while preforming a front handspring on floor is 0.30 but on vault you can take up to 0.50. so you better know all of those deductions as well.) Once you get your score you average it with the other judges score and then you take any neutral deductions like 0.10 for going out of bounds or 0.3 for using the wrong mats. You have about 20 to 30 seconds to have all of that done and be onto the next girl because the average session is about 56 gymnasts large and if you take more than 30 seconds to determine a score you are going to be there all day long.

After judging a meet I was flying home and the person sitting next to me on the airplane asked what I was doing in Vegas. I wearily told them that I judge gymnastics and they asked the question that i get all the time and that makes me a little crazy. "Judging gymnastics? Is that like what Paula does on American Idol?"

NO! It is not like Paula on American Idol! She would not have the slightest clue how to determine Shawn Johnson from Nastia Luikin. I didn't look at all of those little athletes and decide whose smile was the brightest. There is a very complex system people! (Too complex in my opinion) But no! it is not like American Idol!

There. I feel better now. Tomorrow I am on my way to San Jose where I will do three days of clinics and take yet another test to keep my current ratings as a judge. Wish me luck. I will leave you with a video that I used for getting prepared for the practical part of my test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPz9hLk8Axg

XOXO

T

Thriller Vs. Mystery

Quote of the day: Really, becoming a professional writer sounds more like a mental illness than a professional choice. -Shannon Hale

I read a great book today titled: HOW TO WRITE KILLER FICTION by Carolyn Wheat. It talked very clearly about what the difference between a Mystery novel and a Thriller/Suspense novel is. The reason I loved this book so much is because if you truly understand what genre you are writing in it will help to give your readers what it is they want. I am currently writing a thriller whose working title is THIRTEEN HOURS. (If you want to read the first chapter it is posted on my website http://www.tracyclevenger.com/ under the Books section) Ms. Wheat explains that if reading fiction is like a dream than Thrillers are nightmares where the characters are thrust into a frightening out of control environment. Mysteries on the other hand are full of detectives who constantly remind everyone that it is just a dream and that they are the ones in control.

Another huge distinction between Mystery and suspense is that in a mystery novel the reader is always two steps behind the detective. That way when the big ending is revealed the audience feels like they should have known all along that the Butler did it because of the hidden clues. An especially talented writer will make the ending inevitable but not obvious. Now with a Thriller the reader is ideally two steps ahead of our main character. This is often achieved by third person view points and the reader knowing much more than our protagonist. This is the part of the movie when the killer is hanging out down in the basement with a machete and our hero starts to descend the stairs. The audience has no choice but to spring from their seats yelling don't go down there! Here's under the stairs!

Another difference is that the detective whether it be an amateur sleuth or a professional spy already has the skills they need to solve the crime. They do not often experience much growth. Sherlock Holmes was a master at solving mysteries from the first book through every other book. A Thriller protagonist, however, must learn survival skills along the way. By the end of the novel, the thriller protagonist has walked through fire and will be forever changed by it. This is one of the reasons that it is hard to imagine a suspense novel being made into a series. It just seems unfair for a huge, life changing disaster to sneak up on an innocent civilian more than once.

The satisfaction at the conclusion of a Mystery is intellectual. The crime was solved, justice was served and all is right in the world once again. The satisfaction for a Thriller comes through an emotional outlet. The heroine has braved her worst fears and utilizing skills she hardly knew she possessed has risen from a girl to a woman. The hero has chopped of the head of the dragon and is now a man. They have grown and matured, faced their demons, and against impossible odds emerged victorious.

So in the end. I think that it is always a good idea to write what you read. If you are interested in Carolyn G. Hart, Margaret Maron, Robert Barnard, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, or Kathy Reichs then you are more of a mystery buff. But if you are like me and like to snuggle up with a great Mary Higgins Clark, Dean Koontz, Barbara Michaels, Dick Francis, Clancy or Grisham then you are definitely more of a suspense writer.

Well I hope this has been helpful for anyone wanting to know the difference between mystery and suspense and I highly recommend that you check out Carolyn Wheat's book. It was an excellent read and had many great insights.

XOXO

T

Starring the Smiling Tracy Smith

Quote of the day:
There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good. ~Edwin Denby

I have three kids and very little time to myself but I LOVE to work out. Unfortunately I live in the Boonies so I don't have access to a dance studio (my favorite exercise of choice) unless I drive half and hour each way. Therefore, I have a huge stack of work outs that I cycle through. Today I was working out when I noticed that i was consciously coaching myself to smile at the mirrors. I thought about it for a minute and realized that i was practicing just in case the people on the video wanted me to be a demonstrator in their next video. Hello! Are you listening to what I just said? I was waiting for the people on the video to knock on my door and recognize my fitness talent. So for the rest of the workout I continued to smile because I am ultra competitive and if the demonstrates can smile when their lungs are on fire gosh darn it, I can too!

I found a new choreographer that I absolutely love named A'drey. He lives in Russia and is a-mazing. Not just amazing. But A-maze-ing. Below is a link to check him out. And if you want a great dance workout that will make you smile and give you a six pack check out one of my favorites: Jennifer Galardi's Dance off the inches.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FAM8hJA0RM
XOXO

T

Jim Butcher

Today's quote is by Jim Butcher:

"Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."

My brother in law recommended that I check out one of his favorite authors, Jim Butcher. I did and really enjoy his books. Then I went to his website and found that he wrote a blog with tips on writing. I have read probably close to thirty books on how to write and I have to say that Jim's notes blew all of them out of the water. I loved his advice and was able to quickly and easily apply it to my own works. If you are wondering how my book query is going... I have two partials and three fulls out right now. Definitely more response than my three previous books have gotten so I am pretty happy about that. Its funny when I ask myself why am I doing this? Why am I spending every spare second I have to spare and even a few I don't writing these crazy stories. My husband is pretty sure that it is because I want to buy his a jeep. But it's definitely not the money. I am very realistic about how much the average book deal is for. My ultimate goal is to see my book on a shelf. I want my name on the cover and for people to be entertained by my stories. I also want to be part of the 'in' club. Authors. I mean. I want to go to book conferences and learn how to further improve my writing without wondering if this is all a big waste of time. Well back to writing. Here is the link to Jim Butcher just in case you are interested in becoming a fabulous writer over night.http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/

XOXO
T

Vacations and Summers and mosquitos, oh my

Quote of the day:

-Simon-"You invited him to bed?"

Jace-"Ridiculous isn't it? We never would have all fit."

*Cassandra Clare CITY OF BONES.

Sorry I have been out of the loop for a bit. It's Summer. Anyway, I have been circulating my query letters for STYX SISTERS and I am getting great response. We love your concept, great hook. The characters are very complex and original. But I haven't had a firm bite yet. I think that means that it is time for me to pull out of query phase and go back to the editing phase. I am also considering going back to one of my older manuscripts, SCYTHE, about a boy who is tricked into becoming an assistant Grim Reaper and reworking that story. I think it has a ton of potential. I am really excited to start working on a new project that i have had bubbling around my head for a few weeks now that is current known as 'the Project without a name'. I will give you more details on that soon. So, I thought about picking up my piano teaching again in September but then decided that I was going to give myself one more good solid year to keep trying my hand at writing before I pushed it back to just a hobby. I love writing all day long and this year my boys will be in first grade! Yay! Except for Lucas, my three year old who will go to play group with his various friends.
Hope everyone is having a great Summer.

Hmmm what link shall I leave you with today. Since I started with City of Bones I think I will end with City of Bones. Whoever has read this book you will probably enjoy this fan made trailer. If you havent read the book then it won't be half as clever.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/city-of-bones/videos/5943525/title/lightwood-llama-song
P.S. Kaycee...eat a Harvey's Burger for me this week! I'm so sorry that I am not going to make it. I will call you soon.

XOXO
T

Styx Sister's Trailer

Words of the day:

"What's that on your forehead?" Britney asked.
"Band-Aid."
"You fall down drunk or something?"
"Something."
"You in a fight?"
"No. it's an employment-related fork wound."
"A what?"
"A flipped fork flicked my forehead."
Alliteration seems to offend people. Her expression soured.
-Dean Koontz Odd Thomas.



My sister made her first YouTube video and it was this wonderful trailer for my book. I love it! Whenever I feel like the writing just isn't going well and I get tempted to scrap the whole thing I watch this trailer and it reminds me yes, I have a good hook, yes, I love my characters, and yes, I need to try and get this book published because it is wonderfully fun to read.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isla32nmniY




XOXO
T

I'd rather be Spelunking

Hello World.
If my bestest friend Kaycee has time to blog, gosh darn it, I can do it too! (But that doesn't necessarily mean that if she has another baby I can do that too, I do have limits :) So here it is. Tracy's blog. There are three main important things in my life right now. My family, my writing, and gymnastics. So here we go. Family: I love Veronica Mars (TV series) and I was watching her the other night and she made a joke that she would rather be spelunking than talking to Logan...I would rather be spelunking with Logan but that's just me. I had no idea what Spelunking was but I love words and had to look it up. Anyhow, I was later talking to Ryan, my husband, and used that line. I waited for him to ask me what spelunking was but he didn't. My brow furrowed, I scratched my head. "Don't you want to know what Spelunking is?" I asked. He told me that it was exploring caves, of course. I broke down into uncontrollable laughter, because seriously?! Who uses that word? Alaskans, I guess.

Number two Writing: Aprilynne Pike's debut novel comes out May 2nd. It's called Wings. Go and read it. I'm going to. I'd rather read dark urban fantasy than faeries but I have been following her through the whole found an agent, got published phase and I am interested to see how her book does. (She had over one hundred rejections before she found an agent.)

Okay gymnastics season, Here in Utah it is always gymnastics season. I am a gymnastics judge and the compulsory season runs from September thru December. College and Optional season is January through April. And then Spring Compulsory season is April through June. That leaves me exactly 4 weekends in July and three weekends in August off the entire year. Seriously! Let's just say I'd rather be Spelunking.

All right, I am going to try and write in this thing once a week because you all know how very not good I am at keeping up with Face Book and MySpace. Sorry. I promise to mend my ways and try to be better. Here is your assignment for the day. My sister Sammy came and stayed with me for the week, love that girl, and she has turned me into a complete and utterly hopeless Mitchell Davis fan. So click on the link. Watch Mitchell. He will make you laugh. He makes me laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp7iOwRySwY And have a fabulous day.

T