I'm being interviewed over at Hip Writer Mama as part of the WBBT today. And, for those of you eager to get your hands on a ARC of Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, we're doing a giveaway in conjunction with the tour. Come on over and enter if you're feeling lucky!

Also, this Sunday I'll be attending the California School Library Conference brunch. I'm very much looking forward to chatting with all those excellent librarians. And rumor has it I'll get to meet the legendary Mitali Perkins! Can't wait!

Have a great weekend!

Alas, I keep priming the pump but only dribbles are coming out. Time to bring out the big guns. Er, index cards.

I've talked about index cards before, and how I use them to help me see plot holes. They do, however, have other uses. They can also be a terrific tool to help me build or jump start the novel's plot.

Usually when I begin a book I have some key scene ideas and events that I know will need to be in the story. (This is especially true when working on series and sequels.) That in turn, means I usually have a pretty good idea of how many plot threads or sub plots I'll have.

When I'm trying to take this info and massage it into a plot, here's what I do. I take a fresh stack of colored index cards and assign one color for each plot thread. Then I write down all the key scenes that I know will happen in that thread.


Now some of the scenes ideas might be pretty well formed, and others might be unbelievably vague: Theo's first sighting of Chaos in Egypt. But they work as both a place holder in the overall structure of the plot, as well as a jumping off point for brainstorming. How does Theo become aware of Chaos's presence? And then I begin running through possibilities for those.

Some of the scene notations might not just be vague, but also unbelievably mundane and boring--not the least bit dramatic. Theo and Mum visit Antiquities Service to obtain permission to dig.

But once I know that, then I can begin thinking of how to turn that scene into one with dramatic action. How can that scene become a vital part of the plot? How can I add drama? Tension? Is there the opportunity for a reversal of some sort?

So listing what I do know about the scene, however sketchy it might be, shows me where I need to begin to excavate in order to find the right story bones I'll need.

Once I have those, I can begin to assemble those very raw and sketchy bits into some semblance of structure, because the structure of the novel will also help focus my brainstorming.

So my (very raw, very sketchy) first act looks like this:


In my second act, things really start to happen and I have a lot more cards:



So now I have some raw material to work with. I have an idea of the ebb and flow of the scenes and activities that will need to happen, and where those scenes will fall, and I can now try to beat them into submission breathe some life into them.

(And uh, yeah, I am very well aware the yellow cards petered out in act two. I can't decide if there are two plot threads, yellow and blue, or if they are both really the same thread, but I'm not worrying about that at this stage of the game.)

And yes, this is VERY left brained, and NO, I don't do this for every book. Just the ones that are being stubborn and won't come out to play.

So you all know I like collaging as a way to help bring my story world to life, and I've shared some of the past collages on the blog. This time, however, a regular collage didn't seem to be working for Theo Four. For one thing, collages are big and tend to evoke a story world rather than represent it, and for this Theo book, I needed factual specifics. It takes place in Cairo and Luxor in 1907, both real places and real times, so I am somewhat constrained by, you know, reality. And in order to write about it, I need to see it. But if I paste the old photos I find on a collage board, they become lost or overwhelmed.

Well this weekend, I stumbled upon a fix to this conundrum. I decided that instead of creating a collage board for this Theodosia book, I'd create a travel journal such as Theo herself might have kept to record her trips.


(Sorry about the glare.)

So now I've been cutting and pasting all the old photos I've found in my research into this book, then making notations and observations in Theo's voice next to each picture.





This is doing two things. It's a great way to accumulate all the research visuals I need in one place and in chronological order, and it's allowing me to focus on seeing them through Theo's eyes. It's really helped me "get into the mood" for writing this book.

I am the luckiest of authors. If you doubt it, simply feast your eyes on the latest, bee-yoo-ti-ful cover art for my two upcoming books!

Coming in April of 2010, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by the amazing Yoko Tanaka.


It is hard to say just how much I love what they've done with this. And in case you missed it, there are TWO preview chapters available over on the Theodosia website.


And coming out in June is Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist: The Basilisk's Lair by the lovely Kelly Murphy!


Really, she did such a terrific job of capturing exactly what a basilisk lair looks like. Does it not seem simply too awesome that one author should get so lucky, TWICE??

In other news, I am finally making some progress on Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh. Angels wept.

Also, if you're looking for some great reading material this week or wanting a shot of inspiration, be sure to tune in to the Winter Blog Blast Tour. They have an amazing line up of authors, including a number of my favorites. Oh, and I'll also be featured, but not until Friday. But really, check out these interviews, they are sure to be full of a wealth of great stuff!

Since this blog is basically a big, fat window into my writing and my process, there is a good chance I will begin to repeat myself since I tend to struggle with similar issues with each book I write. However, the solution to those issues shifts slightly with each book, so hopefully there will be something of use to people in seeing those different solutions.

For example, one of the reasons I’m floundering with Theo Four is that I’m having a hard time pinpointing her internal arc. Frankly, it’s one of the challenges when writing a series with the same MC, giving that person an internal growth arc for each subsequent book. However, I think it is a vital part of the story.

I do have a bunch of internal things she learns. For example, she’s now seeing the world with her rational blinders off (due to what happened in book three) and she is hungry to understand WHO she is, how she got to be the way she is, and she begins to see the human cost of political actions, but I don’t have one cohesive umbrella under which to put all those things, such as there is no place like home, or she learns to accept herself. I wish I did, but I don’t.

So then I decided to rummage around looking for a theme, then see if that could lead me to a possible internal arc. Book Four is about Theo’s full initiation into the Other, her wandering in the desert/going into the woods and learning the answers to the mysteries that only she can provide.

It also occurred to me that this is the realization of all that she longed for in Book One. She’s going to Egypt with her parents and being asked to participate on a dig—to bring her talent to the project. Maybe she’s clinging blindly to that old goal, not realizing that she has outgrown that goal. She’s changed too much over the course of the last few books and she will never be in that simple or innocent place again. So while she’s gotten what she wished for, she herself has moved beyond that now.

Hm. I’m going to just keep plodding along and play with what I’ve got for a while. Maybe I’ll find a way to tie all these elements together under one internal arc umbrella. Heck, it could even be staring me right in the face and I’m just being too obtuse to see it.

Or maybe I’ll just pray that the big final scene at the end ties them all together. ☺

I totally forgot to mention here that the second chapter of Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus is up over at the Theodosia site.

So there is this concept I am really taken with and I've been rolling it around in my mind, exploring the shape and feel and heft of it for a few weeks now. It was something someone said a couple of months ago in a comment on my FB page (I’m thinking it was Shevi, but I might be misremembering—speak up if it was you!) They said something to the effect that unlike the sculptor who starts with a stone they can turn into something, writers must first make the stone, then use it to build their stories. It has resonated with me ever since. Particularly in the last week or so as I try to jump-start this newest book.

I am struck by the clear delineation between the two parts of writing—creating the material for the story, then building that story. And I think that’s where a number of beginning writers stumble. They think that what they’ve created IS the story, and it’s not—it’s the material from which they will create the story.

I also think this is the key to effective revision—being willing to see the first draft(s) as the base material you will be working with to create the actual story, rather than simply polishing a first draft. (Whether you do this scene by scene or draft by draft is less critical than the fact that you are willing to take things apart and look for clues and breadcrumbs in your first drafts rather than feel they are cast in stone.)

Then because life often loves to be sure I really GET the lesson it’s sending me, someone forwarded me a link to a NaNo pep talk Neil Gaiman had given about writing being like building a stone wall, and again I was struck that as writers we need to create the d@mn stones from which to build our walls, not to mention that we have to shape each piece so that it fits in the whole without huge gaps or worse—threatens to tumble at the first big breeze.

Anyway, it helped me realize that a big part of my writing process, my pre-writing process to be exact, is not about outlining or planning so much as it is about creating the material I will need to tell my story. Collaging, research, reading other books, journaling, note-taking—these are all the tools I use to give birth to the rocks I will need to build my story. And yes, that's a wince-inducing metaphor, but honest to gawd, sometimes that's what it feels like. Not always, by any means, but definitely this week.

When I got home last Saturday, my son had just contracted the Creeping Crud; either a bad chest cold (his vote) or swine flu (our vote). He was sick, but not deathly ill. So guess who started to come down with it yesterday? Yes, yours truly. I cannot believe I managed to fend off every single germ in the Katy Texas School District only to be felled at home.

The highly suspicious part? I started getting sick the day after my Muse went on strike. See, she thought I was rushing the writing part of the new book; she needed a bit more pre-writing and world-building before she was ready to get on with the show. I rushed it, then boom; I start to get sick.

Probably not a coincidence. So we made a deal, my muse and I. I will spend the next four days drinking hot tea, taking naps, popping Vitamin C & zinc lozenges, and reading research books, and she will be sure this doesn't develop into full-blown swinegitis.

There! I feel better already. Never bet against your muse...

I read a couple of awesome books while I was away. The first was SOULLESS by Gail Carriger. I had seen the cover a few months ago while stumbling through the cyber-maze that is Amazon, and fell head over heels in love with its cover. The book itself did not disappoint; very arch and amusing. I loved the voice. The author took a lot of chances and they all worked for me, so I applaud her willingness to take risks.

I also read STONE HEART by Charlie Fletcher. AMAZING book. Thanks for the recommendation, Lisa B! Loved it a lot. A great middle grade fantasy that would also appeal to slightly older readers. (Becky, I’m thinking of your son—has he read this yet?) Talk about turning setting into a character—quite literally. And as if having a brilliant fantasy going wasn’t enough, he totally nailed his character, I thought. The opening sequence of the book was such a dead on capturing of a 12 yo boy’s social hell. Brilliant. I bought book two, IRON HAND, at Chaucer’s yesterday.

On a side note, if you ever want to REALLY explore a book store, go to a well stocked independent with a brilliant school librarian (Yes Lisa, I’m talking about you.)

I also finally got around to reading the second Percy Jackson book, THE SEA MONSTERS. Another rousing good read.

I also started a history, THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR, which I am enjoying quite a lot. Some day I will get around to updating my reading list over in the sidebar.

Next up, LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld.

What about you guys--do you have any must reads to share?

So I am well and truly back. It was the trip of a lifetime and an overwhelming positive experience.

I gave myself all of Sunday and Monday to recover, then jumped in with both feet. First up, getting started on Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh.

I had planned to do NaNo this month, thinking that with starting a new book and desperately needing to pound out a first daft, the timing would be perfect.

Sadly, it is not. I still have too much world building to do, especially since this book takes place in Egypt. I had thought I could just start NaNo late, but the pressure of it is weighing on me so much that I find I am rushing to spit out words before they’re truly ready.

Trying to do a fast first draft when the story hasn’t gelled yet is akin to trying to build a wall with un-cured bricks—the end result will need to be torn down and require massive amounts of rebuilding.

Not sure if this is a sign that my entire process is changing or if it is just the way this particular book needs to be brought into the world. Either way, I need a more thoughtful, measured, slow-but-steady draft this time around.

I am not despairing. The story IS coming. When I sat down to begin journaling some ideas on where to start the story and what the first scene might look like, lo and behold, out popped a first scene! Thank you, dear Girls in the Basement. Have I mentioned lately how much I adore you?

I also returned home to the Spring 2010 Houghton Mifflin catalog with both Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus and Nathaniel Fludd: The Basilisk’s Lair nestled in its pages. And as if that weren’t enough riches, there was also a pile of Eyes of Horus ARCs waiting for me! How cool is that? I have no idea what to do with them ::drumming fingers and looking up at the ceiling:: but I’m sure I’ll think of something. ☺

My top focus/priority for the next four months is this fourth Theo book. In an effort to stay on task, I’m going to be adjusting my online routine a bit, as in I probably won’t get online until I get a decent amount of work done each day. So look for me by moonlight…no, no. That’s The Highwayman. What I meant to say was, look for me sometime after noon…