These Fridays Just Keep Rolling Around, Don't They?

Today I had lunch with the lovely Casey, a friend of mine from Sirens. For those of you who don't know, Sirens was a fantasy conference I attended in October for four days, in Vail, CO. Last year we talked about women warriors. Right up my alley!

I always love meeting up with Casey for lunch or an event. We have such a great time together. We're both writers, both total nerds, and we have the same sassy, sarcastic kind of humor. It's also nice to be able to unload some of those writing insecurities on someone who understands them.

Today I told Casey about some of my worries regarding The Novel. Are people bored of quests? Are coming of age novels passé? I wouldn't say that that is all The Novel is about, but both are certainly strong components. Are people, I wanted to know, not going to be interested in a story about a girl who needs to grow-up and the journey that helps her do it because they've already read Tamora Pierce, Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine (among so many others!) doing it brilliantly? Has this book been written too many times?

The conclusion we came to was, no, it hasn't. These aren't original concepts. That doesn't mean it isn't completely possible to come at them in a new and interesting way.

I think people want a character they can root for. But, perhaps more importantly, they want a character they can relate to. Which means characters with flaws, anxieties, needs, and room to grow. The point of a story is to take a character on a journey from the start of the book to the finish. The events of a journey, or even of everyday life, change us. If a book ends with the exact same main character it had when it began, it wasn't a success in my eyes.

So yes, my heroine, Gem, goes on a quest. She comes of age. But as long as I keep my story well-paced, my characters interesting, and my plot different and exciting? People will want to read my story anyway. I know Casey wants to, anyway. That's one.

Happy Tuesday!

MY SPONSORS APPROVED MY FINAL THESIS APPLICATION TODAY!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry, got a bit excited there.

Today I learned how much one short meeting could change the course of a novel. Getting the chance to really sit down with my writing professor and discuss Five of Cups, its characters, and where the plot will go was unendingly helpful. She had a lot of really helpful things to say, and also expressed concern about one of the bits of storyline that had been niggling at the back of my mind as a bit off. Through being able to bounce thoughts off her I think I've come up with a much better idea, which will take the plot in a slightly different direction but will be better for the book as a whole.

It is worrying when you write descriptions of your characters and even you can tell they sound flat. Especially when you know that the character kicking around in your brain is not flat at all! In fact, they're a demanding pain in the butt. What is it about conveying a character from your head to the page that is so hard? I'm a writer! Shouldn't this come naturally to me?

Maybe we're not really supposed to write "descriptions" and have them portray our characters in their best light. After all, I can tell you a person is witty over and over and over again, but until you witness their wit, you can't really know for yourself. I've concluded that it is our characters' actions and not their defining characteristics that show us who they are. So I'm not going to spend anymore time stressing over page after page of descriptors. If you want to know what the characters in Five of Cups are like, pick up a copy someday; I'd be thrilled to sign it for you!

In other news, I completed my first review for Adele, which will hopefully be up soon. I went with The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley in the end, the book I'd picked before just wasn't speaking to me. See you Friday!