Writer Savvy

A Character Dilemma: Unnecessary-ness

2012-02-25T16:51:00.000-08:00

I have a problem.

Actually, I have a few problems, but today we'll just stick with one of them.

I'm coming to the conclusion that I have a few characters in my novel that are...

*shudder*

unnecessary.

Eww. I hate that word. It's not a word I like to throw around all willy-nilly, especially when it comes to my beloved characters. It's a scary word, but I can't ignore it any longer.

Earlier this week, while I was outlining my entire novel on Scrivener (which is totally worth the money, people!), and a thought suddenly popped into my head: "I wonder what would happen if I combined these two characters!"

An innocent idea, yes. But now I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head and it's killing me!

Here's the thing: I'm a sentimentalist. I haven't parted ways with a box of dinosaurs I've had since I was 2...and I'm nearly 17! It's a problem, I get it. But these characters just CAN'T be morphed into one. It...it would mean rearranging the entire plot, a secondary character's romance, AND the relationship my MC has with at LEAST 5 different characters.

Not to mention, I absolutely adore one of those boys. "Hunter", as I affectionately nicknamed him when he showed distaste for his original name, has been with me from the first draft, quietly waiting his turn to shine in the story. He's put up with my antics for a good 3 years now, enthusiastically running headfirst into any obstacle I've thrown his way and never once complaining. He's that guy who takes what you give him and rolls with it. He's awesome.

The problem with "Hunter" is that he doesn't shine like the rest of the cast. In fact, I'd say he lets others take center stage 80% of the time. Generous little brat.

Because of this, he doesn't play a pivotal role in the story, which make him *cringe* unnecessary. Worse yet is the fact that I might have to have another character absorb all of his awesomeness, leaving no trace of him in the manuscript. It's a disturbing concept, considering that Hunter has put up with me for 3 years, only to be outstaged by a character I only recently came up with.

As it stands, I have 3 options:

1. Reinvent Hunter
I can make him more standout-ish this way AND get to keep him in the story. I like this idea, but it will take a lot of tweaking because he already resembles another character too much. More flaws, more dialogue, more humor (because that's already his strong point). Dramatically separate Hunter from that Other Guy. Nothing will crossover between the two of them. I can do this.

2. Send Hunter through the crack in the Universe
(Bonus points to whoever got that Dr. Who reference.)
I can make him disappear completely from the story and have his relationship with his girl go to that Other Guy. I hate this idea. Hate it. Letting Hunter get swallowed up by another, less-awesome character is a crime. Ugh.

3. Love Triangle
Thirdly, I have an alternative to this little issue I have with Hunter, his girl, and that Other Guy. If I can't completely end the chemistry between the Other Guy and Hunter's girl that's inevitably materializing out of NOWHERE, I may have to add a love triangle somewhere in the story. This could very well be an interesting path to take, considering I have never read a book where the love triangle is existing in the secondary characters' love lives, not the MC's.

Let's hope I make the right choice!!

Question Time:

Have you ever had a character dilemma like this? Any thoughts on my choices? Hate the Love Triangle idea? Let me know in the comments below! :)

Happy Writing, Friends!
Savvy

A Personal Look at the 5 Stages of Grief - Part Two

2012-02-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wrote about the first 3 phases of Grief: Denial, Anger, and Bargaining. I drew from the personal experience of losing a beloved dog.

Today, I'm going to finish off this analysis with the final 2 phases.

4. Depression

Depression is the most recognized of all 5 stages of Grief. Depression is, quite simply, succumbing to hopelessness and sorrow. When Denial was debunked, Anger passed, and Bargaining didn't change what happened, Depression was the only alternative.

The tricky thing about Depression is that there's no moment when you feel the shift into the next phase. You can feel Depression come, but you don't notice it leave.

Depression makes the world feel slower. Painstaking. Depression taints every good memory.

When my dog died, I specifically remember crying over the idea that I would never take another funny picture of my dog while she slept. I couldn't look through my pictures because the sight of my dog made me burst into tears.

Something particularly draining was the fact that our dog had just given birth to three puppies only two days before her death, meaning that everyone in my family had to pitch in to keep three tiny little pups alive. I couldn't feed one of the puppies without sobbing, but I had to be close to them. They were all that was left of their mother and they were helpless.

Depression changes your perspective on the situation. It becomes something that underlines your every thought. It's like you just can't figure out how to feel better. You're scared of holding on to something that's gone forever, but you're scared of forgetting it.

5. Acceptance

One day, when your heart has been set right and good things have begun to fill the void in your heart, you wake up and nothing hurts. I'm not sure if this is Acceptance, but it's the last phase I remember. Acceptance is life continuing and pain being alleviated.

Acceptance wasn't a sunny day after a long, steady storm for me. Acceptance was me getting off my butt and going to theater rehearsal and letting myself go in a place that I loved. Acceptance required me finding joy in something else. I didn't feel Depression peel its icy fingers away from me, but I felt Acceptance like a tap on the shoulder and a kind smile.

Now that we've covered the 5 stages, I'm going to briefly touch on the physical and mental effects of Grief.

Physical:

Somewhere between Anger and Bargaining I started to seriously lose my balance. At one point I wound up on the floor, not even knowing how I got there. I've heard of people fainting at tragic news, but keep in mind that it happens less frequently than people assume.

Also, I found it extremely difficult to grab hold of anything to help me back onto my feet. It felt like I couldn't make a fist, which is something that happens a lot under extreme emotions of any kind for me.

Another thing to keep in mind when writing about a character struggling with grief is that excessive sobbing can make it difficult to breathe and can end up contracting the abdominal muscles so tightly that you feel like you might throw up. Your face also begins to feel sore when contorted so tightly for so long.

Mental:

One of the effects of grief in my mind was the constant trapped feeling I had. There was no way to turn to escape the painful situation. It was like hitting a dead end at every turn in my head.

Another effect was that grief drastically limited my spectrum of thought. The only thing I could think about was the situation at hand. I couldn't think of Winter Formal, or my friends' dating lives. Nothing in the world seemed to be happening while I was struggling to maintain a grip on reality.

I hope these posts have helped any of you get a better idea of the reality of Grief. Something to keep in mind is that Grief comes in less obvious forms than death. It could come as easily as misplacing an important item. Keep your characters real and dynamic. When you give them something to overcome, make sure that they overcome it (or don't!) like real, dynamic people.

Happy Writing, Friends!

Savvy

A Personal Look at the 5 Stages of Grief - Part One

2012-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

~~Alternative title: Good Grief!~~ ~~No?~~ ~~Too soon?~~

As morbid as it may sound, I'm kind of fascinated by the 5 stages of grief. In fact, when my dog died back in 2010, I analyzed my grievous behavior, pinpointing the exact moments when I hit a new stage of grief. (I'm an actor and a writer. Observing and interpreting human behavior is my thing.)

[I also did this after I finished reading Mockingjay, but that's another (embarrassing) story for another day.]

Here's the deal: grief is a tough subject for a lot of people. Grief is real and tangible. As writers, we need to convey this emotion as accurately and thoroughly as we can in our own characters. Just like any emotion (like love, hatred, vulnerability, etc.), we need to give a real life depiction of the emotional arc someone experiences.

In order to write about grief, you have to know the stages of grief, so I've decided to analyze my own experience with losing my dog to give you a clearer and more personal example to refer to.

[NOTE: I'm completely, entirely, 100% recovered from the loss of my dog, so you don't need to get teary-eyed for me or offer any condolences.]

Without further ado, a personal analysis of Grief.

1. Denial

This stage is the initial coping mechanism of the mind. Denial refuses to accept that this bad thing could have happened.
"No, you must not have heard correctly."
"That couldn't have happened. It's impossible."

Denial grasps at straws. It rationalizes the irrational. When my parents came home from the vet's at two in the morning without our beloved pet, my instant thought was:
"The vet's are keeping her overnight. She's fine."
This, of course, was Denial. My heart was hammering in my chest. I knew something was wrong from the look on my parents' faces, but I refused reality. I made excuses.

When my dad gave me the news, I still refused to believe it. My dad jokes about some very un-funny things sometimes. I figured this was another joke.
"You're joking!" I said. If you heard me, you could tell I didn't believe what I was saying. "This is just another one of your jokes!"

My mom confirmed he wasn't lying. My mom never goes along with my dad's jokes. She rolls her eyes and laughs. Now she was crying and shaking her head. Our dog was gone.

2. Anger

Anger, for whatever reason, always follows Denial. It's swift, violent, and irrational.
"How could you let this happen?!"

I'm not exactly sure what I was saying when Anger hit. It might have had to do with how much I hated my dad's jokes, because I never knew when I could take him seriously. I was blaming everyone. Everyone had caused this tragedy. Everyone but me.
"How could you let the vet put her to sleep?"
"Why couldn't you at least take her back home so we could say goodbye to her?"

In retrospect, Anger was a very selfish phase for me. It was all about MY loss, not about our dog's dwindling health. At some point, I wound up sprawled across the floor, unable to stand.

3. Bargaining/Begging

Of all the stages, Bargaining is the most humbling to its victims. If Denial is grasping at straws, Bargaining is praying for a time-machine.
"Please, there has to be something we can do!"

Bargaining is the most futile. Bargaining consists of repeating "please" a hundred-thousand-million times without any actual hope. I prayed, begged God, for anything to fix this.
"Please, bring my dog back to life!" I prayed for a miracle.
"Please, let this be a dream!" I prayed along the same lines of Denial.

Stay tuned for Part Two of my Grief Analysis tomorrow, where I'll finish off the last two stages of grief and also discuss the mental and physical side of grief.

Write what's real, Friends!

Savvy

Write What's Fun, Not What's Not.

2012-02-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, the beginning of your novel is not the prime place to dump all back story, setting, and character descriptions. Actually, it's the worst place to do this. Your first chapters are your only shot to grab the reader's attention. When you start out with "My name is Blah, and I live in a town called Blah, and when I was growing up I did blah, blah, blah, and ended up blahhing..." your reader shuts the book and moves on to the next one, which probably has a cooler looking cover and doesn't start out with the lineage of your protagonist's boring family.

"But my protagonist's family isn't boring! They're actually an ancient race of centaurs that used to hunt mermaids and dragons and their lineage is very important to the story!" you might say.

Yes, that's probably true. But your potential reader doesn't know that and won't care how important that lineage is to the story when they already don't care enough about the story to finish that first paragraph. You're reader has zoned out like I do in History class. (Social Science, or whatever people are calling it nowadays.)

For the longest time, I honestly thought that every stinkin' scene/chapter needed to be set-up and explained before I could write the fun parts. The classics never start out with the fun parts. I need to be more sophisticated and write about the weather, and the interior of my protagonist's bedroom, and the trees outside. Poetic things like that. The first two pages of any chapter/scene must be devoted to the description of something unrelated to the story, right?

No.

You're cheating yourself as a writer when you waste time writing things that you don't desperately want to write. You open up your document every morning and blink at the boring block-of-a-paragraph in front of you (you're only output since you started writing three weeks ago), and maybe contribute another seven-word sentence on a good day. Then you delete it because it's just not good enough.

If you aren't having fun writing a novel, you're doing it wrong.

Have you ever wondered what novel means? Sometimes, I like to imagine that novel is short for novelty -- something you buy simply to be enjoyed. Sometimes I like to assume that books are synonymous with happiness and escape.

When you force yourself to write what bores you, you're defeating the purpose. If you're trying to write something boring to please potential readers, you're not writing for yourself, and you won't enjoy the process at all.

If that paragraph you just wrote about the inventory of you're MCs closet bores you to death, it'll have the same effect on your reader.

Start out with a BANG!

...then get to the point.

Savvy

Sister Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2012-01-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

Man, I haven't done a review in a LONG time.

Why? Because it seemed like every book I opened was boring. Like I was losing my grip on reading and not enjoying books. Nothing was captivating enough to get past the first three chapters.

Until now.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer had me within the first page. Not only was it a mystery, but it was a mystery done right. Even my sister (my non-reading little sister) picked up the book and had me read a couple chapters to her before she snatched it from me and read the rest herself.

So without further ado, our co-review! (that rhymed)

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: September 27, 2011

How long did it take before you really got pulled into the story?

Maddie: The letter in the very beginning got me going, but when she meets Noah in the end of chapter 4 I knew I was hooked!

Savvy: Well, I knew I was in for a ride with the letter, and it just kept getting better with each passing page. The end of Chapter 1 was definitely the point where my jaw dropped.

What was something you wish you could have gotten more/less of in the book?

Maddie: More of Joseph. And more suspense in certain areas of the book. My sister and I have different views of what's "OMG CRAZY" in books/movies. Sometimes she'd be like "Ohgosh! This is where it gets good!" and then I'd read it and would have a different reaction.

Savvy: Maybe less description when it comes to Noah's hair. Not that I don't LOVE him and his bedhead, but talk of his disheveled hair came up quite a lot in the book.

Favorite Character?

Maddie: Out of all the characters, it'd have to be a toss-up between Jaime and Joseph. Noah, too.

Savvy: Noah. Noah. Noah, Noah, Noah, Noah, Noah.
And Daniel.

Scale of 1-10 (1 being poor; 10 being AMAZINGLYAWESOME) what would you rate the book overall? Why?

Maddie: 10. I don't read, at all, mostly because books aren't usually interesting enough to keep me reading. But I actually really wanted to read this book. I sat down and read until I was done with it. Eating breaks were not an option. (Would the day when Madison turns down a BLT to finish reading a book!)

Savvy: There's no way I could give it any less than a 10. It was brilliant, jaw-dropping, and exciting. I literally had no idea what to expect when I opened the book, and I was so pleasantly surprised by how masterfully crafted it was.

What age would you recommend this book to?

Maddie: I guess it depends on what you like. I don't like the things most 14 year olds like. Both my best friends are 3-4 years older than me. So I guess I would suggest it to the average 16 year old and older.

Savvy: Considering the brief language and physical content, I'd suggest it to older teens. I think, to get the full benefit of reading it, older teens in high school will connect with it better than, say, middle schoolers, simply because of all that occurs in the book. I think even adults can really appreciate the wild ride of this book. :)

Excited for the next book?

Maddie & Savvy: YES!!!

Happy Reading, Friends!

Savvy?

Character Analysis: In Emergencies "There's always that ONE guy."

2011-12-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

Two points of business today.

1. I hope you all had a LOVELY Christmas, or whichever holiday you celebrate at this time of year. I hope you all ate until your bellies were full, and I hope you all laughed with your families and friends about how quickly this year flew by and how next year you swear to do something crazy.

And I hope I did too, because I'm writing this Christmas Eve, and I have a hankering for some yummy green bean casserole. Mmm...

2. I want to talk about this little trick I have to getting to know my characters better. Honestly, I didn't even realize this until a couple weeks ago when my friend and I were discussing the various roles people take in emergency situations. In my family, we double up on roles, depending on who is in trouble. I'll explain a little...

At my house, when someone is sick EVERYONE pitches in. It's a team effort. For instance, when I'm down with a cold or the dreaded 24-hour stomach flu, everyone in my family acquires different action roles to get me feeling better. However, when my mom, dad, or sister is down for the count, the roles change a bit, depending on our relationship. You can see this in basically any group of people. Be it friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, the basic roles of operation are going to be filled pretty quickly.

Let's look at some of the basic roles...

Golden Retriever: This person gets the easy way out, of sorts. They don't have to see the damage full on and get to do a lot of running and quick thinking. Golden Retriever can be compared to a nurse, handing the surgeon each and every surgical tool he asks for. The only difference is that the Golden Retriever won't always have experience in emergencies and will probably be shaking and frantic while raiding the cupboards for gauze and towels for the gunshot victim on the living room floor. This depends on the character and his/her relationship to the person in need or the person giving them orders.
Action Taker: This is the person who jumps on the opportunity to take control of the situation. Must work well under pressure. If someone is puking their guts out, the action taker hold the bucket under their chin and snaps orders at everyone around them. This is the person who places their hands in the gaping wound to stop the blood. Represses shock until after the situation settles down. Gets the job done. Not always sure of what to do, but braves it out to save someone's life.
The Messenger: This job won't apply to every situation, but when someone is too sick to go anywhere, to see anyone, plans must be canceled. This is the job of the Messenger. The Messenger will whip out the nearest cell phone and call in sick to school or work. It's an easy job for those who aren't terrified of phone calls....
Nurturer: This is the kind of person who definitely puts others before him/herself. Not only does the Nurturer risk their own health in some cases by being too close and comforting to a victim of a viral flu, but this person has to be the rock for the group. When the Action Taker is taking his role too seriously and is red in the face, when the Golden Retriever is on the verge of tears because she can't find the bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide and the Ibuprofen, when someone faints at the sight of blood, when the the victim is convulsing on the floor, the Nurturer is the voice of reason and calm. She holds the victim's hair back as another round of puking begins. She holds the hand of the victim as the bullet is being extracted from the wound. She sings and rubs the victim's back when their in pain. She places a gentle hand on the Action Taker's shoulder when he's losing his sanity. She explains to the Golden Retriever that the Ibuprofen is located in the other bathroom on the lowest shelf of the cupboard closest to the toilet. In short, she keeps calm and carries on.
Mr. Clean: Definitely not the choice role, but it must be filled by someone, squeamish or otherwise. Mr. Clean has the roughest job, aside from the victim himself. Mr. Clean gets the honor of cleaning the bucket, post-upchuck. Mr. Clean gets to rinse out bloody washcloths. Mr. Clean gets to pick up snot-riddled tissues. Mr. Clean gets to bring out the trash. Mr. Clean is a glorified janitor. Bonus points if your Mr. Clean is a germaphobe.

As you can see, there are five distinct roles for characters to fill, aside from the coveted role of Victim. The key in emergency situations is to analyze the exact circumstances, pre-emergency. By this, I mean look at relationships. If your MC's love interest is dying on the floor in a bloody heap of convulsions, is your MC going to go into shock and blink for hours instead of leaping into action. Or is he going to take on one of the distinct roles above. Then consider why.
Is a secondary character going to step up to the plate and get the job done, play the Action Taker role?
Or will your MC take charge, a la Jack Shepard from LOST?
Will there be a battle between two action takers?
Who is going to keel under pressure?
Who will faint?
Who will be eager to help, and who will resist getting into the action?
Who's going to scream curse words at the top of their lungs when the victim's health starts spiraling out of control?

Think about your world, too. Consider the society you've created. Are strangers willing to leap to action to help someone on the street, much like in older times? Or is everyone isolated from the rest of the world in a utopian world where nothing bad ever happens? How would people like that react to someone fighting for their life?

Also consider that the five roles above can be filled by one or two people. Double up the roles. Triple 'em up if you have to! Teh Action Taker and the Nuturer can be the same person. The Messenger, the Golden Retriever and Mr. Clean can all be one person. Two people can be Golden Retrievers.

Roles can clash.
People can fight.
Outrage and chaos can ensue.
Your victim can die.

Play with it. Be evil. Be genius.

Savvy?

Character Analysis: On Stealing Bits.

2011-12-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

There's an unwritten rule amongst the actors in any theater production. The Golden Rule of actors, if you will: "Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, steal another actor's bit."

A "bit" is anything the original actor has conjured up through his/her character work in order to bring their role to life on stage. This can be a quirk, a tick, a weird vocal thing that ONLY your character can do, because it actually makes sense with all the character work you've done.

Some actors let it slide a couple times, but when you have a maximum of 3 lines and that "bit" you thought up is the single most important thing you can do to make sure the audience remembers you...well, I think you can understand the outrage.

Of course, it always happens. It shouldn't, but it does. And an actor who "steals" your bit isn't necessarily a bad person, either. I know the sweetest people who occasionally steal bits that I or my fellow actors have ingeniously thought up over the course of rehearsals. It doesn't make you a bad person, but it does make you a lazy actor.

Think of it like this: a kid is running late to class and still has a chunk of their essay on WWII to finish. Instead of admitting to the teacher that he/she didn't do their work, they copy and paste something from Wikipedia or from their older sister's previous essay, therefore plagiarizing. Yes, it's wrong, and the culprit might not even get caught for stealing someone else's work, but that doesn't make the kid a horrible person, it just makes him/her lazy. It's just like this in theater, although I've never seen a director EVER call someone out for "bit stealing".

Where am I going with this? Oh, yeah...

Believe it or not, you might be letting your characters steal each others' "bits".

What?! How could I possibly do that?!

Simple. You're not distinguishing between character qualities. You might think of this GREAT idea for one of your secondary characters -- maybe an accent that they have, or a nervous tick, or a weird hobby they have -- but you're letting the other main characters (Dang you, protagonist. Dang you!!) snatch up all the good qualities, leaving that once-dazzling, three-dimensional secondary character a withered, ashy pile of two-dimensional negativity.

In short, you need to remind your characters (especially that dang protagonist) that your novel is a TEAM effort. You can't have two strong characters and a plethora of weak, unnecessary characters if you want your book to grab people by the throat and growl "READ ME". A book is a team effort, both in the real world and on the pages.

So before you add yet another good quality to your protagonist, her love interest, and her best friend, consider giving the annoying cousin the spotlight. Or maybe the creepy old man who lives across the street. Or maybe the dog.

Savvy?

Day 19. Broken Promises.

2011-11-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

I really do apologize for the lack of posting....and writing.

Here's what's up: I'm moving. I'm a high school junior. There's not much time in between for NaNoing, blogging, and working out.

Ugh. It's like the failed New Year's resolutions all over again!

I'm debating with myself whether or not to continue my NaNo. As it stands, I'm 12K where I need to be at 31K. The stats are making me nauseous.

I need to decide whether to finish this book off, horribly, in the next 10 days, or to wait until I've moved in December.

Decisions, decisions...

Savvy

Days 10and11. When you wish upon a clock...

2011-11-11T23:57:00.000-08:00

A day like today will only come around once every 100 years. Today was 11-11-11, which, if you're not aware, is the glorious coming of the MEGA WISH.

Today, I was really ashamed of myself for missing the first 11:11. I'm not a morning person.
Anyway, I did manage to snag a wish at 11:11 PM, not because I wanted my wish to come true, but because I wanted the pride of knowing I made the MEGA WISH in my lifetime.

Now, in much more important news, today is also Veterans Day for us in the US. I would like to just take a moment right now to thank all of the brave men and women fighting for our country to keep us all safe. We thank you so much for risking your lives for us and protecting us from harm. We owe you our lives.

Day 11 word count goal: 18,337
Word count currently: 10,694 (working on it!)

I hope you all had a fantastic day, friends!

Savvy

Day 9. I dreamed a dream of writing time gone by...

2011-11-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

Today I did nothing. I stalked the NaNo forums, procrastinated, dreamed of writing a DECENT blog post for once this month, dreamed about writing my other novel, dreamed about...everything. I dreamed about finishing this dang novel.

But, I'm reminded of a very well known quote from a book series I have not actually read or watched.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." ~ Albus Dumbledore (right?)

The point is, as long as I'm dreaming about what this novel will look like when it's done, it will never BE DONE! A book cannot write itself, although that would be much easier.

I need to get off my lazy butt and write already.

Word count goal: 15,003
Word count currently: 9051

Come on, brain. IMAGINE!

Happy Writing, Friends!

Savvy

Days 7and8. The fact is this...

2011-11-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

I. Am. Stumped.

And lazy, but that's beside the point.

See, I ran headfirst into this novel, abandoning outlines and character charts and WINGING it, expecting it to soar. But, ironically, "winging it" isn't taking off.
Get it? That was a pun.

*Sigh* Even I'M not laughing at that pun. Lame pun. Ugh.

Anyway, I see that not outlining was a BAD idea, but it's a little too late for that miraculous revelation. Instead, I have to grin and bear it and hope I can squeeze enough words out of my dry plot and pray it reaches 50K by the end of this month. I'm already dreading the prospect of editing this thing.

You know what? November is proving to be a REALLY lame novel writing month for me. I'm moving, and it's becoming very clear that I won't have a great deal of writing time for the next two weeks, which is alright, because I cannot WAIT to finally be settled in to my new room, and I think a change of scenery is exactly what I need to dig me out of this rut I've written myself into. But, still. More time--alone, quiet, focused time--would be desirable.

Not to mention I now have to write 51K because of yesterday's missed post. Grrrr...

Word count goal: 13,336
Word count currently: 8755

Things aren't looking good.

Happy Writing, Friends

Savvy

Day 6. Word War HighSCORE!

2011-11-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

I'd like to keep this one short and sweet, and I don't like to brag much, but...

Well, my friend and I were WordWarring and I...might have....written 801 words in 20 minutes. I'm sure that's a horribly small number to most of you NaNoers, but to me (who usually gets....100 in 15 minutes) THIS IS LIKE A BIGFOOT SIGHTING!!

In other news, my spelling and grammar have taken on a nasty habit of disappearing during these wars, so I have quite a bit of editing to do December. Ugh, oh well.

Word count GOAL: 10,002
Current word count: 8749

Umm, WOOT?!

Happy Writing, Friends!

Savvy

Day 5. The Lazy Day.

2011-11-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

I think I finally understand Bruno Mars...

I digress. Today was one of those days where EVERYTHING besides sleeping is a chore. I sat on my bed, munched on popcorn and various other junk foods, and stared at Facebook the entire day.

Word Count Goal: 8335
Current Word Count: 5300

A little depressing for me, but I WILL GET THERE! If I have to have a coffee transfusion into my veins I will reach my goal!

And I still need to workout for today. Grr...

Where are you all at in your NaNo Novel?

Happy ~~Brainstorming~~ ~~Pulling out your hair~~ ~~Coffee Drinking~~ ~~Losing precious sleep~~ Writing, Friends!

Savvy

Day 4. Happy Birthday Li'l Sis :)

2011-11-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today was my sister's 14th birthday.

This was not a very productive NaNoing day for either of us, unfortunately, but that's alright.
So, I took my Dad shopping for my sister's gifts, fully aware that I had no idea where to buy the one thing she had been nagging me to buy her for weeks.

Crossed by Ally Condie.

Luckily, Walmart carried it (after we SCOURED Target, mercilessly) and she has been moony faced all night, staring at the book and even drooling a bit. ;)
We got her some other odd pieces of jewelry and mittens and I'm very proud to say that she had a good birthday this year. Hey, you only turn 14 once, right? Gotta go all out!

Anyway, TO THE WRITING!

Savvy

Day 3. DANGIT!

2011-11-04T00:51:00.000-07:00

I failed. Miserably.

Today, I had plans, and plans always get in the way of work. But, hey, they were darn good plans. We got tickets to see a close friend's performance of To Kill A Mockingbird (I should probably read the book), and it was TERRIFIC!

Unfortunately, I had no time to write more than twenty words, AND this blog post is technically 45 minutes late, so I may or may not have to add another 1K to my word count.

Ugh.

Anyway, I also forgot to work out, which means I need to double my workout for the rest of the month.

Oh well, I needed this. Maybe this is the kick I needed.

Until tomorrow, friends.

Savvy

Day Two. Word wars with Friends.

2011-11-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I was NOT expecting this to help me as much as it has, but let's talk a little about...

WORD WARS.

Word Wars, as my friends like to play them, are little races or writing sprints to help heighten the competition and crank out massive word counts. At first, they may seem pointless. You think, "Pfft, I can totally write that many words in that short of time without any help from anyone," and, yeah, that might be true. For some people, word wars do nothing because they already have the motivation they need. But for people like moi, I thrive on this kind of thing, which is odd because I am superfreakishly non-competitive. I think the appeal of Word Wars for me is the idea that, no matter how far you are from your friends, they're still right their at your fingertips, encouraging you and sitting in the same stinkin' boat as you, frantically tappity-tapping on their keyboards.

And word wars also draw people together. Believe it or not, my little sister actually decided to give NaNo a go this year. Keep in mind that she HATES all things reading and writing related, so this is kind of Breaking News in my house! Not only has she taken a liking to NaNoing, but she's also beaten me and ALL of my friends in every Word War we have included her in. Ummm, WHAT??

That said, I've reached my goals in working out, NaNoing and blogging thus far, so I'm pretty excited about that.

*insert VERY happy face here*

Happy NaNoing, Friends!

Savvy

Day One. Hyped up on SUGAR!!!

2011-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm going to admit one thing right now: I haven't written anything of my NaNo novel yet. That's right, folks. While most people were counting down to midnight, fingers readied for the keyboard, I was at a party, trick-or-treatin' for the very first time. (I'm 16 years old. I AM SO DEPRIVED!)

Anywho, we got home from the party and I decided to make you all a lovely video instead, all decked out in my Halloween garb. Let's see if you can guess who I dressed up as...

Grated, most of the dirt and fake blood had washed off by the end of the night, but hey, whatcha gonna do, right? :)

So yeah, I was Katniss this Halloween. :) It was kind of my DREAM costume, and I have the coolest best friend in the world for doing my make up.

My sister wanted to help me make you all a lovely video (Keep in mind that we made, like, 15 videos because we kept messing up), so without further ado, our video...ENJOY!

Things I forgot to mention:
*The song in the background is Oh Well, Oh Well by Mayday Parade (NEW OBSESSION SONG!!)
*This was all filmed on my webcam at midnight, so that's why it's so hard to see (sorry!).
*I am moving, therefore NaNoWriMo will be especially tricky, seeing as I've also set outrageous goals for myself this month. *facepalm* See previous post.
*Also, I may or may not be simeutaneously working on THREE other writing projects. One, a short story for a contest at school. Another is still up in the air...I was convinced by a friend to write it. The other is my WIP, which is STILL not finished, dangit! And, of course, my NaNo novel.

I'm sure I'm still forgetting some stuff, but Oh Well, Oh Well. (Haha!) I have to get writing now, breaking in my new fingerless gloves and all, so this will have to be goodbye for now.

Write, my friends! Write!

Savvy

In which I set a lofty goal for myself.

2011-10-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've mentioned this already. NaNoWriMo is now only TWO DAYS AWAY!!! *cue dramatic music*

I've been noticing an alarming trend among writers all over the forums and the blogosphere (such a fun word to say. Blogosphere, blogosphere, blogosphereeee...).

Multitasking.

That's right. As if NaNoWriMo isn't masochistic enough, there are actual, sane(?) people out in the world attempting to write MORE than the allotted 50k in 30 days.
Some people are shooting for 200K!!
Some people are planning on simultaneously reaching other goals, like cooking a new main dish everyday for a month!
There are even people who plan to write all 50,000 words.
On. The first. Day.

So, part of me thinks, "Pshh, showoffs," and crawls over to my writing corner to pout and grumble to myself.

Another part of me wonders if there is some method to the madness behind these multitasking and goal extending people. I've wanted to become productive, and November proves to be that opportunity.

So here's the deal, my friends. I am going to blog everyday this November (however, I'm not going to guarantee the quality of these posts...) and for everyday that I DON'T blog, I have to add 1K to my goal of 50K.

But, oh, there's more.

I'm tired of complaining about not having abs and looking all nice and fit. (No, I don't want to hear anyone coddle me about me being "perfect just the way I am"...*glares* That means you, Mom.) So November is also my workout month. For every day that I don't work out, I'm going to have to double my workout for the entire rest of the month. So if I do 10 crunches everyday, but miss one day, I have to do twenty crunches everyday until the end of the month.

The scary thing is, I'm kind of excited about all of this.

*shivers*

Happy NaNoing, friends!

Savvy

A few things I cannot stand.

2011-10-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

This isn't going to be a nice, happy post, so I apologize in advance if I either offend you or put you in a bad mood.
Let's talk a little about some things I fear:

Dentists. One bad encounter as a kid scarred me for life. I now have to be sedated and tied down to remove a cavity. No, I'm really not kidding.
Karaoke. There are some fearless people who are totally fine with getting up in front of their friends and/or total strangers and belting out "My Heart Will Go On" into a microphone that makes you sound like a Wookie. I am not one of these people.
Talent shows. I cannot write amazing songs like Taylor Swift and have the guts to preform them in front of family and friends. I cannot swallow swords, breathe fire, juggle, say the alphabet backwards, ride a unicycle, or even train my dogs to do a simple trick. The only thing I genuinely feel comfortable doing is acting, and none of my friends are EVER on board with doing a skit. But awkwardly lip syncing to my formerly favorite Christian band in the fourth grade? Oh, I own that.
Splinters. This is, quite possibly, the oddest phobia I have. I just don't like the idea of anything breaking the skin and potentially living in me for Heaven knows how long, much to my eternal discomfort and frustration.
Doctors/Vaccines. Funny story: A few years ago my sister was going to the doctor's office for some reason or another, but I pleaded my mom not to take me. I could sense I would be getting a shot somehow, but she assured me that I wouldn't be getting any shots because we couldn't afford it at the time. Lo and behold, our doctor explained to my mom that we were behind on our vaccines. When she told him we couldn't afford the shots, he told her about this new program where we could get the shots that day and she could just pay payments on it. She loved the idea and I was forever traumatized. The end.
Haters. I've always had this really weird problem with being hated by anyone. I can't stand the idea of people not liking me for whatever reason, so I've made myself a bit of a pushover, which, in turn, led to bad friendships and, subsequently, haters. It's a bitter cycle.
Viruses -- and not the human kind. This brings me to the actual point of today's post...

When it comes to viruses getting on my computer, I become an emotional wreck. One time we got a really gnarly virus that crashed our computer. Normally, I wouldn't be bothered by it, except for the fact that I had 36 pages of my WIP on there. We sent it to a friend to see if he could salvage anything from the computer and, blessedly, he recovered all my data from the fried computer. But for the entire week that I thought I had lost everything, I went into a depression. I gave up writing. I cried everyday. I never laughed.

Writing is serious to me, so the threat that I could potentially lose all my hard work is something that makes me both nauseous and furious. Yesterday, I had another virus threat, this time for a Trojan that I got from Google (so much for being a writer's best friend, eh Google?). At first, I stayed calm, but as soon as my dad began to fiddle with the keyboard, I lost it. I lost it like a madman. All that terror I faced a couple years ago with the other computer came sweeping back in and I couldn't contain my emotions. Obviously, my dad told me to get a grip and that it wasn't that big of a deal and that he would call his friend and see what he could do, but what he didn't realize was that it really was a big deal to me. I've put everything into my WIP. I've slaved over it for three long years. It isn't nothing.

As it turns out, it isn't that big of a virus, and my dad's friend is going to help me back up all my files soon, but I was still scared out of my mind. I love my story, I love my characters, I love imagining the future for this story. I still had burning rage for whoever the crap invented viruses and hoped that they could feel the torment I was feeling yesterday. But, so far, all is well.

Happy writing, friends!

Prepping for NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

That's right, writers...it's that time of year again!

It's almost NaNoWriMo time!

(For those of you who have never heard of this glorious event called NaNoWriMo, please click here and prepare to be amazed.)

I digress.

This will be my second year attempting NaNoWriMo. Last year was technically a failure, since I only got 14K words written, but it was also a HUGE win for me. At that point in my life, I had NEVER written 14K words. Ever. Let alone, in a month! Regardless of my "failed" attempt, it was an enormous self-confidence booster for me.

However, this year I'm taking a different route. Instead of vaguely plotting out my SNI, I plan on pantsing it all the way through November 30th. In other words, I'm going to wing it.

My prepping plans consist of the following:

Write any and all plot ideas on pieces of paper, collect them, and dump them in a jar labeled "NaNoWriMo Ideas". Check!
Browse NaNo forums and (hopefully) make new friends/allies. (If you'd like to know, my current forum obsession is the Adoption Society, although I avoid any "Adopt a Plot" threads like the plague.) Also, check!
Invest in (or be gifted with) a plethora of fun office supplies. SUPER DUPER thanks to my Hero, who gave me colorful sticky notes for my birthday! She knows who she is. ;) Again, check!
Keep Vanilla Almond teabags in stock at home. (I need to pick some more up, and fast!)

Yes, paradise looks like this to me.

I'm determined to win, both for the pride, and for the Scrivener discount that they hopefully still offer to winners this year. Want to add me as a Writing Buddy? My username is savvythewritergirl, if you were wondering.

What are your NaNoing plans this year? First year? Hesitant about giving it a go? Let me know in the comments.

Happy NaNoing, friends!

Finding that "Shiny New Idea"

2011-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was asked on Formspring: "I am at a loss for things to write about... any ideas to get my mind working?"

The short answer: No... (scroll down to skip rant)

The long answer: I have dozens of good reasons for not sharing or receiving ideas from anyone, ESPECIALLY fellow writers. For one, when someone "gives" you a story idea, they obvious visualize in a different way than you are going to. Maybe they envision an entirely different cast of characters, or a different plot structure, different scenes. The point is -- in MY experience -- the person donating the idea is going to envision it much more thoroughly than the receiver, therefore they have a better idea of what it should be like in it's entirety. Also, my personal thoughts on idea donating are similar to my idea on fanfiction. Now, I have nothing against fanfic, but from what I hear from my fanic-writing friends, fanfic is neither publishable nor completely original. (I've never actually written fanfic, so please don't take offense if I'm getting my information wrong.) The same is also for idea donating...well, sort of. Sure, it's publishable if the person giving you the idea doesn't intend on writing the novel their self. However, I'd argue that the story is no longer "original", in the sense that you didn't come up with it from the beginning. What I mean is that someone could rattle off this really great idea to you, but only they really know how it's all supposed to go down in the end. They created the idea, they (for the most part) love and care about the idea, and only they can see that one particular scene playing in they're head like a movie. Because THEY created it, they are the originator and creator, in my opinion.
(End rant.)

Now that's not to say that asking for assistance is bad! Plenty of people are stuck in a slump and when they ask for help they should receive help....but in a different sort of way:

Coming up with that BIG IDEA!

1. Be a creeper. No, I'm really not kidding.
Something I was taught about acting a good couple years ago was observation, or "People Watching". In theory, it's a fairly simple technique of admiring your surroundings and the people in them. You watch people walking by and begin to consider their situation. Maybe they're rushing by, late for work. Maybe they're taking their time, solemnly contemplating a serious issue at home.
But I think the best way to get a shiny new idea from People Watching is when you can observe how multiple people react. Maybe it's two people who are fighting outside of Taco Bell (yes, I did see this in real life). It could be two friends who are fighting over some rumor that the other started, or a young couple who are on the verge of break up for whatever reason. (It works even better when its an even larger group of people because you can see everyone's different reactions to what's going on.) Create the reason. Figure out their story all on your own. This is where the imagination takes over and you get inspired.

2. Take a cliche, twist it, chop it up, dissect it, bake it, and let it cool on the window.
I might get some flack for this technique, since I'm basically admitting that, yes, sometimes writing cliches is a good place to start. But that's only the beginning. I like to imagine a really cliche storyline from any particular genre and then begin tweaking it. Maybe begin with such a predicable plot that no one in their right mind would pick it up off the shelves...and then completely tweak the plot.

Reader: "Haha, wow, this synopsis is so predicable I bet I can guess how it ends within the first page."
Me: "Wait for it....wait for it... BAM! You didn't see that one coming, now did ya?"
Reader: "Merciful Heavens! That was quite a shocker! I will never underestimate the power of a cliche storyline ever again!"

Ok, so that won't happen. Ever. And by defying the limitations that define a "cliche" storyline, you're actually not writing based off a cliche at all. It was only the base to let your imagination warm up. Think, "What if the knight went to slay the dragon, but the dragon was actually kind of friendly, so they hit it off and became buddies, and the princess dumped him because she couldn't stand his new camaraderie with her former captor?" I know. Horrible example. But you get my point.

3. Pick something random. I mean REALLY random. No, sparkly vampires are not random enough.
This is my absolute favorite way to develop an idea, hands down. This might involve some research, but it is totally worth it in the long run. If you can't decide and want to make this REALLY interesting, write all your ideas on separate little pieces of paper, drop them in a hat and randomly draw them out. Things to research:
Jobs- This one is usually the funnest. Just watch Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and you'll get buckets of weird and gross jobs to punish your protagonist with. You can google the wackiest jobs out there, and I guarantee you will find something at least minutely entertaining to write about. If you prefer writing historical fiction, you might consider picking a time era and researching the kind of jobs they had back then. But believe me, if you're working on a Medieval time frame, you should have a strong stomach when researching that kind of stuff.
Mythological Creatures- If you enjoy the idea of writing a paranormal story that really stands out from the rest, might I interest you in this pretty little link to a wikipedia page FULL of mythological creatures?
Places- Whether it's Paris, France or a small town in Nebraska, there is an entire PLANET full of places, untouched by the literary world. Pick a place that really interests you....or pick another planet. I mean, we do have EIGHT official planets (sorry, Pluto) in our solar system! Or forget about our solar system; the whole universe is your fictional playground. Go for it!

Of course, you could absolutely fictionalize everything and make up your own world, with its own occupations and creatures. That's always fun!

4. Write what you know. Yes, it's a scary concept.
I've always hated the idea of writing only "what you know", because, I'll be the first to admit, I don't know much. Seriously, I'm a teenage girl. What am I going to know besides how to properly freak out over how fat my jeans make me look and my hatred for all things algebra? If I only ever wrote what I knew, I wouldn't be writing to you now. If I only ever wrote what I knew, I would never even dream of being a writer.
Here's the thing about "writing what you know": there's no boundaries. If you don't know something, then learn it! That's what being a writer is all about, isn't it? Exploring the unknown and making it known to others in entertaining and enjoyable ways.
That said, I believe we all have something we like more than most other writers. Maybe, if you're like me, it's theater. Maybe you like farm life, or the depths of the ocean. Explore something that interests you, learn it, know it, write it. Simple as that.

That's about all I have to say on the matter. I hope somehow this helps you spark that Shiny New Idea and write!

Savvy

My Oxymoronic Organization Skills

2011-09-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

(Or "My Scatterbrainedness Manifested in the Gross Overuse of Post-Its and 3x5 Cards: The Ungodly Addiction")

Fact about me: I'm a girl of simple tastes. No, really. When asked what I want for my birthday or Christmas, I usually give people the usual "Nutella, Raspberry Arizona Iced Tea, & a plethora of office supplies" spiel (although my immediate family is strictly exempt from this rule because I do like to have new books every now and then). Of course, people usually object and get me something more suitable for a teenage girl....like socks.

I think the general misconception is that I won't possibly have any use for a jumbo pack of colorful Post-Its all on my own. This photo, however, begs to differ:

You see, this is my writing desk. Of sorts. I kind of have to share it with my sister who likes to use my Post-Its on the most random junk ever...like Teen Wolf episode reminders. Although, I have to admit to the random facial hair Post-Its in the upper left hand corner...I get bored.

So, if you can't tell, I like to have every little facet of my WIP laid out in front of me for reference (plus I just think it's fun to look at). It's kind of contradictory, though, when you really think about it. I put all of these stray thoughts down on little pieces of paper that are supposed to help me organize my thoughts into one, unified place, but my writing desk is a clutter of random yellow adhesive papers, full of random little thoughts that are all randomly stuck on my wall without a rhyme or reason.
And, somehow, that's how I write.

I don't know what it is about looking for that one, crucial little sticky note in the whole sea of them on my desk, but it keeps me going, keeps me alert and ready for the next BAM! idea. Somehow this boundless clutter reminds me that, no matter how much garbage I have to sift through, what I'm looking for is in there somewhere...which is kind of like the drafting process, anyway.

So there was your little peek into my writing life, but only a peek. Believe me, there are much more Post-Its all over my house & until my parents take me seriously when I say I ~~want~~ need a GINORMOUS cork board, they shall remain all over the living room walls.

Savvy

A Writerly Pep Talk

2011-09-02T23:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one for motivational speaking, but the weekend is here, and if you're anything like me you know that the weekend is the drought season of writing.
But you know what?
So are Mondays.

And Tuesdays.

And quite frequently Wednesdays.

Thursdays don't look that great either.

Neither do Fridays.

The thing is, if you only ever write when it's convenient or you "feel like it", you'll never write anything. Writing, like any facet of life, requires getting out of your comfort zone, ditching the easy way out, and barreling forward to do something productive with your time. It requires effort. It requires time. It requires blood, sweat, and tears (i.e. papercuts, an overheated laptop on your legs, and violently killing off your favorite characters).

What am I saying? I'm saying it won't be easy. Writing an entire freakin' book is not for the faint of heart. It takes up a large portion of your time, energy, and heart. You'll hit a block more often than not, and you'll reread it thinking it's all a bunch of garbage. It happens to everyone, but you cannot let it get the better of you. Ever.

It's okay to be frustrated. Heck, it normal to be frustrated during the writing process. Expected, even. Just don't ever stop dreaming, and creating, and writing. Let yourself loose onto the pages. Attack what needs to be attacked. Take no prisoners and leave no man behind. When you think there is no other way to finish the scene, baffle yourself. Make yourself weep, dang it! Push your characters as far as they will go, just to make them better.
Write like a madman.
Laugh maniacally.
Just.
Don't.
Stop.

And never, NEVER pick up a pen to please anyone but yourself.

I hope this gives you the strength to keep writing. I'm off to practice what I preach! :)

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13

Happy Writing, Friends!

Questions? Pleaseeeee...??

2011-08-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

Fact. I have played far more games of sudoku than I'd like to admit to while I try to beat this writer's block I'm currently in. Wish me luck.

I've come to the conclusion that until I stumble upon my next writing epiphany, I have no idea what to blog about. I mean, I could probably conjure up something in the mean time, but it would bore me to write it even more than it would bore you to read it. And that's never a good thing.

Soooooooooooo, I decided to shake things up here at Writer Savvy. I made a Formspring account for this blog and if you have any questions at all (completely random questions are totally welcomed!) please ask away! Who knows, you're question could be my next blog post, and you'll get a whopping virtual hug from me.

Seriously. I'll hug my computer screen. :)

Happy Asking, Friends!
Savvy

When in doubt, add some more characters!

2011-08-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

(In other words, cheating my way through a first draft by adding in so many characters that there is never a dull moment in the story. That's ok, right?!)

I'm not going to lie to you and say getting through your first draft is a piece of cake and that you should have it finished within a couple months, because that's absolutely ridiculous. I've been writing the same stinkin' novel for so long that, not only has it hit puberty, it's also matured into a semi-rational, semi-insane young adult who frequently enjoys procrastinating. I taught it well.

You see, writing an actual, fully coherent novel is easy in theory, but painstakingly tedious in execution. The initial idea makes you sit down and rattle off the first couple pages, maybe the entire prologue, and then when you realize that you have no idea what you plan on doing for the 175 pages between the beginning and the climax, so you just ditch it and decide to come back to it when you feel more prepared. I actually took off an entire half year at one point in the middle of my personal WIP, simply because it was too hard to write. I figured I'd come back in a couple months and suddenly write the next million-dollar YA novel, no assembly required. This was the biggest let down of my life. (Ok, the biggest letdown of my life, right next to the realization that I wasn't actually part-wolf. I'm still a little bitter about that one...)

HOWEVER, I did come to one very interesting conclusion when I was trying to get back into the writing groove a couple months ago. Of course, this may only help me in my situation, but if you are planning on writing a YA epic, this one tip might help you out.

You ready for this? It'll blow you're mind...
Add. More. Characters.

What's that? You say that adding characters whenever you hit a roadblock in your story is a BAD idea?? While there is massive truth to that, it kind of depends on the story and the block you're in as a writer. Adding characters comes with a price. I'm sure there's a great law of Physics that explains this better than I can, but I wasn't exactly an A-student in my Physics class, so I'm not even going to try explaining it that way. Basically, if you want to add some characters to bring some conflict into the story, you're going to need to ditch some of the old ones. I mean this in the most compassionate way, I do, but if you have the quirky, people pleasing blond BFF that you're MC's known all her life (who really doesn't push the plot at all), and you want to introduce a new, sultry-eyed friend who ultimately steals the love interest right under your MC's nose, you're going to need to give blondie the axe and let this new girl take over. Why? Don't we have more than one close friend in REAL life? Yes, in real life we have tons of friends that we consider very close to us in various ways, but in the world of fiction we have to narrow things down a bit. We have to think of things very distinctly. As a reader, you don't get to see pictures of all the characters in a book. You have to go solely off of description and role according to the author, and because of this, we have a limited amount of capacity for deciphering who is who in any given scene. Things get confusing when two characters look alike, have the same type of role (the friend, the class clown, the jerk, ect.) in the story, or even have names that start with the same letter! You have to make each character distinct, and if two are cutting it too close to confusing the reader, someone's gotta get the axe, and it'll usually be the character that advances the plot the least.

Now, there are also times when you really DO need to add characters without subtracting any from the original setup. This occurs when you are introducing a new setting or area in your story. When I realized that I needed to add in characters to my story, a HUGE weight was lifted off my literary shoulders. Believe it or not, adding characters to a scene can actually be a part of the setting! Like extras in a movie, so are a bunch of nameless people in a school hallway, or at a club, or at a parade. Without characters, whether main, secondary, or insignificant, a scene would be vacant, void and without conflict to the MC.

So there you have it! I hope this helped in some way, because, hey! It worked for JRR Tolkien, right?? ;)

Happy Writing, Friends!
~Savvy~

Setting the Stage

2011-07-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Another theater-inspired post that translates well into the world of writing.

In theater, there's this thing called "tech week". Tech Week is basically the craziest week of the entire show, usually involving a lot of frantic cast and crew, all running about the new stage and trying to get the lighting just right for the weekend performances. (This is how it works in my theater group, anyway.)

Tech Week is also the only time most of us actors get to become well acquainted with new, finalized props and set. For most of us, the transition isn't quite so easy. Sure, it sounds easy enough: "use the bench stage left, don't ignore it's presence", "adapt to the set, don't dodge it", etc.. But when you just want to just say your lines and follow your blocking like you have for the last two and a half months, "adapting" is a scary word. It requires diverting from the path, possibly missing an over-rehearsed action cue or two. You lose the fluidity you had obtained over the two months of rehearsals and now have to take a leap--er, step--of faith in order to actually make this work. Oops! Now you're thinking about it too hard and lost your line... Your psyche is all jacked up now, and your mouth is dry, and your lines sound funky, so you try to change up the inflections, but that just makes everything worse, and the audience isn't responding, and... AND...

Ok, maybe that's a little over-the-top. My point is, as a writer, the idea of my characters using their surroundings is almost just as scary as me using a new set on stage. I keep thinking that if I let them do normal, human things like sitting on a bench after a long run, they're going to start running the story themselves and everything is going to go haywire. Like, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction", or something like that. To use my fictional surroundings is scary because I think of how easily distracted I am, and how much worse this is for my characters. I'm scared that if I let them sit on the bench, they're going to lose track of time, or worse, I'll waste the ENTIRE chapter on describing this random "bench scene" and never actually cover the outlined stuff I had planned for the chapter.

I guess I'll just need to suck it up and let them interact with their world, or I'll get bored really easily. And so will my readers.

Happy Writing, Friends!
~Savvy~

Fictional People Need Playlists Too!

2011-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

(Or: I have writer's block, so instead of posting about some helpful epiphany I had recently about writing a book, I'm just going to post about cool music and somehow pass it off as a vital writing tool. Yeah.)

Fact. When I would get in a fight with my friends in 4th grade, I would walk around the campus singing some weird "I don't need you stupid people/let's randomly sing about my crush for absolutely no reason" medley. I'm not sure why, but I guess I likened this practice to having random background music during the "major events" in my life, like they have in the movies. Of course, that was really stupid because A) I'm not a particularly talented singer and this would only give my friends more reason to tease me, and B) I missed out on some really great games of kickball while I was busy pouring my heart out into the never ending Ballad of Bad Friendships I had going. So, in retrospect, it was kind of a lose-lose for me.

But I never really got over the idea of having background music during the cool parts of life, and since they have yet to invent a music player for your brain that randomly belts out Requiem for a Tower while you're taking finals, I'll have to settle for writing.

My writing playlist is possibly the most dysfunctional collection of music there is, but for the sake of this post I'll share some of the things I look for in music:

1. Vague, Cryptic, or Contradicting Lyrics
This is a weird one because you really have to look hard for lyrics like this. The reason I go for the vague or cryptic lyrics is solely because when songs are overtly blatant about their intent, there's really no reason to keep listening for inspiration. I find this a lot with pop songs. I'll listen to a pop song and think, "Ooh! A catchy chorus, flashy beat, and I think that line reminds me of something my character would say if she lived in the 21st century. Sweet!"...and then I'll get bored with it because I realize it does nothing to help me write my book and just makes me want to go out and party.
Silverstein, Mayday Parade, and Breaking Benjamin are a couple of bands I'm always listening to because of their lyrics. Of course, indie music also tends to have some amazing lyrics, but more on that in a second.

2. An Original, Haunting Melody
Another reason pop songs just don't do anything for me is the fact that they all sound like chaos and noise. Sure, I love me some ke$ha at a dance party, but when I'm trying to write a scene where my MC finally shares her feelings with the boy she's in love with, I kind of don't want to hear about Mick Jagger look-a-likes getting "crunk" until the police show up. I need something more tender for a moment like that; acoustic, if you will. Indie music (or what I consider to be indie music, anyway) tends to have more of that feel. Like this, for example:
(side note: doesn't this guy look like Johnny Depp??)

3. Mood-Setters
I don't usually find too many songs like this, unless I'm listening to score/composer music, but a "Mood-Setter" is a song that, if I close my eyes to, I can almost definitely see a scene playing out in my head. These songs change a lot because I can get bored with them if I listen to them too much, although there's always the exception I can listen to non-stop.

4. Entire Albums of Awesome
If I can find a song that fits my playlist criteria, I'm appeased. If I can find an entire album, I'm ecstatic! A few of my favorite albums are (as previously mentioned) by Silverstein and Breaking Benjamin. Others are by Paramore (Riot!), We the Kings, Parachute, Panic! At the Disco (Vices and Virtues), and 30 Seconds to Mars (This is War).

5. Taylor Swift
That's right, people! Taylor Swift gets her own, personal section on my playlist. Do you want to know why? Good luck, because I haven't a clue, myself. Maybe it's the fact that, no matter what I'm doing, when I hear a Taylor Swift song, I feel the need to write, and smile, and maybe curl my hair. Maybe it's the fact that some of my best memories involve listening to her albums in my friend's car. Maybe it's because she writes lyrics that completely describe my life sometimes. Somehow, someway, she manages to defy my "no pop songs" rule and end up at the very top of my playlist every time.

So there you have it! Now I need to find some other way to procrastinate against writing... UGH!

~Savvy~

100 followers?!

2011-07-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

I love you all.
Seriously.
I. Love. You.

I've been off the computer for a week, so maybe you can imagine how stunned I was when I saw I had 100 followers on this little bog of mine!

I'm still in shock.

Thank you for sticking around,
Savvy

Character Focus: Objectives

2011-07-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Fact about me: I'm a major theater nerd. (Like, "can I have more character homework, please?" nerdy.) This last year I've learned a thing or two about being on stage that applies to writing, and I'd like to share one of them right now.

Objectives.

In my theater group, there's this one very crucial piece of homework that every actor is required to complete (whether or not everyone actually completes it depends on their willpower to sit down and write a bunch). It's called a Character Analysis Sheet, and, while the latter half of it is full of exciting questions about foreshadowing and character quirks, the first part is the most boring and daunting because it requires serious repetition and diligence. One of the first things you have to ask yourself as an actor is: "What is your character's overall objective?"
This one is fairly easy. You can usually answer it in a single sentence and it usually ends up being very vague and generic like "to be a role model" or "to have a flourishing business", depending on the person. This question is more of a life-goal question and won't be very specific or dynamic.
The next question requires a bit more writing and thinking.

"What is your character's scene objective?"

A scene objective is usually more immediate and flesh-driven. For example, if you have a scene where a your MC is looking around the kitchen for something to eat and their best friend is trying to discuss prom dresses with her, her scene objective is probably going to be to get something to eat without completely ignoring her best friend's rant about how red is "so 2009". Scene objectives are important because without them the MC is not really doing anything about her hunger, and that makes her unreal to the reader. While dealing with scene objectives, you have to realize that these needs/wants are brought out through various, dynamic tactics. Maybe your MC is absentmindedly murmuring "Mhmm"s and "Yeah"s to appease her friend while she raids the fridge for onion dip to go with the potato chips she just found in the pantry. Maybe she's sitting on the counter, daydreaming about the steak dinner she passed up tonight while her friend yammers on about the location of prom this year and how her hair will frizz because of the humidity at the beach. Different tactics say different things about how the MC handles flesh-driven needs like hunger.

For each scene, there needs to be an objective, no matter how trivial or vain it may seem. Real people have scene objects throughout the day, and so should your MC.

Happy writing!
~Savvy~

Offending the Henchmen

2011-07-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

This one thought has been plaguing my brain as of late: Does anyone else notice how dim-witted we've made the baddies in...well, everything? You can see this in movies like, say, Mean Girls. In the movie Mean Girls, Regina George is kind of clever, but her cohorts aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, if you know what I mean. Karen and Gretchen don't really stop Cady from achieving her goal, or slow her down at all. That's mostly Regina's job, since she's the villain.

But I'm wondering if this is just a cop out. I mean, sure, dumb henchmen make for great fun and hilarious quotes, but that's all they do. What about the smart henchmen? Wouldn't defeating both the villain and his BRILLIANT, three-dimensional henchmen be a greater feat than just defeating a bunch of morons with no emotions? Kim Possible is a great example of this, too. In the beginning of the show, I idolized Kim and her unstoppable ways, but when the henchmen got boring and too easily defeated, I gave up on my dream of being a cheerleader/superspy because it lost that "Wow!" effect on me.

I wonder if henchmen are offended by the way they're portrayed in books and movies. Maybe we should give them more credit and make them more difficult for our MCs to defeat. I mean, not only is it going to give our stories more credibility, our MCs are going to look like ninjas, and who doesn't love ninjas, right? Right?!

I also wonder about why we tend to give the working class characters poor grammar and thick, foreign accents, but that's another post for another day.

~Savvy~

Plotters VS. Pantsers

2011-06-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Definitions:

Plotter: Writer who strategically plans out every event in their novel.

Pantser: Writer who goes with the flow, or writes "by the seat of their pants".

I've been trying to figure out which I am: a plotter or a pantser? The truth is, I'm kind of a neat freak. I love to have everything laid out in front of me, written down, outlined, sticky-noted, highlighted, and all posted to my handy dandy corkboard. I love storyboarding when I get bored with the writing and sometimes I even sit back and just stare at all the pretty colors on my writing desk.

But. Lately I've been noticing how I like to deviate from my outlines. I'll throw in an argument between two characters and it will turn into something else entirely. I like the spontaneity of it all. Sometimes I convince myself that everything would be funner and easier if I were just a Pantser.

And then I think about my colorful computer desk with multicolored 3X5 cards stuck to my corkboard. All of those sticky-notes with plot twists, character quirks, outlines, fanciful quotes. My desk would be bare, naked, without all of my quirky office supplies silently wishing me "Good Morning!" every time I take my seat to write and encouraging me to continue to write through the blood, sweat and tears. Those are my assurances, the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, while I sometimes feel trapped in my preplanned plot, I think it's safe to say I am a Plotter (with a hint of rebellious Pantser).

Are you a Pantser? What are the Pros and Cons of being a Pantser? I'd love to know!

Savvy

New Blog Name!

2011-06-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is it! What was formerly The Reading Girl is now officially Writer Savvy. The URL is going to stay the same since it fits nicely with the new name. My review policy is also changing, since I won't be accepting ARC requests anymore.

Hope the new name isn't an inconvenience. :)

Change.

2011-06-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

I feel pretty bad about this. I shouldn't have dragged it out this far and just been honest from the start. I shouldn't have promised things I couldn't keep. So here goes...

Last year I started this blog for fun. Writing about books I love? Umm, sign me up! But that was during a really good time for me, when I wasn't busy doing anything. I didn't have many friends (sad, but true), my own book-in-progress wasn't at the forefront of my brain all the time, and I had all the time in the world. And then school happened. And then my dog had puppies and left us early. I was in two time consuming plays (but I'm not going to complain, because I loved every minute of it!). This blog began to fade, but I kept resuscitating it to keep it alive and active. But I just can't anymore, at least, not the way I had planned. I wanted this blog to grow and be filled with helpful, fun reviews of books, but I can't solely dedicate my time to just reading, because every time I open a book I'm thinking about MY book and how much I want to be writing it. I tried really hard to be strictly a book blog, but I see now that it's not working, and there's so much I want to say about writing. Not to mention, I've paid so much in overdue library books that I might as well have bought a dozen brand new books from Barnes&Nobel -- I wish I was kidding.

It's time for something different. From here on out, I'm not going to slave through books I don't like to get a review up (I'm at the point where the next cliche Paranormal YA book I open might get thrown across the room). Believe me, if I read a book I love, you'll hear about it. But you'll also be getting every new tidbit of writerly wisdom I can scavenge on my journey to becoming an author. For this reason, I'm going to be changing the name of the blog from The Reading Girl to something more fitting. I realize a few of you will leave, and I totally understand that. I'd be happier knowing that I lost some followers and viewers while doing what I actually love to do, rather than putting on a facade for many.

So, if you'll have me, if you'll put up with my random posts about all things writing, if you'll suffer with me through NaNoWriMo this year, I'd like to start fresh and wipe the slate clean.

Hello, I'm Savannah & I like to write books about my imaginary friends.

All doubts are abolished...

2011-05-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

EW recently revealed the new cover featuring our one and only Katniss Everdeen for the very first time.

Take a look!

I'll admit, I had my doubts about Jennifer Lawrence and her pretty blond hair....but this is perfect. She looks exactly like how I imagined Katniss!

ANYONE ELSE SUPER PUMPED FOR THIS MOVIE???

And that's a wrap!

2011-05-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's official! I'M BACK! :)

Sorry for the long absence, but with all the hectic theater stuff going on these last couple of weeks I haven't gotten ANY reading time. Luckily, I'm wrapping up the very last bit of school and I have all the reading and writing time in the WORLD!

So what's on the reading agenda? (not necessarily in this order)
Wither by Lauren Destefano
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I'm also challenging myself to finish the darned first draft of my book in the next 26 days, which means I'll have a slew of random writerly posts about everyday discoveries on the journey to finishing what I started 3 years ago.

So thank you for sticking around and not giving up on The Reading Girl because I'm going to try and make this summer a spectacular reading summer!

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

It Has A Cover! (2)

2011-04-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

James Dashner just revealed the cover for the final book in the Maze Runner Trilogy, y'all!

Umm....*SQUEE!*

So basically, I'm IN LOVE with this series! I've got my friends hooked on this series, and we were all counting down the days until this little beauty finally graced the internet.

Take a moment to gape at it.

Go on...

What do I think?

Firstly, "OMG IT'S BEAUTIFUL"!
Secondly, "When are we going to get to find out the synopsis of this mouth-wateringly INTENSE final book?!".
And thirdly, "'Wake me up, When September ends...' BECAUSE THIS BOOK COMES OUT IN OCTOBER!!!" ;)

What do YOU think about this cover?

Initial thoughts in the comments! :D

Happy Obsessing, Friends! ;)

~Savvy~

Extended Hiatus and Apologies!

2011-04-29T01:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! First of all, I want to sincerely thank you for not jumping ship on me just yet...because if you haven't noticed, I've been something of a no-show lately. This week I'm in tech week (also known as "crazy week" for all you fellow theater geeks out there!) for the show I'm in. We're doing The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and while I haven't been getting my reading on, I've been getting some serious in-depth character work done for this show. I know that might sound like a horrible excuse...and it probably is...but I just wanted to fill you guys in on what the deal has been with my bad blogging weeks. The show starts this Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, but as soon as it's over I'm delving back in the blogosphere full force! :) Promise!

So thank you for sticking around everyone! <3

Much love! :)
~Savvy~

It Has A Cover!

2011-04-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so if you DON'T know, Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien was one of my favorite books last year. (Check out my review!) As soon as I found the Goodreads page for the upcoming sequel, I added it! And there it sat, in the middle of my wishlist, cover-less. But now....

Summary from Goodreads:

"In the thrilling follow up to Birthmarked, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone has fled from the Enclave and now must fight for her baby sister’s survival in the matriarchal society of Sylum.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, 16-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? "

Words cannot explain how excited I am for this book! I've basically been waiting forEVER to see this cover, and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint! :) In fact, I'm dying to read this even MORE now, and I didn't even know that was physically possible!

Also, in equally awesome related news, Caragh O'Brien posted on her website that the paperback of Birthmarked is going to look like! I really really like the new cover for the paperback because it captures the ambiance of the book...and the ribbon with the writing was a FANTASTIC touch!

Am I excited? Is that even a question?? I'm DYING to read Prized! *SQUEE!*

Happy Obsessing, Friends! ;)

~Savvy~

Excuse the absence

2011-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
I'm really sorry for not blogging this week. Really terribly sorry! I'm a bad blogger lately. But I've had an awful lot of theater homework for the play I'm in and I have hardly gotten a chance to read anything this week. Luckily I stopped by the library this week and picked up a couple things which I'm really looking forward to!
So, anyway, I just wanted to apologize for the lack of blogging and assure you all that I have not, in fact, forgotten all you lovely people.

Hope you all have a FANTASTIC week!
Savvy

Obsessive Updates

2011-03-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

Obsessive Update is basically my way of recapping my week thus far. I don't know if this will be a recurring theme post or just a one time thing, but I'm rolling with it for now.

My week in reading:

This week I read and reviewed (check it out HERE!) Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, and enjoyed it a LOT!
I'm currently reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano (insert *SQUEE* here) which I just picked up from walmart today. :)

My week in theater:

Some of you may remember me mentioning that I recently finished preforming in A Midsummer Night's Dream with my theater group. Well, we're already hard at work on our new show, which is a dramatic adaption of The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis! I'm super excited because this is the most hardcore intense play we've done so far and it's already proving to be dark and gripping. More on that in a couple weeks...

My week in music:

This week I swear I've listened to this song a hundred times! Basically, I'm in love with it. I've even decided that it's my protagonist's theme song for now, because it mirrors her personality perfectly. :)

My week in writing: 

This week I finally initiated a new novel-in-progress. The idea for this particular story has been rattling around in my brain for some time but I finally worked out all the little kinks in it and sat down and wrote a chapter and a half! If you know how infrequently I actually write that much, you'd understand how much of a freakin' milestone this is for me! I'm not even sure how I managed to get that many words out of my brain but I did, and even though it's really in desperate need of some hardcore edits, I'm happy. I'm happy because I'm confident that this will be fun to write, and I've already developed love-hate relationships with my male and female leads. I won't say much about it for now, but I will say one thing: Dystopia.

So that's my Obsessive Update for the week! Hope you all have great weeks filled with awesome!

~Savvy~

Review: Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

2011-03-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Title: Wondrous Strange

Author: Lesley Livingston

Pub. Date: September 22, 2009

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 336

Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal

Summary from Goodreads:

"17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks... In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley's off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye."

My Thoughts:

The main appeal of this book for me was the idea of A Midsummer Night's Dream being tied into the story. I just finished preforming in the play for the second time, so I was kind of intrigued by the thought of the play being translated into a YA book about faeries. I'm a sucker for Shakespeare, if you don't know.

One thing that was a little hard to ignore was the writing. The words didn't feel very fluid, and sometimes the dialogue was awkward sounding. I was a bit frustrated that each of the characters would fluctuate between speaking really regally, and then break off into modern, informal slang. The characters didn't have very specific voices because of this, which made remembering who was who kind of difficult.

However, this book made me smile like a madwoman. It just so happens that this book takes a handful of my very favorite bookish things and stirs them up to make a tantalizingly fun read. It has Shakespeare (one of my FAVORITE plays, might I add), paranormal, a sassy heroine, theater, royalty, and, oh yes, faeries! This book has so many laugh-out-loud moments that I had my family looking at me like I was crazy. The romance in this book is soft and definitely SQUEE-worthy. Sonny is a really sweet character, but I would have liked to get a better description of him because I can't seem to get a clear image of what he looks like in my head...
Kelley was a fantastic protagonist. She's sassy, stubborn, sarcastic, and a theater geek (which made her super relatable for me). I liked her personality a lot more than most protagonists I've read, but I wish that we could have gotten a little bit more of a glimpse into her head.

Stand-out character: Bob. Or Robin Goodfellow, if you'd like. Bob was basically the reason I found this book to be so darn entertaining. He was hilarious and secretive and scheming and just genuinely awesome. I can totally see Puck being exactly like him in the play.

I loved how this book mingled A Midsummer Night's Dream into its plot. Every time something was revealed, I was gaping...and smiling. This book is fantastic, confusing dialogue aside. The ending definitely made me happy and I will be reading the next book as soon as I can. :)

Also, I want to add that, while this book is very clean romantic-content-wise, there is minor profanity.

My Rating:

:] Satisfied Smiley Face -- Pretty Darn Good

Happy Reading, Friends!

Looks like we finally have ourselves a Katniss Everdeen!

2011-03-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks! The blogosphere (and quite frankly the web in its entirety) has been abuzz with news that our dear Katniss Everdeen will be played by none other than Jennifer Lawrence, who has been praised highly for her acting chops (although I have yet to see one of her movies) by just about everyone I've talked to.

What do I think?

Frankly, I was a bit irked when I heard the news about the casting. I mean, for one she's blond (yes, I know, "It's called hair dye, DUH!" blah blah blah...), and secondly she's 20 years old. I was sort of rooting for Hailee Steinfeld, but after coming to terms with the casting, I'm actually quite happy.

I mean, Jennifer Lawrence is GORGEOUS! And if she has the acting skills that live up to the hype, by gum I'm going to enjoy this movie IMMENSELY. Besides that, there's such a thing as hair dye to transform her physically into the brunette Katniss that we all adore.

So why was I freaking out? Well, I'm just hoping for the best overall casting, and I'm still shaken over the whole tragedy that's popularly known as "the Twilight films". But you know what? I'm actually kind of excited to see Jennifer Lawrence play Katniss. Since I've never seen any of her work, it'll be like seeing a new face on the screen, and that's what I was hoping for the whole time.

Congratulations to Jennifer Lawrence! I hope she enjoys every minute of portraying our fierce feminine hero on screen, and I'm hoping for a FABULOUS supporting cast as well! :)

Tell me in the comments:

What do you all think of this casting news?

Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

2011-03-17T00:23:00.000-07:00

Title: The Scorch Trials

Author: James Dashner

Pub. Date: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 360

Genre: Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic

Summary from Goodreads:

"Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?"

My Thoughts:

The Scorch Trials picks up literally hours after the first book left off, and the reader is immediately thrown back into this crazy, messed up world that *evil genius* Dashner has formulated. Not only does this book totally succeed in sucking you right back in where you leave off, but it also maintains the fantastic cast of character's personalities.

On another note, this book took me for a ride and broke my heart in two. As a reader, we're not even seeing things through Thomas's eyes directly, and yet I feel so attached to him and emotionally invested in his story that I feel as though he were a real person -- someone I really care about. Which is ultimately why I found myself cracking up, while simultaneously choking back tears, and then wanting to punch certain characters out. It felt real. It was horrible to endure, but in a weird, delicious way. It's like watching a horrific accident on the news, where you feel horrible watching it but you can't bring yourself to look away because you want to see this thing through and find out what happens. Thomas is one brave guy, and I found myself wondering how he didn't go completely insane throughout this book. I know I would have.

One of the major things that makes this book so fantastically brilliant is the massive character development, not just for Thomas, but for a bunch of the Gladers.

And let's not forget to mention the WICKED awesome (no pun intended) Group B girls. I don't know what I was expecting when they announced Group B being girls -- amazons? hope-I-don't-break-a-nail-girly-girls? -- but they blew my mind with how kick-butt and fierce they were. I was awed.

I won't say much more, save for the fact that the ending of this book ripped my heart to shreds and left me hungry for the next book, much to the likeness of a starving zombie hankering for some good ol' brains. (Speaking of which...Cranks are insane! You'll see what I mean when you read the book.)

My Rating:

:D Super Fangirl Smiley Face

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-03-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Pub. Date: February 1, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 441

Genre: Dystopia

Summary from Goodreads:

"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love."

My Thoughts:

I'm really confused about my feelings for this book. At first I really didn't think I'd like it. The beginning was pretty slow and I didn't know how I liked the protagonist, Lena. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did it really redeemed itself.

I immediately liked Alex as a character. He was everything from handsome to sweet and charismatic. I love how, as a reader, we discover more and more about him with Lena, like we're slowly unwrapping a great gift together and everything gets better and better.

Lena is a very strong character, and in a likable way where she's not overly stubborn or jaded. She was just real and I loved how she felt the deliria taking over. It was a beautiful process to watch her transform and develop as a person and discover herself. Not to mention how PHENOMENALLY written this book is. Just sayin'.

One complaint I have about the book is the profanity and some of the content. As a conservative reader, I wasn't too keen on the bad words in some of the scenes, although it was hardly the worst I've read.

Also, the ending is left wide open for a sequel, unsurprisingly. I finished the book hungry for more, which is kind of depressing because the next book won't be out for another year. It's sad to think I almost put this one down indefinitely from the start. It takes a while to get into it, but is definitely worth the time.

My Rating:

:) Super Smiley Face -- I loved it and will recommend it!

Under Construction

2011-03-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure out a new look for The Reading Girl, but blogger template is acting up on me, so if you happen to stumble upon the blog while it looks kind of funky, just know I'm in the process of (hopefully) updating the blog. Just warning ya!

~Savvy~

Waiting on Wednesday (3) Flawless by Lara Chapman

2011-03-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine showcasing upcoming book releases that we (bloggers) are eagerly anticipating!

This week I'm DYING to read Flawless by Lara Chapman.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"FLAWLESS is a modern retelling of the Cyrano story in which a senior-class salutatorian with a notable nose agrees to help her perfectly gorgeous best friend catch the eye of the new hottie at school, only to discover he's actually the perfect guy for her."

Why I'm so psyched about this book:

Last year in English class we had to study Cyrano de Bergerac, and then we had to recreate a skit that followed the same basic plot, but in a totally new setting. I fell in LOVE with the story of Cyrano, and frankly, to see it through a girl's perspective in High School -- where girls already feel insecure enough -- sounds like a fantastic twist to the classic. This book is slated to be released May 10, 2011! :)

So what are you all Waiting on this week? I'd love to know! :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

2011-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Title: The Make Runner

Author: James Dashner

Pub. Date: October 6, 2009

Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Pages: 384

Summary: (from Goodreads)

"Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines.

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?

In The Maze Runner, Dashner has crafted a creative and engaging novel that's both mysterious and thought provoking."

My thoughts:

This book has literally been sitting on my bookshelf for months. First, I saw it in Costco (yes, Costco...) and thought the synopsis sounded pretty intriguing. So that was the very first book I added to my "to-read" list on Goodreads. Then I kind of forgot about why it was such an interesting sounding book. It sat at the bottom of my "to-read" list, collecting metaphorical dust, crumbling under the weight of the 200-something other books on my "to-read" list. And there it sat...patiently awaiting the day I would actually get the chance to read it.

Four months ago--about the time our family dog was about to have her pups--my friend lent me his copy of The Maze Runner. I was so swamped with school that I only got two or three chapters into it and then it was placed on my bookshelf, collecting literal dust. As a bookie, this was a duel offense on my part.

Two weeks ago, I finally picked this book back up, having "nothing else to read". It took about thirty minutes to sit down and reluctantly pick up where I left off, but as soon as I did, I couldn't put it down. Why didn't I give this book a chance before? I finished the book pretty quickly, actually. I had to neglect my homework (big no-no!) and stay up until 3:30 AM wielding a flashlight under a blanket like some kind of fourth-grader boy with a new Marvel comic, but I finished it within two days.

I loved this book! The characters were so well thought out and individual--and witty!--that I wish they were real. Thomas is a fantastic character to read about because he's real and believable. :) And Minho.... Minho is hilarious. I love the system of authority that the Gladers developed, and how organized they are. The intricacy of "The Maze" and the ending was just....Wow! I won't spoil anything for you, but it is most definitely a shocker.

I've thought a lot about why I was so turned off by this book at first, and I think I've finally figured it out. I'm a girl, and a girl who typically only enjoys books where the main characters are fellow girls. Girls are "easy to relate to" seeing as girls and guys think differently. The only times I've read a book with a boy protagonist were books I came to really regret picking up (Tom Sawyer, for one, was NOT a big hit with moi). I also figured that this book wouldn't have romance in it because of the lack of a girl protagonist. While it's not a very obvious romance, there are definitely romantic feelings, and those feelings, in all their honesty and subtlety, speak infinitely louder than any obvious "I love you now let's kiss" scene.

For those of you fellow girls who cringe at the thought of reading a book with a guy as the main character, fret no longer! The Maze Runner is like no other book I've ever read before and certainly sets the bar WAY high.

The Maze Runner reminded me of why I love to read. It pulled me into this sick, messed up world, and wouldn't let me leave. I was trapped with the characters, suffering with them. I could relate to the characters, mourn with them, become afraid with them, and even feel nauseous with them. The only words I could conjure up after finishing it were "Whoa" and "I can't wait to read the next one!"

My Rating:

:D Super Fangirl Smiley Face!

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Vlog Review: Matched by Ally Condie

2011-02-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

(Alternate title: A crazy fangirly vlog of Matched and what I like to read...)

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie

Pub. Date: November 30, 2010

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Pages: 366

Genre: Dystopian

Summary:

"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow." --from Goodreads

Now for the vlog...

Be warned, I set out for a professional-type review in my vlog, but it failed. It's basically a 10 minute video of fangirlness... Sorry, but I really liked this book so my "review" is a bit spazzy.

Don't feel like watching a girl gush about her love of all things bookish and dystopian? Skip the vlog and read the review below. :)

Also, please excuse the random jazz hands. I'm a theater girl...it kind of comes with the territory.

What I mentioned in the vlog...

So, I kind of adored this book. A LOT. The characters were super lovable and well rounded. I especially loved Xander. Xander has a lot to offer as a character. He's handsome, funny, sarcastic, kind of rebellious...handsome.... And then there's Ky. Mysterious, quiet, gentle. Frankly, as far as the love triangle goes, it's kind of amazing how each character handles it. Cassia, for one, is a really brave character. I wouldn't have the guts to do what she does: fight for a love she's not allowed have. Fight for choices and decisions. She does all that and still remains a sweet girl. That kind of baffles me in ways I don't understand. I would be one grumpy girl if I had to fight for something like that. Seriously.

Also, I mentioned in the vlog that I really have this weird obsession with the family life in dystopia books. Granted, there's a few exceptions, but for the most part, the protagonists in nearly every dystopia book I've read so far have a great relationship with their parents and siblings. There's not the annoying angst between the parents and children that tends to be so prevalent in a lot of books and movies and shows today. I like that Cassia - although there are some disputes - doesn't blame her parents for, say, "like, ruining my LIFE!".

What I forgot to mention...

I really liked the idea of the three tablets. I won't spoil it by telling you what they all do, but I really liked the idea of them all. I just wish there had been more usage of them...

Also, while I really like the whole utopia-type "Society" going on in the book, I really hope that we find out more about why this is such a terrible world to live in, and, subsequently why this is classified as a "dystopian", because I kind of wish I did live in the Society.

One HUGE thing I forgot to mention in the vlog (and I don't know why, because this is the big reason I loved the book...) it's SUPER clean. Not once did I feel uncomfortable reading the romance in this book. There were no awkward make-out scenes that made me hope my mom didn't ask me what I was reading. Seriously clean.

I recommend this to:

Pretty much anyone who likes dystopia. It's really clean and family oriented as far as I could tell. :)

My rating:

:D Super Fangirl Smiley Face

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!

Happy reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Waiting On Wednesday (2)

2011-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine showcasing upcoming book releases that we (bloggers) are eagerly anticipating!

Here's my Waiting On Wednesday pick this week!

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Summary from Goodreads:

"London, December 1871
Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself, but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

When he warns her that the fey will do anything, including murder, to recover the ring, Tiki is unsure whether to believe him or not. To complicate matters, Rieker seems to know something about the unusual birthmark on Tiki’s wrist. But when Tiki and her family are threatened the game changes.

In a dazzling debut that takes you from the gritty slums of Victorian London to the glittering ballrooms of the Royal Palace to the menacing Otherworld, you won’t want to miss this thrilling tale of mystery, adventure and romance."

Why I'm so psyched about this book: Firstly, I'm a sucker for Historical Fiction...but not just ANY Historical Fiction. I like to have some otherworldly twist, and this book basically just screams for me to read it.

Secondly, I happen to love Faeries. So there you have it! :) I'm DYING to read this book!

So what are you all Waiting on this week? I'd love to know! :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAACK!

2011-02-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for staying tuned! :) I just wrapped up 4 shows of A Midsummer Nights Dream and a grueling tech week, but now I'm back to blogging. I appreciate your patience so much! It's been a hectic week but I'm already back on the reading train and hoping to zoom through some more books. :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Postponed Meme!

2011-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been keeping up on the meme like I hoped I would. I'm going to put a pause on What You Want Wednesday just for a while since I'm swamped with my reading schedule and rehearsing for A Midsummer Night's Dream in my theater class which goes up in two weeks! Eep!

So sorry for being lax in the meme. I'm trying to make the blog easier for me to maintain, so for now it might just be reviews and the occasional long rant post.

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Review: XVI by Julia Karr

2011-01-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Title: XVI

Author: Julia Karr

Pub. Date: January 6, 2011

Publisher: Puffin/Speak

Pages: 325

Genre: Dystopia

Summary:

"Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer." -- from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

While I really liked the whole idea of this book, I feel a little torn reviewing it. On the one hand, I really liked the way sex was portrayed, since I'm kind of conservative. I liked that Nina was against just "doing it" like every other "sex-teen". I liked that she wasn't alone in her feelings of this, too. I also really liked the fact that the Media was totally saturated in all things sex, because, let's be honest, it's not a far fetched idea. We already live in a world where sex literally sells, so, as far as ideas are concerned, XVI had a pretty valid concept.

The problem is, as I mentioned before, I'm a pretty conservative person. I'm not a goody-two-shoes, but I felt a little...awkward with all of the sexuality. And the characters were great at combating the idea that all the sex from the Media was a good thing. I get that. But what made me uncomfortable was the pro-Media characters. Ed, in particular, was the sole reason I finished the book with goosebumps and a twisted feeling in my stomach. Sure, it's an unfortunate reality that sickos like him really do exist, but my "find-the-good-in-everyone" optimism took a flying leap off a cliff by the ending because of him. I still feel a bit sick just thinking about it...

One of the highest redeeming qualities of XVI was Nina's friends. The Jenkins family especially made me grin from ear to ear. If I were ever in need of help or security, they would be at the very top of my go-to list. Wei was one of those characters you sincerely wish were real -- 100% best friend material! I even liked Sandy to an extent because she reminded me of someone I knew. Sal, on the other hand, wasn't quite a favorite of mine. I would have liked to read more about his background, because he seemed kind of two-dimensional.

Concerning the ending, I still feel a bit torn. I want to say I was completely satisfied with it, but I felt it was left open too much. I'm guessing there will be a sequel, because there are still so many unanswered things in it.

I recommend this to:

Older teens. There was quite a bit of swearing and a whole lot of sexual references and adult themes, although it was portrayed in a pretty good way, there's still a lot of it.

My Rating:

:] Satisfied Smiley Face

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-01-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

Title: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Pub. Date: January 11, 2011

Publisher: Razorbill

"A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming." --from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Before I even begin this review, I want to say that from the moment I read the synopsis on Goodreads back in August, I knew I wanted to read this book really bad. And then the cover was revealed and my awe skyrocketed even more. So when January rolled around and it was coming close to the big release date, I was literally counting down the days (which I don't remember ever doing before for a book that wasn't a part of a series already). Finally January 11th came around and I talked (begged, really) my mom into driving me to Barnes & Noble.

So with all of these really high expectations, I was expecting the best.

And guess what. It was better than I had imagined.

Keep in mind that I'm trying really really hard not to sound like a fangirl, but that's not easy with this book. It's one of those books that lingers in your head after you've finished the last pages. It's an adventure, and there's just so many things that made this book totally lovable. For one, it basically took everything I love about stories and put it into one fantastic book. There's dystopia, sci-fi, romance, duel perspectives, secrets, mystery, and genetic Biology stuff. For me, that's the total package.

Another great thing about Across the Universe is that nothing is "over-the-top". The Sci-Fi aspect isn't obnoxious or too "out there", so even those who aren't big on spaceship life and futuristic technology can enjoy the book.

One huge thing that I loved was the switching perspectives between Elder and Amy. Both characters blew me away with how different they were. Amy is strong-willed, just, and she has this perfect amount of vulnerability about her that makes her so likable. Elder, although raised to believe the ways of his tyrannical mentor, is free-thinking and feels in his heart that what's going on inside Godspeed is wrong. Of course, he has his share of quirks and imperfections, but they only add to his character. :)

And then there's Harley. I won't say much about Harley, except that he is brilliant. I swear, he was my favorite character through the whole book. His artsy personality reminds me of my best friend. :)

Beth Revis obviously thought every little detail about Godspeed through. From the technology to the slang, everything was fan-frexing-tastic ;)

What really got me was the secrets, the lies, all the mystery of Godspeed. For a ship that is supposed to be civilized, honest, and true, Godspeed certainly is not.

Overall:

I loved this book! It was a thrill to read and I will most definitely be recommending this one to my friends, awaiting the next book anxiously. :)

Ok, I won't try and hide my fangirlness anymore...

*SQUEE!*

My Rating:

:D Super Fangirl Smiley Face

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

The post in which I compare writing to epically failing at cooking...

2011-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

This is probably a severely unnecessary post, but I was thinking about this little nugget of wisdom last night as I ~~burned~~ ~~scorched~~ ~~mutilated~~ made some brownies. The thing is, I really thought that making brownies would be easy...even though I was making them without supervision or help of any sort...and it was midnight. Why was I even making brownies in the wee hours of the night? Well, because I was hungry! It was also my first time making brownies completely on my own, so you can imagine my misplaced optimism.

Ok, so chances are that you've tried cooking something before. (If you haven't, why not? It's really fun! It's like art that you can eat.)

Which brings me to the point of this post: NO ONE is born a chef (or an author, for that matter). In fact, if you've ever had the opportunity to bake something, odds are that it turned out less than desirable. Maybe it was even disgusting. And in the weirdest way, it's exactly like writing.

Step #1) "Oh man, this is going to be amazing!"

So, maybe you just got done watching Martha Stewart, and then you suddenly get this bright idea. Oh yes, it's going to be the most delicious thing you've ever eaten, and it's all your own brain power (and possibly the residue of fleeting hope that you're going to have your own food-related talk show, filled with celebrity guest stars...but that's a post for some other day). You're going to be the most amazing chef in all of the world with this idea. Yes, you. You've even gone as far as to put that apron that's been crammed in the back of the furthest kitchen drawer, because, let's be honest, you've solely relied on Ramen noodles for the past week and a half and so that apron of yours hasn't seen a lot of action lately.

The thing is, I can't remember not thinking this same thing when I get an idea for a novel. I get this weird thought in my brain that somehow I'm going to write this amazing novel that everyone is going to love. But it's not like I would say "Hmm, I think this is going to be a horribly hard to read book with dull characters. I can't wait to start writing!" I seem to over glorify my imaginative abilities quite a bit. Which brings me to point #2...

Step #2) Going overboard on the paprika...

After you've evaluated your kitchen area to make sure you won't need to be stopping by the grocery store any time soon, you ransack the cupboards for all sorts of random junk (spices, fancy cheeses, chocolate, cereal, vegetables). The like. Maybe you end up going a little over board on the paprika, but you shrug it off, because this is going to be the best tasting thing the world will ever eat, and you'll be famous. Who knows, it could even end up trending on Twitter.

And so it goes without saying that writing a novel can be too flavored, as well. Sure, you want the story to be interesting. In fact, you need it to be interesting. Otherwise, how in the world do you expect to keep writing it? And who's going to want to read a dull book, right? The problem is, sometimes we forget to add in moderation. Not all books have to have so much in them. After all, the only thing worse than a dull book is one where the reader can't identify the storyline because all they can taste is the severe amounts of paprika (not literally, of course).

Anyway, moving on...

Step #3) Aaaaand DONE! ...or not.

The thing is, no matter how optimistic you start out as, it's not going to add up to much on your first attempt in the culinary arts. That first bite that you thought was going to be the most fantastic tasting thing to ever grace your taste buds, probably tastes like crap. At least, that's how it is for me. I can't even remember a time when I just winged it and it turned out decent enough to swallow.

Take, for instance, the brownies I told you about at the beginning of this post. I was so fraught with anticipation that I found myself checking on the baking pan of molten chocolate mix, prodding it with a fork to see how close to being finished it was. In the end, half of the pan was burned, while the other half was deemed inedible because inside it was still gooey like it was when I put it in...and HOUR earlier!

Writing may sound easy in a nut shell, but I guarantee that if you're actually taking care of the story like it's your baby, you're bound to see infinite flaws. Now those flaws aren't necessarily bad, but when you're expecting this fantastic work of genius, you're hopes may be too high. In all actuality, your first draft is pretty much just like that first batch of brownies. You have such great expectations, but they fall short in the raw unedited first draft. It may feel hopeless at times, but there's one HUGE difference between cooking and writing...

Step #4) Let's try this again!

Of course, for me, there's usually never enough ingredients in the fridge to restart my recipe and even if there are, I would have to clean all the dishes (that I tend to use quite liberally, nonetheless) before I even consider going through the emotional stress of failure again.

But the great thing about writing is that you really don't have a limited amount of supplies. You can open a new document on your computer, or grab a new sheet of paper. The options are limitless. Sure, it's daunting going in and starting all over, but now you have a whole bunch of experience! Now you know you need to lighten up on the description and add in some more dialogue, or maybe vice versa! You still have the same story staring you in the face, but now it's time for you to switch it up accordingly.

Happy Writing, Friends!

~Savvy~

What You Want Wednesday (2)

2011-01-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

What You Want Wednesday is going to be a reader AND writer-friendly meme here on The Reading Girl where we can discuss -- and maybe even rant -- about what we love, what we hate, and, yes, what we want out of our YA books.

This week's question is:

Religion. Like it or not, it's in our society everywhere. Different religions, different types of each of those different religions, all with different morals and beliefs. How do you feel about books with religious aspects or characters? What if you don't share the same morals as those characters?

My thoughts: As a pastor's daughter, I'm kind of happy every time I read a book with a character who shares the same morals as me. It makes them real to me, and it makes me feel like I'm not the only one who has to deal with a slightly strict upbringing. That said, I've read books where I can't stand the characters and their idea of Right and Wrong. Why? Because I find myself thinking "Why would you DO that?!" and getting angry that they don't have to face the consequences of a heavy conscience like I would if I were in their shoes. I suppose that a lot of characters don't necessarily think about things the same way I do, and a lot of the time a character I hate at first becomes more thoughtful and mature by the end of the book, and likable! I guess it's just a preference of mine to have characters that thing about the consequences of their actions.

On terms of other religions, I don't think I've encountered too many books where I've had conflicting beliefs, and even then, I suppose I like to read about different religions and their traditions. :)

And now I want to hear from you guys!

So here's what you do if you have a blog:

1. Make a post including the question, and your answer.

2. Copy your post's URL and paste it in the Mister Linky widget below.

NOTE: Please include your name and blog title along with the genre of your blog.

(This means, if you review mostly YA, you put YA in parenthesis, or if you review something more mature, you would put Adult in parenthesis)

ex. Savvy @ The Reading Girl (YA)

If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave a comment on the subject matter, too! :)

Readers and Bloggers: Feel free to discuss your answers with fellow book lovers. Follow the blogs you like and leave comments! Spread the love of opinions! :)

Writers: Answer for yourself and pay attention to the other answers. The best way to understand what people like to read is to ask, right? Think of this as a great way to see what people are into, and what they aren't. You may be surprised!

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Whoops! Sorry...

2010-12-30T02:09:00.000-08:00

My apologies for not putting up the new question for What You Want Wednesday. I forgot that I was going to be gone the whole day at a conference, so I didn't schedule a post and now it's Thursday. Super sorry!

I'll try and make next week's What You Want Wednesday super epic for you guys. :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Review: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

2010-12-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

Title: Low Red Moon

Author: Ivy Devlin

Pub. Date: September 14, 2010

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Synopsis:
"The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. As breathless as Twilight and as spooky as Shiver, this is a book to be devoured in one sitting—by an acclaimed YA author making her paranormal debut under the pseudonym Ivy Devlin."--from Goodreads

My Thoughts: First off, I need to say that my copy was an ARC of Low Red Moon, not the final. There are 60 MORE pages in the final than in my copy, so there's bound to be a large difference between the two. I don't quite remember what I expected going into this book. I mean, I'd read the blurb on Goodreads and on the back of the book before I delved into it, but I honestly felt like I missed something BIG in my hypothesis of how it was going to pan out in the end. I really didn't expect what I got.

Basically, I read this book in a day. I took it with me when we went looking at Christmas lights and shopping for Christmas gifts. It was a pretty busy day, so I was surprised I read it that fast. I was up until 2 AM Christmas Eve morning, gobbling up the last couple chapters eagerly.

That said, I've been contemplating my review all day today. I've been split between two different feelings after finishing the book.

What I liked:

The whole premise was fantastic. The idea, the plot, the climax, the MYSTERY -- all woven together perfectly. It was wonderful! I don't think I've ever been so into a mystery book before.
The descriptions were very beautiful. Many of the scenes where Avery was in the forest, the words were just perfect. Enticing. I wanted to be in the forest...even when I didn't.
The way the whole story was like a twist on Little Red Riding Hood was genius. It's not often that we get a retelling of Li'l Red in the Hood, am I right? Especially not in the way Devlin entwines the paranormal with folk lore.
I'm not gonna lie, the gore was -- in a way -- tastefully done. Of course, blood and gore can only get so far before it becomes too gruesome. My stomach is NOT made of steel. In fact, my stomach is probably made out of paper, so the fact that I didn't vomit or gag or faint is probably a good reading gauge if you have a weaker stomach. (But more on that later...)
The ending was fantastic, in more ways than one. I'm just going to say that the term "the end justifies the means" completely hits it on the nail with this one. It really does.
The book kind of reflected Twilight, but in the most ironic, amusing way. There were moments when a scene almost parallel to a scene in Twilight started to take shape and then it was like the characters did the exact opposite of what Edward and Bella would have done. It was like Devlin took the most random, annoying, unreasonable scenes in Twilight, and fixed them. Tweaked them. Made them the way they should be. Now I really don't know what to make of it. Half of me is a little miffed by the subtle comparisons, while half of me wants to stand up and applaud her. I'll stick with the latter.
Oh, and Ben. Ben was...well, Ben was pretty amazing, but sort of different. (Again, I'll get more to that in a bit.)

What I wasn't too keen about:

Ben and Avery kind of suddenly have this whirlwind romance by the second time they meet. Why? I need to know why, and that is why it bothers me so much. I get that the reason also coincides with the paranormal aspect, but still. Nothing like that really happens, and believe me, it gets a bit awkward if you're reading out loud, to, say, your little overly-curious sister and you so happen to stumble upon a steamy make-out scene in which certain characters are getting a bit too close for comfort....*ahem*
On a similar note, the "love" in the book felt more like lust and teen angst. I really wanted to love Ben, but it seemed as if he were just some hormone crazed boy and Avery just needed someone to love.
Frankly, I hated Krista. I think I was supposed to hate Krista, but still. At one point I wanted the next victim in the book to be Krista. I. Mean. Really.
The book describes the narrative as "grief narrative". I didn't know what that meant until I started reading. I thought the grief narrative would go away eventually, but I felt hopeless and very dull inside with the way Avery told the story.
Also, in the ARC, there were a lot of times when Avery would leave off the sentence...
And then she would finish the sentence. Dramatically. Like that. Which I wouldn't mind, if it were used occasionally to make a point over reveal some emotion. But Avery (and quite a few other people, apparently) did that for just about every conversation, even when it had nothing to do with death or unhappy memories of the dead. After a while it was hard to read.

Overall:

For the most part, it was a thrilling book to read. The characters were a bit flat, and the dialogue didn't vary between people, but Low Red Moon had some fierce redeeming qualities in it. I'm not even kidding, the ending made the book's slow moments all worth it. And even then, the book was a fast read. I have no doubt that the final copy of the book has elaborated on the weaker points (as I saw them, anyway).

I would recommend Low Red Moon to: Older teens and possibly adults who like folk lore and Paranormal. The gore is for more mature audiences. I wouldn't recommend this to someone young and/or easily susceptible to nightmares. The romance and the angry, bloody nature of the book lends itself to more mature teens. Just letting you all know.

My Rating:

:] Satisfied Smiley Face

Happy Reading, Friends!

Oh, and Merry Christmas! :D

~Savvy~

What You Want Wednesday - Brand New Meme! :)

2010-12-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted on the meme name! Looks like "What You Want Wednesday" was the favorite for most of you.

So without further ado, I present the very first official What You Want Wednesday!

This week's question is:

Since we're nearing the very end of the year, I'm sure you've all noticed certain trends in YA fiction. Love 'em or hate 'em, certain genres have skyrocketed to the forefront of the best-seller list. Which genre do you feel was neglected during 2010, and which one do you think got maybe a little too much loving?

My thoughts: As much as I hate to say it -- because I really do LOVE Paranormal, I really do -- but I think it's gotten a bit too much hype. There's a lot of vampire, werewolf, magic, angels and demon books out right now. Of course, I'm an absolute hypocrite in saying that, because I read books and write stories like that all the time. However, I think that YA Historical Fiction could use some more attention. Why? There's plenty of books like that now, right? The only difference I think is that Historical Fiction doesn't get all the hype that genres like Paranormal get. Hmm, I wonder if that will ever change...

And now I want to hear from you guys!

So here's what you do if you have a blog:

1. Make a post including the question, and your answer.

2. Copy your post's URL and paste it in the Mister Linky widget below.

NOTE: Please include your name and blog title along with the genre of your blog.

(This means, if you review mostly YA, you put YA in parenthesis, or if you review something more mature, you would put Adult in parenthesis)

ex. Savvy @ The Reading Girl (YA)

If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave a comment on the subject matter, too! :)

Readers and Bloggers: Feel free to discuss your answers with fellow book lovers. Follow the blogs you like and leave comments! Spread the love of opinions! :)

Writers: Pay attention to the answers. The best way to understand what people like to read is to ask, right? Think of this as a great way to see what people are into, and what they aren't. You may be surprised!

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Review: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

2010-12-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Title: The Dark Divine

Author: Bree Despain

Pub. Date: December 22, 2009

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Synopsis:

"A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul. " --from Goodreads

My Thoughts: Ironically enough, I think my review is going to be contrary to most of the reviews I've read about The Dark Divine. I usually tend to agree with the majority of readers my age -- I even tend to have similar thoughts about books with other bloggers -- but this is a crazy case where just about everything people DIDN'T like about the book, I fell in love with. Ooh, makin' waves! I love that I feel like a bookie rebel for this post.

First, I want to point out something that a few reviews I read painted negatively. The book was all written in bold (which is why my review is in bold, if you were wondering...). I have no idea why this would bother any reader, because it really made the reading much easier. I loved the bold font because the lights so happened to go out in my house this morning as I was reading and I was still able to read. So, yeah...just sayin'!

Also, I know Grace Divine's "goody-two-shoes" upbringing was hard to relate to for some people, but as a pastor's daughter myself, I found the similarities between us hilarious. Even my younger sister can testify about how hard it is to NOT own a cell phone. I'm a sophomore. Without a cell phone. Do you realize how awkward it makes life when you need to borrow a friend's cell phone to call your mom to pick you up at a party? Well, it's pretty embarrassing.

That said, I don't live in an all too conservative area like Grace. Actually, I'm on the West Coast in a very sunny, very scantily dressed part of the country. Our winter doesn't reach below 40 degrees, like, ever. Not kidding. So it's not a big surprise that my family life isn't identical to Grace's, but oh were there similarities left and right! (Of course I won't be revealing those, because that would be creepy to give so much insight into my life, as well as unnecessary spoilers to the book, which would be bad, no?)

Another thing I loved about Grace was how sassy she could be. And brave. Sure, some people may think differently, but if you really consider what she does for people (her family, her friends, Daniel..) she is WAY braver than half the people I know.

And don't even get me started on Daniel! No really, I'll never stop talking if I start...*swoon*

At one point while I was reading, I actually got up from the recliner I had been glued to and seriously shouted "OMG!" to my empty house. Upon hearing my exclamation my dog Sawyer sat straight up under my feet (probably thinking I'd discovered another puddle of doggie pee on the furniture) and looked at me in bewilderment. Without realizing it, I began gushing to him about -- well, actually, I can't tell you...that would be a spoiler. I guess you'll just have to read the book yourself! ;) Anyway, he kept staring at me until I realized I was talking to my dog. Then I stopped and he returned to his nap.

The Dark Divine had a lot of of those "OMG!!" moments. Even at the very end I was surprised by how all the pieces were connecting in the story.

Something that was a bit difficult to read was the middle. Granted, the middle of most stories tends to be slower. I guess I'm just going to be perpetually displeased with middles. Maybe I'm just a grump about the middles because the middle isn't the climax, and boy do I LOVE climaxes!

But yeah, that would probably be my only problem with it. The middle. But I have yet to read a book without a slower middle, and who knows, maybe I'll come across the book with a fantastic middle but it'll have a horrible ending, or beginning, or characters. Maybe I'll hate the legendary perfectly-entertaining-middle book altogether.

So there you have it! I really REALLY enjoyed The Dark Divine. It was totally great to read and I can't wait to see my little sister's face when I finish reading it to her. :) There was hardly any inappropriate language/content, and even when it DID show up, it was from the character I expected it to come from, so I wasn't bothered by it too much.

After finishing The Dark Divine, I NEED to read the sequel! Luckily, I won a copy of The Lost Saint a couple months ago so I'm going to start reading it ASAP. :)

I would recommend The Dark Divine to pretty much anyone who likes YA paranormal 14 and older. :)

My Rating:

:) Super Smiley Face

Happy Reading, Friends! :)

~Savvy~

My Meme needs a name... PLEASE VOTE!

2010-12-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

I've come up with a few ideas for my new meme name that I'll be hosting here on the blog! But since I'm hypercritical of everything I do, I want your opinion. So here it it! The meme will ask a brand new question each week weighing in on how readers feel about certain aspects of books, such as the way they feel about the way a protagonist behaves, or if they prefer a certain type of genre. This will also be a writer-friendly meme! More news to come.

If you could vote for which name you like best, that would be INSANELY cool. :)

(Note: The week day is still tentative, so if it says "Wednesday" or "Friday" it is still subject to change. I just need to know what name you like the most.)

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Also, if you have a meme name you would like to suggest instead, that would be great! Just fill out the form below and I'll give you full credit for the name if I choose it! :)

SUGGEST-A-NAME FORM!

Super Thanks in Advance!

Savvy

November Flashback + Hopeful December Fun!

2010-12-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

The idea for this post was inspired by Enna Isilee @Squeaky Books. :)

I think I'll start doing these little wrap-up posts after each month, but the main reason I'm doing this post is to apologize for my lack of posting in November. As many of you know, it was NaNoWriMo last month, so that is my sad excuse for no reviews and hardly any book-related stuff.

NaNoWriMo: Fail?

Ok, so it's no surprise I didn't win this year. In fact, I stopped writing on my last NaNo update here on my blog. I said I would write, but I just could muster myself into typing anymore of the train wreck. I hadn't clearly thought the plot through when I started, so I blame my stubbornity in creating an outline for the main cause of my 14,041 words.

By the way, did you notice how my final word count came out to be the same number if you look at it backwards? Completely coincidental, I swear!

Anyway, I was less than spectacular. Really, more of a fail than anything, but like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, it's the guts to go out and TRY to write that silly novel that makes the winner. At least it's a step, and beside that I learned a whole lot this month about my speed in writing and how much I ADORE my characters.

I'm going to continue writing, OBVIOUSLY, but right now I'm going back to my previously unfinished (and slightly neglected) WIP. :) They miss me there, and it's time to wreak some havoc in their cozy little lives. Shh, don't tell them. ;)

Overall word count this month: 14,041

Posts this month:

NaNoWriMo is here! :)

What's in a Name? Dandruff Shampoo, apparently.

Interview with Joanna Karaplis + Giveaway! (Giveaway closed)

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Update on NaNoWriMo

Giveaway Winner!

6 posts. Only 6. NaNoWriMo took over my life last month, but I SWEAR I will have more reviews and book-related posts this month!

December: Things to come!

It's finally, finally, FINALLY December! A month filled with rain (or snow, if you're lucky, unlike me) and snuggling up in blankets with Hot Chocolate and a good book! Here's what I have planned for December:

Possibly a weekly meme! :) Details to come later this week.

Co-Reviews with my mom (Yes, my mother loves to read! I've talked her into reviewing WITH me on the blog near Christmas at least once. YAY!)

Maybe giveaways? (still working on that...)

aaaaand, More Reviews! :D

Being me, however, I'm probably going to come up with some more stuff for you all out there, so stay tuned! :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

Savvy

Giveaway WINNER!

2010-11-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

The very lucky winner of a signed copy of Fractured by Joanna Karaplis is...

*Drumroll, please!*

Kayla

Congrats, Kayla! I'll be emailing you shortly just for confirmation! And thanks to EVERYONE who entered the giveaway as well! Hopefully I'll have some more cool giveaways in the near future (hopefully international!) so stay tuned.

Happy Reading, Friends!

Savvy

Update on NaNoWriMo

2010-11-24T02:16:00.000-08:00

Alternative Blog Post Title: This Post In Which I Try And Give An Encouraging "HUZZAH!" To Everyone Who Is Struggling At 20,000 Words Or Less... (emphasis on the "Or Less")

Writer Vocabulary in this post:

NaNo: Short for NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month, and/or expressed as the infamous conglomeration of words we try and pass off as "novels".

MC: Main Character, and/or the creature that tells me stuff no one can hear besides me. Really awkward when they tell you a funny joke when you're in a group of friends...

WIP: Work In Progress; basically that thing you keep thinking about and haunts you in your sleep. Bad idea to put down for long periods of time. You've been warned.

WriMo: A writer participating in NaNoWriMo; a.k.a. a very brave soul indeed!

Ok, I'm not in any way saying that I'm giving up. I don't quit, especially something that I really love to do. So the whole point of this post is basically to let it all out. I'm not done with my novel, at all. I'm only at 14,041, which coincidentally is the the same number backwards (no, I didn't plan that), so I'm not even close to claiming the end. In fact, my MC hasn't seen one week in the story yet. I don't know why it's taking me so long to get there, but it's definitely going to need some serious remodeling in the future.

Anyways, to the real point, I just wanted to say I'm really proud of myself. Yes, I only have 14,041 words 6 days from the finish line, but they are 14,041 more words than I had at the beginning. And actually, I can't remember writing that many words consecutively before in the 3 years I've been writing, so this actually feels like a major accomplishment. :)

Besides that, I had a whole week and a half where I wrote virtually nothing because of school, so I think I did pretty well with the days I was writing.

I even learned that I can write approximately 1200 words per hour if I'm in a quiet room with no distractions! How cool is that?? That means that if I can sit in my room uninterrupted for 5 hours (which is basically how my weekends pan out) I can write 6000 words a DAY! Neat-o, huh? *super duper smiley face!*

And that was me writing basically by the seat of my pants this month. I'll be able to get WAY more done with my WIP.

Speaking of which, I've been really thinking about my neglected story that I shoved aside during NaNoWriMo. My characters have been bugging me in my sleep, telling me that they miss me. They want me to stop focusing on the new kid and start paying more attention to them. I'm not the kind for caving in to their wants, but I've hit a point in my NaNo that I have absolutely no idea what to write anymore. I know how it's going to end, but I don't know how to get there just yet, so maybe I'll put it aside for a couple months after NaNoWriMo is over and then spend more time with my WIP characters. After all, I know WAY more about my old story than I do about this newcomer NaNo.

So, I've decided I'll get as far as I can, then come back with fresh eyes and a full focused mind when I've finished writing my first story. :) It only seems fair.

So if you're somewhere dangerously behind the finish line, but have tried your very hardest to write the 50K, here's a toast to you... *raises coffee mug* You've already won by trying! And besides, there's always next year (or if you're impatient like me, a writing challenge thing that I might do with my friends in the springtime).

WriMos, regardless of your word count, I applaud you--as should all your family and friends, and, yes, even those haters who doubted you--because you've chosen to do something extremely intimidating. Even if you quit already, you should be proud of giving it a go! Remember, you could have not tried at all and never gained anything from it. You could still have a blank page and those wicked procrastinating thoughts telling you to wait a day, or a month, or a year. But you have words, and that was the whole point, really. Words. Unedited, grammatically nauseating, misspelled words, but words nonetheless.

You dove into this insane pool of dreams, while others tested the water with their toes. Sure, maybe you didn't make it to the other side of the pool where you get that shiny metaphorical trophy, but HEY! You tried!

Cheers to those who got a word on the blank page. It was just the first step! :)

And so concludes my pep talk/pat-on-the-back. I've wanted to write, and NaNo gave me the purpose and will to do so.

Happy Writing, Friends!

Savvy

Waiting On Wednesday (1) Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

2010-11-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine showcasing upcoming book releases that we (bloggers) are eagerly anticipating!

This week I'm super psyched about Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.

Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?"

Why I'm so psyched about this:

I LOVE Greek mythology. LOVE IT! I wish I were born in ancient Greece so I could hear all the wonderful myths firsthand. :) So, why wouldn't a modern twist on Greek mythology naturally catch my interest?

Besides, look at that GORGEOUS cover!

So what are you all Waiting on this week? I'd love to know! :)

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

Interview with Joanna Karaplis + Giveaway!

2010-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited today because I get to take part in a blog tour for Fractured by Joanna Karaplis! :) Since I LOVE Fractured, this is basically the highlight of my whole entire week.

I even got to interview the very lovely Joanna Karaplis herself:

What originally inspired you to start writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, so I have no clue what inspired me to start; it’s just part of who I am. I love all aspects of books: I like reading them, writing them, discussing them. As a kid, I would make little booklets of stories for my mom: she was my very first audience. Those early stories usually starred animals—I wasn’t interested in human characters until much later. When I was a teenager, I wrote a lot of sci fi/fantasy stories; those were fun.
Where did you get the idea for FRACTURED?

My former co-worker, editor Tonya Martin, approached me with the idea of writing fractured fairytales. It was something I’d been interested in for a long time, ever since I read Margaret Atwood’s Good Bones and James Finn Garner’s Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. I quickly came up with the idea for “Snow White and the Seven Dorks” and “Cyberella,” but it took a little longer to develop “Swan Song.” Basically, I started by writing out the main plot points of the original fairytales, then thinking up a modern equivalent for each one. Those notes became the basis for each story, though the stories ended up developing in quite different directions.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I spend a lot of my time reading. I read a lot more young adult fiction now than I did as a teenager! I also love graphic novels. As I was wrapping up Fractured, my partner introduced me to the Fables graphic novel series, which I’m really enjoying. I also like the Y the Last Man series.

I used to go swing dancing a lot (at least once a week), but now I don’t go as often. I try to meet up with friends at least a couple times a week, usually for dinner.

Favorites:
Music: Sorry, my musical tastes are guilty pleasures too embarrassing to share. (Unless we’re at a karaoke bar, then all bets are off!)
Movie/TV show: I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV series, not the movie) and Arrested Development. Right now, I’m following a few TV series: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Venture Brothers, and Glee.
Food/Snack: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Also, chocolate-covered things: strawberries, nuts, raisins, mint, bacon (yes, bacon—try it!).
Book genre: I read a lot of different genres. I especially like dystopian fiction: The Hunger Games trilogy, World War Z, The Maze Runner, etc. The Passage is on my to-read list.
Are you working on any other writing projects right now?

Yes, I generally have a few different story ideas kicking around at once. Sometimes, a story will suck me in and I’ll spend ages writing and rewriting it until I have a complete draft. And other times, I’ll work on a story until I get bored or frustrated with it, then switch to a different one for a while. Once I’ve gotten a bit of space from the first project, I can go back to it with fresh eyes and finish it. Sometimes that’s what it takes to get me on track. Right now there are two major projects I’m working on—we’ll see which one I finish first!
If you could live in one fairytale, which would you choose, who would you be, and why?

I think women generally have a tough time in fairytales; they’re always in danger and needing to be rescued from evil witches and hungry wolves. And I’ve never been the waiting-around-for-a-prince type, so I probably wouldn’t fit in with most fairytale heroines. I think I’d like to be Gretel, from “Hansel and Gretel”: that way I could out-smart the witch and have a full-size gingerbread house all to myself! Yum... And when I grew up, I’d probably run my own pastry shop. (I’m sure Hansel would help. I did save his life, after all!)

Fractured: Happily Never After? 3 Tales

"Everyone knows a fairytale or two. They’re the kind of stories that seem to stick with you. Maybe it’s the magic. Maybe it’s the handsome prince. Or maybe they’re just the absolute perfect place to lose yourself for a little while.

But what would happen if Snow White were around today? Would Cinderella still need a fairy godmother? And would the Little Mermaid show up on YouTube?

Joanna Karaplis has put an unexpected spin on Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid; she’s quietly fractured the stories and then reassembled them for the 21st Century. So, while there may not be a whole lot of horse-drawn carriages and magic potions, you can be sure that there will be at least one evil witch and maybe even a handsome prince (or two)…" Synopsis from Goodreads

You can read my review here!

GIVEAWAY!

Ok, you know you guys want to read this, right? It's a fantastic book, and Joanna even said she will sign the book for one person!

Fill out THE FORM here!

You can get extra entries for spreading the word and being a follower on twitter.
UPDATE: Super sorry international peeps! I forgot to mention this is only available for US/Canada residents!
Also, this ends on Saturday November 27! Winner will be announced the next day :)

Follow the rest of the blog tour...

November 15

Steph Su Reads

Word Brooklyn bookstore

November 16

Word of Mouse Book Reviews

Bella's Bookshelves

November 17

The Reading Girl

Between the Pages

November 18

Page Turners

Tahleen's Mixed-Up Files

November 19

YA Addict

YA Book Shelf

Happy Reading, Friends!

~Savvy~

What's in a name? Dandruff Shampoo, apparently.

2010-11-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or has it been a bit long since I've blogged? It feels like it's been forever, and it's only been--what?--3 days? 4?

Well I'm guessing that's another NaNoWriMo side affect...I'm on day 4 and only 2978 words into it. Not too bad, especially since 2/3 of that I wrote today using the oh-so-popular-yet-I-can't-believe-I've-never-heard-of-it-until-yesterday Write or Die. It's unbelievable how amazingly fast I write when I'm being scolded by a computer program every few seconds.

Would I sound crazy if I said I might use the Write or Die technique to do my homework? I mean, if it works, why not, right?

I'm also wondering how my plot is actually going to play out. As of right now, I have my inspiration, beginning, some middle bits, and then the ending, with a plethora of characters I know very much about already. I'm missing a lot, but I've also been told that that's the true fashion of NaNo...Actually, I rarely ever know what my novel is going to have in the middle.

Anyone else have problems with the middle of your novels?

Now I am also really curious about how everyone out there is naming they're characters, because I really think I boarded the crazy train. I tweeted about my dilemma.

Yeah. A dandruff shampoo bottle.

And it wasn't something like Suave or Dove or something. I mean, the bottle said "Pyrithione Zinc Dandruff Shampoo".

I actually got a couple names out of that title alone:

Shandoo (don't ask...)

Pyrine

Zinc (plain and simple.)

Theone

Andram

Thyrive

and the list can honestly go on for ever. Granted, most of the names sound like medicines (some might actually BE medicines...or things I forgot in physics), but this is also not a very good example. I've done this before with totally random things. In fact, if you ever see me in a Best Buy or something of the sort, I'm not looking for something to splurge my money on, I'm actually looking for a really long word that I can dissect into a dozen random names.

My NaNo is a dystopia, so I think I'm allowed--at least a little--to play around with the names and experiment with what sounds right, but I feel a little crazy. Am I the only one to do this?

Have you ever invented a name for a character or place?

So anyways, I just thought I'd have a more hands on post for all of you guys who follow the blog or just stop by ever so often. I'd like to know what you think about the questions above and if you're doing NaNo you can leave your username if you want me as a writing buddy :) I'm savvythewritergirl, if you wanted to know.

Also, I love inspiration and my favorite type of inspiration, besides actual experiences themselves, is music. Yesterday was my little sister's birthday (she's 13!) and so my mom and I picked up the new Taylor Swift CD. I'm not kidding, that girl can write some BRILLIANT songs. I've been listening to the CD all night and I've been writing like crazy becasue of it. So, because her songs have been and will be super helpful this November for NaNo, I'm going to post a lyric or two each NaNo related post.

So without further ado, my Taylor pick of the day~

Why it's inspiring: This describes my Protagonist and her feelings for the boy MC.

"Come on, Come on,

Don't leave me like this,

I thought I had you figured out,

Something's gone terribly wrong,

You're all I wanted."

--Haunted (here's a youTube link I found)

Happy Writing, Friends!

Savvy

NaNoWriMo is here! :)

2010-11-01T00:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's in like 5 minutes, but you get the picture. :)

NaNoWriMo is officially here (add me as a buddy!), and after the super tiring day I've had today, and the rock climbing that I think gave me carpal tunnel in BOTH my wrists (hopefully that goes away soon...), I'm wondering how I'm going to crank out some NaNoing tonight. I'm dead tired, but I guess that's what caffeine is for. :)

I'm also wondering how my education is going to fare this next month. I mean, I don't want to FAIL all of my already excruciating classes.

Happy Belated Halloween everyone! I'll posts pics hopefully tomorrow or within the next couple days! :)

Lots of Love and Happy Writing,

~Savvy~

In Which My Book Characters Get a Bit Jealous...

2010-10-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

If you're a fellow writer, you might understand this little plight of mine.

You see, it seems that I'll have to put a pause on my current WIP (started it 3 years ago and just recently revamped it to flow better) for NaNoWriMo this November. Now obviously I won't be putting my WIP away for any longer than November, but I've had this aching feeling that my characters--particularly my sassy protagonist--are going to get a bit jealous with all the time I'll be spending on my new story. I mean, it's like having a new baby, and the oldest kid ain't too happy about having to share the spotlight all of a sudden.

So, while this crazy thought has been circulating in my head this past week, I've really been feeling like I've been neglecting my WIP characters. Some minor characters from the later books in the series are calling to me and begging me to continue writing...

It's madness.

Maybe I'll try my hand at juggling both my stories next month, just so no one feels left out. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right?

Lots of Love and Happy Writing,

~Savvy~

Buddies, Followers, and Stalkers...Oh My!

2010-10-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, before you freak out, I don't have actual stalkers (hopefully). But I did receive some junk mail (spam?) from random people saying that I won something, but I'm too scared to open any of them because if it will damage my computer (and all 3 years of hard novel writing work) I WILL have a cow--her name will be Princess and she will be my bestest friend--but a cow none the less!

However I also hope I'm not missing out on a blog giveaway because I just love those.

ANYWAY!

So I am going to participate in this crazy little thing called NaNoWriMo in November. I think I already posted about this a little while ago, but I actually have my story somewhat mapped out, so I'm pretty psyched. :)

Y'all wanna know the very best part?

You can have writing BUDDIES! :D Like, Facebook Friends, but in a crazy I-don't-know-you-but-you-can-be-my-buddy-because-you're-writing-a-novel-too kind of way!

I love these things called buddies, but I don't want to go around adding completely random people for no reason and having them think I'm a total loser who has no buddies.

So if you're NaNo-ing this year, feel free to add me as a buddy and I'll add you too. :)

I'm savvythewritergirl just so you know.

In other news, I have a new review up!

I know it's been forever since I've reviewed a book on here, so I figured it was well nigh I stopped everything else and got to it. (If you don't know, I have a whole lot of school reading to do, thus hindering the reviewing process, so that's why I'm been slacking the last month and a half.)

You can check out my review of Fractured by Joanna Karaplis here if you haven't already. :)

Also, I caved and made a Twitter account! So far, it's super hard to understand and I only have 3 followers, I think. So you can follow me if you get a chance. I might inundate your newsfeed with a bunch of random stuff, so be warned. ;)

thereadinggirl

Also, if anyone would like to fill me in on how the @reply and # symbols (hashtags?) work and how you can make a URL super small to fit on a tweet, you get 1000 awesome points!

Fine Print: Let it be known that Awesome Points do not--in fact--exist or validate any sort of prize besides bragging rights and sheer awesomeness itself.

Also, I might start a weekly meme on this site. It would contain helpful tips for aspiring authors or any book related questions and opinions. What do you all think? :)

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Review: Fractured by Joanna Karaplis

2010-10-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Title: Fractured: Happily Never After? 3 Tales

Author: Joanna Karaplis

Publisher: McKellar & Martin Publishing Group

Pages: 128

Release Date: November 1, 2010

Synopsis: "Everyone knows a fairytale or two. They’re the kind of stories that seem to stick with you. Maybe it’s the magic. Maybe it’s the handsome prince. Or maybe they’re just the absolute perfect place to lose yourself for a little while.

But what would happen if Snow White were around today? Would Cinderella still need a fairy godmother? And would the Little Mermaid show up on YouTube?

Joanna Karaplis has put an unexpected spin on Snow White, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid; she’s quietly fractured the stories and then reassembled them for the 21st Century. So, while there may not be a whole lot of horse-drawn carriages and magic potions, you can be sure that there will be at least one evil witch and maybe even a handsome prince (or two)… " --Goodreads

My Thoughts: I love fairytale retellings! Maybe it's the fact that I grew up--nay, thrived on!--those Disney Princess movies when I was little, or that I've always secretly aspired to become a princess. Whatever the case, I really enjoyed reading Fractured. It was something fresh and new from a lot of the things I've seen in YA right now. It was nearly impossible to stop reading once I had begun. All the different stories were brilliantly different from each other. I actually stayed up really late at night reading it because it was so addicting to read, even when I had finished one of the stories I couldn't go long without reading because I was curious about what would be next.

I actually thought that all the stories would have the same layout, so I was surprised when it changed from classical narrative, into, say, a text-like layout. I liked it, though. Like I said before, it was a fresh way to read, and it kept my interest up the entire time.

There's also something amazing to be said about all the protagonists in the different tales. Firstly, they are all diverse and not like barbie dolls with magical lives. They were real girls with real struggles and real dreams. It was easier to relate to them than I had thought.

So with that, I'm supposing you all will want a little teaser? Yep, I thought so. :)

"The geeks remained frozen for a moment longer--like deer on a nature show, blending into their surroundings to hide from predators--and then Kevin stated the obvious: 'Well, that was weird,' and the typing slowly resumed. But it was impossible for me to concentrate for the rest of the day. Had Jason really just dropped by to chat with me?

Yeah. He had." --page 13

Also, I just wanted to point out the cover: isn't it gorgeous? I mean, book covers are pretty important, right? Well, I just LOVE this one. :)

My Rating:

:) Super Smiley Face

Super special thanks to McKellar & Martin for letting me review this amazing book for them!

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Favorite Five Giveaway #2 at Reading or Breathing

2010-10-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

Second giveaway in the Reading or Breathing MEGA Giveaway is for a copy of Impossible by Nancy Werlin. :) Super excited because I've heard great things about this book, but haven't gotten to read it yet.

Check out her blog for more details!

~Savvy~

In Loving Memory of Gracie

2010-10-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry. I really haven't had a lot of reading time and I really should have more reviews up than I do right now. I'm working on that, but this morning at about 1:00 AM, we lost our beautiful dog Gracie. As I've said in a previous post, she'd just undergone a C-section when a dose of medicine to induce labor failed. She kept vomiting and couldn't keep food down and the vets said it was normal after a C-section. But last night she looked absolutely withered, so my parents brought her in, thinking she was dehydrated.
Apparently she had been fighting a battle with diabetes for quite sometime now. Only when her organs began to shut down did the vets realize the problem.

I said goodbye to her before they left for the vets, but it still surprised me when they told me she had to be put down.

It hurts, but I know she's in a better place now. Free of pain. God is in control, and we have three adorable puppies to nurse now, and our hearts are slowly beginning to heal, but it will take some time for it to be back to normal again.

September 2004-October 3, 2010

Miss you, big girl.

~Savvy~

Banned Books Week: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Fangirl Scorned

2010-10-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

I know I already wrote a rather lengthy rant about my personal take on book banning, but I just read an article on Mockingjay.net and I'm both unnerved and totally furious, in ways that I shouldn't be. I know, I know. Calm down, Savannah. It's an opinion...it's just an opinion...it's...

*sigh*

But that's just it! Someone is trying to take down one of my FAVORITE books from a school curriculum so that no other kids in that class--nay, maybe even the whole school!--will get a chance to read it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, The Hunger Games has been challenged.

Now, if you don't know, "challenged" means that a book has been optioned for banning. A request has been sent in to ban the book. That is what it means. (You can read the full article here.) And although I shouldn't really care because I've already read the series, loved it, recommended it to EVERYONE, and own 2/3 of the series in my own personal library, the thought that some kids in some school might not get a chance to read it makes me want to puke.

Maybe you don't understand how much the series has affected so many people. I waited a good couple of months for Catching Fire after I finished The Hunger Games. I waited a whole year, suffering constantly in anticipation, for Mockingjay. Upon finishing Mockingjay, I slowly faced all five stages of grief.

No book has ever done that to me. Ever.

I have never felt so much while reading a book before. Ever.

But apparently someone thinks that the books are inappropriate for her kids. Maybe she's right. Maybe she should simply explain to the teacher that she doesn't want her daughter reading that specific part of the curriculum and maybe her child can read another book as consolation. That would be perfectly fine, right?

Well, this is where the problem occurs. The woman doesn't simply take it up with the teacher on a personal level and simply ask that her daughter not have to read it. She takes it up with the entire board and requests that it be banned from the school. She--like most book banners--is attempting control over a large group of people.

And that's not even why I'm so angry. Some of the things this woman says makes me question whether she read the book at all, except for the synopsis printed on the inside flap!

"'Twenty-four children are pitted in a life-or-death struggle with each other. The reason? Entertainment. That's sick,' LaSalle said. 'You don't want Columbine, but you're putting forth material that will totally desensitize the children to killing other children.'"

Look, you're right! It is sick! But if you actually read it, you'd realize that the characters don't want this. It's the villain and his people that find the Games amusing. Katniss--in an insanely unselfish and loving way--risks her life and takes her little sister's place in the Games so that her sister won't die. What do you call that? That is one of the most inspiring things I've ever read. Katniss is FEARLESS and SELFLESS. She loves her family.

You also have to realize that this is a Dystopian novel. Most (good) Dystopian novels get you thinking about what could happen in the future if our progression of life became immoral and twisted. This is a great way to think about actions and the current state of the country and what would happen if we veered into an extreme situation.

"'What does that teach as far as honor?' LaSalle asked. 'What does that teach as far as ethics? What is the moral lesson in this book that's being shown to our children?'"

Obviously, she did not read the book, because if she did, she'd not have asked that question.

As far as honor and ethics goes, Katniss is full of both of those. As I mentioned before, she practically gave her life to save her little sister. Is that not honorable or ethical? Would you rather she let her sister go out defenselessly into the Games and die? How is that ethical?

And if you disagree with the whole aspect of children killing each other, join the club! The only one who actually likes to see them kill each other is the villain of the book (President Snow) and then there are the people of the Capitol who are so lost in themselves that they don't care about the children at all. So yes, in that aspect, they are desensitized. But the story itself is written through Katniss' POV so she's constantly pointing out the horribleness of being desensitized and how much she hates the frivolities of the Capitol and the Games. Do you see my point?

Lastly, she said this:

"'The answer to the situation is not removing my daughter from the classroom,' LaSalle said. 'It's removing this filth from the school district.'"

Now this is the reason I'm fuming about this. How can she say that? "Filth"? What a HORRIBLE thing to say about one of my favorite books. What a horrible thing to say about ANY book! Has she read it? I don't think she has. If she had, I think she would have some more respect for this book she calls "filth".

So, here is where I'll stop. I'll let you all read the article yourselves.

Speak up, My Friends!

~Savvy~

Favorite Five Giveaway #1 at Reading or Breathing

2010-09-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

Cool news, people! Kelsey at Reading or Breathing is hosting a contest on her blog for a chance to win Sea by Heidi R. Kling! :) Check it out here! (ends 10/8)

Her Favorite Five giveaway lasts one week for each boo. The giveaway for Sea will end (10/8) when the next book giveaway begins. To see her blog post for the entire giveaway event, click here.

~Savvy~

Excited for NaNoWriMo 2010!

2010-09-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! Just a month away! So close....so very close....

That's right people, I mean NaNoWriMo!

*gasp* What's that? You don't know what NaNoWriMo is? Well, then I guess I'll just have to tell you, now won't I? :)

WHAT: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an annual event that lasts the ENTIRE month of November, solely dedicated to sitting down in front of a computer/notebook and writing a novel. So what sets it apart from, say, just sitting down and writing as much as you can any other month? Well, the fabulous thing about NaNoWriMo is the fact that you're not alone for an entire month of rigorous novel writing (which in itself entails sleep-deprivation, caffeine highs, spontaneous outbursts of crying, etc.) and there are bunches of other people who can empathize with your struggles. The goal for NaNoWriMo participants is to reach 50,000 words in 30 days. Whoa! 50,000 words? Yep. It'll be a challenge, but I'm totally game for it! :)

Prize? Bragging rights, self-confidence, pride, accomplishment, and a winner badge that you can post wherever.

Sounds cool, right?

Also, this is my first year. I heard about it in December last year, so I couldn't participate, but I've been waiting...oh, have I been waiting!

So why am I posting this so early? Well, I obviously wanted to share the opportunity with all of you ahead of time so you can decide if you want to participate. Another thing that I've heard recommended is that you get outlining before you write. This is something I will be starting tonight so I can have all my thought process laid out while I'm writing next month.

For further information and to sign up, check out the NaNoWriMo web site. You can find all the information you need to know there. :)

Have any of you participated in NaNoWriMo before? Just wondering. :)

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Puppy Love

2010-09-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that my dog has been expecting pups. Well, as of last night, she had two healthy pups successfully delivered. After the second, however, she didn't deliver any more for a long time. We were worried so we brought her to the Animal Hospital at 7 AM (FYI, I got NO sleep since Sunday) and they said that she had four more in her womb. Great right? Well, not so much. You see, the pups had been in there too long. The longer we waited, the more likely they could be dead in there. So we opted for the Oxytosin (probably misspelled that?) injection that would induce labor. When that failed, a C-section was all we could do. My mom, little sister and I dropped her off and by the time we left I was crying my eyes out (mostly due to lack of sleep and food).

We got back home and I tried to sleep for a while but only got 3 hours. There was a lot of tears and prayers and even more tears. Things were optioned. Choices were made. And the chances of the remaining pups being alive was nearly obliterated. In fact, I decided to not expect anything good. I figured the pups were already dead and we couldn't save any of them. We kept calling the vet for updates. By this time, the pups inside her were 12+ hours overdue, which meant that they had most likely been cut off from their mother's nutrients for FAR too long. I gave up all hopes of coming home with more pups. Gracie would be all we took home.

Enter God.

My sister called once more. They confirmed most my suspicions. Two were deceased prior to delivery, which means they were dead before the vets could get to them. One was born alive but died an hour later and could not be revived.
And then, there was little Sage.
Sage was the smallest of the bunch. The runt, you might call her. The fact that the smallest puppy of them all came out alive and healthy in one of the least likely circumstances of survival was baffling. How had she survived while being so very tiny? In estimate, she was about 2/3 the size of the previous two and very fragile. She was our little miracle pup. We prayed for the best outcome and that Gracie would be safe. We got an extra little angel. :)

So, I suppose you'll want to see these little darlings right? Okay, I took some pics on my web cam. Not the best quality, I admit, but it's pretty darn adorable either way.

Ok, pup #1

a.k.a. Cyprus the Sassy Pants

next, we have pup #2

a.k.a. Addison my lazy little Mini Me ;)

and finally pup #3

Sage the Miracle Pup

I swear they are all totally different dogs, even though they look like the same one. Surpirsingly, they all look like their Papa, and nothing like their Mum...Either way, they are each a bundle of loverliness. :)

P.S.

Is it just me, or do they all look like emo-pandas?

...just an observation...

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Book Banning: My Personal Opinion

2010-09-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start by saying that I have just recently been informed on the matter of "Book Banning". So, whatever I say about it, I'm NOT meaning to bash anyone's personal preference on the subject. I simply want to state my opinion on something that I've seen a lot on the blogosphere lately. Actually, I know some people who won't want to hear this, but I feel like it needs to be said. People need to know what's going on and what might happen if this continues...

Alright, well, like I said before, I'm NOT AN EXPERT ON THE MATTER OF BOOK BANNING. Whatever I say is solely based on my beliefs, thoughts, and what information I have gathered through the web.
K, with that said, I feel I'm not the most ignorant person out there. I'm sure someone will stumble upon this (hopefully) and learn about this controversy for the first time, then go investigate and develop an opinion of their own.

The last couple weeks, I've seen an enormous amount of blog posts regarding the infamous "book banning" controversy. At first, I figured I wouldn't get involved. I mean, I had just heard about it for the first time! How was I supposed to defend something I hardly knew a thing about?
What if I started to defend it, only to find I really didn't line up morally with what was being endorsed in this big Book Banning fiasco?
What if I picked sides and people thought differently about me? What if I had to recant my post and apologize?
What if...
...and the list went on. Now, there's something to be said about the intentions of those book banners of the world. I'm sure not all of them mean to cause a stir. I'm sure they don't want to hurt feelings for the most part. I'm sure it's just a preference issue (i.e. what you're going to let your kid read). But the problem comes when you attempt mass control. It's one thing to tell your kids they can't read a certain book or that they're not old enough to read them yet. I completely agree with parental censorship! My parents have told me I can't read somethings before. It doesn't bother me. They're doing what's best for me. It is, however, another subject ENTIRELY to force your thoughts, opinions, and "beliefs" on a large group of people. Doing so, you're not only making yourself look opinionated and narrow-minded, but also selfish.

Yes, I'm sorry, selfish.

When you "Ban" or "Challenge" a book, you're trying to get people to stop reading it, but who are you to dictate what someone's morals should be? Who says you're more "moral" than someone else? That kid who reads Harry Potter or Twilight might just be one AMAZING kid. Why are you throwing your opinions at them? Why are you acting like these people are "bad" because of their preference in literature? It's just not right--and, yes, that IS my opinion.

Here's a little story for you:
There once was a girl who didn't think reading was fun. This girl spent her life glued to a TV set and hated going to the library. One day, this girl was told to read Twilight. Once she picked up the book, she was pulled into a world she had never understood before...the world of READING. It was like love at first sight and she devoured the pages of all four books in a month and a half (the fastest she had ever read in her entire life, mind you). Soon, the girl learned that other books were fun. What else did she learn? Writing could be just as fun...And thus became the avid reader and writer who now manages this blog. Yup, that was me. (THANK YOU STEPHANIE MEYER FOR GETTING ME INTO READING!!!)

Now, what would have happened if Twilight had been banned and I never got to read it? Would I still be here, writing a blog post to defend some books that have also got people to love, laugh, cry, and feel? Probably not. I would have just thought that reading was boring. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine...

I've also heard a lot of flak about how a great percentage of "book banners" are Christians. First of all, that's a big stereotype. Why is it that in all those horror movies, the Christian always ends up being the wacko that gets killed for the better of the surviving group? Sorry, random observation...
But really, it's kind of unfair to say that the majority of book banners are Christians. Me and my family are all Christians. Hardcore Christians. I mean that. I love God's word and everything about being a Christian. But it gets me a bit peeved when people associate Christianity with being overly ignorant. Sure, I know people who disagree with my taste in books, TV, movies, music and such, and I respect their opinions. Some people don't feel comfortable with exposure to those types of things, and I completely understand. My parents won't let me read/watch Harry Potter because of the magical element. It doesn't really bother me, and I also don't feel contempt to my friends who DO read and love the series.
Sometimes I will get a "bad vibe" (?) from a book and tell my friend who is planning on reading the book about how I feel about it. But you see, there's a big difference between telling someone that you didn't feel good about a book and all out saying "I hate this book! If you read it we are no longer friends!" which is how I perceive the whole concept of book banning. It's cramming your opinions down someone's throat and giving them an ultimatum which tends to be "Don't read this book or you are not a good person!"

Matthew 10:16 NIV "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
What does that mean? Well, what I understand from the scripture is this: We are living in a world where you need to know what is going on. Learn you're surroundings. Understand the society. But do NOT become part of it. Stay pure, but also stay smart.

So maybe now you see why this frustrates me like mad. I hate when people make these rules for others to follow based on "morality". Sure, I do agree that crazy exposure to things like sex, drugs, and some other things is a bad idea for teens. Think about it, as a teen, we're constantly exposed to things that shape us for our future. We do need to be careful with what things we let into our lives because it WILL form us, either it be minor or major. Now, I WILL NOT condone the Banning of books that help teens cope with struggles. Look, I understand that some things are best gone unspoken or unadorned. We don't want to promote things like promiscuity. But I'm not going to watch as a shell of ignorance is forced around the youth of my generation and the generations of the future. As a teenager I'm not going to sit around as a world in crisis simply blinds the young. How will that solve anything? There will still be murderers, there will still be kidnappers, there will still be rapists. Telling them that rape is "better left unsaid" will only come across as "it never happens" or "it's something to be ashamed of". Gosh! This is an ENORMOUS ISSUE! It's plastered across the news EVERYDAY! How can you stand by and watch all the evil in the world, and decide to ignore it by blocking it out? How can you do that to kids who need to know that they can speak up and not feel ashamed? How can you let a child go through life thinking it was their fault? And THIS you call moral? You call this right? All you're doing is degrading a young, scared, traumatized youth into believing that there is no way. But there are books out there that can help them get through things like this. Why would you deprive them of this? Why would you? Ignorance is not always bliss.

If you're wondering, I have talked to my mom about this. She agrees with me about the problem of Book Banning and she and I even discussed the many reasons why this is a big problem, a lot of which I've already mentioned.

Now think about it: What will happen if book banning becomes even MORE prominent? Would our world become a hideous Dystopia? Would we never have the freedom to read?
Fahrenheit 451, anyone?

It certainly is something to think about. So what do you think? I want to know your thoughts on book banning, and I apologize for the enormous rant. I really am sorry I probably used up a good 15-20 minutes of your life getting you to read this, but it needs to be said. Spread the word! Tell people about this! Book Banning needs boundaries before it gets out of hand.

Box O' Book Giveaway at Sparkling Reviews!

2010-09-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Great news! Sparkling Reviews is hosting a mystery book box giveaway if they hit 220 followers. (They're currently at 219 last I checked!)

Here's the details:

1) The box will be at least 5 books (Yay!)

2) Two will be SIGNED! :)

3) Some are ARCs, and some are finished copies!

4) For every extra 10 followers they get, two more books will be added to the box!

So what are you WAITING FOR??? Go and check it out here!

And seriously, who doesn't like to win books, right?

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Book Blogger Hop (2) and Follow Friday (2)

2010-09-24T02:42:00.000-07:00

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer @Crazy-for-Books

This week's Question is...

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have finished the entire book?

My Answer: Hmm, well, I will say it's something I've definitely considered. My memory isn't the best. In fact, I can tell myself to remember something five times before I go to bed and completely forget it in the morning. It's a bit of a problem when you're trying to give an honest, thoughtful review on a book you've read and can't remember the specific points of the book that you wanted to mention. That said, I do like being able to give a fresh book review immediately after flipping past the last page. I would feel a bit cheated if I were reviewing a book I hadn't finish, raving about it's glorious literary merit (i.e. fangirl factor), only to find out that the ending didn't live up to the rest of it. That would make me sad. So, in short, I'll say that--while I do believe I'll be taking notes on the things I like/dislike in the books I read from now on--I'll only ever review a book when I'm absolutely finished with it. :)

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted @Parajunkee's View

This week's question is...

What is your high fashion book cover? *translation* Best book cover EVER!

My Answer: Oooh, another GREAT question! Hmm, I guess I would have to say either...

I mean, just LOOK at them! They're gorgeous, right? :) Not to mention I'm dying to read both!

Lots of Love and Happy Reading!

~Savvy~

A Quick Update

2010-09-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I haven't blogged in a while...again. So I figured I should at least tell you all why.
Well, my dog is having pups (I think I already mentioned that a little while ago) and my whole family has been watching her closely for signs that the pups are coming. We took her to the vet this Monday for a checkup and the vet said that all is well. :)

She's due any day now!

Also, on top of that, I have homework and play auditions this week. And, I've been writing a lot. I mean, not enough to actually get anywhere, but enough to feel the once-eternal writer's block slowly begin to ease away.

And as much as I would love to do another "In my Mailbox" post, I've been too busy to get around to posting it this week. I'll just go ahead and tell you what I got then. :)

Thanks to Bibliopunkk for my copy of The Lost Saint by Bree Despain! My first ARC copy EVER! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

Also, I'm currently reading Aurelia by Anne Osterlund. :) I'm not very far in it, but I like it so far.

And my AMAZING friend lent me his copy of The Maze Runner by James Dashner because he's just an amazing person. :)

Also, I HAVE 47 FOLLOWERS!! You guys are all so awesome! You have no idea how much I appreciate each blog follower! :) Thank you so much!

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,

~Savvy~

Last Chance for Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash!

2010-09-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

Have you been following Enna Isilee's birthday bash? No?! Well allow me to inform you:

Enna Isilee is the operator of the YA book-blog Squeaky Books, and from August 23rd-September 22nd she's been celebrating her birthday in style with author interviews, guest posts, and giveaways featuring some of the hotest YA titles. It's been a blast so far! CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF EVENTS

The bad news? IT ALL ENDS TONIGHT!

That's right, all FIFTEEN (15) giveaways end at 11:59 pm MST tonight! But don't worry! You still have time to enter! Below I've listed all of the possible things you can win. The winners will be announced tomorrow (September 22nd) on Squeaky Books.

If you live in the US you are qualified to enter every giveaway! Most giveaways are open to Canadian residents as well. Sorry international friends, no contests are open to you. But if you have a friend in the US or Canada that will mail to you then you are welcome to enter!

So? Have you entered yet? NO?! What are you waiting for? Check out the links below and enter to win some wicked sweet prizes!!

Paranormalcy By Kiersten White!

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala!

One of the GORGEOUS UK Versions of Shannon Hale's Books

ARC of Pegasus by Robin McKinley!

Swag and an ARC of Dust City by Robert Paul Weston!

Swag and a signed copy of Spy Glass by Maria V Snyder!

Swag and a pre-order of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer!

Win one of three sets of punctuation earrings!

A signed copy of Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and some Enchanted Ivy swag.

Pre-order of Matched by Ally Condie

UK edition of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Win I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Swag and a copy of It's a Mall World After All, by Janette Rallison

Two different Janette Rallison Books

Pre-read SIGNED ARC of Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Originally from: http://www.squeakybooks.com/2010/09/dont-panic-its-not-over-yet.html#ixzz108yWPMi1

Review: Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

2010-09-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm just going to start off by saying that I LOVED this book for multiple reasons. :)

Synopsis: "After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.
Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.
Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code." from Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Alright, as I said before, I am in love with this book. Maybe it's my general love of Dystopian books that encouraged me to read this book, maybe it was something else. The cover looked interesting, and if you know me well, you know intriguing covers catch my attention first. With that said, I understand the cover so much more after reading it. :) It fits very nicely with the story itself.

When I found this in the "new releases" section of my library, I was ecstatic! And if it hadn't been for project "anti-Savannah-having-free-time" (a.k.a. my busy schedule) I would have finished this unbelievably sooner. Although, I do appreciate that I got to take my time and enjoy this book even more. :) There was hardly a slow moment in this book.

One specific thing that meant a lot to me as a reader was the attention and patience that was taken to fully develop the characters. There's nothing I hate more than a book that rushes into detail and forgets that the reader wants to get to know each and every character as an individual. Ms. O'Brien did a terrific job creating her characters. I felt like I knew them. I hurt when they hurt, and I smiled when good things happened to them.
Gaia was brilliant and beautiful, both inside and out. I particularly enjoyed how strong and willing she was when it came to protecting her family. She's not an angst-filled teenager like a lot of characters I've read about in other books lately. I admired her ability to stand up for what she knew was right. Gaia in one word: Daring.
Other characters I adored were Gaia's parents. Very little, as a reader, do I actually ever understand the some character's parents. Why do they do the things they do? Thankfully, we learn very VERY much about her parents. The love they share, and the way they stand firm in their beliefs obviously helped shape Gaia into the amazingly brave young woman she is.

With constant plot twists, I was running around the house, jumping up and down, and I think I scared some of my family...and neighbors. And ever so often, I'd put down the book and say "OH MY GOSH!" and then avidly delve back into the story, because I NEEDED to know what happened next! I swear, I told my mom about this book nearly 40 times and will definitely pester all my friends to read this.

Also, I just wanted to rave about the perfect amount of romance. It wasn't overwhelming or uncomfortable to read. It was perfect. But I won't say much more, because I don't want to give too much away if you haven't read it yet.

I wish I had time to just go on and on about this book, but you all will have to read it yourselves to understand exactly why I'm so happy about reading this book! :) And I've heard there's a sequel slated for sometime next year, so I'll be keeping my eye out for that!

MY RATING:
:D = Super Fangirl Smiley Face

Also, I wanted to let you all know the reason I haven't had a review up lately, because I feel it's relevant. We recently found out my dog is pregnant (YAY!) and so my family has been taking shifts we call "puppywatch". Reading this book only made me more excited for the arrival of the little puppies :) And this was perfect for the late nights when I had to stay up and watch for any signs of puppy arrival.

Lots of Love and Happy Reading,
~Savvy~

Follow Friday (1)

2010-09-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Parajunkee's View

Hya everyone! :) This week's question is...

My question for you guys, favorite YA, or do you stick to the adult reads?

Awesome, awesome, AWESOME question! :) I hate to say this, but I am permanently biased. YA is sort of my comfort zone in reading. Sure, there's old classics I have to read for school that I end up enjoying...but for the most part I'm going to have to say that YA is pretty much the only thing I read. Now, if we were to get REALLY specific, I could say YA Dystopian, Historical, and Paranormal fiction were the only things I read on a regular basis, but you never know. There could be one SUPER amazing book out there that I will fall in love with and not fit into the previous categories I mentioned. My mind is open to the other possibilities...as long as it's YA ;)

Lots of Love,
~Savvy~

Do you know your Hunger Games name yet? No? Well then you might like this...

2010-09-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Again, with my ever-growing Hunger Games obsession...

Okee dokee! So, maybe you all have heard of this little name generator already (I've heard of it twice so far) but Mockingjay.net has this Hunger Games inspired name generator. It's quite fun actually. :) My mom, little sister and I all came up with ours. :)

So here's what we came up with:
My mom: Leezan A. Soaragapanthos
My dad: Ylee B. Driftpine (we created this one for him)
My sister: Maxis M. Swimtulip
and Me: Drevan M. Leaplily

So if you want to get you're own Hunger Games name, click this link.
Also, if you figure it out, you can post your HG name in the comments below! I want to find out what you all came up with! :)

Lots of Love,
~Savvy~

Teaser Tuesday (1) Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

2010-09-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading :)
~Rules:~
1) grab the book you are currently reading.
2) flip to a completely random page...
3) pick two sentences from the page (with NO SPOILERS)
4) name the title and the author so people know what book it's from :)

This week I'm reading Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien. I'm not gonna lie, this book has me hooked. I think I've found my newest obsession! :)

So, without further ado, a teaser from Birthmarked...

"The ache in Gaia's heart tightened a little more, and for a moment she closed her eyes and imagined her father wrestling with guards, trying to get to her mother. That made sense. That was her father."

So there you have it! That's this week's teaser from me. :) Again, if you would like to join in on this fun Teaser Tuesday meme, follow the link to Should Be Reading.

Happy reading, friends!

~Savvy~