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Guest Blogger

Courtney Johnson — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:17:28 +0000

Supernatural Conspiracy Theories Are Melting Your Brain: Try Not to Get It on My Shoes

By: Allie Stuart, Resident Skeptic

(cont.)

… And even deeper down, past the Google searches and the Yahoo! Answers links, lies a vast pool of arbitrarily connected websites and communities, password-protected forums and heavily moderated chat rooms where the most radical theorists endlessly debate their favorite conspiracy: La Ruche.

La Ruche–or The Hive, for all you Trekkers out there–is rumored to be a power-hungry cabal, based somewhere in Western Europe. If you believe the rumors, twelve or so years ago, this strange investment group began filtering funds into EU and US coffers and has since built a massive base of political power.

Typical stuff so far, but the ultimate kicker? Mysticism. A strange combination of the Kabbalah, medieval magic and mythical creatures has led to the bewildering underlying currents of La Ruche.

The articles and fact sheets list details at length: midnight rituals, blood wars, internal power struggles, and at least one accusation of vampirism in the White House. It’s the conspiracy theory to end all conspiracy theories; the undead exist and they’re slowly taking all of our money and power for themselves.

The community of conspiracy theorists grows larger everyday, but a few basic questions make it difficult for even the least skeptical of brains to swallow the outlandish theories. In the case of our supernatural overlords, does it really seem all that likely? How many people would have to be involved to keep something like that secret?

Don’t wander too far off the beaten path, old friends. There’s plenty of weird science out there without needing to invent new fringe theories. Let’s get to work on flying cars before we expend too much effort on werewolf power-seekers.

–

Want to see more of Allie Stuart? Click here.

Daylight

Courtney Johnson — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:41:47 +0000

Or… I finally finished the edits. I’m going to go die now.

I wrapped up the edits on my book, The Watcher’s Daughter, sometime around 10:30 last night and it’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life. To know that it was done. The best I could make it. What a fantastic feeling.

Here’s TWD, by the numbers:

84,475 Final Word Count

30 Total Chapters

11 months to completion

4 Deaths

3 Main Character Name Changes

2 Love Interests

1 Completed Manuscript

I read my latest work one last time, save and closed the manuscript, turned in a critique to a writing partner and had a long night’s sleep. I’ll be posting chapter one to this blog sometime today and taking a break for a few days before doing a final read-through. I’m floating today, so happy to have hit this final milestone. It was later than I’d planned, but in the end, it was worth it.

Sending good writerly wishes to everyone out there today.

Settings

Courtney Johnson — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:18:03 +0000

Or… Wait, Where’s The Pan Full of Hot Oil?

I started the draft on this post quite some time ago, with the goal of sharing what I’d learned about creating setting in a novel. The only problem with this oh-so-magnanimous notion of mine is that it’s impossible to pinpoint “what I’ve learned.”

There are excellent articles out there, just a Google search away. They’re full of things about creating a concise time and place, using all five senses, etc. One of my favorites is here. It’s comprehensive, informative and well-written. A great place to start for any writer.

But… overall, I’ve come to feel that setting is too tied to voice, the actual story itself, to be able to follow a concrete formula. As I work through my current round of editing, I’ve found myself rearranging and removing a lot of setting and description.

Why?

Because it doesn’t fit the voice of my character. She has an eye for detail, sure, and I’ve tried to retain that, but big blocks of description fail to work in the story she’s telling. I’ve incorporated more of that setting into the narration, rather than the feeling of having a character walk into the room and give the reader a run-down. It feels more natural and it works better in the story.

This doesn’t mean that large blocks of description don’t have their place. As a reader, I love to read description. Some of my favorite books are rich in time and place. They transport me to a new world and show me around with the careful hand of the best tour guide I could ask for. I’ve always sought books that take me to another time and place, that take me out of my world, that let the black and white text of the cold book fall away from me.

So, how do I get that feeling in my own writing?

I’ve grown to look at setting not as an element of the story, but as another, invisible character that wraps around everyone in the story. I use the resources at my fingertips to create this place, by looking at pictures to inspire rooms or buildings or by reading about locations in which the story takes place. I try to write every paragraph with an eye towards evoking that feeling of being pulled into the reading, because setting is more than just where the scene takes place. It’s the feelings that come for your characters from being there. It controls how they talk and move, how they interact with other characters.

Writing “good setting” is as easy to teach as pulling down the moon and putting it in your pocket. Get a feel for your story, not just what’s happening, but for the world going on around it. Get eyeball deep in the smell of the place, immerse yourself in the local history. Know the feeling of the sand under your fingertips and the taste of it in your mouth. And reactto it. Write the reaction and your setting will come naturally.

GLA’s “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest

Courtney Johnson — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:55:00 +0000

Or… Oh god, I just hit submit.

I submitted my entry today to GLA’s “Dear Lucky Agent” contest and while I find it nerve-wracking, there’s something exhilarating about getting that entry out.

It’s a little show of faith in myself, I guess. I’m ready for the world to see this book.

Best of luck to all who entered!

Another General Update…

Courtney Johnson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:03:26 +0000

Or… Good god, where did February go?

So, before I get into the more exciting stuff, a word to the wise: Should you hope to be very productive right after Christmas, edit your novel and start querying on February 1st, don’t get pregnant right before Christmas. Having just hit my 2nd trimester a few weeks ago, I’m finally comfortable again, but those first several weeks made it near impossible to get anything done.

In other news:

Authonomy continues to be fun.

NightReading was a successful endeavor as well – I received my first-ever offer this morning! Still a lot to think about, but it’s definitely exciting times.

The GLA Blog is having their third “Dear Lucky Agent” contest! I’ll be sending in a submission – will you?

And that’s the latest update from Colorado!

An Oldie but Goodie…

Courtney Johnson — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:43:31 +0000

Or… how old is old when we’re talking cyber-old?

Here are a few fun links, for those of you worried about cliche-counting.

OH NOES!

AVOID THIS TOO!

That’s right, everyone. Time to read, absorb and then start scouring those first chapters for all the things you know you’ve done wrong. Get to it!

Thrilled!

Courtney Johnson — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:48:51 +0000

So, it turns out that Authonomy is even more addicting than CC.

After three days on the list, The Watcher’s Daughter dropped past the 1000 mark in ranking and is now sitting pretty at 990. Not bad.

This has been a fun experience so far, very different from the in-depth critiquing community at CC. It’s fun to read books as a reader again.

Haven’t checked out Authonomy yet? Get on over there!

Work is a Beautiful Thing…

Courtney Johnson — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:09:15 +0000

After staring at blank page after blank page for what feels like weeks, I’ve recently been bitten by the bug to get back to work.

My first order of business was getting a few chapters uploaded to Authonomy. I’m ready for some fresh opinions on the story and I’m anxious to get some feedback from this great community!

Click here to see the first few chapters of TWD (Registration required!)

I’m Not Dead Yet!

Courtney Johnson — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:48:29 +0000

I promise! I’ve been overwhelmed by the holidays and various other events in my life, but I’m back at the keyboard, critting and writing and doing the usual mucking around that I call “working”.

To prove it, here’s my word cloud, a Wordle rep. of what I’ve been working on lately!

Also, a few other things. Have you checked out Authonomy yet? I’m swimming around over there as Courtmuse, but have yet to post. If you arrive and feel a desperate need to back something, back Dropcloth Angels by Gerry Johnston.

How are those NaNo edits coming? Have you even started? It’s a new year and a good time to dive back into those 50,000+ words you spat out back before the Holidays!

See you around this week! Still more to come!

The Process

Courtney Johnson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:46:45 +0000

Or… No! I’m NOT Procrastinating…

I’m eye-deep in edits right now, and it has the unfortunate effect of preventing me from doing much else. I’m reading a little, but only barely critting. I’m definitely not blogging.

I can honestly say that I’m not exactly unhappy about this. After the binge of NaNo, it took my brain a few days to switch tracks. The happy creativity that seems to flow so beautifully in the early stages of drafting gives way to the hard-eyed, “Am I crazy?” mindset of editing and it’s like traveling from Hawaii to Antarctica.

But, it’s part of the process.

How important is a structured process to your editing? I find mine to be important, but flexible. I try to retain at least a little bit of that sunshine, to keep myself excited with the writing. This current round of edits has involved a re-read (no pens allowed!) and a careful examination of all the various critiques I’ve received.

I apply, I re-read as necessary and decide on my next course of action.

Do you find the editing process exhausting? Tedious? How long does it take you to edit, on average?