YA Author Megan Crewe

A master list of writing advice

Posted on March 1, 2012 by MeganAugust 28, 2013

I’ve gotten a lot of new blog readers since my first book was published two and a half years ago, and I know a lot of you are writers. So I thought it might be useful if I complied all the writing advice posts I’ve made (that I still think are reasonably useful 😉 ) since many of them were written before that time. And I’m going to try to remember to keep updating this on the rare occasions I do new posts about writing.

Before we get started, I’d like to make one very important statement: Anything I say about writing and the creative process is merely what works for me. It is highly unlikely to work for everyone. So if you do things a different way and it works for you, more power to you!

Now that we’ve got that clear…

Elements of writing fiction:

Tending to new ideas (how I help my shiny new ideas grow until they’re ready to become a whole book)

Tools for working with new story ideas (mainly about structuring your ideas once you have a basic sense of what you want to happen)

In praise of research (how research can help you write)

Fictional world-building (a couple of resources for building fantasy worlds)

In which I ramble on about tension, for a rather long time (this title is pretty self-explanatory, yes?)

Block Towers, or, How I build a middle (Many people struggle with writing the middle of books. I love it. Here’s how I do it.)

More on middles (continuing from the above)

Why I rewrite (on my revision process and why it works for me)

Writing better (techniques for improving your writing skills)

How getting my editorial letter changed the way I write (on the importance of being sure)

Diversity and Difference in YA (on how to make your fiction inclusive, and why it’s important)

Elements of getting published and promotion:

Very few journeys are smooth or straight-forward (sharing some of the difficult parts of my publishing journey, and what I learned from them)

The publishing connection myth: why I investigated it and the results of my poll (challenging the idea that you need connections to get published)

Searching for an agent? Here are some tools (some internet resources I used in my agent search, and how I used them)

A Shy Person’s Guide to Public Speaking (how to deal with public appearances if you’re one of the many shy authors out there, like me)

Random writing-related topics:

Advice for aspiring writers (some basics)

Try (the one thing you absolutely have to do to succeed)

The choices we make, or, how I found time to write (about making writing a priority in your life, and why that’s important)

The Purple Elephant Problem (on comparing one’s books to others)

On getting feedback as a writer, or, You can’t win (about handling other people’s opinions about your work)

How to organize a writing retreat (something I’ve done for my in-person critique group every year for the last five years)

Of course they mean things. You just have to learn how to read them. (mainly, thoughts of what writers can learn from fandom — you can skip the first few paragraphs as they’re unrelated)

And finally…

My Favorite Writing Links (advice from other people that I have found helpful in the past)

Enjoy!

Creepy disease post: Cordyceps fungus

Posted on February 29, 2012 by MeganFebruary 29, 2012

Disease name: Doesn’t have one.

Caused by: Certain species of fungus in the genus Cordyceps, e.g., Cordyceps unilateralis, which attacks ants.

Symptoms: An insect infected with Cordyceps spores becomes disoriented and is compelled to climb upwards. Once it has achieved a high position, it dies clutching whatever it climbed. The fungus sprouts from its body and disperses new spores into the air.

*shudder*

History: Fossil evidence suggests that the fungus has been developing its mind control abilities for many millions of years. As far as humans are concerned, Cordyceps has been used for supposed medicinal purposes for centuries, mainly as an aphrodisiac.

Current status: Cordyceps continues to reproduce throughout the world, and is particularly prevalent in east Asian countries and tropical environments.

Creepy factor: The fungus essentially turns its insect host into a puppet, dancing to its will. Or rather, climbing to its will. Maybe humans aren’t affected by it, but how creepy is it to imagine if we were? To lose total control over your body, forced to behave for the benefit of the thing infecting you? (Hmmm, seeing where some of the The Way We Fall virus inspiration came from?) And then the way it breaks out the insects’ bodies… Now I’m shuddering again.

If you want to learn more: I found out about Cordyceps from the BBC documentary series Planet Earth, and conveniently, the segment about the fungus is available online! Watch to see Cordyceps in action:

This is my last creepy disease post for the moment, but if there’s a freaky or unusual disease you think I should look into, feel free to let me know in the comments!

The Way We Fall Audiobook + giveaway!

Posted on February 28, 2012 by MeganFebruary 28, 2012

Something very exciting arrived at my door the other day: my author copies of the The Way We Fall audiobook from Recorded Books!

The audiobook is unabridged, with the full novel narrated across six CDs, by Sisi Aisha Johnson, who’s also narrated books by Jacqueline Woodson, Sharon M. Draper, and Rita Williams-Garcia. So cool! I also had to squee a little when I saw the CDs are divided into chapters (tracks) with the dates of Kaelyn’s journal entries.

I got four copies, so I figured I can part with two of them right now. Which means, that’s right, it’s time for another giveaway!

Two prize winners will receive one of these audiobooks:

Plus a collection of fun The Way We Fall swag, including a journal, pen, hand sanitizer, and magnet!

To add a twist to the giveaway, I’m going to draw on one of the other major themes in the book: people working together. In The Way We Fall, the characters are working together to survive. You and your friends will work together to win a pair of audiobooks!

Here’s how it works:

Enter your email address (or Facebook info) into the rafflecopter form below, and earn up to seven entries. Then let your blog readers, Facebook friends, and/or Twitter and Tumblr followers know about the giveaway, and, most importantly, ask them to mention you sent them. If you win, you get one of the audiobook prize packs, and the other goes to the person who told you about the giveaway.* Which means that if one of the people you tell about the giveaway wins, you will win the other prize pack. So the more people enter because of you, the more chances you have to win!

Please note that this giveaway is only open to those in the US and Canada. (Unfortunately my mailing costs are getting a little crazy. I promise the next one will be worldwide again!)

That’s all there is to it. Good luck to you and your friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*If you heard about the giveaway directly from me, then you get to pick one friend of your choice to receive the other prize pack.

The music of The Way We Fall – “Mystery Lights”

Posted on February 27, 2012 by MeganFebruary 27, 2012

Song number five on The Way We Fall‘s unofficial soundtrack is “Mystery Lights” by Uh Huh Her:

As I mentioned with the last song, I’ve organized the soundtrack in somewhat chronological order. To me, this song reflects Kaelyn and the islanders’ growing fear as they realize just how serious the epidemic is, even if those on the mainland seem to be treating it like just another flu. As the lyrics say, “I’ve seen the signs, seen the writings on the wall… What they don’t know will kill them… Can you hear us, go fast/Send out a warning.” It also gives a general sense of the desperation that gradually infects the island along with the virus: “No one will answer… Will you lead us in the right direction?/We could be saved by you… You’ve come to late, there’s nothing left.”

Weekly link round-up – Feb 26, 2012

Posted on February 26, 2012 by MeganFebruary 27, 2012

The best of what I shared on Twitter and Tumblr this week…

-David Levithan on why discrimination is never a legitimate point of view.

–Every song is the same, and this video proves it.

-An article in the Wall Street Journal on finding time in your busy schedule.

-The trailer for the new TV show Awake, which I have been looking forward to for months.

–Beautiful billboard art that brings attention back to the landscape.

-A funny video of a very stealthy cat.

-And finally, The Way We Fall now has a Facebook page, for it and the rest of the Fallen World trilogy. Check it out, and like if you like! 🙂

What did you find interesting on the internet this week?

The Ways We Struggle – Tara Kelly

Posted on February 24, 2012 by MeganFebruary 24, 2012

Click here for an explanation of the The Ways We Struggle guest post series.

Joining us today is Tara Kelly, author of the contemporary YA novels Harmonic Feedback and Amplified. As well as being an author, Tara is a one-girl-band, web designer, video editor, digital photographer, and literary agent intern. She lives in Portland with her ten guitars, supercool boyfriend, and a fluffy cat named Maestro. Here she talks about feeling different, and how that affects her writing.

The Way I Struggle by Tara Kelly

This is where I talk about feelings. I don’t like talking about feelings much. Oh, I can vent with the best of them. I’m always complaining about the injustices of life… I have a thing about fairness. I get remarkably upset when things aren’t fair, despite knowing life isn’t fair and will never be fair. But when it comes down to digging deep and discussing my ‘feelings’, I’d rather not.

I’ve always thought of myself as an emotional person. But… maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m just sensitive. I’m blunt and I share disturbing events from my past in a matter-of-fact way (sometimes with humor), but I’m not one to cry or share my gushy feelings. See, I learned a long time ago that the things I went through growing up aren’t things a lot of people go through. They can’t relate. Hearing about it makes them uncomfortable. So, somewhere along the line, I buried those intense feelings. For better or worse.

I’ve always felt different. I know, I know. We all think that, right? Maybe I really am just like everyone else and don’t realize it.

Here’s what I do know… I don’t keep pictures of my loved ones on my desk or in my wallet or in my house. Not because I don’t love them. I’ve just never felt the need. I don’t hold onto old pictures either, not of loved ones, loved ones from my past, dead relatives, or even myself. I don’t decorate my office or my home with personal items (pictures, special/meaningful objects, posters, etc). I don’t find meaning in objects, never have. I haven’t seen my family in years, and this is normal for me. I prefer shy and independent cats to super friendly/needy cats. I guess the same can be said for my taste in guys, too. I don’t brood for months when I break up with someone, even if we were together for years. I don’t like to dwell. I don’t like to hold grudges. I don’t even like to live in one place too long. I’m always on the go. To say I’m not sentimental is an understatement, I guess. People find all of the above weird… and they’ve said so, many times. I resent being told I’m cold or that there’s something ‘wrong’ with me because I don’t express myself the way — perhaps — others would like me to. I’m certainly not devoid of emotion (I feel plenty, believe me), and I have a whole lot of love to give. If you’ve proven you’re worthy of it.

So what does this have to do with my writing? Well, everything. The one thing I hear a lot is… more emotion. We want more emotion. Many YA books I read are packed with emotional narrative — teen girls sharing their every feeling about a situation. And I’m not knocking this style — if that’s what does it for you as a reader, more power to you. But it doesn’t do it for me. I don’t want to be told what a character feels all the time — sometimes I want to figure it out. I want mystery. Sometimes I think there’s more power in what a character doesn’t say. I feel like there’s still this expectation out there — that female characters need to be emotional to be sympathetic. They need to angst over aloof boys, cry over their dead sisters, and wax poetic in their spare time. Here’s the thing, though. Some girls just aren’t in touch with their feelings. Some girls laugh at funerals. Some girls don’t give a crap about guys. Some girls are raunchy and crass. Some girls use fists instead of words. As a reader, I want to see more of those girls represented in YA. The ones who are different. Misunderstood. Broken. Unpredictable. Mercurial. So those are the characters I tend to write. And I will continue to write them.

But I need to step out of my comfort zone, too. I need to learn how to better express and write emotion. One of my WIPs features a very emotional character, a very broken girl full of anger and hurt. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she’s ready to explode from it all. I need to dig deep — get back in touch with those intense feelings I buried in a safe place. I need to give her the voice she deserves…the voice I wished I had as a teen. No holding back. No censoring. Just raw, unedited feelings. We’ll see if it ever becomes a story…

View all the The Ways We Struggle posts so far.

New Quiz

Posted on February 23, 2012 by MeganFebruary 23, 2012

The The Way We Fall Survival Quiz is now finished, so I’ve created a new quiz for those who like to discover how they’d fit into the world of the book. Extra cool about this one? It will give you a badge with your result that you can share various places if you wish. 🙂

Do you tend to be mercenary, friendly, a loner? Take the What Kind of Survivor are You? quiz and find out your survivor personality.

Come back and share your result in the comments if you’d like!

Creepy disease post: Toxoplasmosis

Posted on February 22, 2012 by MeganFebruary 20, 2012

Disease name: Toxoplasmosis

Caused by: A parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It’s mainly spread to humans through contact with cat feces (e.g., while scooping litter), though it can also be passed on via raw meat.

(Toxoplasmosis danger zone!)

Symptoms: In the first month or two after infection (longer for a minority of patients), people experience swollen lymph nodes and/or muscle aches. More severe complications may arise in those with already compromised immune systems. Many people are infected without any symptoms at all and have no idea they carry the parasite.

Research suggests that Toxoplasma gondii may contribute to psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, and to behavior such as an increased number of traffic accidents. Scientists are not yet certain how close the links are, but they do know that the parasite can alter the mindset of another type of animal it infects: rodents. Rats and mice infected with toxoplasmosis become less afraid of cats and may even seek them out, making it easier for cats to catch and eat them, and for the parasite to return to its preferred feline host.

History: The parasite was discovered in animals in the early 1900s, and first seen in humans in 1940.

Current status: Toxoplasmosis continues to be a concern, especially for pregnant women, because the parasite can be passed on to an unborn child in the womb and cause serious health issues in infected infants. There is no medical way of preventing infection — avoidance of litter boxes and gardens where cats may have defecated can reduce the risks.

Approximately 10% of Americans are estimated to be infected with the parasite.

Creepy factor: Unlike the first three diseases I talked about, toxoplasmosis is highly unlikely to be fatal, and only creates severe problems for individuals whose immune systems are suppressed or not yet developed. In fact, you could be carrying the parasite right now and not even know it. How creepy is that? Even creepier: it could be affecting your thinking and behavior without your knowing. And even if toxoplasmosis doesn’t affect human brains that way, it’s pretty horrible just thinking about those rats and mice it sends blithely wandering into the path of hungry cats.

If you want to learn more: I’ve learned most of what I know about toxoplasmosis on the internet, but I first found out about the parasite from a YA novel — Scott Westerfeld’s Peeps. The book includes several descriptions of different parasites, including Toxoplasma gondii, and the information is tied into the plot in a very interesting way.

The music of The Way We Fall – “Keep Breathing”

Posted on February 21, 2012 by MeganFebruary 20, 2012

The fourth song on The Way We Fall‘s unofficial soundtrack is Ingrid Michaelson’s “Keep Breathing”:

When I’m making up my soundtrack lists, I try to arrange the songs in approximate chronological order, relative to the story. So “Keep Breathing” is one I associate with the early events. The tone isn’t too dark and gloomy yet. The townspeople are trying to pretend there’s nothing to be worried about (“People are dying, I close my blinds”). Kaelyn wants to help, wants to keep working on being the stronger person she hoped to become, but her father’s trying to keep her home, away from anything dangerous (“I want to change the world/instead I sleep”). And ultimately, without any cure or even a clear idea of what the virus has in store for them, all anyone really can do is wait and keep living, keep breathing.