The Writer's 777 Challenge

I have been tagged by the talented Maria Ann Green, author of IN THE REARVIEW, to participate in the 777 challenge!

The challenge is quite simple, really: open manuscript, scroll to 7th page, read until the 7th line, paste the following 7 sentences onto your blog for the world to see!

My 7 sentences are from my YA fantasy novel, THE THIRD QUIVER.

Why hide in the shadows?

The king peered past me toward the square I had just left, his expression shifting in a way that turned my blood to ice. It was the way that a father might look as he punished his son in hopes of guiding the child toward better behavior. It was the grim look of hard-dispensed justice. 

“You probably think me a harsh man,” the king said. 

Harsh? To call the king harsh would be a disservice to the word.

And that's all you get. Challenge completed. :)

Meet My Character!

I've been tagged by the oh, so talented Laura Brown Teckman to participate in the Writerly Meme blog tour. And so, I present a glimpse at the protagonist of my current WIP. The above picture, well ... it ain't too far off of a picture of what she looks like most of the time. Humid climate + curly hair = crazy!

1. What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Zephania (Zeph, for short) is fictional.

2. When and where is the story set?

The story is set in Alamea, an East Asian type of island in a fantasy world. The island is one massive jungle with suspension bridges, tree houses, volcanoes, wild animals. Most importantly, it is precariously close to invasion by a pair of magical tyrants.

3. What should we know about him/her?

One of the tyrant rulers of the enemy land used Zeph as an experiment that left her not dead, as supposed, but gifted with a stronger form of the same magic the tyrant possessed. Her friends in Alamea know that much, but Zeph has a secret that could turn the entire island against her if ever anyone found out.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Alamea is content to defend its borders against inevitable attack -- as it should be. The enemy would be at a serious disadvantage trying to traverse the jungles of Alamea. But Zeph needs Alamea to attack on enemy soil (for reasons relating to that nice, big secret of hers).
Of course, when a volcano erupts, every option goes wrong!

5. What is the personal goal of the character?

Zeph has several. But the main goal is to get Alamea to attack the enemy land and join with the revolutionaries there. It's not easy to incite a nation to war - I'll tell you that!

6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

THE THIRD BORN is the working title. And I've really only just begun writing it!

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

Oh, you know. Sometime. ;)


Now, I tag two extremely talented writer friends of mine: Julie Dao and Melody Marshall! Both of these ladies are fantasy writers who, like myself, occasionally dabble in other genres.
Their blogs speak to the heart of every issue a writer faces and on one or the other of their sites you can find inspirational Pinterest boards, music lists, and more information on their projects!

Writer's Block: Real or Hoax?

At a recent conference I attended, one of the authors who spoke made the bold claim, 
           

"I DO NOT BELIEVE IN WRITER'S BLOCK! YOU WRITE, OR YOU DON'T."

                                              (maybe not verbose but pretty close, by my recollection)

And it truly was a powerful moment. There were great cheers and much celebration because, in this light, writer's block was something writers created as an excuse not to write and so the solution was simple: just push through it.

At first, I thought that this idea was as good as they come. But as I slowly sunk into a writing funk (not giving myself permission to call it writer's block since that myth had been firmly debunked), I began to rethink my hasty disdain for the concept of writer's block.

And today, I am reclaiming that nefarious Block! Why?

Because I need something by which to label those times when the act of putting words to page is akin to sewing through rhinoceros hide.

Because I need to define those moments when the muse is screaming for space and inspiration. Let's face it, writers, we have a tendency to suffocate our creativity by hammering "habit" into our lives so ruthlessly (i.e. write for X hours/day, write X words/day, write X scenes/day, etc.).

Because sometimes I need to diagnose myself with a bit of Block to give myself permission to do something else.

Of course, it's up to each writer to determine for his/her own self whether writer's block is real or hoax. For me, it's real. For you?