Commitment: What it Means to a Writer

The definition of commitment is a pledge or promise; obligation.

Commitment is something all writers need; to themselves, stories, characters, and of course, their critique partners. I’m writing this post, as I sit at my desk at work after hours, several hours late on this post. This week has been crazy for me, and I’m looking forward to the much needed weekend ahead. Being busy doesn’t mean I can put the blog aside; I have an obligation to both my blog partner and the readers. This got me thinking about how big of a commitment writing really is, so I decided to break it down, at least what that word means to me in my writing life.

Commitment to story: Committing to a story can mean many things. Vague, I know, but hear me out. A writer has a certain duty to keeping with the plot of their story. Of course changes come as you complete your story and also in rewrites/edits. Most of the time, once you’ve done research and outlining/plotting the theme of your book will stay the same.
On the other hand, a writer has to commit to a story to be able to rip it apart in edits. You have to know yourself and your story enough to know what you have to do (possibly rewrite the whole story) will be better for your overall story in the end.

Commitment to characters: Committing to characters is a must when writing a solid story. Writers has to dig deep within themselves and question exactly who their characters are, what drives them, makes them who they are throughout the story. Once those questions are answered, you have to be committed to listening to what those answers means to the characters’ actions.

Commitment to critique partners: We’ve talked too much on this blog about critique partners and how important they are to a writer’s improvement. It can’t be said enough. Being a part of a crit group is all about commitment. When agreeing to join a group, a writer has to understand the work that goes into it. If everyone isn’t to everyone within the group, it will not work.

Commitment to finishing: This has to be the most important. Without finishing the book, you have nothing. No matter how hard you commit to the items I listed below, if you don’t see your work to the end, then really you’ve committed to nothing.

Questions for Alyson Noel!

For everyone participating in the YAedge Book Club, or if you just have a question for her, we'll be taking questions for Alyson Noel, author of Evermore this week. Please keep your questions based on any of Alyson's books or writing related. You can post them in either this post, or over at YAedge Book Club by Saturday, March 14th at 10 am PDT.

Don't forget to join in on the Evermore discussion that's heating up! We'll be discussing Evermore until the end of March.

You can vote on April's book in the poll that is located in the sidebar of the YAedge Book Club. The race is on!

The Philosophy of the See Also

A thought occurred to me today. Life can be compared to the ultimate see also. In old school librarianship - we're talking card catalogues with author, title and subject headings entries - a see also cross-references subject headings. It directs the library patron to stuff he/she just might want to check out. Today we'd call them tags, I guess.

Say you’re looking up information on Homes – you may encounter a kindly [see also] Condominiums. A see also narrows the information retrieved from the original search, but it can tweak your interest in other directions. I think we meander through life, following the various see also’s along the way...and why not? There's lots to discover on this journey. [OMG - when did I start thinking like my mother???]

Which word appeals more to you?

Known or Unknown

I've come to the conclusion that life is one great see also after another, taking us down paths we never expected we'd have to navigate. But that's okay. Because otherwise - this would all be just a smidge too boring.

Doesn’t the crooked line capture the eye more than the straight?

Spring is here...well, almost!

Spring is in the air in Southern California. Two weekends ago, we gave the house a good once over, putting away the winter blankets and cleaning out the dust bunnies. Last week, we enjoying fresh squeezed OJ from our orange tree, while planting beautiful rose bushes and a lemon tree as the sun blazed down warming to 80F.

These are the rose bushes that I bought.



Marilyn Monroe roses



Ronald Reagan roses

It feels good to have the house fresh and clean, the new greenery planted, which brings me around to writing. I get the same feeling when I’ve finished a chapter. Not the first draft, or the second, but when I know that I can’t move words around and make it much better. Of course, there could always be small changes, but overall, to look at a chapter, breath in deep and realize it’s clean and fresh is a great accomplishment. The last few weeks, with the help of my great critique partners, I’ve been slogging away at my WIP. Fitting the words together like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to find the cleanest way to present my characters and their feelings. It’s refreshing, and I plan to do just that, sweep the bad words away this weekend while I enjoy my clean house, new flowers and beautiful sunshine.

The Start of the Evermore Discussion on YAedge Book Club

Wednesdays will be all about the YAedge Book Club here at YAedge and to kick it off, I've posted discussion questions to consider while reading. Please join us in talking about Alyson Noel's Evermore!

If you haven't run out and grabbed a copy of the book, don't worry, you still have time. We'll be discussing Evermore the whole month of March. Don't be shy when it comes to discussing the month's selection. We hope to start a fun and lively discussion each month! Don't forget to vote for the April book selection, too!

When visiting the Book Club web page, please take a moment to look over the FAQ and rules.

Can't wait to see you there! Spread the word to all your YA book lover friends.

So Long Futon!

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they realize they are growing up. I had my moment this weekend when my husband and I finally decided we should invest in some REAL living room furniture. AKA rid ourselves of our futons.

We’re not collage kids living in our first apartment anymore. Kraft Dinner is no longer a staple of our diet (although we still whip up a box now and then…ALTHOUGH recently KD has undergone some weird formula change – any one else notice that?? I’m not liking it so much.). We both have jobs, and for the first time in 15 years, we don’t live out of our overdraft each month.

We’re going leather couch and a few leather recliners. It’s time. Ironically we do have a leather couch already – but it is located in our front room where our dogs spend their days while we’re at work, and since there’s no TV in there, we never use it. The photo is of my chocolate lab, Higgins, enjoying his grown up couch.

Alas, while I thank you for the ease on our pocket books, our kinked necks after watching movies all night, and your clunky wooden frames that I always cracked my shins on…my dear futon couches – this is it.

I bid you adieu. May you find a new home at our garage sale this spring.

Now when I curl up on the couch to read March’s YAedge Book Club selection, Evermore, I’ll be in seated bliss!

I'm pleased to present...YAedge Book Club!

Last weekend I was reading a great YA book, Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. As I got deeper into the story, I thought, ‘wow, I would love to talk to a group of YA readers about this book.’ Then it came to me…there is a way! With the help of Tracy and our critique group, we came up with the idea of starting a YAedge Monthly Book Club. I wasn’t sure how the response would be, but after twittering about it, I realized people out there love the idea as much as I do!

Hence the beginning of the YAedge Book Club. We will be launching a new blog linked from YAedge on Sunday, March 1. Each month, readers can vote on the future edgy YA book from a small poll. We’ll invite everyone to read the book and discuss the story, characters, writing and cover art in a constructive manner. Comments can be posted at any time on the blog, yet please no spoilers until the final discussion we will hold at the end of the month. I will be marking the final discussion with a spoiler tag mark. Throughout the month, we’ll also try to interview the author of the selected book.

Without further ado, I’d like to announce the first book in the YAedge Book Club…Evermore by Alyson Noel!

To participate, get your hands on a copy of Evermore at your local library, online, or better yet, your local independent bookseller. Then start the discussion! I can’t wait to chat with all of you about Evermore, the first book in the Immortals series!

Is there anything you’d like to see on the YAedge Book Club blog each month?