More Scottish Fun: Accent Challenge and Slang

currently playing on my iPod: Electric Landlady by Kila

As I continue my research for my current ya speculative fiction, I thought I’d share more fun Scottish stuff via youtube.

I love/hate youtube. It can be a disgusting and sad place. BUT it’s also a treasure trove of experience, of give and take with people far across the pond. The first video I listed below was created by a Scottish girl who wanted to clear some slang-related things up for us non-Scottish folk. This southern US girl had to listen to her several times to understand all the words. Totally fun. It brought me right back to my UK trip this past summer.

Here she is.

This second video is a boy with a beautiful accent. He reads a list of words (part of the Accent Challenge) in such a straightforward manner that I just had to laugh. So Scottish. : )

Here he is.

Now there is a big difference in accents around Scotland. This video discusses some of the differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow. There is a good bit of heat between the two cities, but I’m not here to take a side. Enjoy this girl’s editorialized talk concerning the accents in the two places.

If you have any videos to suggest or other references, don’t be afraid to share in the comments below.

Action Scenes: A Fighter’s Perspective

I guest blogged over at The Padded Room. Check it out, but be warned. I get pretty passionate about these things, seeing as I teach self defense.

Parnassus: A Book Store that is Actually Working

currently playing on my iPod: The Loneliness and the Scream by Frightened Rabbit

My dear uncle *waves at the all-too-funny chemistry prof who used to play laser tag with me,* sent me a link today about Nashville’s own Parnassus bookstore.

I’ve been worried about them during this shopping season.

Why?

Because people talk big about loving books but when the time comes to buy stuff, they choose digital. It’s fun. It’s fast. Everyone is doing it. I’m not here to slam it. I read digital books quite often these budget tight days. But when it comes to my Christmas list, I want a beautiful book under the tree. I don’t want to have to charge it, hold it the right way to avoid the glare, or share it with Angry Bird loving preschoolers.

On the behalf of Parnassus and all the other bookstores struggling out there, I worried I was becoming a minority.

Not so!

It seems many of my fellow Nashvillians also long for a lovely tome under their Christmas tree or menorah. And we want it from a local spot, not Amazon!

Check this link out. Very interesting.

Good work, Parnassus! Stay strong!

The Next Big Thing (Week 24)

A friend of mine, Peter Burton, invited me to participate in a q & a about one of my works-in-progress. I figured, why not? So here goes…(drums please)

1-What is the working title of your book? The Sway

2- Where did the idea come from for the book? My obsession with trees and a three year study of European Green Man folklore and Celtic mythology.

3- What genre does your book fall under? Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Ha! I love this question. Thomas McDonall, the guy from the movie Prom and the T.V. series Suburgatory, could be my male lead. I always pictured a younger version of Megan Fox as my main character. I adore Jeremy Irons, so he could be the first incarnation of my possessed bad guys.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A seventeen-year-old girl must master a Druidic ritual to free the boy she loves before a Celtic deity morphs him into a legendary overlord of the tree men, bent on destroying civilization.

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? We shall see.

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Around five months, give or take a bottle of wine

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Although my book is firmly set in today’s world, I hope fans of Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson will enjoy The Sway.

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book? Strange paintings of green men found in churches and on architecture throughout Europe inspired me. My passion for history and my longing for a world lit only by fire also pushed my story along.

10- What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? If you’re a fan of hot historical guys, who kick a** and think outside the box, you’ll love my male lead. He’s a Celt. Torcs are the new tattoos.

I tagged two of my talented writer pals for next week (Week 25). Check out their blogs next Wednesday, November 21st, when it’s their turn to post answers to these same questions about their own works-in-progress!

D.B. Graves
Cate Hart

Kaitlin Adams

Let Those Chickens Run!

currently playing on my iPod: La Vie En Rose by Sophie Milman

I have chickens. Why? you ask. Because they’re funny, and if push comes to shove, also dinner. And occasionally, they bring on a brainstorm. Just listen.

Today my chickens escaped their run, and instead of herding them up right away, I let them run. I thought they’d scamper down the easy path toward the creek and ultimate freeeeeedom (must say with faux Scots accent), but no, they pushed right into a calf-high leaf pile. Hm.

Perhaps they aren’t as smart as I hoped. Maybe they like to play in leaf piles. They certainly rummaged around for a while, happily clucking. What if one of them spied a mealworm the size of a corn dog and is bragging about it right now as they settle in for the night?

The point is, the girls didn’t behave as I thought they would.

The characters in your wip can be like that.

If you let them.

With no outline in sight, write an exciting scene like a chase, a make-out session, or a snarly confrontation. Listen to your characters’ voices, not yours. Permit them to get angry or become apathetic, “watching” the other characters’ reactions. Allow them to do something horrible.

Let your chickens run.

They might just go for the leaf pile and surprise you.

Why You Need A Critique Group

currently playing on my iPod: You Need Me, I Don’t Need You

Contrary to the song I’m listening to, I DO need you. Well, not you, specifically, but people. Yesterday evening I met with my critique group and was reminded once again of how very important they are. I am fortunate to have found a group with all the necessary criteria.

Criteria? you ask. Yes. Certain aspects must exist within a crit group.

I’ll give you a list. I heart lists like crazy.

1. Honesty–If you find a group of writers who truly want to improve, they will strive to be straightforward about what they like, where they are confused, and which characters pissed them off and why. THERE IS A REASON THIS IS #1 ON THE OL’ LIST HERE. Without honesty, you’re just a group of people having fun and being too nice. That’s cool, but it’s not going to move you toward being a better writer.

2. Creativity–This is my favorite part of working with partners. When you find a plot hole or something that isn’t working in your story, good crit groups will brainstorm with you. They will put down their phones (Btw, no one in my group got theirs out for personal use during our two hour session. Not even once. Radness.), and they will bounce ideas off you and the others about how to fix your problem. Besides being a total blast, such brainstorming really enhances your story.

3. Sense of humor–Don’t underestimate the importance of having a good laugh at each session. If you share a similar funny bone with your partners, you’ll be more prone to make it to those meetings. Fun=Iwanttogotothere

4. Same general genre, different sub genres–Every person in my group writes either YA or MG. We are familiar with the necessary voice in these genres and what’s already out there. That being said, we all write in different sub genres: paranormal, mystery, speculative fiction, dystopian, steampunk. Reading bits from all types of stories keeps us excited about editing/revising/brainstorming.

If you are serious about writing, look around the web for crit group opportunities. That’s where I started. I found my first partner on AgentQueryConnect. I met my other group members at the SCBWI conference. If you keep your eyes open, you’ll find a group that works for you. Just remember, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Be patient. And we all need a bit of praise to go along with that brutal honesty. We are human.

Eerie Halloween Reading

currently playing on my iPod: Madness by Muse

In honor of my favorite holiday, here is a list of super creepy stuff to read around Halloween.

1. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness  This book includes some Salem lore, lots of magic, and a great little Halloween scene toward the end. LOVE this book.

2. The Poe-et’s Nightmare by H.P. Lovecraft  This little uber eerie piece, along with the one listed below, inspired the creepiest scene in my latest manuscript.

3. The Tomb by H.P. Lovecraft  I first heard this on Stuff You Should Know podcast. Josh and Chuck read it aloud and I fell in love with the stomach churning short.

4. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare  Okay, so this one doesn’t usually go hand in hand with Halloween, but I love it. For some reason it can really creep me out.

5. The Ghost-Eye Tree by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault  This is a kid book,  but I’m kind of obsessed with trees so it works for me. Look it up. You’ll like it.

6. Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge  With foul and folkloric omens, this poem will give you shivers. Plus, the words are just so PURTY.

7. Inferno by Dante Alighieri  A classic. It had me at “What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear.”

What are your favorite spooky reads? I’d love to hear about them.

I’ll be back soon with my own creepy short story.