Road Trip Wednesday: When you need creative inspiration, where do you go?

The other day a friend asked me where I write.

"In bed..." I said sheepishly.
"WHAT?!" She was astounded. I tried to qualify my answer.
"Not, like, under the covers or anything -- just, on the bed itself."

"But...why?" she asked.

And I told her the truth - "Because that's where the magic happens."

(Get your minds out of the gutter -- not THAT magic.)

My bedroom has three windows, two facing northeast and one facing north. At most times of the day, I have significant natural light. That light, for whatever reason, energizes me. That light inspires me to write. I've tried writing at a desk, the dining room table, my living room -- but in my bedroom, on my bed, facing those windows, I'm like the author equivalent of a solar panel. I'm recharged.
However, there are rainy days. There are nights. There are times when even the perfect natural light can't spark a single sentence. On those days, I have a few things I turn to that work wonders for my writing.


1. Other YA books I admire. I am a re-reader. Some people are, some people aren't. I have always been this way, ever since I read and fell in love with Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. I adored the book. My copy, probably 20 years old now, is so worn and water warped (from being dropped in the bathtub) that it's sort of silly that I haven't bought another. As an adult and as a YA writer, I have other books I turn to -- Teach Me by RA Nelson, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by AS King, Liar by Justine Larbalestier, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher...the list could go on.


2. Poetry. I started out my writing life as a poet -- my MFA is in poetry and it is, in all ways, my first true form of expression. Sometimes, when I need to tap into emotions I can't access in my writing, I turn to some of my favorite poets to inspire my words -- Shara McCallum, Kim Addonizio, Stephen Dobyns, Li-Young Lee, and others. In fact, Li-Young Lee gave me my absolute favorite book autograph of all time:

City to City, Interior to Interior, My heart to yours. Li-Young Lee.

 How much does that rock???

3. Cooking. It's what I create when I can't create words. I'm actually more of a baker than anything else, which is funny since I am far from exacting and not exactly science-inclined. But baking soothes me. It can be something easy, like boxed brownies, or something more complex, like the four-layer German Chocolate Cake with Pecan-Coconut Filling I made last week. Baking allows me to refuel and still feel a sense of accomplishment.

How about you? How do you get inspired?

Road Trip Wednesday: Lights! Camera! Action!

Today's Road Trip Wednesday over at YA Highway is about movies: more specifically - What movie have you seen that actually (gasp!) improved on the book?

I took all day to think about this. Yeah, really -- I know, I probably should have been writing. But, honestly, I feel like it matters when you say that something written is better when it's not written anymore and is, rather, acted out. I looked at my bookshelves a few times today. I thought about some of my favorite movies and books. Here's what I came up with:

1. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club (the book) is a character piece. In some cases, character-driven books are best as books. For me, Fight club came alive as a movie. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt embody their roles with total commitment and, which the book itself might be a bit more poetic, the movie is a visual masterpiece. I am not going to mention the obvious -- that Brad Pitt is freakin' fine. Okay, there, I mentioned it.

2. Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw / My Fair Lady

I know, I know. This is technically a play. I can't help it, though. While the play is phenomenal, I, frankly, wouldn't give two shits about it if it weren't for My Fair Lady. I ADORE this movie. It was my favorite growing up. It's still in my top ten. Rex Harrison is both sexy and loathsome and Audrey Hepburn is, well, Audrey Hepburn. Love Love Love Love.

3. And my tie - my favorite book and my not-quite-but-almost favorite movie

I love this book -- when I'm looking for something to remind me how to craft interesting prose, I always turn to Bram Stoker. He was working the multi-genre angle when the Bronte sisters were still plotting paragraphs. Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect from Stoker's female counterparts -- but Stoker knew how to make a book move. Pacing was his forte. Similarly, Coppola's film version is beautifully paced and extremely evocative. Even with Keanu in it.

And, with that, I leave you with a question and a reality. The question - what is your favorite book-to-film adaptation? The reality - Francis Ford Coppola is a total gangsta and he was sexualizing vampires when Stephanie Meyer was still in diapers. ;)



Most Likely To Succeed

Thanks to YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday, I've been compelled to think about...high school. Which isn't so much of a stretch, since I teach high school. And write about high school students. So, really, it's just another day.

Yesterday's topic was, "What yearbook superlative catagory would your character win?"

When I first started teaching high school, I was shocked to find out that they didn't have superlatives. WHAT??? No "Most Likely to Succeed"? No "Biggest Flirt"? It's like a high school right of passage! (I was thisclose to getting "Most Dramatic" but, alas, I didn't win.)

In TASTE TEST, my main character, Nora, probably wouldn't have won have superlative -- at least, not if life had remained status quo. Because she leaves and heads to a reality tv cooking show for teens (called Taste Test - hence the title :) ) I think it's possibly that she could have/would have gotten most changed. Nora goes from working the counter at her dad's BBQ stand in North Carolina to cooking for famous culinary figures at a prestigious academy. If that isn't a change, I don't know what is!

One thing I find interesting, though, is that other characters in my WIPs also probably wouldn't have won superlatives. Apparently, I write very "fly under the radar" type of characters. I'm not really sure what that means. :)

Road Trip Wednesday -- Favorite Books of June

YA Highway, one of my favorite writer blogs EVER, holds a Road Trip Wednesday every week, where they ask fellow authors/bloggers/readers, etc. a book-related question. Today's was, "What was the best book you read in June?"

I have two -- one's a re-read, but I love it so SO much that it deserves a shout out. Liar by Justine Larbalestier, is a masterpiece. Seriously. And I don't say that lightly. I have read it three times now -- the first time because I couldn't put it down, but the second two times were actually craft-related. This book inspires me to write. It inspires me to tell stories that are epic and that matter and that ring true, even when unbelievable. And I'm not even going to tell you about this book -- I don't want to give anything away. Just trust me. It's that good.

The second is Clean by Amy Reed, an author I recently discovered. This book is a lovely demonstration of craft as well. Reed seamlessly moves in and out of different character's conciousness. Clean opens in a teen rehab center for substance abusers. We meet five different characters, all of whom are tormented in their own ways. Through intake forms, questionaires, group sessions, and inner monologues, we discover what makes these addicts tick. And tick they do...some of them like clocks, waiting to get out. Some of them like time bombs, waiting to explode.

I hope you'll check these out -- I know you won't me sorry!