Don’t be a ZUNE!

I had an epiphany last week when I heard Steve Jobs passed away. He was such an amazing pioneer—a trail blazer in his field.

Does anyone remember when the Microsoft Zune came out? Are they still even around? I remember thinking that the Zune was too late. They were playing catch up. There was no way they would be as successful at the ipod.

Do you ever feel like you are playing catch up to the publishing world? What Stephenie Meyer did for vampires won’t be duplicated. I’ve even heard agents recently say, “NO MORE VAMPIRE BOOKS!” Which sucks if you love vampires and it’s your passion to write about them.

So how do you know if you have written a Zune—an idea that has already been done better? I think you have to be really honest with yourself. And if you aren’t getting any intrest from agents maybe you need to shelve it and try something new.

Author Janice Hardy wrote about this on her blog (read her full post here): My first novel was doomed because it was just another fantasy novel with a prophecy and a chosen one. Even the best-written novel can't be saved by an idea that's been done to death. Fresh ideas can get you a long way. Lots of people can write well, but not everyone can come up with awesome ideas.

So the next big thing has to be fresh! A trail blazing idea! It is out there. Maybe you’ve written it already! I hope so.

-Angie

During WriteOnCon a lot of agents asked for ghost stories especially in MG. Just a thought.

I Love Your Blog

Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse recently posted thoughts on how to create a break-out blog. I loved her ideas. Here are a few of my own. This is what makes me love your blog:

Humor: If you can make me laugh—I’m hooked. It doesn’t have to be stand up comedy. I love quirky, silly, everyday funny. And I truly believe everyone has some humor in them :)

Brevity: If a blog post is brief I’m more likely to read more and more posts. I’m ashamed to say if a post is REALLY long I will skim or skip it entirely. Come on—use your writing skills to be concise.

Knowledge: I want to learn something when I read a blog. Writing tips. Editing Ideas. Metaphors that make me look at things differently. I suck up every bit of learning I can—so share your knowledge.

Sincerity: I love blogs where I really get a sense of the writer. Who they genuinely are is obvious in their posts. Just like in books, I love to see peoples flaws, strengths, wishes, joys. Show me who you are!

What do you look for in blog posts?

-Angie

Light that Spark

I’ve joined in on Christine Tyler’s—The Spark Blogfest. It’s easy and fun. Jump on over to her blog to see how you can participate.

I thought I would answer her three questions—in no particular order :)

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer?
I came to writing later than most. I didn’t study it in college. I didn’t have childhood dreams of writing. But I’ve always had a love affair with reading. I can’t really pinpoint one book. For me it was more of an accumulation of thousands and thousands of books, until one day I thought, “I wonder if I could write a book?”

What author set off the spark for your current WIP?
Different parts of my WIP are inspired by things I love from many authors: Lyrical Language—Shannon Hale, Adventure—Madeleine Brent, Symbolism—C.S. Lewis, Emotional Romance—Stephenie Meyer, Surprising Twists—Agatha Christie, and then a lot of authors taught me what I didn’t ever want to do—but it’s tacky to mention them :)

Is there a book or author that changed your world view?
This has happened to me multiple times over the years but the first memory I have off this is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. I read it fairly young 11 or 12 and I loved it. I remember thinking that I never wanted to be the kind of person who judged others.

Well there you have it :) Riveting, I know. Join in and comment below so I can check out your answers.

-Angie

Inspiration or Bust!

I’m off on a week long trip to the Land of Enchantment—the amazing New Mexico. (I will not reveal whether amazing is meant sarcastically or not—you will have to guess from the font:)

I’m looking forward to 9 hours in the car with 3 kids. I get some of my best ideas when I drive. I keep a little notebook in my purse to write down my ideas. I’ve written whole chapters in the car. Dangerous—I know! Sometimes I get my 12 year old to write for me, but he has dreadful handwriting.

I am VERY inspired by nature. More than one sunset has jumpstarted a chapter. I like to think about settings and mood, then I get ideas on how to fit my characters and plot into whatever world I’m envisioning.

When do you get your best ideas?

-Angie