2015 Creative Goals
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Category Archives: real life
2014 Creative Goals: Final Report
Well … here’s how I did on my creative goals in 2014. I’m going to consider it a successful year, and it really helped me shape more realistic creative goals for 2015, which you’ll see on the blog tomorrow!
Dear Diary: December 2014
December is traditionally a hard month for me, especially right around the holidays. This one was pretty great … right up until Christmas. I got sick on the 23rd and ended up delaying my trip home for Christmas by a day. Then, at my parents’ house, I had an allergic reaction to their sweet puppy and woke up on Christmas Day with my right eye comically swollen. I spent Christmas in bed.
But let’s talk about the other parts of December!
I met up with some amazing fellow writers to discuss our novels, which was so fun and encouraging. We laughed a lot, and everyone left eager to write!
Speaking of, I wrote a LOT. I try to write 1000+ words a day, with the exception of Mondays. I feel creative and limber and excited and terrified– though sometimes the terror abates and I just get to revel in the art of creation. Mmm.
Hunger Mountain posted an Prizewinner Issue of their literary magazine online. You can read my story “Covered Up Our Names” on their site. It’s about teenagers living and dying in hospice care, and I’m really proud of how it turned out. It was one of those stories that I sat down to write and just … wrote it. It was nearly all there in the first draft, which almost never happens for me.
I’m going to teach a class on the art of querying at the Loft’s Children’s and Young Adult Writing Conference this upcoming spring! I’m so excited and I’ll be sure to share more information when the event details go online.
How was your December? What are you looking forward to in January? Do you create new years resolutions, and if so, care to share?
Reflections on 2014, Hopes for 2015
2014.
Oh you incredible, horrible, overwhelming, rewarding year.
I could sum it up as The Year of Revisions.
I’d never experienced such an intense, prolonged critique journey. It incited panic in me and pushed me back into therapy. But MY GOSH, PEOPLE, I am so proud of Truest. I’ve said before– and I’ll say it again now– that my editor at HarperCollins is a genius and she pushed me beyond my own talent into a whole new level. I am so, so grateful for her. Jill, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU. I’m so honored to have worked with you on Truest, and I feel so blessed to get to partner with you again for the next story.
2014 was also The Year of Asking for Help. Over the years, I’ve gotten better and better at acknowledging my own shortcomings and issues and needs and then reaching out for help. And not being ashamed to do it either.
2015.
The year I debut as a novelist!
I’m so excited– and nervous– to share my novel with everyone. Certain things are starting to occur to me, like WHOA, MY BOOK WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER and WHOA, MY BOOK WILL BE ON SHELVES and WHOA, MY BOOK WILL BE REVIEWED ON BLOGS. I about had a heart attack when I saw Truest appear on a list of books this blogger is looking forward to.
SO much to look forward to:
The big cover reveal! (I love it so much and cannot wait for you all to see it! Teaser: it has bright, beautiful blues and greens and a hand-painted title!)
A book release party!
Writing and revising my next book!
(Hopefully) hearing from kind people who enjoy Truest!
2013 was The Year of the Book Deal. 2015 will be The Year of the Book Release. 2014, as you can imagine, was a bridge. Or maybe a tunnel.
It’s so exciting to see the light.
Random Facts about Me
1. The only countries I’ve been to outside of the US are the Dominican Republic and Canada. Both of those trips were in high school. I’d very much like to see others, but I don’t want to travel alone.
2. The nurse who helped deliver me as a baby was also the nurse who gave me my shots for college, and I kept thinking how she was probably thinking how much of a baby I still was. (I really hate needles.)
3. My favorite hardwood is cherry. There’s a lot of it in my apartment.
4. My college friend Yexy was an international student from Venezuela who called me by a nickname for most of college. When I finally asked what it meant, it was “Jackie from Hell.” Thanks, Yexy.
5. I like visual art a lot. You should check out Loui Jover.
6. I grew up on a tiny beef farm. Sorry to my vegetarian readers.
7. My car’s radio is most often tuned to the 90s station on satellite radio. Love me some Gin Blossoms.
8. In college, I wanted to create a commune and live with all my friends. These days, that sounds horrible.
9. I think I’m funnier in real life than I am in my writing.
10. My favorite sports teams are the Wimbledon Wimbly Womblies and the Swindontown Swoodilypoopers. DFTBA.
Recent Reads
Janie Face to Face by Caroline B. Cooney | Do you remember The Face on the Milk Carton? It was published back in 1990 and was an important book in my childhood, about a girl who saw a picture of herself on a milk carton ad about an abducted child. This book is the last of the Janie books, and I think it was mostly nostalgia and the desire for a neat conclusion that drove me to read it. The sad truth is that I didn’t find it well-written, which confused me and made me wonder if maybe Milk Carton hadn’t been as good as I’d thought. So I went back to it, and no– it still held up. But Janie Face to Face just didn’t. It covered years much too quickly, and it made Janie and Reeve seem a bit ridiculous. It was a let-down, but at least now I know what happened to everyone!
Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith | This book was fascinating and visceral, exciting and sad and overwhelming. It’s the story of Kiri, a piano prodigy whose parents leave her at home for a month while they travel the world, and about what happens while they’re gone (hint: a lot). It was an eye-opening look at bipolar disorder, and I’ve already added Smith’s next book to be TBR list, though it doesn’t come out till May.
Undivided by Neal Shusterman | Wow, okay. So, you guys know that I have been dying for this final book in the Unwind Dystology, and it did not disappoint! In fact, I have a confession to make: at one point, I was so overwhelmed with the story that I had to peek at the ending. Isn’t that just awful? I try not to do that, but Shusterman is such an intense, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, nothing-is-too-sacred-to-keep writer that I just had to. Anyway, I was very, very pleased with the book, and I’m going to write up a whole blog post about this series, since I’m such a big fan. I highly recommend this series but have to warn you: it contains some of the most intense scenes I’ve ever read. Actually, the first book– Unwind— has a scene that might haunt me till the day I die. Worth. It.
Magnolia by Kristi Cook | This book was billed as a “backward Romeo and Juliet“– that is, the families want the kids together, but the kids are not interested. It wasn’t really my cup of tea (or sweet tea– it’s a Southern novel!) because I didn’t think the main characters had much chemistry. (Gosh, I hate bad-mouthing books because I know how much work goes into them! I’m sure lots of other people will like this book, but it wasn’t for me.)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater | I’ve basically been frothing at the mouth for this book, and– as one would expect from Maggie Stiefvater– it was fantastic. Her characters just kill me. They are so deep and complicated and broken and beautiful. I hope that someday I can write such intense, complex characters as Stiefvater does. To be honest, I’d not be particularly interested in the premises of her books (which tend to be about things like mythical water horses and sleeping Welsh kings), but the characters make everything more than worth it. This is the third book in a four-book series, so I’ll return to my frothing-at-the-mouth for now.
Shaking the Trees by Azra Tabassum | Another poet I found via Tumblr. I really liked this book, though I did think that the poems suffered a tiny bit from her young age. One thing that I really loved about this collection of poems was that there was a narrative arc to the poems. You actually follow a couple through the highs and lows of their relationship as you go through the pages, which was incredibly satisfying and something I’ll be looking for in future poetry books.
And for the little readers …
The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak | This book is so much fun! It doesn’t have pictures, but the words are so fun and goofy that kids will love it anyway. I love the way that Novak is able to display the power of words alone to young readers via this book. I bought several copies already.
This is a Poem that Heals Fish by Jean-Pierre Simeon | My friend Kathy Ellen Davis, a fantastic children’s writer herself (check out her website here!), sent me this book, and it was fun and lovely and a super adorable search for the answer to What exactly is a poem? I loved it so much and can’t wait to read it to my favorite kiddos!
What have you been reading lately?
Brave or Crazy, Maybe Both
Last winter, I began a story about a girl with trust issues whose childhood nemesis returns to the island where she lives and stirs up her life. I quickly fell in love with these characters– Maggie, a headstrong tomboy, and Penn, a young man about to burst into flames– and there was no doubt in my mind that their story would be my second novel.
After I finished my final draft of Truest, I spent October diving into research for my story, even booking a trip out to Seattle and to Friday Harbor to do on-site exploration.
I also started to experience complete mental/emotional breakdowns. I had two in the course of about eight days, and then I started to buckle down and get serious. November arrived, and I promised to treat my writer-soul with kindness for the month and to write for an hour a day.
And then I woke up one Saturday morning, and I lay in my bed thinking, I’m not excited to spend time with these characters right now. I need to write a different story.
I got up, emailed my editor about it, a desperate cry of “I’m scared of my current WIP, but I’m scared of my other idea too. What do you think I should do?” and as soon as I clicked send, I thought, I hope she tells me to start over with my next idea.
Well, I thought. There’s your answer.
So, to shorten this already long story, I’ve started over. I’ve set Penn and Maggie, their island in the Puget Sound, and hours upon hours of research, and 65k words on the backburner, cancelled my trip to the Pacific Northwest, and have launched enthusiastically into a new story which takes place in northeast Minneapolis. I’d like to introduce you to Rowen and Asa, two Twin Cities natives looking for love, freedom, and themselves. They’re brilliant and fun and just as eager for spring as I am.
You can read a little more about my next novel here (and if you wanted to leave an encouraging comment, that would be especially useful to this tired and frazzled author).
Come on, it’s not hard to imagine that magic happens daily in a place like this:
Dear Diary: November 2014
I can’t decide if November 2014 was the slowest or fastest month of my life. What I do know is that it was an important one: I finally reached a breaking point and made a really, really huge decision … which I’ll tell you about on the blog in the next couple of days. Stay tuned. (I know, I know: so mysterious!)
I celebrated my friend Ashley’s birthday AND the birth of Ashley’s sweet baby girl.
I went to a musical, an art show, and a party celebrating The Scorpio Races (I know you’re jealous).
I spoke for Northwestern’s chapel about OCD. The students were a perfect, receptive, empathetic, fun audience.
I celebrated the one-year anniversary of my book deal.
I spent a week writing in Duluth. Yes, that same beautiful condotel that I always go to. So perfect. (Did you know I started my second draft of Truest there, as well as my second-to-last and last drafts? Now it was time to spend time with new characters in that lovely place.)
How was November for you? Please visit my blog again over the next few days to learn what huge decision November pushed me into!
More Questions from Blog Readers
Have you ever doubted your ability as a writer?
Yes. Usually daily.
Would you ever consider writing a biography or non-fiction book?
Never say never, but for right now, I’m only interested in writing fiction. I am in love with the power and freedom of it.
How did you begin your journey to writing?
First by telling stories verbally and through pictures as a child– and then eventually using words once that trusty alphabet entered my life. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love stories. I wrote through childhood and my teen years, then studied creative writing in college. After undergrad, I spent three years reading book after book to cultivate myself for future writing, and then I jumped.
When does your book come out?
September 1, 2015! Add Truest on Goodreads! By the way, I cannot wait to show you guys the cover. Stay tuned: the big reveal will likely be in February.
How do you have such an active writing life without drinking coffee?
Ha! Good question. I just have never been a coffee drinker. I actually don’t drink anything with caffeine in it. Creativity energizes me. (Though, let’s be honest, it can exhaust too!)
Is writing fiction something that should be left to “writers,” or are people from other walks of life wise to try?
All writers were “people from other walks of life” until they started writing.
Have you ever had paranoia or hallucinations in addition to your OCD?
Not hallucinations, but yes, paranoia. And it was ugly, ugly, ugly. I was trapped inside distrust, fears, and hellish lies. The paranoia is what finally prompted me to seek help– shortly thereafter, I was diagnosed with OCD. The paranoia inspired Truest.
Do you think the Bible is literally true, and do you think someone needs to believe that to be a Christian?
I think most of the Bible is literally true, though I think that some parts of the Bible are stories and poems with truth in them. I think that someone needs to believe the gospel (the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ) is literally true in order to be a Christian.
How do I protect people in my life if I’m writing a memoir?
Change names and details. Wait till people die. Or take Anne Lamott’s advice: “You own everything that happend to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”
What makes you an Evangelical?
Well, Evangelicalism is “a world-wide Protestant movement maintaining that the essence of the gospel consists in the doctrine of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ‘s atonement.” I fall decidedly into that category. Evangelicals generally believe in the concept of being “born again,” the authority of the Bible, the critical importance of Christ’s death and resurrection, and about sharing this good news with others. That’s me all over, though I will stipulate that my “sharing the good news” might look different than others’ evangelism. Some people go door to door or give our tracts on street corners. I chose to write a book that expresses my worldview.
What else would you like to know?
3 Tips for Being Intentional with Setting & Description
As I’ve said before, I’m not naturally good at description in my writing. It’s an area of weakness of mine, but since I’ve identified it as such, I can make intentional efforts to supercede that weakness.
1. I try to choose a location– or a location within a location– that lends itself to sensory detail. Instead of setting the scene in a regular old room, why not on the roof? Or in a church belltower? An abandoned greenhouse? A former-insane-asylum-turned-boarding-school? (My friends were creeped out by that one and steered me away from it. Ha!)
Figure one. I really believe this place is going to find its way into one of my stories one day.
2. I use photos, lots of photos, for reference. The internet is my friend: Pinterest, Tumblr, Google Images, We Heart It. I actually think people would be shocked to learn how much time I spend looking for images– but the pictures help me find the words.
Figure two. I’d have a hard time describing such a scene as below without the image.
3. I write the senses at the top of a document and go scene by scene, asking what the characters could see, hear, taste, smell, or touch in that particular scene. This sensory document for Truest ended up to be fourteen pages. Then, back through the manuscript to graft the details in so that readers don’t see the seams.
Figure three. The red means that I ended up using the detail.
Your turn, writers: what are your best tools for setting and description? Does it come naturally to you, or do you have to “fight for it” the way I do?
JACKIE LEA SOMMERS 