Tips?

As I'm going through fanmail, I'm noticing a trend: lots of readers are writing a book of their own and looking for general writing and editing tips. While I can't promise my advice will work for you, here is a short list of things that have helped me.

First, READ. It seems obvious, but more often than not, I have the following conversation with aspiring authors:

Me: You want to write a book? That's great! What are some of your favorite books?

Them: Oh, I don't read much. I don't have time. But I really want to write a book.

Me:

Many, many authors have said it, and I'll say it once more for good measure. Writing is reading. It's virtually impossible to do one without the other. I'm willing to bet most of the world's greatest writers are also wonderful readers. I suggest reading everything you can get your hands on, even if it's a genre you've shied away from in the past. Study books. See what works, and what doesn't. Read for fun, and read for learning. Your writing will improve because of it. I promise.

Second, keep a journal. I wrote faithfully in my journal beginning in junior high school and lasting through college. Looking back, it was great practice in free-writing. I developed my writer's voice. I also recorded my adolescent years, and I refer back to those years often now that I write teen fiction. You never know when an event from your own life will inspire a story. It's happened to me multiple times!

Third, join a critique group. Ask your local bookstore or library if they can direct you to a writers' group. If they can't, consider joining an online group. Sharing my work with others, and getting their feedback, has helped my writing tremendously. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I've learned more about the craft of writing from critiquing others' work. Forcing my brain to distinguish what works, and what doesn't, has helped me grow as a writer.

Next, try pantsing. If that doesn't work, try outlining. When I first started writing Hush, Hush, I drafted the book by the seat of my pants. I let the words flow. I gave no forethought to the story, because I thought organic writing happened when the writer let the story sprout uninhibited from the wellsprings of their mind. I've since changed my viewpoint. I'm a hardcore outliner. I spend 3-6 weeks plotting out my stories before I type, "Once upon a time..." Outlining works wonders for me. Warning: It might not do the same for you.

Finally, trust your instincts. If you're worried the middle of your book sags, it probably does. If you think your hero is lackluster, he probably is. The good news? Up until your book is published, you have time to change all those story weaknesses into strengths. Don't rush the editing process. Spend enough time to make the book the best you can. After the book is published, and readers' reactions start pouring in, you'll be glad you did.

-Becca

Feeling

My husband and I recently moved into a new home. This past weekend, he stopped by our old house one last time to clean out any remaining junk before the new owners move in. I gave him explicit directions to trash anything he found of mine (I grew up with a BIG TIME hoarder and it's not a trait I adopted - if I haven't used an item in six months, it gets tossed), so I was surprised when he returned toting an old, forgotten box bearing my name in faded, black Sharpie. Our conversation went something like this:

ME: That box looks like it started decomposing ten years ago. That can't be a good sign!

HUSBAND: You're gonna want to take a look inside.

ME: You were supposed to trash my stuff! I can't deal with unpacking another box right now. If I see one more packing peanut, I will stab my eye out with a fork!

MY SON (in the background): COOL!

HUSBAND: You're impossible.

ME: Okay, okay! Just don't make me touch the box. (There was a spider nest adhered to the outside.)

I opened the box. Inside, I found bow ties from two of my prom dates - 1995 and 1996! I found high-school graduation announcements, old and intimate and hilarious letters from friends, cross-country medals, all of my A.P English essays, a short story I wrote inspired by Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS, awful, awful poetry, yearbooks, the strand of fake pearls my grandmother insisted I wear to graduation that I secretly plotted to light on fire, my SONY Walkman, and lots and lots of photographs of long-lost souls who shaped my teen years in important, meaningful ways.

Had my husband thrown out the box, I might never have noticed it had gone missing. Nothing in that box is vital to me on a day-to-day basis. And yet, the memories that each of those objects inside sparked are priceless. Little pieces of me that seem like a lifetime away, floating unnoticed for so long in my mind and now helping me remember what it feels like to be a teen. What it feels like to fall in love for the first time. What it feels like to stand up for one friend and betray another--and to feel deep regret in some tender place in my heart over it. Most days, that's what being an author means: feeling. And trying to figure out how to put emotion properly into a story so the reader feels it too.

It's often said that the story chooses the writer, and I believe that. But I also believe the opposite. The writer chooses the story in every step and misstep she takes a long the way, every choice and consequence leaving an impression hidden away to be surreptitiously found and used at some future point.

Cuz all the single ladies hang out at Wal-Mart on Valentine's Day.

Running my first 10k with besties Jenny and Heather. We took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd!

Church Halloween party '94. We swapped uniforms. (Um, is there a fifth hand in the picture?)

Basketball sophomore year. Worst decision of my teen years. I'm so traumatized...I can't even talk about it.

-Becca

Video Interview With My UK Publisher

I am taking a tiny little break from editing SILENCE for my very first post on my brand new blog! (I hope you like it.)

My UK publisher Simon & Schuster UK has posted a video interview with me. I talk about my UK CRESCENDO Tour and a little about the process of writing HUSH HUSH.