You Know You've Made It When You Become a Muppet

     I took a silly quiz on facebook and discovered that my Sesame Street character soul mate is The Count Von Count. Dude, I never even knew The Count’s full name, but he and I might as well be twins. I share The Count’s exuberance when it comes to education, although I’m not as big on math as he is. I love his accent and his house. (Which reminds me, when can I move into the castle?) I love the rain and thunderstorms that The Count’s very presence seems to stir up. Those superimposed numbers in the sky? That sometimes happens to me! I’m also a fan of scary movies, bats, jokes and peanut butter sandwiches—just like him. I like to count, although I’m not as obsessive about it as my Sesame Street familiar. In other words, I was completely satisfied with the results of this quiz, unlike so many I’ve taken before. It quickly dawned on me that any of the Sesame Street characters would’ve been just as enjoyable to be compared to. I mean, even Oscar has his moments. (If you could see my family room right now, you’d see definite parallels—I might as well be living in a trash heap, and I’m accordingly grouchy.)

     The writers of this timeless kids show have cornered the market on taking the absolute best traits of humanity and personifying them with utter brilliance in these lovable muppets. Every character is so relatable. It’s pure genius. There is a lesson to be learned from watching Sesame Street, even at my age. I figure if I could just harness a fraction of this skill in my YA stories, I’d have some truly memorable characters in my books that would appeal to today’s youth and beyond.

     Which got me thinking of the blog I always wanted to write, the one that argues you’ve made it when they base a Muppet on you. In my opinion, only then will you have truly arrived.

     All my friends know I would someday like to be a published author. I’m old enough and I’ve reached enough goals to know that even if this milestone comes to be, I’ll still occasionally fall victim to the same doubts and insecurities I face now. I can tell by following the blogs of authors who have made it. They don’t seem like they've discovered the secret of the universe. They seem like normal, everyday people--relatably human. But if I became a Muppet…

     I can’t help but imagine there is no way I would ever doubt myself again. I would be a FUZZY PUPPET GOD! Interestingly enough, there is another connection between the Muppets and making it big. Amanda Hocking put her first book up on amazon to get enough money to attend an exhibition on Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. You can read the story here.

     And then scroll through the people already in the hallowed club of Muppetdom.

Richard Belzer

Matt Lauer
 (My husband's lookalike)

Ann Curry

Willard Scott

C-Lo

Al Roker

While I’m super jealous, I won't count myself out. Someday I, too, might end up a Muppet. (Tell me, is that more or less likely than publication?) Until then, I guess I'll have to settle for being The Count on a facebook quiz.

I've Got Wry But I'm Not a Writer

 I’m so excited to be able to finally say that I have finished my mystery/thriller submission for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest this year. Although one would imagine this to be a big thing to celebrate, it has been designated small as more of a nod to all the work that lies ahead. Already revised many, many times, the manuscript is now with my wonderful, beautiful, all-good, very lovely critique group, who will chime in with revisions in about a month. After those revisions I will begin querying—no matter how far along in the contest I get. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that I need a plan at every step, so I framed out exactly how long I’ll allow myself to entice nibbles. After that period has expired, I will seriously investigate self-publishing. Because, while I feel my book is excellent and ready for publication at this distinct point in time, that feeling can whoosh out with one repeated word. This time I’m determined not to let that hold me back.  

     In the meantime, I’d like to ponder a method I often use in lieu of an outline to keep my writing on track. In The Makegood Murder, I’ve aligned my story with a truly great song from a group I admire. The story has nothing to do with the song, of course--I’d never infringe upon anyone’s copyright--but it has given me pages and pages of inspiration. I’ve listened to the song many times over the course of writing and I’ve incorporated it into the narrative by having one of my characters use it as his ringtone. (He’s a cop, so his choice makes sense in an ironic way.) 

Many a daydream has been composed to the tune of All These Things That I’ve Done, the most satisfying of which is the one featuring the opening credits of the movie version of my book. (Yeah, I know I have to get the damn thing published first. A girl can daydream! Killjoys.)

     I’m not the first writer to do this, obviously. I’ve seen many songs quoted at the beginning of various books—as I’m sure you all have. Wally Lamb’s book titles are verses from songs. Colleen Hoover has blogged about The Avett Brothers’ influence in her YA and New Adult romances and has even hooked up with a musician for the launch of her newest book. (A stroke of marketing genius, in my opinion.)

     Now my biggest fear is that the greatness of the song has overflowed, inflating my affection for the book. Am I overestimating The Makegood Murder simply because allusions to a great song are weaved throughout? Only time will tell. Until then, I wonder if anyone else has had a song inspire them?

You Are Here

 

                    Or, actually...   here.



To put things into perspective,
this is Earth from Voyager 1 in 1990.

First off, thanks to all you ABNA-ers who have stopped by. That’s why I love the contest. Such a good kick in the pants to do productive writerly things. While I didn’t have much work to do on my manuscript (since I’ve been fanatically editing all year and have rewritten the pitch more times than I’m willing to admit) you guys have inspired me to beef up my blog.

     Today I’ve got geography on the brain. I wonder if you are like me in thinking that where you're born (and where you live now) affects your writing.

     I am from Detroit. I grew up here. I get the D. Granted, I don’t live downtown, but Detroit is the nearest metropolitan area, not to mention the skin crinkle on my hand to which I point when people ask where I’m from. I attended college there, which was a wonderful, formative experience, and worked for many years on automotive ads that symbolize the city and its peeps. Detroit seeps into my writing in sometimes subtle, sometimes glaring ways. Do you feel the same? Perhaps there are cities you’ve lived in that show up in your writing more than others? Let me know in comments, s’il vous plait.

Not Imported From Detroit. Just set there.

     In my case Detroit adds a layer of rage, drive and grit to my characters. (What do you expect from people living in the shadow of a huge fist?) I sense a like feel in the works of other writers who hail from the area. By the same token, I can always spot an author who tries to “write Detroit” without ever having been here. An example that comes to mind is Linda Howard in Mr. Perfect. She does her research and tries to get it down pat, but there is something lacking. I can almost envision her as she picks some Detroiter’s brain via phone (she admits as much in her acknowledgements), instead of making the requisite road trip. (In all fairness, who wants to come here?) As a result, the worship of cars isn't as seamless as it should be, and appears to be photoshopped in, as incongruous as a Hemi engine on a Volkswagen bug. Howard has no grasp of how the love of cars is woven intricately into our lives. 

     Similarly, I remember reading somewhere that Stephenie Meyer resorted to Google in her search for an atmosphere in which vampires could thrive. That's how she came up with Washington. Because of this, I'd argue that her depiction of the area is as soulless as the Cullens. In contrast, Debbie Macomber’s work (Yeah, Debbie, Linda Howard. I read romance. Wanna make something of it?) brings to life the majesty of the Pacific Northwest in her Cedar Cove series. Her love for the geography she's chosen for her characters shines out of every paper pore (or pixel for you ebook junkies).

     I feel strongly that we must build our worlds on a firm foundation of reality if we are using a real-world locale. Take my advice. Don’t try to fudge it. The people who populate those actual places will end up feeling resentful, and that is hard to get around, no matter how good the story.