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It's time for What's Up Wednesday, a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow. Here's what I've been up to this past week!
What I'm reading
I read The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter, which is an absolutely fantastic analysis of what made the series so successful - and lessons to learn for our own writing. I already own more than enough books on writing, but I couldn't resist this one.
I also read The Providence of Fire, the sequel to The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley. Now I'm reading The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead.
What I'm writing
Alliance Book 6. O_O and more O_O and also ;_;
Ending a series is hard, guys.
My writing goal this week: More words! I'm past the halfway point now...
What works for me
Studying other writers' techniques. The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter reminded me that J. K. Rowling is a master of the art of withholding information. Of course, there are a million other reasons to love the Harry Potter series, but I still remember the excitement and speculation in the run-up to the release of the seventh book. The whole world wanted to know whether Snape was a hero or villain, and what really happened when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, and what the other Horcruxes were. And I remember locking myself in my room for a day and reading the Deathly Hallows in one sitting to avoid spoilers. :P
If there's one thing guaranteed to keep me reading a series, it's epic plot twists, hinted-at secrets, and authorly sleight-of-hand. So I try to achieve that in all my books, even if it drives my readers insane. (Sorry. Not sorry. *evil laugh*)
What else is new
I've been formatting the paperback for Adamant. I successfully submitted the files for review without throwing the computer out the window, so that's something. :P I'm not sure how long the shipping to the UK will take, but hopefully I'll have a proof copy of my book in my hands before the end of the month! :D
It's all so exciting with Adamant! And being so close to the end of drafting the whole series must feel even more exciting... if a little daunting, too :)
ReplyDeleteHave an amazing week!
It is a bit daunting, but I still love this series. Thank you! :)
DeleteOh wow, I didn't know there was a writer's guide to Harry Potter! Gonna have to get myself a copy of that, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic! I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before.
DeleteGood luck with your last book. Thanks for sharing. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteOoh, The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter sounds fascinating. I'd not heard of it before, so thanks for the rec. Best of luck with the writing this week, Emma!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of it until recently, either. Thank you! :)
DeleteOkay, now I've got to read The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter! Thanks for making me aware of its existence!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your formatting! I'm in the middle of the same process myself. :)
No problem - I only heard of it recently, too. Thanks! :)
DeleteI also need to find that HP writer's guide. I didn't know it existed!
ReplyDeleteSome people try to bust on Rowling's writing (probably because adverbs are "bad" and any author who uses them now is "bad" = stupid). But there's so much more to storytelling than word choice, and the HP books are so wonderfully plotted. And saving those reveals. OK, I need that book. I've been reading a lot about creating hooks and creating moments in books, and she's great at that.
Is this book only on Kindle? I added it on Goodreads and it said no other editions. I have a Nook boo. I hate reading ebooks on my phone. Eh.
DeleteI didn't know it was only on Kindle. I'd only heard of it recently! It's a very good resource, though. JKR really is the master of plotting!
DeleteI need to check out that Writer's Guide to Harry Potter! I didn't even know it existed. I think J. K. Rowling is the master of plotting and I know I could learn a ton from her (and that book, no doubt.) Thanks for the rec! Hope things continue to go well with Adamant 6 and everything with the release of the first one!
ReplyDeleteI didn't until recently, either! She really is a genius. Thanks! :)
DeleteI also have the Writer's Guide to Harry Potter. I want my Hogwarts story to sound as though it was written by Rowling herself.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a good book, isn't it? Makes me appreciate the series even more!
DeleteThat books sounds epic! Think I'll need to check it out :)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you're on book 6! That is just insane and amazing! Good luck with the rest of it, I'm sure you'll be finished soon.
God, you're so right about Harry Potter as well, JK Rowling is the queen of foreshadowing. It's something I definitely need to learn to do better.
Have a great rest of your week :)
Thanks! :) There are so many awesome lessons to learn from JKR!
DeleteAdding THE WRITERS GUIDE TO HARRY POTTER to my list! Thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteNo problem!
DeleteThat sounds like a great writing book! I definitely could use help with plot twists and witholding information- I'm not great at those.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
It's a great resource! :)
DeleteI've never heard of The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter. I'm going to have to check it out. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteI'm going to have to check out The Writer's Guide to Harry Potter. Sounds like a wonderful resource.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love it when books keep you guessing. Plot twists, for me, have to be plausible to work. Sometimes, it feels like an author/movie just threw in a plot twist to have a twist. Drives me bonkers if it isn't plausible.
And congrats again on the final book. What a phenomenal bunch of feels that has to be.
Hope you have a stellar week! :)
Definitely. I love it when I don't see the plot twist coming, but in hindsight it should have been obvious. Thanks!
DeleteI can't even believe I've never heard of the Writer's Guide to Harry Potter. You know, I could have written that book. I've analyzed Harry Potter inside and out. I'm going to have to buy this book so I can see if I missed anything!
ReplyDelete