Awards, Arianna, and Authonomy

Ok, my brain is feeling very scattered and, for the first time in months, there are like seven things I want to blog about at once.

1.  Authonomy

So Scarlet's up on Authonomy, and if nothing else, it's been very gratifying for me because the community is very vocal and very supportive, and Scarlet has hit top five for all three genres I listed it in (Romance, Young Adult, and Historical Fiction) and it's jumped over 4000 slots in the first day it was on the site.  So for me, personally, it's been a big morale boost.  I really don't expect to either land across the editor's desk or be snatched up in a three figure book deal from this, but it's motivating.

Also, it's giving me a lot of sympathy for what editors go through.  It's called the "Virtual Slush Pile", and without getting down on my fellow writers, some of it is so hack and dismal.  That being said, I don't judge; I had my hack period as well.  I think a certain amount of copying someone else's ideas is necessary to find your true voice, but that being said, don't publish your hack piece.

2.  ALA Awards

So, one of my favorite authors ever for her A Great and Terrible Beauty series, Libba Bray, was the recipient of the prestigious Printz award for YA fiction.  Talk about ultimate dream/accomplishment!  She won it for GOING BOVINE, which I haven't read yet, but I definitely have to get on that stat.  Also, a book I hadn't even heard of, WHEN YOU REACH ME, won the Newbery Medal....and now I want to read that too! Oh, and FLASH BURNOUT by newbie author LK Madigan won the Morris Award (for newbie writers).

3.  Arianna

Well, I think I finished Arianna again, and I did it by reversing two of my personal writing maxims.  One is not forcing the writing; when it doesn't want to come, it won't come.  This I powered through because I felt like all the elements were there, I just wasn't trusting my own instincts and going with the real ending over the ending I always envisioned.  Writing is funny like that.  Once I pushed past that, though, the writing came, so I'm not sure if it totally invalidated my beliefs.

But the second, much more seriously, is that I ended the novel (spoiler) with a marriage.  Something that I've always been against because I don't believe that your story should end with a wedding.  I think that's the myth of happily ever after that teaches girls to gloss over the hard part--making marriage work as part of your life.  But it just FIT.  This was what made sense for Arianna.  I don't think I can carry it further, because the marriage was the result of her standing up for herself and figuring out who she was and what she wanted, which resolved the conflict, and I'm not a fan of neatly wrapped up endings just for endings sake.  I don't know.  I'll take another look at it, but I think Arianna's making me trust my instincts, whatever the results.  Bitch.

4.  In other news...

• Weight loss has ground to a dead halt post-holidays, so starting today I'm back on the straight, hopefully resulting in the narrow.


• Job search is looking a little bleak, so for this week at least I'm trying to nose-to-the-grindstone it and go back to Demand Studios.  I may hate the work, but at least I can make my own hours and about fifteen dollars per hour.  Not bad.


• I have no idea what to do for my next project.  I think once I'm really done with Arianna (which will be shelved while I shop Scarlet) I'll have a better idea.

Sigh.  What are you up to today?