Jared from Homeroom, and Other Resolutions

On New Year's Eve, people make resolutions about things they want to change or accomplish in the coming year. Ya know, things we think we'll never actually do, like finish writing the Great American Novelization of My Life—Part 3, ask out Jared from homeroom, be nicer to my frenemy Allie (even though she’s always hanging out with the losers from audio/visual), be nicer to the losers from audio/visual…You get the idea. All these aspirations are very healthy and important.

But I have a more fun suggestion: Make some resolutions to accomplish before New Year's Eve. And make one of them about your writing. After all, there’s no time like the present! Oops, did I just say present? Anyway, amidst all your holiday-present shopping, present unwrapping, present exchanging for better presents, present revelry, present comparing, present overloading…you will probably have some time on your hands. I mean you don't have homework over BREAK, do you? Oh, you do? Well anyway…make some plans! For example:

BY NEW YEAR'S EVE I WILL:
1) Complete first draft of my current project, entitled __________, and post on the Forums here for feedback.

2) Discover a teen book I don't know anything about and read the whole thing from cover to cover, then log onto the Forums here and tell the rest of us about it!

3) Find someone to kiss at midnight—preferably someone who understands my passion for writing and reading. And who is not related to me, which rules out Mom. Oh, yeah, then log onto the Forums here and describe in vivid detail. :)

Happy writing, happy reading, happy holidays everyone!

What are some of your resolutions?

Lexa Hillyer
Associate Editor, Harper Teen

It's Only Just Begun…

Now that the first phase of the first ever HarperTeen FanLit contest has ended, I know some of you are thinking…what's next? Here you've all stretched your wings, joined a community, and, of course, written incredible stories! I'll miss reading your creative takes on Jane's life—whether she's fighting Cheez Whiz or saving the world—from week to week.

And…this sounds weird, but I think I'll miss Jane, too! She's been awkward, funny, and real from day one—and that's thanks to your writing! Good job, too, with the side characters—the tug-of-war between handsome and problematic Max and geeky but lovable Dave caused many discussions at our editorial table (as well as on the forums)! And that's how I can tell you guys are all such good writers—Jane, Max, Dave, and Melinda came alive to us.

But, now, what's next? First, I think you deserve a well-earned break—a time to reflect on what you've learned (and maybe get some sleep)! But, after that, I encourage each and every one of you to pick up your pens (or turn on your laptops) as soon as you've digested your holiday treats. Because the number one thing I hear from writers is to keep on. Keep on writing, sharing, discussing, and reading. Keep on being inspired by others. Keep on creating worlds and characters you love. And remember: The What I'm Working On Forum is open and ready for business, as are your other message boards—to keep you connected.

And on that note, keep on writing to us at HarperTeen FanLit. We love to hear your feedback on this contest and what you want to see next!

Naomi Rothwell
Editorial Assistant, HarperTeen

Whew! That Was Fun!

And so we've reached the end of Jane's story—and what a way to finish things! There were so many great endings to choose from—Jane ended up with Dave in a lot of them (aw, Dave), but she ended up with Max in quite a few, too. At least once, she didn’t wait for Dave to kiss her—but took the kissing into her own hands. Jane even ended up dead in a chapter (poor Jane). But in our winning chapter, time stopped long enough for Jane to learn some advanced magic so she could vanquish Melinda once and for all. She thought she'd lost Dave there for a sad and scary second, but he came around and the chapter ended with a kiss. Thanks, Scarlet, for giving our story such a sweet and satisfying ending.

Although this is the end for creating Jane's story, this isn't the end for HarperTeen FanLit! We're going to keep the Forums up, so you can still share your writing and chat with the friends you've made over the last couple of months. We love the community you helped us to create here—and by "you" I mean every single person who wrote a chapter or commented on the stories or posted on the forum or who did all three—and we want to keep giving you the encouragement and insight into your favorite authors' lives we've been sharing. So we'll be posting new blogs and writing tips, too.

Stay tuned for news in the next few weeks about the publication of the e-book you helped create—and be on the lookout for more ways you can participate in HarperTeen FanLit. Meanwhile, feel free to send us any thoughts you want to share about the event—what you liked, what you thought we could've done better…anything at all (as long it relates to HarperTeen FanLit). And as soon as we know anything about whether we'll be doing another writing event, you guys will be the first to know.

So congrats to Scarlet, for winning this week's chapter, ARose1123 for winning the Fox Webisode prize, Dorkysokerchick for winning the trip to meet us at HarperTeen (I hope you don't mind if we call you Lisa when you're here) AND to everyone who participated. HarperTeenFanLit wouldn't have been the same without you.

See ya real soon, I hope.

Farrin Jacobs
Executive Editor, HarperTeen

The End?

What makes the endings of some novels so good? So good that you make yummy noises as you turn that last page and everyone on the train stares at you and you have to pretend you're humming to your iPod (even though you're not even wearing your iPod?) So good that you flip right back to the beginning and start again?

I think it's the fact that the beginning is in the end and the end is in the beginning.

Huh?

What I mean is that the best authors put clues to the end of the story in the very beginning of the story and vice versa. Think about Ella Enchanted, with Ella finally breaking the curse that has haunted her for the whole book. Or Pride and Prejudice, which gives us a romantic wrap-up that echoes the first line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Or Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle, which brings us the narrator ending the story of her life—which she has been writing in notebooks from the beginning—with these words: "…only the margin left to write in now. I love you. I love you. I love you."

The best novels never really end, they simply bring us back to where we started, only now we are illuminated, surprised, thrilled, moved, gratified, even changed.

As this particular phase of the HarperTeen FanLit contest comes to a close, I hope you've been illuminated, surprised, moved, and even changed. And I hope that you're prompted to go back to the beginning—that is, to write the next amazing story. And stick around—the folks at HarperTeen FanLit have some more fun stuff in the works.…

You guys rock!

What's your favorite novel ending?

Laura Ruby
Author of Good Girls

Making Soup

Today I made soup. I didn't actually want to eat soup, and it was White Bean Provencal Soup—a type of soup nobody in my family (including me) particularly cares for, including my younger brother, who was coming over for dinner. But it suddenly became clear to me that before I could possibly write one word more of my current book—the one I have been struggling to finish—I needed to make White Bean Provencal Soup.

As I chopped and measured, simmered and reduced, I started thinking that making soup is kind of a metaphor for writing a book. Lots of stuff goes in it and you have to keep checking, tasting, changing the proportions to make it work. As you just stand there stirring, you begin to appreciate how the individual ingredients affect one another, the oil and heat sweetening the bite of the onion, the beans thickening the broth as they soften—just as each change in a character's motivation, action, or history affects everything else in the book.

But actually that was mostly a rationalization. I was making soup because I didn't know how to get from where I was stuck to the ending I needed. Though both can make me cry, chopping an onion is much quicker than creating a plot twist.

The problem with soup is that it just sits there simmering for a couple of hours, after the initial burst of action—so I was forced back into my chair, where I belonged, to write again. It's 11:30 P.M. now. What do I have to show for my day's work? Negative fifteen pages, a new subplot that may propel me in a way I didn't see coming through the scene I've been avoiding to the final chapter of my book, and a Tupperware half-full of surprisingly tasty (though perhaps under-salted) White Bean Provencal Soup. Plus, now, a note to you.

All in all, a decent writing day. How about you, my fellow writers? What did you make today?

Rachel Vail
Author of You, Maybe

Beauty and the Bea-holder

When I was twelve, my best friend and I, who were totally competitive with each other, submitted poems for a writing contest. Hers was about believing in your dreams, and mine was about living in a cottage with whacked-out pet gnomes. Mine got an honorable mention (umm, I think every poem that got submitted did), but my friend won a trip to Florida to meet Bea Arthur from a show called The Golden Girls. What Bea Arthur has to do with poetry I don't know, but naturally, in addition to being (ugghhh) happy for my friend, I was seething with envy and the stink of failure. It should have been me and Bea, maybe eating cookies together, definitely trading gossip while sitting in the Golden Girls’ cool Miami deco kitchen, shouldn’t it?

Reading the submissions for this contest, and the vastly varying reactions from other readers, reminds me of what I was just beginning to figure out then: "Writing love" is soooo subjective.

I don't know whether my friend was a better writer than me or not (totally possible), or maybe the judges were just more fond of dreams than gnomes (that's also totally possible). Rumor has it that in the basement of HarperCollins there's a carbon copy of a rejection letter to Herman Melville saying that the manuscript for what would eventually be his most famous work just wasn't as good as his other books, and that the editor would have to pass. And wasn't there something like that with Harry Potter, too? I bet it happens all the time.

If you didn't win this writing contest, or if some people had some less than desirable things to say about your work, here's what I'd suggest: weigh the comments and think honestly—do they have a point? If they missed your point, was there a way you could have made it a little clearer? Use whatever you agree with to leverage your writing to the next level. Discard what you don't need. Keep working. And remember that whole "beauty and the beholder" phrase—it's overused for a reason!

Have you ever felt someone judged your writing unfairly? Or missed the part of your story you thought was most special? How did you deal?

Jodi Lynn Anderson
Author of The Secrets of Peaches

And So We Near "The End"

It was another tough week for the Top 10ers, with chapters locked in combat until the very end. One minute "Spells and the Single Witch" seemed poised to take the lead, another minute "Broken Glass" was sitting pretty at the top... It seems like every story had its time at the top at some point during the voting process. But the FanLit community has spoken, and Lisa's "The Incredibly Confusing Triangle of Who's On My Side" is your second-to-last chapter.

Beyond the top 10 there was a lot of creativity and humor as usual. I mean, a time travel bubble? What a fun idea! We even got a glimpse of what mirror life (with a pineapple) would be like. Plus so many different combinations of good guys and bad guys — we had Melinda = good, but Max = bad; Dave and Max switching places; Emily popping in for some sisterly witchiness...

Making a guest appearance on the panel and choosing a pick made me realize how HARD it must be to decide on those author picks and to write helpful, thoughtful comments every week. I wish I'd had to time to comment on every story in the top 10 — because they were all impressive in different ways. All of you guys who read and comment on a ton of a stories — you're my new heroes.

Before I go, I just wanted to say a couple things about the next AND LAST chapter, so pay attention:

   1. We're raising the character limit for this final round. That's right. You'll have 300 extra characters for this chapter. Use them wisely.

   2. Remember that this is it. End of story. Literally. So be sure to tie up any loose ends. And don't throw any brand-new plot twists or characters into the mix. Think about some of your favorite endings and what made them special to you. Maybe even go read some last chapters from your favorite books to see how those authors wrapped everything up.

Good luck, everyone! Can't wait to see how the story ends.

Farrin Jacobs
Executive Editor, HarperTeen

Beginnings

Here's the question I get from about 75% of the aspiring writers I hear from: "I have lots of good ideas for beginnings, but I hardly ever finish anything. How do I solve this problem?" I say: Terrific! You're on the right track. This happens to all writers. I probably have hundreds of beginnings that never went anywhere. They were really good beginnings, too. But after I finished writing that excellent starting scene, I sort of petered out. What should come next? What would be in the middle? How would it all end? I didn't know. So I'd put my great beginning aside and wait until I got an idea for another great beginning.

This is fine. Stack up those beginnings—that's my advice. And sooner or later, if you're really meant to be a writer (not everyone is), you'll write a beginning so powerfully intriguing that it will draw you on into the rest of the story. You'll write the next scene, and the next. Maybe you'll even get a glimpse of the ending way up ahead. The novelist E. L. Doctorow puts it like this: "Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

Jeanne DuPrau
Author of Car Trouble

The Doldrums

This is what seamen of old called a place of no wind where they couldn't sail forward. It's also the perfect word for when you've slowed right down with your writing—and it's where I am now. I've started a new Gothic book, and I did some serious research for it, sleeping in a creepy four-poster bed in a haunted 900-year-old mansion. After that, I wrote like a demon. But now I have to introduce the evil hero and what I think of as The Confusion, and I just haven't mulled it over enough yet. The Doldrums are OK (and mulling it all over is OK). It’s an important part of writing.

Try not to focus too much on getting published. Focus on writing. Keep a diary that doesn't have to be written every day—write down fears, fights, hopes, confusion, everything. Writing something down is naming it, and when you name something you start to know it.

It's absolutely wonderful to have your stuff published and get paid for it—but it would be the same stuff if it didn't get published! It's the writing itself that matters.

Let's discuss!

Kate Cann
Author of California Holiday

Daring to Dream

I was just out of college when I dared to admit to the guy who would eventually become my husband that I wanted to be a writer. "It'll never happen," he said.

Years later, I told him when I started working on my first novel. And he said, "You'll never get published."

When I received my first rejection, he said, "You'll never get published, but I think writing is good therapy for you."

First of all, I didn't realize I needed therapy, so that came as a surprise to me. Second of all, I'd had enough of his negative vibes. "You've never even read what I've written. How can you say that I'll never get published?"

"Oh, I’m sure you're a terrific writer," he said, "but do you know how many people want to get published? The odds are against you."

"Oh, if you're just spouting statistics," I replied, "I'll get published."

Writing and getting published has nothing to do with mathematical formulas. It has to do with the power of dreaming, believing in your characters and your stories, and perseverance. Sure, there are wonderful writers who never will get published, but they keep writing anyway, and they keep trying. I once heard that Dr. Seuss had 58 rejections before he sold.

In Trust Me, Jessica's dream is to be the very best camp counselor ever. When she's paired up with Sean Reed, a guy who's been nothing but trouble, she's determined not to let him stop her from reaching her goal—and that means learning to work with him.

As you're working on your writing, you may run across those who don't believe in your dream the way you do. Don't be discouraged. Obviously, they've never dared to dream a dream as large as yours is. Dreaming big can be scary. But a dream can also be very rewarding when it comes true.

Have you ever had to deal with someone who didn't believe you'd achieve your dream?

Rachel Hawthorne
Author of Thrill Ride

Do You Believe?

When I first decided I was going to be an author, I got slammed. Slammed by so many people who rolled their eyes and said, "Oh, you'll never get published. It will never happen."

You know what? It made me mad. What right did anyone have to tell me I couldn't achieve my dreams? But at the same time, it made me doubt myself. Were they right? Was I wasting my time? Were my dreams nothing but fluff?

But I refused to listen to their criticisms and their doubts. I focused on what I wanted and what I knew I was capable of doing, even after I'd written 18 manuscripts and had 150 rejections. No one believed I was could do it. Except me.

And then it happened. I finally sold a book! And I've sold fifteen more since then. Why did I sell? Because I believed in myself and refused to let anyone take my dreams away.

What about you? Have you had anyone tell you that your dreams are stupid, or that you'll never succeed? How do you stop yourself from listening to them? How do you make yourself believe in yourself when things look grim?

Stephie Davis
Author of First Kisses 2: The Boyfriend Trick (Coming soon!)

The Choice Is Yours

Because all my books are choose-your-own-ending, it's got me thinking a lot about making choices. The act of writing is full of choices. Choose your main character. Choose his or her name. Choose their locale. Choose what they eat for breakfast. Choose the guy or girl they like. Choose whether or not that guy or girl likes them back. Choose, choose, choose!

Man is that ever a weird word when you keep saying it over and over again…

Sometimes these choices are easy. You just know your main character is a Delilah. She's got Delilah written all over her. She couldn't possibly have any other name. Good. Done. Delilah it is. But other times, the choices are difficult. Say you've written a few pages about Delilah and you're getting to really like the girl. She's spunky. She's got heart. She's got this incredible outlook on the world that you, listening to your emo soundtrack in your over-worn PJs, with your drapes drawn and your black light humming, just do not possess. You want to see Delilah succeed. You want to see her master her superhero powers with ease, smack down the bad guys, save the world, and win the guy. But you know that letting her do all that without throwing a few real obstacles in her way wouldn't make for a very interesting story, so you're faced with a choice.

You can lead Delilah down the primrose path, tra-la-la-ing her way to the prom queen tiara and the commendation from the President, or…

You can mess with her big time. My suggestion? Always, always mess with her. Have her say the wrong thing, make a wrong turn, cross the wrong person. Give her a big load of crap to deal with and see what she does with it. Let her overcome some adversity, climb a few mountains, untie a few knots. She may make some mistakes along the way, but we all do. She'll be all the more human and likable for it, and your story will be that much more humorous, heart-breaking, and real. I'm not saying she can't succeed in the end—that she can't master her superpowers, smack down the bad guys, save the world, and win the guy. Just maybe not all four. Or maybe not all at the same time.

That's what series fiction was made for.

Happy Writing!

Kendall Adams
Author of Hook Up or Break Up #1: Love Is Random Too

Only Two Chapters Left!

When I was reading the top 10 this week, I couldn't believe how amazing they all were. Seriously. I was reading them and thinking, "Holy crap. These are fantastic! We have so many potential winners in here." So, congratulations to Shea for beating the tough competition. What impressed me most about the chapters was how well-paced they were. When we came up with the prompt, we knew it wouldn't be easy, considering the word limit (I know, you hate the word limit, but we had to do that — imagine if you got invites to read 30 stories and they were all 5,000 words long), but you all rose to the challenge. I also loved how different all the stories were this time and how you were careful about weaving in details from the previous chapters.

Even beyond the top 10, I could see a marked improvement and I loved the different choices you all made. Some choices made for humorous moments (like the character who just couldn't get Jane's name right) and others for different family dynamics (like Emily being helpful) — but they were all unique and made me even more excited about this contest and about reading future chapters. (I mean, not only is it fun, but you're all improving from week to week. How cool is that?)

So, close the window with this blog in it, please, and get back to writing already. And remember: Jane's story is almost over (only two chapters left!). But for our next winner the story could be just beginning.

Farrin Jacobs
Executive Editor, HarperTeen

The Terrifying Truth

The first line of my first novel was: "My dad drinks too much and my mom eats too much, which pretty much sums up why I am the way I am." As you might imagine, my parents were mortified. Their daughter publishes her first book and this is what she has to say?? All I could reply was, "Mom, that's not you! You have brown hair. My character is a blonde!" As for my dad, well, I didn't have to say much because he good-naturedly called to say he put my book down after the first five words. Dad has always been funny and fairly thick-skinned.

Telling an honest story without slamming people I love has been my biggest challenge as a fiction writer. I'm not saying my novels are all autobiographical. Far from it. But the only way I know how to write is to spill my guts through my characters…however embarrassing, revealing, exhilarating, or terrifying it may be. I figure, if I've felt like that, you probably have, too. Or at least something similar.

So next time you write something, make yourself a promise: Always tell your truth. Whatever it is. Even if (especially if) it's embarrassing, revealing, exhilarating, or terrifying. Write your view of the world. It's the only absolute guarantee of originality. And if it seems like you're describing a real person, always, always, always change their hair color!

Any thoughts? Be honest!

Mary Hogan
Author of The Serious Kiss