The Magical Part of the Process

This has been a month of major deadlines--a YA historical due to the editor mid-month, 60 articles on children's and YA authors due today, and a 3-sample-chapter request from a book packager. Plus NaNo--which got a bit sidelined with all the traveling for the holidays. (Although part of that travel meant I got to spend time with my fav CPs from PA!!)

Now I've met all my deadlines and I'm ready to start on a new project. It's temporarily under wraps, but I've started some research and hope to get a lot done on it over the next month or two. I'm working with a great collaborator (it's actually her idea that we're working on). It's exciting to work with someone so enthusiastic and supportive!! Can't wait to see what we produce together. And thank heavens for the Internet and cell phones as we live on opposite sides of the country.

Right now I'm in the fun stage of the project--the preparation. It always reminds me of getting ready for the first day of school. The blank pages of new notebooks and smell of sharpened pencils and pointiness of unused crayons. The anticipation.. The adrenaline surge when everything is fresh and new, and anything can happen.

So much of writing is just showing up to the page, churning out word counts, ignoring carpal tunnel syndrome and stiff necks. So before the newness wears off and the dull dailiness sets in, I'm taking time to revel in the broad expanse where anything can happen and usually does. This is when magic happens.

What part of the writing process do you find magical?

Bonus: I've shared some wisdom about rejection letters and bad reviews on the Downtown YA blog. If you're feeling discouraged, you might want to pop over there for a little encouragement.

Best reads of 2009

by Cate Masters

The end of the year means lists! Here are but a few:

The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2009. Sometimes the review itself is a great read, such as the one for Follow Me: A heroine bent on reinvention is at the center of this densely stitched crazy quilt of a novel, which spans six decades and a wealth of genres while evoking a quintessential American mythology. How do you get a reviewer like that? I know, I know: write a great story. Two of my favorite authors apparently have - Alice Munro and Barbara Kingsolver, both on the list.

Publishers Weekly posted several lists.

USA Today listed the bestsellers, which doesn't necessarily mean a best read, to me. There's viral marketing, and then there's great writing.

The Guardian UK published a list of what kept them turning pages and a "What not to miss" list.

Amazon solely recognized that hey, 2009 isn't over yet! Its subhead's a disclaimer stating "so far." Which begs the question: do publishers avoid releases after say, October, knowing that the listmakers won't include those books in the "best" categories?

And if you're taking a vacation in a balmy clime, you might want to check out NPR's best beach reads for the year.

If you're the kind of person who cross-checks lists thoroughly, check out Large Hearted Boy's amazing compilation of lists.

My TBR list always grows after reading these. As an author, of course I'd love to be listed, but more than that, I hope my writing touches readers' hearts and minds, and makes them want to read more.

Sadly, I'm not on any of the above lists. But then, they're all for print. When I Googled "2009 best ebooks," the mishmash of results contained nothing related to the search. Maybe it's time for such a list. Not the individual "bestsellers" on each publisher's site. A comprehensive list encompassing all epublishers and genres, just like the print versions. It would be a leap toward respectability and recognition of the validity of ebooks. They're not going away anytime soon. It's misleading for only those print books also published as ebooks to be listed, given the rising sales of ebooks. So I'm putting out the challenge: let's have a "best ebook reads" list next year!

Cate Masters writes fantasy/dark fantasy, historical, contemporary and speculative fiction, described by reviewers as “so compelling I I did not want to put it down,” “such romantic tales that really touch your soul,” “filled with action scenes which made it a riveting story,” and “the author weaves a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read.” Visit Cate online at www.catemasters.com, www.catemasters.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.