The Warrior's Code Playlist (OUT TOMORROW)

The Warrior's Code is a story about survival in a dangerous world. It's about finding yourself. Finding a home. Told from Zack's point of view (a character who you meet very briefly in Light of the Moon, and who will have a much larger role in Shadow of the Sun), The Warrior's Code is a story about discovering freedom. To me, this playlist of songs really describes the tone of The Warrior's Code. You'll see that most of these songs are a little "heavier" than the songs I normal post, and I think that's true for the story as well. The Warrior's Code has a lot more action in it than The Witch's Curse or Light of the Moon, and I wanted to showcase that sense of urgency with this playlist.

"Way Away" - Yellowcard

This song, like The Warrior's Code, is about taking control of your own life. Realizing that good things are okay to have, and that bad things don't have to be just because they always were. In a way, "Way Away" is a kind of transition song about attempting to start over. 

"The Great Escape" - Boys Like Girls

Although this song is less serious than the issues dealt with in The Warrior's Code, it is about becoming a free individual. Taking hold of your own destiny. I really love that about this song, and it's something I wanted to showcase in Zack's story.

"Face Down" - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

In The Warrior's Code, Zack must overcome a lot of hardships based in his past. I actually didn't listen to "Face Down" while writing TWC, but the song fits perfectly with the story. Underneath the surface of Zack's strong, Warrior exterior, there is a troubled, very difficult past. And I really appreciate that this song is about taking control of life instead of letting it control you.

"In The End" - Black Veil Brides

"In The End" isn't the kind of music I usually listen to, but it really fits The Warrior's Code well. There's the sense of finding yourself, staying true to who you are. And I love how this song suggests that only you can tell the story of your life. "Who will tell the story of your life?"

"Stay With Me" - You Me at Six

While listening to "Stay With Me," I actually pictured a different version of the song. Instead of it being, as is, a song from lover to lover, I pictured it as a song from self to self. In TWC, Zack struggles with a lot of internal battles. His past and his future. Who is was and who he wants to be. This song represents how Zack wants to move on, but maybe can't let go.

"This Is War" - Thirty Seconds to Mars

Really. There could not be a more perfect song for The Warrior's Code. 

"It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie,

The moment to live and the moment to die,

The moment to fight, the moment to fight..."

"False Pretense" - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

I love how this song takes ownership of things that might be too hard for a lot of us to deal with. The Warrior's Code is about dealing with the hard things in life. Difficult choices. Choices that move you forward if you let them. 

THE WARRIOR'S CODE IS OUT TOMORROW!!

The Importance of World Building

Once upon a time, I wrote THIS post discussing world building in Light of the Moon. And then THIS post, which appeared on Smash Attack Read's wonderful blog (go check it out). The main idea in both of those articles was that world building should be a quiet whisper of what is actually happening in the story. Mainly, we should see the world through the character's eyes. I still think the "show rather than tell" approach is a great way to go, but I can't help but think there is so much more to world building than that.

I'm a firm believer that certain literary things have greater impacts if they are done quietly. Certain topics are better felt than lectured upon (see THIS post about diversity in Marie Lu's Legend). Certain elements of diversity are better understood through action rather than instruction. The point of this whispered theory is this: A reader will feel more, understand more, and be involved more if a character is taken on an emotional journey rather than simply placed in the middle of the action. For me, this is very true. I connect more with characters who grow and develop through the story. I understand more if they show instead of tell.

I think this approach can also be said in reference to world building.

Once upon a time I said this: "For me, world building is about creating characters that are able to show things about your worlds you cannot."

Now I say this: The world you create should be as alive as your characters. It should live and breathe and be a character itself. 

The world should be detailed, real. Through the character's eyes, the world should come alive because it already IS alive. And we should see that as readers. We should feel the impact of the world instead of read a lecture about it. World building is incredibly important. It can make or break a novel. World building is a character. What do you think?

Of course, there are exceptions to every rules, especially when it comes to writing.

Go break some.

5 First Things (I Think) All Authors Will Always Remember

1) Typing the words THE and END together. At last.

For me, this happened a long time before THE END actually was THE END, but I still remember it clearly. The first time I finished a story, even if it wasn't ready for publication, I felt like I HAD something. I had done something good enough to type THE END. And that is something I still remember to this day. The first time.

2) Hiding specific lines or references in the story and hoping your editor doesn't catch them. And, if they do, fighting for them tooth and nail. Or reworking them into a different passage. Because that's not cheating.

Okay. I'll admit I've done this multiple times. During edits or revising, sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to, and sometimes lines have to be deleted. There's always that one line, however, that I want to MAKE IT more than anything. And if for some reason it doesn't make it in that first draft, you can bet I'll find a way to make it fit somewhere else. I pretend I'm a secret agent until I get the job done. 

3) Seeing your first cover for the first time.

Enough said. 

4) Looking around your house after the final round of edits and saying "So this is what it looks like when a tornado hits."

I always knew being an author would be hard work. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, but it is tough work - especially during those finals deadlines. I remember my first "real" deadline, pausing about halfway through, and wondering if my work space would ever look the same again. Normally, I'm a bit of a clean freak, but everything was out of place. General madness. But that's what happens during deadlines. You let your work consume you. And, in the end, there is absolutely no feeling better than finishing a manuscript.

5) Seeing your book in an actual store for the first time.

It's real. It is a real thing. Not just an ARC. Not just for you. It's here for people to buy. People in real life, not just on Twitter. It's real. 

It. Is. Real.

Sometimes It's Good To Stand Alone

Lately, I've been wanting to read a lot of standalone novels. Not to say I don't enjoy series. I do. Very much so. But due to editing and finishing The Warrior's Code and Shades of the Stars, I haven't had much time to really invest myself in series as much as I normally do. So, I'm looking for standalone recommendations. What are some standalone novels you've really enjoyed? Since I normally read young adult and usually only the paranormal variety, here are some of my favorite standalone reads. Because sometimes it's good to stand alone. 

Brenna Yovanoff is an author I love. Beautiful writing. Beautiful story.

Above was a CRAZY read for me. And I loved it. Every single word held meaning.

Mystery. Great characters. Robin Wasserman includes it all.

Vampires. Magic. Excellent world building. I wanted more, but was so happy this was a standalone.

CREEPY MYSTERY. I loved Harbinger.

Zombies. High School. Perfection.

I had no idea what was happening and I LOVED IT. 

Beautifully written, Shadows Cast by Stars is a talk on diversity, finding a home, and magic.

Birthday Warrior Teaser!

Seeing as today is my birthday and I'm eating all kinds of cake and ice cream and being completely healthy about it the level of coffee I'm drinking, I thought I'd give you all a The Warrior's Code teaser! The Warrior's Code (out 5/14/13) is a novella written from Zack's POV and is set just before the time he and Kate are to become Warrior's. This story is very action-based, though there are a lot of heavier issues at play. Zack struggles with finding a home, a family, especially one that will accept every little thing about him. This story is Zack's past, and you will see his future in Shadow of the Sun (late 2013). And, like you'll see, there's a lot more to Zack's past than happy memories. The Warrior's Code shows what it's like to have a happy ending be your happy beginning.