Fast Fiction Friday: Text-to-Speech

When it comes to polishing my manuscripts, my biggest help and time saver is a text-to-speech editor--or a little computerized voice that reads me my stories. You see, when I'm reading my own stories, I don't notice many spelling mistakes or garbled wording of sentences. I sound them out in my head the way I think they should sound--if written correctly. But with a computer reading to me, I notice so many problems I can't pick up on my own.

I used to do this on my Kindle, since it has a built-in text-to-speech editor, but just recently I discovered that I can also do this in MS Word! And it's already installed and a much more natural-sounding voice than on my Kindle. (To set this up, go up to the very top left hand corner of your MS Word screen. There are a few little icons there. Click on the far right one, which should read "Customize Quick Access Toolbar" when you mouse over it. Then choose "More Commands". Where it says "Choose Commands From" it will probably say "Popular Commands". Change this to "All Commands" and then scroll down in the commands box below until you find "Speak". Add it to the right hand box, and from then on, a little "Speak" icon will now appear in your Quick Access Toolbar at the top.)

Do you use text-to-speech to help you polish? If so, I'd love to hear what editor you use and how it works for you!

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Do you remember the movie LIAR LIAR? In it, Jim Carrey gets himself into a lot of trouble when he's suddenly compelled to tell the truth about every single little thing.

Think of your characters and any secrets they may be keeping or even just things they're choosing not to say out loud. What kind of havoc could you create in their lives today by letting something slip? Maybe a female character thinks her best friend should really start exercising. Or maybe a man who is gifted with computers feels the need to let it out how brainless he thinks many of the people in his life are.

See what you can reveal today that your characters don't really want to reveal.

Fast Fiction Friday: But What About Depth?

Just because I believe in fast-drafting a first draft of a novel, does not mean I don't believe in deep characters and plotlines. I do a lot of prep work before fast-drafting to get to know who my characters are at a gut level, like how they feel about their mothers and fathers, what's the worst thing a parent has done or said to them, how they still carry around some of their most embarrassing moments...

However, even with a lot of prep work, I don't like to nail anything down in stone until after my first draft. To me, fast-drafting is as much about exploration as it is about finishing a book. Often I'll get to the end of writing a draft before I really know what the book should be about. And when I go back to read the draft over, I hardly recognize many of the scenes or character traits that have shown up. To me, that is the characters showing me who they are, rather than the other way around.

There are a lot of things that an author needs to think about when crafting a satisfying novel, but I like to take the fast-drafting phase--only 30 days--and spend that time not thinking, and instead just feeling what's happening with my characters and which direction I feel they want to go.

So if we're talking about depth, to be honest, I find more of that as a fast-drafter than I ever did before.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: New Years Resolutions!

I talked a little last week about how I make resolutions, which has evolved--a lot--over the years. But how do our characters make resolutions? Is your main character the type of person who makes huge, ambitious resolutions that he or she will likely never come close to meeting? Or does he or she swear off the idea completely?

Today, sit down for five minutes and make a resolution letter or list from your main character's point of view (or if your character doesn't make resolutions, have him or her list all of the reasons why not.

Fast Fiction Friday: Don't Beat Yourself Up!

New Year's resolutions are bunk.

There, I've said it.

Which is not to say that I never make any. I just make resolutions with a loose hand and a light heart. I've seen too many people make huge resolutions, and then beat themselves up by January 3rd because they've already broken them. Then, because they feel like garbage and worthless and have been beating themselves up, they often become even worse in the area they made the resolution.

You see, it's not the resolutions that are bad. It's the self-talk we allow ourselves that's truly detrimental.

I made a resolution this year to read more of the things I want to read and less of the things I *should* read. I purposely set my GoodReads reading goal for this year at 10 (down from 100 last year). You know how it's gone so far? I've already been reading two *should* books. Since January 1st!

But you know what? I'm not beating myself up about it. Because I have a whole year to improve (many years if I need it). January 1st is only a day. For most, it's a day off, so it can be a good opportunity to evaluate life and make some plans. The great thing about setting resolutions is that you're thinking of ways you can better yourself. That's a GOOD thing. Assessing how you're doing on these goals, though, takes time. I'll bet if you set some goals for self-improvement and then don't look back at them until the end of the year, you will have improved. Maybe you won't meet your goals exactly, but who cares if you're better than you were!

I saw several writers on Twitter this year professing that they were going to make writing more of a priority this year. Then, the next day, I saw those same writers saying, "I haven't written a word...it's sure to be another sucky writing year." It makes me so upset for them. They're talking themselves into defeat, and they still have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO IMPROVE!

I commend you if you have plans to better yourself--this year, or any time in the future. Just promise yourself that you'll cut yourself some slack along the way. Notice all the little things you've already improved on. Positive self-talk and noticing your achievements, no matter how small, will definitely get you farther in life than calling yourself names.

GCC Presents Kristina Springer and MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS!

I'm happy to welcome another author from the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit! This week, Kristina Springer's latest book,  My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, is releasing in paperback in stores and online stores everywhere!

About the Book:

Now available everywhere in paperback, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS which Meg Cabot says is “Irresistible as a fluffy kitten.  I laughed out loud and so will you!" was a Scholastic Book Club Bestseller and a YALSA Quick Pick.

Seventh grade was supposed to be fun, but Tori is having major drama with her BFF, Sienna. Sienna changed a lot over the summer—on the first day of school she’s tan, confident, and full of stories about her new dreamy boyfriend. Tori knows that she’s totally making this guy up. So Tori invents her own fake boyfriend, who is better than Sienna’s in every way. Things are going great—unless you count the whole lying-to-your-best-friend thing—until everyone insists Tori and Sienna bring their boyfriends to the back-to-school dance.

Praise For My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours…

"Irresistible as a fluffy kitten. I laughed out loud and so will you!" —Meg Cabot, author of the Airhead and Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series

"Tori is an appealing, engaging protagonist whose peppy first-person narrative includes some introspective moments and incorporates issues that readers will appreciate, especially the importance of honesty, trust, and self-appreciation. An enjoyable, entertaining read." —Booklist

"Friendship versus one-upmanship in seventh grade is the subject of Springer’s very funny and strongly realistic novel." —Publishers Weekly

"The sheer exhaustion of a fake-boyfriend arms race, with the need to create fake email accounts and to come up with competing romantic gestures on the fly, is cleverly depicted." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"The themes will resonate with any girl who’s ever gone through the hardships of middle school: friendship, boys, popularity, and, most importantly, choosing to do the right, but often more difficult, thing. A fun read." —School Library Journal

"The dialogue is realistic, and Springer brings refreshing personalities to standard character types; Tori’s parents are divorced, but both parents are active in her life, for instance, and the popular girls aren’t mean." —Kirkus Reviews

Kristina is running a My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours Release Contest until 1/15/14 on her blog: http://kristinaspringer.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-fake-boyfriend-is-better-than-yours.html

Here’s what the winner will get:

•           A $20 gift card (Starbucks or Amazon, your choice!),

•           Autographed copy of My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours,

•           Fake Boyfriend Emergency Kit, and a

•           Variety of bookmarks/stickers from all of my books

And Kristina stopped by for a short interview:

1. Tell me about your book in seven words or less.

Crazy fun competition of the fake boyfriends.

2. Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your novel and why?

I really like Tori’s dad. He’s not your typical divorced dad stereotype.

3. What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Don’t give up.

4. What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?

Gushy overly emotional poetry.

About the Author:

Kristina Springer is the best-selling author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT and BOY SWAP. She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and children. Read more about her at http://www.kristinaspringer.com and follow her on twitter @TinaSpringer.

Here's more of where you can find Kristina online:

Website: http://www.kristinaspringer.com

Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinaSpringer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaSpringer

Book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fake-Boyfriend-Better-Than-Yours/dp/0312641591/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-fake-boyfriend-is-better-than-yours-kristina-springer/1022684250?ean=9780312641597

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780312641597

Reading Recap for 2013!

I said I wasn't going to do it, but I went ahead and did it anyway. I set a stupidly lofty goal of reading 100 books this year. Yes, I completed it, (I actually read 103) but only because I rarely leave goals uncompleted. It's in my blood. Also, I should not that about a third of the books were on audio, but they were still full versions.

Last year I said I was going to set a better, more-realistic goal for myself for the year: To find 12 books I really love. Well, I completed that goal too! If you're looking for some fantastic books to read, check my sidebar (13 books actually made it to my 12 awesome books list - I couldn't decide.)

So I won't go over those, but I wanted to add a specialized list here, to give you a few more thoughts into the books I enjoyed and why I enjoyed them this year. Not all of these books were published in 2013, but they are all books I read during the year.

The book that made me LOL the most: Don't Lick the Minivan by Leanne Shirtliffe
- If you have kids or have ever considered having kids, this is a great book for you. My husband was constantly asking me, "What? What are you laughing at?" followed by, "Oh, you're reading that book again."

The book that inspired me the most: It's Not Just Gymnastics; It's Life by Lance Ringnald
- I started this book feeling old and like I was generally losing interest in uncovering the strong and flexible person I used to be, but since March, since reading this book, I've been excited about working out again, trying new things physically, and even writing my own book concerning some of this stuff (more to come on that!) I love reading biographies of interesting people, and this book was definitely that.

The Book that I was the most conflicted about: Just One Year by Gayle Forman
- It's a little hard to go into why I was so conflicted about this book without giving spoilers. Let me just say that I LOVED the setting (Holland! India! Paris!) of this book, I LOVED the self-discovery, I LOVED the writing... but partway through, I started getting frustrated with the plot. I did something I NEVER do: I skipped ahead to the ending. It helped rid me of my frustration, and I was able to go back and enjoy the rest of the book, but I didn't love the ending, and had I not skipped ahead (which I still feel oddly guilty about) I think I would have found it a very frustrating read.

The most romantic book I read this year: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
- I'm not sure what else to say about this, except I just wanted to hug this book over and over and over again.

The most artsy book I read this year: The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
- (Followed closely by This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales). I love books where the main character is very skilled at an art of some kind, and this was such a book. It reminded me a little of Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez. Both books really inspire me to work harder at being me in my art.

If I had to pick a favorite book this year? I'd have to go with the Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han
- Sorry, there's no way I could pick just one of these books. I loved them all, and I especially loved how they fit together. I listened to this series on audio, and actually listened to the whole series twice in a row, because I just didn't want these characters to stop being in my life.

So those are some of my favorites and whys...Now I'd love to hear yours!

If you want to see the full list of books I read this year, check out my GoodReads page.