My Favorite Writing Tools (Plus: A Craft!)

pencil on white smartcase near eyeglasses
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Today I wanted to share some of the writing tools I’ve discovered over the years, tools that have helped me along on my writing journey. Lest this post become unwieldy, I’ve limited myself (for now) to four different types of tools, a writing blog, submission tracker, software, and hardware. I incorporate all of these in my regular writing routine.

Note: None of this is sponsored, I just really like these things.

Blog: Jane Friedman

I’ve mentioned this one several times on my site, but it bears repeating because it’s one of my go-tos for writing resources and how-to articles. From basics like how to write a query letter to deep dives into craft topics, there is something for writers of every level. I look forward to the digest email every Sunday.

Visit Jane Friedman’s blog here and see for yourself.

The Pros! You’ll learn a lot.

The Cons? Reading takes time, I guess?

Bonus recommendation! I recently read Jane’s book The Business of Being a Writer. While it is dense, it’s not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover. Pick and choose the topics most interesting to you based on the kind of writer you are (academic, literary, short fiction, novels, commercial) and the stage you’re at in your career (e.g. What is a query letter? How to make best use of a publicist prior to book launch).

Submission Tracker: QueryTracker and The Submission Grinder

If you’re submitting to literary agents, QueryTracker is your best friend. I use it both to find agents and to track my submissions. It’s also linked to QueryManager, which many agents use, so sometimes it will log and track submissions automatically. I do pay for the premium account, which costs $25 a year, but that is absolutely not necessary; the free version gives you plenty of functionality and I got along with it for years without feeling like I was missing out. Since I’ve already discussed QueryTracker on this site, so you can read more about it in this post: How to Find a Literary Agent.

If you’re more inclined towards short stories or poetry, The Submission Grinder is my preferred tracker. They’re a little old school, but their search function is great at sorting magazines by genre, whether they pay, accept simultaneous submissions, and more. This is where I go to find new markets to submit to. ChillSubs has a lot of cool options and a sleeker design, but they’re still developing and their database isn’t as robust as the Submission Grinder’s is, so for now I’m sticking with what works.

Check out The Submission Grinder here.

Software: Scrivener

I’m typically the last person to try a new product, especially if it costs money or, worse, it’s popular! Maybe I’m a geriatric in a young person’s body, but what’s wrong with doing things the old way, so long as they work? Friends, I thought the same about Scrivener, and boy was I wrong.

Do you absolutely need it? No. You can get by with simpler word processors like Microsoft Word, Mac’s Pages, a free software like OpenOffice, or even older methods of writing like typewriters or a notebook and pen. However, after using Scrivener for two years, it’s something I recommend to any writer who has more than a two-second conversation with me.

What is it? Scrivener is a word processor, but it’s also a means of organizing your thoughts, plot, research, and more.

What are the Pros? Instead of opening multiple word documents (WIP, character names, character timeline, outline, etc.), it’s all in a single convenient place, easily searchable too, if you can’t remember where you’ve put something. With the ability to save each draft of a scene, color coding, keywords, a phenomenal “corkboard” for organizing the plot, and windows for notes and scene synopsis, the pros are many.

What about the Cons? Most notably, it costs money, (a one time $60 expense) although it’s way less than you’ll end up spending on a program like Microsoft Word and the publisher usually offers a discount for anyone who finishes NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo. I think I paid $30 or $40 for mine.

The real, if temporary, drawback is that it has a learning curve. It’s not like any other word processor you’ve used and there are so many tools at your disposal that take time to get used to.

My suggestion? Download the 30 day free trial and go through the tutorial a few times to get the feel of it. Give yourself a period of time to experiment without the pressure of working on your WIP. I’m sure, like me, you’ll end the month wondering how you ever got along without it.

Get a 30 day trial of Scrivener here or wait until November to get the discount.

Hardware: A Notebook (Craft Time!)

One of the most basic tools in a writer’s arsenal is a notebook to carry around and jot observations, ideas, snatches of dialogue, or (let’s be real) a grocery list.

This is a super simple pocket notebook that anyone can make with materials you probably already have around the house.

Materials
14 sheets of 8.5×11 printer paper or lined notebook paper
1 sheet 8.5×11 cardstock (any color) or similar, like an old birthday card with a nice front
scissors or paper cutter
ruler
pencil
awl, needle, or something with a sharp point
string like embroidery thread, cotton string, yarn, even birthday ribbon

Instructions
1. Take your printer paper and cut it in half so you end up with sheets 8.5″ wide and 5.5″ tall. Do the same with your cardstock or cut your greeting card to the same size.

2. Fold your sheets in half so the folded paper is 4.25″ wide and 5.5″ tall.

3. Using a ruler and pencil, mark on your paper where your holes are going to go. I’d recommend a minimum of three, for stability. My preference is six holes. Starting from the bottom of my paper, I make my first hole 1″ up, then every 3/4″ from there. Use the same measurements to mark holes on your cardstock.

4. Use something sharp to poke the holes in the paper and the cardstock. I used a sewing pin before I bought an awl. Just make sure you put something underneath the paper to protect your table!

5. Run your thread through the holes to bind. You may need a needle for this, or a piece of tape wrapped around the end of the string depending on what material you’re using. This got a little confusing so I made a little diagram:

To hide my knot, I start on the outside of the folded paper, passing through the bottom hole (step A). Come back out through the second hole, this time through the cardstock as well. Keep going in and out, passing through all the layers. When you get to the top hole, go back through in the opposite direction (step B), making sure the thread is pulled tight. Tie your knot at the bottom (step C).

6. You have a notebook! You can draw or color on the outside if you like, or just shove it into your pocket and go out to find writing inspiration.

Here’s my latest version.

In Conclusion…

Maybe you’re now a diehard Scrivener user. Maybe all you got out of this post was a cool new notebook. Either way, hopefully something on this list was helpful to you.

Happy writing!

Short Story: The Trouble with Memory

Poppy pressed her palms to her eyes, trying to squeeze out the final image of the dream (his hands, reaching for her). It repeated a thousand times over as if reflected between two mirrors. Hands, teeth, dark, dark eyes. The same, but different every time.

One of her hands slid down toward the ache between her legs. She brought it up short, fisting the fabric of her sleep shirt, feeling like a fugitive in her own mind. All these years, and she had never reached the climax of the dream, as though the shame and disgust had rooted so deep in her subconscious, her mind wouldn’t let her finish.

She reached for her phone before she could stop herself. Once a year, she allowed herself a single morsel, one furtive, heart-pounding internet search when the craving became too much. She had trailed his progress over the last decade from the newspaper headlines to a realtor’s office to a marketing firm and now to an insurance agency, a different city every time.

This time, he had a profile.

Continue Reading on 3Elements Literary Review

This story was first published in 3Elements Literary Review on May 1, 2023.

How to Publish Your Novel: How to Write a Synopsis

Years ago, when I first thought I might become a published author someday, I started researching how to achieve my goals. What I found was completely overwhelming. I needed an agent, but there were thousands of them. Each of them wanted different documents I had never heard of. Query? Synopsis? What?

In this series, I’m going to share what I found and break down how to publish your novel. I’ll cover a the difference between the types of publishing currently available, writing a query letter, writing a synopsis, and finding the ideal agent to query. The process can seem overwhelming, but I hope to offer some clarity and simplicity so you can approach publishing with confidence.

Welcome to Part 5: How to Write a Synopsis. Catch up on previous sections here:
Part 1: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Part 2: How to Find a Literary Agent
Part 3: How to Find the Best Literary Agents
Part 4: How to Write a Query Letter

What is a Synopsis?

There are several parts to the query package including the query letter, synopsis, and manuscript pages. The query letter, which I covered in the last post, is basically a cover letter and includes a short blurb about your book. The blurb is like something you’d read on the back of a book: it gives you the gist of the main character and the obstacles they’re going to have to overcome. The blurb is often cliff-hangery, enticing someone to read more.

The synopsis is the opposite of that. It outlines your novel from start to finish and includes ALL the spoilers. A synopsis reveals every major twist and even describes the ending.

Every agent will need a synopsis at some point in the publication process. Many agents prefer to read manuscripts without spoilers, but a synopsis might entice them to keep reading if they reach a slow part. (It might also cause them to stop reading, but in that case, they wouldn’t have been a good fit anyway).

Even if an agent never opens up your synopsis, they’ll need it to send to editors at publishing houses; the editors will need it for the marketing department and cover design; and, in the future, hopefully others in audio, foreign, and film rights will need it too.

If an agent requests a synopsis as part of the query package and you don’t send one, it reflects poorly on you and your work ethic. There are plenty of other writers who will send in the requested documents, so give yourself the best chance and send in a great synopsis.

Format of a Synopsis

Formatting: A synopsis is always written in present tense, third person point of view, regardless of the tense and POV of your novel. Additionally, people and places, when mentioned for the first time, are often written in ALL CAPS.

Length: This varies by agent. The general consensus is to stick to two- to four-pages, single spaced, but many agents will ask for a single page (also single spaced). While you’re working on your synopsis, you might want to consider writing both a one page version (500 words) and a longer version (1000+ words).

Voice: Though a synopsis should be succinct, don’t be afraid to convey the voice of your novel and your character’s emotions.

Content: A synopsis should cover the entire book, beginning to end. You shouldn’t include every single plot point and all the minor characters, but don’t leave out major plot twists or the ending.

How to Write a Synopsis

A synopsis can be so daunting to start because it seems impossible to distill a 400-page book down to a single page. One of the simplest, clearest methods I’ve come across is the Fairy Tale method. With this formula, the synopsis is structured as follows:

  • Once upon a time there was a… (introduction to protagonist)
  • Every day [this] happened, until… (normal life and inciting incident)
  • Because of that… (fun and games)
  • Because of that… (repeat this one as necessary)
  • Until, finally… (climax)
  • And ever since that day… (resolution)

Of course, we’re not actually going to use this fairy tale language, just the structure.

Start the synopsis with your main character(s); give a brief description of who they are and their motivations in one to two sentences and move right into the inciting incident. What gets the protagonist involved in the plot? It should be clear right away what the protagonist’s goal is and what the stakes are if they don’t achieve that goal.

If your novel is science fiction, fantasy, or historical, or has an otherwise complex world, it may be necessary to include a sentence or two about important aspects of the world, but only if it’s crucial to understanding the plot.

Moving into the fun and games section, cover only the main plot points and the bare minimum of characters needed to understand. Don’t include B plots or side characters, no matter how beloved they are to you. While it’s important to keep the plot moving here, a great synopsis will also convey the protagonist’s emotions and hint as to how they change over the course of the story.

Tip: Using all caps the first time you introduce new characters or places is standard practice, but it can be doubly helpful here, because you can see how many names you have. Try to keep it to about five named characters or less, otherwise things will get too complicated.

Last, indicate how the conflicts are solved and how the character has grown. Do not withhold the ending! Agents are expecting to see spoilers in the synopsis.

This format can (and should) result in a pretty sparse document. For a longer synopsis, you can add a few more details, but still try to keep your writing spare and avoid including a laundry list of characters. However, a synopsis shouldn’t be boring or read like a technical manual. Add some flavor and include the character’s emotions throughout.

Now that you’ve written a succinct, compelling synopsis, it’s time to put everything together and submit to agents! In the next post, I’ll go over how to create an efficient submission package that will streamline your querying process and ensure you always submit the right documents to the right agents.

References and Further Reading

This is only a brief overview of how to write a great synopsis. See the resources below for more details about what and what not to include in your document.

BookEnds Literary Agency, How, When & Why to Write a Synopsis (YouTube video)
Jane Friedman, How to Write a Novel Synopsis
MasterClass, How to Write a Novel Synopsis: Step-by-Step Guide
Writer’s Digest, Learn How to Write a Synopsis Like a Pro

How to Publish Your Novel: How to Write a Query Letter

Years ago, when I first thought I might become a published author someday, I started researching how to achieve my goals. What I found was completely overwhelming. I needed an agent, but there were thousands of them. Each of them wanted different documents I had never heard of. Query? Synopsis? What?

In this series, I’m going to share what I found and break down how to publish your novel. I’ll cover a the difference between the types of publishing currently available, writing a query letter, writing a synopsis, and finding the ideal agent to query. The process can seem overwhelming, but I hope to offer some clarity and simplicity so you can approach publishing with confidence.

Welcome to Part 4: Query Letters. Catch up on previous sections here:
Part 1: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
Part 2: Finding an Agent
Part 3: Finding the Best Literary Agents

Query Letters

You’ve compiled a list of agents and whittled it down to the ones you think are the best fit for your manuscript. But they want all sorts of documents and one of them is something called a query letter.

A query letter is basically a cover letter and it is your first chance to introduce your book to an agent. However, because it is usually the first (and sometimes only) thing an agent reads, it has to pack a punch in very few words.

There are a few basic sections that make up most query letters:

  • A personalized introduction
  • Manuscript stats / comp titles
  • A short description of the manuscript aka the “query blurb”
  • Any relevant personal information

Let’s write a query letter based on these four parts.

The Introduction

You’ve done your research and selected agents who may be a good fit for you. When writing the introduction, focus on what made you choose that particular agent.

For example:

Dear Ms. Tome, [This should always be the agent’s name and never “Dear Agent”]

On your website, you mention seeking sweeping, epic fantasies with a focus on female friendships and questions about morality.

This is a made up query about a fake book, but the gist is that you’ve picked this agent for a reason, and you should let them know what it is. This shows two things: that you think they’re a good fit (and so should they) and that you’ve done your research.

Manuscript Stats

In this particular letter, I would put the manuscript stats (genre, audience, word count) right after the introduction, but it could also go at the end of the letter, after the query blurb. Put it wherever it seems to fit.

My adult fantasy novel, DRAGON SKY (100,000) focuses on unlikely female friends who struggle with right and wrong. It is the first in a planned trilogy.

Include the word count in parentheses after the title. Note that this had better fit into the standard word count range for your genre as anything outside that range could be an automatic rejection. There is a handy word count guide here.

If the book is the first in a planned series, include that in this paragraph. You can also include comp titles here. No need to say that the manuscript is complete–it had better be, if you’re querying agents!

Comp Titles

Comp titles are usually included in the paragraph with the manuscript details, but it gets its own section in this article because there are a several important things to know. Comparison titles will give the agent an idea of similar books and, specifically, if you were in a bookstore, what books might you expect to find on the shelf next to yours.

A good comp title will be no more than five years old from the time of querying. Ideally, it will be no more than three years. Yes, that makes things difficult, but as a writer you should constantly be reading in (and out of) your genre, especially new books. If your comp is a series, the important date to note would be the publication date of the first book in the series.

Please, please, don’t list Stephen King as a comp. No one is comparable to Stephen King. Same goes for J.K. Rowling and other uber-famous authors.

Comps should be in your genre. Ideally they will also be in your age group (middle grade, YA, adult, etc.). While it’s possible to list a book of a different age group as a comp, you should endeavor to make sure the other comp(s) are within your age group. You can comp other media, like movies or shows, but again, the other comps should be recent books in your genre and age group.

When including comps in the query letter, you can write something like:

DRAGON SKY will appeal to those who enjoy the strong friendships of TETHERED by Jo Brooks and the mystical worldbuilding of HEAT OF THE MOMENT by Sherie Amil.

Or,

TETHERED by Jo Brooks meets HEAT OF THE MOMENT by Sherie Amil in my adult fantasy novel DRAGON SKY (100,000).

Query Blurb

The “blurb” comes next and should read like the back cover or inside flap of a published book. There are a lot of resources that explain how to write a great query blurb, including Query Shark, Jane Friedman, and the BookEnds Literary Agency YouTube channel, so I won’t go into excessive detail here.

In the wise words of Query Shark, the agent needs to know only a few things:

  • Who is the main character?
  • What do they want?
  • What’s stopping them from getting it?
  • What choices must they make?
  • What’s at stake with those choices?

A query should convey this information within 200-350 words. Blurbs are always written in third person, present tense, regardless of the POV or tense of the book. Ideally, the blurb will have a similar tone as your book (i.e. a serious book shouldn’t have a jokey, lighthearted query and vice versa) and will convey an idea of the world, without going into too much depth.

Dragontamer Jarga Thistlemane has a problem. The dragon in her care escaped from its cage last night and Jarga has no idea where it is. If she doesn’t find it by week’s end, Jarga’s boss will fire her. Jarga needs this job to pay off her family’s debt, but that’s not the worst of it: the dragon’s owner is Kael Zephith, the most ruthless noble in the city. If he learns his dragon is missing, he’ll do far worse things to Jarga than take her job.

Jarga sets out to find the dragon, but everything goes wrong from the beginning. First, her annoying neighbor Sorrel insists on “helping” and comes along for the journey. Then, the two are pursued by the murderous local gang. Jarga soon learns that Sorrel stole information from the gang. Information that could lead to Jarga’s missing dragon. Information that could incite the wrath of Kael Zephith.

Jarga and Sorrel must work together to evade the gang and find the dragon before Kael Zephith finds out–or finds them.

Keep things short and simple. Two or three paragraphs will never be enough to convey the complexity of an entire novel, so distill it down. Don’t include more than two or three named characters and focus on one main plotline.

I highly recommend checking out the resources above for in-depth articles about writing great query blurbs.

The Author Bio

This can be an agonizing paragraph for writers who don’t have publications, but it doesn’t have to be.

[To be clear, by “publications,” I mean that an editor of a literary journal accepted your work–this can’t be something that you posted to your website or social media, and it’s not something you paid to have online. For example, I once paid a fee to enter a writing contest and all the stories submitted to that contest were later posted on the website. I do not count this as an authentic publication since I was not “chosen” by the editor. Academic or non-literary writing does not qualify unless it is directly related to the story you’re writing. (E.g. you published an academic paper about the rise of the Ottoman Empire and your story is about the rise of the Ottoman Empire.)]

If you’ve been published–great! You can definitely include that. If not, don’t sweat it. Not having publications isn’t as big a deal as writers think.

There are a few ways to approach the bio section of the query.

Leave it out! That’s right; just forgo it entirely. There is a caveat to this. If an agent specifically requests that you include a bio in the query letter, I would prioritize following those instructions. Additionally, agents using Query Manager are increasingly including a bio section in their forms. You should plan for this eventuality.

To deal with this, just write a few short sentences about yourself. Where you live, perhaps, or what your job is–bonus points if it’s something weird or unique. Do you have any strange hobbies or skills? Be honest here; it’s great if you can catch an agent’s eye, but they’re not going to request your manuscript just because you’re a skydiving wedding officiant. Again, if your job/hobbies is directly relevant to the story you’re writing, include it!

I received my degree in aeronautics from Griffith College in the 1980s. I live in Misthaven, CT where I have worked as a horse tamer for the past 20 years.

Closing

Don’t overthink it.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Loren Glider

Putting it All Together

Based on what I’ve written above, we end up with a query letter that looks something like this:

Dear Ms. Tome,

On your website, you mention seeking sweeping, epic fantasies with a focus on female friendships and questions about morality. TETHERED by Jo Brooks meets HEAT OF THE MOMENT by Sherie Amil in my adult fantasy novel DRAGON SKY (100,000). DRAGON SKY focuses on unlikely female friends who struggle with right and wrong. It is the first in a planned trilogy.

Dragontamer Jarga Thistlemane has a problem. The dragon in her care escaped from its cage last night and Jarga has no idea where it is. If she doesn’t find it by week’s end, Jarga’s boss will fire her. Jarga needs this job to pay off her family’s debt, but that’s not the worst of it: the dragon’s owner is Kael Zephith, the most ruthless noble in the city. If he learns his dragon is missing, he’ll do far worse to Jarga than take her job.

Jarga sets out to find the dragon, but everything goes wrong from the beginning. First, her annoying neighbor Sorrel insists on “helping” and comes along for the journey. Then, the two are pursued by the murderous local gang. Jarga soon learns that Sorrel stole information from the gang. Information that could lead to Jarga’s missing dragon. Information that could incite the wrath of Kael Zephith.

Jarga and Sorrel must work together to evade the gang and find the dragon before Kael Zephith finds out–or finds them.

I received my degree in aeronautics from Griffith College in the 1980s. I live in Misthaven, CT where I have worked as a horse tamer for the past 20 years.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Loren Glider

Final Thoughts

I find it helpful to write three (or more!) queries from scratch over the course of a few days. This can help you think outside the box and loosen you up. The first version is almost never the best version, so keep trying.

Take inspiration from the back cover copy of your favorite novels, as well as recently released novels to see what’s fresh.

Have multiple people read your query blurb and give feedback. Where were they confused? What did they find interesting?

And lastly, follow an agent’s submission guidelines. If they want a bio, include it. If they want the manuscript stats at the bottom instead of the top, move it. If they want a one paragraph blurb instead of three… well, get cutting!

Next Steps…

Believe it or not, the query letter was the easy part. Buckle up for the next post, “Synopsis,” where I’ll cover what agents expect and how to write one.

References and Further Reading

Query Shark
Jane Friedman
BookEnds Literary Agency YouTube Channel
Queries, Qualms, and Quirks
Quite The Query

Writing Prompts

Prompts are a great way to get inspiration and get started writing.

Download this free PDF with 100 writing prompts to choose from and see what stories take shape. If you’re up for a challenge, try writing a complete story in less than 1000 words.

Or, to receive a random prompt, click the Generate button!


If you need something more visual, try using one of the images below as a picture prompt.

Happy Writing!


Short Story: An Unfortunate Inheritance

I read a story once, where the main character turned into a cockroach. As my classmates argued about allegories and the unbearable weight of banality, I doodled a bug in my notebook. The story made no sense at all.

In the yellow light of the bathroom’s naked bulb, an overturned cockroach wiggled feeble legs. “I feel ya,” I mumbled through toothpaste foam.

Maybe I finally understood the allegory, ten years too late. I rinsed. The plastic case of floss judged me from the cracked edge of the sink.

I flicked the cockroach right side up and stuffed myself into the only clean pair of scrubs left. Mr. Denovan, a human cockroach if I ever saw one, had a notorious gag reflex and I’d drawn the short straw yesterday. He’d bucked and swayed in the chair as I inserted the tray for his dental molds, and then he’d leaned over and puked. On me. So, yeah, I was seeing the appeal of roach life.

Continue Reading on Grim & Gilded

This story was first published on Grim & Gilded on January 31, 2023.

Short Story: Bog Water

On a muggy spring afternoon, the clouds sense a secret is about to be discovered. They crowd low, peering over a verdant bog. The sound of a pickaxe falls in a rhythmic swish-thump. The man’s fear and worry rise like perfume.

Another woman was taken yesterday. The clouds hadn’t been in attendance, but they knew that the man’s sister was there, and that she looked away for only a second. All that remained of her friend was the basket spilling red, glistening berries onto the ground.

 Swish-thump. The man, Olek, drives his pickaxe into thick peat. Every time he pulls it out, it makes a squelching, sucking sound, as though the bog doesn’t want to relinquish it.

 The bog doesn’t often relinquish things.

Continue Reading on Potato Soup Journal

This story was first published on PotatoSoupJournal.com on August 1, 2022.

On My Bookshelf: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

Title: The Secret Commonwealth Author: Philip Pullman Genre: Fantasy My Rating: 4/5
Lyra Silvertongue, once a traveler between worlds, has grown up. Seven years after she left the love of her life in a different universe, she still bears a wounded heart. Worse, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, no longer get along. Their relationship is one of disagreement and discomfort until the day Pantalaimon disappears. Lyra must embark on a cross-continental journey to find him even as religious and governmental institutions are tracking her down to destroy her.
I adored the original His Dark Materials trilogy and, two books in, I’m enjoying this one as well. Lyra is no longer a child. She is still the same person, yet vastly different. Starting this book was like coming back to an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, one who has changed with the years–and you’ve changed too. At first, you’re not sure if you still fit together, if you still have that easy conversation you were used to. After a reintroduction, a brief catch up, you find that you do still fit together and your friend is as beloved as she’s always been. My heart ached for Lyra, who is now less sure of herself and her place in the world. She doesn’t seem to fit anywhere and it’s a feeling to which I can acutely relate. Her relationship with Pan was so strained in the first part of the book and I just wanted them to hug each other and go back to their easy love again.
The plot of The Secret Commonwealth is as thrilling as any of the original trilogy. Lyra travels from England to the Middle East in the course of the book and meets friends and foes along the way. Meanwhile, the POVs of supporting characters offer glimpses into the various agencies hunting Lyra, lending even more urgency to the book. I could barely put it down. As with all the Lyra books, each character, no matter how small, has been deeply developed and comes with their own histories, hurts, and complicated motivations. Normally, I am annoyed by head-jumping points of view because I always want to get back to the last person I was reading about. I didn’t feel that way during this story.
My biggest, non-spoilery complaint is that Malcolm has developed romantic feelings for Lyra. While not a huge focal point of the story, they didn’t seem natural. It felt more like the author wanted his main male and female protagonists to end up together, which I assume happens in the third book. Rather than leaving me with a sense of inevitability of the relationship, Malcolm’s feelings left me with some uncomfortable questions. When did he fall in love with her? She was a baby when Malcolm saved her in the last book and The Secret Commonwealth mentions that she was briefly his student a few years ago–still a child. Did he fall in love with her when she was a teenager? They haven’t seen too much of each other in the intervening years. It sounds like they’ve barely had a conversation! Is he infatuated with her based on what little he knows? I don’t know and the text doesn’t really provide an answer. Lyra is an adult in this book and I usually don’t scorn a romance with age differences (provided the parties are on an equal footing in terms of power), but the romantic plotline didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe I’ll feel differently in the third book. I do want to root for them after all. I just need an actual reason to.
Overall, I really liked The Secret Commonwealth and I think anyone who’s read His Dark Materials will also like it. It’s both familiar and new–and very exciting–and I can’t want to read the next book.

On My Bookshelf: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Adult Fantasy
My Rating: 4/5

Agnieszka grew up with the knowledge that, in exchange for protecting her village from The Wood, The Dragon would steal away her best friend for ten years. However, when the day of the choosing comes, the wizard picks Agnieszka out of the lineup of maidens. He takes her back to his tower and tells her that she has the gift of magic and, as such, he is obligated to teach her. The problem is, Agnieszka doesn’t want to be taught and she can’t seem to manage even the simplest spell.

Her attitude changes as The Wood grows more powerful and a brewing war threatens to leave the entire country vulnerable to The Wood’s malevolent influence.

I got Uprooted from my library after reading and loving Spinning Silver. I loved Uprooted as well; the concept was amazing (evil that seeps out of a forest, corrupting those it touches) and the protagonist is a unique, determined character.

I thought the story started pretty quickly; there’s a little bit of explanation of Agnieszka’s past and her deep bond with her friend Kasia and then it gets right into the action when The Dragon (who is actually human–no shapeshifters here) comes to choose his next “sacrifice.” Agnieszka’s reaction to becoming his sort-of-servant / pupil is pretty realistic, considering I would have been totally freaked out as well. She starts to learn magic in a way that doesn’t conform to the “rules” of the world, which I found very satisfying. In a world with magic and magical beings, I don’t think everything should always make sense.

I enjoyed the romance element (which I won’t spoil) mostly because the sexual tension between the characters was palpable. So much so, in fact, that I would have been seriously let down if Novik didn’t see it through to the end. It’s not an easy, rainbows and sunshine relationship, though. The way the characters talk to each other could be considered verbal abuse at times. That made me a little uncomfortable, considering I like my romances to start as friendship with a side of longing, but I overlooked it, for the most part.

The victory of this story is Novik’s characterization of The Wood. It’s a forest that’s not a forest–it seethes with malevolence, is overrun with horrific creatures, and corrupts all it touches. Simply breathing the air will kill a person–but not before they go mad and kill or infect everyone else they touch. The creatures were terrifying and the “heart trees” were grotesque perversions of what trees should be. The descriptions of the forest and its influence sent chills through me in the best way. It was delightfully horrifying.

All in all, Novik remains a must-read author for me and I’d recommend giving her a try.

…truth didn’t mean anything without someone to share it with; you could shout truth into the air forever, and spend your life doing it, if someone didn’t come and listen.

Naomi Novik, Uprooted

On My Bookshelf: On Writing by Stephen King

Title: On Writing
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Non-Fiction, Writing, Memoir
My Rating: 5/5

I have a confession to make: I have never read a Stephen King novel. If I’ve seen a movie of his, it was accidental. Stephen King was fixed in my mind as a horror writer, the one genre that is an instant NOPE! (Close the eyes! Cover the ears!) for me. (What can I say? As a writer, my imagination is WAY too active).

This is a slim book that is part memoir, part instruction manual about the craft of writing, and it was an utter delight to read. I knew pretty much nothing about Stephen King, besides that he is a master of the craft, and yet I was drawn in immediately by his short biographical snippets. It speaks to his talent as a writer that I, someone who had no interest in his works or his life, was captivated from page one. The voice is friendly, colorful, no nonsense, and it made reading this book a pleasure.

After the biographical section, King spends some time covering broad topics on writing, grammar, and crafting a story. I had heard that On Writing was a must-read for aspiring (or published) writers, which nearly led me to avoid this book entirely as I tend to steer clear of mainstream, hugely popular media in any form. I’m not sure that anything should be considered “required reading,” but it’s certainly worthwhile. Some of the major takeaways were that writers, above all, need to read, that they need to have a dedicated writing time during the day, and a door to close while they’re working, and that anyone who promises a “magic bullet” for writing success is full of shit.

I don’t have a lot to say on this book because I’d end up repeating King’s words here. I’ve already returned this book to the library, but I think I’ll be taking it out again in the future for a reread and some note taking. If you’re a writer, I’d recommend On Writing as the most worthwhile “how to” book I’ve read to date.

Bonus: I love the fact that Stephen King absolutely adores his wife, Tammy. She is painted as the hero in his sometimes difficult life and his love for her is steeped in every page of the book.

Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy okay? Getting happy.

Stephen King, On Writing

Damn, if that ain’t the truth.

If any of you have read Stephen King novels, could you recommend one that isn’t too scary?