Am I the only one who's noticed how many great writers are using Ben Barnes (or BinBons, as he's known) as their muse? He has already been 'cast' as a number of my favorite YA HBWS and book boyfriends. I have two thoughts on this: 1. Does BinBons KNOW that he is the ultimate inspiration for Hot Boys in YA lit? 2. Can we spend some time poring over BinBons pics in order to cast him in each of our favorite YA roles? Please?
"Nickname for English actor Ben Barnes, best known for his work as Prince Caspian, and who may or may not have pupils. BinBons is over there seducing you with his black bedroom eyes."
First of all, Bwhahahahahaha! And secondly, this will help me so much with my reading of books with boys who have black eyes! I had a hard time picturing black eyes, but no more! I shall just think of this:
Nick
That could be Nick from Demon's Lexicon, no? I don't know that Sarah Rees Brennan has ever said that she was inspired by BinBons, but come on! That's my Nick. In fact, I may cut this out and paste it over the guy on The Demon's Lexicon cover. *grabs scissors*
I'm pretty sure that Sophie, our resident BinBons "pic-spiration" dealer, can cast a few roles for us.
*digs into folders on hard drive* *not that there are ANY completely devoted to BinBons* *wistles innocently*
Umm, Ash, from The Iron Fae?
Ash
This one is very Archer-esque. I think he would fit in well at Hex Hall.
Archer
Yes! And how about this one for Ren from Nightshade (which I hope you are all reading for our LBC! #shamelessplug). Just knowing that Andrea Cremer said Ren is Ben Barnes makes me want to jump on the #TeamRen bus. There is a bus, right?
Ren
I know some people think BB would make a good Gale *cough*ME*cough* and I think this one fits:
Gale
See, I was NEVER Team Gale. But this picture could turn me.
Someone please, write the Dirty Biker BinBons...
Not-Yet-Written Hot Dude
. *makes mental note to write a Dirty Biker BinBons* Can we turn it into a space bike? Maybe?
I'm having difficulty forming a coherent thought while Dirty Biker BinBons is beckoning me to ride him his bike.
*sighs dramatically* What IS it about this man that reduces us all to hormonal teenagers? (And then makes us want to write him as one??)
How about this picture? This is very much my vision of Nathaniel from Saundra Mitchell's The Vespertine (which will be out in March of 2011, at which point you can swoon with Stacie and I.)
Nathaniel
*stops staring and pulls self together* Okay, so what about you all? Does BinBons play any starring roles in the books you read? Is there another actor who keeps showing up? You know we want to hear about it! *returns to staring*
Some of you may have seen us tweeting and discussing an amazing online writer's conference that's taking place right now, called WriteOnCon. What you may not realize is that even though this is a conference by industry pros and geared toward YA writers, a lot of our favorite authors are contributing really insightful posts. Since the conference is free and open to all, we thought you might want to know about a few of the highlights involving some of our favorite authors.
Now, I admit that I'm a little biased because I have GIANT girl-crushes on both of these lovely ladies, but I think you'll agree with me. Even if you aren't a writer, be sure to check out the other posts and events on WriteOnCon.
As Stacie and I were watching a webcast from the conference last night, she messaged me and said: "This is such geek porn to me." Yup. It really is that awesome.
*waving* Hi guys! It's just me today. Rain is out of the country for a little over a week and she left me in charge. (I know, I thought it was foolish of her too.)
I co-write this blog with her because I adore reading. I've come to realize that as a reader I've really underestimated the amount of work that goes into creating a novel. Sure, I've always admired the talent that it must take to be able to create characters like Sam and Grace or Ash and Mehgan, but I've never really thought about the process. Until now.
Some of you may be aware that I'm currently writing a book. Some of you may ALSO be aware that I'm a 30ish stay-at-home-mom, so writing a book may seem like a forgone conclusion. They hand out blank notebooks and smencils when you leave the hospital with your second child, after all. Besides, if Stephenie Meyer can do it while her kids are swimming, it can't be that hard, right? I read Twilight and thought "Dude! I'm just like Stephenie Meyer with my amazing ideas, except that I drink and swear!"
Then I started to write, and read blogs about writing, and talk to other authors about writing, and it hit me. Writing is a LOT of work.
It's like cooking Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, salad, sweet potato casserole, and homemade rolls... just to find out that the turkey is still frozen, the gravy is lumpy, and you need to throw out the mashed potatoes completely and start them from scratch while the turkey cooks for another 3 hours. Oh, and that pumpkin pie that you slaved over? It's lovely and delicious and doesn't fit on the table, so throw it in the trash.
Is it worth it in the end when you have an amazing dinner? Of course it is! Does your husband really understand why you don't want to even LOOK at the kitchen for the next week? Of course not.
If you take all of this work and end up a Certified Big Deal (like J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer, for example) the payoff is obvious. And, since we're human, we may even question the scope of their success.* But most authors don't hit Certified Big Deal status. During #YALitChat** last week I found out how much a typical author makes off of that debut novel: $10 - $15 thousand dollars. That's before taxes, expenses, agent fees, and whatever else is thrown in. Which is why, when you talk to most authors or read their blogs, they'll tell you that they don't write for the money. It's a labor of love.
And after thinking about all of this, I've come to the following conclusion:
J.K. Rowling deserves her effing castle.*** In fact, I think that Maggie Stiefvater, Julie Kagawa, Rachel Hawkins, and all the other authors we gush over on here deserve one too.
xoxo,
*Well, if you're heartless and mean, anyway. I'd never make snide jokes about how nice it must be to make so much money off of a book that uses the word "moats" wrong. Because that would be bitchy. **YALitChat is a weekly twitter chat where authors, agents, and all sorts of other people get together and talk about YA lit. If you're ever bored, throw up a hashtag search. You might see some of your favorite authors discussing how they write. ***Okay, so it's not REALLY a castle. It's just a GIANT HOUSE THAT IS REALLY OLD AND FABULOUS.
WF's Ultimate Writing Room (Manny Subject to Change)
So, here's the thing. I've been writing lately. Like, actually setting aside time and hiding from my family and other responsibilities and WRITING. And it's been AMAZING. Except that it's also been fraught with distractions. It's HARD to write with Disney on in the background to placate the 2yo. Or hiding in my bedroom on my bed so my husband can play Handy Manny Uno with the 5yo. Even when I'm all by myself, sitting peacefully on my back porch with a nice breeze, I know that the laundry is inside, piled on the table, taunting me. *shakes fist at laundry*
Which made me wonder, what IS the 'perfect' writing environment for you? And what does your 'real life' writing environment end up looking like? Do the two ever even come CLOSE to merging?
My PERFECT writing environment would have to include my Manny. I mean, there is no way I could actually sit down and write without him. Okay, well, I don't actually ever sit down and write, but maybe if I had a Manny! *thinks about securing my Manny*
But truly, when I do write, whether for this blog or my private blog, it's usually when inspiration hits. I can't plan for these things and sometimes posts in my head are lost because the Little needs a SNACK and JUICE. Like right now....
Sidebra from couch sitting with legs outstretched on Manny's lap: Securing the Manny?? *raised eyebrow* Check.
Oh, okay, you wanted a "serious" reply...hmm. Writing Environments. Well, our "study" is a loft which overlooks the Family Room/Kitchen. Sounds and heat drift up, right? Right.
So, I'm often writing in a hot, noisy environment which includes the joyous noises of 3 kids, 1 dog and 1 TV. All of which acts as an irritant or as an excuse for Not Writing. Oh wait, now I'm being prolific. That's dangerous.
I think a well-secured Manny might be the answer. In my ideal writing world, the Manny would be tending to my children (and possibly playing some sort of sport with husband, so he isn't bored) while I am sitting at a gorgeous desk in a cool, well-lit room. Calm colors, tastefully decorated, decent sound system for the WIP playlist, and a widow that overlooks some sort of natural wonder.
In my CURRENT, NON-ideal writing world, I sit in my bonus room, which is cool and well-lit, but also has a bed (Sleep is an evil, whorish temptress), and I can hear all the loud noises my husband and children make. Meaning every time I hear a "thunk - waaaa - slam!" I am compelled by motherly duty to make sure no one has died. Especially my husband. I'm waiting for the kids to stage a coup.
Ah. I agree with a Well Secured Manny but might I suggest one of these?? A SONY Noise Canceling Headset for the "thunk-waaaa-slam" moments. See it even says "tranquility is yours...". It's like they know me at SONY.
Hubs gave me one as a Christmas present. The man knows me entirely too well.
Are you sure you didn't marry the Manny? Because my husband wouldn't go for those. If I was wearing them, how could I hear him when he needs me?? *wink*
LOL. No, trust me I didn't marry The Much Needed (Hell-oooo 2 out of 3 kidlettes are on Summer Vacay Already) Manny. But...Hubs saw the headsets and thought of his wife trying to write. The man IS smart. And after 16.5 years of marriage and 19.5 years of knowing each other, he's learned to pick up on my frustration. Kinda. He still has that faulty XY Chromosome wiring and we know that's not foolproof.
As for hearing him, well, he'll stand in my peripheral vision. He's 6'2". And eventually, I stop seeing my characters and focus on him. LOL!
Oooh, so THAT'S why. I've only been married for (almost) 8 years. He's still in denial that this is more than a passing hobby.
Don't let us non-mommies fool you. Childless writing does not necessarily mean distraction-free writing.
This might sound silly, but where I write depends on when I write. I can only seem to write early in the morning or late at night. I'm not sure if that's because there are fewer distractions then or if that's just when my creativity flows best. Anyway, if it's early in the morning, I like curling up on the couch in our living room or writing at the desk in my studio. If it's late at night, I usually write in the basement (it's not as creepy as it sounds; we have a family room down there).
I have dreams of writing in a park or in one of those book-cafe combos, but I have yet to try out either of them. My ideal, though, would be writing to the sound of the waves on the balcony of a beachfront condo. *drooling at the thought*
Cheryl, I think a Butler is in order for you. Someone to make sure that "Madame" has her writing time.
Mmm... Park-writing-dreams. I think we ALL have those, but no matter HOW ergonomic your laptop is, it just never seems plausible. And I suck at writing longhand. I have cute notebooks and everything, but my flow is just different. *sigh*
Also, I think it's interesting that you have different writing "places" for different times. I tend to plan better late at night, but I can't write effectively. I'm too tired.
I love a library....you know those stacks of books already written are an inspiration. Plus all that delicious quiet. No shouts of "Hey, Mama!"
Of course when I go, it's for Children's Story Time. So it's a "different" experience than in my daydream. I come home with stacks of storybooks and glittery popsicle stick projects sticking out of my handbag.
Or a castle. Cassie Clare, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson enjoyed a Writer's Retreat in a castle.
Perhaps we need to re-think The Environment concept and think Getaway instead?
Did someone say Castle Getaway? Where do I sign up?
I'd be willing to take in a hot Butler... for the sake of my novel, of course.
Leigh, I am such a pen and notebook kind of gal. If I'm on a roll, I tend to turn to my laptop, but if I'm first starting a scene, a blank piece of paper is less intimidating to me than a blank screen.
*ahem* Since I'm not technically a writer (of fiction) yet, I can say this (and hope you three won't beat me down): I think you have to just do it. I've seen Maggie Stiefvater's office in her videos and it doesn't look that much different from ours. One video even features an ironing board in the background. Even Stephenie Meyer wrote while raising three small boys, and apparently she wrote a lot in the middle of the night when her baby wasn't sleeping well. (Personally, I'm amazed by this because there is no way I could pull that off. I can barely mix a bottle in the middle of the night.)
I guess writers have to find a way to make their reality the perfect spot, no matter how imperfect it is. So...yeah. *runs and hides from the three writers in the group*
Pftt. Way to ruin our dream, Rain. Way. To. Ruin. It. *wink*
*Sigh* Way to ruin my argument for a writing "nook" in our next house, Rain. Thanks.
*snort* FINE. Strike that. Here you go: You're in a room, the walls are clean and not distracting, except for the one wall lined with bookshelves, floor to ceiling. The gauzy curtains are blowing in along with the sea breeze. You think about going out onto the balcony, which overlooks a sweet little park with benches and flora and fauna, when your Manny walks in with a tall, cool. You sigh dreamily, sit back, relax, and write the next great piece of literature.
Just don't mind that ironing board in the background.
So, some of you know that I write a fun little fanfic called Frozen Spring. I have a dirty secret, however. (No, writing fanfiction ISN'T my dirty secret. Wow, y'all are total book snobs, aren't you?) I don't outline. Ever.
*collective audience gasp*
I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "But Meadow! If you don't outline, how do you know what's going to happen?" Well... *whispering* I don't. I have a general idea. I know how I want the story to end. But I don't have a map of how it's going to happen. I'm letting the characters tell me how they want to get there.
For a story like FS, it's not such a big deal. I'm not writing a great, epic tale of love across centuries or anything. It's a story that takes place in a house over the span of about two weeks. I have more than one story in my mind, however. Stories that are larger, broader, and have more characters. These stories scare me. Because - the horror! - I may have to outline them!
Enter my new hero, Jamie Harrington. She not only has an agent (fangirl squee!) and a completed manuscript out on submission, but she has the best outlining tool ever created. Seriously. I want to sing it a song. It would sound something like "Tribute" by Tenacious D. This tool has a name, and it's name is STORYSAURUS!
Here's the concept: You need to outline. Outlining is boring. BUT, if you outline all of your major plot points via the spines on a cartoon stegosaurus, outlining becomes FUN!
(Don't worry, I asked for her permission before stealing her awesome art.)
Now, maybe dinosaurs aren't your thing. So take this concept and apply it to ANYTHING that works for you. (I'm thinking of making a Story-Breathing-Dragon for a fantasy novel.) The bottom line is that outlines don't HAVE to be scary. They also aren't set in stone. While discussing StorySaurus with Jamie I expressed my main problem with outlining: I try too hard to stick to it. She very kindly set me straight. Outlines are there to help you, not hinder. Maybe I won't stick to my outline. Maybe I'll rip off a few spines and reorder others. Maybe I'll have to add wings or something. But at least I'll know where I want to end up and realize when I can't get there anymore.
Which fits in with my number one rule of life: Making plans is a great way to keep track of how often things change. *winks*
Do you outline? Are you an "organic writer" (my friend Heather told me that's what us non-outliners are called) like me? Will you use StorySaurus? Let me know!
Am I the only one who's noticed how many great writers are using Ben Barnes (or BinBons, as he's known) as their muse? He has already been 'cast' as a number of my favorite YA HBWS and book boyfriends. I have two thoughts on this:
Let's start with the Urban Dictionary's definition of BinBons, shall we:
I'm pretty sure that Sophie, our resident BinBons "pic-spiration" dealer, can cast a few roles for us.
I'm having difficulty forming a coherent thought while Dirty Biker BinBons is beckoning me to ride 
My PERFECT writing environment would have to include my Manny. I mean, there is no way I could actually sit down and write without him. Okay, well, I don't actually ever sit down and write, but maybe if I had a Manny! *thinks about securing my Manny*
So, some of you know that I write a fun little fanfic called 
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