Writerly Wednesday: The action scene

One wouldn't think a girl who writes teen romance would know anything about writing an action scene.

Some reviewers may actually agree with that and say they hate my action scenes in How to Date an Alien. Others think I may have it down and some of you are just wondering how much action there is going to be in Book 3 or Spliced.

Writing action scenes is harder for me than writing a kiss scene, especially in YA. I want the characters to brawl, but I can't just go all shoot-em-up style.

So what's a YA writer to do?

Just like with writing a love scene, it's all about the emotions.

Let's play with an example (You get a Roswell one because I said so!)


In the first book and TV show there is a scene in the cafe in which a shooting occurs. Instead of playing on the action, the author plays on the emotions:

Click.

The muscular man cocked the gun.
Liz wanted to run, she wanted to scream, but she was paralyzed. Her mouth refused to open. Her feet refused to move.
The beefy man gave a howl of fury. He launched himself across the table at the muscular man.
an ear-drum shattering explosion rocked the room.
Liz flew off her feet, she hit the wall behind her and slumped to the ground.
She felt something warm and wet, soaking into her uniform.
"There's so much blood," Liz heard Maria cry.
But she sounded so far away.
So far away...


AND SCENE.

Instead of being all about the action the author uses the emotions: How Liz wanted to run, but was paralyzed. She also used different words and situated them so you could grasp the emotions of the scene:  'Click' 'So far away...'

This is what I try to establish in my own writing. How does the character feel when they are running from an evil being? Is their heart pounding in their chest? Does the crackle of a gunfire sting their ear drums?

How do you work emotion in to your action scenes?

Writerly Wednesday: Spliced

It's done. The first draft of Spliced is DONE. Now I have two first drafts of novels that I get to plow through, but for now it's DONE.

What is Spliced about you may ask?

It's a future in which instead of tattoos or piercings people are getting animal parts fused on to them.

You want more?

Okay here's the little blurb I've been working on:

Pacey Jones wants nothing more than to get spliced -animal parts fused on to her- ever since she saw her first kitten tale on a socialite. Too bad she's not old enough yet and her dad has a strict 'no splicing' policy. But when her best friend, Illena, finds a loop hole in the age requirement Pacey finds it hard to resist the appeal of a pair of wings, no matter how dangerous it could be.

Rowen Mangold used to be a track star then splicing happened. Now he is the army candy of  Emm, the president of students against splicing, and spends his Sundays at the church for the Order of Genetic Conservitists. Each time he see's a student with a new splice he cringes, but his reasons lie much deeper than what anyone knows.

A chance encounter with a pair of bull horns finds the two of them working together in ways they never saw coming. It's the spliced versus the anti-spliced and the winner could lead to deadly consequences for both Rowen and Pacey.

Interested?

Let's just fall in love again

Let's pretend baby, that you just met me. I've never seen you before.

Oh Jason Castro, your beautiful dreadlocks and striking blue eyes *ahem* Okay enough about Jason Castro, this really isn't about him...though it should be...he is pretty.

AHEM

Okay, this is about falling in love with your story.

I had a WIP that I started before How to Date an Alien was published called Spliced. I hadn't worked on it awhile because I was busy with How to Date an Alien and then How To Break Up With an Alien. Since Book 2 is done and Book 3 is really moving along, I decided to pick up Spliced again.

And let me tell you it's like falling in love with the story all over again.

It feels like we haven't seen eachother and now I'm catching up with an old friend. As I write these characters I can't help but fall in love with them over again. Like Jason says, "It' so easy we don't need to pretend."

I don't need to pretend I just met these characters, I can fall in love with them all over again just from that little break. With writing an outline I know exactlly what is going to happen to them, but even with an idea these characters still surprise me and keep me on the edge of my seat.

I do love Ace and Alex, but Pacey and Rowen are so giving them a run for their money. I know, of course, the same thing is going to happen when book three comes around, but until then I'm just going to keep falling in love with these characters again and again.

Do you fall in love with your characters over and over again? How do you come back to an old WIP?  And no...unfortunatley none of the characters in Spliced or the alien books look like Jason *lesigh* I guess I will have to write a book for him too, don't tell Mr. Lambert!