Liebster Award

Sarah Kettles, fellow member of TGNA, tagged me to do this ages ago and I have been putting it off because I haven't been writing much. In the last few days, I've had a few spare minutes to write and I feel more ready to answer these questions now.

1. Tell us a little about your WIP. 
LOVE'S GRAVEYARD is a contemporary retelling of the romantic ballet Giselle. 

Elle, a college senior, falls hard for the transfer student without realizing he's still kind of got a girl back home. When her "nice guy" best friend reveals the whole mess in the worst possible way, Elle takes too many sleeping pills and nearly doesn't wake up. As she recovers in the hospital, Elle must make peace with her past if she wants to have a future. But can she forgive the guy who broke her heart in order to save herself?

2. How did you come up with your WIP's title?
I came up with the title LOVES'S GRAVEYARD because the cemetery where the second act of the ballet Giselle takes place is such a huge part of the story. This retelling doesn't end up in a literal cemetery but the hospital and Elle's therapy group there are their own type of graveyard. Once I realized that, the title hit me like a brick to the forehead and I immediately loved it. 

3. What's your favorite type of villain?
The kind who could be the hero of their own story. I used to love flat villains you can easily hate but life isn't really like that and the more I age the more I want my books to reflect that. 

4. What motivates you to write?
My motivation depends on the day but generally it's a simple desire to get a story out of my head and onto paper. More specifically I am motivated by my experiences with teenager students and dancers. 

5. What's the best book you've read in your genre?
Ugh, there are so many good ones! Don't make me pick one. My current favorite is probably Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin. She totally has the college vibe down and the sweet romance. 

6. Share a favorite line/scene from your WIP.
This Elle's lowest point and one of my favorites in the story. 

How could it all have been a lie?

When I set the photo on the end table, too sick and heavy to keep looking at it, I saw the cheesey bouquet of slightly wilted daisies he’d given me a few days ago, just because.

Does a guy give just because flowers to his girl on the side?

My mind felt sluggish to respond, must have been the pills kicking in or maybe just me avoiding an answer I didn’t want to hear. I slowly drew one daisy from the vase and plucked a petal, watching it fall to the floor.

“He loves me,” I whispered.

I plucked another petal.  “He loves me not.”

I finished the whole flower but it ended on “he loves me not” so I picked up another. The whole process was like counting sheep and it started to lull me to sleep. There was a banging on the door but I didn’t get up to open it. The banging continued. So did my little game.

He loves me.

He loves me not.

Just as the door burst open, I pulled the last petal off the last daisy. “He loves me,” I whispered before everything went black.

7. Tell us about your favorite character you've ever written.
I love every single one of my characters but I think my favorite so far was Mirella for GOODBYE, GOOD-GOODY GIRL because she is so flawed yet amazing. She tries to be a good daughter, friend, and performer but she struggles with real issues and questions. She was so fun to write because I didn't feel like she had to be a role model or a hero, she just had to be herself.

8. What is/are your crutch word(s)?
I totally copied Jenny and plugged G4 into wordle. Here is the result: 

9. Are you a plotter or a pantser and why?
I am a huge fan of the outline but I let the details come on their own. Therefore I outline and re-outline at least 10 times a draft. But it works for me. 

10. What is you advice do you have for other authors?
Shut up and love yourself. That's not strictly about writing but I don't think you have to be self-deprecating to be a good writer. I think you have to have confidence and love not only your writing but yourself and your mind and just you. 

Now I tag Alex and Faith. And here are your questions:
1. What are you working on right now?
2. What is your preferred writing program/word processor/etc.?
3. Are you a rule breaker? (AKA do you love or hate adverbs?)
4. If you could write anywhere, where would it be?
5. Share one of your favorite lines/scenes that you've ever written.
6. Do you prefer writing from the 1st or 3rd POV?
7. When did you start writing?
8. How do you feel about short stories?
9. What is you favorite thing about your life as a writer?
10. What are you top do's and don't's of writing, for yourself and others?

If you've ever been dumped go read OVER YOU

I picked up this book because moving on is hard. As in, I broke up with my boyfriend over the summer and I still don't know what I'm doing emotionally. So, yeah, I picked up a YA book as a self-help book. Sue me. 

But you know what? This book was EXACTLY what I needed. 

Max is the girl who helps everyone else get over the boys that dump them, but deep down she isn't really over the boy who dumped her. Her program for getting girls over their exes is AWESOME and pretty real world accurate.  Her concept of The Moment as what every girl wants (and kind of needs) when getting over a guy is phenomenally on point. I couldn't help but think of experiences from my own past, of running into old crushes/bfs/etc and not feeling on my game or pretty enough or successful enough. But this book made me feel empowered and independent and awesome even when I'm not perfect. Oh, and Bridget is pretty much my favorite ever. 

Oddly enough, the best part about the book wasn't the man-hating, it was the girl power. I didn't come away from reading it hating the opposite gender (any more than I already did going in) and in some ways it even rekindled my hope for relationships. If a book about moving on can do that, I don't think you need any more of a recommendation. Just go read it. 


xoxox
L.S. Mooney

What's Up Wednesday # 9

1. WHAT I'M READING
   Nothing! But I just picked up a hardcover edition of The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer which looks super interesting. And by interesting I mean there is an eccentric theatre teacher and events that relate to the play she chooses. 
   
2. WHAT I'M WRITING
   I'm still working my way through edits of G4 but I am loving it. After a pretty slumpy writing month in November, I've been making new progress with fun additional scenes :) 
   
3. WHAT WORKS FOR ME*
   Musical rehearsal is in full swing and I'm finding so much inspiration in my teenagers. They keep me laughing at them, at myself, at the world. They also keep me current. Today they were debating the plausibility of the movie A Cinderella Story and said "like they really didn't know each other's screen name? How is that possible." It was a fun moment for me to explain the way the internet worked when I was a teenager (and to feel incredibly old).
   
4. WHAT ELSE IS NEW
   My car is in the shop (in the wrong state) and I hate depending on other people for rides. I am an incredibly independent person so I'm stressing big time. And I'm trying super super hard to be social in spite of my deep desire to hibernate. 

What's up with you this Wednesday? 

Existentialism on Monday Night

Sometimes you get a text that says "I need you" from one of your best friends because they're having an existential crisis and you realize that everything you tell them are things you needed to hear too.

I could try to explain it to you but instead I think I will just share a song that was popular and relevant when I was in high school. And try not to think I'm old and irrelevant. 

xoxox

L.S. Mooney