First of all, thanks for all your fascinating thoughts on yesterday’s Nano Tip post. It’s been really cool hearing your interpretations of the story. All you Nanowrimo-ers should pay close attention to the comment thread; it’s really important for writers to realize how different reader responses can be.
I’ll be posting my own personal thoughts on the story tomorrow, but today you can read Justine’s Nano Tip #2! Remember, she’s doing the even-numbered days of November and I’m doing odd ones. We’re organized like that.
In other news, there’s a discussion about Leviathan between me and Joe Monti here at Tor.com’s Steampunk Month. And I’ve just learned that the book has been chosen as one of Amazon’s Top Ten Books of 2009. w00t!
Congrats to everyone else who made the list.
Now, as promised, here are THREE final dates in my US tour:
Sunday, November 8 1:00PM
Scott Westerfeld Discusses Leviathan at Symphony Space
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre and Café
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway (at 95th Street)
New York, NY 10025
The Symphony Space series is aimed at young writers. There will be a discussion, a few slides, a short reading, and a creative writing prompt. Then lots of Q&A. I’ve never done one of these, but it sounds like a cool format. Go here to buy tickets.
Then I’m doing a mega-event with five other authors at Books of Wonder, here in NYC. Check this out:
Tuesday, November 10 6:00PM
Books of Wonder
Libba Bray – Going Bovine
Kristin Cashore- Fire
Suzanne Collins – Catching Fire
Michael Grant – Hunger
Justine Larbalester – Liar
And me!
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
And finally, we finish up with an ultra-mega-event in Philadelphia:
Sunday, November 22 1:00-3:00PM
A NOVEL IDEA:
A benefit for the Philadelphia Free Library
summer reading program
Laurie Halse Anderson, Jay Asher,
T.A. Barron, Sarah Dessen,
Steven Kluger, Justine Larbalestier,
David Levithan, Lauren Myracle,
Jacqueline Woodson and me!
Children’s Book World
17 Haverford Station Rd.
Haverford, PA
Holy Guacamole, what a line up! Hope to see you there.
Click here for all tour details. And click here to buy Leviathan.
“A Novel Idea” Sounds like a great idea!! I wish I could go. I’m off to check Justine’s tip now!
Wow, what a great tip!
I’ve been having problems like that lately. I’m writing a book (80,000 words in in just 4 months! yay!) and when I’m not in the mood for writing, I edit.
And when I edit, it’s almost depressing!! I wonder “WHAT was I thinking when I wrote this sentence THIS way?” and try to figure out another way to word things. Eventually, like Justine, I’ll delete a whole paragraph – or I’ll edit it and edit it until it’s just right – a paragraph turns into a sentence!
The tip helped a lot – it’s pretty much telling me to relax, and it’s working. There’s a lot of stress that goes into writing and editing a book, and by remembering that the first draft will NEVER be the perfect one, it puts a lot more of the weight of editing into other drafts.
I’ve re-written my prologue 3 times now. I’m still not happy with it.
Oh well! It’ll happen eventually. Thanks for these tips, Justine and Scott! You’ve only had two and they’ve helped me tremendously!
Cool!
I am so happy I got to see you on this tour… it was a wonderful experience for me! 🙂
It’s bubbly that you’re doing these writing tips!! They’re really helping me as a writer! 😀
I just yelled to my husband I need to get to NYC by 6pm tomorrow. He said no.
Dang Europe being so far away!
YES 5th COMMENT! THIS IS THE BEST PLACE I’VE BEEN IN EVER! I’M NOT GOING TO SAY MUCH INCASE MY PLACE IS STOLEN! 😀 ^_^
pING TO hALEY rAE: lol! ^_^ i FEEL THE SAME WAY! tOO BAD ALL OF THE ADULT AUTHORS STEAL MY IDEAS! (OR MAYBE ITS JUST KARMA…)
peace! 😀 ^_^
Cool tips! 😀
hm. thats near me, maybe i could go!
YAY!!!! Go Scott for your book being so popular!!!!
Great tips!
And guess what? My friend Gave up on specials right before tally was gonna meet Andrew Simpson smith.
Good Tips Scott-la!!
Ping to Christina-wa,
SO SAD (although how anyone could give up on Specials, I don’t know!)
I told some kid in my art class about how good Uglies is, and she looks at me like I’m an idiot. Then she says, “Read? Like, you actually do that? Ewww…”
I guess some people are just bubbleheads! 😀
It’s really great to have you and Justine so supportive of NaNo and young people writing novels. I’m doing NaNo for the second year now, and it always feels good to read tips and encouragement from published authors.
I’ll be seeing you soon 😉 Maybe I could get you to sign my NaNoWriMo notebook?
Ping to Team Toshi Banana,
those are all the smilies i can think of. Bye!
HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LOVE READING?!?!?! I only have ONE friend who likes to read as much as me! ONE!!!! Its CRAZY!
Oh and if you click on my name my website wont come up cuz Im on someone elses computer and dont like to type up my web adress so ya. I got one of my friends (that doesnt like to read) to read the UGLIES series and shes STILL on UGLIES (shes been reading it for like 2 months!) and when I finished the MIDNIGHTERS series she was like can I read that book? She wanted to read MIDNIIGHTERS and just stop reading UGLIES just cuz it was shorter!!!!!! But now (shes still on UGLIES like I said before) shes in love with it!!!! Well thats was off topic, but ya thats all oh and again cool tips!!! 🙂 😛 😀 🙁 :embarrassed:
I wanna participate in Naowrimo… but I have play rehearsal til 10 pm – yeah, it’s psycho – and that’s all this week then mon and tues. shows are thurs&fri&sat
so after that I can participate but I’ll be starting halfway into the month… will see how it goes
Hmm, I really loved The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but the creative writing thing sounds interesting… which do you think would be better to go to?
Well done on getting into the top 10!! Guess WHAT!! Helped!! Hahah. Oh, but then u did write the book. ok. You win. Anyway….
Whats with the “pinging is currently not alowed”?
Ping to Team Toshi Banana:
I know right?!? And she wouldn’t think that you are crazy unless she actually reads the series.
Btw to everyone; what is the range of age of people on here? (Just want to know)
Just a question… are you touring France at all? I have a friend there on a foreign exchange program, and she’s DYING to meet you. You’re the only author on her top 3 list that she hasn’t met yet, the other 2 being John Green and J. K. Rowling.
how come in the poster, its the extras cover but it says uglies?
just wondering…>_>..
omg i love this series!! read them all and reading bogus to bubbly now… ps Ping to Christina~wa: omg y would she do tht??? lol