Help needed - How to reference writing in writing

Hello, my peeples. I have a question for all you writerly types out there... I have quite a bit of writing in my story--as in, times where a character writes things down instead of speaks. I need a way to differentiate the written dialogue from spoken dialogue and internal dialogue. I was wondering how this is typically handled...? Right now, I have both the internal and written dialogue italicized and I'm trying to preface the written dialogue with a tag to help differentiate it from the internal monologue (though sometimes that's easy because of the context and what's being said). Frex it might say: [Character] wrote, I can't believe she said that! or [Character] picked up the pen. That's completely ridiculous.

Thoughts, oh knowledgeable ones?

Twitter and Goodreads

I know. Three posts in one day. THE WORLD IS GOING TO END.

Sorry to be spamtastic, but I keep forgetting to let everyone know that I have (sort of) rejoined the Twitter world. You can find me under the name sweetrenee. I say sort of, because I can only access it from my magic iPhone during work hours and I get a shitty signal from my desk.

Also, I have joined Goodreads. I'm still trying to figure it all out and I've only added my very favorite series and/or the backlist of any books/authors I've recently read. Also, the reviews I've been posting there have been VERY casual, more like "thoughts" and less like the more formal things I type up here on occasion (though I will crosspost those there as well). So, if you're also on Goodreads, please find me (because I have no idea how to find you at the moment).

Does anyone know if there's a Goodreads-like service for movies? That would be super fun. I love keeping track of what I've read and would love to do the same for what I've watched.

OKAY. YOU ARE OFFICIALLY RID OF ME FOR TODAY.

YA Recommendations?

First, though, (just in case you haven't seen me excitedly blathering about it for days already) today is the release day for a whole host of exciting books! Marjorie Liu's A WILD LIGHT and Kelley Armstrong's WAKING THE WITCH both come out today, as well as releases by Jeri Smith-Ready, Stacia Kane, Jeaniene Frost, and Jocelynn Drake. (click the author names to be brought to their websites for more info on the new releases)

Onto other business: YA recs.

The first book I wrote was an adult urban fantasy. I'd been reading UF for years--I knew the genre inside and out, and had begun networking at conferences, etc. long before I'd even finished my first draft. I had (naively) hoped that would be the book to get me published. Even if that didn't happen, I never thought I'd be writing YA. Never.

I'm new to the YA genre. I'm not very widely read and, honestly, I'm finding it a little intimidating. There's SO MUCH out there! And I'm also finding it difficult to figure out things from a networking perspective. There are like a zillion different YA-themed websites and blogs and, since I haven't read too much of it yet, I'm not sure where to really start. With UF, I started paying attention to the writers who were my favorites and whose work I respected and admired. I'm not at that point yet with YA.

So, how about you guys? Can you recommend some YA books to add to my growing wish list and, if possible, some YA blogs/websites/Twitter accounts/whatever to keep an eye on? Again, I'm looking for people who will help me grow as a YA writer.

Know of a military person looking for a pen pal?

I tried once before to become a pen pal for a deployed military person but it didn't really work out. I think the person organizing the pen pal service got waaaaay more volunteers than he expected and just sort of randomly assigned us to everyone he knew (that's my guess, anyway). I never heard from the person I got, despite sending several letters and packages over several months.

Now, that's not to say that this is all about me, because it totally isn't. I get that these people are fricking busy out there. But it would be great to know that the person I'm "corresponding" with is receiving and enjoying my letters and packages, otherwise, it seems like I could be directing my efforts elsewhere, you know?

So anyway, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions as to how I could find a new military pen pal...? Because of my past experience, I'd prefer to do it in a way that I would know the person I'd be writing to was interested in receiving my correspondence, versus just a sort of random assignment on the assumption that every deployed person wants to get letters and presents from a stranger.

Any suggestions? I've poked around online but haven't found anything that didn't seem sketchy or anonymous.

"Guys" or "boys"?

Okay, quick question for those of you with teen girls. Do they call teen males "guys" or "boys"? I keep wanting to say "boys" in my WIP but I'm wondering if that's more *me* and less my 16 y.o. character.

Thoughts appreciated! :)

What do you call these things?

I've seen them listed as "cellar doors" on some websites but I don't feel like that's a universal term. Is it? They figure prominently in a scene in my WIP and it's important that readers don't picture this kind of door:

In other news, I've been learning Japanese with my Rosetta Stone (super fun!) and sending out more queries for BLOOD AND SACRIFICE. And, of course, working on the WIP. :)

Getting more out of my day

I've decided I need to get more from my life.

I have a long list of things I want/need to do and I'm convinced there's a way to wring enough time out of my days to fit them all in. I don't think it's unreasonable to want to be able to work the Day Job, write, read, scrapbook, spend time with family and friends, volunteer and blog regularly. And, okay, perhaps [activity redacted for Kaz xmas gift spoilery] occasionally.

Today, I'm doing a good job at fitting in the Day Job and volunteering. I'm doing okay with writing and spending time with family/friends. I'm trying to blog more regularly. Reading and scrapbooking? Not so much. And for the love of hippos, if I don't make quicker word count on this book soon, I'm going to implode.

I've been thinking about ways I can accomplish this. You know, things like going back to writing on my lunch hour at work, "accidentally" maiming myself at a large corporation and suing for millions so I can quit the Day Job, weaning off sleep entirely--that sort of thing.

Got any suggestions? I can use the help. Leave a comment by the end of the day Thursday, giving me a suggestion on how I could find more time in my day and I'll draw a random winner on Friday to win a copy* of Keri Arthur's DESTINY KILLS. Already read it? You can pick something else out of my not-so-limited collection.

*gently read

What would you say? A new contest!

First, thanks so much to everyone who provided name suggestions. I decided on several names, each of which was THE NAME until the next one slid into my brain. :) I'm (mostly) certain the character's name is going to be Megan. So, thanks again on that. But! I need your help again! Only, this time, there will be a prize. :D

If you could never speak again (literally) and you could have ten cards with words or short phrases on them to assist you in communicating as you traveled through your life, what would your ten cards say?

This question is related to my New! Shiny! project (which, incidentally, is the Newest! Shiniest! Most Exciting! project ever) but I think it's a really interesting conversation piece and a neat way to get to know people. So, I'm genuinely curious to hear your answers as well as "research" for my new book. ;)

Leave a comment on this entry by midnight EST on Sunday, July 12th with what your cards would say and I'll pick one winner to receive a $10 iTunes gift certificate. Because, really, music is just one more way that we express ourselves and communicate with others*. This contest is open to anyone, anywhere. You don't have to list all ten words or phrases but you may not list more than ten. Please cross-post if you're so inclined.


*See what I did there? The post title is a song title that also speaks to the contest about words for which music is the prize. Heh? Heh? Get it?

Big words: Use 'em or lose 'em?

Here's today's Word of the Day from Dictionary.com (love!):

Word of the Day for Thursday, April 16, 2009

etiolate \EE-tee-uh-layt\, transitive verb:

1. (Botany) To bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight.
2. To make pale or sickly.
3. To make weak by stunting the growth or development of.
4. (Botany) To become bleached or whitened, as when grown without sunlight.

This was a new word for me and I love it. Naturally, I immediately began thinking of how I could use it in a future WIP. But, here's the thing: I have a decent vocabulary. I'd like to think I have an above-average vocabulary. So if the word was unfamiliar to me, there's a good chance it will also be unfamiliar to a good portion of my (potential) readers.

What to do, what to do...

What do you guys do if you find a word that's perfect for what you're trying to convey but may not be well known? Do you use it anyway and take the chance that your readers will either glean the meaning from the context of the sentence or look it up in the dictionary? And that raises another question: if they're just gleaning the meaning (rhyming! sweet!) from the context, is it really serving its purpose of conveying the *exact* meaning you originally intended...?

These are the questions plaguing me tonight. Thoughts?