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Archives for Aug 2008

Check Out The Trailer For "I Know It's Over"

Have you ever felt lost and confused over something? Nick's about to experience this when he receives unexpected news from Sasha. Check out the trailer for I Know It's Over on MySpace then head on over to the Spread the Word section to show your friends and family!

Posted Aug 27, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 6 Comments | Share It

Filed under: I Know It's Over

BoingBoing.net Reviews Cycler!

Have you checked out the latest books in store this month? If you have then you know that Cycler is one of them! Cycler was recently reviewed on BoingBoing.net and described as a "smart YA novel about sex and sexuality".

Jill is pretty much your average teenage girl... oh, except that she transforms from a girl to a boy 4 days a month. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be the opposite sex? This book raises many issues of what it would be like to not only go through the physical transformations but what goes on mentally for both Jill and Jack.

There are still copies Cycler in the Random Store - go snag yours now! Make sure to also check out the full review of Cycler on BoingBoing.net. Here is a snippet of the review:

"McLaughlin's screenwriting background carries through well, too: the plot is faultless, building from the weird premise (and the concomitant weirdness) to a series of ever-more-desperate scenarios that have you rooting for Jack and Jill even as you facepalm yourself and peer between your fingers at the wreck they're making of their lives." - BoingBoing.net

Share the review with your friends and family and earn some buzz bucks for doing so and stayed tuned for some really fun activities!

Posted Aug 27, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 6 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Cycler Lauren McLaughlin

Favorite Books of All Time

I think it's really fun to think about all your favorite things in life. This can be a very vague question until someone narrows it down and chooses a category for you to think about. I was recently put to the test to think about all sorts of favorite categories including superpowers, authors, fictional characters, theme songs and I thought I'd raise the question here and ask you to share your favorite books.

Check out the latest activity, "Covering Your Favorites" and let us know what your favorite books are! You can submit up to 10 of your favorite titles so no need to fret about which one is your ultimate all time favorite. That's a tough one to answer. Submit your covers and let us know!

Remember to also check out the updated script for the Likely Story soap opera and put in your two cents about how you think the direction of the story should go HERE!

Posted Aug 20, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 24 Comments | Share It

Filed under: covering your favorites favorites books Likely Story Random Buzzers soap opera script

Submit Your Lines to the Likely Story Soap Opera Script!

The drama has started to stir up! There were so many steamy and dramatic plot lines submitted for the Likely Story activity for a Random Buzzers’ collective community soap opera script that we just had to keep it going!

We thought it would be very fun for all you imaginative and creative writers to build the script yourselves just like Mallory does in a Likely Story.

Want to know how you can participate? First, you should go read the winning plot line voted on by you! Congratulations to puglover32 and thank you for such a dramatic plot for us to work off of! After you've had a chance to read the plot through, take a look at the pilot of the script that I, Headbuzzer, have already begun for you. Check out the work in progress script HERE!

I already really like the character development and zany storyline that we get to work off of but it is entirely up to YOU to create the rest of this likely story! Many of you have already submitted your entries with what you think should happen next but for those of you who haven't yet, you still have a few more days to go! Make sure to submit your script and see if your lines are chosen to be in the updated script. Don't worry, if your lines don't make it to this first cut... there will be plenty of other opportunities for you to get your work in there so stay tuned!

Make sure take the latest poll to help me decide which direction we should have Randall go in next!

Who's excited to see the plot thicken on the Random Buzzers' Likely Story soap opera script?

Posted Aug 14, 2008 by HeadBuzzer | 8 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Likely Story soap opera script

Random Hour #13: Genre vs Literary Fiction

The other evening in my Advanced Fiction Writing class, we were discussing the difference between genre fiction (which includes the likes of J.K. Rowling, Phillip Pullman, Ann Brashares, Stephanie Meyer, etc) and literary fiction (think Kurt Vonnegut, J.D. Salinger, John Irving, and so on). Genre fiction, my professor said, follows a story and a theme with only one outcome and one interpretation. Literary fiction, on the other hand, leaves you full of questions, with a thousand different ways to interpret the story. It challenges you to go beyond just the context and delve into the many layers of subtext. It forces you to think.

It’s funny—genre fiction was the reason I began to write (I wasn’t a big John Irving fan when I was in elementary school, as you might imagine), but now I’m striving towards literary fiction, because I want my readers to think and analyze the meaning of what I’ve written. But then again, I still enjoy reading genre fiction—it’s just so much fun. Needless to say, I’m a little confused. So naturally, I am turning to you Buzzers to hear your thoughts on the issue, and hopefully sort out all this confusion going on in my brain.

How do you feel about genre fiction versus literary fiction? Which one do you enjoy reading more? Writing more? Or do you think that genre and literary fiction can be one in the same, that genre fiction can make you think too?

Posted Aug 14, 2008 by je55 | 16 Comments | Share It

Filed under: fiction writing Random Hour

Random Hour #12: How Do You Write?

I’ve heard of writers who insist on the strictest conditions before they write—they have to have their special pen handy, or they can only write when the sun is shining, or when they’re sitting in their designated writing space. You get the idea. And while these conditions may seem quirky and irrational, they do actually help prime a writer for long sessions with their computers.

For me, I don’t actually have a set writing place. I have a little desk in my room that I sit at sometimes, where I can turn the lights off so the only thing to concentrate on is the computer in front of me. Other times I sit on my couch in my living room, or I go to a 24-hour coffee shop and write until the wee hours of the morning. One thing that remains constant, however, is that I go through several mugs of tea and/or coffee to keep my energy up, although I’m usually incredibly exhausted by the end of the writing session anyway. I’d love to be one of those writers who wakes up at 4 a.m., but unfortunately for me, my internal clock is set a little later than that.

What about you—how do you write? Where do you write? Are there certain conditions you have to have when you write, like a constantly full cup of tea, music playing, etc? I’d love to hear how you all get into the “writing mood!”

Posted Aug 6, 2008 by je55 | 34 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Random Hour