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September 29th, 2009
Teen Author Challenge, Week 11 – When bad = good
We’re rolling on our productivity challenge now. Week 2 of our 4-month challenge. To kick things off, here’s our weekly dose of inspiration… Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
Teen Author Challenge, Week 11 As you get comfortable with your weekly goals, you may find yourself questioning what you’re writing. Sometimes there’s a good reason for this. For instance, if you sit down to write with only a glimmer of an idea, it’s easy to go off on a tangent and write yourself into a corner. And even with the most detailed outline, it may not turn out on the page exactly the way you thought it would. Every writer works differently, but one of the best things you can do for yourself is really quite simple: Give yourself permission to be bad. I know it’s easy to think that published authors lay down words of gold on their first draft every single time they put fingers to the keyboard. But if you ever asked your favorite authors about this, they would… after busting out in fits of laughter… tell you it simply isn’t so. Oh, how they wish it was, but it’s just not the case. Yes, they have moments where they sit back and go “Wow, that scene rocked.” When they’re in The Zone and the story is really flowing. But more times than not, they write a scene knowing full well that it’s not perfect. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s very often necessary in order to get the book finished. As Katherine says so well above, it’s the REwriting that counts most. My favorite quote is the oft-quoted Nora Roberts gem “You can fix a bad page, but you can’t fix a blank one.” Get the words on the page the best you can. And give yourself permission to be bad. Every writer is sometimes. I promise you. Buzz Tip of the Week Okay, this is seriously cool! Have you ever found a book that you would LOVE to tell everyone on the planet about but DON’T because you can’t figure out how to pronounce the author’s name? Or you tell people the book title but then pretend you can’t remember the author’s name to avoid sounding like a yutz? Well, no more, dear friends! I came across this awesome resource a while back that solves that very problem. It’s the Author Name Pronounciation Guide at TeachingBooks.net. Authors can create an audio clip where they pronounce their name. Readers can give it a listen to clear up any confusion. Is that sweet or what? http://www.teachingbooks.net/pronunciations.cgi Your Weekly Challenge How did you do on your writing last week? Comment below with your weekly results from last Tuesday through today so we can cheer your progress! If you didn’t quite reach your goal, you’ll still want to check in. Let us help you past any doubts you’re having or obstacles you’re facing. If you want to make your dream of being a published author a reality, you have to do the work. Nobody’s going to do it for you (despite how much we might wish they could).
Go forth and be creative!
Entry Filed under: Paying It Forward,Teen Author Challenge |
Project FMGM proposalCOMPLETE! 
A 16 year old outsider gets tapped to join a secret society of good populars dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world.
On shelves now! IndieBound   I’m the author of teen fiction that I wish was based on my real life. My debut novel    
 #1 – GOOD GRIEF by Lolly Winston #2 – THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins #3 – CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins #4 – THE NAUGHTY LIST by Suzanne Young #5 – THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT by Kate DiCamillo #6 – WINGS by Aprilynne Pike #7 – EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich #8 – THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE by Kate DiCamillo #9 – HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON by Cressida Cowell #10 – THE SEASON by Sarah MacLean #11 – THE SEVEN RAYS by Jessica Bendinger #12 – WHISPER by Phoebe Kitanidis #13 – SHADOW HILLS by Anastasia Hopcus #14 – NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer #15 – MOLLY MOON’S INCREDIBLE BOOK OF HYPNOTISM by Georgia Byng #16 – GRACELING by Kristin Cashore (This is a second reading which is super rare for me. One of my all-time faves!) #17 – FIRE by Kristin Cashore #18 – THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff #19 – HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter #20 – NEED by Carrie Jones #21 – BRIGHTLY WOVEN by Alexandra Bracken #22 – CAPTIVATE by Carrie Jones #23 – PROPHECY OF DAYS by Christy Raedeke #24 – THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN by Susan Beth Pfeffer #25 – THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown #26 – PLAIN KATE by Erin Bow #27 – THE OVERTON WINDOW – by Glenn Beck #28 – THE THIEF by Megan Whalen Turner #29 – PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White #30 – THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger #31 – MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins #32 – ONLY THE GOOD SPY YOUNG by Ally Carter #33 – THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg |
I wanted to comment and say a lot of times when I write a scene and I’m upset because it’s “not EXACTLY what I wanted!!” when I return to it later, I realize it’s *better* than what I wanted, but I couldn’t see that at first because all I could see was that it was different.
Also there are days where I’m pushing to finish a project and going, “Wow, the beginning of this book was hilarious, but this stuff I wrote today? SO boring. No voice at all, no humor, so absolutely BLAH.” And then the next day when I go to read it, it’s hilarious, it’s jam packed with voice, and who was that crazy person that read it the day before and said it was boring?
Not to say that everything I write is gold or anything, just that it’s easy to get frustrated with your writing when it’s hot out of your brain, but it might not be as bad as you think. I’ve learned to try and relax–not an easy thing for me–when I get frustrated and just wait and see how I feel later.
That’s a great point, Chels! I do the same thing on occasion. I’ll write something that’s like pulling teeth to get on the page and shut down thinking, “Ugh, what a major waste of time.” But then the next day I can see the glimmer of something good in it. Not always, but sometimes.
I didn’t get much done this week. I’m still trying a bit to work out my plot/idea so my fingers can fly. Hopefully soon I can get it written down enough so I know where I’m heading.
Knowing where the story is headed is definitely a plus, especially if you’re the plotting type. Just make sure you don’t spend *too* long on the plotting and avoid the actual writing.
You can do it, Kelsey!
OK, I know there are no excuses and you should make time and everything. But. I really have a good excuse for not getting anything done for a day or two of this past week.
I packed for a trip after work (not the good excuse part) on Friday. On Saturday we drove (still not the good excuse part). On Sunday I ran a marathon. (That’s the good excuse part.) I’ve never done it before and will probably never do it again. When we drove home (3 hours with no room to stretch my legs), I just conked out. The sun sucks away my energy.
But other than that, I did write semi-frequently this week. In fact, I’m on my way to write my 30 minutes for today!
Writing some is always better than writing none!
Hopefully the worst of the craziness is behind you and you can get back to your 30-minute regular goal. If you commit to it, you’ll do it. Go Cari!
I unfortunately did not meet my goal this week – well I did, but my computer had a virus and my mom cleared my computer to fix it yesterday – she didn’t realize I hadn’t backed up my novel on a flash drive or something so I lost it so I have nothing left. So I’ll try to catch up this week and do 3 weeks worth maybe. (And sorry I forgot to post my update yesterday, I was gone all night)
Oh noes, Erica! Losing your work is SO frustrating, I know. I once lost an eight-page synopsis that I’d spent all afternoon working on. I almost cried.
Don’t worry so much about catching up on three weeks’ worth. Just focus on one week at a time and meet that goal. If you do more than your goal, awesome! But everything beyond the goal is icing.