Archive for November, 2009
November 10th, 2009
Before we get to this week’s tips, here’s a bit of inspiration from the author of more than a dozen books.
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“Actually the best advice came from my Tai Chi instructor. It’s not how many years you put into it, it’s how many hours. I still think about that. I have to put the hours in every day. The years will take care of themselves.”
~ Arthur Slade
The Hunchback Assignments
(Random House, 9/09)
Teen Author Challenge
This week, I want to start tackling some common questions that writers have about writing a first draft. If you have questions about first drafts that you’d like to ask, please do! Ask them in the comments below, and I’ll try to include as many as I can.
Today’s question is a deceptively simple one:
Should I edit as I go?
It’s simple because it seems like an easy yes or no answer. It’s deceptive because there’s so much at play here below the surface.
The answer is, it depends on how you write.
Some authors cannot write a first draft without revising as they go. They will spend significant amounts of time finding just the right phrasing before moving on to the next sentence. Or they will read through and revise the previous day’s work before writing their new pages that day.
One of the biggest reasons authors may do this is because some authors don’t want to keep rehashing the same story over and over again. When they finish the book, they want to be DONE. They already know what happens! By revising as they go, they ensure they have a quality product ready to go when they reach The End.
The thing to remember about these folks is that they are often very skilled, very seasoned writers. They know what quality writing looks like AND they know they can trust themselves not to get hung up during the drafting process. They’ve proven to themselves that they can revise as they go and still keep moving forward at the same time. If they couldn’t do that, they’d never finish the book.
On the other hand, some authors absolutely detest revising during first draft mode. For them, it kills the spontaneity and momentum they need to plow through and get to The End. They don’t have any problem going back through and doing a full edit once the book is done and often will find new and better things to do with the story after letting it sit for a bit between first draft and edits.
Some of those authors also know that if they let themselves start tinkering with the story during first draft, they’ll get caught up in the minutae and never finish the book. (This is me, btw.) And they know that finishing the book is the single most important thing they can do for their careers.
So the answer to the question is, “How do you work best?” Editing is a part of the writing process, no doubt about it. If you don’t edit as you go, you’ll need to edit when you’re done. No author gets it absolutely right the first time they lay words on the page. But when you edit… and how… and for how long… is completely dependent on what works for you as a writer. There’s no right or wrong way to go as long as it leaves you with a complete, fully-polished manuscript when all is said and done.
Buzz Tip of the Week
Check out agent Kristin Nelson’s blog post about the pros and cons of hardcover vs. original trade paperback, prompted by a panel discussion during BEA 2008. If you’ve ever wondered why some books come out as one or the other, this gives you a little insight into why.
http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2008/06/hardcover-vs-original-trade-paperback.html
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! And if you have questions about writing your first draft (or about productivity in general), ask away!
The Teen Author Challenge Contest
Throughout the year-long Teen Author Challenge (TAC ends June 2010!), I’ll be giving away a book of the winner’s choice from my personal writing shelf. Why am I doing this? Because becoming a skilled writer has two important parts: learning about your craft and practicing your craft. That’s why active participation in each weekly challenge is so important!
So what can you win? Books to choose from include:
1. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
2. The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
3. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
4. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
5. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
6. Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon
Everyone who participates via the comments on the Teen Author Challenge posts will be entered into this monthly contest.
Go forth and be creative! 
November 9th, 2009
Want to know how I’m doing on my Five? You know, the five ways I want to make a difference in the world? Come on over to LivingYourFive.com and check out my progress report!
Be sure to keep stopping by to see how my fellow Founding Fivers Alyson Noel, Becca Fitzpatrick and Tera Lynn Childs are doing on their Fives too.
And don’t forget, the first Friday of every month is Honorary Fiver Day at Living Your Five! Honorary Fiver Day is your chance to share your Five and join us in the Living Your Five Quest to make a difference in the world. We want you aboard!
Are you ready to Live Your Five?
November 7th, 2009
Huge congrats go to our newest monthly winners of the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest reading program for kids and teens! Please join me in cheering on the winning hunter:
** Emylee L. **
And the winning librarian:
** Samantha Baer **
from Wilmington, NY
Enjoy your prizes!!!
November 7th, 2009
Check out the November 2009 additions to the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest reading program for kids and teens!
Bug Boy by Eric Luper (YA)
DupliKate by Cherry Cheva (YA)
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer (YA)
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff (YA)
Hate List by Jennifer Brown (YA)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (YA)
Quest by Kathleen Benner Duble (YA)
The Shifter by Janice Hardy (MG/Tween)
November 7th, 2009
Happy National Bookstore Day! I’ve been so excited to get out and show my support for my local bookstores today. I’ve had my shopping list ready to go and sitting by my reusable shopping bags all week.
Which, naturally, means I’m sick today. 
To cheer myself up, I’m hosting a fun giveaway over on the official Cinderella Society Facebook fan page! I’ve been promising to do one, but have been in deadline mode. So today, I’m taking a quick break from writing to have a little TCS fun.
The swag bag includes signed bookmarks in three sizes plus an exclusive Honorary Cindy metal bookmark in the shape of a glass slipper. For your chance to win, be sure to become a fan of The Cinderella Society on Facebook (if you aren’t already) and comment on today’s giveaway post there. Winner to be announced tomorrow!
Note #1: Be sure to comment on the TCS fan page post. Comments here get you an entry into the monthly blog contest and the impromptu Bundle o’ Bookmarks giveaways, but won’t count toward today’s swag bag giveaway hosted on Facebook.
NOTE #2: If you’re not on Facebook, never fear! I’ll be doing a swag bag giveaway here on the blog later this year. Stay tuned!
November 6th, 2009
Happy Friday!
Today is a very special day… it’s Honorary Fiver Day over on Living Your Five! Come join Alyson Noel, Becca Fitzpatrick, Tera Lynn Childs and I as we share the little things we do to make the world a better place.
(You’ll even get a cool Honorary Fiver logo to put on your blog or web site!)
www.livingyourfive.com/2009/11/friday-fivespot-presents-honorary-fiver.html
Also, take a gander at the left column of this blog. See my cool new “I’m buying books for the holidays 2009″ logo? Love it! To get yours (there are three different choices of logo), check out this great post from www.BuyBooksForTheHolidays.com. There are loads of great charities in need of books too, so make this season the time for clearing out some books from your shelves and donating them to people in need.
Happy reading and see you over at Living Your Five!
November 3rd, 2009
It’s the first TAC of the month… and the first TAC of NaNoWriMo! An auspicious occasion, to be sure. 
On that note, here’s some inspiration to kick off our biggie week here on the Teen Author Challenge.
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“How do you start writing? JUST WRITE. Sometimes doing an outline helps. Sometimes drawing a chart helps. Sooner or later it all comes down to the writing. There is no magic pill that makes it suddenly happen. Read a lot. Write a lot. That’s all you can do.”
~ P.C. Cast
Tempted
(St. Martin’s Press, 10/09)
New York Times bestselling author
Teen Author Challenge
First off, congratulations to Michelle of Michelle’s Bookshelf for being this month’s winner of the Teen Author Challenge giveaway! Michelle: choose your book from the list in the pink box below and contact me here with your mailing address and selection.
Since it’s the beginning of NaNoWriMo, and I know some of you are participating, I thought it would be fitting to offer up some tips for fast and furious writing success.
Step #1 – DO NOT EDIT.
Step #2 – DO NOT SECOND GUESS.
Step #3 – Repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as necessary.
Two of the biggest reasons that people fail to complete manuscripts in a swift manner (in NaNoWriMo or any other circumstance) are the pitfalls I’ve noted above. First, if you edit as you go, you’ll never gain the momentum you need to plow through and finish that first draft. Pretty much every writer I know could edit a single chapter 1,437 times if someone let us. All that does is give us one really pretty chapter.
Alas, one chapter does not a book make. You have to finish all the chapters if you want to sell your book. Editors are funny that way.
Second, you can’t second guess yourself when you’ve set yourself a push challenge like writing an entire manuscript in a month. You need to trust your instincts and let the story lead you where it will. You can always (ALWAYS!) fix it later.
Yes, you can pause and ponder for a moment to make sure your story isn’t taking you into a deep, dark dungeon somewhere (unless that’s where you’d like your story to go), but you can’t dwell.
Pause, good… dwell, bad.
I feel like I just had a Tarzan moment, but there you go. Seriously, word to the wise from someone who is a champion dweller.
If you do nothing more than follow those two rules as you embark on NaNoWriMo, you’ll be way ahead of the game. After that, it’s all about discipline. BICHOK ’til the cows come home! (That’s Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. Writers have a lingo all their own.)
Buzz Tip of the Week
This week’s buzz tip comes from YA author (and fellow Tenner) Julie Kagawa. It’s her strategy for successfully completing NaNoWriMo. (Timely, no?)
“This is from Chris Baty’s No Plot, No Problem, the official NaNoWrimo book, but I found it to be extremely useful.
Don’t erase your words, italicize them! That way, you know they’re going to be cut in edits, but they still count towards your final word count. (I’ve had entire pages like this.)”
~ Julie Kagawa
The Iron King
(Harlequin Teen, 2/10)
And I’ll add to that with “Or change the font to red!” This is a strategy I use (since I write with a lot of italics that are actually supposed to be there). It’s really obvious which sections needs major work when I go back and review it on the screen later.
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! And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, let us know that too. That’s definitely worth an extra cheer!
The Teen Author Challenge Contest
Throughout the year-long Teen Author Challenge (TAC ends June 2010!), I’ll be giving away a book of the winner’s choice from my personal writing shelf. Why am I doing this? Because becoming a skilled writer has two important parts: learning about your craft and practicing your craft. That’s why active participation in each weekly challenge is so important!
So what can you win? Books to choose from include:
1. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
2. The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
3. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
4. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
5. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
6. Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon
Everyone who participates via the comments on the Teen Author Challenge posts will be entered into this monthly contest.
Go forth and be creative!
November 2nd, 2009
At the beginning of each month, I get to do one of the things I love: announce the latest batch of You 2.0 blog winners! Every month, I have three separate giveaways just for commenters on the blog. You never know when you’re going to win!
Teen Author Challenge Giveaway
The winner of the Teen Author Challenge monthly giveaway (who will get to select one of the “craft of writing” books from my own personal writing bookshelf) is…
Michelle!
(aka Michelle’s Bookshelf)
Way to go! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know which writing book you would like to choose for your prize. View the list here.
You 2.0 Prize Dive
The winner of the You 2.0 blog prize dive (who will get to select an item from the official You 2.0 prize basket) is…
Rachel S!
(aka rararach)
Cheers! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know which item you would like from the You 2.0 prize basket.
The Cinderella Society ARC!
And the winner of a signed ARC of The Cinderella Society (coming April 13, 2010 from Egmont USA!) is…
Adrienne!
(aka An Addicted Book Reader)
I hope you enjoy the book! Please contact me here with your mailing address and let me know whether you would like the ARC personally signed to keep or generically signed to give away.
Congratulations to all the winners! And thanks to everyone for all your fun comments throughout the month. They seriously make my day.
Keep commenting all month long for your chance to win in the monthly contests and the impromptu Bundle o’ Bookmarks giveaways. (Note: The Bundles change periodically, but you can see an example of one here.)
Happy reading!
November 1st, 2009
I was reading Sarah Ockler‘s bio the other day and one of her high school stories reminded me of my own. And I thought, “Maybe it would be fun to blog about some of those memories from when I was in high school.” You know, just for kicks. (Or maybe it will just be fun for me. The jury’s still out.)
So… here’s the first installment of the new “When I was in high school…” blog feature.
When I was in high school…
The year I had swim class, they let us opt out of swimming as long as you made up X number of laps for each class where you didn’t swim. (We still had to sit in the pool area, so it’s not like we were off to Dairy Queen or anything like that. Still, not dealing with pool hair was a big plus.) I used this free pass a lot.
A LOT.
In fact, I had so many laps to make up that on the second to last day of the semester, I had to swim a mile just to catch up on them all. And then I had to swim a mile again the next day for my final! I was tired, but in the end? I wouldn’t change a thing. Pool hair is not for the faint of heart.
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