Posts filed under 'Paying It Forward'
December 22nd, 2009
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“Finishing one imperfect piece of writing will teach you far more than starting and abandoning twenty others halfway through.”
~ Elizabeth Kay
Jinx on the Divide
(Scholastic, 8/07)
Teen Author Challenge
I love this week’s exclusive TAC quote because it’s so true in my experience. I had started and abandoned half a dozen manuscripts before I finally finished my first one. And I learned more from finishing that one manuscript than I did from the other six combined.
This week, I wanted to talk about another common thing that writers hear all the time. Write what you know.
There are pros and cons to this, and it’s good to know what they are if you’re a beginning writer.
On the pro side, writing what you know gives you an easier connection to the subject matter. That can make the character’s voice truer, the emotional grip of the story more authentic, and the details more realistic. And when you consider yourself a “subject matter expert”, whether it’s on being a teen or on dealing with a particular issue, you may write with more confidence knowing that you have something real and valuable to say on this subject because you’ve lived it. You know what it’s like to be in that situation or be the friend of someone going through a particular ordeal.
But writing what you know isn’t always the best approach. It can be. But not always.
“Don’t simply write what you know. Write what you love! Write the story only you can write, the one that is so unique, so much you that you’ve never told it to anyone. When that story reaches the page, it will be universal.”
~ Marion Dane Bauer
“Go with what grabs you.”
~ Tish Cohen
“Write the book that only you can write, something no one else has ever read before. It’s tempting to write a “better” version of something that already exists, but the reason that book was a success was because it was something no one else had ever read before.”
~ Brent Hartinger
(Do you recognize that last quote as one of the exclusive TAC quotes from earlier this year? Yep, it’s one of my favorites.)
The authors’ points are well taken. What if J.K. Rowling had only written what she knew? What if Stephenie Meyer or Scott Westerfeld or Neil Gaiman had only written what they knew?
As with all writing advice, write what you know is best taken with a grain of salt. Only you know the story that needs to be told from your fingertips. Don’t ever doubt that you can write the story in your heart because you are the only one who can. It wouldn’t be in there if you weren’t. For reals.
Buzz Tip of the Week
Have you ever heard the term literary scout and wondered what it meant? Literary scouts can be an author’s best friend, especially when it comes to selling foreign rights. Here’s a great post that gives you a sneak peek into the harried world of the hard-working literary scout.
http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=9028
Your Weekly Challenge
Only four weeks left in our productivity challenge! The productivity challenge part of the year-long TAC ends on January 19, 2010, so be sure to keep that date in your sights. After that, we’ll be shifting our TAC focus to editing… with tons of great tips from authors on making your first draft shine.
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 happy holidays to you and yours!
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 Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
2. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
3. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
4. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
5. 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! 
December 15th, 2009
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“The best advice I ever got is the advice I always give: write from your heart, the rest will fall in place.”
~ Valerie Hobbs
Sheep
(Square Fish, 4/09 pb reissue)
Teen Author Challenge
It’s that time of year. With the various holidays, year-end chaos at work, finals for those still in school… this is crunch time, baby.
But there are ways to continue making progress even when things are super crazy. Here are just a few of them.
1) Write in bits and bites
This doesn’t necessarily mean writing while eating (though it can!), it means trying to write a little here and a little there as time allows. Many of us can’t allot large chunks of time right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t write at all. Try setting a goal of writing as much as you can for 20 minutes or 45 minutes or whatever you can manage. It doesn’t work for everyone, but you may be surprised at what you accomplish.
2) Brainstorm at odd times
I know. There are lots of odd times this time of year. 
What I mean is, use those times when you’re just being idle to doing something productive for your story. I keep a notebook with me in my purse so when I’m stuck in the long checkout lines at stores, I can jot down ideas for the story I’m working on. I’ve come up with some neat twists and a couple of zingy one-liners when the only other thing I could’ve been doing is wondering why they didn’t have more people manning the cash registers. I think that was time well spent.
3) Give yourself a break
If this time of year wears you down like it does most people, cut yourself some slack. That doesn’t mean giving yourself permission to slack off, but do be kind to yourself and do your best. This hectic period will come to an end, just like it always does, and you can get back to your normal routines. In the meantime, pat yourself on the back for the progress you do make whether it’s new pages or new ideas. It’s all good.
Buzz Tip of the Week
I love this post from agent Jessica Faust on what an agent really does. As the title of the post indicates, they do a lot more than just sell books. A good agent is worth his or her weight in gold AND chocolate. And that’s sayin’ something.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/10/agents-do-more-than-sell-books.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!
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 Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
2. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
3. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
4. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
5. 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!
December 8th, 2009
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“The most important thing a writer can do to improve their craft is to read! Read often, read widely, read everything you can, because the books you like, and the books you don’t like—they all have something to teach you! And then write! Write stories, poems, essays—write grocery lists, or keep a journal. Just get in the habit of writing, freely and without judgment—you can always go back and fix it later!”
~ Alyson Noel
Shadowland
(St. Martin’s Griffin, 11/09)
Teen Author Challenge
Do you ever get in a rut with your writing? Where the dialogue isn’t snappy, the prose is stilted and boring, and the description feels as flat as a bad hair day? Don’t fret, it happens to every writer. It’s not fun, but it’s not the end of writing as we know it. You can bounce back!
Everyone has their own ways of handing the writing doldrums, but one of my favorites is the first line grab. Here’s how it works:
1) Grab 12 books off your shelf. Preferably books that you love.
2) Open a document on your screen and type the first line of each book so they’re all on one sheet. If you need to type the first few lines because they’re kind of a package deal, that’s fine too.
3) Group the first lines on your screen into categories: dialogue, setting/atmosphere, characters, and plot. Most first lines will fit into these categories, though you should feel free to add categories of your own if they make more sense to you.
4) Look at the first lines in each category and see what works about them. Most authors spend a lot of time sweating the first few lines of their books, so these are often very effective examples of how to write that particular category well.
5) Choose a part of your manuscript (any part will do, though a part you’re struggling with is best) and see how you can tweak it based on what you’ve seen in the first lines you picked.
This isn’t a fix-all-ills kind of exercise, but you may be surprised at the Aha moments it leads to in your own work. Have fun with it and see where it leads!
Buzz Tip of the Week
This week, the second of two awesome posts from agent Rachelle Gardner about the financial side of publishing. This time, it’s all about crunching the numbers on the publisher’s end.
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-your-book-worth-it.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!
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 Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
2. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
3. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
4. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
5. 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!
December 1st, 2009
Can you believe it’s December already? And if it’s December, you know what that means.
NaNoWriMo is over! Congratulations!
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“Reading counts as writing time. Read outside of your comfort zone. Craft—first, last, and always. Compete only with yourself, but do so vigorously. Do what you can as an ambassador of youth literature and literacy. Be your own best cheerleader. Craft, community, and career are all necessary to success.”
~ Cynthia Leitich Smith
Eternal
(Candlewick, 2/09)
Teen Author Challenge
As all of you NaNoWriMo-ers take your first deep breath since the challenge began back on November 1st, I want to talk about something I’m a big, big believer in.
Celebrating!
Writing a book is a process. A long, sometimes frustrating, sometimes gratifying, always worthwhile process. It doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re in this for the long haul–taking the germ of an idea and seeing it through to final polished manuscript–you need to learn to reward yourself along the way.
NaNoWriMo is a great example of that because it’s a short-term intense burst of writing. 50,000 words in 30 days. And I’ve been delighted to see so many people celebrating their success (and each other’s success!) on Twitter, blogs and elsewhere. Awesome!
The thing is, I think we should be celebrating more often. Celebrating things that may not seem as huge and momentous but are every bit as important on the road to seeing your manuscript finished.
Sure, it’s easy to remember to celebrate typing The End. But what about writing the largest number of words in a single day in the history of your writing career? What about writing through an illness, yours or someone you care for? What about sending your work out to critique partners for the first time, daring to share your project with someone else who may or may not agree with your choices?
All of those things… and so many more… are worthy of being celebrated.
Now, that doesn’t mean champagne brunch at every turn. (Especially if you’re underage.) But there are lots of different ways to celebrate. Some things cost money, other things are free. It’s all about finding ways to celebrate that make you feel good!
I like to celebrate by taking an entire day off just to spend with my family and read. I literally have stacks of books in my serenity room (aka library) just waiting for me to read, but I have a terrible time reading them because, if I’m on deadline, I feel like I should be writing. If I have time to read, I have time to write, no? But reading is part and parcel of our job as writers. Not just to refill the well and be inspired, but to explore the finer points of storytelling in the work of our favorite authors.
The nice thing is, it doesn’t cost me anything. The books are already there waiting for me. (And if I couldn’t afford books of my own, I’d simply check them out of the library.) It’s an easy, affordable reward that I absolutely adore.
So this week, as you’re writing, take the time to think about the milestones you’ve passed so far in your writing journey and find a way to reward yourself. You deserve to recognize your own achievements!
Buzz Tip of the Week
Today, I’m offering up the first of two great posts from agent Rachelle Gardner that shed a little light on some basic financial aspects of being a professional writer. If you’ve ever wanted to know how the royalties thing works, here’s your chance.
cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-book-royalties-work.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 participated in NaNoWriMo, tell us how you did! Even if you didn’t meet the entire goal, I’ll bet you got far more writing done than you would have otherwise. And that’s always a win.
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 Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
2. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
3. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
4. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
5. 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 17th, 2009
We’re halfway through NaNoWriMo month and, if you’re like many NaNo-ers, you may be in need of some inspiration. Happy to oblige.
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“Here’s my favorite quote that I always refer to when I’m feeling like I might believe in writer’s block:
‘“You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.’
– Jack London”
~ Josie Bloss
Band Geeked Out
(Flux, 4/09)
Teen Author Challenge
We’ve talked about the power of playing the What if? game to jump start your story (and take it to the next level). Next to What if?, my other favorite thing to ask is So what?
So what? is, in my opinion, one of THE most valuable things you can ask yourself about any scene or plot point or character reaction. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve used it this week alone as I work on TCS book 2. I lay out the next scene I’m going to write and ask myself “So what, Kay? How does this matter in the greater scheme of things in the book?” If I can’t give a rockin’ answer to that question, that scene doesn’t get written until I’ve answered it with a bang.
I also used it last week when I pitched my agent a new book idea. I was writing up my pitch blurb and when I got to the climax, I sat back and asked So what? And I realized there was nothing huge or unique about that climax. So I toyed with it until I came up with a really cool way to twist the climax to make it really matter.
So what? is a great way to make sure the stakes are high enough in your story. Because readers? They ask themselves that question all the time.
– The heroine is faced with a big test that she’s stressing over. So what? That happens to kids all the time. What so big about this one?
– The hero’s girlfriend just broke up with him. That stinks, to be sure, but So what? He’s not the first person to ever go through that. What was so special about this girl and this relationship? What makes this breakup story memorable?
So what? is my friend. It should be your friend too, especially for those moments in the story when you need to pull out all the stops and make your readers go “OMG, no WAY!!!”
If you don’t have a good response to the So what? question, do what agent Donald Maass suggests. Ask yourself, “What could make this matter even more?” You’ll never be sorry you took the time to flesh out bigger, more memorable stakes for your characters. I promise.
Buzz Tip of the Week
Have you ever wondered what happens when an editor likes a book? There are quite a few hoops that an editor must jump through at many big publishers before a contract can be offered. The fabulous Harold Underdown wrote this terrific article about the process to take you behind the scenes. I wish I’d seen it when I was out on submission that first time. My poor agent had to answer a dozen questions from me about how all this works. Smaller presses don’t usually have quite as extensive a process as Harold lays out, but many of the large publishers do.
http://www.underdown.org/acquisition-process.htm
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!
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 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 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!
October 27th, 2009
WOW. Can you believe it’s week 15 already? It seems like we just started our adventure, doesn’t it? To keep you going strong with your productivity challenge, here’s our weekly dose of inspiration…
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“To become a writer, simply do this: write and read and live life.
Read to understand good storytelling. Read several types of stories – of different genres, different formats, and different time periods. You don’t have to pick books apart as you read them. Just expose yourself to the voices and rhythms of other authors.
Live life to find your own stories and voices. Meet and observe people. Take in your surroundings. Ask questions such as: ‘How did this come to be?’ ‘What if THIS had happened instead of THIS?’ ‘What was going through that person’s mind?’ You’ll soon find that there are all kinds of tales to be told – fiction and nonfiction.
Write to write. Like anything else you must practice it in order to get good at it. Keep a journal or blog. Write letters, even if they are to no one in particular. Find your comfort zone – a way of writing that feels like it fits you. Maybe you are a poet. Maybe you love to research and delve into the past. Maybe you are gifted at building suspense or crafting a hard-to-solve mystery.
And when you find your voice, you’ll know it. Because it’s always been there waiting for you to release it.”
~ Jennifer Ziegler
How Not to Be Popular
(Random House, 1/08)
Teen Author Challenge
As you go through the first draft process of writing your manuscript, sometimes it can help to shake things up. To take all the pieces and mix it up a little. Several years ago, I attended agent Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel workshop. One of the most interesting exercises he had us do was an activity to mix up the characters, subplots and settings of the story.
If you have a copy of his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (if you don’t have this, you definitely should!), you’ll find it in Exercise #16. In his version, you have three columns on your piece of paper. Characters in the first, subplots in the second, and settings in the third.
During his workshop, he mentioned that his pet peeve was when characters drink coffee in their kitchens because he felt it was a commonplace, meaningless action that did nothing to bring the story to life. This exercise was used to illustrate how we, as writers, could shake up that staid thinking and create scenes that were more memorable.
On the three-column chart, you would simply draw random lines between columns 1, 2 and 3 to create new and unusual connections between your story elements. Then you would try to use those unusual connections to craft a memorable scene.
Neat, right?
What I’ve discovered is that this approach works well for lots of different things! I’ve done it where the main characters were in the first column, secondary characters in the second, and settings or actions (watching a soccer game, for instance) or things (ballet slippers or a broken TV) in the third. I know I sometimes get bogged down using the same settings with the same characters, so changing it up can be really freeing when I’m in a rut.
I’ve also made it a game where I’ve written each idea down on a slip of paper and put it into one of three different bags. Then I’ll take one paper from each bag and come up with a scene that a) moves the story along swiftly, and b) uses this unusual mash-up of characters, places, and things.
Try this in your story and see if it leads to a creative new scene!
Buzz Tip of the Week
Since the entire goal of the TAC productivity challenge is to help you develop strong and consistent writing habits, I thought last Friday’s post by the savvy and lovely Jessica Faust of BookEnds Literary Agency was particularly fitting. Jessica shares her thoughts on how (and why) to set manageable deadlines for yourself as a writing professional. (And yes, some of this is going to sound mighty familiar. Great minds, right?)
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2009/10/deadlines.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 use the three-columnn (or three-baggie) idea in some form, let us know how it goes for you!
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!
October 20th, 2009
Happy NCTE National Day on Writing! (And yes, I keep wanting to say “of Writing” too.) What a perfect day for a little writing inspiration:
Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week
“The most useful advice I ever came across about writing was from Julia Cameron in The Right to Write. Cameron discusses the importance of writing fearlessly, without the weight of our own self-judgments. People put so much pressure on themselves to produce polished writing on the first try, and this pressure is often what paralyzes the writing process. The important thing is to keep writing and worry about making it shine later. Final drafts often bear little resemblance to first drafts, and that’s okay. It is better to write badly than not write at all. You can’t fix what you haven’t written.”
~ Sarah Quigley
TMI
(Penguin, 4/09)
Teen Author Challenge, Week 14
As you cruise along with your writing goals, it’s not uncommon to hit an occasional snag in the story. One of the best tools I’ve found for those times when I can’t figure out what to do next is the simple question:
What if…?
What if? is great because it’s kind of a catch-all brainstorming tool. You can use it for character issues…
– What if she was an only-child instead of the oldest of seven?
– What if he thinks his friend is trying to help but his friend is actually trying to sabotage the project?
Or for plotting issues…
– What if instead of going to a fancy restaurant for their first date, he takes her to a hoedown and Miss Prim and Proper eats her first barbecue pork sandwich… getting it all down the front of her new blouse?
Or even for shaking up the entire story…
– What if his dad isn’t really his dad?
Try playing What if? the next time you need a little help on where to go next with your story. And have fun!
Buzz Tip of the Week
Awesome agent Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency shares her philosophy behind why she posts her deals in Publishers Marketplace’s Deal Lunch. The post is from a while back but it’s a fabulous look at some of the reasons agents do and don’t post sale news.
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 give the “What if?” game a try if you think the story could benefit from it!
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!
October 15th, 2009
More exciting news this week from YA land!
readergirlz Teen Read Week Tribute!
The fabulous readergirlz divas are pooling their creative resources once again to show their support of YALSA’s Teen Read Week with a very special Teen Read Week Tribute!
If you’re not a regular readergirlz follower, you really should be. You all know I’m a big believer in paying it forward and changing our world, right? Well, the readergirlz divas do that in spades. Be sure to check out their tribute and all their exclusive Teen Read Week chats!
Teen Read Week is one of my favorite times of year. I mean, really, a full week dedicated to the diversity and sheer awesomeness that is YA literature? What’s not to love??? Three cheers for YALSA!
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