Since I write mostly for kids and teens, I find myself observing their world and also revisiting my own life during that time period. I stumbled upon The Childhood Belief Site - I Used to Believe. It's fun site that has a list of things people believed when they were kids. My favorite section is the Nature section. Growing up in the country, I was always outside and with my vivid imagination and limited kid knowledge, I came up with some beliefs that are funny now that I'm an adult. Here … [Read more...]
Where’s My Rose Garden?
March 10, 2010 Read Comments
Let's just face it: Writing a novel is not for sissies. It's a long hard, lonely journey. And sometimes we just lose steam and want to throw in the towel. There are a lot of work hazards being a novelist. One of them being envy. Do I get envious of other writers who have gotten book contracts or hit the bestseller list? Maybe for a flash. But after that it motivates me. It shows me that it can be done. I'm a true believer in visualizing and focusing on goals. I believe that if you … [Read more...]
Workcrastination
March 8, 2010 Read Comments
Most writers think it's procrastination that puts a monkey wrench in their novel progress. But sometimes it can be something a little more subtle: Workcrastination. I learned about this word from author Tayari Jones on her blog: "[T]here is another, more sneaky, incarnation-- Workscrastination. This is when you blow off your novel for important stuff that needs doing, not fun stuff, but necessary stuff." Sometimes the things you "have" to do can start to sip away on your writing … [Read more...]
2010 Springmingle: Revision Techniques
March 5, 2010 Read Comments
This past weekend, I went to the 2010 Springmingle conference sponsored by the Southern Breeze SCBWI chapter. On Wednesday, I shared some tips about developing your character. Today, I'm going to share some revision techniques. For me, I love the revision process more than I do writing the draft. Revision allows me to make my characters deeper and uncover things about my novel that I couldn't see in the draft. These tips are that I gathered from Cheryl Klein, senior editor of Arthur A. … [Read more...]
