T is for Toolbox, Tension & Together

"Don't be afraid to use the full range of your toolbox! Use all five senses! Are you exploiting every possible source of tension and drama? Is your story being told from the point of view of the character who has the most to lose?" -Kimberly Heuston

S is for Symphony

R is for Read A lot

Some of the best writing advice I've ever heard....

Oh, Mr. Rick Walton, you never fail to make me grin. 

Q is for Question

I think about this a lot. I'll try to see the current chapter I'm working on from my reader's POV. What are they thinking? What are they wondering? What do they think is going on? What are they curious about?

P is for Permission

I'm a pro at writing crap. 

;)

O is for Original

More from Patti...

Well, she makes that sound easy, right? Just find a smashing good idea and then let yourself go wild and crazy with it. 

Alright....I better get on that...

N is for New Words

"Write down all the language 

you would 

use to describe a subject. 

Throw this away. 

Find new words!" 

-Lance Larsen

I'm so happy I got to listen to Lance speak at WIFYR. He is a brilliant poet and gave a great session entitled, 11 Tips for Writing Jaw-Dropping Sentences. 

And his presentation? It was jaw-dropping. Someday I'll have to write more about it. But for now....yeah, find new words. I love this idea of his...writing down everything you'd use and just throwing it away. That would be hard though, right? But totally worth it. Stretch yourself. Don't stick with the same metaphors and analogies or descriptions. 

Find new words.

M is for M Factor, Moment and Mother

Alright, so yesterday...that whole Focus-On-What-You-Love thing? Yeah, I need to do more of that. So, I'm not going to be doing as many of the cute little buttons with quotes. I will still be sharing quotes though.

Today I have a random collection of 'em...

"Don't forget the M Factor. Can they Market your book to Make Money?" -Melanie Cecka (Bloomsbury)

That's something to think about. You might think your book is absolutely fantastic. But you really need to think about this...will it sell? Will people want to fork out money for it? Do you think you would fork out money for it if you saw it sitting on the bookstore shelf?

"Begin at the moment of impact." -Richard Peck

Here it is again. Immediacy. Moment of impact. Start with a bang.

The Awesome Richard Peck continued with, "Starting with dialog is a good way. Or something arresting. Put color on the first page. Shock them."

Richard Peck

Have you heard Richard Peck speak? Wow. He is some kind of Amazing. Seriously...I could be one of those '70's groupie girls who sits at his feet, like he was a long-haired commune leader. And I'd happily wait to hear the pearls of wisdom drop from his mouth. Yeah. He's that cool.

Not to mention....he's a brilliant writer as well!

"I had a mother who read to me. That's why I am here today." -Richard Peck

Oh, we mommas are so important, right? Read to your babies, read to your children, read to your teenagers. By any means necessary, turn your children into readers!

L is for Love

That's a simple one, eh? But it's amazing how difficult it can be. I know I spend way too much time letting myself get wrapped up (or roped into!) doing things I only kind of want to do. Why do I do that? Sometimes it's easier than the writing. 

Writing is hard work. I have to let myself stink. I have to strain my brain. I have to slog away at something with the hope I can make it better....somehow, someday. 

However, it's worth it. 

And I need to get better at this focus thing. I need to focus on the things (and people) I really really love. My kids. My husband. My writing. And some crafting....although I need to be more selective about the projects I choose to take on. I love making pretty ruffly dresses for my girls. But how many do they actually need? 

I'm trying to be better about using my time wisely. And, yes, I'd have more time to write if I cut out the crafty/sewing stuff altogether. But I've waited for years to have little girlies to make things for. I love whipping them up little dolls and purses and hair bows and froufrouy skirts. And I make crafty stuff for my boys, too. (they each got super cool bow ties for Easter....I love how happy they were for a simple bow tie!) If this puts me behind in my writing a bit...oh well. I'm okay with that.

Now it's your turn. What do you love? What do you need to focus on?

K is for Kids

Yep. I totally cheated with K. But children, kids....same thing....hopefully no one kicks me out of the A-Z Blogging Club. 

Anyhoodles....love this quote. I think our world needs a whole lot more adults who use their brains, right? And therefore, our little ones need to be read to, need to be encouraged to love good books and need to be surrounded with people who love to read themselves. Go on! Read a book to a wee one today. You won't regret it!

We give books to our kids for just about every holiday....Easter baskets, birthday gifts, Christmas presents. They each get new books on Christmas Eve from The Book Mouse (who also delivers their new jim-jams). They pick out books from the Scholastic book fairs when they have good grades. I pick out books for each of them when I go to writing conferences and workshops (and get them signed, of course). 

So far, my three boys love to read. My oldest devours them. He and I share books (which is so fun). My wee girls love to be read to. We sit down and snuggle up with a pile of books everyday. 

We read books as a family. I'm reading Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat to my two oldest boys. I try to read a chapter or so a night when I go into say goodnight (although I've been a slacker for the last while, but we picked it back up tonight). Ryan sits down, when he can, with the girls in his lap and reads to them. He  often changes the story, which drives me absolutely mad, but the kids love it. 

What about you? How do you encourage the children in your life to read? 

(And by the way....thanks for all the sweet comments about the commenting thing. You all are brilliant and kind and marvelous. I think Mellissa summed it up with her "That's why they're called comments, not discussions" remark. :) It's just so hard to stay on top of everything!!! I think you're all right....who goes back to see if people commented back? BUT if you set your blogger profile (or something like that) to let replies come to your email, then people can comment back like that. It goes directly to you.)

J is for Jump Off the Page

Judy O'Malley was an editor with Houghten-Mifflen when I heard her speak (yes, I'm too *lazy to see if she's still there.) 

Hmmmm, isn't this what we're all going for? (and I'm not talking about the laziness) Characters that seem to breathe and eat and yell and fight and cry and cause trouble and make bad choices and grow up and become a hero all on their own? 

And how do we do this? How do we make them so real? 

Study real people!Watch your family and friends and strangers. How do they talk? What are their weird habits? What are their faults? What do you wish you could tell them to change? What do you love about them? What are their secrets? What are their goals and dreams? 

Make your characters a puzzle. None of us make sense, not really. I mean, we're all strange and weird. We have odd things about us. We all have dual desires. Like, I want to have a clean house, but I don't want to go near the broom. Or I want to have toned arms but I don't want to spend my free time lifting weights. 

What do you think? How do you make your characters seem like they could jump off the page and live?

*Alright, another form of my laziness (aka mother of five) is that I don't respond to your comments like I'd like to. I really and truly LOVE getting comments. I'm always surprised how many people actually read this blog. And I'm so grateful for everyone who takes the time to share what they think or if they liked what I pounded out. But I don't always have time to respond. Sometimes it's because of the almost two year old girl saying, "Momma! Where ah yoo?" or "Mommy, pay wit me?" Or it's the fact that I have to hover over two of my boys so they will finally just get their homework done and stop getting distracted. Or it's that these kids expect to eat in a regular fashion. What? The fact that I fed you yesterday isn't good enough, people? *sigh* Or it's my oldest son who likes to download his day to me after he walks through the doors and since I don't want him to ever feel like I don't want to listen to him, I need to stop what I'm doing....or do something mindless, like fold towels, so I can listen.  

So, I'm sorry. I know all the Cool Bloggers say you need to respond to every comment if you want your blog to be successful. But....well....I do my best. And if I have to choose between letting my Molly Monkey grab my hand with her chubby fingers and lead me to her little pink castle, thrusting a plastic prince into my hand and expecting me to make him talk to her plastic princess or responding to every sweet and kind and wonderful comment....well, I guess you know which one I'll choose, right? :)  

I is for Immediacy

This quote comes from an editor, Jill Davis, who I heard speak at WIFYR. I'm not sure she's still working as an editor though....I went googling around to see and it appears she's a freelance chickadee now....but I was lazy and didn't google too much....so that could be a different Jill Davis. 

I love this quote though. And I love it more now than I did then. The point of this, this need for immediacy, was really made when I went to the Writing for Charity event last month. In our critique group, Jennifer Nielsen was so good at helping each of the authors find the action that would bring more immediacy to their first chapter. I think everyone of us needed more of it. She asked me a few questions and then voila! She had a brilliant suggestion which would bring more tension into the first paragraph. In hindsight, it seems so obvious but I didn't see it. 

My current WIP has my character hiding from someone at the beginning but I don't initially name who it is. I had a reason for this, but Jennifer thought it would be better to explain who he's hiding from and give some hint as to why. This sucks the reader in, makes them care for that kid cowering in the shadows. 

Look at your first page. What is going on? Is it boring? Is it full of back story? Scenery description? Meandering prose? Or do you have a tense moment? Is your character in danger? Or sad? Or angry? Is there some way you can suck your reader in with some immediate action? 

If not....fix it!

H is for Heroism

Oh, T.A. Barron, how brilliant can one man be? Obviously....very. 

I love this quote. Every person is capable of great, monumental and outstanding deeds. And every little soul needs to know this. They need to know what is possible for them. And we, as writers, parents, teachers, humans, need to make sure they're getting that message. 

Two more things...

#1: Don't forget to enter my giveaway. (I know...it's the coolest giveaway you've ever seen.)

#2: Has anyone ever had their follower's list get cleared? I went to my dashboard with the plan to read through some of the blogs I follow and....it was empty! How did that happen?? What happened to the blogs I follow? I'm quite sad that they're gone and I wonder if there is a way to get them all back...short of trying to find them all, one by one, again. So, if for some reason you think I'm not following your blog anymore....it's not my fault!!!

#3: (yep. sometimes I lie) Is this thing, The Followers List Being Abducted by Aliens, happening to anyone else? I've noticed my followers list keeps going back and forth between 131 and 132. So....either something strange is going on or someone can't quite figure out if they want to read my odd blog. Which is totally understandable (*sniff*) 

G is for Get Your Act Together {& a Giveaway!}

*I told you I'd talk about Patrica Lee Gauch again. 

Here's another quote from her....

(I kind of wish she'd come live at my house and give me a pep talk every day.)

Just do it! (that is a really hand slogan)

In honor of it being the day for G I'm also doing a giveaway. 

Some people give away signed books, trips to exotic locations or lifetime supplies of powdered eggplant (yeah...there really is such a thing....who knew it was good for your teeth? Not me.), but no, I'm so much cooler than that.  Because I am giving away, not one, but two....

Fabric Bookmarks!

*the crowd goes wild*

Just be a follower and leave a comment and you, my dear friend, might find yourself the lucky recipient of a Super Awesome Bookmark. 

I know. You're quivering with hope and excitement. It is a pretty awesome giveaway. 

So, tell me....

What's stopping you from writing your book? (back to that brilliant quote above)

Or...

If you could win anything, besides loads of money, in a giveaway, what would it be?

*Scheduling posts doesn't work well if one doesn't know what date it will be on Saturday.....oops! This is one of the rare times I've arrived early for anything. 

F is for Fiction

Another one from T.A. Baron....

It's interesting to think of fiction like that. 

Years and years ago, after I finished reading fantasy series I really enjoyed (I don't remember what it was), I lay in bed, in that halfway spot between awake and asleep, and I imagined what it would be like to have the magical powers the heroine of the story had. I imagined if it were me. The magic system had something to do with singing...it was really cool and I loved it. 

Now I wish that instead of just imagining it, I would have started writing it. I mean, not a book just like the one I read, but something that was mine, in a world that I created. 

It only took me another 6 years to figure out who I wanted to be. And how much fun it is to create my own worlds and my own magic system and creatures and villains and chaos. 

I love it. 

E is for Essential

T.A. Baron. Wow. He is quite the guy. Brilliant, funny, charming and  a great smile. And then, of course,...he's a fabulous writer, too! I had the pleasure of meeting him at WIFYR years ago. 

Hmmmm, maybe I can come up with them...

#1: Spend loads of time on Pinterest

#2: Keep a steady supply of peanut M&M's and warm buttered popcorn nearby at all times. 

#3: Stay up until three in the morning scrambling to polish up your last chapter for your critique group the next day. 

What do you think? These are the rules, right? 

If not...well, then....I should probably try a different tactic...

Your turn. What do you think the three rules for writing a novel are?

D is for Dialogue

At Writing for Charity, a writer asked a question that went something like...

"What if you have a great idea and people tell you it's just like {insert popular book or movie title}. What do you do? Do you still write it?"






I loved Matthew Kirby's response (I also love his book, The Clockwork Three)....

And I don't think this necessarily means you scratch your story about the boy who goes to magic school or the WIP with a girl having to fight for her life through a crazy messed-up game or your idea about sparkly vampires (er...well...on second thought....) but it does need to be different. 

We've all heard the saying, "There aren't any new ideas, just new ways of looking at them." And that's what you have to do. Find a new way to spin your idea. Really make it different. Set it apart from the crowd.

And this might even still be possible with vampires....maybe? Vampire ballerinas? Vampire clowns? Hmmmm....oooh...maybe you smoosh all three of those idea together....a school where people learn how to be a vampire and also compete in a bloody battle to the death. AND they're clowns. Yep. That's a bestseller right there. 

Anyone else want to take a crack at the Come Up With a Crazy New Vampire Idea for a Book?

C is for Crazy

This is one of my very favorites...

Oh that, Patricia Lee Gauch, how I love her. 

I hear her voice in my head all the time saying, "*Go crazy!" That woman is One Crazy Brilliant Chickadee. And I learned loads and loads from her at Chautauqua. She totally got what I was trying to do with my book.  She encouraged me. She laughed at my writing....in all the right places. She told me I was funny. She pointed out my strengths and helped me see my weaknesses. 

Patti and I at a dinner at Chautauqua

And as if all of that weren't enough...she compared my writing to Roald Dahl.  Yep, that seals it. I will love her forever.  

If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, get yourself a seat!


*I know. I'm talking about this fabulous woman again. And I'm sure it won't be the last.

B is for Beautiful Disappointment

The quote I'm sharing today comes from Clint Johnson. He spoke at the Writing for Charity event a few weeks ago. 

This guy is pretty darn awesome and he had loads of quotable things to say. Every time he opened his mouth I  had to hurry to jot down his words...

Nothing we write will ever measure up to what we want it to be, right? It always falls short of the grand and glorious thing we've envisioned.

But even though it has flaws it is a beautiful thing because of what we did right with it, all that we learned through writing it and simply because we accomplished it.

It's up to us to choose which one to focus on.

So, which will it be for you today?