Cute Dogs and A Break

My blog posts have been less frequent this summer, because I've been immersed in working on a new middle grade novel. I still don't have a title but I've finished the first draft! One of the characters in my novel was inspired by this little cutie:

I'm dog-sitting her for a while, along with her big friend:

And of course, I still have my own dog:

Some days it sounds like a dog kennel around here! Perhaps I'll be inspired to write some more dog stories. 

Besides looking after the dogs, I've also been participating in Teachers Write with Kate Messner, Jo Knowles, Gae Polisner and Jen Vincent. It's been very motivating, and has encouraged me to set some goals for August:

1) revise one of my as-yet-unqueried middle grade novels, which is about a girl who heads off into the wilderness for a competition to become the co-host of an adventure television show

2) write a new picture book, to keep up with my goal of 12 picture books in 12 months (In January, I joined Julie Hedlund's 12 x 12 picture book challenge group.)

Between my writing goals, the dogs and setting up my newly renovated classroom, I'm going to be a little busy. So I'm going to take a blog break for August. 

Happy reading and writing! I look forward to returning to a more regular posting schedule in September.

Keep Your Writing On Track by Making Lists

How are you doing with your writing this summer? There are so many wonderful distractions--ice cream, amusement parks, gardening, more ice cream, visiting friends, the beach, and the list goes on and on.

Over at MiG Writers, this week my writing buddies and I are offering some tips on how to keep your writing on track in How to Keep Your Writing Focus: Tips from Six Middle Grade and YA Writers.

But I have another tip for staying on track with writing that I'll share here on my blog: making lists.

I always make lists of the things I plan to do in my non-writing life (e.g., the chores I want or need to get done), but it's totally helpful to make lists related to writing as well.

Examples of some writing lists:

- steps my character needs to accomplish to reach a goal

- ways that my villain could stop my main character for reaching the goal

- a list of potential setting locations for scenes in my story

- a list of cupcake flavours (for research purposes, of course)

- a list of what I need to accomplish in a scene or chapter

I often find that creating a list kicks my brain into gear and gives me ideas for new scenes and story events, or even helps me find places where I can double up and put two story events into one setting.

Lists are also really helpful when I'm trying to brainstorm details about my characters to give them a life that extends beyond the book. I generate ideas that I don't need to discuss in detail in the story, but can mention briefly. Here's a peek at a couple of the lists I used to brainstorm ideas for my current revision:

Do you write lists when you're writing a story? What kinds of lists do you make?

Tips for Being A More Productive Writer

I'm not going to share the usual tips on decreasing your social media time to increase your writing time, because we all know we'd be more productive if we spent our writing time actually DOING the writing. But I'm always looking for ways to write more. I've recently discovered three things that help:

Set a Quota

Following the advice of Joanna Penn in How to Write More and And Create a Daily Writing Habit and James Scott Bell in How To Work on More Than One Book at a Time, I've been setting a daily goal or quota for how many words to every day, and trying to stick with it.

Trying to meet a quota means that I'm thinking about my story every day. Momentum builds and carries me on to the next part of the story. It's hard some days. But every time I write 100 words, I'm 100 words closer to finishing my story.


Re-Read First...But Not Right Before

 

You know how your best ideas always come when you're in the shower, driving to work or walking the dog? This may sound crazy, but one day I thought, why shouldn't those best ideas be about my current project? If I read a chapter or a couple of pages of my project before I walk the dog or drive the kids to school, it gets my brain primed for writing later. Even if I don't have time to sit down at my desk right away, the story is in my head when I do get a chance to work on it.

This also helps with the problem of spending all my writing time rewriting yesterday's work. Because I've already done the re-reading a while before, I've already been working on it, somewhere in my subconscious. I can quickly skim and get on with the new part. 

 

Don't Write Too Much

Is it possible to write too much? Sometimes I get so obsessed with writing that it takes over other parts of my life. A couple of hours can zip by like nothing, even if all I've written is a paragraph. So lately I'm making sure writing stays in its place and doesn't spill over into time with my family or time for taking care of myself. Surprisingly, when I do write, I'm more focused.

Do you have any tips for being a more productive writer?


 

Making Your Writing Better Than Good

I love it when blog articles make me stop and reflect on my goals and what I want from my writing (and my life). I recently read this:

“Good” gets rejected. Your work has to be the best.
 

Jane Friedman, How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?, December 29, 2012

I'm choosing this for my Cool Blog Quote for the month of January, because it reminds me that being a writer is about continually trying to improve and challenge myself to be more creative.

Even though the struggle to be a better writer sometimes seems so hard I just want to crawl under a blanket and read an amazing book that someone else wrote, most of the time I'm thinking about how I can make my story better, stronger or more compelling. And I know it's possible, if only I can write my way there.

One of the things I do to help keep my writing on track is to set writing goals. I find I'm more productive when I'm working towards something specific. My goals for 2013 are posted over at  MiG Writers - The MiG's 2013 Goals. I'm so lucky to have great group of writing friends to help support me as I work towards achieving my goals! I think I would have stopped my writing at "Good" or "Slightly Worse Than Good" a long time ago without them to cheer me.

So I'm passing along my wish for you in 2013 - that you have success in making your writing better and stronger than it has ever been before.

Brainstorming Tip: Keep the Writing Flowing

I hate being stuck. Sometimes, I get to a point in my story where nothing is happening. The words I'm writing aren't advancing the story. The story itself seems like the worst thing I've ever written. And the plot has worked itself into a giant tangled mess before I've even gotten to the good parts.

A lot of the writing advice I read says that when this happens, the best thing is to put the story aside for a while and do something else. For me, that can lead to even more time away from the story. You know the saying: "Out of sight, out of mind." After all, there is Christmas baking to do.

Instead of taking a break, I like to think of being stuck as a sign that I need to go back and do some more thinking. There's a reason the writing isn't flowing. It's probably because I took a wrong turn somewhere, and wrote something that sabotaged my story.

What often works for me is to revisit my outline or short summary and rewrite it. First I read through it, finding places where I can ask "Why?" This reminds me of my character's goals and what she wants. Or gets me thinking about different ways to continue on the story path.

The more writing I do, the more important it's becoming to make sure the story is all about what my character wants and how she's going to get it.

Goal Update:

In case you're wondering, here's what I accomplished during November:

1) I came up with 30 ideas for PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month), and ended up writing a picture book draft for one idea that wouldn't let go

2) I wrote 10,000 words in my "mini-NaNo" where I was focusing on my new project (Novel # 5). I'm pleased with how much I accomplished, even though I know I'll need to do some serious rewriting.

How did you do? Did you get something accomplished in November?

Writing Stories Kids Want to Read

Over at Nerdy Book Club, there's a wonderful post this week by the author of the middle grade novel, Malcolm at Midnight:  Why Talking Rats Matter by W. H. Beck.

She wrote about why it's important to her to write stories that encourage kids to wonder, to get them dreaming, or to find a friend. And to write stories that kids want to read so they'll become bettter readers.

"Because the more kids read, the better readers they become. And the better readers they become, the more choices they have in their futures."

Beck's post reminded me that it isn't enough to think about how to create unique characters and plots. Or how to use realistic dialogue to keep the story moving. Or even how to raise the stakes to build tension. Of course, these things are part of writing a novel and they are skills to learn and develop.

But besides all of that, there are the deep-in-my-heart reasons why I'm writing and my hopes for my stories. It's these reasons and hopes that tell me what kinds of stories I really want to write and what kids will want to read.

• Why do I read? What do I get from a story -- is it just entertainment or something deeper?
• Why did I read as a child? What kinds of stories did I like and why?
• What do my children read? What kinds of stories do they like and why?
• Am I writing what I really want to write?
• What do I really want my story to be about? Is that what it's about? Why or why not?

The next time I'm struggling over how to put together a scene or what direction to take my story, I'm going to remind myself of the real reasons why I'm sitting in my chair for hours every day, typing on the keyboard.

November is Writing Month

I'm not usually too fond of November. It's cold, dreary and follows fun-filled October (otherwise known as the Month of Treats in our household because of all the desserts, with Thanksgiving, 2 birthdays and Halloween). But this year I'm excited about November, because of my writing goals. I'm sure I'm being overly optimistic about what I can accomplish, given all the craziness in my life right now, but I've decided to work on two different writing goals:

1) I'm doing a mini NaNoWriMo, where I focus on writing a new story and try to get as much writing as I can done each day, with no pressure to complete a novel. I'm not going to sign up for anything but I will keep track of my progress so I can see how much I'm getting done.


2) Since I get lots of story ideas while I'm teaching, I'm going to also try PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). The goal is to think up a new picture book idea every day. For me, that mostly means being more vigilant about writing down the ideas I already get, so I decided to sign up for it.

I love the idea of having a notebook that contains nothing but ideas. My usual writing notebook is filled with so much more, sometimes ideas for new projects get lost in there.

How am I doing? So far, so good. I've started writing my novel, even though there's something important I haven't worked out yet, and it scares me a little that I don't know where it's going. And I already have 2 picture book ideas in my notebook.

What are your writing goals for November? Have you made a start on them?

Cool Blog Quote: Sometimes It's Not You

Today's quote is from a post one of my writing buddies made at MiG Writers on disappointment:
 

"But there are politics, bad timing and subjective judges and sometimes things simply don’t go in our favor. It’s not a reflection of us..."

 Carmella Van Vleet, Grace in the Face of Disappointment, MiGWriters, Monday August 13, 2012.

It's so important to remember that in the writing business, there are a lot of things beyond your control. If you haven't yet gotten where you want to be, it's not necessarily because you've written a bad story or a bad query letter or because you're a terrible writer. It might just be bad timing. So what I can I do to not get dragged down by disappointment?

I can't just have faith that someone will "discover" my talent. I'm going to do everything in my power to reach my goals.

• I'm going to keep writing new stories and sending them out on submission.
• I'm going to keep reading good books and learning from other writers.
• And I'm going to keep learning about how to be a better writer and how to promote myself and my writing in this crazy changing business.

Celebrating the Last Day of School

Yay! The last day of the school year is finally here and I'm ready to enjoy the summer holidays! I'll miss my students but I do love having some time to recharge and work on my writing. My writing goals for the summer:

1) Finish revisions on Novel #4

2) Finish rewriting Novel #3

I know it seems like I'm always rewriting, but I think I'm finally starting to "get" how much revision is really required to write a good book. For me, it takes several painstakingly slow revisions where I think about practically every word to layer in more story and character. Hopefully, these will go faster now that I have more time for writing.

3) Start a new book - I have so many ideas, I can hardly wait for this one!

My notebook is full of story beginnings or ideas I've jotted down for when I have time. This summer, I'd like to take one or two of these and see where they go.

What are your writing plans for the summer?


In case you're interested, over at MiG Writers, I'm posting today on The Challenges of Making Characters Come Alive.

Writing is Hard But It's Not Impossible

I don't like to feel that I'm shirking my responsibilities, including my blog. But the last couple of weeks have been challenging for me as a writer. Between those sneaky doubts and the stresses of other parts of my life, my writing isn't getting the attention it deserves (whether on  my blog or in my manuscript).  Lydia Sharp of The Sharp Angle says it well in her recent post, Back to Basics: Writing is Hard. I like her conclusion:

 "But if you truly believe you've found your purpose in life, as a storyteller, then you must also believe that no matter what hurdles you encounter, you will prevail."
Lydia Sharp, The Sharp Angle, Back to Basics: Writing is Hard, February 29, 2012

I'm looking forward to March, when I expect to have more energy and enthusiasm for writing. For me, the key is to set some goals. I love crossing completed tasks off my To Do list. I start small, but that usually generates some momentum that builds into something bigger.  So here's what I plan to do in March:

1. Complete one chapter of my novel each week.

And that's all. It definitely seems doable and I'm pretty sure it will morph into more. What are your goals for March?

Goals and Wishes for 2012

Even though I don't obsess over whether I've accomplished my goals for the year (see my post on Jan 1), I do like to have a few simple, doable goals to help guide me when I sit down to write, otherwise I can sit there feeling lost and directionless. So for this year, here's what I plan to do:

1. Finish my latest round of revisions for Novel #4 (The Grand Chef's Apprentice).

2. Finish the big revision I started of Novel #3 (Wild Genius). I have a great outline waiting -- I just need the time and energy to do it.

3. Start something new. It seems like for the last couple of years, I've been working on the same old projects. Good for them, because they just keep getting stronger. I've learned a lot. But I still have a huge collection of story ideas growing in my notebook that I never have enough time for.

When I look back on my goals for 2011, I see that #2 and #3 are pretty much the same as what I included last year. Aack! I think part of the problem is that I'm always revising something - the revisions never seem to stop. Oh well, that means I did accomplish one of my goals - writing more regularly.

What are your writing goals for 2012? Did you accomplish what you set out to do in 2011 or did you have some unexpected surprises along the way?

A New Year = New Realizations

At the beginning of a new year, I always wonder what new challenges lie ahead. I'm almost afraid to look back on my accomplishments for the past year, thinking it will be depressing when I discover I haven't met any of my goals.

What looking back does do is remind me of all the interesting things I've done and learned, which might be even more valuable than analyzing those goals that I have (or haven't) completed. The most important thing I've learned for my writing this year is this:

The plot is nothing until the main character's experiences and thoughts make it come alive.

Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but one of the things that has happened in my writing this year is that I've gained a deeper appreciation for how critical the main character's perspective is to the story (thanks to Mary Kole, Cheryl Klein, the Plot Whisperer, countless blogs I've read, and working hard on my own writing). It seems like something obvious and basic, but the more I think and work on this, the harder and more challenging it becomes.

Now, if only I could stop obsessing over whether each individual word fits the way the character thinks or acts, I might actually make some progress.

What important thing did you learn about your writing in 2011? What aspect of writing do you hope to get some insight into in 2012?

Writing Through the Back-to-School Chaos

Yay, Friday! This first week back to school has been exhausting. But it feels good to get back into a routine.  Every fall, there are new classes, new schedules, new things to shop for -- so much new it can feel overwhelming.

Since Wednesday, my goal for the week has been to actually use the writing time I blocked out for WRITING.

Three days isn't much but I did it. Getting back to writing feels comfortable and familiar, and it counteracts some of the beginning-of-the-school-year chaos. It's definitely something to feel good about.

Oh yeah, and I also treated myself to some expensive cheese and a new turquoise purse (my inner celebration of getting back on track).

What did you feel good about this week? Did you have any writing goals?

How to Stay Motivated: Revisit Writing Goals

I can't believe we're already well into August and I still haven't come close to accomplishing everything I wanted to do this summer. Revising Novel #3 is moving along at a slower-than-snail pace. I think I must have set my sights too high!

But let's look at the positives. I've managed to get a lot of needed tidying and organizing done around the house, and do some things done that weren't on my list (I think they were on my husband's list though), like painting the entranceway and upstairs hall. Even better, a novel idea I had a while ago is resurfacing and I have a different take on it this time. One that begs me to do more thinking and planning.

The only trouble is I'm not doing much writing. I find that if I don't revisit my writing goals from time to time, I'm more likely to fill my free time with things that are totally non-productive. For example, I've recently discovered Plants vs. Zombies. And I don't plan on writing a zombie book any time soon.

How is your writing going this summer? What is your latest craze that's eating away your writing time?

What I Want To (Write) Do This Summer

Over at Writing While the Rice Boils, Debbie Maxwell Allen asked about summer writing goals, prompting me to think about mine. Lately, I've been immersed in my job and family, letting my writing drift a little. So, this seems like a good time to think about what I want to accomplish this summer and get myself back on track.

1. Finish revising The Grand Chef's Apprentice. For those of you following my blog, yeah, this is the book I've affectionately referred to as Novel #4. I've finally decided on a title! I know, it's taken me so long that it should be a cause for celebration.

2. Test the recipes to include in my novel. Yum...this sounds like fun! Maybe I'll do this first.

3. Begin querying The Grand Chef's Apprentice. I even have a query letter written, thanks to my awesome critique buddies.

4. Begin my new project. I even wrote a plan for it, back in March, when I thought I might have time to get started.

If I got these four things done this summer, I'd be happy, and anything else would be icing! Do you have any summer goals?

In the Deep, Dark Corners of Your Mind

I've been busy with writing an alternate ending for my yet-to-be-titled Novel #4, so I haven't even been thinking about my writing goals for this year yet. Or so I thought. One of them was to revise Novel #3. [In case you were wondering, it actually has a title: Wild Genius.] Even though I got some positive feedback from an awesome critique buddy and some regulars at Critique Circle, I struggled with it and put it aside. For months.

A few days ago when I was waiting to fall asleep, the story for Novel #3 drifted into my mind. Except it wasn't the story I wrote. It was better! After a few minutes of mad scribbling, I now have a new structure for the book, a better ending, a feeling for the tone of the story, and who my main characters are and want.

The brain is a mystery. It would be cool to know what makes it work like this, so I could make it happen more than every once in a year or so.  Have you ever found that something lurking in the deep, dark, corners of your mind turned into a brilliant idea? Did it work out?

A New Year = New Projects + Enthusiasm

The start of the new year feels to me like the start of a new story -- blank pages, waiting to be written on. I feel the excitement of new ideas and a surge of energy as I get fired up to develop them into stories.

To take advantage of that New Year's Day enthusiasm, I'm setting my goals for 2011. I set just a few so I actually have a chance of accomplishing them. After all, you can always add more once you finish the first ones.

1. Plan and begin writing another novel based on one of the great ideas waiting in my notebook. I have a couple of ideas already sketched into plots that I'm eager to take further.

2. Revisit Novel #3 - Wild Genius, which is still nagging at me. I'd like to revise it to make it into a more believable story.

3. Write more regularly, even if just 500 words a day. [Note to self: That's WRITE. Not sit at the computer checking e-mails, blogs or even writing blog posts or blog comments.]

These goals are not much different from the goals I posted last year on the MiG Writer's blog (except for the different projects). My third goal is exactly the same. I always want to be more productive. But I am proud of what I managed to get done in 2010:

1.  Starting this blog - yay!
2.  Reading over 100 YA and MG books to complete my 100 book challenge.
3. Finishing the first draft of Novel #4 in 3 months.
4. Finishing a round of revisions (because let's face it, until a book is published, the revisions are NEVER finished) on Novel #2, Novel #3 and, almost (2 chapters to go) Novel #4.
5. Sending queries out for Novel #2 (The Ethan Project).

Looking back reminds me that I can do it. What did you accomplish in 2010 that you are proud of? Do you have a goal for 2011?

When the Computer Breaks Down...Make a New Goal

Aack! Yesterday evening I turned on my main computer and the screen went black. Totally black. An eerie voice came through the speaker with something about the system failing a test. Remember to keep your work backed up, people!

I should be freaking out, but I'm not. My latest couple of novels are on my memory stick. Plus I have most of the stuff backed up (though probably the backups are a few months old). My daughters are a bit stressed that they might lose some of the music they've downloaded from iTunes. The most annoying thing is that I have to take time away from writing to take it somewhere to get it fixed (and pay for it). Time is always something I crave more of. It seems like I have less and less of it lately.

In the meantime, I'm back to working on my laptop. I had to do this earlier in the year for some reason (oh yeah, because the dog had surgery and couldn't go upstairs) and I actually got a lot done. I learned that a change of scene can perk up my writing, especially if it's a little harder to check my e-mail.

A computer breakdown may seem like an odd reason for setting goals, but nevertheless, here are my goals for the rest of November:

1. Finish first set of revisions of Novel #4.

2. Write a summary and one-sentence pitch for Novel #4.

3. Think of a title for Novel #4.

I could add "get the computer problems fixed", but that's not a goal. It's a necessary fact of life.

What Are You Starting This September?

Yay, September! Good things come in the fall. Crisp new apples. Colourful leaves. New things to learn. September has always energized me. Probably because it's always been the start of a new school year, either for me or my children. This year, though,  I'm dragging my feet a bit. I don't want to let go of the lazy, relaxed days of summer. So, to kick off September, I'm setting some autumn goals:

1. Finish query letter and send out queries for novel #2, The Ethan Project.

2. Finish my revision of novel #4, and think up a title for it.

I'm keeping it simple. If I have too many goals to focus on, I accomplish nothing. Anyway, now that I've blogged about it, I'll have to stick to it. How do you feel about the fall? What do you think you'll accomplish?

Moving Forward Inch by Inch

Yesterday was a perfect lazy Sunday—pancakes, games, working in the garden, mindless television. (I’m ignoring the part where I had to drive around looking for wax to melt for my daughter’s pseudo-ancient Greek artifact due later this week.) I thought of turning on my computer a couple of times but I stopped myself.

The result? Extra energy today. I’m eager to get back to my writing. My goal for this month is to finish the first draft of the novel I’m writing (now on Chapter 15). I find that “big picture” goals are better for keeping me motivated than short-term, daily goals, e.g. words or pages a day, which might just end up leaving me disappointed when other things get in the way.

If I keep in mind where I want to go, it doesn’t matter how I get there:  a lot of intense writing one day, a paragraph the next. As long as I’m moving towards my goal, that’s all that counts.