MiG Writers Giveaway!

If you'd like a chance to win a cool prize and donate to an important cause, just by commenting, check out this post at MiG Writers.

One of my critique buddies, Carmella Van Vleet, has a daughter with a growth disorder (read her story here). And today is an unofficial "Growth Disorder Awareness" Day for the MAGIC Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps families who have children with rare conditions and diseases that affect growth.

Over at MiG Writers, we're supporting this event with a giveaway and fundraiser. For every person that comments, Carmella is donating $1 (up to $60, her daughter's current height in inches), PLUS everyone that comments has a chance to win one of 6 great prizes! For details, visit the MiG Writers.

Four Ways to Keep Motivated for Writing

Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. For me, this most often happens after I've sent out some queries and I'm trying to stop thinking about them by working on a new project. The "not for me" responses start trickling in and the beginning excitement of the new project wears off when I actually have to work at it. Then I start looking for ways to avoid writing, like blogging or cleaning my desk (a sign that I'm really in trouble). Does this happen to you?

Here are a few ways I get back on track:

1. Take a writing workshop. Getting an expert's view of the process often inspires me to get working on my writing. Somehow, I see my writing differently after getting another perspective.

2. Talk with a writing group. So much of my inspiration comes from my family and my writing buddies. Lately, my writing buddies and I have been checking in with updates on our writing progress. Knowing that they are working hard on their writing inspires me to work hard too.

3. Set a simple goal. I'm not talking about something like "Finish novel by end of the month". I try to set goals that I feel like I might actually accomplish, especially if I'm trying to build up some writing momentum. If I start small, and then actually meet my goal, it inspires me to reach higher next time.

4. Read (or listen) about writing craft. When my writing is stalled, sometimes I pick up a writing craft book, seek out some writing blogs or tune into a writing podcast for a little inspiration. I don't like to read books in my genre or visit bookstores when I'm lacking motivation, because it just reminds me of what I'm not accomplishing.

How do you stay motivated to work on your writing?

If you're stuck for an idea, check out this post by my MiG Writers group about where we get our best ideas.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Flipped!

Today’s pick: 

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2001

Summary:

Julianna Baker begins crushing on Bryce Loski from the first time they meet, in grade 2, and is convinced for years that he will be her first kiss. The problem is, Bryce doesn’t see it that way. He finds Juli annoying. As the two of them grow up through middle school, the author shows their two different and sometimes humorous points of view about a destroyed sycamore tree, Juli's homegrown chickens and their eggs, and a variety of family problems. By the end of the book, their feelings are flipped: Bryce really likes Juli and Juli has gotten over her crush.

My Take:

This is definitely a book to show you how to write different points of view. I loved the way the author took the same story event and showed it through the eyes of the two different characters, emphasizing what each character would notice. I also loved the layers the author created in this story, by going beyond the surface to include family issues, while still keeping the story firmly from a middle grader’s point of view. Although I’ve seen this novel referred to as “teen” or “YA”, to me, it definitely has a middle grade feel.  

Other Info:

This book is a stand alone. It has been made into a movie, Flipped, 2010, directed by Rob Reiner.

Other books by this author:

The Running Dream

Sammy Keyes mystery series:
     Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash
     Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

The Gecko & Sticky series
     The Gecko & Sticky: The Power Potion

     The Gecko & Sticky:  Sinister Substitute

Shredderman series

For more info, visit Wendelin Van Draanen’s website.

Quick Writing Link: Voice

Yay! Got through another work week. Is it just me, or has September been flying by? I feel like I haven't had much time to really get into my writing. Instead, I've been snatching a few minutes here and there.  But something is better than nothing!

In the past couple of weeks I discovered this gem on voice. If you haven't seen this post at Notes from the Slushpile, I highly recommend it: Finding your voice: A masterclass from SCBWI with Beverley Birch by Addy Farmer.

For other resources on voice, check out my V is for Voice post featured in the ABCs of writing middle grade fiction (see my sidebar).

Happy Friday!

When You Need to Delete a Character

On the advice of some of my critique buddies, I've cut out one of the characters in my latest project. I know it's for the best (she didn't make a strong contribution to the plot). It also meant I had to cut out some funny lines, but I'll get over it.

Have you ever had to cut a character? Does it give you a strange sense of satistfaction (like being a puppet master where they are all in your control) or does it make you sad?

How Over-Thinking Destroys the Story

Sometimes I catch myself doing too much thinking about my writing. Of course I need to think about the character's goals, obstacles and what needs to happen to help the plot hang together. But sometimes I can get hung up on these things instead of actually writing.

It reminds me of how I can park my van perfectly if I pull into the spot and don't think much about it, but if I pause and wonder if I'm coming in at the right angle, I start having doubts. Sometimes I even end up driving right past a perfectly good spot because I thought too much about the mechanics of the process.

Does this ever happen to you? I get fixated on how a scene will fit into the overall storyline, instead of just writing it and deciding that later. Not everything needs to be worked out. For me, a lot of the good stuff emerges while I'm writing.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: One Crazy Summer

Since I read so many middle grade books (see my 100 book challenge) and I blog about writing middle grade books, I thought I’d join in on Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (aka MMGM) from a writer's perspective. The more I read MG, the more great books I’m finding. And some of them come from other bloggers doing MMGM (for example, see Shannon Whitney Messenger's blog).

Today’s pick: 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2010

Summary: 

Set in 1968, this novel tells the story of eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, who fly across the country to spend the summer with the mother who abandoned them seven years ago. Their mother is busy working on her poetry and doesn’t want them there. She sends them to a summer camp, sponsored by revolutionary Black Panthers, and leaves Delphine to care for her younger sisters.

My Take:

This is a great book to read for learning about how to create character—if you can stop from losing yourself in the story long enough to think about the writing. One of the wonderful things about this novel is the way the author has used details and shown the time period and setting from an eleven-year-old perspective. The opening intrigued me, since I haven’t read another middle grade novel that starts with a plane ride.

I loved what the author said in her acknowledgements, “I wanted to write this story for those children who witnessed and were part of necessary change.”  It made me think about what I want to say in my own writing.

Other info:

This book is a stand alone. It is a 2011 Newberry Honor Book, and has won several other awards, including the 2011 Coretta Scott King award.

Other books by Rita Garcia-Williams:

Jumped (2009)
No Laughter Here (2004)
Every Time A Rainbow Dies (2001)

For more, visit Rita Garcia-Williams’ website.