Describe the best day you’ve ever had. Then describe a “best day” that will happen in the future.
If you want to share, you can post your exercise (500 words or less) here.
Create a character and give him an unusual phobia. Now write a humorous scene where he runs smack into that which he’s afraid of.
If you want to share, you can post your exercise (300 words or less) here.
Last October, a group of authors from the Class of 2k8 held a panel discussion, titled Networking for Writers at my local Barnes & Noble. Each author shared her path to publication and other important nuggets learned while on the journey.
While discussing her book BRINGING HOME THE BOY, Nina Nelson mentioned that her break came after winning a contest. At the end of the discussion, she handed out brochures for the Tassy Walden Awards and encouraged everyone to enter.
I entered. I did not win. But to be honest, I didn’t expect to win or be chosen as a finalist. I just thought it was as good a place as any to become more involved with my writing and the community.
I attended the awards ceremony last Wednesday to celebrate Nina’s win in the YA/Teen Novel category for WALNUT GIRL, and new Twitter friend Stacey Mozer’s place on the Middle Grade Novel finalist list for THE PERFECT TRIP.
To say it was an awesome event is an understatement. For me it was like getting a private Tori Amos concert without all the wig changes. Each of the three winners was asked to read from her story, which was such a treat for everyone in attendance. Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins delivered a moving reading of her picture book, NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THE DAY. She is a superb storyteller who infuses so much life into her reading. I hope she finds a home for her book soon. It’s sure to be an instant classic.
Faith Hough followed next with a chapter from her middle grade novel, THE ART Of ELSEWHERE. Faith’s work is smart, funny and insightful. But what a tease these authors are. They give us a sneak peek into the worlds they’ve created then leave us wondering when we’ll be able to find out what happens. The torture!
Last up was Nina’s readling, which I thoroughly enjoyed (as I knew I would). We learned that WALNUT GIRL was based on her own personal history, which made it that much more intriguing. Now she just needs to hurry and finish it!
The night went by quick and it was a bit of a drive for me to get there, but I’m glad I went. Listening to the winning entries was a great reference for the calibre of writing that I have to strive to reach. Contests like this one help us rise to our potential and push to be better. Even when we don’t win, we’re practicing the skills we’ll need to submit our work to agents and publishers.
The sad part is, I feel like I’m already racing the clock to make the 2010 submissions. Can someone please add 5 more hours in each day?!?
As you walk to the bus stop, you encounter a woman sitting crumpled and sobbing on the sidewalk. What happened? Write the conversation that led to her breakdown.
If you want to share, you can post your exercise (300 words or less) here.
Literary agent Rachelle Gardner had a guest post on her site today that caused quite a stir. Image consultant Renee Hagar’s piece titled Does Your Image Need Refreshing? kicked up a lively discussion about whether or not image is important, and whether it’s right to judge writers by the way they look.
In my opinion, it’s important to always put your best foot forward. After all, the reality is that we’re trying to market ourselves. Isn’t it? Sure, there are writers out there who are so mind-blowingly talented that they could show up to a reading in a toga and a thong and get a pass. Everyone else, not so much.
In its basic form, publishing is a business. And in business people need to conduct themselves professionally and look the part (whatever that is). In the discussion on Rachelle’s site, some commenters expressed disappointment that those in the industry make assumptions based on a writer’s image. While it may be unfortunate, I think there’s a reason people do it. Generally, people who consider and put time into their image are willing to put in the extra effort and realize that there’s more to being an author than simply writing a story people like.
I have an interesting perspective on the idea of personal image because of an experience I recently had. Until a couple months ago, I generally wore baggy jeans and oversized shirts that were more like what you’d wear around the house than to work. But then I volunteered myself for a makeover given by a local television station. I remembered I described myself as “frumpy” in my email to the station.
When I was chosen, I thought that I would simply be getting a new haircut, some new clothes and five minutes of fame. I received so much more. Style consultant Debbie Wright put clothes together and had me try them on. After repeated telling her that everything was too small and was accenting my flaws, she turned to me and told me I was being too hard on myself and it really didn’t look that way. She then hit me with the reality that this was how clothes were supposed to fit. And when I look at a picture my husband had taken of me in the “too tight” clothes, I realized that the image I had always seen in the mirror was not the real me.
That short interaction with Debbie truly changed my life. When I leave the house, I feel more confident and poised than ever before. I don’t wear anything that isn’t me, I’m just the best me I can be now. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for that experience.
That’s not to say my “image” is the right one for everybody else, but I think it’s worthwhile for writers to find their own image and make it unique.
Embarrassing, mortifying, time-stands-still moments. Choose one of your most humiliating experiences and describe it in its achingly awkward glory.
If you want to share, you can post your exercise (300 words or less) here.
Ediited to note: Gosh, I can’t believe how late to the party I am on this one. This has been sitting in draft form since I got back from the conference. But then I got all blinded by the Twitter glitter. Apologies!
Saturday was a whirlwind of keynotes, workshops and armfuls of catalogs. The day started with an engaging address by Cynthia Lord, author of Rules.
To say that her talk was inspiring would be a gross understatement. She let every one of us in that ballroom feel how important our work is to kids. Then with renewed purpose and puffed up hearts we all scattered to our chosen workshops.
My first session was Choices in Narrative Voices with J.L. Bell. Let me just say that I’m glad he provided a handout, because I wouldn’t have been able to write down all the information I wanted to remember. He discussed and gave examples of POV, perspective, tense and other essentials. A good resource to add to the ‘ol writer’s toolbox.
Next, I had Picture Book Plotting, Pacing, and Paging: A Parable in Three Parts with Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. I really enjoyed Sudipta’s presentation style. She claimed to be shy, but she could have fooled us! She was engaging, witty and best of all, funny. She demystified the picture book story format and provided an invaluable roadmap to success (well, Sudipta-style at least). One of the most interesting takeaways was her discussion on the difference between a writer and an author, and knowing which you are. Can you be both? I kinda think so.
And then there was lunch. Not only was it a welcome respite filled with good food and conversation, but we were treated to a keynote address by illustrator Floyd Cooper. He amazed us all with a demonstration of how he uses the subtractive method to create his artwork using only an eraser. Unbelievable.
My last workshop was Many Voices: Who’s Talking, Who’s Listening, and Why it Matters with Linda Urban. I needed this workshop. Dialogue is one of my weaknesses, but I’ve been secretly wishing it would just improve. Happily, Linda gave us some great suggesstions for pinpointing what our characters are saying and what they want to say.
Since I wasn’t staying for Sunday’s part of the conference, the panel discussion about diversity was my end point. This made the conference come full circle for me since I began with renewed inspiration and left instilled with a sense of the writer’s responsibility.
Overall, I think this was a great pick for my first writer’s conference and I intend to return every year. Looking back, there are a few more things I learned:
Choose any notable person that interests you–famous, historic or otherwise. Write a scene with this person as the central character, but make his personality the opposite of reality.
If you want to share, you can post your exercise (300 words or less) here.
Here I am at 9:22 pm, writing a blog post instead of finishing my picture book for Day 1 of NaPiBoWriWee. I had the best of intentions, of course. But this day was a long one and I just don’t have the steam to plow through to my goal. The saving grace is that the rules don’t require a book a day, just that you should have 7 picture books written by the end of the week. Saved by a technicality.
While I was reasoning with myself, the bigger issue came into sharp focus: I’m beating myself up over a self-imposed deadline. After that realization, I closed my document and vowed to try again tomorrow.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that children’s publishing is not a race. Even though I want to dedicate a majority of my time to the pursuit of getting published, it’s simply not in the cards right now. I’m okay with that, but sometimes my enthusiasm wants more.
Earlier this year, I had planned to enter the PEN New England Children’s Book Caucus and Tassy Walden Awards, and apply for an SCBWI grant. The deadlines were close to each other and I was trying to get two stories into the best shape they could be. Then I burned myself out.
I took a step back, looked at the pressure I was placing on myself and declared “there’s always next year.” So I decided to only enter one. And my sanity was saved.
Success is all about trying, running into hurdles and then re-evaluating. When you give yourself the option to fail, you’re opening yourself up for other possibilities.
If you’re a children’s writer, you’ve probably longed to participate in NaNoWriMo but didn’t because it wasn’t a good fit. Author Paula Yoo addressed this need by creating National Picture Book Writing Week (NaPiBoWriWee), which she announced on her blog yesterday.
I have no idea where I’m going to find the time to write a book a day, but I fully intend to participate. This is really exciting news and I hope you all consider coming along for the ride!
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