Crazy Day

I just remembered I was supposed to post today, but I've worked all day and my mom is in town and we are on our way out the door. So I'm relying on you guys today to each leave a comment with your favorite writing tip or writing quote, or writing website or link. Thanks!!

Squidward can't make Krabby Patties

So I'm sitting on the couch folding laundry while my children are watching Spongebob (I know, not exactly educational programming, but hey, it makes me laugh). It was the episode where Spongebob and Squidward are competing for employee of the month. Towards the end of the episode as the two are doing crazier and crazier things to try to get Mr. Krabs attention, Squidward starts frying up Krabby Patties. My eight year old daughter, who is sitting next to me mutters under her breath, "I thought Squidward couldn't make Krabby Patties."

There are two lessons I learned from her indignation. One, my kids watch way too much Spongebob. And, two, your characters have to stay true to themselves no matter what situation you put them in. If you've already established that your character cannot do something, you can't have them doing it in another chapter/scene/book just to prove a point. Especially if you write for children or middle grade. Kids are smart and not as willing to overlook character breaches as adults are. So learn a lesson from Squidward and make sure your characters stay in character.

New Guest Blogger -- Crystal

I'm Crystal Collier--LDS mommy to 3, homeschooling while living in Utah, NYC, upstate NY, and now happy Orlando. (Ironically, no, we are not military--just insane.) I've been published in a couple literary magazines (small enough they're really not worth mentioning) for art, poetry & short stories, won awards in two film festivals, written & arranged for choirs/soloist/ensembles, am pushing a musical to Broadway, and currently publishing one of my novels online. (For free. Got sick of sitting on it.) I feel as compelled to write/create as I do to breath. Always have, always will. Three years back I found myself one literary agent richer, and several heartrending experiences shy. For better or worse I have a few things to share, mostly about the dream, about reaching no matter what, about developing ones' voice, and about unconventional means. The Lord works in mysterious ways.I've attached an older picture, one I endearingly call "Crossroads." Occasionally we face that fork in the road. Writing has always been mine.

Crystal
Eat more CHEESE!!

Books, music and more: http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com

Sometimes it's rough

I told my husband once, "If I could choose, literally, ANY job in the world to do. It would be writing." This is my dream gig. It hasn't always been. There were times when I could never have imagined myself writing. Once I gave in to the urge and started though, I can't ever imagine my life without it.

Even with this passion for the job, there are times when it's rough. Times when I want to do anything but write or edit. One truth I've discovered: if I sit down anyway and make myself write/edit something--anything, I never regret it. If I give in and miss a few days on my WIP, I almost always regret it.

When do you struggle with finding the motivation to continue? Is it the rejection? Is it working through edit after edit? More importantly, how do you overcome it? What is the fastest way to rejuvenate your motivation?

A few quotes for those who are struggling today.

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Fall seven times--stand up eight." Japanese Proverb

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines." Robert Schuller

Determination

I vividly remember the '84 Olympics. It was the year that it was held in L.A. My mother took us down to the beach and we watched as the torch passed from one runner to another along the sandy street. Later that year she took us to see the huge arena that was built for the events. It was truly beautiful an amazing to see and know that it all took place not more then 20 minutes from my home.

Recently I read an amazing story that took place for that very Olympics. It was the year of Joan Benoit's victory in the first Woman's Olympic Marathon but that is not the amazing part. It was her amazing recovery and win of the first U.S. women's Olympic Marathon Trials.

Just 17 days before, she agreed to have arthroscopic knee surgery because of agonizing pain from a locked up knee. When she came out of surgery she began to train for the nearly impossible task ahead, qualifying for the Olympic Trials (remember it's in less than 2 and a half weeks). She spent hours of physical therapy, iced knee and pedaling on her back from a bicycle suspended from the ceiling. This again was not the hardest or the most amazing part. She had to over come one of the hardest obstacles in her way, doubt! She had to erase all doubt, otherwise she was sure to fail. As you can see she won the trials, her first hurdle to her dreams of Olympic glory.

Now it's your turn to conquer DOUBT, the first step towards your Publishing Dream. Remember Joan Benoit through your agent and publishing "Trials" and get on that writing "bike" whether upside down or not and erase all doubt. Your Publishing Dreams are waiting to be won!

When We're All Rich and Famous

Last Sunday I joined my extended family at a reunion. There were the usual things to eat and plenty of little kids running around getting underfoot, but the thing that struck me as the funniest, is when my father announced that his daughter (me) was working on her first novel and was bound to be rich and famous soon. Everyone clapped (extremely embarrassing) and gave their well wishes, but there were others that wanted details. They were asking how much an author makes, what six figure number I was sure to get for it and how long before it would be a movie.

"HA!" was all I could say to all the enquiries. I'm sure I left many unanswered questions and maybe a few thinking it had already gone to my head because I was rudely ignoring them, but JEEESH! How do you answer questions like that? I mean, even if I did land a huge contract and was going to make mega bucks, do you think I would be spreading it around? NOT!!

So, for all of those who think I have a list of things I want to buy and places I want to go when I'm "Rich and Famous," here it is. I've limited it to ten, but please feel free to add yours to my list. I must warn you, however, this took me several minutes of actual thinking to come up with this many. LOL






1) A modest home.











2) Lose a few pounds











3) A tiny cabin tucked into the mountains.









4) A little space for my husband to tinker on his toys.








5) A few toys









6) Something cute to get around town in.









7) A tent to go camping.








8) Fishing equipment







9) Take in a show











10) Own a small piece of property to vacation on.






Also. Please feel free to tell us about your run-ins with people and their misconceptions of what a writer is really all about. I'd love to read them.

My Head is Full of Rocks!!!

You're probably thinking of something your mom used to say about being dumb as rocks. (Oh, you weren't, I wasn't either.) Anyways, that's not what I mean. Another thing I learned from reading my favorite writing book (at this point I probably don't have to name it, "Becoming a Writer" by Dorothea Brande; oops did I say it again??!) is that when you get a story idea you don't have to write it down right away. Let it bounce around in your head for a few days. It's amazing what happens. I was surprised when I first read this advice because I thought we were supposed to go write to a piece of paper and have one available at any given moment in case the muse should strike. But I've come up with my own analogy for what happens when we let the ideas stay in our head for a little while longer. Think about finding a really pretty rock. The rock is pretty already or you wouldn't have picked it up. You can have it fitted in a necklace as is and you would be happy, but you know that if you put it in a rock tumbler it would be soooo beautiful. So despite your impatience to show the rock off now, you start the process of letting the rock tumble. You add the chemicals and you start it turning. You don't think of it much for the next three days except to make sure that it is still turning, but you don't have to do anything else, you don't want to interrupt the process. At the end of the three days you take them out and rinse them off and see how much more beautiful they are, but they're not done yet. It's time to add the polishing. Now how does this relate you might ask, (or maybe not, it's probably quite obvious, but indulge me.) The rocks are our ideas for stories. Sometimes in our haste to get the story down we skip the all important step of tumbling and try to go straight to the polishing. When we first get an idea we let it run in our heads try to see where it is going, follow it and see where it takes, but then we usually start writing after that. But I have found that if I don't write it down and just check on the idea periodically over a set number of days, the idea becomes more well rounded. For some reason once I write the idea down it never morphs as much as it does if I let it tumble for awhile. Then after it's tumbled we take the idea out and write it down, then you will find the polishing stage (ie: editing) is a little easier. At least that's the way it works for me. The cool thing about writing is that we get to find our own process and then share it with others and they can use what works for them and discard what doesn't. So what is part of your process, or are you still trying to find what works for you?

Guest Blogger -- Shanti Krishnamurty

I've never guest blogged before. I'm not a blogophile. So why am I doing this? Because Nikki asked me to. How do I know her? I met her through Jenni (who I also have yet to meet in 'real life').
I've been plugging steadily away at my third revision of my second ms (my first one is collecting dust at the moment) and that naturally led me to thinking about query letters and the oh so dreaded synopsis. Synopsis, singular. So does that mean the plural would be synopsii? Like octopus and octopii? Platypus and platypii? But I digress...I've already written the synopsis -- but wow, it wasn't easy. And the query letter hasn't even been a blip on the map. So what did I do? Naturally, I googled! And I found two absolutely *awesome* sites. With real query letters from authors who 'snagged' the agent. And synposis' that did the same. Holy cow! Soo much better than reading 'this is how you should write, blah, blah, blah.' I much prefer tried and true methods to some Joe X telling me the formula in a dry, step by step way.
Here is the query letter site I found
http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html
and, by the same person, the synopsii site
http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html
Now, to finish this revision, so I can take advantage of what I've found :)


~Shanti
http://www.sgkrishnamurty.blogspot.com

Retreats Rock, k?

I was lucky enough to attend a retreat this weekend and it was exactly what I needed. I had a blast, learned a lot, and am now super motivated to work on writing and editing. (Not a small feat since everything went crazy in my life and I haven't written or edited anything in over a month)

I was so impressed by how fun and kind everyone was and by how different we all are. I think everyone had at least one thing they were really good at--this is where I want to focus my post today.

As writers, we are forced to find our faults. We have to find the things we don't do well and work on them or we will never improve. Today I want to challenge you to find your strengths. What makes you fabulous?

For me, I am very good at writing queries and I have recently gotten very strong with opening chapters. How about you?

Welcome to Forks!!!

I'm working on a new line of fabric designs to submit proposals/portfolios of my designs to fabric companies while I am still waiting to hear from publishers on my Craft/How to Books. While on my U.S.A circumnavigation of the Pacific Coast to the Rockies tour (this was my adventurous husband's idea of a vacation-7 people strapped into a mostly un-air conditioned car for 2 weeks straight, but I have to say that he was right..it was pretty awesome), I was inspired by all of the scenery around me and started filling a sketch book full of designs. My 12 year old daughter during this car ride was inspired to write more of her book (she's getting better with each revision).

When you are out and about on vacation or at home, and even work try soaking in your surroundings; drawing on people, places and experiences for your book. You can even be like Stephanie Meyers and never leave your abode and research the Internet for the location in your book. What ever you choose, just explore! The world is truly beautiful and from what I have learned in my 2 weeks of exploration is that the place where you stand is "God's Country". From the tiniest dessert, remote location, or snowy glacier mountain top. It's beautiful! Explore it! There's a story to be told in any form!!!

I thought this sign from a Forks gift shop was pretty funny :)