Are you ready to NaNo?

What’s NaNo?  No, not the next dance craze you’ll see on Dancing with the Stars or the up-and-coming sound you’ll hear on Glee!

 

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writers Month and runs from November 1-30 every year. Thousands share in this crazy experience of writing a complete novel  – start to finish in only 30 days. How? Lots of caffeine, support and of course a good story idea!

 

No, better than that, a solid outline of your plot, developed characters and plenty of  descriptive scenery to beef up your word count.

 

The rules? Pretty simple, really. Sign up on line – it’s free, though they do appreciate donations to keep their massive server running, their volunteers pumped with caffeinated beverages and I’m guessing they have a heck of an electric bill. Browse around the site, get to know others in the chat rooms and forums. Then, TELL EVERYONE you know that you will be writing a novel in November. Will it become published? Maybe, someday. But the goal of NaNoWriMo is to say you’re going to do this and follow through. The catch: No revising! That’s right chickadees, no cross-outs, spell check, or rewriting one scene until it melts from your page like butter. If you did this, you would not complete a first draft in only 30 days. December is for Revising!

 

So, are you with me? Find me and “friend me” so we can keep each other motivated and see how our word count grows! My handle is: “mjcwriter”

 

More on NaNo as we get closer to November…

Register Today!

I’m teaching Super Saturday classes again, this fall.  Yep, the good people at Friends of the Gifted and Talented have invited me back to teach my two classes: Young Writers Workshop and Publish Me!

 

Wanna join us?  Check out FroG’s site for full details and to register. But hurry – space is limited and my classes fill up quickly.

5 Prompt Friday

{photo courtesy of eosfoundation.org}

Five prompts to get your pen movin’ and groovin’:

1. It was the last morning of summer vacation.
2. Write about finding a green post-it with a handwritten message on your car’s windshield.
3. You find a voodoo doll in your best friend’s backpack.
4. After taking a large bite of your favorite pizza you bite down on sharp metallic object.
5. Someone broke into your Facebook page and has been “friending” all of your enemies.

Have fun!  Share what you wrote with us!

5 Prompt Friday

…to get your “writing” on:

1. The day began with a sun shower…
2. There was no way I would reveal Melanie’s secret, at least not this time.
3. Write about an opportunity missed…
4. How was he going to find the letter?
5. Write about the sound of a lawn mower

Be sure to share your story starters and prompts here!

Give yourself credit!

“We’ve all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it’s more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.”

Norman Vincent Peale,  1898-1993, Pastor and Author

So, what are some of your successes? Can you recall the feeling of accomplishment?  Do you remember how you achieved that goal, crossed that finish line or beat the deadline?  Channel that feeling, that focus and WRITE!

Sounds like…

…a writing challenge! (read through and see the rules at the bottom)

Have you ever tried to “write” a sound?

Ya know, like BOOM!      KA-POW!

What about drip -drip-drip      jingle-ling

“Hear” are some sound-words to write with. Think: Where would this sound come from? Why does this sound blast through my story in this scene? Then use one of these or create your own, write a short story scene and post it in the comments to WIN!

• clickety-clack
• pitter patter
• swoosh!
• kerplunk
• brring
• trill
• crash
• swomp
• ping
• ahem!
• psst
• bump
• tap

Add some of your own to the list above, share with us!  And, put these sounds into a scene. The best scene with the most sounds (that make sense) will WIN a list of my most popular prompts – leave your scene in the comments, below. DEADLINE: SUNDAY June 7

Good luck! *wink*

Thumbs-up Thursday!

Last week, I took my 5-year-old to his end of year preschool picnic. His teacher said they had nicknames for the days of the week and Thursday was, you guessed it! “Thumbs-up Thursday”

So, not that you all are preschoolers, cause you’d be exceptional if you could log online and read my blog, but I thought we could give “thumbs up” to our favorite books and writing resources.

Warning: your participation is needed here!

My fav’s? Whew, the list would go on forever, but here are some of my favorite writing books and websites for writers:

Writing books:

Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott: Want to know the true life and struggles of a writer? Ms. Lamott tells it like is, but adds a dose of humor throughout the tips she gives to keep your writing spirits high. (warning: mature language and content)

A Writer’s Book of Days,  Judy Reeves : My copy is dog-eared from so much use. Chock full of writing prompts, tips and quotes from authors who are household names.

A Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published,  Kathy Henderson : I used this book as a resource in my latest class, Publish Me!Filled with writing ideas, how-to’s on searching for markets and formatting your manuscripts, for every writer, for every genre. Tons of books referenced here.

Favorite writing sites/blogs:

This one, of course!

Capitol City Young Writers http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.com/

(Meet authors, editors, literary agents in person! Apply to be an editor or writer for the Young Writers’ Literary Journal; plus mentorship opportunities and Quarterly Newsletter – fee to be a member)

NaNo’s Young Writers Program http://ywp.nanowrimo.org

(tips, tools and chat rooms are a buzzin’ during National Novel Writing month in November, but active throughout the year as well)

 Smart Writers http://www.smartwriters.com/content/blogcategory/87/57/

(lists of contests and tons of links to other young writers’sites)

 WritingKid  http://www.fundsforwriters.com/writingkid.htm 

(Free newsletter for elementary thru college writers with great contests!)

Share your favorites with us!

Do you want to write a Book?

Stop on over at Writers Inspired today and read the advice from author, Danette Haworth (Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightening) and especially what she says to young authors !

And she’s looking forward to talking to you! Be sure to leave a comment or question and Danette will reply to you! (Comments can be posted on Writers Inspired, at the end of the interview.)

Achieve Excellence TODAY!

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”

Thomas J. Watson ~ 1874-1956, Founder of IBM

OK, time for an honesty check. Do you ever turn in or submit lazy work? Meaning, you know you could do better, but it’s too hard or you’re not quite sure what needs to be fixed in your writing. So, you chalk it up to “it’s the best I can do.” But is it?

Writing is a competitive sport. I say “sport,” because like baseball, hockey, soccer, etc., writing takes practice, repetition and training. You’ve heard that some authors are “born writers.” But what you don’t hear is that even the best of our league needs to practice, refine and revise. Even the famous names you see on the NY Times Best Seller’s lists have been rejected at one point in their writing careers. And you will be too. It’s part of the game.

But, if you push yourself, join a writers’ group to get feedback on your work, take writing classes, read books on the craft* and WRITE EVERYDAY you will achieve excellence and that coveted byline (aka publication).

I speak from experience, my young writers. Wanna know how I handle rejection? Read about it here.

What do you do to strive for excellence? Have you experienced rejection in your writing? Share your story with us!

*for a list of excellent writing books, check out the side bar “Writer’s Toolbox” on my Writers Inspired blog!

 

 

“The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking.”

Robert H. Schuller, Minister and Author

Have you ever talked yourself out of a dream?  Here’s the scenario: You get this amazing idea, you map it out carefully, your adrenaline is pumping, excited butterflies twitter in your belly, then you vocalize your idea. Maybe you share it with a friend, parent or teacher. The expression on their face is anything but excitement, in fact maybe it is a frown or (horror!) a smirk.

Other people’s opinions can be overcome. But only if you have full belief in your own dreams. If you have doubt or a negative attitude, well, my friend, your dreams will never become reality.

But, Mary Jo, I’m just trying to be realistic, you say.   It was a pretty cool dream , but it could never happen. I don’t have the time, the money or the resources.

OK, I get that.  And we all fall into a slump of doubt. But the key is to get out of that slump.

What works for me is surrounding myself with people who have joy in their lives. They are happy and positive influences on my own thought process.

You should also find a group of like-minded writers. Find a writers group, organization or class where you can reveal your dreams and listen to the dreams of others. Believe me, nothing gives you a boost like talking about your writing with other writers. Check out Capitol City Young Writers, where you can become part of a community of young writers mentored by professional writers in every industry (songwriting, novelists, memoirists, radio broadcasting, etc.) If you’re local to DuPage County, IL, come to my monthly writers groups (see the events page for details).

And, lastly, adopt the motto: Never Give Up! Sometimes, it helps to plow through the rough patches by just chanting nevergiveup, nevergiveup

For more tips on how writers get over those stubborn bumps on the road to success, check out this article, The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful Authors, by Suzanne Harrison   

Or share your ideas here! What do you dream of accomplishing?  Do you need a helpful dose of positive thinking?