Shared WIP Tag IV: Questions on Writing

Congratulations to my Grand Prize Winner, Charlene Lutes, who won a Hattie doll and an autographed copy of Hattie On Her Way; and to Connie Saunders who won an autographed copy of the book. Thanks to so many of you who entered this giveaway. Make sure you check out Clara's blog for a wonderful writerly giveaway!

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I am embarrassed to admit that I'm almost two months late for the final installment of the Shared WIP tag. Better late than never! (If you're curious, you can find the previous posts here.)

1. What do you do to get yourself in the story?

I usually re-read a few scenes prior to the one I'm working on. Sometimes I complete an exercise from a blog that I'm following or one from Donald Maass's excellent book:

2. Do you do anything extra- art, covers, character journals, glossaries, playlists, etc to help you with your story?

I have several journals (some written in long hand, some in files on my computer). I also use picture from Pinterest a lot, such as this one:

Fredi Washington refused to "pass" for white as Hollywood suggested.
Therefore she was type cast as mixed race and never allowed a flourishing career.
b-1903; d-1994

3. What is your writing process?

Simple answer: Write. Read. Revise. Repeat as often as necessary. 

Expanded answer: I try to write forward as much as possible. That means not going back to tweak previous chapters or scenes, not editing as I go, or not stopping to look up details. I have found that it's a really good idea to let your work rest before tackling revisions --but sometimes I'm too impatient. I am currently reading my manuscript aloud to a neighbor which is extremely helpful. I can't believe how many errors I'm finding!

Extra answer: I am a serious plotter. I need a road map to figure out what I should write next. As a result, I create outlines in Word, move chapters around on One Stop for Writers and Scrivener. Then I feel free to let go and write.

4. Anything you would like to share about yourself or your writing that you would like to share?

Both my protagonist, Kate Dinsmore, and I want the same thing. But you'll have to read the book to find out what that is!

5. What keeps you going when you start to worry you'll never finish?

   a. I love the story and believe the theme will touch readers.

   b. My "Aaron" friends.

6. What inspired you to start writing and how long have you been at it?

When I was in junior high my mother used to tell me that "I had a way with words." Her praise and confidence in my abilities inspired me. The answer to the second part of your question gives away my age! Since I first started sending poems to magazines when I was in high school, I suppose I've been at this for over 50 years. (YIKES!). My first published article was in the mid-1970's. 

7. What author is your writing style similar to?

I honestly don't know! I'm trying to be as scrupulous in my research and as intergenerational as Joyce Hostetter, and as able to employ imagery through similes and metaphors as Linda Phillips. But you'll have to ask them, after Half-Truths is published, if I was successful!

8. What writing goals do you set and how do you reward yourself for meeting them?

My writing goals change depending on what stage I'm in with my book. When I'm crafting new chapters, then 1500 words a day is great. Right now I'm revising and I think more in terms of spending 2-3 hours a day on it.

My reward is anything that tastes like this:

Or, checking my email or peeking at Facebook.

9. What does a regular writing day look like?

I prefer to write in the morning when I'm freshest, but life doesn't always co-operate. I'd like to think I could write, take a lunch break, and then go back to it again--but usually other commitments or lack of brain power keep me from a second writing session.

10. How many writing ideas do you currently have saved on your computer/flash drive?

Not that many. I have ideas for a prequel and some ideas for first readers/picture books. But mostly I'm focusing on Half-Truths. If you asked me how many drafts or lesson plans for teaching writing...now that would be a different story. 

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There you have it. I FINALLY completed this 4-part series. Apparently the ring-leader for this Shared Tag, Julian Daventry, will be egging us on to new blogging heights in February. If she'll have me--dragging my feet as I am--you'll get another round of posts then. Meanwhile, here are the other bloggers who shared this adventure:

Writing Resources Part I- And a Giveaway!

Congratulations to Jan Brent, who won the audio CD of "A Secret Sky."

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If you are a writer you know the Internet houses more writing blogs then you have hours to read. Add to that the number of books about writing and you can be overwhelmed with just learning the craft! To help you out, over the next two weeks I plan to share some of my favorite blogs and books. And since I'm on a decluttering mission, I plan to give away a few craft books of my own.

After schlepping boxes of books from Charlotte to our rental home in
Greenville, I'm determined to divest myself of a
few more book before we move again!

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My top two blogs on writing craft, the publishing world, and the ins and outs of writing life are Janice Hardy's Fiction University and Writer Unboxed.

Janice Hardy appropriately named her blog "Fiction University." She consistently provides thought-provoking content about voice, character development, beginnings, world building-- you name it. I appreciate how each of her blogs links back to previous blogs on similar topics and her a once-a-week feature entitled, "Real Life Diagnostics" where readers submit a writing sample and she provides a critique. I've used her blog on writing scenes  over and over again.

On the other hand, Writer Unboxed is a blog featuring a host of well-known (as well as lesser known) writers with equally amazing articles about craft. Study the posts that pertain to your work; the comments are often just as informative as the articles themselves. I've used Donald Maas's recent article on Stirring Higher Emotions  to dig deeper into Kate and Lillie's negative--as well as positive--emotions. 

Writers Helping Writers is exactly that. Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman are co-authors of several thesauri that need to be on every writers' bookshelf. Another cool feature is that they highlight different occupations and/or talents and delve deeply into each one. A recent post on farmers gave me great insight into Kate's background making me think about aspects of her personality that I'd missed.

My list wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention two of my favorite children's writers blogs.

Kathy Temean is the regional advisor for SCBWI-New Jersey.  Her blog, Writing and Illustrating, offers a wealth of information on writing, illustrating, and publishing work for children and young adults. Every Saturday she invites a different illustrator to demonstrate their work--a frequent source of amazement to me! In addition, she interviews agents and hosts critiques from editors or agents.

Speaking of good blogs for children's' writers, Last summer Kami Kinard and  Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen hosted a month of blogs about character development on their Nerdy Chicks Write site. The daily lessons and worksheets were invaluable and I still go back and use them to probe my characters' psyches. If you subscribe to their blog you will receive information when registration for next summer opens up.

What do all of these blogs have in common? They are all free resources from writers to writers--with the sole purpose of helping you improve your craft. Pretty amazing! 

I want to help you too. So, this week's giveaway is a gently used copy of:

Leave me a comment by January 22 and I'll enter your name to win a book by an award winning author. If you tell me your favorite writing blog, I'll enter your name twice. Make sure you leave me your email address if you're new to this blog!

These are A Few of my Favorite Blogs

With apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein and the strains of "These are a Few of my Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music playing in my head, I thought I'd share some of my favorite writing blogs with you. 

But first, a disclaimer. This list does not include every blog I read. The ones listed here demonstrate excellent writing; they  are consistently great sources of writing instruction and advice; and are ones I point my writing students to.  For the most part, the authors of these blogs don't promote themselves, their books, or their services. They generously provide their expertise to the writing community- both for those who write for children and young adults, and for those who write for adults. 

So, in no particular order and without further fanfare here are my top picks:

Janice Hardy writes fantasy and science fiction for teens, is a former Writer's Digest writing instructor, and offers tremendous writing advice on The Other Side of The Story. My favorite posts are her Real Life Diagnostics;  "a weekly column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues." Readers send in their work with questions and Janice diagnoses them on the blog. Thus it is part critique and part example.  As we all know, one of the best ways of learning to write is figuring out what works, what doesn't, and how to change it. Janice generously offers solution to writer's problems. I am looking forward to finishing this draft of Half-Truths and submitting a snippet myself!


Kathy Temean's blog, Writing and Illustrating, was one of the first blogs I started following dedicated to writing and illustrating for children and young adults. Kathy's posts include interviews with agents, authors, and illustrators; publishing news, industry trends, contests, book reviews, and more. Each Saturday she features a different illustrator who shows the process he/she took to create a picture book. These inevitably knock my socks off. I can't draw a decent stick figure and it is a privilege to view the behind-the-scenes work these illustrators put into each drawing.  By the way, Kathy is an author, award winning artist/illustrator, and the Regional Advisor for the NJ SCBWI. I wonder how she has time to breathe. 

I met Lorin Orberweger last year at the Free Expressions Your Best Book Workshop in Charlotte which she coordinated. She is an author, independent book editor, ghost writer, writing instructor, and one of the most encouraging yet "this-is-what-your-manuscript-needs-nail-it-on-the-head-person" I have met in my writing journey. Her Write Line blog includes book reviews, a First Page feedback column, insightful articles about the writing craft, industry information, as well as writing challenges and prompts. 

Janet Reid, the literary agent better known as the Query Shark, is to queries what Janice Hardy is to book snippets. Janet invites writers to submit their queries which she critiques. Once again, writers can learn from her as to what works and what doesn't. I'm not at the query stage yet, but when I get there, I'll be hunting through her blog to glean from her generous instruction. And after I've spit-polished my query, it'll be in her submission queue. 

Emma Darwin is the novelist and short story writer behind This Itch of Writing. Each of her blogs are like mini-writing courses. They are meaty, thought-provoking, and include much of what novelists need to know. In this particular post, Emma lists 13 posts that will help writers get published. I go back and re-read her posts when I am stumped with such tricky questions like psychic distance-which I didn't even know existed until I read her blog!

Jeannie Campbell's blog, The Character Therapist, brings a unique twist to the writing blogosphere. She is a a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as a freelance writer, author, editor, and book reviewer. Her posts provide writers with psychological insights into characters which they might not have considered. Since writing is all about delving into and showing the complexities of people and relationships, Jeannie's blog is a unique source of information. She recently began a series on character archetypes. Don't miss it. 

So, here's a thankful round of applause to all of these bloggers who generously feed the rest of the writing world. 

Now it's your turn. What is your favorite writing blog?