So, one of the funny things about having a blog and newsletter is being able to go back and see how I did. For the record, these were my goals for 2014: Maintain balance. Some writing. Some fun. Some teaching. Some learning. Some salad. Some chocolate. Get that new idea on the page. I have two discovery…
Eat more chocolate.
Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. -Goran Perrson Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. -Abraham Lincoln Happy Happy!!!!! It’s that time of year! This week, many of…
100 page party soup
Every time I get to page 100 of a draft, I make this soup. Since I’m getting close to that magical page, let’s start cooking!!! (Also: my recipe cards are filthy, and I love this recipe so much…I need to preserve it.) Seasoning Mix: 1.5 tsp salt 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp…
Happy Writing!
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. -Franklin D. Roosevelt Good morning, Writers! Today, one hour after today’s Monday Motivation came out, I received 25 comments. Apparently, I hit a nerve. Here’s the post: This week, having sent a new manuscript to my agent, I had ONE GOAL. I wanted…
Talking to Real Moms about Banned Books
Today, I had a great experience chatting with a group of moms, concerned about what their kids are reading . . . and what banned books week is really about. It was a fascinating conversation and the questions they asked may aggravate you . . . but all these women had GREAT intentions for their young…
Greetings from the Highlights Whole Novel Workshop!!!
Today, in beautiful Honesdale, I met with my students one on one and discussed their wonderful, inspiring novels. Right now, I feel so lucky! I am surrounded by smart writers, eating amazing food, and working in a community that is vested in each writer’s success. Tomorrow, I give my lecture. Can ANYONE sleep before lecture…
Time to Listen
I posted this on July 3 on Through The Tollbooth. Here it is again (typos and redundancies included!!) Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Independence Day. Like a lot of you, I will go to parties and watch fireworks. Wave the flag. Chill out. Yesterday, I went to a memorial for the three teenagers killed…
I am in the listening phase
My WIP is out on sub, so that means, I have some time to start thinking about what I want to write about next. One story has been knocking on my door, and now, every day, if I walk around and think (without my phone), I notice things. Inspiration. Clues. Ideas. Themes. It is a…
#WeNeedDiverseBooks . . .and now what?
Good morning, Writers! This weekend, if you were on Twitter, you might have seen a lot of tweets under the hashtag: #WeNeedDiverseBooks. It was a very empowering and exciting weekend. I love when people stand up for something important! It is a cause that goes straight to the heart of WHY we write books. Diverse characters…
One change leads to another
I have been working on a revision that, in part, requires me to go from first person present to past. You would think this MIGHT be a very easy exercise, but of course, like all changes, it is not. This morning, after deleting a huge chunk of the text, I thought about exactly what…