This month, I am writing fast! I have to write fast! Because I am on a deadline! I have never written fast before, so I made up some rules: 1. NO INTERNET until after 4 pages written. 1a: But first, I made a PLAN. I wrote an outline and a couple of storyboards. So I…
Revision
From the newsletter: Killing the darlings!
“In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” -William Faulkner Dear Writers, Kill the Darlings. It’s one of the first and most important things we learn to do as writers. We all know it is essential. And sometimes, not as simple as it sounds. Killing your darlings means: Getting rid of individual lines that attract…
Think BIG!
I got such nice responses from today’s newsletter, I’m posting it here! Thank you!!!! Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius. -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Dear Writers, This weekend, Sara Pennypacker talked about her new novel, Pax,…
From the newsletter: Bringing the force to your writing
“Fear is the path to the dark side.” -Yoda “Don’t call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease.” -C3PO Dear Writers, I saw the new Star Wars movie this week. And I LOVED it. And you will, too, because it is a GREAT STORY. With GREAT CHARACTERS. They want things that are important. And because of…
Timely and timeless
“I learned a long time ago that life introduces young people to situations they are in no way prepared for, even good girls, lucky girls who want for nothing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you become the girl in the woods. You lose your name because another one is forced on you. You…
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…
On tenacity and gratitude
First, a thank you to the people from Anderson’s Kid Lit Breakfast, for inviting me to be part of this amazing event. Of course, I had heard all about it, and it lived up to my expectations. I met many dedicated, passionate, and funny librarians and teachers, all excited about books and reading and their…
Pen to paper
As much as I love cut and paste, scrivener, and all the other electronic toys in my writer’s toolbox, the part that always reveals that last layer…is when I put pen (or pencil) to paper. That is where I am now. I have a revised draft. I printed it. And now I’m reading…with a…
After vacation…
I start with questions.
Try it!
Are you working on a final draft? If so, let’s be brave. Read your work out loud. Read to a friend or an empty room. Either way, you will hear things that your eyes might have missed!