Girl Power Hour

 

Join us for Girl Power Hour on October 11, 2025. It sounds like a terrific day with amazing open submission opportunities. Use the FRIEND10 code at check out for a discount if you register by the end of August.

Learn more at Girl Power Hour. 

Hope to see you there!

Patiently Waiting...

 

The #50PreciousWords Contest was created in 2012 by the amazing Vivian Kirkfield. You can read more about her dream at Vivian Kirkfield-Writer for Children.

I submitted an exactly 50-word story the beginning of March for the 2024 contest. There were so many wonderful stories. Crossing fingers and waiting with bated breath!

Here We Go...

 

'Tis the season to kick off StoryStorm 2023. 30 ideas in 31 days. It is such an awesome way to kick off the new year and renew one's motivation and writer's focus. Thank you, Tara Lazar, for this month of inspiration.

To learn more, visit Tara's blog at https://taralazar.com/.

The Germination of an Idea

Starts. It seems this is the name of the game these days. I come up with an idea I feel has merit. Start the manuscript, sprinkle in a few other ideas, see which way it may go, and then let the dust collect on it. I've started so many stories over the last few months, but only one has come to fruition as a complete PB. I am quite excited about this story and have high hopes, but I am stuck trying to figure out how to be better at developing the seed of my other ideas into a complete story.

September brings a new month, a new start, and I am re-energized to be productive and develop the fresh ideas as they come. An upcoming SCBWI conference should help fuel the fire as well.

I would love to hear your strategies for productivity and what helps you see an idea through to completion should you be inclined to share.

Enjoy the long holiday weekend and happy writing!

Be a Wordsmith

 

Some very dear friends gave me this sign as a gift this past Christmas. I thought many of you would enjoy it and relate. Truer words have never been written, for an author anyway. 

The idea that the act of writing is to "share part of your soul with the world" really resonated with me. This is, ultimately, what we all try to do as writers. This is the heart of any story. Our hearts speaking to our readers' hearts and inciting some type of response. But, it is so scary! There is so much emotion wrapped up in this thought. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not being good enough. Fear a reader may hate what you write and say so publicly.  Writing is scary. Or, rather, putting yourself "out there" as a published author is scary. But I liked what this sign said about comparing yourself only to the writer you were yesterday. Be you, whomever that may be. I am working hard on this and seem to be in a bit of a dry spell, but I will press on. Butt in chair as, "first drafts don't have to be perfect, they just have to be written."

I would love to hear what drives your need to write and how you conquer the scary moments and create magic with your words.

Mission Complete

 

30 ideas in 30 days...check! Thank you, Tara Lazar, for the month of inspiration and growth. I am looking forward to exploring my ideas and seeing where they lead.

Organizing Time and Space

 

Hello! I want to apologize in advance for my sporadic posting, past and future. The school (and, therefore, work for me) year has just ended which typically means more writing time and focus for me. This year has had several happenings, both personally and professionally, that have taken my time, and I know I am not alone in this. As we move into the summer months, I am also moving, literally. We are building a new home (same city) and downsizing a bit which means major organizing and decluttering on my part (some might say I am a bit of a pack rat!). This move brings much excitement as well as sadness as this has been the home we have raised our kids and spent the last 20 years. I tend toward the nostalgic side these days with my youngest now technically a senior in high school (which means I am knocking on the empty nest door) when the new year dawns, so I am riding a fine emotional line these days. That being said, I LOVE the new home we are building and know we will make new memories and enjoy our family time in a new place. 

The point of my post is to say, I'm sorry if I am a bit hit and miss on my posting through these summer months. I will be checking in but have a lot of decluttering, organizing and cleaning out to do in preparation for a late summer (hopefully!) move, so my spare time will be focused on writing and editing current WIPs rather than posting. I also have to re-build my website by August which will take quite a bit of time given I am highly technologically inept.

Happy summer, enjoy these longer days and fill them with much love and productivity. I will be in touch off and on!

Words

Continuing on with the idea of words and the importance they can carry in this world, I read a chapter today and the words were profound. 

I loved Elizabeth Gilbert's EAT, PRAY, LOVE and purchased BIG MAGIC based on all the positive comments I read about it, particularly from a writer perspective. It has been some time since I started it, and I haven't gotten very far. I picked it up today to read a bit as I seem to be struggling on the creativity front as of late. 

 

I am participating in Tara Lazar's StoryStorm this January (30 ideas in 30 days) and have been rock solid at coming up with daily ideas and/or titles but have struggled to really put pen to paper and create anything that would constitute a new rough, even shiXXy, draft. So, in my effort to incite some level of creativity and something new to think and write about, I picked up a few different books to read a some chapters. One in BIG MAGIC spoke to me.

The section was titled Creative Living, Defined. The title alone drew me as, clearly, I am in need of some creative living. It discussed having the "courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you," (hmmm...that is HARD. How does one REALLY get courageous enough to do so?). I am working on it, but it is often easier to stay the course on the safe path and not really push myself for more.

Gilbert says, "The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels--that's creative living." Gilbert also suggests, "The often surprising results of that hunt--that's what I call Big Magic." 

Wow!! I am now even more excited to read this book and see what treasures it brings. I am also newly focused on digging deep and exploring the treasures within to see where they lead.

I would love to hear how you uncover your special jewels and translate them into your writing should you be willing to share.

Story Ideas to Kick Off the New Year

 

As a new year dawns, so does a new month of StoryStorm. Thank you, Tara Lazar!

StoryStorm is a month long challenge to create 30 story ideas in 30 days supplemented by blog posts by authors, illustrators, editors and publishing professionals for inspiration. It is a great way to kick off the new year and get your creativity flowing. Registration is free and open through the first week of January.

For more info, see Tara's blog at https://taralazar.com/storystorm/.

Happy writing!

Reading for Research Month 2020

It is go time!  Today begins the start of another Reading for Research Month (ReFoReMo). ReFoReMo is the brain child of Carrie Charley Brown and focuses on the many ways reading mentor texts can inform one's writing. It has been wonderfully enlightening and inspiring each time I have participated. Consider joining the fun!

To learn more, visit http://www.reforemo.com/.

Mission Accomplished

Another great StoryStorm finished.  31 picture book ideas in 31 days. Thank you, Tara Lazar, for the wonderful month of inspiration!

StoryStorm Complete

Mission accomplished!  30 ideas in 30 days in the month of January...some of which I am very excited to pursue.  Thank you, Tara Lazar, for the month of focus and inspiration.

Fractured

My fractured brain leads to fractured thoughts which results in fractured stories with fractured lines all strung together.  So how best to weave the lines into stories and determine which have the most merit and which darlings need to be killed? And when to pursue those ideas which are out of my typical genre?

These are the questions with which I am wrestling right now. I've had quite a few ideas though not all have been developed into a rough draft. And those that have do not all seem worth additional time at this point though often keep pulling me back for some reason. I also have a poster board of notes for a novel that has continued to draw me back intermittently and seems to be hollering at me now to dive in deeper. In order to do so, I need to figure out Scrivner as I haven't had much luck with that but think it will help me organize immensely going forward.

Either way, my thoughts seem to branch in a million directions as of late, and I'm not sure which path is best to follow at any given time.  I try to keep at least one PB WIP in the editing process (though right now there are three I am actively TRYING to finish editing) as well as develop one new rough draft a month per my 12 x 12 membership. Some months I've been successful at writing a new draft and others, not so much; however, therein lies additional fractures as I seem to be spreading myself too thin in many areas to the point I am not making much headway on some of the necessary things like reading, marketing and balancing all with home and work. I believe this is why I sometimes get drawn back to the novel and think it is time to focus on that one thing for a time. Even though my brain "fractures" are a result of good things and increased overall writing, it can sometimes hinder my progress when I get overwhelmed and don't know which to tackle first.

So, how do you figure out which ideas have merit? Which are reaching the time to let go or put on the back burner? And when it is okay to totally change stride and tackle something completely new and out of your comfort zone?

I would love to hear your advice and tips on what works for you to stay more focused and less fractured in order to be your most productive self.

Stuck

Have you ever felt like the social media part of your writing life is similar to your household when one thing goes wrong and spirals into numerous issues? Broken door knob, crooked cupboard door, leaky faucet, broken pool cover, a toilet running whenever it so chooses, etc.

Similarly, in the writing side of life, email trouble, social media icons showing up as ? symbols, updates needed on blogs and websites, outdated copyright year dates, computer issues, etc.

Sometimes the overwhelming feeling of both leaves me feeling stuck. Stuck doing household duties when I'd rather spend time with family or reading. Stuck doing marketing updates and items when I'd rather be writing something new or editing a current WIP.

Hence, I just ordered a book I recently saw suggested--SIMPLE ACTS OF MOVING FORWARD: 60 SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING UNSTUCK by Vinita Hampton Wright.

You can find it here https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Acts-Moving-Forward

It just arrived, and I can't wait to start reading and learning.  Stay tuned...

Live Your Dream

Do you ever feel like you wake each day with the intention of accomplishing a certain task or set of tasks, write a given number of words/pages or read a certain book only to go to bed with all or most yet undone? Lately, it seems my days are cycles of me setting goals and then moving them to the next day yet unfinished. Granted, we are in the throes of summer life and basketball chaos, and I have managed to do what I can when out and about. I'm just not grabbing the bigger blocks of time necessary to really dig into the edits and bigger tasks in my pile which has been frustrating (frustrated mama makes for crabby mama according to my kids!).

Today I came across the above, and it really spoke to me. It's like the old adage...if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. My parents used to say this all the time when I was younger, and it certainly applies to writing as well as anything in life.

So, my new goal is going to be to recognize the frustration when fewer tasks are completed but take a deep breath and use it to try again the next day. Rather than getting caught up in the "not done" things in my day, I'm going to focus on the reasons I didn't accomplish them (all good fun, kid-related and family things) and take from those experiences what I can to generate new stories. That is the one positive...I'm finding a ton of new story ideas in my day-to-day activities, so perhaps that is just my stage right now. And I'm too darn tired to get up any earlier or stay up any later, so my idea notebook will be bulging and I will tackle the rest...another day. Because, after all, there is no expiration date on writing.

Challenge Yourself

A recent Writer Unboxed: Finding Your Way Back to Writing post spoke about challenges and choices. I am not sure of the specific author so cannot give due credit; however, the post read as follows:

"When it comes to challenges, you have a choice. You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. Being part of the problem means repeating excuses over and over and not doing anything about it. Being part of the solution, on the other hand, means searching for answers and taking action."

I initially copied the post to share with a family member struggling with a big challenge right now. This morning, however, it really hit home on the writing front as I re-read it.

It always goes back to time management for me and the ever necessary balance of writing, work and family obligations.  Surprisingly, I started the year doing well on my goal of one new rough draft a month and not skipping critique submission dates; however, as the weather has improved, I have found my creative self and mind going in several directions.  My challenge right now is to bring focus to the tasks at hand to complete them in an orderly manner rather than the haphazard way I've been doing as of late.  Chaos in my writing environment seems to bring chaos to my mind.  I need organization to function well, and I am far from organized right now between webinars I am midway through watching, two WIPs I am trying to edit and another begging to be roughed out--all good things, mind you; I just need to accept the challenge to bring order to the chaos and find my solution rather than aggravating the problem by adding to the chaos to make the whole more overwhelming, especially as my work year winds down and kids are about to be home for the summer.

I just purchased a large daily agenda pad that looks like a long legal pad to keep myself on track daily and weekly throughout the summer. I will list the most important items to complete per day to keep myself on track and accountable.  We shall see how it goes, but I am hopeful!

Do you work on multiple projects or one thing at a time? If you are interested and willing to share, I'd love to hear your best and most successful organizational tools.

Flex Your Muscle

Thank you, Tara Lazar, for sharing this quote by Jess Keating. I LOVE it!

I think as writers, we have the tendency to sit and wait for that aha moment, the ever-fleeting muse or big idea to strike before sitting down to write in earnest.  At least, I know I often do. I may do writing-related tasks like research or jot down ideas, but I am often slower to just dive in and write initially and wait for that big thunderbolt of an idea to germinate more fully.

This quote really spoke to me as I love the idea of inspiration being a muscle...and one I must flex and work often, even when not feeling like it or when motivation is slow to strike. I frequently don't feel like lacing up my shoes and hopping on the treadmill, but I do.  Because it is good for me and my mental and physical health and well-being.  So why should writing inspiration be any different? It is definitely good for me mentally to write...physically may be another story with all the butt in chair and chocolate required:)

I aim to be better about flexing my inspiration muscle throughout this new year...consistently and often and not just sit back and wait for my muse to strike.  I will search her out and conquer! I hope you do the same. If inclined, please do share how you go about flexing your inspiration muscle.

Storystorm Start

And so it begins...

Happy creating for all those participating in Storystorm this year. I am excited to explore this month of ideas. How many of you will be story storming as well?

Happy New Year

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, safe and peaceful 2018.  May your writing successes be abundant. Make it your best year yet!

Opportunity for Writers in the Area

We have a wonderful SCBWI Dakotas writing opportunity in September.  Consider joining us if able. It sounds amazing! Thank you to Kendra Levin for providing this terrific conference and to Betty Raum, our fearless leader, for organizing it.

Click here for more information...https://dakotas.scbwi.org/events/dakotas-2017-writing-workshop/

Hope to see you there!