Tag Archives: support

Inspiration for Writers

I just finished an amazing course in picture book writing from the Picture Book Academy. It was both informative and inspirational.

Every artist and writer needs an inspiration boost sometimes. Here’s a list of resources to keep handy. I’ve used most of them at one time or another and am looking forward to checking out others I haven’t tried.

If your favorite book, podcast, or video isn’t listed, please share it in the comments!

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Prepare Now for Submit-O-Rama in October

I just found out about this today. It’s another monthly challenge. This one is held in October, just before NaNoWriMo. The assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to submit as many things as many places as possible in one month. Read all about it by clicking the link below. Start collecting resources, reading interviews, and saving submission sites now for maximum effectiveness.

our lost jungle: :Submit-O-Rama:.

The 2013 Chapter Book Challenge is in March

If you are working on a novel for children as I am, NaNo WriMo might not exactly fit your needs. This one is especially timely for me. I will be coming off a month of writing a picture book draft a day in February. (Okay, well, one a day sometimes and five in a day to catch up. Did I say they were good? Um, no, at least not at this point.)

March will be different. I want to finish a novel I have been working on for years and this challenge is perfect. Finishing it should just take a couple of weeks. I am very close. That will give me some time for edits I have marked. I know I shouldn’t do this, but I have been editing as I go, so when I finish at the end of March , I hope it will be ready to go. I plan to refine my pitch at an SCBWI regional mini-workshop. I am saying this now to commit myself to it.

If you want to finish or draft a book, click below. What do you have to lose? I have met some amazing people through these challenges.

Chapter Book Challenge: Line-up of authors, agents and publishers guest posting for 2013’s ChaBooCha.

An Ongoing Word Count Challenge Group for NaNoWriMo Dropouts Like Me

I never seem to win the NaNoWriMo challenge, but I really enjoy the support and motivation. There are other challenge sites and support groups for novelists online. Here is one I found today.

Inkygirl Wordcount Challenge (1000, 500, 250 wds) – Inkygirl.com.

Just Say Okay

Here’s a blog that will keep you up on the latest news in creativity. Today’s post discusses the importance of commitment.  Too often, we put everything else first.

Annual November creativity challenges such as Picture Book Idea Month give us permission to put our creative lives front and center. The resulting excitement inevitably spills out into the rest of the year.

How to Commit to Your Creativity | The Creativity Post.

A Community and Blog Especially for Poets

If you are a poet, you really should know about Robert Lee Brewer’s blog on the Writer’s Digest site. He offers ideas, challenges, prompts, and more all year long. The link below will take you there.

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 197 | WritersDigest.com.

Especially for Writers of Middle Grade Fiction

I am working on a middle grade novel.  If you don’t write books for children, you might think that means a novel that isn’t as good as a top-grade novel. Actually, it means a book for young people in grades 4-6. The protagonist is usually 12, since eight-year-olds love reading about older kids, but few older children like to read about children who are younger.

It is an honor to write for kids this age. They have more time to read than they will at any other time in their lives. They also fall in love with characters and want to follow them through all of their adventures. The first Harry Potter book was a middle grade novel. So was Charlotte’s Web. Books for kids this age often concern one of the things I find most wonderful in life–friendship. They are also about justice.

The link below leads to a great blog just for writers of middle grade fiction.

Ten Things Writers Can Learn from a Quick Trip on the Titanic | From the Mixed-Up Files….