Muggin' It

Sometimes the best pieces of advice are the ones that stare you right in your face. Or in this case, every morning when I take a sip of coffee. 

I've had the pleasure of working with independent editor Lorin Oberweger and attending several of her Free Expressions conferences including The Breakout Novel with Donald Maass. For fun, she created a few t-shirts that including key phrases from some of the workshops. They caught on, and the rest is history. 

I love my mugs because after writing a scene or a chapter or whatever it is that I'm writing, I can look back and check off:

1) Was there "Tension on Every Page?"

2) Did I try to "Make it Worse?" 

3) Am I continuing to "Raise the Stakes?" 

If I haven't, well, first, I grab another cup of coffee, then I dig in again. 

You can check out Lorin's fun and informative merch here. 

Nano 33.3333, Forward! and Retreats.

We're about a third of the way into Nanowrimo and wherever you are in the process, give yourself a pat on the back. Whether you're ahead of the curve, racing to catch up or extending your plan into December, the fact that you've put words to page is a great start. 

I've spent a lot of time these past few weeks writing away at my local Starbucks and it's been productive but the start of November also means the start of Christmas season and there's only so much seasonal music I can take. 

As important as it is to find time to write by yourself, sometimes it's great to be with like minds and in a setting totally different from the norm. 

Enter the writing retreat. 

It's a great opportunity not only to write but to meet new people or spend time with old friends. The bonus is breaks usually include scenic tours, great stories and a glass or two of wine. 

Not all of us can afford to take a week off to the mountains of Colorado or the vineyards of Tuscany but have no fear, there are mini-retreats usually right at home. 

Here are a few to give your search a boost. 

Gifts of the Night Writing Retreat - November 15 in San Diego with Judy Reeves

The Art and Craft of Children's Book Writing - July 2016 in Martha's Vineyard with renown editor Emma Dryden

Breakout Novel - April 2016 in Hood River, Oregon with Donald Maass

Looking for something in screenwriting? Try:

Nosara Screenwriting Retreat - May 2016 in Costa Rica with Bill Boyle

Check out your local writing groups for news on what's in your neck of the woods. 

Happy Nano-ing!

Kicking Writer Butt

First off, congratulations to blog-mate Lauren Monahan and her gorgeous weekend wedding.  I'm hoping that she will blog about it soon but if ever there was a wedding full of beautiful literature and for the lovers of books, this was the one! Wishing her and her wonderful husband Dale an amazing start to a new life together!

Now back to the touch stuff.  I've been back at this writing thing for a few months now and yeah, it's just like I remembered it...hard as #$%#!.  But now that I've started, I'm determined to see this through to the finish line.  Being a part of San Diego Writers Ink has been invaluable and taking Tammy Greenwood's course has been a great re-jump starter.  But the last session was at the beginning of June and the next one doesn't start until the end of July.  So what's a girl to do in the meantime?

Luckily, I'm part of an online group who've attended the Donald Maas Breakout Novel workshop run by Free Expressions' Lorin Oberweger.  We're embarking on a July NanoWriMo or what I like to call July-o-ramo-wrimo, and the peer pressure and goal setting has been just what I need to keep pushing the writing along during this hump time.  Keeping it simple is the only way I'll make it through, so here's a few tips that I've found incredibly helpful to keep the ball (or pen, or keyboard) going.

1) Set Goals and Consequences

Lorin, who is leading our July-o-rama-wrimo had us all input our goals for July and also our consequences for not attaining those goals into a group excel spreadsheet.  I've tried to keep the word count realistic at 20,000 words and also will be reaching out to at least tow subject matter experts as part of my research.  When two weeks sans Facebook and wine are on the line, you bet I'm working my ass off to make that happen. 

2) Setting Daily Word Count Targets

I never thought that this would be such an effective motivator.  But when you see those little words add up while you're typing, it really helps to push things forward.  I use Scrivener and love keeping the tracker on the side.  It allows me to see how much of my daily goal I've attained as well as how close I am to my monthly goal of 20,000 words.

3) Hanging Out With Like Minds

I'm thankful to have July-o-rama-wrimo compatriots who share their daily wins and struggles honestly and without ego online.  It's helped me to say "I can do it to!"

4) Write, Write, Write!

It doesn't have to be perfect.  You don't need to be in front of your laptop with a coffee in hand and scrivener all set up.  It can be a few lines in your notebook ap while out and about or on your iPad at night, with your baby sleeping beside you.  Once the ball's rolling, the most important is just to make sure it doesn't stop. 

Are you in the process of working on a draft?  How do you continue to motivate yourself? 

Digging Deep...Real Deep

It's been almost a month since I attended Donald Maass's Break Out Novel Workshop and I'm still reeling over all the things I learned (and I suspect I'll be reeling for quite some time). If you're looking for a workshop that will blow your socks off and challenge you to achieve your best, this is it.  

While I learned numerous tools and tips of the trade, I think by far the most important, and at the same time, most difficult is to make my work personal.  What does that mean?  Everyone can write a story, something with a plot and developed characters.  What makes a good story, a great story is not just the twists and turns or hitting the mark in the genre of the second.  It's what the story reveals about the author.  

There's the hero's journey, and then there's your journey, and a truly great book must have both. How does the story you're writing reflect what you believe, your experiences and what you want to say?  Why are you writing your manuscript in the first place?

Now I know what you're thinking.  "I'm writing a story about a fantastic new world in 2075, how the heck is that about me?" Now my story wasn't about a futuristic universe, but the way I stared blankly at Mr. Maass during our one-on-one pretty much said the same thing. 

This is where the fun part begins.  Is your protagonist a girl, a boy, an alien?  What type of family do they have.  What do they want?  Now think of your family.  Who are they, what are they like?  How do they make you feel?  What do you want?  Now is there an experience with your family that brings up strong emotions?  Can you look at your manuscript and see a point in time where your protagonist might feel the same way?  Now write those pages with your feelings.  It's not a simple activity and you may even fight against the process, but hey, no one said writing was easy, right?  If you keep at it, you'll discover things about your character that you never knew, and perhaps a few things about yourself along the way (it's way cheaper than therapy!). 

There are a lot of exercises that you can do to bring "u" out in your manuscript.  For more amazing tidbits and great writing advice, check out Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook and Writing 21st Century Fiction. I promise, you won't regret it!

A Bit of This and A Splash of That

One Time At Band Camp....

I've always wanted to go to camp and it looks like I'll finally get the chance!  While I won't be building teepees or fighting off mosquitos, I will be joining a multitude of other writers who are taking part in Camp Nanowrimo.  Thirty one glorious days of writing in the month of July.  

Okay, so there's actually no physical camp but there is an awesome online community.  Check it out and set your goal of finishing a first draft of your novel by the end of the month.

*beat* Yep, I know what you're thinking.  Really, Jenn?  You?  I admit, that might be a bit of a stretch...so maybe at least a solid quarter draft right?...in time to submit my required homework for Writing The Breakout Novel.  

Sometimes instead of a Camp Councillor, you need a Drill Sergeant...

Which is what I know Donald Maass's weeklong intensive Writing The Breakout Novel will be.  Organized by Free Expressions, BONI (as it's also known as) is a no holds bar workshop where Maass tells you as it is.  While not specific to YA and Children's writers, it provides participants the opportunity to delve deep into their writing and search for the answers to those really hard questions in our stories that we all tend to dance around. 

Speaking of Free Expressions...

I can say from experience that Free Expression's Your Best Book for Writers of Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction is one of the best workshops for published and yet to be published writers.  Program director Lorin Oberwger is one of the most thoughtful and impressive independent editors out there and she creates a program that is insightful and entertaining. 

Go Martina!

Screw it! I want some warm and fuzzy....

Congratulations to my fellow Your Best Book alumni Martina Boone who's Southern Gothic Trilogy was just picked up by Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse! YBB 2012 is on fire!