YOU SHOULD READ THESE BLOGS, REALLY YOU SHOULD

I have been a bad blogger. I think of things I want to share during the day and by nightfall...poof!...the ideas are gone. They must not have been great to start with.

So for this post I am going to tell you about two blogs you should read today.

"Throwing Up Words," and the post on "Mormon Times" by Jason Wright--The Power of Praise.

The "Throwing Up Words" blog I adore. I adore the women whose blog this is. Except I don't know Kyra but I know from whence she comes, so she must be pretty fabulous. She writes all sassy and excited with life and knowing more than her tender years.

Today's post on Throwing Up Words is by Ann Dee Ellis--Author of THIS IS WHAT I DID and EVERYTHING IS FINE. Her post makes me want to get my life in gear and do what I always say I am going to do. She is a wonderful author.

Throwing Up Words Post: It’s the Final Countdown: Someone Please Do This With Me. Please.

The other woman on Throwing Up Words is Carol Lynch Williams. This woman is perhaps the kindest woman on the planet. She hands out good advice anytime anyone needs it. She is one of the driving forces behind Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers, which is a wonderful five day long symposium. She has helped launch many Utah writers. And you feel so good when you are with her. She makes you feel like you can do it--write. Even if you can't. And so then you go ahead and try and then she helps you get better.

She has dozens of books out, all of them good. Better than good. I love everything she writes. Her latest is THE CHOSEN ONE and it's oh so good and oh so "I can't believe things like this happen in real life-ish in this day and age." It's about polygamy.

Oh wait, her latest is GLIMPSE. How have I missed it? I must go buy it this week. I'll bet she had a book signing and I missed it. I feel all sorry for myself now.

You should read this blog every day. They give advice on writing, motivation by the basketful, and you will love their quirky writing styles. After you've read it for a couple of weeks you feel like they are your best friends.

The one on Mormon Times is about the value of praise. Don't you love it when someone says you are good at something. I can live a week on a good compliment. So, go read this and give some praise to someone who needs it. Or just do it anyway. It's a good thing. (Martha says that so it must be good because she's famous and everything.)

Mormon Times Post: The Power of Praise by Jason Wright

MY YOUNG ADULT NOVEL SEEM TO BE TAKING A TURN--MAYBE FOR THE WORSE

I've been writing this book for a while. I decided it needed more depth than just a girl wishing that her father hadn't died, even though she had a perfectly nice step-father, that she loved. I decided to add an element of sexuality into it. Her not being comfortable with her changing body, not wanting to even think about sex and almost seeing someone else have it. That led to a buying bra's chapter. This has been such fun that I seem to be loosing the anger over her father's death. I wonder if this is two different books?

Which would you rather read? Or do you think I can do both in one book? Really, she has some serious anger over her father's death and the sexuality part is pretty light.

Questions I contemplate late at night while pretending that I can really write.

SO, HOW DO I DO IT ALL?

Saturday I was in Salt Lake (not the actual lake, you know) with my daughter, Gilmore Girl, and I saw this neat-o set of steps. Immediately I had almost a complete story pop into my head. How do I finish the manuscript I'm working on, go back to the two that are half finished and write this new one?

And dust.

And cook.

And read blogs.

And do laundry.

And do my church job.

And, and, and....

PS Gilmore girl, send me the photo of the neat-o stairs and the photo of my my Christmas presents so I can share their furry beauty with the world.

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

This is one of the lawn swings that EVERY FREAKING DAY has bird poop on it. A robin, maybe a whole herd/gaggle/pride of robins, sit here every morning, noon and evening and sings so delightfully, so happy and then they relieve themselves. On both of the lawn swings. Bird poop, lots and lots of bird poop.Until today, because last night I put flat head thumb tacks on the bar on top. I hope he didn't hurt himself. (Sarcasm, a lot of sarcasm.)

I took care of him and now, someone took car of me.

My computer turns it's self off umpteen times a day. It wipes out whatever I've been working on.

It wiped out ALL my email since May 16th. I hadn't read today's yet, except for a couple.

I have a novel I am trying to work on. Nope, computer won't let me.

I have emails that need to get sent to the students in the class I'm attending for the Writer's for Young Reader's symposium at BYU. I'm already four days late in sending that and now the computer has wiped out the names and email addresses of all the students.

I fixed that Robin/that flock, fleet, flight of Robins.

I'm getting paid back right where it hurts--in the computer. And oh, it hurts. I'd rather sit on thumbtacks.

Gotta hurry and post this before the computer turns it's sel

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

Today I went to my critique group. We are down to two members, Best Seller and me.

Best Seller writes beautifully. Her stories are fresh and edgy--just what publishers keep saying they want--"Give us 'fresh' stuff, 'edgy' stuff," they say. Her stories are so interesting that when you are reading them and you come to the end you say, "No!" You want more.

I have been stuck. We talked today for at least an hour about my book and when we were finished I had a whole page of ideas. Good ones. Fresh ideas with great details. Her mind works like a metal detector, burring over the subject and pulling out all the ideas and details that are interesting and valuable.

If you want to see what a great writer she really is go here. Scroll down to read My Father's Wallet, it is one of my favorite beautifully written stories. My very favorite story is about her mother. It was the winning essay in a contest. As soon as it has been published she will post it on her blog. Honestly, it is one of the finest pieces I have ever read. When she read it to our critique group we were speechless. That was the day that I knew she would be a best seller.

So, today I am grateful for my friend. My marvelous friend who saved my book from being chucked in the garbage. She is my treasured friend, and not because she helped me with my book. Just because she is. She is a valuable human being and I am so lucky to have her in my life.

SIX MUSELESS WORDS, 7-05-08

Absent muse, avoiding Lynne's desert, probably.

THE MUSE NEEDS TO VISIT LYNNE

I can't take the time to write about what I really want to say tonight, it will have to wait for when I have more time and less tears. I will say this much: a dear man's funeral was today and I am sad. I am sad for his dear wife and his children but also sad for Lynne, who won't be able to benefit from his love...the love he shared equally with all. But to me, and others too, it was genuine and meaningful and cherished. My heart is broken.

So, instead I will share something Jane Yolen said on her web site--and no, I didn't get permission so don't rat on me:

"The Muse is an ornery creature and rarely comes when called. She wears feathers in her hair and birkenstocks on her feet and is often out in the woods when you are home at your keyboard.

"But sometimes when you are writing, and are so concentrated on what you are doing that you pay her little heed, she comes into the room, looks over your shoulder, and breathes softly in your ear. It is a tickle, like baby's breath, and could be mistaken for a shift in the internal wind in the room.

"And you won't know she's been there, not until minutes or days or weeks or months or years later. You will think that what you put down was ordinary but it turns out to be extraordinary. And that's when you understand the Muse had visited you.

"Trust me. Some things I do know." Jane Yolen

Now, I don't know if The Muse has ever visited me but I'm hoping she might, even though I live in Utah which is classified as a desert and not in the woods of Scotland, which is green and lush and has places named Faerie Glen, has castles, lochs and even mountains that are good at absorbing demons.

If you have any influence with the muse, tell her something like this, "Lynne, who lives in Utah--with no glens, castles, lochs or demon absorbing mountains--needs you to whisper lovely ideas in her ear." Then bribe her. It's the right thing to do, I'm sure of it.

Thanks so much. I owe you one,
Lynne

SIX WORD WEDNESDAY 7-2-08

Worst days cannot come very often.

PLOTS, CONFLICT AND WHAT CAN YOU DO ON YOUR WORST DAY?

I went to my critique group today and as per our new policy we each bring some nugget of information to make our writing better.

Amy, who shall be called Young-Mother-With-Long-Hair-Who-Wants-a-Cool-Photo-Taken-Before-She-Gets-It-Cut-in-a-Cool-Short-Style, gave us a handout from Janette Rallison, that we should use when starting a novel--actually, it should be used for each chapter. We decided, since NONE OF US have our novel really fleshed out before writing we need to pay close attention to it.

DeAnn's author said about her novel at the BYU conference, "Your writing is too good to waste on this tiny goal." Or something like that. Go here and read this and you will see what I mean about DeAnn's great writing. I am so jealous.

Her author also said, "How much can you write on your worst day?" And DeAnn said she thought five minutes but then DeAnn, who I shall call The-Great-Writer-Who-Doesn't-Use-a-Lot-of-Fluff-Words said, "Every day cannot be my worst day!"

And so that's what my post today is really about. Everyday cannot be our worst day, we cannot not have goals and aspirations, we cannot not want to strive to do and be better.

So, here's to having life plots, maybe one hundred of them, and working through life's conflicts, hopefully not one hundred of them all at once, and goals and overcoming and laughing in the face of the antagonists. --The Major Antagonist has no power over the righteous, by the way.--

"There is some place where your specialties can shine. Somewhere that difference can be expressed. It's up to you to find it, and you can." (David Viscott) So, I must try to write funny, maybe, and a little tragic so it will be publishable.

DeAnn and Amy are going to have to write more tragic because they are better writers than I am. Amy has this great picture book going and we all know that a four-year-old can't handle a lot of tragedy. They fall apart if their Popsicle falls in the dirt, so Amy gets a pass on the picture book but not on the novel.

So, lets do it. Lets do whatever it is we do and take the "worst day" excuse only occasionally.

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN

I was searching for a blog subject tonight and I decided to go to my favorites file and close my eyes and run the courser--or is it cursor? Curses, I don't know which. Anyway, I decided to run that little arrow/hand up and down, and then stop, and with the eyes still closed pick a web site. Maybe, I thought, there will be an idea for a blog there.

Guess what? It was Orson Scott Card's web site where 34 of his writing lessons are posted. Wouldn't you know it? Me, not writing today, and of over 900 web sites in my favorites file, I pick his.

"This means something," said in my best Richard Dreyfus's voice, from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I should have known.

So, I must write. I hope some of you are writing too.

PS Orson's website has had 6, 388,452 since June 8, 1996. Impressive. Also, I once lived in Greensboro, NC. If things had turned out differently I might still be there and have been able to take classes from Uncle Orson. Then, I would be writing about a girl in a mythical city in a made up world, fighting aliens and not a funny story about a girl, somewhat autobiographical, with a totally bossy older sister. Sorry sis, you know you were.

PPS If you ever find the DVD or video Close Encounters of the Weird Kind let me know. It was a parody of the movie mentioned above and it was hilarious. I googled it. Totally weird stuff came up. Totally.

SIX WORD FRIDAY/SATURDAY 6-20 AND 21-08

Manuscript finishers: creatively working hard.

That's only five words but I'm so creative I can get the job done with less words.

LAST DAY--WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS FOR YOUNG READERS AT BYU

It's actually Saturday. I was simply too worn out to type one word last night. I didn't even check email.

The last day I met with an agent--a privilege it has taken me six years to earn. His encouraging words, "I love it," and "I know you can write." This is pretty good for a girl who ten years ago didn't even know what the word "genre" meant and six years ago--or maybe it was seven--I attended my first BYU conference and knew virtually nothing.

Can I finish my YA novel and get it ready for submission? Yes, I'm going to. It means hard work and I'm going to do it.

The chapter the agent read went through three different critique groups in the last month, including the class of Sally Warner's at the BYU workshop. I received help from many hands, including a published author. So, with all that help it ended up better than my original.

Now I am going to have to rely on my critique group to be brutal. I am going to ply them with caramels for Christmas--and maybe other times too, and Savory Italian Tomatoes and--perhaps most persuasive--threats and guilt. "You must help me or I will wither and die," or perhaps something not quite so dramatic.

My advice to anyone else in my position--someone who wants to publish: Write every day. The difference in a great writer and a great writer who publishes is the second one writes every day--or at least five days a week. This was evident, this year. I heard it over and over and over. You can't take a vacation from your writing because you have little kids or fill-in-the-blank. Whatever you are dealing with you will need to deal with it and write too.

Okay, yesterday's gems:

Be able to tell someone about your novel in an "Elevator Pitch." That means two sentences, as long as it take the elevator to reach the agent's floor--while you have her captured in the elevator.

If its funny make it hilarious. My chapter was funny. The agent wanted me to bump it it up to make it more funny.

If your novel is tragic or has some really tough issues then end it in some kind of hopeful way. In Sally's novel, IT ISN'T ABOUT THE MONEY, she ended with a flashback where the protagonist remembered a wonderfully tender moment--a moment she could treasure all here life--with her parents before the tragedy happened.

Talent is passive, many people have talent but don't create. It takes courage to create. And hard work. THE COURAGE TO CREATE by Rollo May was sited by Sally. Being creative is active--it employs action. People who last, have a mixture of talent and creativity. If you have all talent and no creativity you NEVER FINISH a manuscript. I seem to have no creativity for housework. Although, I may have the clutter talent.

Creativity and forgiveness are the highest functions we have and the hardest too. All the powers in the Universe seem to be working to stop you from getting writing done and once you have made the effort to do it the Universe helps you. You will find ideas everywhere. The same goes for forgiveness.

Books should be about something important. Estrangement from a sibling, betrayal of a friend and how the protagonist makes things right, etc.

When Sally feels she is loosing her way she asked herself things like, "What am I trying to say? What's the point I'm trying to Make?

Quaker saying: "Sit loose." Wait until you know what's the right thing to do.

Be careful about talking about something you are going to do because it takes the energy from the project.

Sally--and her husband, who is a writer too--writes all morning until about 1:30 and then they they do "life things"--like go to lunch. I vote for that. In the evening she revises the morning's work.

A quote from jean Rhys: "All of writing is a huge lake. There are rivers that feed the lake, like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. And there are mere trickles, like Jean Rhys. All that matters is feeding the lake. I don’t matter. The lake matters. You must keep feeding the lake."

I am thinking that perhaps the little trickles will be poetic and feed someones soul. Or maybe they will be funny and lighten someones day. That's enough for us. To help someone out on the slog that it takes to get through the day to day life.

Make a list of 100 titles for you book. Make a list of 100 ways to solve the problem in your book. You will never find the perfect title or problem solved in number 1-20, it will maybe be number 78.

...Okay, it's again very late and this is enough for tonight. I imagine the only people who are still with me are those who are interested in this subject. So, goodnight.

DAY FOUR--WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING FOR YOUNG READERS AT BYU

A couple of quick notes.

Quick fix for a manuscript. Go through and look for five senses. Ex: The rank smell of perspiration. The rough texture of his coat.

A flashback is like a bump in the road. It stops the forward movements so you really need a good reason to use it.

Don't be afraid to have your character have strong emotions.

Address the real issues.

A grammatical mistake everyone makes. "None are." "None" is a contraction meaning "not one." So, the proper way to say it, even though it sounds wrong is, "None is."

One of the best ways to develop your "voice" is just to free write. You will get some things that are raw. Some good book ideas come from free writes. Don't worry about the correctness of your work, just write.

The best way to become a writer is to write.

I should be in bed but I re-wrote today's piece. I didn't need to because I'm not going to read again but I did it anyway while my groups critique was fresh in my mind. I don't know if I've posted it here yet. It's when my sister--my poor sister, she is taking a beating in my work--called me a Pooka.

Brandon Sanderson said something pretty cool today--well he said a lot of cool things but he said he had an idea that wouldn't leave him alone and he called it an "itching in my brain." This is a book-Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians--that is being made into an animated movie! Pretty cool outcome for a brain itch.

Until tomorrow....

SIX WORD TUESDAY 6-17-08

Small tasks, done daily, accomplish much.

DAY TWO--WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS FOR YOUNG READERS AT BYU

This will be short as I have a re-write to do and it's already way late.

A few gems from today's workshop:

• When Sally Warner--who is a great author, by the way and is teaching us a lot--sent one of her first books to her editor she asked him, "So, what did you think about the hidden medieval theme?" and he said, "What hidden medieval theme?" He then gave her this great advice which she has used a jillion times: Don't be afraid of being obvious. Kids don't "get" things like adults do, and in this hidden medieval theme, neither did the adult.
• But don't be obvious in a way that insults the intelligence of your reader. For instance, don't say, "As I was brushing my teeth I admired my long, curly, blond hair and my snapping green eyes," as if the protagonist had never noticed she was blond and had green eyes before. Find some un-obvious way to describe her.
• In all your writing something should be at stake.
• Stephen Fraser, who is an agent said, "With one paragraph I can tell if a book is going to be good." He chooses things that have artistic integrity that he knows will sell. For everything you publish there are 400 rights. Four hundred! Things like rights to different countries, one for each. I-pod rights, audio rights, movie rights, etc. An agent will protect your rights and see you book gets marketed to foreign countries, etc. But, before you send anything to an agent make sure it is professionally done. Make sure it is ready.
• Of hardbound books you get 10% of selling price. Paperbacks is 6 1/2% UNLESS it is sold to huge chain stores like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc., then you earn less. If you are going to market your own book you really need to know the business end.
• Claudia Mills was hysterical. Her room was packed--this was for the afternoon breakout sessions. The afternoon session is a great bargain, by the way. You can hear all the authors present material plus sit in a session with the editors and agent if you want to. I never want to do that. What would I say?
• Claudia sleeps ten hours a day and says she would sleep longer but she'd feel guilty. Years ago she read an article in "a great literary publication," she said,--Reader's Digest--called something like, "What you can accomplish in one hour a day." She quoted someone--I didn't catch who--who said a small task, done daily can be like a raindrop that hollows out a stone. To find that hour to write in she says she has low standards. This got a big laugh. But, don't get me wrong. This woman teaches philosophy at the University of Colorado and is very bright. She says she exercises with friends, goes to lunch, does all the things she wants to do and still has published a LOT of books. There are many things she doesn't do so she can do the things that are important to her.
• Claudia writes an hour a day, no matter what. She wrote an hour a day when her kids were little--at 5:00 AM. She stops when the hour is up and does something else. She uses what Twila Tharpe, in THE CREATIVE HABIT, suggested: creative triggering mechanism. She drinks Swiss Miss Chocolate before starting to write. That way, it signals her brain that this is the time to be creative and write. She drinks this year round. She says if you leave your work for one day it will take you two days to get back to it.
• Claudia says her critique group saves her TONS of hours on re-writes. She read a piece a man had written and it was excellent writing. He said it had been re-written eighty-eight times. She told him if he had a critique group he could have cut eighty times off.

Well, that's enough. This, obviously was not short but I wanted to get these ideas down in case there someone out there that wants to know these things. Now it's really late, the re-write is almost done but I need someone here to read it aloud to me to see how it sounds. Phil has gone to bed. I guess I'll be reading it myself.

I am getting no blog reading done. Actually, I hardly ever comment on your blogs, I'm sorry, I mean to but I'm always reading them with blurry up-to-late-eyes. But I love visiting them and peeking into your marvelous lives. You handle stress so well, you are optimistic, I see wonderful photographs, I read funny stuff that makes me laugh. I see your faith and committment to your religion and your families and friends. I admire you. Thanks for being my blogging friends.

SIX WORD MONDAY 6-16-08

Write, filling the hole in your heart.

DAY ONE--WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS FOR YOUNG READERS AT BYU

Day one. I am exhausted. Got to bed at 1:45--second night in a row. I fell asleep in the last class of the day--fourteen times--or so it seemed. I don't think anyone noticed as I caught myself but when my pen nearly rolled out of my hand I had to give myself a good talking to.

Some Gems--in no particular order:

• Every single thing in a book needs to belong and moves the plot forward.
• Don't edit as you write. Just get it down. If you edit as you go it will be hard for you to cut that scene later as you will have so much invested in it.
• Write the whole book and then let it sit until the scenes, descriptions, etc. blur. Then you can go back to edit. Take whole scenes out. Fix others.
• Is your writing fresh?
• A good beginning has poetry in it--no extra words. Tell what the story is about without telling the whole story.
• You usually mention the main character right off. Your beginning is your chance to connect with the reader.
• Know what makes your story interesting and put that in the opening.
• Memoir: Look for the hole in your heart. If waring men would sit down together and say, "Tell me about your mother. Tell me about your father. Your childhood." If we could get the stories of the holes in their hearts, war would cease to exist.
• Spend some time writing the blurb that goes on the book jacket.
• When book drags throw in a new character or bump up the tension. Make your villain more villainous, your hero more heroic. The strength of your antagonist will make your protagonist stronger.
• If you would make a commitment to write only five minutes a day you can probably write a half page. Multiply that by 365 days and you'll have over 150 pages. A whole book. In only five minutes a day!

Exercise: Kathi Appelt--She put the word "Summer" on the board and then she filled the board with summer words, everything from mosquitoes to fireworks. She told us to choose three and then write a paragraph, using all of them. The first sentence could not use the articles "A" and "the." She gave us five minutes to do this.

This was mine:

Tomatoes, ripe, splitting at the stem end, oozing juice. I picked them, barefoot and bareheaded, the sun hot on my shoulders. The salt shaker, abandoned in the garden until the crickets sang and Mom needed to salt the beans. I snuck the salt shaker into the kitchen; we were both sticky with summer's red juice.

See you tomorrow.

FATHER'S DAY AND THE SUGAR MONSTER AND MY AUTHOR

Today most of the family was here for Father's Day. We had more food than we needed and it was all tasty. Michelle brought cookies and I snitched a bite--her cookies are the best. But it was a bite of sugar. I made brownie trifle and I snitched three bites. Sugar, sugar, sugar. I think it was worth it but listen to this--maybe it was not.

My sister quit sugar with me. The other day she went to a wedding reception and then to dinner and ate desserts at both places and it sent her into a depression. She even cried! This is a testimony for me to STAY OFF SUGAR if it can impact my sister in such a horrible way. I wonder what it does for me? No, not for me, against me. I wonder what it does for--or against--you?

Tomorrow my conference at BYU starts. Phil and I picked up the author I am assisting at the airport in Salt Lake City, Sally Warner. She writes three to four hours a day for at least six and sometimes seven days a week. Yes, I am impressed. She didn't start writing until she was forty and has 25 books published. I am even more impressed.

So, if you want to write get busy. Make the time. Learn the rules. Keep at it. Even if you are never published you will leave a rich heritage for your family.

Tomorrow and all week I will try to post some gem I have learned.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and thank you to Phil for making me a mother and for loving the children, worrying about the children and being impressed with the children who have given us such wonderful grandchildren and for the fact that they are teaching the grandchildren so well. Our children and grandchildren are our ticket into watching the future unfold in a magnificent way.

SIX WORD WEDNESDAY 5-28-08

Read work, depressed. Read again, restored.

THE PROCRASTINATOR

Once there was a woman who thought she had stories to tell. "It's all about the stories," she said. And then she set down to write and joined a group. The self-designated leader of the group poked a non-bony finger and scoffed and she ceased to write.

Later, much later she thought she still should write so she gathered her wits--what few she had--and her self confidence and started again. Too bad she didn't know the rules. "I'm too wordy," she said, because she was.

Again she started but said, "I'll just please myself and write my own stories." And she did. She joined a group. Her stories pleased only herself and she was happy. If one of her children were in the stories sometimes the stories pleased them but she wrote only for herself. "To understand myself," she said. Sometimes the group laughed--not often but enough for encouragement. Sometimes they gasped--okay, only small gasps, but even small gasps are satisfying.

She longed to be a better writer. Smarter. To know the rules. And so she continued to say, "Yes, I'll be part of the BYU Writer's and Illustrators for Young Readers workshop," and then she did nothing. Wrote nothing.

And so it goes. Will this be the first time she will go unprepared? She knows more now, enough to know she's not going to be a great writer but does that give her the right to slack? Does that give her the right to not try to be at least adequate? Or maybe better? Surely by death she will be better. Does she have the right to not try? And die--way, way in the future--better?

Her honesty makes her wonder.