What Good Writers Do ~By Suzy Leopold

Showing up where you are with what you have is what good writers do.

Are you showing up where you are with what you have? 

In January, many writers set goals and resolutions when the 2016 calendar began. Perhaps it is time to revisit your set of writer’s goals.

Think about and check your list of short-term goals and your long-term SMART goals. Has your plan provided you with the results that you set out to achieve?

First Step: Set Goals

Second Step: Get to Work

Third Step: Stick to It

Fourth Step: Make a Plan

Fifth Step: Achieve

If your established plan is working, celebrate your accomplishments both big and small. Perhaps there are some areas where you can improve. Adjust as need be. For more information see a previous post Ready or Not. It's Time to Show Up.

As I look back on the first three months of 2016, I note there are some days when I stumble with the Third Step: Stick to It. Sometimes just sticking to my plan and sitting down to begin writing is all it takes. 

It’s easier to make unacceptable excuses for not writing today:

It must be writer’s block.

I’m waiting for inspiration to strike.

I don’t want to stare at this blank page.

No excuses allowed. Stop the stagnation. Dismiss negative thoughts that zap your productivity. Surround yourself with positive thoughts and find determination. Sure, there will be some days when you skip and stumble a step or two when  writing does not happen. It's okay. Take small steps and move forward without being critical of yourself. Think about what works best for you and your writing career.

There are many days when I feel I can justify my unacceptable excuses for not sticking to it. Yet, I know I need to believe in my voice and learn to ward off the urge to procrastinate. 

Making time to write is both a matter of desire as it is discipline. It takes determination. 

Writing can be compared to exercise. You feel better once you’ve done it.  

Created by my
Cousin Sheri McCulley Seibold

If inspiration is eluding you consider crafting a new story. Select an idea you wrote down during Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo Writing Challenge. Feel accomplished after revising a manuscript. Refer to a stack of books as mentor texts from the research that you did during ReFoReMo, with Carrie Charley Brown. Participate in Angie Karcher's RhyPiBoMo that she hosts this month. Writers will grow and learn from the many resources, lessons and writing prompts. 

Write a blog post about a recently read book about the craft of writing that you found inspiring. Set a timer and chase after your daily word count. Consider establishing some agreed upon rules, expectations and most importantly accountability with a critique partner or group. By checking in with a writerly friend, I feel I can do a better job of holding myself accountable to my promises and aspirations than just checking in with myself. Perhaps heading to your local indie book store or the public library you will find some ideas and inspiration, along with time to read and write.

Time to revise & edit.

A stack of mentor texts.

One more thought. Take your writing serious. Make sure you go to work because this is your job. Your boss does not accept excuses for lack of inspiration, for feeling tired, for not showing up nor other lame excuses that you can think of. And don't forget the importance of having a set of business cards. This is your career.

Business cards

So grab your writer’s tools: a computer, a journal, a pen or a pencil, a highlighter, a dictionary, a thesaurus, a stack of mentor texts, a cup of hot tea and turn on some music to find your muse. You can do it! Yes, you can!

Would you like some sugar or
a slice of lemon with your tea?

One thousand crumby words on paper are better than one hundred thousand fabulous words that are in your head.

Make writing a habit and you’ll see improvement in you writing.

A writer writes. Write, always.

Save the Scraps: Guest Post by Carrie Charley Brown

Revision ignites my thoughts… Oh, the possibilities!  And with so many directions to turn, why ignore any of them?  As writers, we are quick to dismiss an idea that doesn't sit right. If you are like me, typing most drafts directly into the computer, that little backspace action can permanently erase a perfectly good idea. Fast. But, what if you had kept your nearly dismissed ideas?

Most of us already have a bank for our initial ideas.  We know enough to write them down and stuff them into a special container, folder, or notebook. So, why not do this when revising, as well? It’s easy when we receive a critique back. Even if we aren't initially ready to accept the feedback, we can save it for later when our defense walls have dropped.

When writing first drafts, we all approach them a bit differently. In fact, I don't always do it the same way every time, either. Sometimes, I brainstorm the plot bones first. But mostly, I am a pantser. I just want to get the ideas on the paper and see where it leads me. That’s when I encounter the little angel/devil friends sitting on each shoulder.

Angel:  “Now, now, now…you need to follow the rules.”

Devil:  “Don’t listen to her. You’re going for unique. Live a little.”

Before hitting the delete key, copy and paste that idea and put it in a document dedicated to your manuscript. I use the title of my manuscript followed by the word “brainstorm” or “ideas.” The page looks like a hodgepodge, but at least the ideas are still there. It comes in super handy when revising.

I suppose I’m the same way when critiquing professionally. I like to share all of the ideas that pop into my mind, and the result is a very honest, detailed critique, that takes about two-four hours of my time. I would much rather share things ahead of time with a client. We value those first impression opportunities with agents and editors too much to waste them.

Through it all, you can always turn back to your hodge-podge of deleted phrases, sentences, and ideas. You can also turn to mentor texts and the countless articles that are posted online.  



If you have not yet joined an online writing community of some sort, the support is priceless. My go-to communities are the 12x12 PictureBook Challenge, PiBoIdMo, ReviMo, KidLit 411, and my own ReFoReMo . Each community has a Facebook group where writers can ask questions, recommend mentor texts, and share valuable articles found on the Internet.

So, back to that critique we saved for later. Now that the ideas have sat in the back of our minds, we'll be open to experimenting. Don’t be afraid to start a rewrite or let your plot go in a new direction. You’ll never really know if it works unless you try it. You might have 20 different versions that include 3 different points of view, 5 different plots, and varied word lengths. That’s okay. It’s part of getting to know your story and finding the one that clicks. It’s also part of being open to growth and finding your best inner editor. It will take some time. Be patient with the process and enjoy the opportunities that revision places before you.

Carrie Charley Brown is a professional critique mentor with an editorial eye. She is the founder of ReFoReMo, a research challenge for picture book writers. Carrie is a children’s writer and contributor at Writer’s Rumpus and Kids Are Writers. She was a 2014 CYBILS award fiction picture book panelist and was formerly an elementary teacher. You can follow her writing journey at www.carriecharleybrown.com. 

Writers Need Models ~By Suzy Leopold

What do you love to do? What do you think you are really good at? All of us recognize our strengths and believe in what we can do. The thing that you are good at is probably something that you enjoy doing often.

Stop for a moment and think about something that you believe you are good at or at least have some level of fluency or mastery. You probably had an excellent model who taught you how to do what you feel you are good at. This individual may have encouraged you, inspired you, and believed in you.  

The first time you tried playing baseball perhaps you were unsure and nervous. When it was your turn to bat, did you hit a homerun or strike out? With practice you improved upon the sport. Your coach shared tips with you and encouraged you. You practiced daily. Soon you became stronger and more confident.

Grandson Lane

Who taught you how to bake a great loaf of bread? Perhaps you watched and learned at first. Then an experienced baker showed you how to measure all of the ingredients needed and how to work with the yeast. You were taught how to kneed the bread, shape the loaf and how long to bake it.

Like many of you, I learned how to ride a bike as a kid. I have a memory of riding a bicycle for the first time without training wheels when I was five years old. I've always enjoyed riding my bike. Sure I knew how to ride a bike. At least I thought I did. However, my husband Perry taught me and inspired me to be a better cyclist.

Suzy Rides

My Pink Marin Portofina

Riding together, Perry modeled for me. The rules of the road were explained to me. Perry taught me the importance of staying hydrated and fueled. Words of encouragement were shared. He helped me to improve my form on a bike. Together we buildt my stamina and over time I have achieved many 50+ mile bike rides with Perry. It's been a journey and continues to be.

Writing is a journey. Becoming a published author is a journey. A writer learns through great models by using mentor texts that model great writing.

Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach and Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.

~William Zinsser

Mentor texts have power to help a writer grow. Studying great picture books before writing is what I did during the month of March for Research for Reading Month ReFoReMo with Carrie Charley Brown. Many of you, too, participated in this first annual writing challenge.

I now have a better sense of reading picture books with a purpose and studying them while looking at the entire book page by page from cover to cover. Studying these high quality, currently published picture books as models are encouraging me to be a stronger, better writer. I no longer just read quality picture books I study them.

Here is an example of how I now study picture books:

The Right Word Roget and His Thesaurus

By: Ben Bryant 

Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

42 pages

Ages 7 +

Genre: Creative nonfiction/Biography

Published by: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Cambridge, UK 

Awards: 

2015 Caldecott Honor Book

2015 Sibert Medal Winner 

2105 Orbis Pictus Honor Book and many more

The Right Word Roget and His Thesaurus

• Beautiful, unique illustrations created with watercolor, collage and mixed media that depict imagery of classification and scientific illustrations. Old botanicals and vintage papers are used throughout the book. 
• A picture of a page from Roget's orginal word book is included.
• Illustrations and page layouts contribute to the story line.
• The Back Matter includes: List of Principal Events [timeline], Author's Note, Illustator's Note, Selected Bibliography, a section For Further Reading and Sources.
• The endpapers list Roget's thousand words with abbreviations.
• The author shares with the reader Peter Mark Roget's childhood, his precocious intellect, his nervous habits and much more through the drama and contradictions and historical details of Roget's fascinating life until his death in 1869.
• Some pages are written as a columns depicting lists that Roget kept in his notebooks.
• Story is written in a lyrical text.
• Speech bubbles are used to support the text.
• Rich vocabulary acquisition for students.

End Papers

Page on right is written as a column.

Consider using great picture books that model great writing. Great picture books are excellent mentors that teach a writer to be a better writer. Do you read picture books to become a better writer? How do you read and study great picture books?

Happy Easter to you and your family.

An Easter Treat for You!

GROG Birthday Bonanza Winners!

Do rainy days and Mondays get you down? Well, for twenty-two people, this Monday will be an exception!

This little green GROG frog has hopped in to say:

Photo by Doug Weller under Creative Commons License

 "WE HAVE WINNERS!"

But before announcing them, we want to again thank all of our readers for being so supportive of the GROG this year. We hope that our posts will continue to be inspirational, helpful, and entertaining.

Photo by Beyond Access under Creative Commons License

Many of you gave suggestions for topics to consider for future posts. Wow, what a variety! From picture books to novels, educational writing to self-publishing, opening sentences to great endings, and everything in between, we have a lot to consider!

And now for the BIRTHDAY BONANZA WINNERS:

Books and more books for your reading library!

• BACKHOE JOE by Lori Alexander to Elizabeth Wilcox

• PORTRAIT OF WOMEN ARTISTS: GEORGIA O'KEEFE by Robyn Montana Turner to Wendy Engleman

• POWER DOWN, LITTLE ROBOT by Anna Stanizewski to Stacy Jensen

• COWBOY CHRISTMAS by Rob Sanders to Joyce Tucker

• OUTER SPACE BEDTIME RACE by Rob Sanders to Damon Dean

• MISS MAPLE'S SEEDS by Eliza Wheeler to Shiela Fuller

• THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO MANNERS by Tina Cho to Susan Latta

• Signed copy, BLUE ON BLUE by Dianne White to Sandy Perlic

• Signed copy, SUBSTITUTE GROUNDHOG Book and CD by Pat Miller to Patricia Saunders

• Signed copy, ORANGUTAN HOUDINI by Laurel Neme to Darshana Khiani

• Signed copy, KID PRESIDENT'S GUIDE TO BEING AWESOME by Robbie Novak and Brad Montague to Lindsay Fouts

• Signed copy, THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH (Newbery Honor Book) by Jennifer L. Holm to Rebecca Colby

• Double-signed copy of SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE (Caldecott Honor Book) by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen to Jilanne Hoffmann

Books and goodies for your writing!

• THE WRITER'S BOOK OF HOPE by Ralph Keyes to Mike Karg

• WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul to Sydney O’Neill

• 2 copies MENTOR TEXTS FOR WRITERS e-book by Marcie Flinchum Atkins to Penny Parker Klostermann and Yvonne Mes

• 2 journals, personalized by Suzy Leopold to Stephanie Payne Geckle and Sonja Anderson

• Writer's journal and pen to Kathleen Mazurowski

• Adorable fuzzy owl puppet (great for story time!) selected by Jan Annino to Joanne Sher

And a picture book critique by author Carrie Charley Brown to Elaine Kiely Kearns. For more about Carrie's author services, visit her website here.

Congratulations to all! (Winners have been contacted by email to gather mailing addresses. Check your spam folders, winners.)

Thanks for making our first birthday celebration so wonderful. Here’s to a fabulous second year!

Photo by Theen Moy under Creative Commons License

ReFoReMo ~By Suzy Leopold

Calling all picture book writers! Grab your writer's toolbox, a journal to take notes and your favorite pen. It's time for some picture book research. 

ReFoReMo

WHO? Picture Book Writers 

Fiction and Nonfiction

WHAT? Reading For Research Month

A writing challenge to help you reform your writing and learn how to use mentor texts. 

WHEN? March 1st through March 31st 

Registration opens February 15, 2015

To kick off the event prior to registration and be eligible for some prizes consider spreading the news through social media. To find out how to do so and enter for prizes go to ReFoReMo.

WHERE? Your choice for a favorite place to read and write.

WHY? Whether you are an experienced published author or a writer who is honing the craft of writing, you will find that studying and researching the newest picture books on the market is an excellent tool to have in your writer's toolbox.

HOW? Reading and researching mentor texts. Both fiction and nonfiction picture books. Recently published, highly recommended picture books will be studied.

A Tall Stack of Mentor Texts

Authors, educators, and librarians will share daily posts along with recommendations for five quality picture books. Inspiration, tips and excellent book recommendations will be made.

Read more about this upcoming event at ReFoReMo and find out who the twenty-eight guests are. Wow! What a line up!

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event! You won't want to miss it. Thank you, Carrie! 

Carrie Charley Brown