It's a busy time of year! How can we get writing (and everything else) done? Visit YA Outside the Lines for my guest post today featuring some productivity tips.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
 Thanks to author Jacqueline Jules for including my Pandemic-inspired writing prompts on her Pencil Tips blog. Check them out here.
I am taking a brief blogging break for the Thanksgiving holiday. I hoping to be on the Internet less and writing more. Happy Thanksgiving! Jim Collins studies leadership and corporate success and he's written numerous business books such as Good to Great, Built to Last, and Great by Choice. One of his concepts is that when undertaking a long (and perhaps difficult) journey, the best approach is to march twenty miles a day regardless of the weather and other conditions. Consistent progress toward a goal is better than long but undependable marches with rests in between. He uses the South Pole expedition leaders Roald Amundsen (who succeeded) and Robert Falcon Scott (who died during the expedition) to illustrate this. (Check this business article for more information about the twenty mile march.) Now think about writing a novel. Is it better to write many pages on the weekend, skip a few days, and write another large chunk when time permits? Or is it better to write a page every single day? What do you think? School and work may affect the answer to this. Is consistent advancement toward writing goals a key to success?  March on! Today's blog features a guest post from Niki Masse Schoenfeldt, author of the picture book Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite. Five Fun Facts about Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite by Niki Masse Schoenfeldt 1. Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite was originally a short poem I didn’t know what to do with. My critique group, The Mudskippers, encouraged me to make it into a picture book. 2. I wrote the poem after spouting the old bedbug adage to my 2 year old at bedtime and she refused to sleep in her bed if bugs were going to bite her! 3. After ten months of submitting to publishers, Shenanigan Books finally snatched it up! 4. Originally, the bug in the little girl’s bed actually was a friendly bedbug, but my publisher was concerned about the whole bedbug infestation thing (Rightly so!) and suggested I make it a case of mistaken identity instead. 5. After some brainstorming I decided the “bedbug” should be a ladybug because ladybugs are not scary. In fact, my grandmother used to say they brought good luck. Thanks for the guest post, Niki! I've always been told that ladybugs are good luck, too.  Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite is a featured book through the READING RAINBOW LEARN & READ app from Itunes.
Bio: Niki Masse Schoenfeldt grew up in a small town in Western Massachusetts where she began writing stories as soon as she could pick up a pencil. In the fall of 2008, her first picture book, NATURE’S LULLABY was released and her next picture book, DON’T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE! followed in 2012. Mrs. Schoenfeldt continues to write picture books as well as middle grade and young adult novels. Over the years she has worn many hats, including that of a book reviewer, critique group moderator, math & reading tutor, storyteller, mom, wife, painter, professional beach bum and she even once saved a sheep from drowning! Here are three interesting posts for writers this week:
And here are two upcoming events I wanted to share:
Sadly, I need to change to my comments settings to "approval" first, due to an increase in spam. I hope you still take time to comment. Have a happy weekend!
 Thank you to author Marcia Meara for tagging me in this World Blog Hop. You can read her original post here. According to the hop rules, I start with a quote, then answer four questions about my creative process. One of my favorite writing quotes is from Anton Chekhov: “Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” And now for the questions: 1. Why do I create what I do? I took a novel writing class years ago that said to write what you read. A quick glance at my nightstand answered the question: a big pile of young adult books towered on top of it. I also like to write about situations that keep me awake at night--contagious fatal diseases are definitely on the list. That led to my debut young adult novel, Pandemic, which was published in May by Sky Pony Press. 2. How does my creative process workI find the first draft is the hardest; I’m happiest when I have a rough draft to work with. I tend to revise, reread, revise, share the work with my critique group, then revise again. I like to keep a notebook for brainstorming ideas and tracking plot and character decisions. I also tape pictures and others bits of info into it, so it becomes a physical complement to my computer files. 3. How does my work differ from others of its genre?I’m interested in portraying realistic, contemporary situations and I like the idea of creating scary circumstances in our ordinary world. For example, pandemics are inherently frightening, and my debut novel includes details about how a deadly outbreak could actually play out if it occurred tomorrow. Pandemic (which is about bird flu) was published before Ebola became a major news item but it's been a bit surreal to read about current events and draw parallels to my story. 4. What am I presently working on?Besides working on publicity for Pandemic, I’m revising a YA psychological thriller about a girl who fears she is either being haunted or going insane. I started this story years ago, before Pandemic, and I'm excited about its recent evolution.  Next up on the blog hop, I’d like to tag C. Lee McKenzie. Lee is the author of several novels, most recently Double Negative, and she frequently blogs about interesting topics for writers.
 One of my favorite quotes is from Eleanor Roosevelt: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. . . .You must do the thing you think you cannot do." As a writer and a parent and a worrier, I think a lot about fear. I wrote a novel about a deadly contagious disease that spreads across the US, after all. Current events give us an almost endless stream of fear-inducing topics. Ebola. Terrorism. Pedophiles. There's an interesting TED talk about fear from author Karen Thompson Walker called "What Fear Can Teach Us." She talks about fear as a form of storytelling,and says that "how we choose to read our fears can have profound effects on our lives." Each month, the bloggers at YA Outside the Lines focus on a different theme. In honor of Halloween, October's theme is fear, masks, and disguises. There are a number of creative posts this month. You should read them all! But here are five to start: Pennywise, Spandex Shorts, and Things That Go Bump in the Night by Jen Doktorski Writing the Fear Away by Amy K. Nichols Don't Be Afraid to Celebrate by Laurie Boyle Crompton The Gift of Fear (by me!) Author Masks by Sydney Salter 
From Sydney Salter's blog post
Do you read the news everyday? What fears keep you up at night?
 A resource to explore is author Jacqueline Jules' website, Pencil Tips: Writing Workshop Strategies from Children's Authors and Illustrators. She includes a section dedicated to magazines and contests that accept student work for consideration. If you're looking for places to submit, be sure to check it out.
In case you are new to my blog, this week's Teen Tuesday post is a summary of some ongoing contests and market profiles that I've listed previously. Contests
Markets
Giveaway WinnerA winner has been randomly selected for the Emergency Preparedness giveaway. There is a 48 hour period for the winner to respond. Once I hear back, I'll announce it. Happy October! Emergency Preparedness Before I provide my usual writing resources, I wanted to mention that during National Preparedness Month, it's a good idea to plan for pet care in an emergency. There's some useful information at the ASPCA website. It's not too late to enter to win an Emergency Preparedness Kit. Visit my earlier blog post for details. Writing ResourcesI have apparently hit the limit on storing my favorite places online, so I'm including some useful writing links here for safe-keeping.  Bookjobs.com provides lots of information about the publishing industry in general, including commonly used terms, intern opportunities, and publisher profiles. Children's Writer: If you can write a story for five and six year olds, enter their current "Kindergarten story" contest. Entries due November 7. (Click on the Writing Contest link on the left side of the main site.)
If you are just getting started in children's writing, the SCBWI provides some helpful information. Author Dan Gutman offers tips for young writers. Keep up with Kid Lit News through the Children's Book Council. You can also find submission guidelines on their site for publishers who are CBC members. This Book Marketing and Book Promotion website contains a giant list of links to publisher sites. I would highly recommend checking the editors before submitting because of frequent changes in the industry, but this list might introduce you to some publishing houses you were unaware of. Relating to staffing changes, Harold Underdown provides editorial news for children's book publishers at Who's Moving Where. Happy Writing! |
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