I've started my YA novel

I can honestly say that I have been writing everyday for about 3 weeks now. I worked on a picture book, a contest entry (my story sucks and needs help), and I began my next book. I'm in the honeymoon phase where I'm completely in love with it.

It's loosely based on a true story. A story I learned about in high school. It's one of those things that always stayed with me and that I wanted to write about.

I'm using my new process of not revising and just writing the story. It's been writing itself. The muse has been active. I love when that happens. It's like someone else is writing the story.

New Writing Technique

I am the type of writer that will revise Chapter 100 times and not finish the story. It's not working for me. I have so many stories started. I really do want to finish them, but I need to leave Chapter 1 alone and move on.

Here's my new thing. I'm just to keep writing and get the story out. I'm not going to worry about the right word or editing. I've practiced this technique on 2 picture books and it's working. I just write the whole story out, ignoring age of language, word count, etc. I then start revising, editing, trimming.

I've started a YA novel that I've been wanting to write for years. Wish me luck.

The Blue Boards

Ok, if you haven't heard or been on the blue boards, aka Verla Kay's website, you must immediately go there. Don't pass Go. I'm addicted to them and wish I had discovered them sooner.

It's an online forum for writers, but agents and editors do pop in to chat. Yes, they are literally blue. The forums have categories by genre, response times for agents, publisher, and magazines, contest, and so much more.

There is a wealth of knowledge about the industry posted by writers in all stages of their careers.

Check out the site at Blue Boards

Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Netflix delivered an amazingly well written and well acted movie to me today. Julianne Moore portrays Evelyn Ryan a woman from Defiance, Ohio that was quite the contest queen during the 1950's and 1960's. She was the mother of 10 children and used her writing wit to win contests that helped to support her family. I was struck by 2 things: 1) She was an incredible giving and nurturing mother 2) She believed in the dream and had the writing talent to realize those dreams.

It gave me a boost to believe that they only way to win anything (i.e. a book contract) is to put yourself out there and continually work at it. I've been entering little writing contest like the one that Parenting magazine had a couple months back. The topic was the best parenting advice you ever got. After seeing, this movie, I'm going to keep doing that.

It's a touching, fun movie. So add it to your list of must sees.

Cynthea Liu.com

If you have not been out to her site, you must navigate there immediately. I found her site through the SCBWI discussion boards and am now a regular fan. She's got an incredible amount of rich content for a new writer. The best part is when she periodically offers free critiques in the forms of contests.

In late Oct., she offered the Academy Award of all contests, the opportunity to get your writing in front of a literary agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Those of you in the children's writing genre know that this agency is one that you would love to have represent you.

She announces the finalists tomorrow and even did a random drawing for a free critique so everyone had a chance.

I submitted 25 pages of a middle grade novel that I'm re-working. If I remember correctly, she received over 200 entries.

Take a look around her site and see what you think.

Getting published in Columbus Dispatch.

Ok, so the Parenting magazine didn't want my article, but the Columbus Dispatch did. Here's the story.

I got the best phone call today. You would have thought I was being nominated for a Pulitzer. The Columbus Dispatch called to tell me that they are publishing my story "The Disgusting Things I find in my Pockets" in this Sat's paper.

After tons of rejections, it feels so awesome to have someone say yes. She even told me that I definitely had a touch. Those were some sweet weirds.

What I learned is :

1) Never, ever give up

2) Keep perfecting and working on your craft

3) Keep putting yourself out there. Enter contests, send queries, keep sending your work out.

I also now have my first item for my writing resume. I now have something more than, member of SCBWI. I will actually have a published work.

There will be an electronic version at www.dispatch.com. Check it out on Saturday

Local Parenting Magazine Market

I've written a humorous little story about some of the rather 'interesting' things parents find themselves doing. I submitted it to a parenting magazine, but they didn't think it was right for their magazine. I had decided to save it and wait for a creative non-fiction contest, until I got my newsletter from http://www.kidmagwriters.com/. They suggested sending these kinds of stories to some local parenting magazines. Since my story does reference some local sites, I e-mailed my local parenting magazine and asked for their submission guidelines. I'll have to wait and see what happens.