Category: Writing

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NaNoWriMo or Not?

As many of you may know, November is National Novel Writing Month. (Note:  the link may not work for a few days as the website is being prepared.) Thousands of people from over the globe lock themselves to their computers and write at least 50,000 words towards a novel. The excitement towards the end of October is palpable. It is like being at the start of a horse race, ready for the bell to go off. The horses are dancing and pawing, the riders are tense. Everyone is talking in excited whispers. It is a thrill!

If you are thinking about joining in, but aren’t sure, I’ll share some of my own NaNoWriMo musings.

5 great reasons to participate:

1. The feeling of being part of a huge community of writers all trying to accomplish the same goal in their own way is exhilarating. Trying to do the seemingly impossible adds to the adrenaline rush.

2. If you are lucky, you will find writing time in nooks and crannies of your day where you hadn’t considered to look. You may push yourself to new word counts at rates you never thought possible. The cool badges put your word counts out there for everyone to see.

3. You may learn more about your craft. If you have never written a novel before, you will definitely learn more about crafting a plot, developing characters, dialogue and hundreds of other writing intangibles, such as the fact your characters will develop minds of their own and fly off in unexpected ways.

4. You create your very own novel!

5. NaNoWriMo may lead to many positive outcomes, regardless of what happens with your novel. In my case, I started a personal blog to record my thoughts on the writing process as I went along (you can find a link to it on the about page of this blog). That personal blog developed into Wrapped In Foil, through which I have “met” many fine people in the kidlitosphere. It would not have happened if I hadn’t participated in NaNoWriMo.

You never know where it will take you.

Although participating in NaNoWriMo may be glamorous and fun, there are many solid reasons not to participate:

1. You might want to give it a miss if adult fiction is not your genre. There are a few attempts to create children’s literature-friendly versions of NaNoWriMo, but let’s face it, different genre’s require varied writing skills. The ability to write children’s picture books is more the ability to distill and weed out words rather than write prolifically. In my case, I am committed to children’s nonfiction, rather than adult fiction.

2. Your family members need those essentials, such as a roof over their head, nutrition and hygiene. If participating in NaNoWriMo is going to compromise your ability to provide those, well, enough said.

3. You have other projects that will take you further if you were to complete them. Go for those instead. Finishing that PhD thesis? Yes, that might be more important.

4. Your novel requires a lot of research to provide historical or scientific accuracy. One month is not enough time to do hordes of research and write too, even with Google. Go for the quality, not the quantity.

5. This isn’t the “write” year. Give yourself a break. or find challenges that are more in step with what is going on in your life. Another writing activity to consider is National Blog Posting Month, or maybe you want to do a reading challenge instead. Sometimes knowing your limits is more important than testing them.

NaNoWriMo or not? What do you think?

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Anything But Typical

anythingbut

A middle-grade fiction book about a 12-year-old boy with autism doesn’t necessarily sound like a must read, but Anything But Typical is never what you expect. If you know someone with autism, you have to read this book. If you are interested in the craft of writing, you have to read this book. If you are a teacher with quirky students, you have to read this book. And, oh yes, if you are a middle-grade aged kid who likes a superbly written book, you have to read this book.

Nora Raleigh Baskin has taken on a tough assignment by telling the story from the point of view of the main character, Jason. It would be easy to fall into stereotypes or even worse, to create an unrealistic voice. Baskin has avoided the traps and created a character you can identify with and root for, a boy with an alphabet of labels who turns those letters into wonderful stories.

People with autistic spectrum disorders often have narrowly focused talents and/or interests. Some writers are going to say that Baskin copped out by having Jason an aptitude for writing. What’s easier than writing about a character with an ability in your own craft? Rather than taking the easy route, however, Baskin has defied the stereotypes. Too often people with autism spectrum disorders are pigeonholed as computer geeks, engineers or scientists. An autistic boy who is a gifted writer is a refreshing change.

Because Jason’s writing is such an important part, this book is a gem for teaching language arts. All the elements for crafting a fiction story, such as foreshadowing and conflict, are laid out for all to see. Reading this book would allow many opportunities for discussions about writing, and for tie-in writing activities as well as for ample material for sensitive discussions about autism.

Anything But Typical is a special book. My friend Lisa recommended to me (Thank you, Lisa!). Now it is my turn to recommend it to you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (March 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416963782
ISBN-13: 978-1416963783

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Reading and Writer’s Block

Recently our local Arizona indie bookstore, Changing Hands, held a stellar event for those interested in children’s books. Changing Hands does a wonderful job attracting dynamic and popular kidlit authors and illustrators, as well as others industry insiders, to give an annual panel discussion (in the past they have featured local author Stephenie Meyer).

The discussion this time was lively and entertaining, an informative exchange between the experts and the audience. At one point an audience member brought up the topic of writer’s block. Two of the participants stated something that surprised me. They admitted that reading their way out of writer’s block did not work for them.

One author said that he had read a lot as a kid and before he became a writer. Now that he writes, however, he doesn’t want to read anything. First of all, when he has his editor mind working, he finds himself being critical of others. Also, he admits that he is afraid he will pick up other writer’s voices, something that certainly does happen.

Another panel member chimed in that he doesn’t read either. He is concerned he will read something really fantastic (he mentioned Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games), and it would be too discouraging. He thought it would make him want to quit because he would compare himself to that standard and not be able to reach it.

These remarks make a lot of sense. I had always thought that writer’s block occurred when “your well is empty” and you need to read to refurbish yourself. Maybe reading doesn’t make you a better writer after all, at least not when you are actively writing.

Another panel member suggested that blocks are often the result of problems you don’t know the solution to yet, and that walking away or free writing might help the process along. Going to a movie or taking a walk might give that part of your brain that is chugging away on the problem a chance to finish processing.

I have to admit that when I have “my editor’s hat on,” I find it extremely difficult to be creative. Recently I had a copy editing job that continued on for several weeks. Every time I set down the job and tried to do my own writing I would stumble around looking for the perfect words for each sentence I wrote. Now the job is over, the words flow.

What do you do when you are struggling with writing? What do you think of the idea that reading might not be helpful?

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On Creativity and Writing

I have always wondered why I don’t mind taking a hundred photographs and throwing out the 50 or even more that are slightly out of focus or didn’t capture the image the way I wanted, but that I expect every word I write to turn out brilliantly.

Thanks to my friend Deb for pointing out that in every creative process you need to be willing to create some (and maybe a lot of) duds, learn from them, throw them out either literally or figuratively, and keep trying. Sometimes you need to perform exercises that are meaningful only to your own process in order to produce works that speak to others in the future.

What do you think?