Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

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Its the end of June, the beginning of summer and there is soooo much to celebrate!

First off, those of us 12x12ers have reached the halfway point in our challenge!  And I am proud to say that I have 6 pb manuscripts to show for it!

But with the halfway point of the 12x12 Challenge, I also face the end of a war I waged back in September.

Ten months ago I vowed to stop dabbling in writing and do what I could to pursue this field with greater focus and passion. 

Now that I am at the end of the 10 month period, I look back in awe.  Never would I have imagined all that I have done...and all that I still need to do!

But today is a day to celebrate the accomplishments.

What I Accomplished in my 10 Month War on Dabbling:

1)  With the help of my local SCBWI, I created a Critique Group which meets monthly in NYC.  We have grown from 3 at our first meeting to 11 regular attenders.

2)  I participated in Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo in November and completed 30 picture book ideas in 30 days.

3)  I enrolled in and completed two 10 week Children's Writing classes at  Gotham Writers Workshop.

4)  Through PiBoIdMo I found out about Julie Hedlund's new 12x12in12 Challenge to write 12 manuscripts in the year 2012 (one per month).  So far I have stuck to my goal and completed 6 manuscripts!

5)  I attended the Annual SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC in January.

6)  I particpated in Paula Yoo's NaPiBoWriWee in May and completed 6 picture book manuscripts in 7 days.

7)  I attended the NJ SCBWI Conference in June. 

8)  I ended June with a 15 day blog-a-thon following Jeff Goins' 15 Habits of Great Writers.

9)  I started this blog!

10)  I have met the greatest, most encouraging, most energetic, understanding, supportive, creative and brave people I have ever met! 

For the rest of 2012 I hope to complete the 12x12in12 Challenge. We might only be at the halfway point, but boy do we all have a lot to celebrate!

What can you celebrate today?

Writers Weigh In: Friendspiration Nominations!

We all have stories. Its time for me to listen.

I want to hear from YOU!

Not about you...but a writer you admire who you think needs to be known! 

Who inspires you? Share their story/journey/life in a future blog.

This is an excellent way to help promote those around us who help us strive to be better.

My new Friday series will be called Friday's Friendspirations and will be your opportunity to guest blog about the writer YOU want to promote!

Comment below and tell me. Include your email address so I can contact to regarding your post. 

Share away! I look forward to meeting your friends. :)

15 Habits of Great Writers: Serve

"Write the first draft with the door closed and the second draft with the door open."  ~ Stephen King

Kate DiCamillo was the closing speaker for the SCBWI in New Jersey this year.  Her speech shared the contradictions of writing. 

 

The second contradiction in her list was write only for others, write only for yourself.  Kate quoted the phrase “What aileth thee?” A writer must ask this question and then answer it. She must ask others what ails them, then reach for the “heart of humanity”, the universal emotions that bond us all.

 

DiCamillo said, "A writer’s purpose is to deliver the truth, yet make the truth bearable."

At the same time the writer is comforting humanity, the writer must not write to anyone else’s whims. Not write to the market trends. Not write to please anyone else. In order to grab the truth, the writer must write what is in his or her heart. In doing so, the joy and love of the words will flow honestly, truthfully, genuinely.

This habit of serving requires the writer to put people first.

Jeff Goins' suggests solving problems, answering questions, and helping people. 

Although it is hard for me to think of myself as someone who offers advice or helps others because I feel so green myself, I strive to make this blog a place where others can pose questions and find answeres...if not through me, through others' comments.

So how am I going to practice this habit more often?  I am going to actually strive to answer all correspondence on this blog. This is something that I have been lax in and I apologize.  But from this moment, I want to respond to every comment.   Jeff Goins says this how tribes are formed — through accessibility.

So thank you to all of those who have ever answered a question I might have had or taken me under your wing or included me in your social writers' circle.  You have served and can call yourself a writer.  I only hope to be able to serve others like you.

Happy Writing (and Serving) everyone!

15 Habits of Great Writers: Brand

Everyone has a brand...at least that is what Jeff Goins states on his blog. 

What makes a brand, you say?

 A brand is comprised of 3 things:

• Your name
• An image
• Your voice

So I started thinking...what is my brand?

• My Name ~ Marcie Colleen (although I realize that my blog is called The Write Routine, and might eventually need to be changed to be just my name or Marcie Colleen's Write Routine).  It is important to get my name associated with all I do.

• My Image ~ How do people recognize me?  Its the hair.  I have very big, curly blonde hair.  I also often have sunglasses on top of my head. It sounds funny, but it is usually people's first impression of me and how I am found in a crowd.  The real question to start pondering is how to make that part of my brand.  I could look to one of my creative artist friends and ask them to create a logo based on my hair and sunglasses....or I can simply use my headshot (which is what I currently use). But in any case, it is part of my brand.

• My Voice ~ All writers spend at least some time looking for their voice.  Its the style in which we communicate.  A writing teacher once said, upon reading a manuscript of mine, that is contained my "trademark wit and sense of absurd joy"! What a magnificent compliment!  I felt like I had really found my picture book voice. 

So there you have it.  My brand...

Marcie Colleen ~ Big curly blond hair, with sunglasses atop her head and a trademark wit and sense of absurd joy! 

I'll take it!  Now to let the world know about it!

What's your brand?



15 Habits of Great Writers: Publish

Great writers are great not because of talent, but because they possess one crucial ingredient that the rest of us lack:

Perseverance.

They know how to stick things through — to push hard and achieve a goal and move on to the next project.

Mostly, they understand that until they publish their work, until other eyeballs are on it, it might as well be invisible.  ~ Jeff Goins

Yesterday I had a wonderful feeling as I walked through Brooklyn on the way home from work.  I truly felt like I was closer than ever to the big dream of becoming a published author.  Just the mere thought was enough to put a spring in my step, despite soaring record high temperatures that literally baked me on the asphalt.

The thing is, every artist knows that there are days when you feel like you are on the right track and getting closer to the goal and then there are days when you feel like you couldn't be farther.  But the truth is that I am closer.  I am closer to my goal because of one thing...perseverance.

Every day I spent time pursuing my dream I get closer. 

I am even closer than I was a month ago because today I have more manuscripts than a month ago.  I have more ideas, more contacts in the business, more confidence...

Every writer has a choice. 

One month from today can be simply  a month that has gone by.  Or it can be one month closer.

Great writers persevere.  I choose to, as well.

Happy writing!



15 Habits of Great Writers: Provoke

I'm not gonna lie.  I got incredibly excited when I saw what this habit was.  I kinda thought it meant that I should contact agents and editors and say, "what?  aren't you big enough for this?  are you not smart enough to see how genius this work is?  I bet you don't have what it takes!"

But no.  This is not about provoking, meaning bullying.  Although it can include bullying, in another sense.  Hang with me.  I'll explain.

About a month ago, I shared one of my manuscripts, a WIP, with some fellow writers.  The response..."this story kinda makes light of bullying.  You might want to steer clear of this, seeing as it is such a hot topic." 

Since then, I have been present when other fellow writers have gotten criticism along the lines of:  "Dealing with the death of a parent might be too intense for kids."  "Parents might not be happy about the way they are portrayed in this story."  "The language might be too high for kids."  "Everyone steers clear of this topic because it is hard."

Countless times we are told that what we might be creating is "hot" or "too emotional". So what are we to do?

Jeff Goins writes, "Writing is an art. And all good art pushes buttons. It pokes and prods, makes people uncomfortable."

If you’re going to be a great writer, you’re going to have to shake things up. Maybe even break a few rules. Here are some ideas:

• Tell the ugly truth.
• Pick a fight with something that’s wrong with the world.
• Call yourself out.
• Make a giant confession.
• Take a risk.
• Write something dangerous (something you’ve never written before).

Why do we do this?

• Because we live in a world of lies. Of false flattery and exaggeration. And we need you, the artist, to tell the truth. To help us get out of our comfort zones. After all, that’s the only place we grow.
• Because this sets others free. To do the same. To live freely and honestly. So get in our faces; tell us the truth. And watch the ripple effect.

So go on!  Provoke today!  Be bold!

15 Habits of Great Writers: Declutter

As a Picture Book writer I am constantly trying to master the economy of language.  In fact, today I am in the process of revising a 650 word manuscript before getting it critiqued.  I have it down to 501 words.

Its amazing to me when I read a manuscript that I thought was perfect two months ago and I suddenly notice turns of phrases and filler words that simply aren't needed. 

My newest war is on "lazy" verbs and adverbs.  I am currently trying to make stronger choices that say much more.

Cut, cut, trim, trim.

Not all phrases and words are easy to eliminate, however.  I sometimes find myself trying to hold on to those clever and funny lines that are not really important to the plot...but they genius!  Ugh..kill those darlings!

Cut, cut, trim, trim.

And it never fails that whenever word count is discussed among Picture Book writers, there is always someone who brings up that there are indeed 1000 word books that are published.  Sure...there are exceptions...but if 500 word manuscripts are what agents and editors are buying more of, don't you want to increase your odds of getting sold?  I know I do.

We can argue for longer manuscripts, but make sure it isn't simply your ego that is arguing. 

When in doubt, try trimming...maybe 100 words at a time.  You will surprise yourself.

Cut, cut, trim, trim!  Let's all declutter today!