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Thanks for posting these, Vivian. Just what I needed, too!

THANK YOU!! This is just the encouragement I needed. :-)

Jama and Shannon - Glad you like these quotes! Happy Writing!

I had read this essay and felt hugely heartened, too. Thanks for posting about it here.

Only someone who does it, gets it. I had a friend tell me once she understood why it took me so long to write a novel. She'd just finished a report for her boss that took her all morning. Hmmm. What to say?

Oh, Thank you! These are wonderful to read. I get so frustrated when people think writing is easy for me just because I'm pretty good at it. Since when does being good at something translate to easy?

It was truly wonderful to see you last weekend. And I love those quotes!<br /><br />Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing...

Vivian, I love your strikethrough and your positive attitude. You are that person!<br /><br />I find it amazing how little writing time I actually need to make myself feel good about it. Even a half hour makes me content.

Yes, you are that person. But I&#39;m sorry it&#39;s been so hard to be her lately. Be gentle with yourself. It&#39;s all step by step by step.

Waving to you from my own foxhole, Vivian, and thanking you for your eloquent post. It *is* a difficult balance, isn&#39;t it? Though from my vantage point, it looks like you manage it beautifully.

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Thanks for the cheer, PJ! If I wrote faster, I&#39;d be happy with a half hour. I&#39;m glad you get your time!<br /><br />Jeannine, Thanks for the reminder and kind words. I appreciate it!<br /><br />Amy, You&#39;re so sweet. Here&#39;s to making the balance work for us!

write there with you :)<br /><br />I must say, however, that my husband and children seem to like me alot better when I do carve out those moments for writing.... it does something for my brain... makes me a much more pleasant wife and mom<br />thanks for your prompts! They give my brain something to play with and make me happy too!

We ARE in it together because I am that person, too!<br /><br />BTW, great writing prompt and totally useful for what I&#39;m working on right now. Thanks!

Sally,<br />I&#39;m glad these writing prompts make you happy. Thank you!<br /><br />Sherrie,<br />Yay! We&#39;ll make this together! Make this writing prompt work--you can do it!

Sometimes I think kids that age aren&#39;t very far thinking. If the person isn&#39;t directly in front of them when making plans, they don&#39;t think to include the person. So hopefully it isn&#39;t a situation of being excluded as much as it is she wasn&#39;t physically present when they made the plans. An out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.<br /><br />And I&#39;d be hesitant about a

I&#39;d be really hesitant on the 5th graders wandering around. Though it hurts, consider her the fortunate one.

Thanks, Chris and PJ. I was worried I was veering on the overprotective side, but am relieved you would be hesitant about this, too.

I&#39;ve been thinking a lot about this--how problems that tweens/teens have look so big, so insurmountable to them, and our solutions just aren&#39;t solutions they can accept/use. Our knowing that things will get better or there&#39;s a way around something doesn&#39;t even dent their feelings about how important/big it is. <br /><br />She&#39;ll be okay. It&#39;s just so hard. :)

I&#39;d consider it a blessing that your car isn&#39;t available :-) ... 5th grade girls walking around alone ... no way!

Becky,<br />You hit the nail on the head. Thanks for saying this so well.<br /><br />Thanks Kelly. It is crazy, isn&#39;t it? Things turned out okay, though. One of Spy Girl&#39;s friends came over later. I dread the next half-day.

Ick. I hated this aspect of school. All that angst. Now I save my angst for the dentist...<br /><br />It&#39;s horrible watching from the sidelines, isn&#39;t it? My daughter had a formerly good friend drop her a while back, because this friend was 18 months older and no longer felt cool hanging out with my girl. Crushed her to pieces. Crushed me to pieces. But it&#39;s true, we do get over these

I think this is really going to be one of our tests, as mothers of adolescents and teens -- to let them feel the feelings without fixing them. But it is hard when our own memories are so visceral...<br /><br />Sigh...<br /><br />Feeling it with you, Vivian...

On a different note, I&#39;m glad your car has a name. Our car is named Pandora, though I realize I&#39;ve never actually told my daughter that. <br /><br />Being left out breeds great experience for writing stories, but it is no fun to experience. [/understatement]<br /><br />P.S. The deleted comment was mine. There was a typo.

Alkelda,<br />My kids love Sophie. Thankfully, she&#39;ll last a little longer. She needed a new muffler, tailpipe and harness. Sigh. <br /><br />I&#39;ve taken care of the deleted comment. No worries.<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />Liz,<br />You know it. It&#39;s tough to watch this, I can&#39;t imagine what torture I&#39;ll have to deal with as the years go by...<br /><br />And btw, congrats on

very nice and encouraging! And perfect for this soggy wet miserable day.<br /><br />Are you doing nano this year? I&#39;m elloecho if you are!

I love this! We always say &quot;Feel the fear and do it anyway!&quot;

With the book that I am now writing I am afraid every single day that I get to work on it.<br /><br />And then I plunge.

Oh, I needed this today. Totally fear of what I&#39;m going to do that&#39;s making me procrastinate. Thanks!

Great tip! (As a struggle to write soemthing, anything, today)

Glad you&#39;re writing, Chris! We need more of your books! <br /><br />Congrats on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Mike-Kissed-Christine-Marciniak/dp/1601545452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1250103011&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">WHEN MIKE KISSED EMMA</a>!

Thanks, Vivian! Some days it&#39;s just harder to find the time than other days. :)

And these silly sentences will string together to write silly books. But books nonetheless.<br />love it!

Yes!!!

Thanks, PJ and Liz! <br /><br />When are your books coming out?

I really like this! Thanks for the motivation.

OMG, Liz!!! ALL THE WORLD is on the <a href="http://news.bookweb.org/zstage/6986.html" rel="nofollow">Fall 2009 Children&#39;s Indie Next List</a>!!! Congratulations!

You&#39;re welcome, Calliope.

Oh, I long for a line or two from this day.<br /><br />But only the corporate work prevails just now. My stories don&#39;t know what they are yet.

Does blogging count for word count =)

I love this, because really, how can we make any writing better unless we write it down in the first place?

Yay for the summer that will change your life. Good luck with negotiating siblings, and patience, and concentration, and finishing those projects. I have a novel I hope to finish by August. So here&#39;s a wave from my screen porch where I&#39;m getting back to work. And a tip of ice tea (which needs more ice).

It all gets done eventually if you keep at it, Vivian. Maybe grab a popsicle or some ice cream for extra strength.

Good luck with your writing!

I spend a lot of time negotiating peace and preventing hostile takeovers as well, only I couldn&#39;t have said it as perfectly as you!<br /><br />I&#39;m looking forward to reading Nothing but Ghosts (if the mailman would just hurry up!), doing some revising, finishing my WIP and enjoying a week in Hawaii. <br /><br />Still debating SCBWI...

&quot;The summer my life will change&quot; gave me goosebumps.

A summer immobilized by achilles surgery = FINISH REVISIONS<br /><br />I&#39;m starting this week at a chapter a day. Hoping for 1 1/2 or 2 next.<br /><br />Then charge into the next project -- new or the other revision????

Whoever invented summer vacation hates parents.<br /><br />(yeah, yeah, teachers need a break...the crops need harvesting...whatever.)<br /><br />:)

Good luck! I will keep my fingers crossed. I&#39;ve wanted to write a novel for about 5 years now, but never seem to get around to it. I am the queen of procrastination, I guess.<br /><br />Funny how the one post often leads to more, isn&#39;t it? I&#39;ve noticed that as well.

Quite similar to yours!!!

I&#39;ll still be cheering you on, Vivian! The smackdown continues...that&#39;s my plans for the summer.

My plan for the summer, at least in part, is to cheer you on. The world needs your books. <br /><br />I will hope that all need for all prevention of hostile takeovers and similars melts away, like ice in the bottom of a cup.<br /><br />Thank you for this, Vivian.

What!!! A new project??? When does FFW get to know about this or have I just been living in a hole?<br />Don&#39;t let your life change too much! I love you just the way you are :)

&quot;It will come&quot; -- YES. And in the meantime, it&#39;s amazing that you&#39;ve got another manuscript drafted. Good luck with your writing this summer!

We can only fight the projects/ideas that come to us so much. And we shouldn&#39;t, perhaps, fight them THAT much! I&#39;m so impressed by your attitude and your postiive strength. :)

Good luck on finishing your historical novel. Summer is tough to get my blogging and writing done. Kids are at home and too many fun summery things to do!

Wow, I go away for a couple of days, and you&#39;re all here! <br /><br />Jeannine,<br />Yes, to the iced tea! Unfortunately, I don&#39;t have a porch; however, I&#39;ll write along with you from my dining room! Good luck with your novel.<br /><br />Adrienne,<br />Thanks. I&#39;ll definitely keep the sweets nearby for sustenance. Great idea!<br /><br />Priya, <br />Thank you!<br /><br />Sherrie,<

Sarah,<br />Thanks! Methinks it is the start of a title. Hope all is well. <br /><br />Jim,<br />Good luck with your revisions! And wishing you a speedy recovery!<br /><br />Aerin,<br />I like the way you think. Enjoy your summer!<br /><br />Sheila,<br />Go write your novel! If I can do it, you can, too! <br /><br />Kelly,<br />Looking forward to hearing your stories!

Jolie,<br />Yay! for the Smackdown! I will persevere and cheer you on, too!<br /><br />Beth,<br />Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope your book release week turned out great! <br /><br />PJ,<br />This is new and I didn&#39;t tell anyone about it. The MG protagonist just started talking to me one day and I had to start writing so I could capture her voice. I&#39;ll submit this next time around

Amy,<br />Thank you! And best of luck with your writing this summer!<br /><br />Becky,<br />You said that so well. Yes, the Muse commanded me on this one and I had to obey--I want to be sure she&#39;ll come back again! Thank you and Happy Writing!<br /><br />Kelly,<br />Good luck to you, too! Enjoy your summer!

Have you heard about book blogger <a href="http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/2009/06/nothing-but-ghosts-book-drive-yes-there.html" rel="nofollow">My Friend Amy&#39;s book drive for Nothing But Ghosts</a>?

Sounds like you have your hands full. Hope it all smooths out soon...

Just keep at it. You will get it done. One day you&#39;ll just feel inspired and knock a lot out.<br />As for me, no big summer plans. I&#39;m in a bit of a holding pattern due to some issues. Short trip in August, that&#39;s about it.

Vivian, I have vowed the same. I think of the last line of Rilke&#39;s poem <a rel="nofollow">Archaic Torso of Apollo</a> where the last line, &quot;You must change your life&quot; (&quot;Du musst dein leben andern&quot;) catches me in surprise.

If I had a good answer to that I would have actually gotten something accomplished today.<br /><br />Good luck with your writing.

I usually go somewhere that limits my distractions. Our library has wi-fi, but I sit out of its range in a more secluded section. <br /><br />Of course right now I'm in my living room watching tv and surfing while I should be finishing the brochure I'm working on!

I do that all the time. :P Is there any way to temporarily block websites on your computer?

Priya,<br />There is! Laini Taylor uses <A HREF="http://macfreedom.com/" REL="nofollow">Freedom</A> and I think I'm going to download it very soon. Great idea!<br /><br />Kara,<br />Hope you get some writing done!<br /><br />Chris,<br />Thanks! And get some more writing done--I want to find out what happens next!

I'm not an author, but I've had a number of writing intensive jobs and am an incorrigible multi-tasker/web browser. While normally the reward system doesn't work all that well for me (I know I can just get the reward anyway), it does work fairly well for me to do the "just write for 30 minutes and then you can check mail/reader/news." When it works really well, I get on such a roll that the

My word count is like a challenge to me.

Infant Bibliophile,<br />And there you are! Thanks for sharing your tips.

T. Anne,<br />Word counts DO make great challenges. Good luck!

Big padded headphones. Or earplugs. Otherwise household noises bug me!

Lately, I&#39;ve been trying to take it day by day. Look at my project &amp; see what I can get done or how I can move forward on it, even if its just a small chunk. It&#39;s all progress, right? :)

I walk away from the computer, which zings with emails all day long. I write in longhand.

Typewriters. They make you feel all old-school and cool. And I love the sounds they make. :)

I try to be honest with how much time I spent towards my goal and how much towards "non productive" things. And then like an unruly child, I set limits. I'll give myself x-amount of time towards goofing and X-amount towards the goal.

Well, I don't want to sound really prim and cheesy, but if I want to get something done I tell myself that I can't go to bed until I've done what I wanted to do. And since I love going to bed a LOT I generally buckle down around 9pm and work like mad. But that's the only time in the day I have to myself, usually.

I'm doing good and it looks like you are off to a great start!

You're doing much better than I am. I haven't even started writing yet. As soon as I finish reading a few more blogs I will. I really will.

Love that photo! I feel your pain, but it'll be worth it. :)

Okay, LOVE that photo!! That made me laugh out loud :^)<br /><br />I've spent the last week revising my opening and going over the manuscript with a fine tooth comb. As I type, it is printing out and I'm sending it off the editor I met in Colorado. My nerves are jangling.<br /><br />Good luck with the revisions today!

Many times I measure my writing progress by how many words I've managed to CUT in a day!

I know that feeling!<br /><br />-Stacey

How frustrating. But I completely understand. I haven't gotten close to writing something real in a while.<br /><br />I'd cling to those 84 words

I just started re-reading my NaNoWriMo manuscript on Friday, so you're way ahead of me! :) Kelly from http://yannabe.com

This is very very funny. Thanks for posting it!!I hope you have an equally great time when you go to the next conference.

Very cute, Vivian! Thanks for posting it!

In this world, everyoneugg boots would have frustrateduggs and weak, the only hope forHigh pressure blower him than have the help ofIndustrial fan relatives and friends. Today's Industrial blowerfalls does not mean that Commercial blowerthe entire life since then with a wholesaleheavy heart. One's life, not because china wholesalethere are too many to enjoy,wholesale shoes but because of life

Once it's in print, you can't change it.

PJ,You are so right. I need to come to terms with that.

I live to revise. I'm totally with you.

This is the hardest thing to decide. I think it's a mix of delight with what you've got and nausea at the thought of trying to do any more! :)

I assure you what you write IS NOT dribble. My fear is that I personally don't love revision enough to do the dozen revisions needed to get my MS to a publishable state.

My method (of knowing when to stop) is to keep reading the passages out loud. When it flows to your ear, when you fall into its rhythm (as if you weren't the writer, but someone else was), you are ready....

Beth,I love your method. I will try this.---Jim,Thank you. You have a good story that needs to be shared. I KNOW you will do it! Besides, we can all cheer each other on!----Becky,I love your answer! No nausea point here, yet...----Barrie,It's nice to know you love to revise, too! Happy Revising!

I've run out and grabbed a bubble tea drink to see what it really tasted like mid-writing!

PJ,Thanks for sharing this! I've been feeling like I'm wasting too much time in the details, rather than finishing things up. Must work on the balance.

Balance is good, but learning the details make the whole experience so much more fun.BTW, I loved the Bubble tea, but my kids couldn't stand it.Good luck!

I've never tried Bubble tea. If I ever see a place that sells it, I'll try some in honor of you! Hope you like what you've written so far!

This is going to pay off for you! And for your readers. :)

Vivian: There are two minds with this. One (Ken Kalfus works this way) is to write the book through, leaving blanks where the "facts" must be. The other (which is my approach) is to read and read and stop and stop, because in the details often lie the story.It's fun work, I think.

Becky,I hope so! Thank you!----Beth,Thanks for sharing your process! Love to read these kind of things.

Vivian,Inside the conversations, laughter, snowman building, something will occur to you—a scene, a transition—and though you might be at your desk, you'll still be writing, in that essential sense.

It's a distracting time of year. Glad to hear you're excited about your PB! I just finished up a busy week of map jobs and am really looking forward to getting back to my PB-WIP. (How's that for acronyms?) :-)

Im ripping and shredding an old novel and actually having fun doing it. I'm using sticky notes and colored pencils and it's working. Check it out on my blog. It's a process that I teach in my class and it works!It's raining like crazy this morning and I love it.

There's a whole bunch of things I should be doing but I just keep procrastinating... I always seem to do that at this time of year. :o/

I'm looking at book 3 in my Forgotten Worlds trilogy, and trying to do an initial revision. Fun.

I'm working on Bea's story, moving things around and finding all the places where I need to add to the narrative. One of these days it'll be ready to submit again!(Tricia, it's all in longhand, too!)

I haven't worked on my book for about two weeks. I've been sick and my in-laws are here. But I'm looking forward to a writing workshop with Val next month!

Sherrie,Oooh! A writing workshop! You're going to love it.Feel better!----Sarah,Can't wait to see what Bea ends up doing next! She has a great story to tell.----PJ,I just know you're going to whip through the revision. You're full of motivation and dedication. And it shows in your stories. I love that.----Lanna-lovely,How I adore your moniker! It is hard doing things at this time of year.

lots of luck!

Good luck, you can do it!

You can do it! I know you can!

Holly, thanks so much for reminding me about this! Chris and Katayoun, thanks!I'm going for this--the most I've ever written in a day is close to 3,900. So what's an extra 1,100 words? But I must take a break and make dinner. The restless must be fed.

I just realized I should give a count. I'm at 1,640 words now. Ack!

Chocolate. Now. It keeps you awake, lets you write, without the crash and without keeping you (TOO) awake when you're done.Go for it!

but what are you writing about? and why is the word verification below a variation on the word "stress"?

Good luck!

I can't believe this. I did it!

May the force be with you!

YES! I knew you could do it, Vivian! Yay! I'm so glad you'll be joining the craziness again on Monday.

Let the new idea brew. But... Write it Down! Make notes. Everything you've thought of so far - even a first chapter if you've thought that far ahead. Then you'll have some of it out of your head - and that will give you room to finish your historical novel. And when you've gotten through that you'll remember the great ideas you had on the other.I find myself jumping between projects a lot.Right

I agree with Christine. Write it all down! Unless you already did. :-) I do the same thing. I have too many projects stewing around. I'm trying to be better about focusing on one project at a time. It's hard though, because sometimes I need a break. My manuscript needs the break from me, too!Good luck!

Ditto! Finish - which it sounds like you've decided to do.Then once you get through this draft, you can totally focus on the other.It's so much fun to get new ideas!

This is one of those problems you are LUCKY to have, even when it drives you insane.How about this? Go to your office supply store and buy some index cards and a lovely box to keep them in. Buy one color for characters, another for setting, and one more for plot (basically scenes, events, actions, etc). Keep it on your desk, but at the back. Then if/when something pops into your brain about this

As "problems" go, you're in great shape! Pity those poor folks with a totally blank slate instead of a list of future projects they're itching to get to.While you're finishing up your YA historical novel, you'll probably want something to read on the side, right? How about something to help with the research of your new idea?

Heh, I've got the same problem. I've got two completed mss., neither of them revised/edited/rewritten. I like the writing part, not the fixing part!!

Yes! So many ideas, so hard to follow one through to the very end! Kind of like plenty of people to date, but only one to marry.Hope you can let your new idea percolate in your subconscious (without taking over completely) while you finish your novel!

OMG! You're right. The video is gross. But so funny. Thanks for these ideas. Very helpful.

Awesome advice, HWM! Love these posts :)

M. Thompson,Glad you found these helpful.Tricia,Thank you! Can't wait to hear all about Big Sur...

Great advice! I hope you've overcome your writer's block now.

What a great post! And you reminded me to add "Enchanted" to my Netflix list.

Chris,Yes, writer's block has finally disappeared. Thanks for your help!Nowheymama,Glad you liked the post. And definitely watch Enchanted. It is really cute.

I never get tired of reading posts like this. Maybe it's because that block can be so persistently pesky! Thanks for the great advice.

Jennifer,Thanks for visiting! Glad you liked this post.

I haven't seen this movie yet...so funny. My daughter will love it! Thanks for the motivation. I've been dragging my feet with writing as well. Take now for instance. I should be working on revisions but instead, I'm enjoying my favorite blog!

My girls and I loved Enchanted - even the roaches cleaning the tub part.Great suggestions on writers block. Mine is going on nineteen years now, so I suspect it will clear up any day now. Kidding. I'll print your tips for my writing days, whenever I can squeeze them in.

As always, your go-getum posts are so spot on. I particularly like the reminder that you should even grab 15 minutes in your chair. It feels bite-sized, manageable, to grab that and it almost inevitably turns into more. Good and more...

Great post! Thank you!

I get writer's block from impatience. I want to be published now! Now! Did I mention now? So when I think about slogging through 150 more pages until my first draft is done, somehow eating the Girl Scout ice cream in the freezer is more appealing. Don't think about it, just do it (and I'm not talking about the ice cream).

Girl scouts sell ice cream? All we ever get are cookies.