By Lynne GarnerA few months ago the lovely ladies at WOW sent me a link for
PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). Children's author
Tara Lazar devised the concept. The basic idea is to come up with 30 ideas for picture books over a 30-day period. Thankfully, you're not expected to complete 30 manuscripts in 30 days. Simply come up with at least one new idea per day. This could be a title, a character, an idea based on something you saw or perhaps overheard.
I'll admit the idea was a little scary. I debated for a week or so before I took the plunge and signed up. I've seldom had a problem coming up with ideas but I definitely felt out of my comfort zone during this challenge. Some days I struggled to come up with anything. Other days I had two, sometimes even three, ideas. For example, whilst driving home on day 12 I had three ideas. First, I spotted a For Sale sign that had a large black hen on it. A few days earlier I'd read
The Little Red Hen. I now had a friend for her, a big black hen. The story will focus on how these two friends use their size difference to help one another. Secondly, seeing a queue at a bus stop reminded me of a joke where people joined a queue but didn't know what they were queuing for. So this story will focus on what each character hopes is at the front of the queue. Finally, I was stuck behind a very slow moving tractor. Thankfully I had plenty of time, but this made me think about how life seems to put slow things in your way when you are running late. So this story will focus on how my character deals with slow things when he needs to be fast.
Taking part in Picture Book Ideas Month has reinforced my belief that ideas can be hidden around every corner. It has also highlighted to me that in order to improve your writing you have to set yourself the odd challenge or two. This challenge could be anything. Perhaps writing in a story format you've never used, crafting a story in rhyme or telling a story with a limited number of words. It could be joining a local writing group or a national group such as
SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writes & Illustrators), writing a story to enter into a competition or, as I did, signing up for Picture Book Ideas Month.
So, go on, give your writing a boost and set yourself a challenge.
-----Would you like to try writing a picture book? Sign up now for Lynne Garner's class,
How to Write Children’s Picture Books and Get Published, which starts on January 5, 2013.
If you've taken a picture book course before then you can enroll in Lynne's advanced course,
5 Picture Books in 5 Weeks (Advanced Course), which also starts on the same day.
by Kelly L. StoneOne of the most powerful actions you can take to establish writing as a habit in your life is to carve out time to write every day for at least 30 days, and make a commitment to write every day for that entire 30 days. Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, if you make the short-term commitment to do this, you will soon have a deep understanding of a very important concept: there is power in daily writing!
Daily writing leads to success, no ifs, ands, or buts. That’s because it forces you to focus like a laser on your work in progress and hone your writing skills whether you feel like writing or not. This in turn influences your subconscious mind to help you start thinking of yourself as a writer (or reinforces that belief) and that in turns affects your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward writing. Writing begets writing. Daily writing begets writing success.
Success is predicted by how you think, feel, and behave toward your writing goals. A person who has success-oriented thoughts and who feels confident in her abilities will naturally take daily actions that bring about her desired outcomes. She will feel enthusiastic, motivated, and dedicated to those outcomes because she thinks, feels, and acts her way toward reaching them, and she does the things every day necessary to achieve success.
This is the case with writing. An aspiring author who thinks positive thoughts and believes in herself will touch her craft daily, which will generate the enthusiasm and motivation to set goals. She will then cultivate the dedication required to take steps to reach those goals over a long period of time. She will write every day or take action every day toward her writing dream. She will act in methodical, self-disciplined ways that bring about desire outcomes. She will think, feel, and act in ways that stimulate enthusiasm, motivation, and dedication for achieving success as a writer as she defines it.
You can be that writer. Even if you have gotten off-track with your efforts to become a successful writer, it’s never too late to start again! Through daily writing, you can generate the enthusiasm, motivation, and dedication needed to work toward your long-term writing goals. You can create for yourself what is known in psychology as a positive self-fulfilling prophecy, which is a belief system that sets you up to succeed!
***
Kelly L. Stone (www.AuthorKellyLStone.com) is the author of a women’s fiction novel, GRAVE SECRET (Mundania Press, 2007) which Romantic Times Book Reviews called “powerful” and “well-written.” She is also the author of the TIME TO WRITE series for writers: TIME TO WRITE: No Excuses, No Distractions, No More Blank Pages (Adams Media, 2008), THINKING WRITE: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind (Adams Media, 2009) and LIVING WRITE: The Secret to Bringing Your Craft Into Your Daily Life (Adams Media, 2010). She is a sought after keynote speaker and workshop presenter at writing conferences across the country and offers online classes, critiques, and coaching services to writers. Contact her at [email protected].Make your writing a priority and join Kelly in the WOW! Women On Writing Classroom!EmpowerYour Muse, Empower Your Writing Self starts
September 3, 2012.No MatterHow Busy You Are, You Can Find Time to Write! starts
October 8, 2012
by Nicky LaMarcoMany freelance writers lack organization and this can cause lost income, which no one wants. Learning how to manage your freelance writing projects is vital to your business since you are working on several different writing projects at a time.
Use a TemplateStart with inbound client paperwork. Keep it on your desk at all times. When a client calls or emails you with a new project you will be able to ask all of the right questions and get it all on paper. Templates save you time and energy. You can create them for invoices, project outlines, e-mails, interviews, articles, and just about anything. To get an idea of what freelancers use them for, check out these helpful
templates for research on WOW
! You can get some other helpful templates on Jennifer Mattern's blog,
All Freelance Writing.
Coordinate Calendars You should have a desk calendar, a home calendar, and a daily planner. Keep them updated on a daily basis. Write deadlines and appointments on your desk calendar. If you need to go to a business meeting write that on all of your calendars. Use your daily planner to write out the tasks you will need to complete every day in order to meet your deadlines and make the money you need to every day. Before the start of your work week pull all three calendars together to ensure you have everything written on each one. And if you don't want to lug around printed calendars, you can always create calendars online with
Google or get an app for your smartphone.
Use a Schedule Create your own schedule and stick to it. If you plan to work from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, then do it. Work when you are scheduled to work and do not work when you are not scheduled to. This will help you manage your freelance writing projects and avoid overworking.
Determine Your LimitHow much can you write every day? What is your limit? Knowing this will help you manage projects because you can immediately accept or decline new freelance writing projects. For example, if you mainly write articles and you can write 10 articles a day, but no more, you will know that you can accept more if you are currently writing 8 articles a day. Use a little math to determine how many you will need to write each day in order to meet the deadline. If you can write 2 articles a day to meet the deadline you can immediately accept the new project. If you can't you will need to have a later deadline or decline the project. Don't be afraid to say, "I am sorry but I am currently booked until March 1st," for example. Overworking yourself on too many freelance writing projects will cause burnout and may end up in broken contracts and projects that do not get finished. This results in lost money and a client that will probably never contact you again.
Managing your freelance writing projects will help you become more successful.
Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net*****
.jpeg?picon=893)
By: MP,
on 6/12/2011
Blog:
WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin)
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
generating new ideas,
writing children's picture book,
online writing classes,
WOW Classes,
Lynne Garner,
WOW instructor,
children's books,
getting ideas,
writing class,
Add a tag
by Lynne GarnerA friend recently asked me where I got my ideas. "Everywhere," was my reply. She looked a little confused so I explained about the three picture books I’ve had published. The first A Book For Bramble evolved from my work with a not-for-profit organization that rescues sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. I began to wonder what (if any) dreams hedgehogs have whilst they hibernate. Slowly the story of Bramble the hedgehog and his friend Teasel the mouse evolved.
My second book The Best Jumper grew from a conversation with a friend. We were discussing putting on weight and no longer being able to wear that favourite garment. We agreed at least we had the chance to lose the weight and squeeze back into that garment. Unlike a child who would never be able to squeeze back into their favourite piece of clothing because they’d grown out of it. From that conversation came Spindle and his shrinking jumper.
My last book Dog Did It came from owning a dog. Anyone who lives with a canine friend will know they can sometimes suffer from flatulence. This aromatic problem can sometimes result in a statement along the lines of “the dog did it!”So my three books have come from:· An idle question
· A conversation
· A life experience
Now, although I have taught myself to ask questions my secret tool as a writer is my notepad and a pen which I take everywhere with me. In this way, when I see, hear, read or am told something I feel I could use in a story I write it down. Now that small spark of possible inspiration is not lost. So, if you want to be a writer, arm yourself with that secret tool. Pop it into your bag and get into the habit of jottin
By: Linda and Diana,
on 5/10/2010
Blog:
The Renegade Writer
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Become an Idea Machine,
online writing classes,
Diana Burrell classes,
Renegade Writer classes,
Diana Burrell idea workshop,
Get Unstuck for Freelancers,
Linda Formichelli classes,
online freelance writing classes,
Write for Magazines,
Writing,
Query letters,
Classes,
productivity,
Add a tag
Just a quick note to let you know that Diana’s new Become an Idea Machine class, retooled to provide e-mail support, and sessions of Linda’s e-courses Write for Magazines and Get Unstuck! for Freelancers, will start on Monday, May 17, 2010.
Diana has reworked her popular idea workshop so that she could provide one-on-one coaching with students who find it difficult to come up with story ideas to sell to editors. In this three-week class:
- You’ll learn how to generate dozens, even hundreds of possible story ideas, starting from day one.
- You’ll learn how to sift through your ideas for the good ones, the ideas that have potential, and learn how to refine and shape them into stories you can sell.
- You’ll figure out how to target your ideas for the right markets.
- You’ll never be at a loss when an editor asks if you have any more ideas for them? You’ll have dozens of good ideas, sorted into subject categories.
Sign up on Diana’s e-course page. Space is limited to ten students for the Premium-level class. Oh and don’t forget — Diana will be the guest speaker at the Renegade Writer’s free teleclass on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, speaking on 5 Tips for Finding Story Ideas That Sell at 8:30 p.m. ET. More deets here.
Students in Linda’s Write for Magazines e-course have broken into such magazines as E: The Environmental Magazine, Woman’s Day, Black Health, Spirituality and Health, Writer’s Digest, Cottage Living, and other top-notch pubs.
Her Get Unstuck! for Freelancers e-course will share her secrets for organizing your workspace, managing your time, beating perfectionism and procrastination, writing faster, and more. Who is Linda to teach others about productivity and motivation? Well, she earns a full-time income working just two days per week using these tips! To get more info and to sign up, please visit Linda’s e-course page. Space is limited for the Premium and Gold versions of the courses, so don’t wait!
By:
Administrator,
on 3/29/2010
Blog:
Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them!
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Young Adult Novels,
writing for children,
Middle School Teachers,
Elementary Educators,
Preschool to 1st grade teachers,
Maniac Mondays,
High School Teachers,
WOW! Online Classes,
blogging classes,
Online writing classes,
social networking classes,
WOW! Women On Writing blog,
WOW! Women On Writing classes,
Add a tag
If you are a teacher, librarian, parent, or anyone really, you might be interested in taking some online classes about writing and social networking this spring and summer. I am teaching three classes through WOW! Women on Writing’s classroom and workshop program, and I am super excited!
The first class I am teaching starts on Wednesday, April 21 and is called: Writing For Children: Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers. This is for anyone who has ever thought–hey, I’d like to write for children, but you’re not sure where to start or how to get some publishing credits. Here’s an interview I did with Angela from WOW! about writing for children in these areas and about my class. This class meets for seven weeks–online using a Google group. We do not meet at a certain time online–it’s all done at each student’s own schedule. I am running a special this spring–it usually costs $200, but I’m offering it for $175. Click here to view the syllabus and to sign up for the class. (This is the third time I’m offering this course.)
The next class I am teaching was really popular this winter. It’s called: SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS: TWITTER, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN AND MORE! This course is actually for anyone who wants to learn how to use these social networks–for personal and business reasons, although we focus mostly on businesses such as freelance writing, authors who want to promote a book, freelance editors, writing coaches, etc. The class starts on Monday, May 24 and lasts for four weeks for $100. We use a Google group, and students don’t have to be online at a certain time–we work around all schedules. I also did an interview with Angela for this class and tips for using social networking as a writer. For more information on the syllabus and how to sign up for the class, click here.
The last class is brand new, and I am super excited to teach it–especially since I love blogging so much. The class is all about blogging and is called: BLOGGING 101 AND MORE: Start a Blog, Make it Unique, and Keep it Going. This course will help new and experienced bloggers start and/or improve a blog in either Wordpress or Blogger. We will use a Google group as our virtual classroom. It starts on Monday, July 12, runs for five weeks, and is $125. We’ll discuss keeping up with your blog, making it unique, driving traffic to it, and even monetizing it. Go here for more information on the syllabus and to sign up. This class can be for anyone who wants to start a blog about anything. Also, please feel free to leave any comments or questions below and pass on the information to your friends and family with the SHARE THIS button.
Thanks for your support as always! 
If you are interested in all the cl
+Kelly+Stone.jpg)
I think I'm going to have to participate in PiBoIdMo next year. It sounds fun! :)
Thanks for sharing how you developed your ideas. I found it helpful.
Ideas are REALLY around every corner if you have a two-year-old like I do, but I struggle with having the energy/mindset to write them down. :) Anyway, do you think PiBoldMO is as challenging as NaNoWriMo? I did my own version of NaNoWriMo this year--finishing a first draft of a middle-grade novel. I think the important thing is to keep producing? Right?
Love the bus-queue idea, Lynne!