ISWG: I’d be a Better Writer without the Internet

It seems like I’m always setting goals to curb my internet, i.e. surfing time, so that I can get down to write. Last fall, I read Eat that Frog: 21 Ways to Get More Done in Less Time and following Tracy's suggestions really helped for awhile. I banned the Internet (which was on my not life or death, but fun list, according to the book) until I had eaten a few frogs (did hard stuff, like dishes and writing). It worked for awhile. But now I’m creeping back to my distractible old self.


I’m in a brainstorming stage right now, preparing to draft a new book. I’m doing character bios, brainstorming plot ideas, that sort of thing. But the other night, I couldn’t hardly write for 5 minutes straight without thinking of something else to look up. It’s hard to get a lot of writing done when you keep interrupting yourself.

Once a week, my kids have art with their grandpa (my father-in-law). I sit in the next room with my laptop and a cup of tea. I have no internet access for those couple of hours. It probably helps that it’s the one day a week I can write in the morning, my best time of day, but it also helps that I can’t be distracted. If I get stuck, I don’t get lost in “research” instead of writing.  I have to push through.

It is fertile writing time. I get more done on that day than any day of the week.

So it makes me wonder how much more I would accomplish at home if I could just turn off the internet. I once read an interview with author Marissa Burt. She talked about how she doesn’t have internet at home. She has children younger than mine, so part of it was to keep her focus on her children, but I can imagine how it must help her writing. She goes to the library to log in to check her email and social media.

Alas, I cannot commit to such severe methods. I need the internet for work and my kids’ schooling. But what to do?

Perhaps I need to read Eat That Frog again—and be reminded not to fritter my time away on fruitless web searches. I’m not sure.

What do you do resist the pull of the Internet so you can stay focused on writing?

(This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. Thanks for your support!)

Insecure Writer's Group:

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the June 1 posting of the IWSG will be Murees Dupe, Alexia Chamberlynn, Chemist Ken, and Heather Gardner! 

MMGM: Lilliput

This is another delightful surprise I found at my library recently. I was drawn in immediately by the sort of steam-punkish cover (it’s not really a steam punk novel) and the fact that it’s a reimagining of a classic, Gulliver Travels.


For the record, I must admit that I’ve never actually finished Gulliver’s Travels. I tried, I really tried, but after the delightful part about Lilliputians, the rest was pretty slow going.

But never fear, Sam Gayton has taken the most interesting part of Gulliver, and shall I say, made it even more interesting.

Here’s the synopsis (from the back flap):

She is a girl three inches tall with eyes like drops of dew. Her clothes are cut from handkerchiefs and stitched with spider silk. For half her life, she has been trapped in a birdcage while her giant kidnapper sits below her, writing in a leather-bound book. Her name is Lily, and tonight she is escaping. She is going home. To Lilliput.

Inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, Lilliput is an exhilarating adventure filled with cruel contraptions, cunning escape plans, and an evil clock maker who will stop at nothing to capture Lily and her friends. Join Lily as she travels through eighteenth century London—over rooftops, down chimneys, and into chocolate shops—on a journey to find the one place she belongs…home.

What to love about Lilliput:

1.    A delightful main character: Lily’s desire to get home, her difficulties to forgive, her desire to escape at all costs really rang true for me. I also loved how she often spoke Lilliputian, and how she was the perfect contrast of fragile (due to her inexperience and size) and fiercely brave.

2.    World building and setting: I liked the splash of magic in this book, otherwise set in real historical London: the clock maker who could make clocks speed forward or slow down (for nefarious reasons), Lily’s ability to read minds and sense feelings, her extraordinary sense of smell. All this contributed to the whimsical mood of the story.

3.    Larger than life characters. In addition to Lily and Finn, who rescues her, I was particularly drawn to Mr. Ozinda, a chocolate maker who speaks in rhymes, and his talking parrot, Mr. Senor Chitchat.

4.    Lyrical language. This book has an old-fashioned feel, not just in the storytelling, but the illustrations and the language. The simple, yet apt descriptions and metaphors really fit a child’s way of thinking. Like Lily’s description of her first taste of hot chocolate: “It was like swallowing happiness.” And hands down, it is one of the most sensory-rich stories I’ve read recently.

5.    A retelling of a classic.  There’s something about reading a retelling of a classic. I love getting to experience favorite characters and situations in new ways—and in this case, seeing a Gulliver in a completely different light.

Parent/Teacher warning:

There is some violence in this story and one character dies, so this might not be the best book for young and/or sensitive readers.

Have you read a retelling of classic literature that you enjoyed?

To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog. 

ISWG: From the Mind to the Page

I’ve been trying to figure out an insecurity for this month. It’s been hard to choose. I’m finishing up revisions on my manuscript, and soon, I hope to be sending it out. I think I’m more nervous about getting these last revisions right than querying. Go figure.


All my life, I’ve thought that publishing or getting an agent would be my ticket. It would validate me, make everything worthwhile. But, more likely, I hoped it would make others see that I was a real writer.

Now I don’t care so much.

I’ve learned to enjoy the writing, not just the getting published part, which is a big step for me. I used to have enough information in my brain about agents to write my own manuscript wish list.


But I’ve taken two years off submitting. Two years where I’ve just focused on getting my writing where I want it to be. Instead of focusing on whether I’ve written something “they” would like, I’ve focused on whether I’ve written a book I like. Or more exactly, if the story I pictured in my head has made it to the page.


See, I’ve had problems with that too. So far, most of my books haven’t “said” what I wanted to say. Like stepping back from your painting and realizing it doesn’t look like the one you imagined, I’ve done that in my writing. And all the submitting or researching of agents didn’t change that.

But the difference now, and maybe the reason I’m not so nervous about sending this one out, is that I can tell from my critique partners’ feedback that what I wanted to convey with this book is conveyed. That, to me, is a better feeling than getting a request to see my work.


So, I can’t control whether someone else in publishing likes it, but I am pleased. I have done what I set out to do.

As Anne Lamott says in Bird by Bird: "...if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like a lighthouse. Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining."

What are your greatest joys about writing or publishing?

Insecure Writer's Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.
 
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the April 6 posting of the IWSG will be Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne! 

MMGM: Close to the Wind

 

This was a book I didn’t plan to like. I’d heard bad reviews, saying that the fact that it wasn’t set in a particular country didn’t ground it. As I don't usually enjoy books without a specific setting, I thought it wouldn't be for me.

 
But there was something about this story that drew me. Maybe it was the graphic cover or that the unnamed country sounded a bit like Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union—and I am sucker for books about those places. Though I never left at a time of war, leaving  Ukraine for a family emergency on short notice took a bit of verbal acrobatics. So, I could relate to Marek’s story—the insecurity, the intensity of not knowing if you’ll get on that boat (or in my case, a plane).

This is a suspenseful book, and it pulls at your emotions—even if a setting is never named.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

A simple, resonant, and utterly heart-shattering debut about greed, love, trust and what matters most when your world falls apart.

A war-torn country . . . only one way out.

Ten-year-old Malik's world is falling apart. Soldiers have invaded town, and his mother is missing, leaving Malik with his grandfather, Papa. Along with a thousand other refugees, their hope for escape to a new life lies in gaining passage aboard one ship--but the demand for tickets is high, and so is the cost. Can they make it on? And will they find Mama before the ship departs? When things don't go as planned, Malik must summon all of his courage and resourcefulness to survive.

A heart-wrenching and suspenseful story of sacrifice and resilience, Close to the Wind confronts the realities of war in a timeless and accessible way.

What I loved about this book:

1. A sympathetic main character. In many ways, Malik seemed younger than most American kids his age, but then, in others, he did not. I immediately felt for him, because of his missing mother and the obvious love they had for each other. He’s not sarcastic, he feels deeply, and he can outsmart villainous grown-ups. He’s a protagonist you won’t soon forget.

2. The relationship between Malik and his grandfather. This on so many levels reminded me of the film Life is Beautiful, although perhaps young readers won’t see the motives behind the grandpa’s behavior as much as I did. His self-sacrificing nature and his deep love for the boy—unforgettable.

3. Simple language. One thing that really struck me about this novel was how simple the language is. No fancy flourishes, very straightforward, not much description. This is not surprising, considering the author is a former screenwriter. But this very direct style fit the story well.

4. An impressive arc. Both the character and the story arc were so satisfying in this novel.  It was interesting to see how a magic trick introduced subtly at the beginning reappears in the climax.

5. An interesting villain. Although Malik had many obstacles, not all of them people, the main villain in the story was formidable and complex in his own right. The story wouldn’t have been so satisfying without him.

If you like books about war-torn countries, refuges, and family relationships, this is the book for you. Look past the unknown country and enjoy this book for what it is: a simple, sparse, and suspenseful story of a boy’s escape from a war-ravaged country.

What do you think about books with unnamed settings? Does it add or take away from the story for you?


To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog. 

MMGM: Catch You Later, Traitor

This was a book I picked up for a number of reasons. One, I haven’t read anything by Avi that I didn’t like.Who else can write about anthropomorphic animals? Make historical time periods come alive? Write can't-put-it-down mysteries? This guy has range. But I also picked it up because of the subject matter.  I’ve talked before about my soft spot for anything Russian or Soviet,  and so, of course, when I saw this was about the Red Scare, I knew had to read it.

Here’s the synopsis (from Goodreads):

Twelve-year-old Pete Collison is a regular kid who loves Sam Spade detective books and radio crime dramas, but when an FBI agent shows up at Pete’s doorstep accusing his father of being a Communist, Pete finds himself caught in a real-life mystery. Could there really be Commies in Pete’s family? At the same time, Pete’s class turns against him, thanks to similar rumors spread by his own teacher; even Kat, Pete’s best friend, feels the pressure to ditch him. As Pete follows the quickly accumulating clues, he begins to wonder if the truth could put his family’s livelihood--and even their freedom--at risk.

In the tradition of his Newbery Honor book Nothing But the Truth, Avi’s newest novel tells a funny, insightful story packed with realistic period detail of a boy in mid-twentieth-century America. Its unique look at what it felt like to be an average family caught in the wide net of the Red Scare has powerful relevance to contemporary questions of democracy and individual freedoms.


Here’s what I loved:

1. An excellent beginning and ending line. I suppose I’ve been paying attention to this more, since I’ve been learned about techniques like mirroring and narrative patterning. But if you get a chance to read this—read the first and last line. Masterful!

2. A narrator who writes like a crime writer. One of my favorite parts of this book was how the narrative was written (by the protagonist) in the style of Sam Spade. This was a great way to show the scenes through Pete’s eyes, build his character, and make otherwise boring descriptive passages more interesting.

3. Lots of twists and turns. This was a book that was hard to put down, because reveals were built on reveals, each more interesting than the next. As a writer, it shows me how much a solid and interesting back story matters.

4. A time period I didn't know much about. I learned a lot from this book, especially about communists during the Great Depression. Fascinating.

5. Family-centered plot. Since most MGs involve characters escaping their parents, it’s always refreshing to read about a protagonist who’s fighting to preserve his dad’s good name, standing by his family at great cost.

If you liked any of Avi’s other books, especially his historicals or mysteries, like MIDNIGHT MAGIC, I think you would love this. It would also appeal to fans of Gary Blackwood, who also writes suspenseful stories that just happen to take place in other eras. Readers interested in McCarthyism and the Cold War would enjoy this. Check it out!

Have you read any great historical mysteries lately?

(This post contains an affiliate link.)

To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog. 

ISWG: Baby Steps

I had every intention of getting a blog post up for January (and February)'s ISWG group, but as they say, the plans of mice and men….December and January have been difficult months. In the midst of cold and flu season, I think I was only well for one week of those months. Sitting down at the computer has not been on my priority list. In fact, I got quite discouraged about my writing, because I wasn’t doing much of it.

Then with the difficulties with yet another cold starting, I decided to just write for as long as I could stand it. I figured I would last 5-10 minutes, but I lasted an hour. It felt good to accomplish something, even if it was small.

My plan for my January ISWG post was to write about January goals. Looking back on 2015, I set my goals too high. I planned to finish revisions on two projects (!) and start a third. I only finished (or nearly finished) revisions on one manuscript. There’s been many times I’ve felt bad about that, especially when I talk to other writers, who are faster writers (or perhaps just faster revisers) than I. It’s easy for me to forget that finishing one manuscript is still something to be proud of. And I’m glad that I took that amount of time, because if I had rushed, it would not be as strong of a manuscript. I know it’s not perfect, and I am too close to have true objectivity, but this is the first time I’ve written a manuscript where I don’t have those nagging doubts in the back of my mind. Nagging doubts that I hope an editor, an agent, or even a critique partner will overlook.

So what does that have to do with writing while I’m sick? It is the small steps that count. I have always loved What About Bob? (Yes, in addition to fancy period pieces, I love silly movies.) But those baby steps have been so true for many parts of my life—from saving money to raising kids to writing books. We can’t rush it (or at least I can’t), but if you do the next thing, no matter how small, it eventually adds up to something significant.

What about you? How do you deal with discouragement when everyone else seems to be writing faster than you?

P.S. Since I wrote this post, I did finish my revisions! If anyone's keeping track, this is my shiny new manuscript. It may no longer be quite as shiny, but I'm finished. (That post was from 2014 while I was working on the first draft. I started this project in 2009, set it aside for 5 years, and revised it for a little over a year.)

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

MMGM: The Seventh Most Important Thing

 

It’s been awhile since I did MMGM and a long time since I’ve blogged in general, but I’m excited to come back this week with one of my favorite MGs I’ve read recently. During my break, I’ve been branching out and reading things other than MG. (We all need a break sometimes.) But this book reminded me why I love MG and sharing my recs with you. 

I’m not sure what first drew to this title, which I found in my library’s new books section.  I was drawn immediately to the voice and the protagonist, whom I connected with immediately. What can I say, I am an underdog champion. And this book is full of underdogs.

Here’s the synopsis (from Amazon):

One kid. One crime. One chance to make things right.

It was a bitterly cold day when Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie for the foreseeable future. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service . . . working for him.

Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine. . . .

Inspired by the work of American folk artist James Hampton, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has crafted an affecting and redemptive novel about discovering what shines within us all, even when life seems full of darkness.

What I loved about this book:

1.    Underdogs! It wasn’t till I was typing up this post that I realized that almost every character—at least the good characters—are wounded heroes/heroines in some way. Arthur, the MC is recovering from losing his father; James Hampton is battling his memories from World War II, Squeak is bullied for being smart, and even the police officer, who is tough at times, has a soft exterior.

2.    Redemption: This is a major theme of this book, and again, I love a story where the character who does something bad experiences unconditional love. Arthur doesn’t even know what the word redemption means when James Hampton forgives him and rescues him from juvie, but throughout the story, Arthur learns to rescue and redeem people and things himself.

3.    It’s about a real artist. What was really interesting about this book was how one of the main characters was a real artist who lived. Pearsall took the few facts known facts about James Hampton's life and fictionalized them, but I enjoyed learning about this little known artist and his vision.

4.    An amazing first line: “On a bitter November day in Washington, D.C., when everything felt metallic—when the sky was gray and the wind stung and the dry leaves were making death-rattle sounds in the alleys—thirteen-year-old Arthur Owens picked up a brick from the corner of a crumbling building and threw it an old man’s head.” Doesn’t that make you want to read on? Such a rich and powerful sentence that packs a punch.

Amazon says this is for fans of PAPER BOY, and as a fan of that work, I heartily agree. I loved both books. The redemption theme also reminded me of classics like Magnificent Obsession and Les Miserables.

If you'd like to learn more about James Hampton and his work, follow this link.

Have you read any inspiring middle grades lately?


To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog.