Three Things Thursday

from Brenda Bensch

Camp NaNoWriMo will be held in April and July. Pick a month . . . or do both if you’re bored, tired, need cheering up, crazy or clinically schizoid.

Chris Baty, NaNo’s founder, said in his book No Plot? No Problem! that even as early as the first year ever of NaNo (1999) the six of twenty-one friends who completed the 50K challenge all learned something. All who finished NaNo that first year agreed: they’d ONLY been able to write so well because they wrote quickly and intensely. “The roar of adrenaline drowned out the self-critical voices that tend to make creative play such work for adults.” [Maybe that’s what keeps Mette Ivie Harrison writing like a fiend!]

Baty took these realizations as the “plus” in doing NaNo that first year — and I think they’re pretty standard for now too:

1. Enlightenment is overrated.

2. Being busy is good for your writing.

3. Plot happens. (Trust the process long enough to get to week 3)

4. Writing for its own sake has surprising rewards.

Who’s willing to give it a shot with me?

from Cheryl Van Eck

“Defining details” is a term often used in photography to describe something that is small but significant to a person’s life at that time. For instance, the ink left on a newborn’s foot after the nurse stamps it.  It’s a simple and easily forgotten detail, but it can symbolize an entire era in someone’s life.

We see these same defining details in many of the popular books today– Harry Potter’s scar, or Katniss Everdeen’s mockingjay pin. Tiny details that symbolize an entire movement.

Think about the defining details of your own  life. Is it an apron, covered with flour handprints? Scuffed and battered running shoes? A notebook exploding with loose papers and only held together by the memory of a spine?

Now think about your character. Whether they love it or hate it, there is something they see every day. There is something that represents either who they are, who they have been, or who they are becoming.  Tell us in the comments what you’ve come up with!

 from Me!

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers is filling fast. So fast, I can’t believe it. If you are interested in getting in on a session, come on down.

For those who want to try something different, I’d encourage you to look at the mini workshops. There are several to choose from and each focuses on a specific skill set.

Worried about having a true voice in your writing? Sign up with Ann Dee Ellis and spend four hours learning, writing and polishing this important quality editors are always looking for.

Jennifer Nielson is leading a four-hour workshop on developing a strong plot.

Robison Wells will tell you how to develop a strong, real character, one you can recognize on the street.

Wondering how to strengthen your world building? HINT–ALL novels need world building. Not just fantasy.  Brodi Ashton is the faculty directing this year’s class.

Are you an illustrator? Sherry Meidell will spend four hours with you and your classmates, helping you to learn how to sell your picture book.

For more information, email me at carolthewriter@yahoo.com or visit http://www.wifyr.com