It’s time! It’s time! If anything can drag me away from revisions and work and reading and family time long enough to post it’s Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words contest! I love this challenge. No matter how empty my creative well feels, this challenge pushes me in the best ways and I always manage to come up with something. And so do so many writer!! The talent this year, like every year, never ceases to amaze me. Hop on over to read all the amazing, creative, clever, moving, and hilarious entries!!

And don’t forget to donate a picture book for Vivian’s Literary Initiative! You can order any children’s book you’d like to donate by calling(603) 673-1734 or emailing them: books@balinbooks.com. Tell them the book is for the #50PreciousWords Literacy Initiative. I let my kids pick the book this year and they picked Maddie Frost‘s IGUANA BE A DRAGON (Which is hilarious. Even after three dozen reads!)

Speaking of kids, mine are getting older (5 and 7 now) and are learning new things about themselves and about the world everyday. It’s truly amazing. They were all the inspiration I needed for this year’s entry:

Something Wonderful
By Nicole Loos Miller
(48 words)

It starts as a smile
An escaped giggle
A joyful guffaw
Turns into 
Dancing
Spinning
Leaping
Singing
Evolves into
Learning
Changing 
Growing
Guiding
Until your reach is vast and wide
Something wild is coming
Something real and joyful and new
And, my love,
That something wonderful
Is you 

***THIS BLOG POST ORIGINALLY APPEARED AS A GUEST BLOG POST FOR #KIDLITZOMBIEWEEK! You can read the whole post here. Gifs were expertly curated by Sarah Meade who knows me well.

Bringing a manuscript back from the dead can be daunting. You don’t need candles or a skilled medium, but you do need to believe in your mission and in yourself. You are capable of creation! You are capable of magic! And, hopefully, you are capable of being flexible because things don’t always turn out the way you thought they would (and in writing, that’s often a delightful thing).

Perhaps you wrote a draft (or two, or fifteen) but came to terms with the fact that your story had no pulse, no heart. You said some words and tucked it into a cold drawer to forget about it until you were challenged to raise the dead. 

Maybe you’re a little nervous to open that drawer.

You didn’t get the story quite right the first time so why bother thinking you’ll get it this time? Well, my friend, give yourself some credit because little did you know, you were doing EXACTLY what you needed to prepare for this life-giving task:

• you gave that manuscript time and space
• you kept reading
• you kept writing
• and you kept living your life, soaking up experiences and laughter and love and loss and now you are wiser

So….what now?

• Take a deep breath and open that drawer. 
• Grab your manuscript and grab a fresh piece of paper and a writing utensil that makes you smile. 
• Try something new! Here are a few ideas to get you started. Pick one or all or none and come up with your own:
  • Before you read your manuscript, write a pitch and/or synopsis. This can be an amazing way to get your brain focused on the heart of your story. Now, read your story! Does it fit the pitch? If not, re-write the story on a fresh piece of paper with your pitch in mind and see what happens.
  • Read your manuscript and try to diagnose the fatal beat – where does this story fall flat?
    • Does your character lack an arc? If so, imagine a conversation with your main character – what do they want most in the world? What is keeping them from getting it? To what lengths are they willing to go to get what they want? Now go back and inject that into your story!
    • Does the pacing feel off? Dummy it out to get a feel for balance and page turns. 
    • Is your character solving the story problem? If not, how can you give them more agency? 
    • Allow yourself to be ridiculous. Agents and editors are overwhelmed right now and it takes a lot to stand out. You need a unique voice, an irresistible story, and multiple hooks. Now is not the time to hold back; it’s time to go BIG. So, let your imagination run away with you. If there’s a moment your story starts to feel predictable or dull, brainstorm 10 new lines or endings or character traits, etc, etc, etc. 
  • Don’t doubt yourself. Remember why you started writing in the first place – to express yourself, to share your heart with others, and hopefully to have FUN! 

I’d say good luck, but you don’t need it. You got this! Now go raise the dead!

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post for months. But, I haven’t felt like I had anything worthwhile to say. It feels like my words, these posts, should carry some sort of weight. They should be entertaining or inspirational or just downright delightful. But, that is also kind of daunting.

I’ve been working with my own kids on making mistakes. On being okay with learning the messy way. Being okay with creating for the mere sake of exploring. But I’ve been holding back from that myself.

Sometimes I have a hard time committing things to paper. I like to blame not having enough time or energy or focus. And, all of those are valid, especially with school starting back up a couple of weeks ago. And, you know, all the other stuff still going on? I haven’t been putting things on paper. But, you know what I have been doing? Turning little snapshots into little snippets.

For example, I noticed a cobweb on my ceiling the other day. Gross. Cue dramatic sigh. I wish I could keep everything tidier and neater and all around presentable. I wish my house were picture perfect. But, from a character and/or setting standpoint, that would be pretty boring. What would a cobweb say about a setting? What emotions would it evoke in different people or characters?

Is it possible a child character might find it heartwarming that their parent respects spiders and is willing to keep their homes intact? After all, we’re supposed to treat others with kindness. What might that inspire a child to do?

Would a questioning middle grade child consider the delicate fragility of that cobweb? Be inspired by its beauty or its strength?

Would a visiting teenage friend be jealous that someone else’s parents focused on spending time with their children instead of obsessed with making everything appear perfect when it feels so far from okay?

It’s fun to get carried away creating settings, characters, snippets of dialogue and description. And, when there’s not enough time or focus or energy to put things down on paper, it’s okay to just enjoy playing with observations and thoughts. Immerse yourself in the possibilities around you and see where they might lead.