- Literature, the most seductive, the most deceiving, the most dangerous of professions.
-John Morley #quote # - New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-20 – There’s still time to join the debate on whether school libraries… http://ow.ly/16CPZE #
- Have you seen the Words Matter Week 2010 mini-poster? It’s yours to download and print. Pass it on! http://ow.ly/18r6Z # [Read more…]
Should You Write What You Know?
Write who you are.
Write who you want to be.
Write where you want to go.
What what you want to know.
Write what you want to write.
Write to spend time with people who entertain you.
Write what you want to read.
Write to find out why you write.
J.D. Salinger successfully wrote what he knew, but remembered angst isn’t a necessary ingredient for success. Writers write for many reasons: some to ponder, some to explore, and others to reveal. It isn’t necessary to transcribe actual experience to paper– writers harbor pockets of deep knowledge that can be expressed in many shapes, forms, genres.
Few books are truer than the Lord of the Rings, ….Read more…
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-20
- There's still time to join the debate on whether school libraries need books. Many interesting comments: http://ow.ly/16Tx0 #
- New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-13 – New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-06 Saturday at SCBW… http://ow.ly/16zyZT #
- I'll be teaching today- how to prepare for the SAT. Writing an essay (rough draft, really) in 25 minutes is a useful skill! #
- NAIWE member teleclass: “Write It Once, Leverage It Many Times” with Paulette Ensign. Wed., 2/17 3:30 pm EST. http://ow.ly/16Vdw #
- The test of literature is, I suppose, whether we ourselves live more intensely for the reading of it. Elizabeth Drew #quote #
- Writer/editor newsletter: The Edge: Member Teleclass Wednesday, Success Strategies, Tips & more" – http://grsnip.com/94cQ #
- NAIWE member teleclass “Write It Once, Leverage It Many Times” w/ Paulette Ensign today at 3:30 pm EST http://ow.ly/16Vdw #
- I always read the last page of a book first so that if I die before I finish I'll know how it turned out. -Nora Ephron #quote #
- Writers have to read… it's time to turn off the computer & settle in w/a good book. What should I read this evening? #
- Just posted a How to Participate page for Words Matter Week, coming up the first week in March. http://ow.ly/18r3b #
- RT @mashable The E-book Price War Isn’t Over Yet http://bit.ly/aGurPV Interesting- publishers are betting on the iPad. So am I. #
- Literature is news that STAYS news. -Ezra Pound #quote #
- RT @WritersDigest: Social Media Is Not a Waste of Time – Here's a post at Writer Unboxed that debunks the myth that f… http://ow.ly/16CeVq #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-13
- New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-06 – Saturday at SCBWI winds down. I'm inspired, tired. Most moving? J… http://ow.ly/16w5YL #
- Writers & editors: How & why to use your blog: New post on NAIWE NewsWire- Member Websites Now Even Easier to Use- http://ow.ly/1574F #
- It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. Oscar Wilde #quote #
- Free site allows you to create motivational posters, faux magazine covers, more. Possibly useful, quite entertaining. http://bighugelabs.com #
- RT @americandream09: In order to live free and happily you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice. Richard Bach #
- New post! How I Chose Great Books for Excellence in Literature http://ow.ly/16xubW #
- NAIWE News- Member Websites Now Even Easier to Use! – Make the most of your NAIWE member site with its slick new Wo… http://ow.ly/16xubV #
- Writers & editors- have you joined the writers-editors twibe? All members' writing/editing tweets show up in one spot. Fun! twib.es/BUZ #
- Here's a snowbound newsletter w/an answer for how I chose the books for Excellence in Literature"- http://grsnip.com/9b7W #
- "The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence
calls forth your best." – Epicletus #quote # - Contest for $100 gift card or Professional Photographer magazine at http://photographerblue.com/- a new photographer directory. #
- New post: SCBWI NYC 2010- Final Thoughts http://wordsintobooks.com/2010/02/scbwi-nyc-2010-final-thoughts/ #
- NAIWE News- Featured Member Blog for February: Mary DeMuth – Savvy members use their NAIWE blogs well, and this mon… http://ow.ly/16y3Zt #
- New post: Final Thoughts on the SCBWI Winter Conference 2010 http://ow.ly/16yCtP #
- Contest for a free Kindle- write 259 words about a thin place in your life. Deadline 2/12. I'm entering! http://ow.ly/16y3E #
- Interesting, varied people for #ff: @kaytharris @americandream09 @JoJoTabares @thetotebuddy @MoonlightMom @Selorian @JimSutton5 @grammascott #
- In literature as in ethics, there is danger, as well as glory, in being subtle. Aristocracy isolates us. C. Baudelaire #quote #
- NAIWE News- Teleclass: "Write It Once, Leverage It Many Times" with Paulette Ensign http://ow.ly/16zaAs #
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Final Thoughts on the SCBWI Winter Conference 2010
I enjoyed my first national SCBWI conference in NYC a couple of weeks ago. It was exhilarating to be in the same room with so many creative people–writers, illustrators, publishers, agents, editors, and other children’s book enthusiasts (Jane Yolen!!!). While there, I was conscious of the fact that just being there conferred an advantage on each hopeful writer or editor in attendance. There’s nothing quite like the synergy of being present, networking in person, and hearing first-hand from others in the field.
I tweeted many of the tidbits I picked up during the conference, but several things have lingered with me. Here are a few of them: Read more…
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-06
- Saturday at SCBWI winds down. I'm inspired, tired. Most moving? Jacqueline Woodson's lunch keynote; her writing & reading are compelling. #
- New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-30 – New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-23 The important th… http://ow.ly/16sEj9 #
- SCBWI truth: Different editors want different things. Find the one who wants what you write- don't write what you think they want! #
- SCBWI tidbit: Literary fiction can be commercially successful; some commercial fiction has literary merit. Lines blur… just write. #
- New article on budgeting added to the Money section of Everyday Education. Enjoy! http://ow.ly/10nu5 #
- Snowstorm today; my cable modem keeps flickering. If you don't hear from me, power's out & I'm reading & writing by the fire. Stay warm! #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-30
- New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-23 – The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not imme… http://ow.ly/16peXC #
- RT @SuperbBooks: All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure. -Mark Twain #quote #
- New post: Telephone Rules for Writers http://wordsintobooks.com/2010/01/telephone-rules-for-writers/ #
- RT @CheriWilliams: The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot. ~Michael Althsuler #quote #
- Shutting down for the afternoon so I can run errands & stock the fridge for the guys while I'm at SCBWI in NYC. Anyone else going? #
- I'm looking forward to the SCBWI conference in NYC this weekend. Taking Amtrak up the coast- any recommendations for on-train reading? #
- I've figured out how to use my iPhone as a Kindle reader, and I've got a few books downloaded for the trip. This could be dangerous! #
- New post! Telephone Rules for Homeschools – One of the best things I ever did for our homeschool and learning lifes… http://ow.ly/16rcD1 #
- RT @KimAuclair: The Shakespearean Guide to Entrepreneurship : http://twurl.nl/znqfy0 #
- Walked about 40 NYC blocks today; from 42nd up to the Silk Rd. exhibit. It was freezing- in the teens. Great visuals, though. Dinner ideas? #
- Day 1 of the scbwi conference- keynote, then literary novels… Fun! #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-23
- The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible…not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit. StExupéry #
- New post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-16 – RT @BookBuzzr: Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting … http://ow.ly/16m1DA #
- First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. Epictetus #quote #
- New review of Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High School Paperwork- http://ow.ly/WxyX http://TranscriptsMadeEasy.com #
- Message: "Here's NAIWE's Edge- Journaling Teleclass & Two Ways Freelance Writers Can Increase Income" – http://grsnip.com/9Joe #
- RT @visionboard: @janicecampbell am honored with your review of #thevisionboardbook great bday surprise!http://tinyurl.com/y89kp8f #
- NAIWE teleclass-1:00 pm ET today. "Journaling Techniques for Writers" with expert Tina Games:
http://ow.ly/Yzfz # - Listening to a great NAIWE.com teleclass with Tina Games on journaling for writers. Journaling sparks creativity; helps us see patterns… #
- "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou #quote for writers #
- Thursday- I'm teaching a Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop for high school students facing the SAT. Knowledge is power! http://ow.ly/YDzy #
- "Satisfaction is the enemy of creativity." Jane Lazarre #quote- I've noticed the best ideas come when I can't find something I need. #
- I'll be at Heart for Homeschooling Sat., speaking on writing, college, and caregiving while homeschooling. See you there? http://ow.ly/YDGH #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-16
- RT @BookBuzzr: Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it. Doug Larson http://www.bookbuzzr.com #quote #
- Sunday- a time for peace and reflection. Think about the upcoming week, and get clear on what you want to accomplish. Then enjoy the day! #
- Wishing I lived closer to UC Berkeley- their extension program has interesting-looking writing / editing classes. http://ow.ly/UlF5 #
- NAIWE active members: I just forwarded a publisher's invitation to submit. Please check your e-mail (whitelist *@naiwe.com). #
- RT @MAltaee: The biggest tragedy in life is not death but a wasted life. It is not death we should fear but living without significance. #
- NAIWE News- Teleclass- Tapping into Your Creative Wisdom: Journaling Techniques for Writers http://ow.ly/16kbHc #
- New post: A Short Short Writing Contest – Writing short isn't always easy. Are you up to a 12-word speculative fict… http://ow.ly/16kbHd #
- New post! Learning: Mind-Numbing or Mind-Nourishing? – I've been thinking about learning and what makes it stick, w… http://ow.ly/16kbHe #
- Whose Memoir Is It, Anyway? One person, one perspective–new blog post at Words Into Books… http://ow.ly/VOOx #
- Thinking of earthquake survivors in Haiti w/prayers for comfort & hope- http://nyti.ms/7s0vnh #
- NAIWE writers /editors: Opportunity to be on video- pls check e-mail (whitelist *@naiwe.com). Join http://naiwe.com to build your career! #
- Creativity- Is unlearning the key? http://ow.ly/Wqg9 Another thought: Dr. Ken Robinson suggests schools kill creativity: http://ow.ly/Wqiz #
- NAIWE members promo opp- Be the expert in a video segment for major distribution. 2 spaces left. There is a cost to participate. DM for info #
- #Follow Friday- @JimSutton5 – a master networker and NAIWE member. in reply to JimSutton5 #
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A Short Short Writing Contest
Writing short isn’t always easy. Are you up to a 12-word speculative fiction challenge from Writers Write in South Africa?
The competition closes on 25 January 2010, so don’t miss it!
You can read more about it and find out how to submit at my Words Into Books blog.