Writing advice: Keep a diary

I think the following advice from John Berendt is great. Try it for a week and let me know how it works for you.

Keep a diary, but don't just list all the things you did during the day. Pick one incident and write it up as a brief vignette. Give it color, include quotes and dialogue, shape it like a story with a beginning, middle and end—as if it were a short story or an episode in a novel. It's great practice. Do this while figuring out what you want to write a book about. The book may even emerge from within this running diary.

Don't forget about your chance to win $25 Target gift card.

Chance to win $25 Target gift card

Pop over to my other blog, Buffy's World, to learn how you can get in a random drawing for a $25 Target gift card. And thanks in advance for your support.

BTW, what's your favorite form of social media?

Writing is discovery

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say." --Sharon O'Brien

 I so agree with this. Writing most definitely is a discovery. How about you? 
Visit me here, too.

Thoughts on this MG query?

Dear Agent:

Mags’ middle name is trouble. She can’t seem to stay out of it. When she and her friends accept a dare to sleep in a haunted barn, they begin an adventure that involves a mystery and a secret someone’s willing to hurt to keep.

A good ghost wants them to deliver a message to her dying daughter. A bad ghost wants to prevent that. It’s up to Mags and her friends to piece together the clues that will lead them to the one person who needs their help the most.

In HIGH STREET DARES: THE GHOSTLY CONNECTION, the kids learn the power of love and that things aren’t always what they seem.

I am Assistant Managing Editor of Features and Niche Publications at the York Daily Record/Sunday News, in York, Pa. In addition to my extensive newspaper experience, both as a writer and as an editor, I have sold stories to a number of children’s publications.

I’d love to share my completed manuscript with you. I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.

Quote of the day

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." — SYLVIA PLATH

Also, visit me here.

Quote of the day

"Remember that you should be able to identify each character by what he or she says. Each one must sound different from the others. And they should not all sound like you." --ANNE LAMOTT

In comments, feel free to share ONE line of dialogue that you feel is telling of your character. I can't wait to read your lines.

A minute list

We haven't done a minute list in some time. So, here goes. You peeps know the rules. You copy and paste the list into comments and describe each item using only one word. Mine are in ( )’s. Shouldn't take more than a minute. Have fun.

Bell (rusty)
Fireplace (flickering)
Tree (fresh)
Cookies (moist)
Ornament (hand-painted)
Eggnog (watery)
Beard (itchy)
Hymn (joyful)
Manger (peaceful)
Star (North)

The Christmas stocking

On Christmas morning, I always saved my stocking for last. It was so much fun opening the wrapped gifts stuffed inside. There were some items I could count on seeing every year – like a Lifesavers Christmas Sweet Storybook and clear toy pops. And while I would have been disappointed had these items not been included, I always looked forward to seeing the cool things that my parents had bought.
One year, I wanted a pink Lindy Star Ring. I had opened all of my gifts and didn’t find the ring. I tried not to show my disappointment as I unwrapped the gifts in my stocking. I pulled out the last gift, stuck in the sock’s toe, and burst into tears. It was the Lindy Star Ring! I had gotten it after all.
I still have that ring and it is a reminder of all of the wonderful Christmases I was blessed to have with my parents. They died much too young (dad 58 and mom 61).
Like my parents, there are certain things I buy every year for my sons’ stockings, and I take special care in finding unexpected treasures to include. I think my sons would tell you that opening their stockings is the highlight of the morning. I continue to be amazed by how something so little can mean so much.
So, what’s the best thing you ever found in your stocking?

Allow yourself to write poorly

Today's writing advice comes from Larry Gelbart:
First, you get the idea. It may germinate for a long time or it just pops into your head. And then you work out a structure. And when you feel confident enough, you start to write. And you have to allow yourself the liberty of writing poorly. You have to get the bulk of it done, and then you start to refine it. You have to put down less than marvelous material just to keep going to whatever you think the end is going to be—which may be something else altogether by the time you get there.


Allowing myself to write poorly is very difficult. Too much of a perfectionist, I guess. What do you think?

Visit my other blog

Please, please, please (yeah, I'm not above begging) visit my other blog. Don't worry, this blog isn't going away. My other blog is something I maintain for work.
As social media coordinator for my media company, I'm responsible for creating public awareness of our efforts in social media, cross-promoting our various social media accounts, and helping to expand our digital footprint to meet the growing needs of our readers. And, if you know me, I'll have tons of fun along the way.
Please pop over to see what the new blog's about. I'd love to see you there as well. 

This quote made me laugh...

"Writing is like sex. You have to save your love for the love object. If you go around spouting about your idea, there’ll be no “charge” left. You can’t father children that way." --RAY BRADBURY

Quote of the day

“The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” --James Whitcomb Riley