3-in-1: Poetry Tool, Song a Writing Exercise

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Howdy, Campers, and Happy Poetry Friday! The link to PF is below.

 TeachingAuthors' posts this round are about the various ways we continue to school ourselves in the craft of writing. Bobby kicked us off by discussing a new book on craft she's studying while also re-reading a favorite classic. Esther shared about being inspired by a new collection of essays from fellow teacher Sharon Darrow. Mary Ann also turns to books for her re-education, not only craft books but new fiction, too. In contrast, Carla's ongoing education comes from talking to and working with other writers. Carmela went "back to school" by attending the SCBWI-Wisconsin 2018 Fall Retreat and Conference held in Green Lake, WI. 

And I've gone back to school singing.

We're four weeks into my ten-week class on Writing the Children's Picture Book at UCLA Extension. This week we learned about some of the poet's tools (rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, metaphor, simile, sounds, repetition). Can I teach them everything in one three-hour class?  I can't. So I focus on my favorite:                                                 
                                             REPETITION

There are so many books from which to choose! I usually read aloud: YOU NEST HERE WITH ME by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y.Stemple, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; WAIT, written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis (a story written in 18 words...99% are either "hurry!" or "wait!"); BUZZ by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (all the ways "buzz" is in our lives); RED IS BEST by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis ; WHEN I WAS YOUNG IN THE MOUNTAINS by Cynthia Rylant (fabulous details), illustrated by DianeGoode; MILLIONS OF CATS by Wanda Gag, first published in 1928; ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (we saw how much heavy-lifting illustrator Marla Frazee did to tell this story; give the illustrator room to dance!), and the classic, WHAT DO YOU SAY, DEAR by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

Repetition makes words playful or powerful or mournful or hopeful. Listeners can't help but join in.

Next, I teach them to sing this sea shanty:

Deep Blue Sea (traditional) lyrics may vary

Deep blue sea, baby, deep blue sea (3x)
It was Willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea

Wrap him up in a silken shroud (3x)
It was Willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea

Dig his grave with a silver spade (3x)
It was Willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea

Lower him down with a golden chain (3x)
It was Willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea

....................................................................................

Then I tell them that musician Jim Bell changed the words but followed the format of this song. He writes: “When my daughter was 6 ½, she said as we were driving to school one day, “Daddy, they won’t have a war before I’m 21, will they?”  Before I could respond, she added, “Or at least they don’t shoot little girls before they’re 7, do they?”   Not long after this I was singing her to sleep and found myself taking an old tune to form a song of reassurance that we adults can sing to the children of the world.”

Deep Blue Sea new words by Jim Bell

Deep blue sea, baby, deep blue sea (3 x)

Now there’s peace in all the lands & o’er the deep blue sea

Sleep my child, you are safe and sound (3 x) for

Now there’s peace in all the lands & o’er the deep blue sea

Just yesterday war clouds hung so low (3 x)

But now there’s peace in all the lands & o’er the deep blue sea

Love of life finally turned the tide (3 x)

And now there’s peace in all the lands & o’er the deep blue sea

words © 1982 John Bell

Next, I show them lyrics I've written to this melody:

Take my hand, baby, walk with me (3 x)

Sing a song and I’ll harmonize (3x)
Once a seed, baby, now a tree (3 x)
Reach across towards the other side (3 x)

Hold me close and I'll hold you, we'll watch the bright sun rise.

words © 2018 April Halprin Wayland

And finally, leaving the traditional lyrics up at the front of the class as a mentor text, I give them time to write their own words using the pattern of this song.

Try it yourself--with this song or with one of your favorites and see where it takes you, where it takes you!

Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday at Friendly Fairy Tales, Brenda!

posted with hope by April Halprin Wayland, with help from Timmy the tin boy on his goose (Timmy is acting out today and refuses sit up straight...)

3 Revision Tools for Seeing the "Big Picture"

Today I continue our TeachingAuthors series on "After the First Draft: Revision" by sharing three tools you may find helpful for seeing your story's "Big Picture." I'm mainly talking about novels here, but the first two tools could also be used with picture books.

1)  Writing your own flap copy.

"Flap copy" is the name given to the "copy" or information printed on the inside of a book's front dust jacket to hook the reader's interest. I recently attended the SCBWI Wild Wild Midwest Conference, where editorial assistant Rebecca Schwarz of Katherine Tegen Books gave a great talk on how writing the flap copy for a work-in-progress can help writers define and clarify their story's focus, characters, and plot, and hone in on the heart of the story. I won't try to summarize her talk here, but I did find a brief description of this same exercise in a blog post by Cheryl Klein, executive editor at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic:

Another excellent exercise for identifying problems with your manuscript: Write the flap copy. It should include the opening situation, the action that precipitates your main character into the novel, at least one action s/he takes in response, and two of the following elements: interesting secondary characters / further plot twists / the great mystery driving the narrative on / distinctive phrasing from the book / larger questions the book raises that might intrigue the reader, all in 250 words or less. If you can't supply any of these elements, think about why not.

If you'd like to see examples of Klein's own flap-writing process, check out this blog post. Also, note that she's no longer publishing new posts on that blog. You can now find her blog posts at her new website.

2)  Visualizing your book's cover

I recently did a cover reveal here on our blog for the new edition of Rosa, Sola. As I mentioned in that post, I hired a professional designer to create the cover. Of course, I provided him with a plot summary. But he also asked me to share any ideas I had for appropriate visual images. In thinking about what those images might be, I created two lists:

• words/phrases that described themes or aspects in my novel, such as only child, Italian-American, 1960s Chicago, immigrants 
• visual images in the novel, which included baseball, beach, bicycle, butterfly, cardinal, tomato plants, rose bushes

I have to admit, my first instinct was to try to recreate a scene from the novel on the cover. But the articles I read about cover design said that's not the point. Instead, the cover is intended to catch a reader's eye while hinting at the genre, subject matter, and tone or theme. One of the things I liked about the original cover of Rosa, Sola was the sunlight shining behind Rosa. When I talked to young readers at school visits, I asked them what they thought that represents, and they would always answer "hope." Rosa herself looks rather somber in the picture, and rightfully so, because some parts of the novel are somber. But the sunlight behind her hints at the story's hopeful ending.

However, I've always felt the somber look on Rosa's face might be off-putting to potential readers. I wanted something for the new edition that would be more inviting but wouldn't belie the serious nature of the novel. I decided to use the image of a butterfly, in part because one of my favorite scenes in the novel involves a butterfly. But also because the image of Rosa reaching for a butterfly portrays her longing. Based on the comments I received about the cover reveal, I think it was a good choice.

To use cover design as a revision tool, I recommend you come up with two lists like mine: one containing words/phrases describing themes or aspects of your story, and the other listing actual visual images found in your story. If you have trouble creating either list, that should provide clues as to what's missing in your story and the areas you need to work on.

3)  Analyzing your "shrunken manuscript"

To use this tool, you "shrink" your manuscript by printing (or displaying) the text in a small font. Analyzing this version of the manuscript helps you evaluate your story's overall structure. I've never actually tried this myself, but other authors I know have used it with success. There's a written description of the process on Darcy Pattison's site. She also presents an introduction to the process in this webinar.

Photo credit: veryuseful via VisualHunt / CC BY

So what are some of your favorite revision tools? Mary Ann talked about "killing her darlings." JoAnn mentioned re-writing her manuscript in longhand. And Bobbi finds inspiration from reading about how other authors approach revision. I hope you'll share some of your favorite revision tools in the comments below.

Meanwhile, the inspiring quotes in Bobbi's post made me think of these words from Several Short Sentences About Writing (Vintage Books) by Verlyn Klinkenborg:

A writer's real work is the endless winnowing of sentences,
The relentless exploration of possibilities,
The effort, over and over again, to see in what you started out to say
The possibility of saying something you didn't know you could.

I don't have a poem for today, but you can check out this week's Poetry Friday round-up at The Drift Record blog by Julie Larios.

Happy writing!
Carmela

1 Way to Write Poetry: Rhyming Patterns-- A Wednesday Writing Workout!

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Howdy, Campers!

Before we begin, I wanted tell you happy news!  In my last post, we talked about poetry and science. Today, just before I pushed "publish" on this post, I got some terrific news! I just learned that my poem,"Can Our Eyes Fool Our Taste Buds?" from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science is on Science Friday's website! And Susan Blackaby's poem about Scientific Inquiry, from the same anthology, is also on the site. I'm thrilled for both of us!

Okay...now we can begin.

Welcome to another TeachingAuthors' WWW, aka:

Today we're going back to a post from 2010--revised, renewed and reborn for Poetry Month 2016:

Birthdays. Earth Day.  Poetry Month. Poetry Friday.  The world turns. Patterns rise to the surface.  We lean towards structure: forks, spoons, knives separated by dividers; children lined up by height; blouses arranged by color. 

Mom could count on me to put her pencils, rubber bands and paper clips in order.  My marbles grouped themselves into marble villages. Plastic dinosaurs, which my sister and I got from a junk shop (all for a dime!), quickly found families.

Something beautiful happens in my brain when a word goes “click,” fitting into a poetic pattern.

So, today, in honor of the patterns of our lives, let’s play with patterns.  I’ll take you on the behind-the-scenes tour on how I wrote the poem below...and then you'll have a chance to play with your own patterns.

I've been thinking back to 2009, and how I almost told my potential blogmates, “Thank you for inviting me to join your blog, but I’m waaaay too busy to take on another project.”

That's when the hands of five authors reached out to me, all the way on the West Coast, and how, for some reason, I reached back.  THANK GOODNESS!  I wanted to catch this “thank goodness” feeling in a poem.

I began goofing off, thinking of trees, of leaping across the country, across cyberspace.  A first line and then a second line came to me:

What does it mean to have made this leap?
To swing from tree to tree to you?

Suddenly I was in a jungle.  So I wrote (still playing, not sure where this was going):

To find, in the midst of the jungle a few
friends who are smart and kind and true?

I put them together: 

What does it mean to have made this leap?
To swing from tree to tree to you?
To find, in the midst of the jungle a few
Friends who are smart and kind and true?

I saw the beginning of a pattern. Can you see it, too?

The last three lines rhyme.  The first line doesn’t.  But it needed more.  So I decided to write a few four-line stanzas in which the first line of each stanza rhymes with the first line of the other stanzas, and in which the last three lines of each stanza rhyme with each other.

To put it another way, if each letter stands for a different end rhyme, my first stanza looked like is:
A
B
B
B

Or, to conserve space, A,B,B,B.  What would the next stanza be?  I decided it would be A,C,C,C.  And the next?  A,D,D,D. 

Then I began scouring my rhyming dictionary for earthy words that had enough relevant rhymes to support this pattern.

Here’s my list.  Sorry it's so long...but I did promise a back-stage tour:

Bird, heard, nerd, word, absurd, blackbird, songbird, hummingbird, overheard, blurred, purred, stirred,  
Blog, bog, slog, jog, dialogue, travelogue
Book, brook, look, took, shook, overlook,
Branch, blanch,
Creek, beak, peek, seek, week, critique, sneak, tweak, speak, tweet, cheek, meek, geek, weak, mystique, speak,
Deep, sweep, heap, cheep, sleep, reap, steep,
Dirt, alert, convert, divert, expert, insert, unhurt, blurt, assert, revert, introvert, extrovert,
Earth, birth, worth, unearth,
Fellow, hello, mellow,
Green, clean, keen, queen, scene, caffeine, sixteen, routine,
Grow, so, flow, glow, slow, so, ago, tiptoe, zero, volcano, studio, afterglow, bravissimo,
Leaf, …
Leap, deep, sleep, upkeep, reap, keep,
Learn, discern, earn, turn, concern, return,
Old, gold, enfold, bold, hold, retold, told, uphold, thousandfold,
Post, boast, west coast, most, almost, hitching post,
Readers, pleaders, feeder,
Sing, bing, wing, swing, anything, bring, spring, full swing, ring, thing,
Six, politics, mix,
Teacher, creature, preacher, feature,
Teaching, reaching, screeching, beseeching
Thrive, I’ve, hive, alive, arrive, survived, test-drive,
Tree, si, bee, free, gee, key, me, see, we, forsee, agree, esprit, community, disagree, history, courtesy, anthology,
Tweet, feet, seat, beat, sweet, athlete, bleat, complete, greet
Twig, big, sprig, gig, brillig, dig,
World, unfurled, twirled, pearl, girl,
Read, freed, lead, she’d, we’d, exceed, proceed, succeed, head, need, speed, bleed, plead, concede, misread, feed, greed, seed, weed, stampede,
Write, fright, might, night, quite, right, in spite, excite, goodnight, handwrite, polite, tonight, twilight, unite, parasite, oversight, watertight, 

I chose my words and began to play.  Here’s the result:

This is me, accepting the invitation to join TeachingAuthors
photo credit: morguefile.com

BLOG-I-VERSE-A-TREE
by April Halprin Wayland

How does it feel to cross over this creek,
to fly from tree to tree to you?
To find, in the midst of the jungle a few
readers discerning, kind and true?

How does it feel, week after week,
to water a seed, nearly seven years old?
To watch its young, green leaves unfold
as it gives me back a thousand fold?

I feel I’m Bird, just opening her beak,
at the top of a tree, on the first day of Spring,
easily found on Google or Bing,
joining five friends to Tweet, to sing!revised poem © 2016 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

                                                   Here's your WRITING WORKOUT:

1) Brainstorm a topic.  (If you need help thinking of a topic, search our posts for the word brainstorming. For example: scroll down to the Writing Workout on Carmela’s post. )

2) Find a rhyming dictionary in the library or work with one online, such as RhymeZone.http://www.rhymezone.com/  List words which fit your dog, your garden, or whatever you’ve decided to write about.

3) Now play with stanzas in this pattern:
A,B,B,B. 
A,C,C,C.  
A,D,D,D.  

(Ha ha. ADDD indeed!)

If you can’t fit your ideas into that pattern, look for a poem you like, figure out its pattern and imitate it.  Or create your own pattern.  

5) Play!  Remember to breathe!  And write with joy.

drawings © 2010 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

Posted with love by April Halprin Wayland and her faithful crew

Wednesday Writing Workout: 30-Day Challenge Results

My "30-Day Boost Your Writing Productivity Challenge" ended yesterday, March 1. I'm happy to report that, for me, it was a great success!

My original goal, which I shared on January 27, was a modest one--to spend at least 2 hours/week on my work-in-progress. As I reported on February 10, I got off to a shaky start. But I stuck with it, and, as you can see from the Toggl app report I've copied below, I ended up spending 24 hours and 40 minutes on the project over the 30 days. What's even better, I completed the revision and have sent the manuscript off to 3 beta readers for review! I am thrilled! This is a project I've been dragging my feet on for months. It's wonderful to finally have it finished.

Now I'd like to hear from you.

Wednesday Writing Workout:
30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge Results Report

If you participated in the "30-Day Boost Your Writing Productivity Challenge," give us YOUR final results report via a comment to today's blog post, on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page, or in an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.

I'm hoping many of you were successful in meeting your goals. But even if you didn't accomplish all your goals, I hope you'll give yourself credit for trying.

Happy writing! And happy reading, too, since today is NEA's Read Across America Day! What are you reading these days?

Carmela

Wednesday Writing Workout: Day 10 Challenge Upate

Back on January 27, I posted a Wednesday Writing Workout inviting you to join me in a "30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge" I was starting on February 1. Today, on the tenth day of the challenge, I'll share a quick progress report.

I have to confess: my "30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge" got off to a shaky start. My goal was to spend at least 2 hours/week on my current WIP. To make time for that goal, I'd planned to get up 15 minutes earlier, six days a week.

image courtesy of DeviantArt

But when the alarm went off early on Monday, Feb. 1, I just couldn't seem to drag myself out of bed. I went back to sleep and didn't work on my WIP at all that day. L

However, the good news is that Tuesday went much better. I got into a morning routine that lasted the rest of the week and I ultimately exceeded my goal by working 2 hours and 35 minutes on my WIP. Yeah!

Also, I'd originally said I'd track my work time in an app called Timesheet that I'd blogged about in this post. However, I found another (FREE!) app called Toggl I like even better that allows me to track my time on my computer or phone. Toggl also produces wonderful reports that make it extremely easy to see how much time I've spent on a specific project on a particular day, week, month, etc. You can find Toggl here.  

Now, it's your turn.

Wednesday Writing Workout:
30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge Status Report

If you're participating in the 30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge, give us YOUR progress report via a comment to today's blog post, on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page, or in an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.

You're welcome to join in even if you didn't start on Feb. 1--pick whatever 30-day time period works for you.

Happy writing!

Carmela      

Wednesday Writing Workout: 30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge

In my last post, I discussed three software tools that help me be more productive and focused. In today's Wednesday Writing Workout, I'm going to suggest you take a look at your work habits and see how you can do the same. I'll also invite you to join me in a "30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge." And I promise--no special software required!

First, I'd like to share a bit of background information about goal-setting and habit formation. If you're not interested, or don't have time to read that, feel free to scroll down to the Wednesday Writing Workout.

At the start of a New Year, many of us set ambitious goals and resolutions for various aspects of our lives, including our writing. Unfortunately, by the end of January, we've often let those goals fall by the wayside.

When this happens to me, it's usually because:
a. I didn't write down and track my goals,
b. my goals were too ambitious,
c. my goals weren't specific enough,
d. my goals weren't easily measurable and/or
e. I didn't reward myself for sticking to them.

Recently, I read about the importance of creating goals that are SMART, an acronym for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound. For more on SMART goals, see this website, which includes sample worksheets for setting SMART goals. (Note: I haven't downloaded their worksheets or have any relationship with the company.) Below, I share examples of some SMART goals for writers.

For me, though, SMART goals alone don't always provide enough motivation, especially when
I'm working on a long-term project, such as writing or revising an entire novel. I've found I also need some sort of reward.

In The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Random House), Charles Duhigg explains that habits, both good and bad, consist of a three-part loop: Cue, Routine, and Reward. Some habits are so ingrained, we aren't even conscious of the reward. However, with some thought and experimentation, we can not only break bad habits but also create new, healthy, ones. In this excerpt from his book, Duhigg talks about the habit loop and how we can change it. 

I'd discovered my own need for rewards even before reading Duhigg's book. I'd also found that for big projects, it helps to set mini-rewards along the way, and not just a big reward at the end, as explained in this Huffington Post piece. The mini-rewards may be as small as literally giving myself a gold star on a calendar that I use to track my achievements. And that brings me to today's Wednesday Writing Workout: 

Wednesday Writing Workout:
30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge

Today's Wednesday Writing Workout consists of three parts:

1. Identify ONE (and only one) SMART goal that will help boost your writing productivity, and appropriate reward(s) for success. 

Some goal possibilities:

• Get up 15 minutes earlier than usual, 6 days/week, and use that time only for writing.
• Write at least 500 (or 250 or 100) words per day on your work-in-progress, 5 days/week.
• Reduce time spent on social media by 30 (or 20 or 10) minutes per day, and use the saved time for writing.   

(For more examples of SMART goals for writers, see this blog post. )

2. Track your progress on a regular basis.  

Since one of the keys is that your goal be Measurable, it shouldn't be difficult to track your progress. This could be as simple as keeping a handwritten log where you note that day's results. Or maybe a calendar where you give yourself a gold star on every day you're successful. Or, if you like the idea of using software to track your performance and provide statistics and reminders, you can try one of the apps I mentioned in Friday's post. Whatever way you decide to track your results, make sure it's simple and easy, and maybe even fun. Otherwise, you're unlikely to stick with it.

3. Find someone you can be accountable to and report your progress to that person regularly. Better still, announce your commitment in public and get the support of a whole community!

Charles Duhigg says in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business (Random House)

"The evidence is clear: If you want to change a habit . . . your odds of success go up dramatically when you commit to changing as part of a group."

I'm lucky to have a terrific writing buddy who I check in with on a weekly basis. However, to encourage all of you to try today's Wednesday Writing Workout, I'm going to participate in this 30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge, too, as follows.

1. My goal: spend at least 2 hours/week revising my current work-in-progress.
I've been so busy with teaching and freelance writing assignments that I've let my current work-in-progress (WIP) fall to the wayside. Two hours/week may not seem like much time, but I want to make sure the goal is Achievable given my other responsibilities. Since those 2 hours aren't going to appear out of nowhere, I have a related goal: to get up 15 minutes earlier per day, six days a week, and to spend those 1 1/2 hours on my WIP. I'll get the other 1/2 hour by cutting out 30 minutes of television time per week. For my reward, I'll treat myself to a latte at a coffee shop. J

2. To track my progress: I'll use the Timesheet app to log my time and note what page I'm revising at the end of each writing session.

3. Find someone to be accountable to: That's YOU, our readers! 

To keep things simple, I've set the 30-Day Boost Your Productivity Challenge to run from February 1 through March 1. (February conveniently has 29 days this year.) I'll share my first progress report with you two weeks from today, on Wednesday, Feb. 10, and then the final results on Wednesday, March 2.

I'm hoping some of you will join me in this challenge!  You can tell us your specific goal to boost your writing productivity via a comment to this blog post, or on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page, or in an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com. I'd love to know how you plan to reward yourself, too. I hope you'll also return to report on your progress on Feb. 10 and March 2 as well. 

And, if any of you live in the Chicago area, maybe you'd like to join me for that latte some time in early March to celebrate our success!

Meanwhile, happy writing!
Carmela      

3 Software Tools for the New Year

Today I'm wrapping up our series on people/places/tools that help our writing by sharing three software tools I like to use. I don't have a poem today, but at the end of this post, I've provided a link to this week's Poetry Friday roundup.

1. Scrivener 

Some time ago, I mentioned that I was giving Scrivener a try. Some call Scrivener (from Literature & Latte) a word-processing program, but it's so much more--it's a powerful software tool for drafting, editing, and organizing all types of writing, including fiction, nonfiction, scriptwriting, and poetry/song lyrics. After taking advantage of their very generous 30-day free trial (which counts only actual days of use and not calendar days), I went ahead and bought a copy. Scrivener has many terrific features, but my two favorites are the Outliner mode and the Corkboard. Here's a snapshot of a sample corkboard from the Scrivener website.

Gwen Hernandez, author of Scrivener for Dummies (Wiley & Sons), shares what she thinks are Scrivener's Top Ten Features here. She includes the ability to set and track writing targets on her list, and I definitely agree!

If, like me, you're on a tight budget, before purchasing, be sure to do a Google search for discounts on the regular price, which is currently $40 for the Windows version. You can often find a deal. For example, Literature & Latte often sponsors a special on Scrivener in conjunction with NaNoWriMo.

2. Timesheet Time Tracker 

I've kept logs of my time spent on writing-related tasks for years, usually recording the data in a table in a Microsoft Word doc. For some of my freelance assignments, I put the data into an Excel spreadsheet that allows me to total the time automatically. With the new year, I decided I'd like an app that would not only allow me to track my time but also give me statistics on the percentage of time I spent per day/week/month on different activities. I researched my options by reading online articles on the best free time-logging apps (like this piece) and online reviews, and then tested a few of the recommended apps. I'm currently using Timesheet Time Tracker by Florian Rauscha. I found it easy to learn and use. I especially like that you can color-code both projects and tags. Here's a sample screenshot from their Google Play page:

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the Timesheet app, but the labels on the statistics charts are sometimes difficult to read, even on a 5" smartphone screen. I'm thinking an app that I can also use on my Windows PC may be better, so I've just downloaded Toggl to give it a try. (I read about it in this article.) Do any of you readers have a time-tracking app to recommend?

3. Habitbull 

While downloading new phone apps, I searched for one that might help me track some goals I've set for the new year and came across Habitbull. You can use it not only to record whether or not you meet a goal, but also to specify the number of times you do something or, if you're a writer, the number of words written in a day. I like that Habitbull includes the option to set reminders. And it lets you color-code, too! Here's a screenshot I found posted in this article on how to use it. (Note: the article is from 2014, so the instructions might not all apply to the current version.) 

 

How about you, Readers? Do you have any software tools you can recommend to improve our writing productivity?

Here are links to the other posts in this series, in case you missed them:

Esther started by telling us about Shaun Levin’s My Writing Life.
April shared a great 49-second video tip that's part of a series from UCLA Extension Writer's Program.
Bobbi wrote about mentors and inspirational writers.
April gave us a writing workout tied to the video tips she'd mentioned in her previous post.
JoAnn posted about the "pep talk" she received from reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic.
And Carla discussed some of her research tools.

Although Esther will blog about something new on Monday, I'll be back on Wednesday, 1/27, with a Wednesday Writing Workout that follows-up on today's post.

Don't forget to check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at A Teaching Life.

Happy writing!
Carmela

The Tools I Need to Use

I’m working on my next nonfiction book right now.  It was announced in Publishers Weekly:

 "Mary Cash at Holiday House has bought at auction Buried Lives: Slaves of George Washington's Mount Vernon by Carla Killough McClafferty. Buried Lives will bring to light the forgotten lives of the slaves owned by Washington for a middle-grade audience. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2017; Susan Cohen at Writers House did the deal for North American rights."

I must admit it:  I’m thrilled that the book was sold at auction!!  Yippee.  It is every author’s dream that their book will be sought after by more that one editor at the same time.   I’m also thrilled that my new book baby will be brought into the world with Mary Cash at Holiday House.  It is a good fit. 

My writers group waiting with me as the auction details were coming in.
(Annmarie, Loriee, Monica, me, and Darcy)

So now, a whole new level of work begins for me.  I move into high gear on the research.  In thinking about what sort of tools I use for this phase in a book, I use both new and old methods of research.

The “new” method of research comes first.  Today, so many primary source documents are online that it has simplified some types of research.  For example a few years ago, to do the type of research I do, would have required traveling to research libraries and taking pages of handwritten notes of details taken from primary sources.  Today, many documents are online.  Often I can find the actual document, and a transcript of that document.  History at my fingertips!  In the comfort of my pajamas I print them out.   

Then comes the “old school” method.   Once I’ve printed out the research, I read through them, mark them up, and make margin annotations.   Then I create a very fancy retrieval system I like to call---wait for it-------file folders.   Then I put the file folders in a plastic tub.  Then I use another fancy-schmancy method to separate sections of folders:  a file folder turned on end with post-it notes.  It’s about as old school as it gets.

My fancy filing system.  I use post-it notes to simplify things if I change the file names.

 The beauty of writing is that there isn’t one right way to do anything.  Each author works on their craft in their own unique way. 

Carla Killough McClafferty

Timing, Luck, and a Cabin Fever Poem

For a little while, it seemed that all my online friends were posting about this book. So I reserved it, waited for my chance to check it out, and read it several times. It landed in my library pile when I was looking for a little pep talk, and I found one.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear is full of common-sense reminders about courage, trust, and persistence, along with anecdotes that illustrate the concepts. In a friendly, conversational tone, Elizabeth Gilbert describes how fear can hold us back, details the value of good ideas, and suggests working with “stubborn gladness.”

Every once in a while, something comes along to remind me that I’m lucky to be doing work that I love. I appreciate the nudge.

Esther started this series on helpful writing books or tools with Shaun Levin’s My Writing Life.

April continued with a fun video poetry prompt.

Bobbi wrote about mentors and inspirational writers.

April gave us a writing workout via video tips.

Here in Wisconsin, we’re enjoying our second day of above-freezing temperatures after our first blast of seriously cold weather in the New Year. Here’s a poem I wrote during that cold spell.

Cabin Fever 

Is cabin fever an actual thing?
You don’t have to tell me. I know.
I’m looking out at the world outside:
Ice. Wind. Snow. 

A medical diagnosis
would probably not help a lot.
I have all the symptoms, so I’m pretty sure
that’s exactly what I’ve got. 

I’m antsy. I need to be moving,
but I don’t know where I could go.
Fleece and down won’t keep me warm
when the wind chill is thirty below. 

A walk inside a busy mall
or a yoga class might bring
a bit of relief for a little while,
but I’m thinking, Come on, spring!

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Keri Recommends. Enjoy!

JoAnn Early Macken

Finding Our Way to Writing in the New Year

To welcome in 2016,  my fellow TeachingAuthors and I wish to gift our readers with singular items and opportunities meant to keep everyone writing.

My gift for this brand new year of endless possibilities?

Shaun Levin’s Writing Map MY WRITING LIFE.

I first discovered these handy, interactive, pocket-sized writing prompts and exercises inside my SCBWI Europolitan Conference folder last April in Amsterdam.

Since then, I’ve done my due diligence in checking out the complete series of WRITE AROUND TOWN MAPS,  thanks, fortuitously, to their U.S. availability at THE LOOKING GLASS  book store in Oak Park, Illinois. 

Themed by elements of narrative, settings, occasion and emotion, each of the 15 maps lives up to its billing – i.e. “portable, practical, inspiring.”

I’ve showcased MY WRITING LIFE because IMHO, it’s the perfect map to help you find your way to writing – as well as – keep you writing once you’ve learned what’s driving you.

Last January, in my post titled HAPPY DRIVING, I encouraged readers to discover their writing Wants and Needs.

We do the same for our characters, I shared, so we can tell their stories well.  We must do so for ourselves so we can keep on telling the writer’s story we’re living.

In truth, though, that wasn’t the whole picture; knowing the Want, and even better, the Need, doesn’t do the job for our characters or us.

If we’re to tell our stories true – either those we’re writing or the writer’s story we’re living, we need to know the WHY behind the WHAT.

MY WRITING LIFE can help all of us do just that, allowing a closer look at various elements of the writing life: commitment, community, setting, subject matter.

We’re to think of the map’s questions as coming from someone who loves us, someone who is interested in how and why we write.

What does writing mean to you?

Who are your writing friends and allies?

Who has encouraged you?

What kind of writer are you?

Maps provide information, all in the name of navigation.


 

Here’s to 2016 and again, Happy Driving! May MY WRITING LIFE help you write happily ever after!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.

Speaking of maps and writing, check out the Landgrove Inn in beautiful Landgrove, Vermont where I’m honored to be continuing Barbara Seuling’s Manuscript Workshop July 10-15.

A Writing Map will sit inside each writer’s workshop folder. :)