He shared the artist that's getting him through quarantine.

Tomorrow (Friday 5/8) I'll be taking over the HarperCollins Library Love Fest Instagram to show you my writing space, with a video tour at 11am EDT. Come visit my writing room, meet my cat, and see where I create my monsters and the women who ride them! https://www.instagram.com/harperlibrary

TODAY!!! Come visit me on the HarperCollins Library Love Fest Instagram today (Fri 5/8)! I'm taking over their Instagram account all day to show you pictures and videos of my writing space! Just posted the video tour! 

https://www.instagram.com/harperlibrary

Writing advice: Read and reread. Think of a story you have never read but wish you had; then write it as carefully as you can. Finish it, and send it around till it's published.

Author Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago in 1888, and to this day remains one of the greats in the world of crime fiction thanks to his creation of Philip Marlowe, the hardboiled detective who stars in many of his stories: The Big Sleep (1939), Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The High Window (1942), The Lady

What started as Bernie Sanders writing an innocent thank you note to his field staff on a white board turned into memers filling it in with hotter takes and less savory messages. Seriously, people should know better at this point than to post images on the internet of people with white boards. It's just asking for bad news.

Do you want some powerful article tips? How about some tips for quick article writing? Well, I have some great techniques to get better results.

Finding it a challenge to carve out time for your writing because of other work or life commitments? I encourage you to join me in my Daily Writing Challenge. Even 100 words a day adds up! I also have an Inkygirl Daily Writing Challenge Facebook Page.

One of my goals in 2020 is to not only be more diligent about writing something FIRST THING in the day, but also not to be so picky about what I write (social media posts don't count, though :-)).

Reason: Last year, I was always trying to work on my middle grade novel first thing in the morning. While my goal of morning writing worked sometimes, there were many mornings when I just had too much going on. I'd be distracted because I'd be on the road, or have morning appointments, be stressed about book illustration deadlines.

As a result, I ended up NOT writing many mornings. That fed into my growing overall frustration at my lack of progress, and eventually I just gave up.

Keep in mind that I never have trouble focusing on contracted book work. If someone is expecting work from me and I have a deadline, that's one thing. My middle grade novel project, however, tend to always be shoved to the back burner. Part of the reason, I know, is psychological. In the stupid part of my brain: "Once I finish writing and revising, I'll have to start sending them out into the world, and what if I end up getting nothing but rejections again?" 

But I'm also aware that I've spent so many years focusing on illustration work that my writing muscles still feel rusty, and that's feeding into my whole "but what if I can't write anymore" insecurities.

The solution, I think, is that I need to write a LOT more, and on a daily basis, even if it's not writing for my middle grade novels. I like what Jeff Goins said in his post, My Morning Routine In 10 Simple Steps. After breakfast every morning, he writes something.

From the Goinswriter.com article on a morning routine:

This can be a blog post, book chapter, article, or just some random notes to myself. For me, it’s not about what I write as much as it is important just to write. Usually, I wrote around 1000 words; sometimes less, sometimes more.

I've started to do this as well. Sometimes I write by hand in one of my Rhodia hardbound journals (also an excuse to use one of my fountain pens), sometimes I write on the computer. Sometimes poetry, a sentence or two from an imaginary story that doesn't (yet) exist, stream-of-consciousness first-person of one of the characters in my book, sometimes a blog post.

Do you do morning writing? Do you have a life that makes finding writing time a challenge? Feel free to post below.

Happy launch day to Marcie Colleen, whose THE BEAR'S GARDEN with Alison Oliver launches from Imprint/Macmillan today!

Marcie Colleen is the award-winning picture book author of Penguinaut! (illustrated by Emma Yarlett) and Love, Triangle (illustrated by Bob Shea), as well as the Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series. She teaches Writing Children’s Picture Books for the University of California at San Diego both online and on campus, and runs her own Study Hall conducting a month-long online critique group dedicated to the crafting picture books. Find out more about how you can study with Marcie at thisismarciecolleen.com and on Twitter at @MarcieColleen1.

*UPDATE: Marcie has also launched her SUPER HAPPY Book Club on her YouTube channel, especially for families at home during school closures!

Launching March 24, 2020, THE BEAR'S GARDEN is written by Marcie Colleen and illustrated by Alison Oliver. You can read reviews of the book on Kirkus (starred review!) and Bookroo.

Author: Marcie Colleen
Illustrator: Alison Oliver
Publisher: Imprint/Macmillan Children’s

SYNOPSIS: Inspired by the true story of a community garden in Brooklyn, New York, picture book The Bear’s Garden is a testament to how imagination and dedication can transform communities and create beauty for everyone in unexpected places.

A little girl sees an empty lot in a city and imagines what it can be:

a place to grow,
a place to play,
and a place to love.

With the help of her stuffed bear, the girl brings her community together to create a beautiful garden.

Q. What inspired you to write this book?

The Bear’s Garden was inspired by the real-life Pacific Street Brooklyn Bear’s Community Garden in my former neighborhood in New York City. The name always puzzled me—I mean, we didn’t have bears wandering around Brooklyn last I checked!

Come to find out, the garden was named for a teddy bear that was found in the weeds when the workers began to create a garden in the abandoned lot. Of course, immediately I started thinking of that little bear. How did he get there? Did he belong to anyone? Was he placed there on purpose?

The Bear’s Garden is my imaginative story about how the teddy bear came to be in those weeds. It’s also a love letter to my former neighborhood and the power of community that I felt while living there. I am the girl who finds love and beauty in every inch of that urban paradise

Q. As an experienced author, how do you manage your time in terms of balancing your creative work time with the business side (promotion, admin, school visits etc), yet still have a life outside work?

While everything I do, such as teaching and creating Teacher’s Guides, falls under the umbrella of being a full-time children’s author, I have struggled in the past to find time for my own creative writing. It seems my days get quickly overrun.

However, about a year ago I paired up with a fellow author friend, Kirsten Larson, to prioritize our writing projects. We get up at 5:20 every morning to write for an hour. The alarm goes off, we text each other a quick “Good Morning” and share our project goals for that session, grab our coffee, and set to write until 6:30 without distraction. At 6:30 we check in again with our progress. It’s been a game-changer. I think I have written more in the last year because of it. And it’s a fantastic way to feel accomplished no matter what the rest of the day brings.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers?

I have always loved reading and writing stories.

A few years back I found a book I had written in elementary school. It’s called Rainbow Hunt. And in the back of the book I found an Author’s Note I had written. It said,

“Marcie Goldstein lives in Liverpool, NY and loves to write books. Someday she hopes to be a successful author.”

So, my advice to young writers everywhere would be, know that your dreams can come true. Even if people say it’s a long-shot. I’m living proof. So keep reading, keep writing, and never stop dreaming.

Q. Anything else you'd like to mention? What are you excited about these days?

Despite the recent global health crisis that has left us all indoors, I am excited to see how we will learn to build more community within our lives—even virtually. The creativity and innovation that has developed in the last few weeks has been extraordinarily inspiring. Like flowers between the pavement cracks, we will find ways. And a lot of beauty is going to grow from this.

 --

For more interviews, see my Inkygirl Interview Archive. Also see Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators, a compilation of tips generously offered by children's book creators I've interviewed over the years.

How good are you at writing speeches? Take Away English discusses useful speechwriting techniques.

Teacher question: Everyone says reading and writing are connected. But our school focuses on only reading. We have a reading program (we don’t have a writing program). We test the students three times a year in reading, but never in writing. Writing isn’t even on our report card, though I guess it is part of Language Arts. What should we be doing with writing? Shanahan's response: You came to the right place. I think your school is making a big mistake not giving sufficient attention to writing.

Teacher question: Everyone says reading and writing are connected. But our school focuses on only reading. We have a reading program (we don’t have a writing program). We test the students three times a year in reading, but never in writing. Writing isn’t even on our report card, though I guess it is part of Language Arts. What should we be doing with writing? Shanahan's response: You came to the right place. I think your school is making a big mistake not giving sufficient attention to writing.

3 June 2013 , Volume 69, Number 3

Dark creations of European authors tell us much about our own world

In my previous article on writing groups (which you can read here),  I talked about some popular ways writers connect. From online forums like the Mythic Scribes writing forums to community workshops, there’s no shortage of ways writers find each other, and just as many reasons they’re out there searching in the first place. In this follow-up article I’d like to explore some ways to start a writing group, and to keep a good group running by avoiding common pitfalls that lead to trouble.

What’s the Point?

Whether you’ve been searching for an established group and have had zero luck finding the right one, or you’re trying to start a specific group to fill a niche, the first thing to consider when starting a group is the scope—what you’re hoping to get from it. Writing solo can work for years, until one day…it just doesn’t, and it helps to know what you’re looking for in a writers’ group. Motivation, accountability, advice, feedback, critique, support—you name it, there’s a group for it, or at least other folks looking for the same thing.

Are you searching for a relaxed place for people to share their journey as writers?

Continue reading Writing Groups Part 2 at Mythic Scribes.

This article is by L. James Rice.

Campfire Pro is a program that aims to be a comprehensive tool for worldbuilders, ranging from authors to game designers to TTRPG Gamemasters, which means it’s got many features to explore. With that in mind, it’s probably best to give a little overview of the product before delving into its details.

First off, between gaming, screenwriting, and writing in general, I’ve seen a lot of these sorts of programs over the years and been disappointed by them more often than not. Campfire’s user interface harkens back to many older programs, keeping things relatively simple, and if you’re looking flashy bells and whistles, they aren’t here. You can, however, beautify the background with a variety of themes as well as create your own. Where this program excels is in its most important aspect, functionality, while for me at least, the biggest downfall is a less than intuitive interface. This could just be my brain, results will vary, but don’t be surprised by a tiny learning curve and the occasional “good grief, did I really just do that?” This is more about little irritants than deal breakers, however, and a little tinkering tends to find answers.

Continue reading Review of Campfire Pro Writing Software at Mythic Scribes.

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau) University of Illinois classics professor Clara Bosak-Schroeder writes about how the ancient Greeks thought about natural resources and how it is relevant to responding to climate change today.

In many countries (including the UK and Australia) it is still common practice for hospital doctors to write letters to patients’ general practitioners (GPs) following outpatient consultations, and for patients to receive copies of these letters. However, Hugh Rayner, consultant nephrologist, and Peter Rees, former Chair of the Academy of...

AHP readers will be interested in a review article now available online from History of the Human Sciences “Within a single lifetime: Recent writings on autism.” Written by Gregory Hollin the piece reviews five recent books on autism.

Cursive writing is experiencing a resurgence of sorts in North Carolina elementary schools thanks to a state law that was passed in 2013.

The assistant principal wrote a children's book featuring Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that has been adopted by the alt-right.

An introduction to the group that was established by Dina Davis, with only six members who email examples of their current work to the rest of the group for review and feedback. Includes biographical details and examples of the work of each author.

OM Madagascar responded to the declining literacy rate in the Androy region by starting a literacy course in Ambovombe. Last month the first class graduated, and the second class began.

In the face of well-funded opposition to organized labor, teachers will not be silenced, writes NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.

Six teacher-authors discuss what they learned over the past year and a half as they wrote books that are set to be published in the coming weeks.

High school teacher Kateryna Haggerty explains how visual aids in her classroom help her English-language learner students write more confidently.

When students begin to value their own improvement, and see their weaknesses as opportunities, the grades will come, writes teacher Stephanie Curtis.

Both the House and Senate ESEA bills keep annual tests, but they go very different ways on a lot of other assessment issues.

"I didn't realize how much I would gain from going to school" Dipu shares about OM Bangladesh's Village Primary Schools.

what are the rules to write a will. if any witness required or not.
if required, who are signed as witness.

The 'Lose You To Love Me' hitmaker had been busy in the studio before lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and is desperate to keep

In today's Diary: Michael Spicer on his forthcoming book / Rupert Everett calls for help for Coram's Fields / Emma Freud on the Comic Relief t-shirts / Brandon Lewis's marathon exercise regime

A good writer will enjoy a fulfilling career that will include fame and fortune. However, you have to develop healthy habits that will help you to nurture your skills. If you have urgent projects or are overwhelmed, you can hire professionals from companies such as Mypaperwriter who offer customized writing services to help as you […]

The post 10 Writing Habits Of Famous Authors You Can Use Now in 2020 appeared first on Chart Attack.

The viral post claims that the NHS, rather than the government, are to blame for PPE failings

As authors from Chaucer to Hollinghurst have shown, sex reveals our emotions, instincts and morals. The question is not why write about sex, claims author Garth Greenwell, it’s why write about anything else?

There is a widely held belief, among English-language writers, that sex is impossible to write about well – or at least much harder to write about well than anything else. I once heard a wonderful writer, addressing students at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, say that her ideal of a sex scene would be the sentence: “They sat down on the sofa …” followed by white space. This is a prejudice I can’t understand. One of the glories of being a writer in English is that two of our earliest geniuses, Chaucer and Shakespeare, wrote of the sexual body so exuberantly, claiming it for literature and bringing its vocabulary – including all those wonderful four-letter words – into the texture of our literary language. This is a gift not all languages have received; a translator once complained to me that in her language there was only the diction of the doctor’s office or of pornography, neither of which felt native to poetry.

More than this, surely it is absurd to claim that a central activity of human life, a territory of feeling and drama, is off-limits to art. Sex is a uniquely useful tool for a writer, a powerful means not just of revealing character or exploring relationships, but of asking the largest questions about human beings.

Emma Glass's book set in an isolation ward is both terrific and timely. She talks to Katie Law

A new law that will let you opt out of the online data economy goes into effect on Jan. 1 — assuming businesses can figure out how to make that happen in time.

Subscription focused, The Athletic has grown rapidly since its start in 2016. Founded by Adam Hansmann and Alex Mather, the VC-backed sports website, has bucked the trend by focusing on annual subscriptions. And with its latest funding of $50 million, the company is now worth $500 million.

Keep on reading: Sports writing startup hits $500M valuation

PNC Bank N.A. has agreed to pay the United States $7.1 million to settle claims under the False Claims Act that it failed to engage in prudent underwriting practices in connection with the issuance of loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Ferrari insists its championship chances are not yet over despite its main title contender, Fernando Alonso, failing to score points at the Belgian Grand Prix

Some people do; others use a keyboard for everything and have forgotten how. What about you?

Family doctors are acknowledging that there's only so much medicine can do, and sometimes a walk in the park is just what a person needs.

Architentions design a lovely "parallel imaginative world"

A secret deal lets the homebuilders dominate the committees that write the building codes for housing.