As I am going through some of my old material to come up with fun and informative posts I can across this listing I created for one of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrations sessions from a few years ago. Called, “New Year Thoughts (many borrowed) for My SCBWI Hoggetowne Group”. It’s more like a “You Are a Writer If” kind of thing.

• Whether the book you are working on now gets published or not…you’re still a writer. And you’ll write other books. You know you will.
• Being a writer isn’t just about being published; being a writer is about writing.
• Keep writing…it’s the best antidote to rejection.
• How much of ourselves do we really owe our loved ones? (Figure it out first and then write without guilt…just healthy pleasure.)
• Write with clarity and vision of someone who is very much in tune with the human heart – detail the tiniest nuances.
• Even when I’m not with whom or where I truly want to be…I take in the setting, including every quirky detail…who knows I might be able to use it later. Reminder: Careful you may end up in one of my novels.
• Allow your characters to react to whatever environment they are in – through their senses, thus you reveal a great deal more about your character. (Ex. A deserted beach at night may delight one character and scare off another…only because of certain associations in their life to such a place) A character’s reactions produce atmosphere.
• Writing is a way of life. A real writer will shed his obligations, somehow, and get away by himself and write.
• When writing becomes a habit and a necessity, the writer need never give a thought to discipline, because writing is a pleasure.
• A story tracks what a person wants, what he’ll do to get it, and what costs he’ll have to pay along the way. You need to know what your main character needs in every scene.
• The most important step in creating characters is to connect and compare each to the others.
• Dialogue is not real talk but must instead serve the story. Sometimes less is more…choose your words wisely.
• And, finally, understand that you don’t choose to write. Writing chose you.
• You must see writing as your personal passion, as something you are unable not to do. And you know you will do it until the last day of your life!

Write On!

Linda