Tuesday, December 15, 2009

For those of you with an online presence...

For those of you who facebook, twitter and blog, here's an interesting editorial from the New York Times. Definitely food for thought.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Book Give-Away!!!

FYI - Do you like free gifts? Tabitha Olsen has a fabulous book give-away contest happening on her blog. The titles are great. Check it out!

Hopeful...

I've just mailed my scholarship application for the Highlights Foundation Chautauqua Writer's Workshop. I've wanted to go for several years, but it's never been a possibility. I've heard such good things about the experience from my friends who have attended in the past. They report the workshops and mentorships were more than helpful. One full week of emersion in the writer's community sounds fabulous to me. And so today, I'm hopeful...

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Procrastinating...

Honestly, other writers should know better than to introduce their writer friends to these type of distractions!

Apple Game

I got 59 apples my first try. How many apples did you get?

Monday, December 7, 2009

Fast Drafting


I'm reading a book called First Draft in 30 Days, by Karen S. Wiesner. It is a method designed to to reduce time-intensive rewrites and avoid writing detours. It also shows you how to create an outline that is detailed and complete enough to double as your first draft.

I've never mastered writing quickly. I write the beginning and the ending, and then I stew and brew over the middle and the details. I have a terrible need to fix and revise as I go. I consider it a bad habit I need to break.

SO... I'm going to give this a try. I like how Wiesner plans out a schedule. Each day has a specific assignment. The required detail is daunting, but if done right, the subsequent drafts should be fairly painless. Should be.

I don't know if I can complete this in 30 days, but I will consider it a successful venture if I can complete a draft in 90 days. That's still fast for me.

Anyone else out there fast draft? Pointers will be appreciated!