Tips for fostering a love of books in our children

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Tips for fostering a love of books in our children

FORCE THEM TO READ.
 

Hahaha! Kidding! I mean, I don’t have kids so I’m no expert, but that’s kind of what I plan to do (a little more gently, of course) if I do have kids one day.
 

My parents read to me (and with me once I started learning) every night when I was young, so I grew up surrounded by books. Reading was normal for me, something I always did and always would do. 

Before my hypothetical child is born, he or she will have a full set of Harry Potter books in the nursery, along with a massive Dr. Seuss collection (I’m partial to ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH and THE SNEETCHES), TUCK EVERLASTING, and as many ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN books as I can find.
 

I will surround him or her with books of all subjects and reading levels, and I will show my child how fun reading is.
 

I will not expect elementary school teachers to do that work for me and allow my child’s impressions to be formed by fellow students who think reading is a drag.
 

I will be proactive. I will share my favorite books with my kid but not force him or her to love them as much as I do. I will take my child to bookstores on the weekend and let them pick out their own books to read, whatever they want.
 

That’s my plan.

What's yours?

How to enjoy writing time

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: How to enjoy writing time (or how to get your butt in the chair and keep it there)

Sometimes getting my butt into my computer chair is SUCH a task. I can always think of a thousand (lazy) things I'd rather do than work on the story that has been giving me trouble for two weeks. So I try and find small ways to make it fun. (These tips will work for general homework and tasks, too, even if you aren't a writer!) 

Coffee in my WRITER mug.

This is probably my most Instagrammed item (usually posed in front of my laptop). It’s from Castle, my favorite TV show (where the MC is also a writer!), and it always makes me feel more official.

Out and about.

I'm prone to getting distracted in my apartment, so sometimes I prefer to write (or do homework in general) other places. Most of these places involve coffee. The week before our seminar papers were due, almost everyone from my Readings in Fiction class took over the local Panera all day long and wrote pages and pages and pages for our papers. I spent ten hours there and wrote fifteen pages. Writing with other people is nice because there's always someone to watch your laptop when you go to the bathroom or grab a coffee refill.

Rewards!

Sensing a theme here?

I take breaks, grab an oatmeal raisin cookie, watch an episode of Gilmore girls (but just one!). Don't force yourself to write for hours and hours and hours unless you're really on a roll. And before you take a break, make sure you're at a fun part of your story, something you'll be excited to come back to. Otherwise you'll dread returning to the story.

So what do you do to make writing (or any work task) more fun?



Choosing a Title

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Choosing a title

If there is one thing I am HORRENDOUS at when it comes to writing short stories, it is picking a title. Every single story I brought to Tom, my favorite undergrad professor, left his office with a dark blue slash through the title and bubbles with other title ideas around it. 

Every. Single. One. 

I learned from Tom that a title should not be sweeping and moral and attempt to sum up your entire story. (This advice doesn’t necessarily apply to novels…that’s a whole different beast that I'm no expert on.) A short story title should provoke and draw out even more meaning from the story. It’s like reaching your hand into a hole in the wall, all the way up to your shoulder, and pulling out a toy that had been dropped down there and forgotten. 

Often the title plays on your story’s symbol. For example, I titled a story of mine “Cinnamon” because the main character’s truck smells like the cinnamon gum his father used to chew when he drove the truck before passing it down to the MC. The father and son have all sorts of issues, but the cinnamon is sort of their link to the time when they got along. 

A title can also create a filter, a lens for readers to look at your story through. I wrote another story called “How to Meet and Marry a Military Man” and all the scenes were written in an instruction manual type format about a relationship between a woman and her boyfriend/husband who was in the Air Force. Without that title, readers might be confused, but with it, the story makes more sense. 

So that’s my opinion on short story titles, what I’ve learned after making every possible mistake when naming my stories. 


Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes! (Again, novels are different!)

Character names

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Character names

I used to spend hours coming up with the perfect character names. I’d look at baby name websites and keep lists of my favorites. I’d find a meaning to match my character’s personality.

Now? I’m lazy. Or I’m more preoccupied with plotting/outlining. Or I’m desperate to come up with some type of story 24 hours before my workshop. So character names get put on the back burner. Lately, I’ve pulled a lot of my stories from real life experiences and I just slap characters with the same names as the people I’ve based them on, convinced I’ll go back and change them when I have time. And then I just never do, and I become accustomed to typing their name and don’t want to change it. It’s a problem. I’m going to have so many people suing me if I get published.

How do you pick names for your characters?

Myths about writers

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Myths about writers

1. We all want to write the Next Great American Novel. Um, no way. I don’t need that kind of pressure in my life!

2. We are all caffeine addicts and/or alcoholics. Not necessarily true. I do occasionally suffer from overcaffeination, but that’s it. We aren’t all Ernest Hemingway, folks!

3. If we get mad at you, we will write you into our story/novel and kill you. Again, not necessarily true. But I make no promises.

4. Writers are all rich. Hahahahaha…would you like to see my bank account? Even published writers aren’t rolling in money. My dad was stunned when I told him that publishing one book does not make you rich (unless you’re J.K. Rowling).

5. We are all socially awkward. This, to some extent, might be true. It’s hard to act normal when you talk to an entire cast of characters in your head! ;)

What are some common writerly misconceptions you've noticed?

Where to find inspiration

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Where to find inspiration

 

Now more than ever, I’m finding inspiration from my own life. Most of my stories lately have come from experiences I had growing up on an air force base (or experiences I most likely would have had if we’d stayed there into my teenage years). I think I’ve finally gained enough distance to realize their potential and write about them. I can finally see the uniqueness in these experiences that I’ve been searching for in my stories.

 

I’ve also learned the value of writing what you know: you’re able to replicate details that make your story feel SO REAL, details that others would not otherwise know. When it comes to picking story topics, I’m learning to play to my strengths as a writer, and so far it’s paying off.

Okay, fellow writers...where do you find inspiration?



The book idea you wish you'd thought of first

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: The book idea you wish you'd thought of first

OH SO MANY. This post is going to depress me.

My most recent jealousy is of Rainbow Rowell’s FANGIRL. Why did I not write a story about a college writing major? I know tons of stuff about being a writing major…I was one! And sort of still am, just at a grad school level. *smacks forehead*

Also wish I’d written every Sarah Dessen book (especially THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER and ALONG FOR THE RIDE), Kirsten Hubbard’s LIKE MANDARIN, and LOOKING FOR ALASKA and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green.

And even though I would never write fantasy or dystopia, I would love to have a series like Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Divergent that turns into a franchise (movies and merchandise) and reaches so many people who might not enjoy reading otherwise. I’d love to write a book that makes people want to read. Plus I’d love to walk the red carpet at the movie premiere!


So tell me: what books make you jealous?

How to cope with major critiques/edits

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: How to cope with major critques or edits of your story

Tears. Lots and lots of tears.

Just kidding! Being a writing major/MFA candidate has forced me to develop a thick skin, but some critiques still sting. (This also means I’m oddly sensitive about everything else. Like if my boss at work walks by my office without saying hello, I’m crushed.) I’ve learned that when someone critiques my story in workshop, they aren’t doing it to hurt me (at least I’ve been fortunate enough to have kind and helpful people in my classes). Most people have really helpful ideas for my stories, and they want to see them improve.

After a workshop I usually dive right back into the story while everything is fresh in my mind instead of letting myself stew over the critique. So that’s my advice: go right back to your story and make the necessary changes. UNLESS those changes are drastic, like start over completely from a different POV or get rid of this character. If you feel super unsure about a change, don’t hit that delete key right away. Brainstorm, outline, write out some new scenes with those changes just to see how they’d work in the story before you go back to your workshopped draft.

And always, always, ALWAYS save your old drafts. If it turns out that the critic from your class was out of his or her mind and had awful ideas, you’ll want to have your previous draft to undo those changes.  

What are your coping mechanisms for tough criticism?  

Writers in your life and how they've inspired you

Picking favorite books is a challenge, but choosing my favorite authors is simple. Here are my Big 3 Authors. I found them at different stages of my life and writing development, and each has affected me in a huge way.

J.K. Rowling – the reason I read books.

(Technically, my mom deserves some credit for buying me the Sorcerer’s Stone, so allow me to acknowledge her here. Thanks Mom!)

I still think I’d love books if I hadn’t read Harry Potter, but I wouldn’t be addicted to them in the same way. Also, my childhood would’ve been a tiny bit emptier without Harry. I also learned the basics of storytelling from the books. I learned about chapters, paragraphs, sentence structure. I learned how to handle a large cast of characters. I learned how to structure dialogue. I learned most of my big words (comprehension, indignantly) from the Potter books. They really did teach me how to write. And that is pretty magical.

Sarah Dessen – the reason I decided to pursue writing.

I discovered Sarah Dessen’s books when I was fifteen or sixteen. She was one of the first YA authors I read (after Meg Cabot) and I absolutely fell in love with her style. Her books were the first I’d come across where nothing insanely dramatic occurs in the plot. Her characters aren’t fighting evil wizards or discovering they are princesses or saving the President. They were just teenagers going through normal teenager problems, the same problems I faced (and some I hadn’t but soon would). Sarah gave me the lightbulb moment, the I-could-actually-do-this moment. She writes about the same things I want to write about, so maybe one day my stories could be famous too.

John Green – the author whose stories I wish I'd written.

I picked up LOOKING FOR ALASKA in summer 2011 and immediately fell in writer-love with the character of Alaska Young. I’d never read a character quite like her: self-destructive, wild, yet fiercely intelligent. And then I was jealous. Why didn’t I come up with a character like her? Then I read the rest of John’s books (THE FAULT IN OUR STARS had not been released yet) and was amazed by his level of storytelling. His characters grapple with philosophical questions and still remain hilarious. They are sarcastic and smart, yet still normal and relatable. They are always searching for someone or something, whether it is their own identity or the girl who’s mysteriously disappeared. TFIOS took all of that to a new level when it was released in January 2012 and solidified John as the author whose career I would most like to steal. Also, I overcame my fear about writing male protagonists because of his novels (which is a bigger deal than it sounds).

How about you? What writers inspire you?



Funny coincidence: I wrote/scheduled this post a while ago, and the lovely Katy Upperman just posted almost the same thing over at her blog today! Maybe we're psychics? Hop over and check out hers! :)  

How did you know you wanted to become a writer?

It's time for another post from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Yay! Let me know if you answer any of these questions on your blog...I'd love to read about them!

Today's question: How did you know you wanted to become a writer?

I never had a lightbulb moment where I leapt up and exclaimed, “AHA! I know what I want to do with the rest of my life…I want to write!” or anything like that. I started writing “books” the summer after fifth grade, so I was eleven at that time. They were only ten pages or so, but I was addicted. I think I started writing because I was unsatisfied with the books I read at the time. It was that awkward time in my life where I’d spent two or three years reading Harry Potter and couldn’t go back to the skinny chapter books I’d read before that because they just weren’t as good or as challenging. (Basically, Harry Potter ruined most middle-grade books for me. Thanks, J.K. Rowling.) Plus, none of the books I read were about the things that interested me, so I decided to just write my own.

The only books I read for five years.

I have since found books that interest me again (though it took until ninth grade for me to read anything other than Harry Potter), but thankfully I’m still writing. It got me a college degree, after all. And 1/4 of an MFA so far.


Your turn: why did you decide to start writing?

Avoiding "burnout"

I'm drawing today's blog inspiration from the list of 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers. Let me know if you do the same!

Today's topic: Avoiding "burnout"

 

All writers fear it: writer's block. No ideas. An exhaustion with writing so severe that they can't imagine opening up a Word document ever again. In a word: BURNOUT.

 

Thankfully, my “burnout” usually comes when I hit winter/summer break. 15 weeks of nonstop writing and reading for school can really take its toll. I always set all these goals of projects for break (working on that novel I shelved during grad school, reading all the fun books I haven’t had time for, etc), but realistically I know I’m going to sit on the couch and watch tons of TV while crocheting an afghan for three weeks.

 

AND THAT’S OKAY.

 

You need to give yourself permission to relax once in a while. You can’t gogogogogo 24/7. Sarah Dessen recently posted about scrapping the novel she’s been working on because it just wasn’t working and she was burnt out. That’s a scary thing to do, and I really admire her for it (both putting the draft away AND blogging about it). Taking time off doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you human.

 

Sarah also posted a quote she found about how even trees go dormant during the winter…they aren’t meant to produce year-round fruit, so why should you expect yourself to? So true! And you’ll most likely be a stronger writer when you come back from a break. I do, however, keep a list of ideas and little things I think of while I’m on a break. That way I’ll have something to start with when I come back.

What is your favorite quote and why?

So I found this list called 101 Blog Post Ideas for Writers and decided to answer some since I'm totally out of ideas for blog posts that don't involve me salivating over the same books over and over OR rambling about how grad school is so much work. Gotta keep things exciting over here! ;)

Today's question is: What is your favorite quote and why?

Right now I’m loving John Green’s quote on being a nerd from one of his video blogs (which I highly recommend watching because this man is HILARIOUS). I’m loving it so much, I’ve made it my resolution for 2014. I blogged about it in my New Years Resolution post, but basically John defines “nerd” as someone who is unironically enthusiastic about the things he or she loves, whether it’s books, movies, TV shows, anything that brings them joy. They don’t downplay their excitement when the next movie adaptation of their favorite book comes out in an effort to be “cool.” That’s the kind of person I want to be in 2014.

 

Here's the direct quote: "…nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff. We don’t have to be like, ‘Oh yeah that purse is okay’ or like, ‘Yeah, I like that band’s early stuff.’ Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself-love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they are saying is, ‘You like stuff’, which is just not a good insult at all, like ‘You are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’."

 

As for favorite book quotes…that is too overwhelming a topic for me to comprehend.    


What's your favorite quote, bookish or otherwise?

Let me know if you answer any of the 101 Blog Post Ideas questions on your blog. I'd love to read them!