Cynthia Chapman Willis's Blog, page 12

A wonderful opportunity came my way this summer. I was ...

A wonderful opportunity came my way this summer. I was invited to join the KidLit Authors Club. What is the KidLit Authors Club? A group of children's book authors from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. These fabulous authors have published picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult books. Here are the profiles of everyone in the club: http://www.kidlitauthorsclub.com/Who_s_In_The_Club.html

What does this group do? Ah, this is the fun part. Kidlit Authors Club members participate in book signings, appear on panels, present writing workshops, visit schools, and more. Amazing, right? I am thrilled to be included as a member of this fantastic crew. This week, as a matter of fact, I am presenting with other authors from KidLit Authors Club for the first time. Two other members and I will be at the East Brunswick, N.J., Barnes and Noble tomorrow evening. Thursday evening, some of us will be at the Clifton, N.J., Barnes and Noble. Fun!

Promoting great books with great people? What could be better? To learn more about the Kidlit Authors Club, check us out on Twitter (http://twitter.com/KidLitAuthors ) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/KidLit-Authors-Club)

Happiness is sharing the wonderful world of children's books with great people!

The Bliss of Organization

I may have a file addiction. It began after hearing the wonderful Paul Fleishman speak at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's conference in L.A. The second he spoke a certain magic word, organization, I leaned forward in my seat. From that moment on, I ignored everything else. He went on to describe how he stays organized while writing a novel. I leaned even farther forward as he outlined how he creates separate file documents on his computer. Documents such as: a "work in progress" file, a "working it out" file where he outlines story problems he encounters and possible solutions, an outline file, and a back matter file for title ideas and people he needs to acknowledge.

I could not scribble notes fast enough. These files, I thought, are exactly what I need. I am happiest when I am organized. Yet, most of the information for my current work in progress was crammed into two humungous documents. And believe me when I confess that each file was a dump of tangled, knotted, piled together information. So, I decided to try out Paul Fleischman's file ideas. Wow. What a difference.

I now have, in addition to my first draft document, a file for my characters, a revision file where I note what I will need to fix after the first draft is completed, a "to do" file, and a file of calendars and time lines. I also created a "darlings" file. Here, I stow copy that I adore even though it is not working in my manuscript. Writers are supposed to "kill their darlings," which means nixing the copy that isn't working, no matter how fabulous the writing may be. Hatchet murdering beloved sentences, phrases and even blocks of writing that came from blood, sweat, and tears, though, seems a bit harsh. Now, I send my darlings away to hang out in a cozy document. Much better than cold-blooded murder, I think.

Yes, I've been hitting the "new blank document" button on my laptop enough that I am wearing out the plastic key. Whatever. This is a small price to pay, I think, for the bliss of organization. Now, if I could only work this file magic on other disheveled elements of my life that often take a backseat to my writing. Yeah, those.

So, tell me: How do you stay organized?

Scene Wrestling

I spent two full days last week wrestling with a scene while writing the first draft of my present work in progress. Rolling around in a mosquito-infested swamp, trying to subdue an alligator with a bad attitude and even worse breath would probably have been easier.

Some experts would advise that it is best to step away from a ferocious, uncooperative scene when it gets all snarly and dominant and unmanageable. I've heard that some authors will revisit a difficult scene after both writer...

Amazing Animals

Most people who know me know that I love animals. My novel Dog Gone involves dogs. This is sort of obvious from the title, right? My second novel, Buck Fever, involves deer. Both novels include people and are really about them, but this is not the point of today's blog post. Today, I am sharing four video clips about some amazing and hilarious animals. Because, well, why not? Here they are:

Meet Sampson the kissing pony. This guy is amazing and adorable. I love the way Sampson makes people...

Good Question

I love reading articles and books discussing the craft of writing. Recently, I've been focusing on the intricacies of plot. Maybe you've heard the advice "write what you know." This makes sort of obvious sense to me. I mean, it's kind of hard to write about the social habits of baboons in southern Africa if you know nothing about them, right? Unless, of course, you live to do lots and lots of research.

Anyway, I came upon a slightly different take on the wisdom of writing what you know. In span

A Week With Critter

It's been a fun-filled and busy week with my new pal, Critter. If you're wondering what a Critter is, check out my last blog post: http://cynthiawillis.blogspot.com/2010/08/meet-critter.html

And now (insert drum roll, please), here's a photo recap of my time with Critter:

I took Critter to a yoga class in Oldwick, N.J. Because, frankly, he seemed a bit stiff. Yes, he's made of foam and cardboard, but never mind that. Nonetheless, here is Critter on my yoga mat just before a downward dog...

Meet Critter!

While I was in L.A., attending the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference, I met a wonderful person—Christy Evers. Christy writes children's books, which explains why she was at the conference. However, in addition to writing, she has also been the keeper of Critter. Who or what is Critter, you ask? Read on, my friends.

Critter is a slightly bovine-looking, extremely cute chunk of art created by Ian Sands. Mr. Sands is an art teacher. According to his blog,

Writing From the Heart

If you hang around people who write with the goal of publication in mind, you will most likely encounter a discussion about how much an author should consider the market when writing. Most authors that I have heard address this topic advise writers to compose from their hearts. I couldn't agree more. It seems to me that writing the story that holds my interest to the point of giving up food and water is the way to go.

And yet. . .

I have to admit that I often dwell on what kind of story...

People Watching at a 4H Fair?

Writers often comment about how helpful it can be to watch people going about their business. In other words, spying on the behavior of others. This is almost a requirement for writers. And when I say spying, by the way, I don't mean the James Bond style of stalking that could lead to getting arrested. I'm talking about casually observing the antics of the general population. For a writer, people watching is a kind of research. Noting real life human behavior is a great way to develop...

Workspace Interviews

Do you enjoy reading about how authors and illustrators work? Where they work? What their workspaces reveal about them? What motivates them? I do. The details about how other people write and create fascinates me. If you're like me in this way, check out this fabulous blog: http://writerjenn.blogspot.com/

Okay, now for the shameless self-promotion confession: I'm interviewed on this blog this week. So, a huge thank you to Jennifer and her wonderful blog.

If you find yourself with a few...