Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 251

Blog Housekeeping

I've been thinking about 2010 plans for my blog and there were a couple of ideas I had for guest posts this year. Also, I wanted to update my sidebar (which is always a work-in-progress), and so I'm working on that in the next few days, too.

1)I've been interested in hosting guest posts on different series of topics. There has been some interest in writing processes lately, and I'm always really interested in other people's ideas on the subject.

What I thought I'd do is to open it up to...

Encouragement

When I got my daughter's 3rd grade newsletter (when she finally returned to school after her bout with the flu), there was an entire page on a new technique they were using to teach spelling. The letter also asked parents to encourage children to spell carefully.

I was delighted to see this at the end of the letter: "Most importantly, don't overdo it. Some places need to be "free zones" where children are free to express themselves without fear of the 'red pen.' Journals, poems...

Knocking Out that First Draft

After my post, Time, I got an email regarding my first drafts and the speed with which I write them. The reader was interested in getting some tips on speeding up the process.

There are a few things that help the first draft go quickly for me. Deadlines for 2 series have something to do with the motivation, for sure. And practice helps, too.

But there are some steps I take that help make the writing go a little faster.

I do an initial brainstorming on paper, before I start the...

Improving Ourselves

I had a disaster Wednesday, similar to what you'd find in one of my Myrtle Clover mysteries.

I realized after my daughter had been up for several hours, that her cough sounded different than it had the last few days. I called the doctor and quickly made an appointment.

I was already halfway through my preparation for Salmon Shirred Eggs for my blog today on the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Since the recipe involved eggs and we didn't need to leave for the doctor's appointment for 30 minutes, ...

Dr. Mom

This fall and winter have really tested my nursing abilities.

Unfortunately, both my children have the seasonal flu right now. One of those kids has already had H1N1 recently (October.)

I've been busily refilling water glasses, taking temperatures, handing out bowls of cut fruit, and checking in with doctors' offices and schools.

Monday my daughter was only interested in either sleeping or curling up in a tight ball of misery on the sofa and watching "Spongebob." It's amazing the...

Time

I'm guessing we're all trying to see if we're on track as far as scheduling different writing tasks.

For what it's worth, here's my average total for different activities. It varies some days, but my goal is always to finish by 2:00 p.m. (when my daughter gets off the school bus.) Some days I'm way off my goal, but most days I finish the brunt of it before 2:00.

Writing blogs: 30 minutes.

Social media:

Twitter: 10 minutes a day, tops
Facebook: 10 minutes a day, tops
Blogging...

What We Bring to the Table

I cut off the rest of this one-page synopsis of Disney's Pocahontas, which has Avatar's characters and plot plugged into it…I didn't want to create a spoiler for the movie, if you haven't seen it. This is something that's been circling the internet for about a week. You can see the full story on Media Bistro.

This is one reason why I've never been worried about sharing my WIP (work in progress) ideas with other writers—there are only so many plots out there. They could take my basic p...

Learning What You Want

I've said before that the biggest moment for me in getting published was when I determined what I wanted as a writer.

There are so many directions that you can follow with writing. If you want to write professionally, you can choose a job where you'll write: advertising, radio, TV, stage, newspapers, freelance writing, etc. You don't have to write novels or nonfiction books to satisfy the writing urge.

I've also spoken to several writing groups before. There were writers in these...

Should You Tell People About Your WIP?

"So, what are you working on now?"

Do you mind telling people about your WIP (work in progress)? Or does it make you grit your teeth when they ask? Do you wonder why people never ask accountants what they're working on?

Usually, if you're out of the writing closet, this is a question that you're going to get from time to time. I get it pretty frequently from acquaintances who know I write.

Upside of telling them:

You get ideas—If I tell you about my WIP or you're a first reader and y...

Middles

When I was a kid in the late 1970s in Anderson, South Carolina, I'd sometimes have to go to the drugstore with my mother. This was not a fun trip for me. Other than Belk Department store, the drugstore was the most boring place in the world to me.

The only redeeming quality to this shopping trip was the comic books. The store had them on a wire rack. They were packaged in sets of three inside a plastic wrap. So you could see the comics on the front and the back of the 3-pack. Those