Cupcakes and Writing: Classic Vanilla

 For me, cupcakes are kind of like my writerly mascot.  Well, so begins the Cupcakes and Writing series.  Each Wednesday another cupcake flavor will be compared to an aspect of writing.  Well, until I run out of flavors, or inspiration, whichever comes first.  Bon appetit!   

Classic Vanilla: Writing Authentically

Flavors, nuts, food coloring, chocolates, you name it, a cupcake can have it. But classic vanilla, now that's different. It has one distinct color and taste. Nothing to compete with it. And I think that's the way we're supposed to be as writers. Pure and focused on our writerly journey.

Too often I'm caught in it: The Comparison Trap. I compare my writing to others. Or I compare how many books they've written, how many books are published, how many Followers they have. And I find I'm no longer focused on my own journey, but on others and along the way I've added other flavorings, other colorings to my cupcake base and it is no longer vanilla, but it is most assuredly not any other recognizable flavor either. It tastes bitter.

The social networking thing is awesome. I love connecting with other writers, seeing what they're learning, I can encourage them and share my own ideas with them. Now, I'm not saying we can't learn a thing or two from the writers we look up to and incorporate it in our writing. But it shouldn't come at the expense of losing our own flavor.

Remember, everyone's writing journey/flavor is different. Don't let it effect your own. Remain true to yourself and write like YOU were born to. And when you give a reader a taste of your writing, they'll like what they are experiencing.

Fellow Writers, Look What I Found!

All right, so here's a list of a few of my new favorite writerly things....

1)  Well, baby #2 is due in August, and the hubster and I are packing up our belongings and our little boys and moving out of state end of September.  I've been participating in NaNoWriMo for years, and was sad to think that I wouldn't be able to this year with a new baby and moving and all.  I think I'll be a little busy and REALLY tired in November.  Cue Camp NaNoWriMo!

Think NaNoWriMo, but for the summer, rather than for November.  When you sign up for Camp NaNoWriMo you can choose if you want to participate in June or August.  Betcha can't guess which month I'm signed up for? ;)


2)  So, I'm a list person.  I also like writing notes and ideas for my stories in notebooks.  The problem with this is I sometimes lose my lists.  Or forget which notebook I wrote my story outline in.  Or put the wrong notebook in my bag for my solo trip to Starbucks.

But thanks to Evernote, I've been so much more organized!  Seriously, downloading this free thing to write notes, make checklists (complete with check boxes I can check off on my computer or with the Evernote app on my phone) has been awesome!  Love, love, love having all my notes in one place, they're easy to edit, and I feel so much more organized without notebooks and pieces of paper in random places around the house.

3)  I had heard that Kristen Lamb is the go-to gal on social media for writers.  And she definitely is.  I bought both of her books, "We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media" and also "Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer."  I learned a few things from the first book, and was inspired by a few others in the latter.  I would recommend you check out We Are Not Alone, if you want to learn more about using Twitter, Facebook Fan Pages, Blogs, etc to build your writing platform.  If you just want to be inspired to continue writing and to keep up with your blog, check out Are You There Blog?  Both books are available for $4.99 for the Kindle on Amazon, and I think that's a great price for the nuggets of gold you'll glean from these books.  And if you don't want to read the entire book/s, then check out her blog, full of helpful social media and writing advice.

4) If you're a writer and you haven't read Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder, then you are truly missing out!  That book is awesome for helping you plan out a story line if you're in the brainstorming/outlining process, or fabulous for helping you tackle your revisions to help you understand what your story may be missing.

Apparently, I've been missing out too.  I learned today that Snyder wrote a second book, Save the Cat! Strikes Back which I just ordered.  I can't tell you yet if it's as awesome as the first book, but I'm definitely excited about what I'll learn from it.

Or have you used/participated in/read any of these things I've mentioned?  Or plan to?  Any writerly finds you've made recently?

Cupcakes and Writing: Red Velvet

I've mentioned before I love cupcakes.  For me, cupcakes are kind of like my writerly mascot.  Well, so begins the Cupcakes and Writing series.  Each Wednesday another cupcake flavor will be compared to an aspect of writing.  Well, until I run out of flavors, or inspiration, whichever comes first.  Bon appetit!  

Red Velvet: The Messy Writing Journey

I must admit, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting is up there as one of my fave cupcake flavors.   I remember one time I determined to make a batch myself.  Before I knew it, I had cupcakes baking in the oven, but my fingers and my counter were stained red.  My counter still hasn't quite been the same.  But whoa, those cupcakes sure tasted good!  And with that cream cheese frosting (I must confess, it was from a can, I wasn't brave motivated enough to make my own) it seemed like perfection.  I was so proud.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about writing.  We get an idea and we start brainstorming and typing away.  And then, when you look back at it, all you can see is the mess of the rough draft and the doubts creep in.  You're proud you have something on paper, and that it has the potential to be something great.  But all you can see is the red food coloring on your counter and fingers and you wonder if it was worth it all.

The same goes for later on in your writing journey.  You get a critique that brings about doubts and insecurities about your story.  Or another form rejection pops up among your email.  For me personally, it's easy to let the stains of those things keep me from writing for anywhere from minutes to months.  And I focus on the mess, and not the cupcake that's been baking for a while now, it's awesome aroma making my mouth water.  I focus on the bad and not the joy that has been my journey.  My growth.

And then, oh my goodness, I have a flash of brilliance and my fingers are flying over the keyboard.  Or I push through the mess and start spreading some of that cream cheese awesomeness on top of that WIP that's been sitting in a drawer for a while.

It's time we frost our manuscripts.  We need to let go of the stains and the mess on the counter and enjoy the baked goodness of a moist red velvet cupcake with that awesome cream cheese frosting on top.

Quote of the Month

“Where the mind goes the man follows.” 

― Joyce Meyer

Totally needed this reminder.  I tell myself "I'll just write later," and later never comes.  I tell myself "I don't have time to write today," and so I spend my time stalking seeing what all my friends on Facebook are up to, and checking my email for the 7th time.  I tell myself "I don't have a good story to write, no one's going to read it", and I avoid working on it like it's the plague.

But other days I think, "Ok, I'll just sit down and write for 15 minutes."  And the next thing I know, I've written for 40 minutes.  Or I think "I'll write before I check Facebook," and I do.  Or I think "Hey, this story isn't so bad."  And it isn't.

Where the mind goes, the man (or woman!) follows.  Joyce Meyer is such a smart lady. :)  

Can anyone else relate to this?!

Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help us grow as individuals, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.  The blogging friends who comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

For this blitz, I have chosen to honor Old Kitty at 10 Lives and Second Chances.  Old Kitty is an incredibly encouraging person, who comments on every single one of my posts.  And not just mine: I've seen her enthusiastic comments all over the blogosphere, filled with encouragement, support, love, and always accompanied with exclamation points.  I look forward to her comments every time I publish a post. 


To honor Old Kitty, I've decided to let her choose ANY book from my Teen Reads review archive that she'd love to have her own copy of, as long as it ships from Book Depository.  Old Kitty, let me know which book you choose and I'll contact you for your mailing address.  It's the least I can do for a blogging buddy who has brought me such love and encouragement. :)  Everyone else, if you haven't already please stop by and visit her blog and meet her adorable kitty, Charlie. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for all of you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Book Blogger Hop

It's been a long time since I participated in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Crazy for Books, so I figured I'd join in again this time around.  Though this question is tough!

The Question: Who is your favorite book character? I’ll give you a maximum of two choices, but they have to be from different genres!


Hmm, ok.  Lots of female protagonists came to mind at first, but I've figured out my answer.  It's gotta be Jonas from The Giver.  I LOVED that book when I first read it, loved Jonas' desire to really understand things around him, rather than just accept them at face value like every one else in the community.  I like how this began before he was even the Receiver, how he really thought about the words he wanted to say and which words other people use and what it really means (a trait my hubster also shares with Jonas, though in the real life situation it sometimes drives me crazy).  How Jonas thought about his friends, his parents, and how they operated.  I loved how Jonas really thought for himself, and I admire how he uses what he learns to do what is right, despite all the sacrifices it'll cost him at the tender age of 12.

And this could just be me, but I think all the other protagonists in dystopian novels follow a lot of the same patterns.  It is their thirst for understanding their society that makes them stand out, and enables the plot to move forward.

All right, your turn.  Do you think protagonists from dystopian novels are similar?  

And who is your favorite book character(s)?

Teen Read Review: Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Genre: dystopian, YA

My rating: 4 1/2 stars

Summary from goodreads.com: "Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, the ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future"

If you know me, then you know that I LOVE dystopian YA, and also that I like fairy tale retellings. Put those two together, and I'm a happy reader. I loved the concept of this book, the characters, the dialogue, the writing, the pacing, the ...well, you get the picture. It was a pretty fabulous book from a debut author. And I must say, I LOVE that this will be a series of four books, each using a different fairy tale in a different location. Genius idea Meyer!  Just in case you're interested, here's the Lunar Chronicles line-up:

1. Cinder.   Based off of Cinderella.  Set in New Beijing.
2. Scarlet.  Based off of Little Red Riding Hood.  Set in France.
3. Cress.  Based off of Rapunzel.  Set on the moon.  (How cool is that?!)
4. Winter.  Based off of Snow White.  Set in the Sahara Desert.

And apparently, the totally awesome Cinder is in all four books.  Whoo hoo!  Oh, and speaking of characters I totally adored Iko, the house robot and her fabulous personality. Where can I get one?!?  She better be in the next books!

So, why couldn't I give this book 5 stars?


Honestly, it's because I found it too predictable. I seemed to always know what was going to happen next, and I don't think because it was based off of Cinderella. This book didn't follow the fairy tale that closely, and honestly I think the series is good enough to stand on its own without the fairy tale foundation. But anyway, I think it was just the twists and turns Meyer took us on were what needed to be done to move the story (and the series) forward, and if she hadn't done what she did, she would have been on the wrong track. Does that make sense?


I highly recommend this book. And I can't wait for the next one to come out!


Anyone else read it or planning on reading it? And what do you think about the idea of a story being predicable because it's what needs to be done to move the story forward?

Creativity in the Classroom?

Do you think students' creativity is being squelched in the classroom?

I used to be a middle school English teacher before I became a stay-at-home mommy and writer and blogger.  The focus drilled into us teachers constantly by principals, vice principals, team meeting leaders, etc was the curriculum.  Teaching students what they needed for the next test and for those standardized tests that would prove to people that their children were not being left behind.

Now, I think it's awesome that we're making sure we're teaching our students what they need to know.  But I fear that in the process, we've taught students how to prepare for tests while putting their ability to think for themselves and to be creative on the back burner.  Not that critical thinking and creativity in the classroom don't exist, but they're not being encouraged as much as they should.

My last year of teaching, I decided to end our fiction unit by letting the students write a story of their own.  I was excited by the creativity that would follow.  I thought they would be excited too.  What I got instead were lots of questions.  "How is this being graded?"  "Why are we doing this, writing isn't on the test, right?"  "How long does it have to be?"  "What does it have to have in it?"

I got frustrated.  I wanted them to just write and be creative.  Without concern about their grade or page length.  Just to write.  And this very situation is what inspired the concept of my manuscript I began working on alongside those students.

Eventually they began to let go of their anxieties.  Those pencils started flowing.  Excitement filled the air.  Even though I told them they'd have plenty of time in class to work on their stories, many went home and worked on it.  I loved seeing them excited about their ideas and their writing.

So, I ask you, what do you think?  Do you think students' creativity is put on the back burner to focus on the curriculum and testing?  Does it depend on the teacher and whether they incorporate creative outlets in their lessons?  Or is creativity flourishing and thriving in schools?

"The Writer's Voice" entry

“The Writer’s Voice” is a contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Monica B.W. of Love YA, and Krista Van Dolzer of Mother.Write.(Repeat). 

The contest requires you to post the plot summary from your query letter and first 250 words of a finished manuscript.  So, with some nervousness and great excitement, I share with you:  

The Plot Summary of my YA sci-fi Right State of Mind:

Anyone who could provide humanity with limitless creativity would surely win a Nobel Prize.  Right?  Posing as a high school teacher, a neuroscientist chooses thirty unsuspecting students as his guinea pigs in his simple experiment: use light pulses to stimulate neurons in the right side of the brain and unhindered creativity will follow.  Genius!

Ivy, senior editor of the school newspaper, is the only one to see a dazzling light in the hallway.  Over time, several of her classmates can write, paint, draw, sculpt and design like never before.  And oddly enough, they are completely unaware of what they are doing until after their creation is completed.  While everyone fully embraces the creativity that unfolds, Ivy is convinced the light is not only connected to the new phenomenon she dubs “creative episodes”, but that they could be dangerous.  

Ivy’s popular twin brother, Sage, finds himself not only the captain of the basketball team, but also an artist with detailed drawings and vibrant paintings he doesn't even remember making.  The only one who doesn’t appreciate his new skills is his nerdy sister, whose crazy theories and recent articles are doing nothing to elevate his social status.
  
But then the episodes begin to happen more often.  And then the side effects begin.  One of which kills a classmate.  Terrified, Sage joins his sister to piece together the mystery of the creative episodes and what is behind them before he or someone else gets seriously hurt.

The First 250 Words:

They reminded him of bees.  Swarming around, buzzing excitedly with their friends, their minds focused on their task at hand—lockers, friends, homeroom.  That was always their pattern in the morning, much as a worker bee's pattern was flower, hive, honey comb. The hallways were always a hive of activity that he avoided as much as possible.

He scrutinized them as they joked with each other, crammed things in their lockers, talked about their previous night, about who was going out with whom.  They were on a mission to talk to as many people as possible before slipping into their seats just as class began.  He couldn’t blame them.  Class could be tedious.  But all this drama that they cared about was ridiculous.

          They were oblivious to what was to come.  He would show them what really mattered.

Adrenaline surged through his body.  Today was the day he would launch his great experiment.  If his hypothesis was correct, if the experiment went as planned, he would change these subjects' lives.  He would change education.  He would change neuroscience.  But mostly...he would change the world.

          Everything was set.  He had his experimental group of subjects.  He'd been observing them for the first months of school, meticulously recording data about their habits and personalities.

        All his research would culminate right here in ordinary Kennedy High School.  It was perfect.  Profound.  Nobel Prize worthy.