Category: I Just Read . . .

Writing Craft Books Worth Your Time

This is the kind of post I’ll be updating as time goes by, but over the years, I’ve learned more from books on how to write craft than from any agent or editor or workshop I’ve ever taken. Most of these I’ve read more than once and have highlighted, marked, stuck post-its in reference spots, generally used and loved them to the point of abuse. I’m like my poor daughter who loved her baby chick so much she hugged it to death–literally.

The first book on writing craft I ever read was a set of editorial letters from the celebrated editor Ursula Nordstrom to her clients, namely Maurice Sendak, E.B. White, Margaret Wise Brown, Shel Silverstein, Garth Williams, John Steptoe… You get the idea. It was the moment I knew I wanted to be published, because I wanted an editor like that. I knew I needed someone in my corner who would be my creative partner in all of this mess that is writing.

 

Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom,

Collected and Edited by Leonard S. Marcus

She trusted her immense intuition and generous heart–and published the most. Ursula Nordstrom, director of Harper’s Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973, was arguably the single most creative force for innovation in children’s book publishing in the United States during the twentieth century. Considered an editor of maverick temperament and taste, her unorthodox vision helped create such classics as Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and The Giving Tree.

Leonard S. Marcus has culled an exceptional collection of letters from the HarperCollins archives. The letters included here are representative of the brilliant correspondence that was instrumental in the creation of some of the most beloved books in the world today. Full of wit and humor, they are immensely entertaining, thought-provoking, and moving in their revelation of the devotion and high-voltage intellect of an incomparably gifted editor, mentor, and publishing visionary.Ursula Nordstrom, director of Harper’s Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973, was arguably the single most creative force for innovation in children’s book publishing in the United States during the twentieth century. Considered an editor of maverick temperament and taste, her unorthodox vision helped create such classics as Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and The Giving Tree.

Leonard S. Marcus has culled an exceptional collection of letters from the HarperCollins archives. The letters included here are representative of the brilliant correspondence that was instrumental in the creation of some of the most beloved books in the world today. Full of wit and humor, they are immensely entertaining, thought-provoking, and moving in their revelation of the devotion and high-voltage intellect of an incomparably gifted editor, mentor, and publishing visionary.

Once I realized my current writing abilities were less than industry standard (to put it gently), I wanted to improve so badly. I asked someone I knew who was a major in some kind of English or Journalism what books they studied in college about wriitng. And they told me about…

 

The Elements of Style

by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

You know the authors’ names. You recognize the title. You’ve probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book’s unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of “the little book” to make a big impact with writing.

 

This little book became my writer’s bible. I’ve read it so many times over the years, I had to buy a second copy. In hardback. It’s just a standard, and I love it.

Since that time, I’ve always tried to open my mind to more and more opinions, but I have to say, I don’t agree with all writing craft books. I’ve enjoyed them, taken what I can and left the rest. I used to feel guilty for wanting to argue a point, but I’ve realized that what makes great writers is their fresh and unique way of doing things. So I don’t think we all have to agree on everything. It would be a boring world of literature if we did. And what works for one writer won’t necessarily work for another.

So these are the books I’ve used, read, and loved. Some more than others. But I’m not going to bias you one way or another. Because they’ve all had something to offer and made me a better writer, especially a better editor, in the process.

In no specific order…

 

Book Architecture

by Stuart Horwitz

In Book Architecture: How to Plot and Outline Without Using a Formula, Stuart Horwitz returns with his trademark clarity to help writers craft a powerful plot and an effective outline for their works-in-progress. Whether your manuscript is an advanced draft or you are just starting out, whether you are working in fiction, film and TV, or creative nonfiction, you will learn a new approach to structure that will transform the way you look at your writing. Along the way, Horwitz offers detailed, concrete examples that reveal how the Book Architecture Method works with everything from literary classics to blockbuster films. And you won’t have to resort to using a formula–which may seem risky! But it can be done.

The next book is like a companion novel or workbook to Book Architecture, and reading both was helpful.

 

Blueprint Your Bestseller: Organize and Revise Any Manuscript with the Book Architecture Method

by Stuart Horwitz

The first draft is the easy part… 

In Blueprint Your Bestseller, Stuart Horwitz offers a step-by-step process for revising your manuscript that has helped bestselling authors get from first draft to final draft. Whether you’re tinkering with your first one hundred pages or trying to wrestle a complete draft into shape, Horwitz helps you look at your writing with the fresh perspective you need to reach the finish line.

Blueprint Your Bestseller introduces the Book Architecture Method, a tested sequence of steps for organizing and revising any manuscript. By breaking a manuscript into manageable scenes, you can determine what is going on in your writing at the structural level—and uncover the underlying flaws and strengths of your narrative.

For more than a decade this proven approach to revision has helped authors of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as writers across all media from theater to film to TV.

 

Steering the Craft

by Ursula K. Le Guin

A revised and updated guide to the essentials of a writer’s craft, presented by a brilliant practitioner of the art.

Completely revised and rewritten to address the challenges and opportunities of the modern era, this handbook is a short, deceptively simple guide to the craft of writing. Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin’s own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online.

 

Writing Irresistable Kidlit: The The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers

by Mary Kole

Masterly and concise, Steering the Craft deserves a place on every writer’s shelf.

Captivate the hearts and minds of young adult readers!

Writing for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) audiences isn’t just “kid’s stuff” anymore–it’s kidlit! The YA and MG book markets are healthier and more robust than ever, and that means the competition is fiercer, too. In Writing Irresistible Kidlit, literary agent Mary Kole shares her expertise on writing novels for young adult and middle grade readers and teaches you how to:

  • Recognize the differences between middle grade and young adult audiences and how it impacts your writing.
  • Tailor your manuscript’s tone, length, and content to your readership.
  • Avoid common mistakes and cliches that are prevalent in YA and MG fiction, in respect to characters, story ideas, plot structure and more.
  • Develop themes and ideas in your novel that will strike emotional chords.

Mary Kole’s candid commentary and insightful observations, as well as a collection of book excerpts and personal insights from bestselling authors and editors who specialize in the children’s book market, are invaluable tools for your kidlit career.

If you want the skills, techniques, and know-how you need to craft memorable stories for teens and tweens, Writing Irresistible Kidlit can give them to you.

 

The Art of X-Ray Reading

by Roy Peter Clark

Roy Peter Clark, one of America’s most influential writing teachers, draws writing lessons from 25 great texts.

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. In THE ART OF X-RAY READING, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye, and many more. Along the way, he shows you how to mine these masterpieces for invaluable writing strategies that you can add to your aresenal and apply in your own writing. Once you’ve experienced X-ray reading, your writing will never be the same again.

 

Writing the Breakout Novel

by Donald Maass

Take your fiction to the next level!

Maybe you’re a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you’ve already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel – one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.

Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share – regardless of genre – then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace.

You’ll learn to:

  • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place
  • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story
  • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page
  • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers
  • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish
  • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition

Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors – including novelist Anne Perry – Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You’ll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.

 

Made to Stick

by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to improve your idea’s chances—essential reading in the “fake news” era.

Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus news stories circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas—entrepreneurs, teachers, politicians, and journalists—struggle to make them “stick.”

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.

Made to Stick will transform the way you communicate. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures): the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of the Mother Teresa Effect; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice.

Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas—and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.

 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

 

I’d love to hear what you’re currently reading to improve your writing craft!

 

I Just Read . . . The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

An amazing world! Leigh Bardugo has a gift for building a fascinating setting rich with myth, science, and people I deign to call characters.

Don’t read the Kirkus Review if you don’t want spoilers for the first and second books.

KIRKUS REVIEW SAYS . . .

Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy comes to a thunderous conclusion.

If opener Shadow and Bone (2012) was a magical coming-of-age story and middle-volume Siege and Storm (2013) was a political thriller, then this third book is an epic quest. Together with faithful childhood friend and would-be lover Mal and the last few remnants of the rebellious Grisha who aided her in the failed rising against the Darkling, Alina leaves the dubious protection of the Rasputin-like Apparat and the zealots who hail her as a saint to go looking for tsarevich Nikolai and for the fabled firebird. They seek Nikolai as the last political hope for Ravka’s future and the firebird for the third amplifier that will make Sun Summoner Alina invincible against the Darkling and powerful enough to unmake the Unsea that divides Ravka in two. Neither quest is easy or obvious, as Bardugo places obstacles both physical and emotional in Alina’s path at every turn. She is most successful at delineating Alina’s internal conflict as she struggles to balance love for Mal against both pragmatism and fondness for Nikolai, desire for peace and justice against naked lust for power. Secondary characters truly come into their own here, particularly the ragtag band of Alina’s Grisha, in whose friendship she finds salvation. Every time readers may think she’s written herself into a corner, Bardugo pulls off a twist that, while surprising, will keep them turning pages furiously.

Triumphant. (Fantasy. 13 & up)

Pub Date: June 3rd, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9461-9
Page count: 448pp
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 31st, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15th, 2014

My thoughts . . .

The beginning of the first book is sweet and took me in because the characters are orphaned and defended one another (though it does follow the trope of orphan turned powerful because they hold the unique key to saving everyone). For the first few pages, I thought this was going to be another run of the mill Medieval retelling. Thank goodness I was wrong.With the turn of every page, the layers of this world build effortlessly for the reader. I loved the idea of “magic is science” which I identify with as a scientist. The world becomes more believable, finding parallels in later books with Saints vs. Science that exists in our real world. The characters are real to life, flawed but doing their best. Sometimes it’s enough. Sometimes it’s not.The first book has some great twists and turns, the second is good but a bit more transparent, and the third book is predictable. Not everything, not the details, but the main story. Even knowing the end, I loved the getting there!

From Leigh Bardugo’s Website  . . .

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of Six of Crows (awarded starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, SLJ, and the BCCB) and the Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone,Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.

I Just Read . . . The 100 by Kass Morgan

What a great premise! I love the idea that humanity would return to earth, actually become the alien to our descendants by our own devices. Brilliant!

Kirkus Review Says:

THE 100 Cover ArtOne hundred teen convicts may be the only hope of the human race.

Three hundred years after the Cataclysm made Earth uninhabitable, the remnant of humanity lives in an aging space station. Strict population-control laws help conserve the dwindling resources, and adults convicted of crimes are summarily executed. Criminal teens held in Confinement are given a retrial at 18, and some go free. Fearing the colony has few years left, the Chancellor decides to send 100 of these teens to Earth with monitoring bracelets to see if the planet’s surface is survivable. The story concentrates on four of them. Wells commits a crime in order to accompany his girlfriend; Bellamy breaks into the dropship to go with his sister; in hopes of reuniting with her boyfriend, Glass escapes the dropship to return to her privileged mother. And Clarke, the object of Wells’ affection, struggles with demons and hormones. Will they survive? Morgan’s debut, which has already been optioned for a CW series, has a promising premise as long as readers don’t apply too many brain cells. (Why convicts? Why not give them communication devices? Isn’t there birth control in the future?) However, it slowly devolves into a thrill-free teen romance. Lengthy flashbacks flatten the action in nearly every chapter. The characters do little to distinguish themselves from their run-of-the-mill dystopian brethren. Steer teens in search of science fiction to Beth Revis, Robison Wells and Veronica Roth.

Perhaps the television incarnation will have some life. (Dystopian adventure. 15 & up)

My thoughts . . .

The premise carries this novel. It has so many possibilities. I am going to read the second one.

This is supposed to be set in the future, but even in our own age, there is a great deal of current technology lacking in this book which added to the unrealistic feel. I did enjoy it but often found myself thinking, “But if they had a phone or watch-communicator this would never have happened.”

I also thought it felt unrealistic for every single main character to be in some kind of romantic slump. None of them had healthy relationships. Maybe that’s the point? I don’t think every person in the world has an ongoing relationship or wants one. This one felt overloaded with the swoon.

It’s easy to be the critic. I enjoyed this book and think Miss Morgan must’ve had a really fun time writing it. It’s worth the read.

From Kass Morgan’s Alloy Entertainment Bio:

Kass-Morgan_300pxKass Morgan has an unhealthy obsession with books that first manifested in third grade when she brought a copy of Mallory and the Dream Horse to her own birthday party. When she was ten, she moved from Brooklyn to Santa Monica, where kids thought she was strange for wearing so much black. Then she went back to the east coast for college, where kids thought she was strange for wearing so much pink.

Kass studied English and History at Brown University, reading gothic novels in the library where Edgar Allan Poe conducted secret love affairs, auditioning unsuccessfully for a number of plays, and learning important truths about walking on ice in high heels.

After college, Kass crossed the pond to pursue a Master’s degree in 19th century literature at Oxford, which was like attending Hogwarts, but with more costume parties. She returned to the states with a deep appreciation for clotted cream, a suitcase full of cocktail dresses, and a thesis on George Eliot that she has since misplaced.  

Kass settled in New York to work in publishing. When she’s not editing novels for young bookworms to sneak into their own birthday parties, you can find her jostling for table space at Brooklyn coffee shops, asking strangers if she can pet their dogs, and e-mailing her middle school crush to thank him for introducing her to science fiction, which turns out to be very fun to write.  The 100 is her first book for teens. Kass is currently working the sequel, which she’ll finish as soon as she can find a coffee shop that allows laptops on the weekend.

Follow @kassmorganbooks to connect with the author on Twitter.

Writing Irresistible Kidlit, by Mary Kole

My rbain brain is so cluttered with amazing information, I don’t know where to begin.

This book covers many areas of the writing craft, from the mind of your audience to theme to emotion to many words I’ve never heard. This book made me feel a bit illiterate in some ways–mostly French ways–and I had to use the dictionary. Every chapter in this book gives ideas and questions and direction about how to go about forming the structure for a knock-your-socks-off novel. (Cliches are also included in Kole’s discussion.)

I could not recommend this book highly enough. It makes you reevaluate characters, themes, plots, and teaches you about Interiority, Objectives, how to incorporate subplots for the most impact, and many other elements of writing the perfect (or as close as us mere humans will ever get) novel.

mary kole

The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck

A friend of mine recommended this book–a book I never would’ve chosen on my own. Christmas stories inevitably make me cry, which is something I refuse to inflict on myself. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and it’s short enough that the few hours it took were worth it.

book cover the christmas sweater

Jacketflap:

Based on a deeply personal true story, Glenn Beck’s bittersweet tale of boyhood memories, wrenching life lessons, and the true meaning of the giving season has touched the hearts of readers everywhere.

If you could change your life by reversing your biggest regrets, sorrows, and mistakes . . . would you?

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. He knew money had been tight since his father died, but Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to afford that dream bike.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. “A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater” that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the fateful events that transpired that day, Eddie begins a dark and painful journey toward manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family—and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell—to help Eddie find his life’s path and finally understand the significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted with love.

glenn beck

Glenn Beck narrates the book and also includes a prologue where he explains the experiences in his own life that led to the writing of this book. It was a nice touch.

Things I didn’t like:

~The idea that so much character development could happen within the course of a twelve-year-old’s dream.

~Obvious political statements felt unnatural.

~I felt like the end was a cheat. I don’t like it that everything ended up unrealistically happy, but it is a Christmas story so . . .

Things I liked:

~The characters were real, vivid, flawed, and lovable.

~It made me laugh out loud more than once.

~It made me think about my own childhood and the things I went through, experiences, and what I’ve learned.

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner

The talented Megan Whalen Turner is the author of The Queen’s Thief series. Megan Whalen TurnerShe gives the following bio on her website. “I graduated from The University of Chicago with a BA in English Language and Literature with honors in 1987. I worked as a bookseller for seven or eight years before I started writing. My first book was a collection of short stories called Instead of Three Wishes. My first novel was The Thief, which was awarded a Newbery Honor in 1997.”

“A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel.”–The Horn Book

This Newbery Honor Book has some fun twists and turns. The author, Megan Whalen Turner, takes her inspiration from Greece. While she has a pantheon similar to that of the Greek Gods, the story is woven with the myths and legends of their own world.

Here is the jacketflap description:

“I can steal anything.” After Gen’s bragging lands him in the king’s prison, the chances of escape look slim. Then the king’s scholar, the magus, needs the thief’s skill for a seemingly impossible task–to steal a hidden treasure from another land.
To the magus, Gen is just a tool. But Gen is a trickster and a survivor with a plan of his own.

The first half of this book was a bit slow for me. I had a hard time connecting with Gen because of his arrogant attitude. I did sympathize with his plight, but it wasn’t enough to keep me in suspense. The second half of this book was great! Engaging, unfolding, heroic, and unexpected. Overall, I liked it.

This book is the first in a series.

TheThiefAug05 QueenOfAttoliaAug05 Conspiracy of Kings KingOfAttoliaAug05

 

 

House of the Seven Gabeles, by Nathaniel Hawthorn

Born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer. He died in May of 1864 and wrote many great works that include The Scarlet Letter, Young Goodman Brown, The Blithedale Romance, and Twice-Told Tales.

So . . .  What’s a gable?

If you’re not familiar with architecture, here’s what Wikipedia says: “A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof.”

gable

Nathaniel Hawthorn spends a lot of time describing the magnificent house, which is the sole setting of the entire novel. nathaniel hawthorneHis inspiration was a home owned by his cousin, Susanna. You can still visit the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts for a mere $7.00. If that might interest you, they have a website all about it right here.

The history of the house is interesting. “The House of the Seven Gables was built by a Salem sea captain and merchant named John Turner in 1668 and occupied by three generations of the Turner family before being sold to Captain Samuel Ingersoll in 1782. An active captain during the Great Age of Sail, Ingersoll died at sea leaving the property to his daughter Susanna, a cousin of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne’s visits to his cousin’s home are credited with inspiring the setting and title of his 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables.

Caroline Emmerton, a philanthropist and preservationist, founded the present day museum to assist immigrant families who were settling in Salem. Inspired by Jane Addam’s Hull House, she purchased what was the old Turner Mansion in 1908 and worked with architect, Joseph Everett Chandler to restore it to its original seven gables. Chandler was a central figure in the early 20th century historic preservation movement and his philosophy influenced the way the house was preserved.” (http://www.7gables.org/history_property.shtml)

Cover House of the Seven Gables

As for the novel itself, it’s like wandering through each of the seven gables themselves, looking at every nook and cranny of not only the setting, but each and every character. For instance, he spends several pages to discuss the lineage and peculiarities of the chickens in the garden. The luxurious narrative has a purpose for Hawthorne’s many morals and commentaries on individuals and society, but as with all luxuries, must be purchased at the expense of one’s labor. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the book. I loved the rich language and the masterful metaphors. Each character made me think of people I knew or ponder the similarities to my own character, and will stay with me for a very long time, if not forever.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Fun. Witty. Wry.

I love the first line, which we writers know is everything: “There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.”

So simple. So telling. So perfect. As is the rest of the book. There is nothing left out, nothing extra.

stardust coverMy only wish was that I hadn’t already seen the movie. While not entirely the same, it would’ve been nice to start with a blank slate. Still, I loved the tale and the artful telling of it.

Thank you, Mr. Gaiman.

The Count of Monte Cristo

“On what slender threads do life and fortune hang.”

marseille Beginning in Marseille, France, Edmond Dantes finds out how true this statement really is.

After 1243 pages, one would think I was glad this was over. But far from it, I found myself quite put out when Edmond and Haydee sailed off into the sunset.

I doubt I could say more than what has already been said by poets and scholars and general readers such as myself.

My favorite part of this story was the justice, the desire to become the best person you can be despite your circumstance, and the character progression of the naive Dantes to the vengeful Count of Monte Cristo to the finally peaceful Edmond. I couldn’t recommend it enough.

And for those of you who get confused, here is a guide that will help connect the dots. I found this on the internet and do not take any credit for it, but thought it was the best, most easy to follow diagram.

character connection the count of monte cristo

 

Source: By Countofmontecristorelations.jpg:Sciguy2013 at en.wikipedia. Later version(s) were uploaded by Micromaster at en.wikipedia. derivative work: RicHard-59 (Countofmontecristorelations.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)], from Wikimedia Commons.

August Goals and WriteMotivation

When thinking about goals, I tend to look back on the things I didn’t do rather than focus on the things I did. I’m the one laying flat on my face being kicked when I’m down. What’s kicking my butt? Work, laundry (which I tried to avoid until I had no underwear left), moving, registering my kids for school (the school lost one of them and can’t seem to get him back), yadda, yadda, you know the drill. So I’m pulling myself back on my feet and changing my perspective. The people in WriteMotivation seem to be doing so much, blogging all the time, reading five books a month, and it makes me want to do more.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about the strikethrough. It’s like punching my goals into oblivion. I get to strike through all of the completed tasks and it gives me such a sense of what I’ve accomplished. So here’s to my next bout in the WriteMotivation ring.

1) Finish 100% my final edit of THE PANDORA REVERSAL: SHIFTER.

2) Blog once a week.

3) Go visit at least 5 other blogs per week.

4) Submit PR:S to at least 5 agents.

5) Go on a date with my man.

6) Take my oldest kid to college. I’m so excited for her, and I know she’s ready to go. (But this is the one I dread most. *small tear*)

Thanks to everyone who’s been so supportive. You make me better!