 Guest post by Tonya Spitler When Reading is HardI learned to read at a very early age. Reading was always my hobby, my favorite pastime, and my escape. So, when I had children, I envisioned bonding over the shared joy of opening a book and diving in. I did all of the things. I read to them frequently, took them to story time at the local library, and had bookshelves full of options for them to look at. We had family read aloud time, listened to audiobooks in the car, and genuinely enjoyed spending time reading together. As a homeschooling family, we spent hours reading together. All of the experts said children are made readers on the laps of their parents. I took that advice very seriously. Learning To ReadLearning to read didn’t seem to come as easily for them as it had for me. They struggled to sound out words. Words they recognized one day, were completely foreign to them the next. I was frustrated, they were frustrated, and it seemed we were getting nowhere. It wasn’t until my oldest was finishing first grade when I finally stumbled across a blog that talked about dyslexia and a light bulb clicked. We began working intensively with phonics programs geared toward children with learning difficulties. We tried all the tricks: colored reading strips, index cards with a whole big enough for one word at a time, glasses, brain training… you name it, we tried it. The ExpertsOver the years, I attended workshop after workshop learning all I could about dyslexia and tips and tricks to help my children not only learn to read, but to fall in love with reading the way I had. It was during one of those workshops that I heard something that would change the course of our reading adventure. Some people read better with their ears. - Andrew Pudewa This simple statement allowed me to step back and realize that reading, while vital, can look like a lot of things. Audio BooksI started focusing on finding books that my children could listen to as they read along with a physical copy. We still worked diligently to learn to read fluently, and made huge strides, but falling in love with reading had to be separated from the process of learning to read. Adding audio books and continuing family read aloud time allowed for my children to continue to fall in love with exploring new people, places, and ideas through the written word. They came to look forward to reading time, and that made my bookish heart swell. What about "grade level?"After seeking professional diagnosis, we discussed at length what it means to be on grade level and what would happen if they were never able to get there. My greatest fear was they would be held back from achieving their dreams if they couldn’t read at a college level. This is when we discovered the accommodations offered to people with reading difficulties. Colleges often offer several options to help students be successful. Most college textbooks can be found on audio now, and professors will often share their slides if asked. Encouragement for the New Year As a new school year begins, I encourage you to consider separating the love of reading from the act of reading from a page. If your children dislike reading, find audiobook options they may enjoy. Make it a family affair. Encourage them to continue to grow their reading muscles but take care to never make them feel like they aren’t trying hard enough. Perhaps institute a family reading time. Even if your children love to read, there is value in family reading and in offering multiple ways to “read.” Encourage your children to find the types of books that keep them flipping the page. Whether they read with their eyes, or their ears, I hope this year, your children fall in love with books.
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 Guest post by author William Carter Be the RainbowMy freshman year of college was hard, like really hard.October 2007 of my senior year of high-school, I was involved in a head-on collision with a Suburban, and I suffered a brain injury, a stroke, a ruptured spleen, a collapsed lung, and I was placed in a coma. 2007 and the first part of 2008 were some of the most challenging months of my life. I woke from the coma to confusion. My short-term memory was absolute trash. I was in diapers. I had left-side neglect. I lost a fourth of the vision in my left eye. I had a shaved head with a scar down the back where they took out a chunk of my skull to help with the swelling (it would be returned to me in December). My left fingers shook if I exerted them too much. I was in a wheelchair, and I wanted nothing more than to get better. In fact, this was my simple prayer every night before I drifted off to sleep. Though by the time August rolled around, things were a little bit easier. I graduated high school My wheelchair had been replaced by a shuttered limp. I was going to college. Though, I was but a shadow of who I had been before the accident, and I all I wanted was just a chance to be back in his skin. Please God, just give me one day as that AP student, that president of the drama club, that champion debater, that social butterfly. Please God, take this away. Just take this me away and give me him. The Promise of CollegeSo, college had this promise to it. You see, my friends at high school now knew this new me, this me who would forget what was just said, this me who would get mixed up or confused, this me who would shrink to the floor and eventually wish for a sudden abduction out of most social environments. But college? No one knew me. No one I knew was going to Oglethorpe. I could reinvent myself. I could create the person I want to be. Of course, though, I still had a brain injury. I still was the same mixed-up, limping, awkward kid who was living post subdural hematoma, post stroke. Then, you throw college classes on top of that? My first-year writing course was kicking my butt. There were reading quizzes every day, and I’m reading, but I’m failing. So, what am I to do? The only thing I can do: wake up at four in the morning and study every moment I can. I fail my first two papers. So, now I have no choice; I have to get A’s in my acting and music history classes, so I can still keep my scholarship. I don’t really have time to work on friendship. I go to the bible study, but I can’t do much else. I go to dining hall occasionally, but I mostly eat in my room. I am tired of looking for somewhere to sit. Also, I can’t afford to waste any time. I need to read. I need to study. "I'm so tired."In my room, I listen to music. Music has always been a comfort for me, and I’m in my bed, looking at my recent less than stellar grade on my recent paper (74), and the soft, comforting voice of Ingrid Michaelson floats in my ears, “The bluebirds fly so high Birds fly over the rainbow Why oh then why can’t I? Why, then oh why can’t I?” And I want to cry. I want to just weep. Why can’t I? I’m so tired. I am so exhausted. I just want life to not be so hard anymore. I just don’t want to struggle anymore. I want to make friends. I want to enjoy college. College is fun, they say. College is the best time of your life, they say. But they never had a brain injury. They never had to work four times as hard to get that B. They were not always wishing for that place somewhere else, somewhere over the rainbow. That’s why the song has the impact and the staying power it does. Life Goes On; fast or slow.Many of us have had that time in our life where we want to be anywhere but now. Give me a time machine that takes me any place but this moment. Fast forward, fast forward, fast forward! And every time, you push this mental remote, everything just goes slower. Life can go by very fast, but it can also go so painfully slowly, and you just will give anything to be somewhere else, anywhere away from now. Now did not last forever. I did find some respite. God blessed me with friends, but even more, he blessed me with a safe place. I spent so much of my first semester freshman year feeling stupid. I did not enjoy my classes because they were just another place to feel less than, just another place to feel judged. I Found a RainbowThen, my second semester rolled around. I began taking a Medieval and Tudor Drama Course. I was excited to take this course because, in the Fall, two short plays I wrote were performed by the student-led acting group, and this professor, Dr. Hornback, apparently loved them. He thought they were hilarious. A professor thinks my work is hilarious? How do I sign up for his course? Also, what does he teach? So, I enrolled in Dr. Hornback’s course, and every day, I was happy to be there. He gave great lectures, but he would pause and answer my questions, and he supported my commentary on the plays we were reading. I wrote my own miracle play about Elisha and the bears, and he enjoyed it immensely. Now, I found a rainbow. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but if you haven’t lived it, you don’t know how important it is. I felt safe in his classroom. I felt smart in his classroom. I felt accepted in his classroom, and I enjoyed every day I was in it. I needed this man and his class. I needed a place that felt like an island in the midst of struggle. Pay It ForwardNow, two master’s degrees later, I am a professor. This semester, a student said the most beautiful thing to me. One day, this student, aa student who has had a challenging life and was having a personally difficult semester, looked at me and said, “I smile every time I enter your class.” I would be lying if I said my eyes didn’t well up a little. He didn’t know just how much that meant to me. He didn’t know how much I needed such a place my freshman year. He had heard me talk about my injury, talk about my struggles in college, but he didn’t know just how this affirmed everything. I do think I was an empathetic person before my accident, but especially because of my accident, I try so hard to make my classroom a positive, supportive, safe place for all my students. I want to be the Hornback in their lives because I remember how much I needed it. I think about that song from time to time, and I think about all the people in my life who were there when I needed them to be. I think how hard my graduate school experiences were because not was I recovering from a brain injury, but after the fact, I found out I was living with a heart condition. I think of the people who were safe, the people I knew I could count on to be that drop of land in the midst of a raging sea. So, that is what I try to do, and I encourage everyone to do the same. Be the rainbow to those in your life. You don’t know how much someone desperately needs it. I was so overjoyed but also taken aback when my student told me that my class made him smile. I guess because I don’t think I have that much power, but the truth is, every one of us does. If you’re a teacher, your students look to you. If you’re a boss, your employees look up to you. If you’re just a person in line at the supermarket, be the person who affirms that cashier, tries to brighten his or her day. Be the rainbow that helps someone not want to escape now for somewhere else. Be the rainbow that helps today be one worth living.
 Post by Arielle Haughee What's Causing Your Writer's Block? |
 | Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a five-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is an editor, speaker, and coach. She is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, Pling’s Party, and Sixth Sunday, the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series, and the creator of the Focus Journal line of journals. She was also honored with the President’s Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. |
Guest Post by Priya Pai
Three Lessons Covid-19 Taught Me
I’m often surprised by the statement that “March 2020 was over two years ago”. It’s hard to describe how much I feel like I have changed in only two years, along with the scope of everything around me. The past two years have been some of the hardest that I have faced in my life, yet I feel they have also been a time period of major growth for me. It’s impossible to say whether I would have grown this much if a global pandemic had not ensued. I can, however, say with confidence that I will never be the same person I was before March 2020. Before COVID-19, I can definitely say that my outlook on life was different. Living both in and for the future. Study hard and work even harder. Earn various accolades. Push yourself hard and just when you think it’s enough, even harder. All for what? This bright, shiny thing we call “the future”. It’s okay if you aren’t happy in the here and now because working hard now will ensure your happiness in the future, right? I think it’s fair to say that the past two years have changed my view on living in the present just like everyone else around me. It’s not an earth-shattering or groundbreaking statement, in fact it’s pretty simple. Live in the moment. It’s difficult to honestly say that happiness in the present is worth less than happiness in the future when you don’t know what the future holds. So, at the risk of sounding like an old lady sitting on her porch (who knows, that might be me in about 50+ years), let go of overthinking. Go to the movies by yourself - don’t decide not to go just because no one can come with you. If the thought comes to your mind and you can feasibly do it without hurting yourself or anyone around you, just do it. (Thank you, Nike.) “I remember when we couldn’t go outside and school was online - you should definitely get in your self-driving car and go to the beach for senior skip day.”- Old Lady Priya
Lesson #1: Live in the present.
The rural town I so often scorned as being in the middle of nowhere became an oasis as millions of people flocked to small towns in the country rather than be crammed into a small apartment in the big city during the height of lockdown. The grocery stores which had always been filled to the brim were barren. And this is the viewpoint of a college student who was privileged enough to be able to come home from A&M and finish the spring 2020 semester online with not too much hassle. There were plenty of people I went to high school with who went to college out of state and scrambled to find flights home. People who were studying abroad who were either lucky enough to find a way home or were forced to stay behind until transportation could be arranged. Not to mention the amount of international students who were effectively kicked out of university housing around the country and living through a “The Terminal”-style nightmare.
Lesson #2: Appreciate what you have.
I feel like while there were and continue to be negative impacts from COVID-19 in the lens of education, there were definitely opportunities I found that I can’t say I would have without the world effectively shutting down. Virtual shadowing allowed me to learn from various physicians in interesting specialties and ask them questions in real time. I worked as a telescribe and learned how to use an electronic medical record with confidence. I even got the opportunity to run social media and emails for a health organization, something I never thought I could do, let alone excel at. (Slight flex). Professors now use Zoom for review sessions which is honestly much better than 300 people raising their hand to ask for clarification. Not to mention, I think the era of virtual learning has made it that much easier for professors to accommodate inclement weather while still not losing class time.
Lesson #3: Find the good.
It has definitely been a whirlwind two years, and who knows how the world will look in the next two. I can say with confidence that the lessons I have learned during the last two years of living in the present, appreciating what I have, and finding the good will for sure stick with me in not just the next two years, but forever.
 | Priya Pai is a rising senior at Texas A&M University who enjoys writing in her free time. She is also an avid reader and spin class fanatic who can be found in either the library or her local spin studio. Her most favorite activity, however, is chasing her labradoodle, Cocoa, around. Read more of Priya's work: https://medium.com/@priya.pai |
Guest post by Cheryl Lynn West
Treasure Hunts in Used Bookstores
I love used bookstores. The older the book, the more cluttered the store, the more it sends a thrill through me. Don’t get me wrong. Clean, organized shelves, digitally cataloged, recent best sellers with unbroken spines, are a delight. I grab the latest book club selection, minus one meeting, knowing I can join in future conversations with friends over a glass of wine.
Yet it is in that place where dust floats in sunbeams and the search for reading becomes a treasure hunt that I find my pleasure. There are no computer printouts, authors’ names sorted on a spreadsheet across the monitor’s screen. The clerk, with her pink hair and pierced tongue, ponders and gives the next clue. “Try the rack behind Stephen King and Florida travel guides.”
The shelves are organized by authors—mostly. Stacks grow like stalagmites upward when a writer exceeds her shelf space. Others cluster like school children on a playground, each type in its own pod, requiring a careful review to find the perfect title.
I quickly abandon these for the veritable treasures, buried in plastic and cardboard boxes, beneath the crowded tables above. I sit like a small child visiting a library for the first time, pulling random books out to see their covers and contents. Untouched journals, devoid of inscriptions, beg me to take them home and fill them with my thoughts. Phone books, the buggy whips of today’s cell phone world become a clever keeper of passwords, granting alphabetized sanity.
At last, I find the perfect gem, a book unneeded but cherished again. It will accompany me home, join me in quiet moments, no rush to read but instead to savor over the course of many days.
And when I am done, it may travel back to that dusty bookstore, patiently waiting for the next treasure hunter to claim it as the prize, the Holy Grail of written words.
Yet it is in that place where dust floats in sunbeams and the search for reading becomes a treasure hunt that I find my pleasure. There are no computer printouts, authors’ names sorted on a spreadsheet across the monitor’s screen. The clerk, with her pink hair and pierced tongue, ponders and gives the next clue. “Try the rack behind Stephen King and Florida travel guides.”
The shelves are organized by authors—mostly. Stacks grow like stalagmites upward when a writer exceeds her shelf space. Others cluster like school children on a playground, each type in its own pod, requiring a careful review to find the perfect title.
I quickly abandon these for the veritable treasures, buried in plastic and cardboard boxes, beneath the crowded tables above. I sit like a small child visiting a library for the first time, pulling random books out to see their covers and contents. Untouched journals, devoid of inscriptions, beg me to take them home and fill them with my thoughts. Phone books, the buggy whips of today’s cell phone world become a clever keeper of passwords, granting alphabetized sanity.
At last, I find the perfect gem, a book unneeded but cherished again. It will accompany me home, join me in quiet moments, no rush to read but instead to savor over the course of many days.
And when I am done, it may travel back to that dusty bookstore, patiently waiting for the next treasure hunter to claim it as the prize, the Holy Grail of written words.
 | Cheryl Lynn West lives in Florida with her Samoyeds and rescue cats. She is author of Castle’s Capers: The Adventures of A Naughty Puppy and her recent book Gatherings: A Collection of Flash Fiction and Short Stories. Cheryl also published Remember Me, When This You See, a memoir of her husband’s grandfather in rural Tennessee in the early 1900s. |
Guest post by Vishaal Pathak
Your Writing is NOT a Livestream
Writers new to the job, new to this scary world where their written word is meant for another pair of eyes – several, if they are lucky – are most scared of their screen, or whatever interface they’re using for capturing their thoughts (or just blankly staring at). Blank screens are scary indeed, but screens with a few words down, all the more.
Take a deep breath, new writer. Relax. Your writing is not a livestream. No one’s reading it as we speak (or write). Your only reader at this point is you. Unless your device (or room) is bugged, in which case we have many, many bigger problems. The quality of your drafts will still not be one.
Given, you yourself as a reader are tough to please – as you absolutely should be. You don’t take kindly to cliches, grammatical mistakes, poorly written dialogues, plotlines that are too obvious and sentences that feel they could use a relook.
But your job as a reader must slightly lag your job as a writer. You won’t handover your first draft to your editor, would you? Your writing is not a livestream.
Writing and editing drafts until they’ve been chiseled enough to be the finished product is akin to the multiple rehearsals that live performers go through before the opening night, the practice that athletes put in before the big game, the many hours pilots spend on simulators – you get the drift. The advantage in being a writer is, you almost never have to write a book live – so why not calm that inner critic?
Let go of any disappointment (or worse, shame) you may have with how odd the sentence structure is at first. Resist the urge to cringe at how sloppy, half-cooked, patchy your ideas turn out initially. Remind yourself that writing is a tough job even for the best writers out there, and sometimes, it’s just a difficult day. Turn an ally to the writer in you. Leave yourself little notes and reminders of pending edits – tell yourself how you meant the sentence to be and promise to come by and fix it. Use placeholders/filler words in your sentences (that you will take care of later) with aplomb and stop apologizing to the nosy reader in you. Tell them to not sneak a peak in the chef’s kitchen until the dish is done.
As a corollary, since your screen is not a livestream, and if the blank screen poses an insurmountable inertia, you may even begin writing for the day by filling your screen with whatever arbitrary, unrelated thoughts appear in your mind before you get around to writing what you’re really meant to. Remember, writing is just conversation with yourself (but also among the many characters living rent-free in that oddly creative, weird looking top shelf of yours). A characteristic of free-flowing conversations is that they begin somewhere and lead somewhere else. Just don’t get too carried away.
To sum up, let the reader slightly get out of the way so the writer in you can do the job. Pick up the pen/pencil and notebook or crack your knuckles and get clickety-clicky tap-tappy on that device of yours.
Take a deep breath, new writer. Relax. Your writing is not a livestream. No one’s reading it as we speak (or write). Your only reader at this point is you. Unless your device (or room) is bugged, in which case we have many, many bigger problems. The quality of your drafts will still not be one.
Given, you yourself as a reader are tough to please – as you absolutely should be. You don’t take kindly to cliches, grammatical mistakes, poorly written dialogues, plotlines that are too obvious and sentences that feel they could use a relook.
But your job as a reader must slightly lag your job as a writer. You won’t handover your first draft to your editor, would you? Your writing is not a livestream.
Writing and editing drafts until they’ve been chiseled enough to be the finished product is akin to the multiple rehearsals that live performers go through before the opening night, the practice that athletes put in before the big game, the many hours pilots spend on simulators – you get the drift. The advantage in being a writer is, you almost never have to write a book live – so why not calm that inner critic?
Let go of any disappointment (or worse, shame) you may have with how odd the sentence structure is at first. Resist the urge to cringe at how sloppy, half-cooked, patchy your ideas turn out initially. Remind yourself that writing is a tough job even for the best writers out there, and sometimes, it’s just a difficult day. Turn an ally to the writer in you. Leave yourself little notes and reminders of pending edits – tell yourself how you meant the sentence to be and promise to come by and fix it. Use placeholders/filler words in your sentences (that you will take care of later) with aplomb and stop apologizing to the nosy reader in you. Tell them to not sneak a peak in the chef’s kitchen until the dish is done.
As a corollary, since your screen is not a livestream, and if the blank screen poses an insurmountable inertia, you may even begin writing for the day by filling your screen with whatever arbitrary, unrelated thoughts appear in your mind before you get around to writing what you’re really meant to. Remember, writing is just conversation with yourself (but also among the many characters living rent-free in that oddly creative, weird looking top shelf of yours). A characteristic of free-flowing conversations is that they begin somewhere and lead somewhere else. Just don’t get too carried away.
To sum up, let the reader slightly get out of the way so the writer in you can do the job. Pick up the pen/pencil and notebook or crack your knuckles and get clickety-clicky tap-tappy on that device of yours.
 | Vishaal is a writer based in India. He writes short-stories and poems, mostly about memories and travel. His work can be found at https://linktr.ee/vishaalpathak. |
Post by Arielle Haughee
I just got my editing back....What do I do now?
There it is. A doc file full of red lines, corrections, and comment bubbles. So many comment bubbles. It seems like it would be better to feed your manuscript to wild pigs than to actually try and fix it.
What in the world should you do next?
First, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you can do this. Repeat: “I am a badass and I will annihilate those revisions.” Because you will…one issue at a time.
What in the world should you do next?
First, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you can do this. Repeat: “I am a badass and I will annihilate those revisions.” Because you will…one issue at a time.
Review Your Feedback
Start by reading all of your feedback, whether your editor put comments in your manuscript, wrote out a separate doc, or both. Read everything. Take a few days to let things roll around in your mind. It’s completely normal to have an emotional reaction and think you are a terrible writer. Remember, “I am a badass and I will annihilate those revisions.” Put all thoughts of wild pigs aside.
Sort Issues by Size
When you are ready to dive in, or force yourself to after a few days, sort the issues your editor pointed out by size. Big issues are at the overall plot level, often going across chapters, and take a significant amount of time to fix. Medium issues are at the chapter or scene level and take a moderate amount of time to fix. Finally, small issues are at the paragraph or sentence level. These are your quicker fixes.
Some examples of big issues include having an unlikable main character or the dreaded saggy middle. Medium-sized issues could be that the story doesn’t start in the right place or the narrative balance is off. Smaller issues include cluttered sentences and weak opening lines. Sometimes a lot of smaller issues—things that repeat throughout the book—can become a big issue if you have to spend a lot of time correcting it (like messy prose throughout).
Some examples of big issues include having an unlikable main character or the dreaded saggy middle. Medium-sized issues could be that the story doesn’t start in the right place or the narrative balance is off. Smaller issues include cluttered sentences and weak opening lines. Sometimes a lot of smaller issues—things that repeat throughout the book—can become a big issue if you have to spend a lot of time correcting it (like messy prose throughout).
Make a Plan
Make a plan to work on these issues by size. Your first round of revision should be for big issues only. Ignore the small stuff. Your next round(s) should be those medium-sized problems. Then tackle the small stuff in the last few rounds.
How many rounds should you do? That depends on your manuscript. If it’s your first time, you may have more revision to do on this book than on your future books. Also, pantsers (those who don’t plot ahead of time) usually have more work to do during revision. So it all depends on your level of experience and the amount of planning done beforehand.
Executing Your Plan
Making the plan is the easy part, sticking to it is not. There are some occasions when going off-plan is appropriate—if there are smaller issues you can fix while correcting a big one, then great! Trying to tackle every single thing in one round will be overwhelming and near impossible. Keep with the plan of doing multiple rounds, focused on issue size.
Include a timeline in your revision plan. How much time realistically will this take you? Now set dates for when you’ll finish the big issues, then the medium, then the small ones. Don’t worry, you can adjust as needed as you go along. Take a break if you need to as you are working, but don’t leave your manuscript for more than a week or two or you’ll forget necessary details.
Once you’ve worked through the revision process, stand on the roof of your car—preferably in a public place—and yell: “I am a badass and I annihilated those revisions!”
Include a timeline in your revision plan. How much time realistically will this take you? Now set dates for when you’ll finish the big issues, then the medium, then the small ones. Don’t worry, you can adjust as needed as you go along. Take a break if you need to as you are working, but don’t leave your manuscript for more than a week or two or you’ll forget necessary details.
Once you’ve worked through the revision process, stand on the roof of your car—preferably in a public place—and yell: “I am a badass and I annihilated those revisions!”
If you liked these tips, check out The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers: Tools for a Polished Novel by Arielle Haughee. She expands on this systematic approach to revision and provides over 180 pages of tools to help you revise.
On sale now for $10!
On sale now for $10!
| | Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a multi-genre author living in Florida. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. Arielle is an editor, speaker, and owner of a small press. She was also previously the Executive Vice President of the Florida Writers Association. Learn more about her at www.ariellehaughee.com or www.orangeblossombooks.com. She is also on Facebook and Instagram (@orange_blossom_books). |
Guest post by author Katy Berritt
In the world of novel writing, there are two kinds of writers: Plotters and Pantsers
PLOTTER PROCESS:
1. Develop the plot
2. Research/outline any details that are needed to make the plot work.
3. Outline who the characters are.
5. Determine/describe the conflict. Conflict is what keeps our characters from
falling in love and getting married in Chapter Two, thereby creating the world’s shortest romance novel.
6. Write out what the BLACK MOMENT will be!
8. Last but not least, creates a chapter-by-chapter syllabus. Some writers actually start with the ending of the book and work backwards.
2. Research/outline any details that are needed to make the plot work.
3. Outline who the characters are.
- This includes whatever horrible backstory they might have. Read: partner cheated, partner lied, partner died. Also lousy parents, insecurity due to cellulite, saggy boobs, evil stepmother, evil stepbrother, evil ex-lover, whatever. You get the idea.
5. Determine/describe the conflict. Conflict is what keeps our characters from
falling in love and getting married in Chapter Two, thereby creating the world’s shortest romance novel.
6. Write out what the BLACK MOMENT will be!
- The BLACK MOMENT is when it seems like the couple will never, ever, ever manage to get together, thereby creating that all-important tension. Without tension, the book will be as boring as shit.
8. Last but not least, creates a chapter-by-chapter syllabus. Some writers actually start with the ending of the book and work backwards.
- To me, that’s like a miracle. I never know how my book is going to end. Crap, I don’t even know how this blog is going to end.
Here's the thing: PANTSERS HATE PLOTTERS! I'm a Pantser. What's a Pantser you ask? A Pantser is a writer who makes it up as they go along i.e. seat of the pants writing.
PANTSER PROCESS:
1. Oh, cool, I have a great idea for a novel.
2. How shall I start it? Oh, I know. Someone is murdered. Who, you ask? I don’t know. I’ll figure it out later. We’ll just call him Victim X for now.
3. Invent a hero. Go on Google and come up with a cool name. Likewise, for
the heroine.
4. What’s the conflict? Crap, I don’t know. I’ll figure that out later.
5. Well, shoot, I’m focused on the hero/heroine and forgot to include someone
who could be the murderer. Go back to Chapter Two and add a few more characters. I’ll figure out which one is the murderer later.
**Time: Three hours.**
6. Wait. I just realized the murder victim has to be the hero’s brother… a brother
I didn’t know the hero had until now.
- Go back to Chapter One and write him in.
**Time: One hour.**
7. Shit! I don’t have a cop! Agghhh. I NEED a cop.
- Add a cop or two to Chapter Four
**Time: Two hours.**
8. Go back and read a hundred and six pages looking for whether the hero has
blue eyes or brown eyes because my characters are now staring lustfully into
each other’s eyes and I can’t remember.
**Thirty minutes to find that info. And correct all the wrong ones.**
9. Oh joy! I just figured out what the conflict is!
- Reread and edit nine chapters until I find a logical place to insert
that explanation.
**Time: Two hours.**
10. Edit thirteen chapters because I finally figured out who the murderer is and
who the victim is so now I need to insert some clues.
**Time: Six hours.**
11. Drat! I just realized I didn’t explain why the murderer killed the victim.
- Reread until I find a spot to sneak that info in.
**Time: Forty-five minutes.**
12. Write the BLACK MOMENT!
-Edit nineteen chapters to fit the new (and improved) BLACK MOMENT
because my characters didn’t like my BLACK MOMENT and decided to create
their own (don’t ask how this happens; it just does)
13. Yikes, I just realized that I’m up to page 309 of my 350-page book and I
still haven’t figured out how to solve the murder.
- Go on Google and look for ideas
- Sleep on it.
- Sleep on it some more
- Close the file and write a blog
- Create some Instagram posts
- Check in with my friends on Facebook
- Sleep on it some more
- Put it away for the time being. I still have two months until my deadline
14. Oh yay! I woke up in the middle of the night with the solution! Get up at
2 a.m. and write.
15. Read all 309 pages so I can add the rest of the clues that explain the
fabulous solution I created.
16. Send the manuscript to my editor and pray she doesn’t ask me to revise.
2. How shall I start it? Oh, I know. Someone is murdered. Who, you ask? I don’t know. I’ll figure it out later. We’ll just call him Victim X for now.
3. Invent a hero. Go on Google and come up with a cool name. Likewise, for
the heroine.
4. What’s the conflict? Crap, I don’t know. I’ll figure that out later.
5. Well, shoot, I’m focused on the hero/heroine and forgot to include someone
who could be the murderer. Go back to Chapter Two and add a few more characters. I’ll figure out which one is the murderer later.
**Time: Three hours.**
6. Wait. I just realized the murder victim has to be the hero’s brother… a brother
I didn’t know the hero had until now.
- Go back to Chapter One and write him in.
**Time: One hour.**
7. Shit! I don’t have a cop! Agghhh. I NEED a cop.
- Add a cop or two to Chapter Four
**Time: Two hours.**
8. Go back and read a hundred and six pages looking for whether the hero has
blue eyes or brown eyes because my characters are now staring lustfully into
each other’s eyes and I can’t remember.
**Thirty minutes to find that info. And correct all the wrong ones.**
9. Oh joy! I just figured out what the conflict is!
- Reread and edit nine chapters until I find a logical place to insert
that explanation.
**Time: Two hours.**
10. Edit thirteen chapters because I finally figured out who the murderer is and
who the victim is so now I need to insert some clues.
**Time: Six hours.**
11. Drat! I just realized I didn’t explain why the murderer killed the victim.
- Reread until I find a spot to sneak that info in.
**Time: Forty-five minutes.**
12. Write the BLACK MOMENT!
-Edit nineteen chapters to fit the new (and improved) BLACK MOMENT
because my characters didn’t like my BLACK MOMENT and decided to create
their own (don’t ask how this happens; it just does)
13. Yikes, I just realized that I’m up to page 309 of my 350-page book and I
still haven’t figured out how to solve the murder.
- Go on Google and look for ideas
- Sleep on it.
- Sleep on it some more
- Close the file and write a blog
- Create some Instagram posts
- Check in with my friends on Facebook
- Sleep on it some more
- Put it away for the time being. I still have two months until my deadline
14. Oh yay! I woke up in the middle of the night with the solution! Get up at
2 a.m. and write.
15. Read all 309 pages so I can add the rest of the clues that explain the
fabulous solution I created.
16. Send the manuscript to my editor and pray she doesn’t ask me to revise.
I *WISH* I was a Plotter. Plotters really have their shit together. That's why we hate them.
 | Katy Berritt started writing, a historical with herself as the heroine, of course, when she was nine-years-old. Since there were no computers in those days, all she got out of the exercise was twenty hand-written pages and a blister on her middle finger. It would be another thirty years before she took another shot at a story. Katy writes romantic comedy. She loves to make people laugh and feel all warm and gooey inside which is why her motto is Love, Life, Laughter. Katy loves quirky heroines and not so perfect heroes. Her debut novel The Candy Capers is available now. Katy lives in New York City, a city rich in history, weird residents and fantastic neighborhoods, a treasure trove to draw upon when creating her stories. You can find Katy Berritt on her website, Facebook, Instagram, along with Goodreads and Bookbub. |
by Arielle Haughee
25 Summer Writing Prompts
It’s gotten hot, the grass is fried…and so is your brain. Well good news! We have a batch of writing prompts as big as a five-scoop sundae. So do a few stretches, get that pencil ready, and take a gander at 25 summer writing prompts.
Writing Prompts Based on Images
Check out the following picture bank and see if any of these spark something for you.
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Writing Prompts Based on Senses
Sensory details make things vivid for the reader. Maybe one of these will bring ideas to life for you.
- the cool, sweet crunch of watermelon
- grains of sand falling through your fingers
- the savory aroma of burgers sizzling on the grill
- the constant strained thrumming of an air conditioner
- fuchsia crepe myrtle flowers swirling on top of crystal-clear pool water
Writing Prompts Based on Action
I used the word “you” in here, but of course it could be a main character instead. Adapt as you feel necessary.
- You sprint into the crashing waves. Something rips you under the water.
- The dog trembles with each boom of thunder. Rain seeps in and pools on the windowsill.
- Children squeal at the sight of the ice cream truck and race to the street.
- Fireworks crack in the air. You smack a mosquito on your arm. Nausea rolls through your stomach.
- The boat bobs in the water. All your muscles relax. You close your eyes, and the sun kisses your eyelids.
Writing Prompts Based on Dialogue
This dialogue could be used in the piece you write, or just as a jump start to get your scene going.
- “I never thought I’d see a sunset like this again.”
- “My mother always warned me about storms like this.”
- “We never had air conditioning where I grew up. Just good ol’ fashioned sweat.”
- “Is a grill supposed to be doing that?”
- “You’ll never believe what I found inside this strange shell.”
Writing Prompts Based on Concepts
- opposites: the deafening sound of harmless cicadas compared to the silent waves of lethal heat floating up from the pavement
- reversal: the love of a fresh new season full of possibilities turning to loathing of fun never had, days dragging on
- parallelism: the bright colors of beach umbrellas, summer fruits similar to the brightness of the sun and the happiness of the season
- personification: heat as a character; mosquitoes with clear, evil intent; thunderstorms following you intentionally
- flashback: someone puts a colorful, children’s popsicle in your hand and it brings you back to…
We hope you got some inspiration from our 25 summer writing prompts. Could you help us out and leave a comment letting us know which section or prompt was most helpful to you? That will help us with the next list. Thank you and happy writing!
Guest post by Priya Pai
Dear College Mom,
I am writing this letter in order to say a big thank-you-so-much for all the lessons you have taught me over the years. The values of perseverance, determination, and time management are truly what have gotten me through the first few weeks of living on my own and taking difficult courses at the same time (read: discovering that laundry does not magically fold itself when I’m busy and food does not fill an empty plate just as I feel the beginnings of hunger). I am SO thankful that you didn’t give up on me during the years when the last thing I wanted to do was listen to you. I realize now that all the advice you gave me and the way that you pushed me to balance more and more things over the years have truly allowed me to both experience the freedoms of college and keep up with my school work. Yeah, you read that right. I basically just gave you the perfect opening to punch the air as you read this and loudly exclaim, “I told you so!” That’s right, you College Mom you, take the win!
In addition, the importance you placed upon healthy eating and enough sleep has influenced me to avoid staying up late unless absolutely necessary which has required me to manage my time extremely well, invest time into eating well and prioritize school work over fun when it comes down to the wire. It’s important to note here that I was very excited to eat chicken sandwiches, pasta, and everything except a vegetable whenever I wanted when I left for college, but that got old pretty quickly. Speaking of home-cooked food, I’m still waiting on that care package… Humility, especially, has served me well during these first few weeks of adjustment to college life and realizing that I am no longer close to being the most intelligent person in the room but I am still one of the most hard working. However, I would like you to inform my brother that I will still be smarter than him when I come home (perks of being the older sibling, buddy).
All of the lessons you taught me (read: forced into my very grumpy and unhappy brain) have given me the foundation of who I am as an individual: someone who can be independent and stand on her own two feet but not be too proud to ask for help when needed. I will always be thankful that I am lucky enough to have you as my mother because you have guided my growth into the person I am today. Unrelated side note, care to deposit some $$ in my account? Pretty please with sugar on top… Also, I don’t think you’ll care too much about this but I got a big tattoo. On my neck. The night after you dropped me off. See you next month!
Love,
College Student
Love,
College Student
 | Priya Pai is a rising senior at Texas A&M University who enjoys writing in her free time. She is also an avid reader and spin class fanatic who can be found in either the library or her local spin studio. Her most favorite activity, however, is chasing her labradoodle, Cocoa, around. |
Author
Arielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing.
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