I'm a Book Junkie

Hi. My name is Emily and I'm a book junkie.

I don't think I ever really had a fighting chance. You see, my mom read when she was pregnant with me.

I started at a young age. I think when I got really hooked though is when my elementary school teachers started pushing book fairs and scholastic order forms. Books were so available to me. I'd go to the library for my next hit. They were always well-stocked. It got to the point where I would read for any reason. I read when I was bored, I read when I wanted a high, I read when I needed a good cry.

Now I'm off the easy readers and go straight for the good stuff--novels!
I didn't think I'd be peddling it myself though. Now I have a list of regulars that I send all my best stuff to. And most of them come back for more.

Now my daughter is hooked. It's an endless spiral.

More Writing Tools

I found some other cool stuff to help with my writing. This is much more affordable. The same author/teacher that does the Think Sideways course that I've been raving about also does mini courses that focus on specific areas.

I've tried the Plot, Character, and Page-Turning Scenes ones and they're very good. They helped me to create deeper characters, taught me what every scene needs to have (in order to be interesting), and how to come up with ideas for a story I've already started (especially how to get a killer ending!) Anyway, for anyone who's interested, here are the links:


The Holly Shop (Where the magic happens :) Good for comparing prices, etc...)

Create A Plot Clinic

Create A Culture Clinic

Create A Language Clinic

Create A Character Clinic

How To Write Page-Turning Scenes (This one was my favorite, followed closely by the plot clinic.)

Clinic Writing Bundle (This has the Plot, Culture, Character, and Language Clinics wrapped into one for a discounted price, which is what I went with.)

How To Beat Writers Block

Also, see my post: Helpful Writing Software for a huge list of goodies (a lot of them free!).

Mugging the Muse

Wow.

I've been stuck on my novel for a while now. I got through the first couple of chapters or so and then stopped. Little to no reason, I just stopped. It was probably a mixture of lack of motivation and not knowing exactly how to proceed (which is strange because I know where the plot is going).

For those of you who don't know, I've been testing out Holly Lisle's Writing Course How to Think Sideways and I can't praise it enough.

So I was doing what I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, telling myself that I should write some today, reminding myself that I have these goals and writing is fun. I decided to work on a workshop assignment instead (close enough, right?)

I wound up doing two exercises and BOOM!

1. I knew which scene had to come next and how to write it.
2. I wrote a scene that will come later in my book that will have tension and conflict and subtext and all sorts of fun little goodies.
3. I wrote probably the best scene I have ever written (in chapter 3 for those of you following along). It also is packed with goodies.

Anyway, two little exercises that I never would have tried are now my go-to tools when I'm stuck. The webbing exercise is so great for making sure I use both sides of my brain. It's logical, laid out, right in front of me, but it's also creative and instinctual. It really really lets my Muse sing.

Writing Course that Covers Everything

I found a course that covers everything: plot, structure, character, generating ideas, outlining, marketing, query writing, editing and revising, scenes, pacing, genres, you name it, it's covered. Extensively.

It would take years to gather this information on your own. It's go-at-your-own-pace. Lessons are posted regularly.
There's also a support group where you can get advice from other writers. The teacher is amazing and has published over 30 novels herself.
I don't know if I want the 6 month course or the 12 month course, but I looked at some sample stuff and it's well worth it.
Anyway, for anyone else who's interested, the link is:


Also, if you want a list of helpful software for writers, (there's a whole section of free stuff!) read this post.