I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a while. I’ve been out of town (NYC!), but now I’m back and ready to write.

So, to apologize, I have put together a list of the most helpful/inspirational articles I read while I was gone. (The Feedly app on my phone is actually my best friend. I’ve subscribed to so many great blogs/websites and I’d really like to share with you what I learned while on the go.)

Pros and Cons of Plotting and Pantsing – Go Teen Writers

Plotting vs. pantsing – one of the most pressing questions I often ask other writers. In Stephanie Morrill’s article, she gives the pros and cons of both techniques without saying either is right or wrong. She also presents a “secret method #3” which I think most writers would find very interesting.

The Odds are Against You, Might As Well Get to Writing – The Write Practice

The prospects of writing a book, much less publishing one, are bleak. Yet Kellen Gorbett inspires me to keep at it, which is the motivation I need nearly every day to put pen to paper. The message “lose expectations” is one we all need to hear.

5 Quick Things You Can Do This Week to Fix Your Marketing – Copyblogger

If you are a writer, you’re probably a blogger as well. And if you’re a blogger, you’re a marketer. You don’t want to miss these 5 quick tips.

 How Writers Can Stop Being Crushed by Fear of Rejection – Make a Living Writing

Fascinating story about a boy who decided to become immune to the pain of rejection.

How to Steal – The Write Practice

It’s okay to “borrow” from other writers. This article reminded me that it’s impossible to be completely original. Originality is about taking something that’s already been done and making it your own.

Participated in my first #ARCparty today. 🙂

At exactly 3:45 this afternoon, I pulled up the link to the live video feed and watched as the 7 boxes filled with Advance Readers Copies of HarperTeen titles were unpacked. It was fabulous, to say the least.

I tweeted during this live event, which was super fun. I am fairly new to Twitter, but I’m enjoying the interaction with friends and some of my favorite authors. During that hour, my Twitter feed was completely dominated by tweets about the #ARCparty. (We were all hoping to win an ARC, but only 20 of the 1000 viewers were chosen and I was not one of them. Sigh.)

I was especially hoping to win an ARC of either Perfect Lies, by Kiersten White, or Dear Killer, by Katherine Ewell.

Be sure to watch the #ARCparty video and check out the complete list of ARCs at the Epic Reads website.

Oh, and don’t forget to enter this Epic Reads #ARCparty Giveaway to win a copy of every ARC shown in the video!

Did you participate in the #ARCparty? Were you one of the lucky winners today? Which of the books are you super excited to read? 

Take any character from one of your books and put them in a therapy session. Write a (short!) scene about what happens. (You can include multiple characters and make it a group therapy session.)

Grace chose the loveseat furthest from the therapist’s. Unlike so many of the others, Grace knew why the sessions were required. She certainly couldn’t deny that the events of the past several years might have left her emotionally unstable and scarred.

However, that certainly didn’t make it any easier. She was not looking forward to talking to a stranger about her problems. Then again, she wouldn’t want to talk about her problems with anyone she knew personally, either.

The therapist, a woman with dark hair and light eyes, gave her a small smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, Grace. I’m glad you’re here, and I’m glad we can talk.” The therapist glanced down at the manila folder sitting in her lap. “It looks like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Grace glanced out the window. “Maybe.”

“I’d like you to be comfortable here, so I’m going to let you choose our discussion topic for the day. I have a list here. Are you ready?”

Grace nodded.

The woman consulted the folder and began with the first item on her list. “Your sister.”

“No.”

“Lance McConnell?”

Grace’s eyes flashed, but she tried to keep her voice steady when she said, “Definitely not.”

The therapist cleared her throat and continued. “Your involvement in Project…”

Grace snorted. It was answer enough.

“Grace, we’re going to have to talk about something. That’s why you’re here.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I’m sorry. Maybe…something else on the list? Something a little less…difficult?”

The therapist nodded. “Your fears?”

Grace stood abruptly and clenched her fists at her sides.

“You know, I’m suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. And I really don’t think I want to talk about any of those topics with you…ever.”

Her tone was a little sharper than she’d intended it to be, and she knew she’d offended the therapist (and really, she shouldn’t be taking her anger out on this woman), but she hardly cared. She wasn’t ready. It was too soon, and the pain was so fresh. This was a bad idea.

“You know who I am, right? You know what I do, don’t you?” Grace asked softly.

The therapist’s eyes widened. She nodded.

Grace smiled and continued, “Good. I’m going to walk out, but only if you tell my superiors this session was incredibly successful, I really opened up to you, and I’m returning several more times this month.”

The therapist hastily began scribbling notes in Grace’s file. Satisfied, Grace quickly exited the building. Her step was light, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, the session hadn’t been a waste of time after all.   

Be sure to visit the other participating blogs!

Participants:

5th – http://novelexemplar.wordpress.com/
6th – http://veewhoa.wordpress.com/
7th – http://bloodoverithaca.wordpress.com/
8th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/
9th – http://themagicviolinist.blogspot.com/
10th – http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com/
11th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/
12th – http://maralaurey.wordpress.com/
13th – http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com/
14th – http://insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com/
15th – http://charleyrobson.blogspot.com/
16th – http://www.oyeahwrite.wordpress.com/
17th – http://insatiablebeforedeath.wordpress.com/
18th – http://www.indianawriterblog.wordpress.com/
19th – http://akwardlywriting.blogspot.com/
20th – http://alifeonmission.wordpress.com/
21st – http://whimsicallyours.com/
22nd – http://theteenagewriter.wordpress.com/
23rd – http://dreamerheadquarters.wordpress.com
24th – http://weirdalocity.wordpress.com/
25th – http://missalexandrinabrant.wordpress.com/
26th – http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll be announcing the topic for next month’s chain.)

“How have both the people in your life and your own personal experiences impacted your writing? Do you ever base characters off of people you know?”

Yes, yes, yes.

I think all writers are impacted by their personal experiences and people they’ve met over the years.

Writing, in my opinion, is a way to be honest about my feelings and world-view. Without realizing it, bits and pieces of myself, my memories, and friends/family show up in my work.

When I wrote my first novel in the 7^th grade, I was motivated by a group of friends who were also writers. We’d meet at lunch and trade pages. And, at the time, it was popular to put each other in our stories.

But I definitely couldn’t have anticipated that these characters (who were supposed to be the fictional versions of my real-life friends) had minds of their own. So I have a rule now: if I decide to slip a friend or family member into my book, I use either their name or their personality, but never both. If I steal their name, the character’s personality is unique. If I use their personality, I definitely don’t use their name.

And this is because I don’t want to apologize if said person is upset by my honesty.

I tried, once, to completely base a character on a cousin. (Only because my cousin Maria and I are good friends, and she was so supportive of my writing.) It didn’t really work out, because, as I mentioned above, the character became her own person. She became one of my favorite characters, actually, but I killed her off at the end. This made for an awkward conversation with my cousin, who, thankfully, didn’t mind.

Another awkward conversation: admitting to your sister that you lied when you said a certain character was based on her but was actually based on another cousin.

Also, I think it’s important to note that many writers base their protagonists on themselves. I was guilty of this when I wrote my first book…it does seem to be more common with beginning novelists. My protagonist was, what I like to call, a better version of myself. She sort of embodied everything I wanted to be, but she also shared my many flaws.

Now, although I am no longer the protagonist of my novels, I recognize parts of myself in many of my characters.

My experiences have also impacted my writing. Not directly, but the experiences themselves give me ideas to draw from. Traveling has inspired my writing in the past. The places I’ve been become the settings of my various works-in-progress. Conversations with friends have made their way into my books.

My memories, experiences, and friends/family have influenced the person I am today. So it’s not even a surprise that these things have influenced my writing as well.

“Where do storytellers find the wisdom to discover their own stories? From no place more mysterious than their own hearts.”

– Marion Dane Bauer

Please visit the other blogs also participating in the chain!

Participants:

5th – http://alifeonmission.wordpress.com/

6th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

7th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

8th – http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com/

9th – http://katiathewritergirl.blogspot.com/

10th – http://charleyrobson.blogspot.com/

11th – http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com/

12th – http://www.indianawriterblog.wordpress.com/

13th – http://charlieeatmybook.blogspot.co.uk/

14th – http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com/

15th – http://dearsaul.wordpress.com/

16th – http://bloodoverithaca.wordpress.com/

17th – http://realityisimaginary.blogspot.com/

18th – http://weirdalocity.wordpress.com/

19th – http://insatiablebeforedeath.wordpress.com/

20th – http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/

21st – http://myswordandpen.wordpress.com/

22nd – http://dreamerheadquarters.wordpress.com/

23rd – http://www.documentaryofateenagewriter.wordpress.com/

24th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/

25th – http://themagicviolinist.blogspot.com/

26th – http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ 

(We’ll be announcing the topic for next month’s chain.)

In a recent post, I wrote about the importance of joining the online writing community. I became more convinced that community is key when I read a Teens Can Write, Too! post about why the teen writer community rocks.

Entering this community has been my focus lately. I’m visiting other blogs, commenting on other blogs, joining blog chains and contacting possible critique partners. It’s been fun. 🙂

On my quest for community, I stumbled across “Go Teen Writers,” another valuable website for teens who share a love of the written word. And this week, I am participating in the Go Teen Writers Word War.

Jill and Stephanie define it better than I can: “If you’re not familiar with a word war, it’s when writers decide to write for a set period of time and see who ends up with the most words.”

#1 benefit of community: Motivation. Encouragement.

This Word War is motivation at its finest!

So, I encourage you to participate and join in the fun! I’ll be writing feverishly, trying to catch up to the other writers. What’s your Word War goal? (How many words do you hope to write by Friday night?) Comment to let me know! Let’s get one another excited.

Oh, and good luck.