For Writers - It's Hump Day. Be Happy!

My critique partners will attest that I hit the mid-month slump a few days early this month. For those of you doing NaNoWriMo, you know what I mean. It's akin to a literary mid-life crisis. Mine went something like this - How will I ever make it by the end of the month? My word count is so far behind! Is this idea even viable? Am I wasting my time? Should I be writing something else? Where is the chocolate???

Thankfully, my fabulous crit partners had all the necessary words of wisdom and encouragement. Buoyed by their faith and rah rah-ing, I was able to push through it and catch my second wind. The best advice? Relax! Enjoy the ride!

So that's today's tip. I know we're all busy. Life intrudes on our writing time. Doubts intrude on our writing. We want it perfect. We want it now. But I am here to tell you from experience, that everything will flow much better if we let ourselves have a little fun along the way.

Speaking of... The HUNGER GAMES trailer is out!!! Can. Not. Wait. For. March. 23!!!!




And check this out. How perfect is this? I adore Jimmy Fallon.

The Doors Sing "Reading Rainbow" Theme - Show Clips - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon


And now, this week's links:

Short Cuts (Face the Page) Excellent (and important to remember).

On Failing to be Perfect (Adventures in Children's Publishing) Wise advice.

The Stages of an Edit (BookEnds) From an agent

I Thought I was Wrong, But I was Mistaken (From the Mixed-up Files) More on letting it be.

Finding the Time to Write (Spilling Ink) from two perspectives.

A Rose by Any Other Name (Between the Margins) Nailing the Right Word

Who am I Writing For? (Kidlit) Excellent post by Mary Kole

The Odd Influences that Converge to Make a Book (Making Magic) Interesting

The Basics of Writing and Illustrating Children's Books (Underdown) Not a new post, but an excellent overview for anyone just getting started, and those further along, with links.

Writing on a Theme (Kidlit) "Dig deep and tell the truth."

Plot Vehicles (Oasis for YA) Interesting list

Bringing Tension and Conflict to your Novels (The Other Side of the Story) by Cheryl Rainfield

More on Adding Conflict to Your Story (Blood Red Pencil) Worth the extra planning.

6 Things NOT to Put in your YA Novel (The Writer Coaster) Made me smile... and cringe.

5 Novel Ending Mistakes to Avoid (Beyond the Margins) How not to end things.

3 Ways to Develop Your Unique Writing Voice (Kristen Lamb) Great for NaNoers.

Check Your Facts (Editor's Blog) Get it right.

Storyboarding for Revisions (Plot Monkeys) Another way to use a great tool.

What Makes a Story Feel Unrealistic? (Jamie Gold) "Keep the Reader in the Story."

Deepening Characters with Setting (Cynsations) Excellent - with examples

The Art of Rewriting (Let the Words Flow) With a little elbow grease, you can make it amazing.

How Many Drafts to Get to the Query Stage? (Paranormal POV)

Examples of Bad Dialog (Editor's Blog) What not to do.

One last Just-For-Smiles:

How to Name your First Novel (NPR)

Now go. Write!