For Writers - Groundhog Day

Yes, I'm about to get deep about a Bill Murray movie.

For anyone who may not have seen it, Groundhog Day is about a dour, unhappy-with-his-life weatherman who is sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover, what else, Groundhog Day. Not only that, but he has to keep repeating the day over and over again until he gets it right. Though he fights against this curse at first (refusal of the call...), eventually, he uses his do-overs to avoid pitfalls, ice sculpt, learn to speak French and play the piano, and of course, get the girl.

So here' s where our writer's tip comes in. In the movie, Bill Murray comes to realize that he can either hate being stuck on replay, or he can use each day to avoid past mistakes and to build on the things he learned the previous day. The happy ending happens because he adjusts his attitude and goes after each day, uses it up, and works hard for what he can get out of it.

As writers, there is a lot out of our control. Editors or agents might not connect with our work, publishers might not support it as much as we'd like, placement might not be great, proposals might not be accepted, publishing as we know it may die. Sometimes we may feel like we're stuck on replay, banging our head against the wall, submitting the same thing over and over again. It's easy to slip into a sour frame of mind.

Or, we could use all the days we're given to write another book that our publisher might really get behind, submit to more editors and agents until we find the one who 'gets' us, learn about e-pubbing, study the craft. In short, we can choose to seize each day, to learn from the failures and to build on the successes.

Do this and I guarantee that by next Groundhog's Day, we'll all be happier, more successful writers.

This Week's Links:

Speaking of being happier and more successful writers, here's this week's Writer's Butt post and challenge: (Ginger Calem) If you haven't jumped in yet, it's never too late to join out beta group!

Why Vision is More Important that Strategy (Michael Hyatt) Envision what you want to achieve.

11 FAQ about Royalties, Advances, and Making Money (Writer Unboxed)

10 Ways to Harness Fear and Fuel Your Writing (Writers' Digest)

8 Ways to Harness Creativity (The Creativity Post)

7 Erroneous Reasons Writers Avoid Using Editors (Sticking to the Story)

6 Ways to Reboot Your Writing Routine (Writers' Digest)

6 Reasons to Write a Fast First Draft (W.I.P. It)

4 Ways to Recycle Dusty Manuscripts (Julie Musil)

The Significance of Settings (Between the Margins) Bee Mindful

Research vs. Observation (Writer Unboxed) By THE Donald (Maass)

Hippocratic Oath for Revisions (Rebecca Behrens) First do no harm

Query Writing as a Plotting Tool (The Other Side of the Story)

Q & A with Judy Blum (Smithsonian Magazine) Writer must identify with her characters

The 1st Thing You Do When You Sit Down at a Computer (Seth Godin) Lay tracks to accomplish goals

A Peek Behind the Publishing Curtain (Veronica Roth)

Excellent Roundup of Book Marketing Tips from the Web (Book Marketing Experts)

Coincidence in Fiction (The Editor's Blog) Destroys the suspension of disbelief

Connecting Opposite Turning Points p. 1 (The Sharp Angle) Structure - excellent post

Connecting Opposite Turning Points p. 2 (The Sharp Angle)

How Should Writers Research? (Jody Hedlund) All at once, or as needed?

Some Truths About Publishing That Aren't True Anymore (The Passive Voice)

First or Third POV? (How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book)

How "Literary" and "Entrepreneur" are Becoming Entwined (Jane Friedman)

A Singularly Unpopular View of Adverbs (Writer Unboxed)

Your Dialog Can Do More (TalkToYoUniverse)

Now go make the most of your day and write!

Happy Chinese New Year - Reset!

Yes, I know it was yesterday, but Happy Chinese New Year anyway!

This is the Year of the Water Dragon, which Chinese astrologists say has the potential to be volatile and unpredictable... but also magical and even mystical. A perfect combination for writers and book lovers!

One of the cool things about the Chinese New Year falling toward the end of January is that all those of us who have already messed up on our resolutions have a chance to start over. No looking back. Just press reset and move forward!

In the spirit of resets, I'm moving the writing tip posts to Wednesday to coordinate with our Writers Butt program. Starting tomorrow, we'll have Writer Wednesday instead of Tip Tuesday. (Taking the Tuesday slot, in honor of my upcoming Lights, Camera, Cassidy series launch, we'll have Tuesday Travels instead.)

This week, to kick the new year off, I've got something special planned for our Writer Wednesday - I get to review Kate Coomb's beautiful new book, Hans My Hedgehog. AND I have a copy of Hans my Hedgehog to give away to a lucky reader. Be sure to check back tomorrow for that, and for loads and loads of links.

Now go get your New Year on and rock the water dragon!

For Writers - What's the Worst That Can Happen? With Eileen Cook

I'm happy to welcome GCC sister Eileen Cook to the blog to celebrate the recent release of her latest, UNRAVELING ISOBEL. When she was younger, Eileen says she spend much of her time wishing she were someone else, or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Now she has several books under her belt, appearing in six different languages, lives in beautiful Vancouver with her husband and two cute dogs, and she no longer wishes to be anyone else.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.

The Official UNRAVELING ISOBEL blurb:

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.
But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn't only her live that's unraveling--her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she's seeing ghosts. Wither way, Isobel's fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

Lisa McMann calls UNRAVELING ISOBEL "Thrilling and creepy, super sexy, and so hilarious." Publisher's Weekly likes its "spine-tingling setting." And Hornbook Magazine calls Isobel a "compelling narrator."

Eileen says:

The very best writing advice I ever received came several years ago before I was published. I was taking a creative writing class and the instructor told me that my writing was good and I should consider starting to send it out for submission. I hemmed and hawed telling her I wasn’t sure if I could. What if it was rejected? She stared me down for a minute and then told me: “Eileen, I hate to tell you this, but you’re already not published. The worst thing that will happen to you is that you still won’t be published.”

That was my light bulb moment. I realized that I might not ever reach my dream of being published, but that if I didn’t at least try I certainly wouldn’t be. Now anytime I catch myself doubting if I can pull off a particular scene or book, I remind myself that I already haven’t done it. The worst that will happen is that it won’t be good, but if I don’t try I’ll never know.

This Week's Link Roundup:

If you haven't checked in to join (Writers' Butt) with us yet, it's not too late! You can follow the (#WritersButt hashtag on twitter), like the page on (Facebook), and check out (Ginger's Wednesday posts) for challenges and fitness advice.

**Finding Time (Sunset) Wisdom from Anne Lamott. LOVE her. If you don't have a copy of BIRD BY BIRD in your writer arsenal, you truly should.

12 Baby Steps That Rocked My Writing (Cowbell - You Need More of It) She makes me smile. : )

Dinner with Literary Agents (The Intern) What she learned...

2012 - The Year of Impossible Things (Crowe's Nest) Let this year be your year!

Just Make the Bed (Sarah Ockler) Overcoming the Problem of Writers' Resolutions

The Missing Ingredient in Most Goals (Michael Hyatt) Excellent. Thanks, Jen, for the link.

Already blew your resolutions? Get Back On the Wagon (Krissy Brady) << here's how.

The Drive to Write (Magical Words ) You are a writer.

5 Things Authors will need to Survive in 2012 (Jody Hedlund)

My Writing Process (Beyond the Margins) Title came first, story later.

Done is Better Than Good (Writers in the Storm) The key is to start writing.

The Key to a Quick First Draft: Breakout Premise (Lia Keyes) Most excellent post.

Interview with Editor Cheryl Klein (SCBWI Conference Blog) I love her.

Your Happy is Never Too Loud (Van Meter Library Voice) Lovely.

Film Options, Explained (YA Highway) by Kody Keplinger

Beyond Orcs and Elves (Omnivoracious) Fantasy writing wisdom from Stacy Whitman

Writing as Conversation (Officially Twisted) Great a-ha post.

Mighty Heroes REQUIRE Mighty Villains (Seeking the Write Life) Excellent.

Innovators Dream (The Heart of Innovation) Dreaming and creativity.

Writing Quickly: A Secret Strategy (Writability) I knew there was a secret to it. : )

Incorporating Backstory to Hook the Reader (Livia Blackburne) Brain scientist's take on writing

Hooks, Loglines, and Pitches: What every writer needs to know (Anne R. Allen) Gold.

**Reminder to bookmark The Bookshelf Muse. Excellent writing resources. Platinum.

How to Write Strong, Silent Types (Wordplay)

What's Your Genre-Identity? (Beth Stilborn)

What's Your Writing Space? (Teacher Writer) From Jen McAndrews: Just write.

To Do Well in Life, You Have to Read Well (NPR) Audio interview.

My Secret for Battling Procrastination (Jane Friedman) Old post. Timeless advice.

Now go. Write!

Writers Butt - an Explanation

2011 was a tough year for me health-wise. Without going into the details, I'll just give you my takeaway: Health matters. You don't understand quite how much until yours takes a vacation. Then it becomes your main focus. Your obsession. Your goal. Nothing like a compulsory blood-doping session in an open-backed hospital gown to bring that message home.

Lucky for me, one of my writing partners - Ginger Calem - is a fitness guru and personal trainer. I asked if she would be willing to come up with a program writers could follow - something that would fit into our busy - but often sedentary - days, strategies to protect our health by eating right and slipping more exercise into our established routines. Ginger graciously agreed to share her insight and expertise with the greater writing community. I, in turn, agreed to be her guinea pig. Our other writing partners committed to give it a try as well. And so Writers' Butt was born.

I'm really excited to share the result with you all. (This includes you, illustrators, readers, teachers, and librarians!) You can jump in by joining the conversation on twitter (following the #writersbutt hashtag), and by checking in to Ginger's blog on Wednesdays, where she will post health and exercise tips, creativity connections, and even recipes, perfect for busy writers and other desk-bound types. Within a couple of weeks, we'll have the facebook page up and running, and we can share stories of progress (and challenges) with each other. Together, we can make 2012 the healthiest year yet - one writer's butt at a time.