WEDNESDAY WEEKLY YOUNG WRITERS WRITING QUESTION (WWYWWQ)

From a student in Mr. Hughes' sixth grade class - How do you write onomatopoeia?

While working with Mr. Hughes' sixth grade class during writing time today, one of the students asked how she would write onomatopoeia - like the sound of a doorbell or things like that. Being the resident author for the class, Mr. Hughes threw the question my way. I've seen it written several ways, ALL CAPS or italicized usually with an exclamation mark following. I answered the young lady by saying that italics were frowned upon or using them extensively, so told her to put them in all caps. While they were working on their writing projects, I decided to do a little research. This is what I found, specifically the section about italics, number 5.

I did share this with Mr. Hughes and while I was reading it, I tried to think of an example of when I had used onomatopoeia in my writing. It came to me - in my short story "The Proposal". I start out with frogs ribbitting. Italicized and an exclamation point following. Ribbit! Ribbit!

Now you know the answer to the question. If it is at the beginning of the sentence, it would be capitalized or if it stands alone like I did and italicized. If it is within a sentence structure, you would italicize the "sound". An example they gave was like machine gun firing - you would write it as rat-a-tat-tat.

So how do you write onomatopoeia in your stories? Mrs. E :)

If you teach a writing class or have a writing club and would like your students' questions answered, please forward them to me at eeldering (at) gmail (dot) com. It's okay to send several questions at a time as I will be doing a "Wednesday Weekly Young Writers Writing Question" posting every week. I will not use students' names, but if you give me their initials, I can do that as well as the teacher's name (example E.E. in Mr. Hughes' class ask: ...) that is how my postings will go.

Keep checking my blog weekly for a new question and response. E :)

Five Reasons You're Not Writing Your Novel

5 Reasons You’re Not Writing Your Novel

This post was written by Jessica Stilling who also writes for pharmacy technician and medical assistant

So you’ve always wanted to be a writer. Maybe you got that fancy MFA, or you sit in your room during all hours of the night typing away, or maybe you fantasize about what it would be like to be a best selling author at your day job. Whatever the case, you know it’s time to write that novel and yet you’re waiting. Why? Here are a few reasons you might be waiting, and a few reasons why putting it off would be the worst mistake of your life.

#1. You don’t have time. Make time. Yes, you have a job, a family, a social life. There are bills to pay and a girlfriend to keep happy. You don’t need to give up your life, or your income, to write, just set aside some time. Wake up an hour earlier and write a few pages every day, set aside a few hours on the weekend when you would otherwise be breezing through an entire season of Dexter. Evaluate how you’re using your time and see where you might find room for writing.

#2. You’re not inspired. This is a problem and no, the solution is not simply get inspired. Though inspiration may seem like a magical force that comes and goes whenever it feels like it, there are ways to jumpstart creative juices. Sit and think for a while, go for a walk, sit on a park bench and listen and watch people. Maybe the inspiration for the heroine for your best seller is standing over by the hot dog vendor.

#3. Your head is not in the right place. Again, this solution is not so simple, you can’t just get your head in the right place to write a novel. Still, there are ways to evaluate where your head is and where it needs to be. Is your boyfriend being a pain, does your best friend need to cry on your shoulder about her latest break up? You don’t need to drop every emotional connection you have, on the contrary, those connections can feed creative juices, but you might want to re-evaluate where you’re spending your emotional energy.

#4. The Market. The market is bad, the market is flooded, the market doesn’t want this. Whatever the reason, the all mighty market seems to take a lot of blame for a lot of unwritten novels. What does the market have to do with your writing? Maybe by the time you finish this project the market will have turned around, maybe you’ll be the lucky one person who hits it big? And if not, so what? You’re writing a novel, not working for the market.

#5. You simply do not believe that you and/or your idea is good enough. Well that’s just silly. You’ve wanted to write since you were how old? You’ve been planning this novel at least in the abstract for how long? Of course you have talent, and of course your idea has merit and even if those publishers and agents tell you otherwise, don’t listen. Your ideas, your talent will grow as you write this novel.

Overall, you owe it to yourself, you owe it to your work and the greater literary society to write this novel. So go for it.

Five Must Have Books for Writing Books for Writers

5 Must-Have Writing Books for Authors

By: Joy Paley who also writes on the best social work schools and for various other websites like this site.

There must be thousands of how-to books on writing out there. It makes sense, right? If you’re a writer who is good at writing, clearly you’ll want to share your knowledge with others through your favored medium. Have you ever heard an expert trying to explain their field, though?  Just like listening to a nuclear scientist tell a layperson about their latest research, writers aren’t always the best at explaining the tricks of the trade to a broad audience. There are some good ones out there—you just have to persevere. I’ve sifted through the chaff and found five books on writing that won’t leave you groaning or scratching your head.

The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction

By: Stephen Koch

For the beginning writer, reading about craft can be, well, mysterious. It doesn’t seem so much a craft as some mystical process which happens in a writer’s head under a full moon on the winter solstice. Koch taught at Columbia University’s creative writing program for decades, and he’s clearly used to explaining the mechanics of fiction to those who are new to writing. His tone is that of a kind mentor, and he offers practical tips and interesting quotes from some of the most well-known authors out there.

• Good for: the new short story writer or novelist

Zen in the Art of Writing

By: Ray Bradbury

Sci fi legend Ray Bradbury serves up inspiring writing advice in these ten short essays. Here you won’t find tips like how to outline or pace a story. The book is more about getting outside one’s head and tapping the creativity inside of them; consider this the zealous antidote to Koch’s sage, practical advice. While some might dismiss this as the same vague mysticism that comes with lots of writing advice, it’s more empowering than that—it can get me excited about writing, even when I’m sure I’m ready to give the whole thing up and become an accountant.

• Good for: the depressed writer

Women Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews

Edited by: George Plimpton and Margaret Atwood

I would recommend all three volumes of this set, even though I’ve only linked to one. These Paris Review interviews are by far some of the most intimate and candid ones out there: instead of the standard Time magazine softball questions, you find the writers in a relaxed atmosphere actually sharing how they work and think about their writing. As fiction writing is still largely a man’s game, this set can be inspiring for any experienced or amateur lady writers out there.

• Good for: women writers

The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers

Edited by: Vendela Vida

You can consider this the antidote to the Paris Review interviews. If you’re familiar with the literary magazine The Believer, you’ll recognize its funny, slightly off tone in the interviews of this book. Writers as diverse as Grace Paley and Haruki Murakami are interviewed by fellow writers. The questions aren’t only casual and funny, but also revealing—you’ll get a glimpse into their personal life, which, as a neurotic writer myself, I am always interested to see.

• Good for: the seasoned writer

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

By: Anne Lamott

It’s only the truly masochistic person that decides to pursue writing seriously. Because of this, most writers have a pretty close relationship with self-deprecation. As you watch a new work unfold from its choppy, undeveloped self into something more readable, it’s always tempting to abandon it midstream and call yourself a failure. Lamott’s book offers valuable advice on getting over your own perfectionism and self-esteem hang-ups—something that all writers deal with. It’s personal and well-written, and I often turn to certain chapters for an inspiring pick-me-up.

• Good for: the unsure writer

Life got in the way

I've been slack of late in my postings but I've had a good reason. Work and writing and other things - life in general. Okay - not really a good reason but it should account for something.

Before the middle of March, we were basically told that the one account I had been working on since starting with this company wasn't sending us any work or very little and that were all (I believe there were 70 MTs on that account at one point) were welcome to try other accounts within the company if we wanted to. I have been inquiring since October for other accounts to work on but had been told there wasn't anything available. My line counts dropped by about half; no big deal if you are paid by the hour or salaried, but when you are paid on what your produce, half of normal line counts means your paycheck is closer to one-third of normal (being paid on a tiered payscale, those lines really make a difference - how that worked was for the first 3000 lines I typed, I was paid 6-1/2 cents per line; the next 3000 lines 8-1/2 cents a line and everything over that 9-1/2 cents per line -- so when you are used to doing about 9500 or more lines in a payperiod and you can't even make 6000 lines (sometimes it was hard to even get 5000 lines in)), then without that third tier, your checks look pitiful.

So the middle of March, one of the supervisors came to me (I had been doing some psych stuff for her to help out where I could) and asked if I was still looking for another account to help out on. I jumped on the chance. Well, needless to say, I have been hopping since. My line counts for the first payperiod that I worked on the new account rose tremendously (I came to the hand clinic in the middle of a payperiod). The next payperiod - I was amazed at what my lines looked like. Of course since I got reassigned in a sense to the hand clinic, the old clinic decided to find a bunch of the doctor I do exclusively for me and so I've been splitting my time between the two and doing stat psych jobs as needed.

What this means for me is that my "work schedule" is being shifted so that I am no longer really working my original schedule of Sunday through Thursday with the weekends off for my fun stuff, but that will have to change in the fall. The reason is this - the hand clinic work doesn't get downloaded until late evenings on the days they dictate; I've been assigned two doctors and help out on others as needed (am still learning some of the other doctors but overall, it's going pretty good). So basically, my two doctors dictate on Mondays and Fridays and in order to stay within the 48-hour turnaround time, I have to work Monday nights or all day Tuesday and Wednesday to get those Monday dictations done and I have to work all weekend to get the Friday dictations done. Plus throw in the mix of Dr. Bolding and stat jobs, which means I'm working more. But once things get in a nice routine of what I'm doing on a regular basis, then I should be able to go back to a semi-weekend off schedule (Fridays off for now).

I have started the second state story, finally and hope to finish it up tomorrow and go through the editing this week to have it turned in to the publisher soon. I've been told the first one is ready to be illustrated but the illustrator still has other jobs in front of me and she hasn't been paid for her prior work yet, so she's kind of on strike, which is not a good thing. I have been assured that the first state would be out in August. I have my doubts. But maybe I'll be surprised. I can only hope.

So as you can see, life has gotten in the way of things but everything is working out. See you all in the postings - E :)

Going into the Jungle

I've been asked to join the community of children's authors on Lea Schizas's Writing Jungle blog (click on linked title) during the week of March 31. I am promoting my Junior Geography Detective Squad series during that week.

This sounds like a great opportunity to really get myself out there. Check out some of the other authors who will be there as well - Stacy Dawn, creater of Harriet the Half-pint Holstein series, Diana Symons, creator of the Tales from the Throne series, and many others. Check out Lea's blog for a complete listing of those authors who will be contributing during the week and stop by and leave messages and have fun. You never know who is giving away door prizes and what you might win - see you all in the postings - E :)

Ten things about me as a writer - found on Writing Angel's blog

I popped over to some of my favorite blogs today and found this on Writing Angel's blog and thought it looked like fun so I decided to post on my blog - answering the questions for myself. So here goes -

1. Your genre(s)?
Young adult, mystery, paranormal and children's

2. How many books have you completed?
One novel first draft. I have about 10 short stories completed and have submitted to several places, some have been published, some haven't been and some are still out there in the works.

3. How many books are you working on right now?
Just signed my contract for 50-stories over the next 5 years and since I have three started for another project I was hoping to submit to but the guidelines, the word restrictions, and the National Social Studies Standards and my stories weren't melding like they should have, I put that on hold until Aidana and I were chatting earlier this month and I got a deal with a publisher.

4. Are you a linear or chunk writer?
Linear. I think that I am a linear writer - just write through - I don't plot or outline or develop my characters because of the time I'm writing short stories and entering a contest and there isn't much room to develop too much.

5. The POV you're most partial to?
First but have recently been working on third - trying to make sure readers see more of my characters as they should.

6. The theme that keeps cropping up in your books?
Of the last stories I wrote, a ghostly theme seems to be running through them - dead lovers coming back to finish business or lovers lost to death -

7. How many days a week do you write?
I know I should write everyday but I don't because I have been working a lot lately (yay - that's a good thing) but now with this contract deal I know I will have to write several days a week and get the stories out there - so no more playing around

8. What time of day do you get you're best writing done?
Late evening if I don't get distracted by TV or other things going on -

9. Who are your mentors?
Batya - she is a writing friend who writes awesome stuff - I aspire to write like her - turning out near perfect first drafts and all that. She writes in so many genres that I envy her ability to go from one to the other without so much as a blink of the eye - she transitions between any type of writing without a problem.

10. Who are your favourite authors to read? (different from mentors)
I used to say Jonathan Kellerman was my favorite author but I haven't even read many of his books of late so can't really say that he is my favorite author any more. I've been reading lots of newer authors and more children's books and young adult things of late - trying to get a feel for how my state stories will go -


So now you know, I'm not a daily writer, I don't plot out anything and I write by the seat of my pants whenever the urge hits me - but now it will have to change. -- I am so looking forward to this new deal - see you all in the postings - E :)

Write Here ... Right Now

This link is the new forum called Write Here...Right Now - it is pretty cool - and apparently I have already referred some people there so thought I'd send it out to the rest of the world (those who read my blog) - come on over and see what it's all about - E :)


(link is in the title - but if it doesn't work - here it is again http://cher2.proboards43.com/index.cgi)