I found Judy Blume’s site from a twitter friend of mine.
Once I got on the site, I noticed her “On Writing” link so I clicked on it.
I enjoyed reading her advice to a fellow writer who told Judy she had read over 70 books on writiung but still felt she couldn’t write. Judy advised her to read those books she really enjoyed and that would give her more inspiration for her writing. For this writer to write the best she could.
While on this page, I noticed she had more links:
My Trusty Notebook – Judy writes down story ideas, characters, backgrounds, and dialogue in a notebook before she starts writing.
This is very interesting to me because I am about to begin writing a children book series and have not decided the best way for me to start. Perhaps this will work for me too but maybe not.
Writing from the inside – On this page, Judy discusses about being a writer because you have to not just because you want to write. She adds becoming emotionally involved. If you don’t care about your characters, your readers won’t either.
I write because I want to and have kept it “hidden” for too long. There is a lot joy for me when I write. And I do understand what she is talking about being invested in your characters. For my first book, I have chosen to make it loosely based upon a true story.
Write Your Own Style – She writes about there not being a perfect formula for writing. Find your own style of writing.
Immediately this gives me comfort. The fear of not being a perfect writer is what was stopping me from starting to write my first novel. Once I let go of this fear, I wrote 23,000 words in 30 days…WHOOHOO! I am so excited for this accomplishment. And you can do it too.
Rewriting – Here she shares that for her the rewriting process is the most creative part for her. She also recommends to read the draft out loud so you, the writer, can hear the flow of the story.
To tell you the truth, the rewriting process scares me a little bit because I am afraid by trying to rewrite the draft, I will get off track and then it may mess up my progress. I am aware that it will take three or four more rewrites until I get to the final draft. I realize if I don’t move forward, I don’t go anywhere. So I will do the rewriting. I guess it is how you look at it. Look at as a way to make things better for the reader. There you go.
Love the idea of reading the draft out loud too. Will do Judy!
Rejection – Confesses for the first two years she received nothing but rejections. Also, get used to rejection because no writer has come through it without getting rejected at least once and most of time several times. Keep moving forward! Determination and hard work are just as important as a writer as the talent you possess. Keep writing.
Noone enjoys getting rejected however, just like finding a mate, not everyone works for everyone else. You have to be a good fit for the other person and vice versa. Your book has to be a good match and the publisher has to be a good fit for your book. It is part of the process. I will try and remember this upon receiving those rejections.
Teachers – Judy didn’t have the support as a young person to write however, she states writing came easy to her. She encourages young writers to find support by teachers and other adults around their writing.
I believe this is one place where the internet helps writers because there is many places to receive encouragement, support and inspiration for writing.
Thanks Judy for having such great stuff on your site!
P.S. You can read her blog too. I recommend her latest post about losing her purse.
Today I woke up to breakfast being made for me by my lovely daugther. She made me coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. She is so amazing.
I am excited today because I have sent my first rough draft of my novel (I know there are many re-edits, rewrites and and drafts to go) to a few objective fellow writers and friends of mine.
Ok, well here are the picks for the Fab Five Friday:
1) Thanks to @dallaswoodburn for this tweet about Judy Blume’s website and the page for kids. I clicked on the writing a report link at the bottom of the page. A page comes up to reveal a page offering writing advice to kids along with Judy’s bio and info on Judy for kids doing a report about her.
2) Next thank you goes to @martinvarlow for sharing a tweet about Motown Writers Network, Michigan’s largest literary network for readers and writers. The post introducing Pam Perry (an Oprah guest) who shares publicity tips.
3) A new twitter friend of mine @wordywoman shared a post from the New York Times online about how Target is helping unknown authors become bestsellers through their new BookMarked Club. The post states “for each book selected as a Bookmarked Club Pick, the publisher produces a special edition, and the author writes a letter addressed to Target readers.” Sounds like a more expansion for authors into the main frame.
4) Another new twitter friend of mine @pwheeler_agent offered a tweet about Slate writer Farhad Manjoo writing about Amazon action of deleting ebooks from Kindle. Amazon stated that the titles were deleted because they were bootlegged copies of the famous books and it was only trying to protect author’s intellectual property. And for these Kindle customers’ who purchased these “bad” copies, they did get their money refunded. Farhad brings up a good point. When you go into a bookstore and purchase a book, the bookstore does not make you sign a contract stating you will have to give the book back if they say you can not read it. It is about the power Amazon has over Kindle customers and as such customers you don’t own the property even when you purchase the copy of the books or music you download. Thought provoking post!
5) Rounding out this Fab 5 Friday is @megandimarie with her tweet on her post from the Examiner listing some great Twitter chats for writers, authors and readers.
I wish you a wonderful day and weekend!
I have the distinct pleasure of sharing with you an interview with Author Christina Katz, author of Get Known before the Book Deal and Writer Mama.
When did you start writing?
I started writing in earnest when I entered graduate school at Columbia College Chicago in the fall of 1992. When you don’t write regularly, writing 1,000+ words a week is great habit to get into. In addition to a lot of other great lessons I learned in grad school, I started to find my writing rhythm. I’ve been writing pretty darn regularly ever since.
How long did it take you to write your “The Writer Mama” and “Get Known Before the Book Deal”?
I spent a year and a half on Writer Mama and one year on Get Known. Speaking of writing rhythms, I found my book-writing rhythm on Writer Mama, the hard way, but then was able to write Get Known quite a bit faster and with less energy wasted. Writing career success is all about finding your rhythm and then repeat, repeat, repeat.
Do you have a process for your writing? (ie. You write in the morning, you write for 2 hrs each day, you write 1000 words 3 times a week)
When I’m working on a book, I often get up very early in the morning to work. I love when everything is hushed and quiet. I can get a lot more done at this time of day than I can later when everyone’s up and about. But I don’t have a strict schedule because, as a nonfiction writer, deadlines typically dictate my writing schedule more than anything.
Both books are written with The Writer’s Digest, how did you become connected with them?
I pitched Writer Mama to Jane Friedman, then Acquisitions Editor, at the Willamette Writers Conference in August 2005. You can read the whole story here ( http://thewritermama.com/writermamastory.html). I think it’s always fun to hear how folks landed their first book deal. Over the years, Jane and I have become good friends.
Please share with the readers your top 3 tips for new writers just starting out?
Take classes from reputable teachers, find mentors who can work with you over time (because writing success takes time), and plan to work consistently hard for years if you want to see any kind of lasting results. My recommended order for writers to learn skills is: craft, pitching, professional development, then platform-building. But that’s just based on what I’ve seen work for writers I work with, everybody’s different and there is no fixed rule.
Do you have a few favorite books on writing you would recommend for writers?
Sure. The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman will pretty much concisely any question you have about getting started as a writer. Then I suggest a book like Writer Mama that breaks the process of getting started as a publishing writer down into incremental steps. Then, once you are publishing with some regularity, I recommend, Kelly James Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize, and Wendy Burt Thomas’ The Writer Digest Guide to Query Letters. That’s just to get off to a good start.
What tips would you give to someone who has started to write a book, but is new to the internet regarding building a platform?
Well, I guess I would probably shock your readers by saying that I think that starting with a book when you haven’t been publishing regularly already is a mistake. I strongly recommend, regardless of what genre you write in, that you start by writing shorter pieces and submitting them for publication. This is part of platform-development and it also helps a writer build skills and confidence. When it’s time to handle a book deal and marketing a book, a writer is going to need both skills and confidence in abundance.
Besides your books, what other services (products) do you provide to writers?
I’ve been teaching writers for over eight years. Throughout that time, I have developed nonfiction writing classes that start with writing short pieces and extend all the way to landing a nonfiction book deal. I also have a few highly qualified teachers I recommend, who offer classes I don’t, like essay writing, poetry writing, and writing for the online markets.
Do you have plans to write any more books in the future? If so, please share a little bit about the your next book.
Oh, most definitely. I have a few ideas in the works right now but I purposely didn’t rush into my third book because writing books is can be physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. It makes good sense to pause once in awhile and refill the well and that’s what I’m doing this summer. Also because I’m not writing another book doesn’t mean I’m not working. I publish three e-zines, travel to speak around the country, host a local author series, create online events like The Writer Mama Back-to-School Giveaway and #platformchat on Twitter, and I participate in social networking. So, it’s not like there are many dull moments around here. I’m sure I’ll make a big announcement when I finally commit to a third book.
Please let the readers know where they can pick up your book(s)?
Both of my books, Writer Mama and Get Known, are available at booksellers everywhere. I’d love it if your readers would ask their local libraries to order copies because I’d love for them to be available to everyone.
Bio for Christina Katz
Author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform & Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals. Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).
