Lately, every time I get going on my writing I kill the buzz by thinking about what I’m doing wrong. When I wrote my first novel I plowed ahead blindly, but now I have a serious case of knowing too much to move forward.
Every scene must have conflict. I need a three act structure. The call to adventure must be at the end of act one. Where the hell is my all-is-lost moment? I feel like a dancer so focused on learning the steps that I’ve forgotten how to dance. So today I’ve collected an eclectic group of links about reading and writing to help get the creative juices flowing again.
- Yalsa, Wattpad, and DeviantArt are sponsoring a story writing challenge March 6-April 6th for teens ages 13-17 on what happens when a hero becomes a villain or a villain becomes a hero. Even if you’re not a teen, you might want to try out this fascinating story idea.
- If, like me, you’re wondering what Wattpad is, here’s a primer about this online story-sharing community that is redefining storytelling.
- Writing for teens? This teen writer has some terrific advice on What NOT To Do When Writing YA Books. My favorite: “This character is your typical pretty girl. But don’t let that fool you, because she’s tough stuff, and can kick butt. Oh how I hate this protagonist.” Me too!
- The eye-roll is certainly overused in YA, but maybe that’s not a problem. Apparently there’s a reason Why Teenage Girls Roll Their Eyes.
- This piece about the generation that grew up with the Harry Potter books, is a great reminder of the magic and power of reading. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling much better now so I’m going to reward myself with A New Latte That’s Basically ‘Harry Potter’ Butterbeer. Cheers!
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