Why You Should Hire A Writing Coach

A writer needs a coach just as an athlete does. Although writing is not an athletic sport, (unless you count the activity of pacing back and forth in your office while you tear your hair out trying to figure out what to write,) it is a specialized profession. A coach is a specialized expert in their field.

Click on the Children's Writer's Coaching Club logo in the sidebar. Find out how Suzanne Lieruance can help you get your writing for children's career off the ground.

Following are five reasons why you need a writing coach.

1. Increase productivity. Free up more time for writing. Work like cooking, washing dishes or cleaning house is unproductive for writers. This type of work can be delegated to other family members or if your budget allows it, hire someone else to do it.
2. Earn more money. Your writing coach will teach you how write top notch query and cover letters leading to great writing jobs. Also, a writing coach will show you where to look for jobs.
3. Generate desired results. You are your own worst critics. A coach can be objective and open your eyes to your positive attributes.
4. Receive self-esteem support. It is easy to feel depressed when creativity seems to get stuck. You may feel inadequate and the knee-jerk reaction is to beat your self up. A coach can show you how to combat against writing blocks.
5. Shatter Procrastination. All the planning and goal setting in the world will not help you become a best selling author unless you apply action. A writing coach is there for you every inch of the way. Each time you cry out "It's too hard", your coach will tell you yes it is hard but you can do it!

A writing coach gives support, listens and teaches. If your writing career is not going where you want it to go you need a coach. It's time to get off the fence. Suzanne Lieurance is The Working Writer's Coach and the director of The National Writing for Children Center.

Write it down,

Carma

Five Thoughts to Discover Your Writing Inspiration

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." (Jack London)

Inspiration is all around us. A word, a song, or a picture can propel us forward to greatness.

Today inspiration came to me via Suzanne Lieurance, my writing coach from the Working Writer’s Coach, The National Writing for Children Center and my summer boot camp writing buddy, Lisa H. from Peace and Laughter in the Moment..I think. Job boards are also inspiring because when a job speaks to you, a slew of ideas begin to cascade through your head and you can’t wait to write them down and submit.

Consider using one or all of these five approaches to find your inspiration.

1. Music is a major source of inspiration. Listen to your favorite music when relaxing and ideas will come like a waterfall.

2. Free writing creates moments of the muse. You may be stuck on a topic and your writing is reflecting boredom. Even if you have to write the same words over and over keep doing it and before you know it your creative power is unleashed and you have a novel, article or EBook.

3. Next is reading. Great minds do travel in the same dimension. Get out a favorite book that is close to your own niche and read away.

4. Carry a small personal recorder in your purse or pocket. Now if you are in the shower that may be a little difficult. Dry off your writing hand and use the pen and paper that is laying on the bathroom vanity. Or run dripping wet to the computer and type it in.

5. Go to the park if you are feeling stuck. This is a wonderful chance to practice meditation and prepare your mind to receive great thoughts.

I like to take bike rides early mornings so I can "hear" the quite and "see" the Forrest with out the trees. Where are you when brilliant ideas pop in your head?

Write it down,

Carma

How to Overcome Childhood Shyness

Shyness does not have a standardized definition in the dictionary and cannot be defined by one or two words. Bashful, frightened, timid are just a few. Most definitions incorporate feeling uncomfortable in social situations. The simple act of recognizing and understanding a child’s feelings can create an environment that feels safe or safer to a shy child.

Fifty percent of the adult population in the United States is shy. Most people are embarrassed by their shyness and keep it hidden. They somehow believe they are different than everyone else. Incorporating the following tips will go a long way to help bring a shy child out of their shell.

*Portray shyness in a positive light: Compare your shy child to other shy children who have grown up to be successful adults. For instance: Abraham Lincoln was extremely shy as a boy and was afraid of girls. Even movie stars like Tom Hanks were painfully shy. Explain that shy people can be more courageous than the average person. It takes more energy for a shy person to do the same things an outgoing person can do.

*Keep communication lines open on a daily basis: A shy child will feel closer to the family. All it takes is a smile, comment or even a question to make a big difference. The key is not to make your child feel singled out and different from other kids.

*Encourage a shy child to join an extra curricular activity group: Shy children need to feel like they are contributing to a cause and they need a reason to interact with other kids their own age.

*Compliment them on their accomplishments publicly: Most shy children crave attention but shun it at the same time. This is why it is important to be careful when drawing attention to them. The hit and run approach works best. Don’t give them the time to struggle or respond. “Great sweater. I really like it. What can I do for you?” Move forward and know that you did a good thing.

*Reward small improvements: Most shy children blossom when challenges are broken into manageable chunks. It’s their anxiety that gets in the way of their development, not their intelligence. Many shy children learn to overcome their fears when it is made clear that failing is part of learning.

When shyness goes unnoticed or rectified, it can have a distressing influence on an adult child’s life. It is possible for shy children to become introverted adults and miss out on many opportunities in life because no one ever demonstrated that shyness can be overcome.

“The way to overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson.

For more on this topic you can read Dr. Bernado Carducci’s The Shyness Breakthrough. Dr. Carducci states that the cause of childhood shyness is not genetic. For another resource about communication go read Theresa Schultz's article How to Listen to Your Kids at Stress-Free Parent blog.

Write it down,

Carma

Must Have Books for the Intelligent Writer

It is rare when a writer uses the dictionary to find a correct spelling when pressing the F7 key will find it faster than it takes to turn a page. Instead of depending on the mechanical brain, depend on this list of books which will add to any office repertoire while enhancing the overall quality of writing.

The Elements of Style, (Strunk and White) Do you scuffle with which and that as I do? Sometimes you need to go “which” hunting as Strunk and White so cleverly articulate. That is the defining pronoun and Which is the nondefining pronoun.

“The lawnmower that is broken is in the garage." (Tells which one.)
“The lawnmower, which is broken, is in the garage." (Adds a fact about the only mower in question.)

The International Thesaurus of Quotations is a quotation book arranged by ideas and with many different proverbs to match meaning and sense. For those of you who like to use quotes in your writing you will find this book relevant and fascinating.

Writing: "He that writes to himself writes to an eternal public." Emerson, "Spiritual Laws," Essays: First Series (1841)

"I myself, I am not a character in this novel; I am the novel." Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly (1977)

The Chicago Manual of Style. An essential reference of words, technology, guidance for editing electronic sources for all writers. (there may be a version online) I must admit I have used this book the least and while perusing through for this post I realized I have been missing some key points on writing.

A verb is the most essential part of speech and the only one that can express a thought by itself, in a complete grammatical sentence (with the subject understood)

Run!

Enjoy!

Think!

The Synonym Finder, J.I. Rodale. Often one will find oneself trying to think of an exact word and instead of right clicking on a word within your word document and scrolling down to synonyms, try looking up the word in The Synonym Finder. This book cuts down on using the same word too repetitively, incessantly, ceaselessly or boringly.

A couple of equally important books are the most current issue of the Writer’s Market and 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. Who knew that writing would include all this reading?

Write it down,

Carma

Book Review: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

It is Children's Book Review week at The National Writing for Children Center this week. My review of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is the first review of the week. Surf on over to read and leave a comment.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is the Newbery Medal winner for 2008. One thing strikes me in this medieval historical fiction of individual monologues and that is the characters do not speak of their poverty with any resentment. Like many children they are cheerful and show moments of daring acts. Each character attribute is written in a matter-of-fact-that-is-just-the-way-it-is manner. Kids are just trying to figure out what their position is within the Lord’s Manor.

Write it down,

Carma

Do You Write for Reluctant Readers?

I have not always loved to read. When I was in the fifth grade I distinctly remember hating to write book reports because I would have to read. However, fifth grade was also a pivotal year because I read a book all the way to the end. Before that crucial moment all of my book reports were based on jacket flaps. I can’t remember the author or the name of the book that piqued my interest in reading but I do remember it was about a girl my age who knew how I felt and liked what I liked. The author did a wonderful job leading a reluctant reader down a path of adventure.

Fast forward to 2008. Young reluctant readers (also known as Hi/Lo readers) are on the rise and there is a great need for authors to write in this unique genre. Reluctant readers read both fiction and non-fiction. According to Elizabeth Kennedy of About.com in her article of Resources for Reluctant Readers there are several different types of reluctant readers according to the experts.

*Children who are intelligent and interested but don’t read well.
*Children who have no interest and are at risk of failing.
*Children who deal with specific learning problems.
*A child who reads well but has little interest.

Are you a writer who would like to help this type of reader? I found a helpful article by Lori Jameson and Paul Kropp on Reading Rockets: Hooking Struggling Readers. Writers of controlled-readability materials must be aware that the interest of a book must be held all the way through. Authors of regular novels can spend more time describing characters, scenery and background but an author of a Hi/Lo book has to keep the plot spinning to keep a reluctant reader’s attention.

To find out the science behind books for reluctant readers and free materials for teachers and parents go to H-I-P (High Interest Publishing) and visit Lori Jameson and Paul Kropp at HIP-Books. This information is a great start on researching how to write for reluctant readers of all ages.

An author needs to make the reader care what happens to the characters. Making connections from one's own experience to the text is an important reading strategy and a basic literacy skill. It is a challenge but that is what writing is about. Creating and challenging. If you can help a child relate to experiences in a book they may be able to stretch their reading curve up a grade level or two.

Write it down,

Carma

Write As If You Were Dying

“Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients. That is, after all, the case. What would you begin writing if you knew you would die soon? What could you say to a dying person that would not enrage by its triviality?” (Annie Dillard)

Dillard says every book has an inherent impossibility, which is what a writer will notice as soon as the excitement for the project begins to dwindle. You write in spite of it. You have an idea, a plot, THE story, it has come to you on wings with your name on it, maybe just one line at a time but it is there nonetheless. I love Dillard’s words, “It’s like something you memorized once, and forgot.”

What do you write? Complex stories, poems, articles, essays? They all have the same difficulty as does a long novel. But do you think it is better to throw yourself into a bunch of little projects or should you exhaust your energy into one big book? Dillard says you should spend it all in one long project.

What do you think?

You know the saying “use it or lose it”. Creativity should not be bottled up or saved for another time. Ideas are saved and planned but when the words begin to flow don’t try to stop it. Give everything you have. Don’t lock it up. Write about winter in the summer.

Remember the last time a line or a few words were delivered to you magically, or so it seemed, and your fingers went flying over the keys. You couldn’t stop until you had spent all that you had received. This is the experience I am talking about. You are sitting at the keyboard or writing pad. Tapping your toe; thinking; “I wonder if Diane is going to call me.” Your mind is wandering from one place to the next like the balls in a lotto drum going round and round and never landing. You never see the words coming until they are in your face. You write till you drop.

Further, as writers we are also readers, so what do you look for in a writer? Are you looking for wisdom or courage? Why else do you read? I must admit I read for knowledge and entertainment. I am always inspired by other people’s words.

If you would like to learn more about Annie Dillard and her books check out this NY Times website.

Write it down,

Carma