A Writer's New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year!

It's that time again. Time to think about what we'd like to accomplish with our writing in the New Year.

No point? We'll just break our resolutions? Not if we make them realistic.

Try jotting down one writing goal you feel sure you can stick to. Here's mine:

Write for 15 minutes each day.

That's it. By promising myself to write for 15 minutes each day, I'm pretty certain I'll write more than that. 

But more importantly, by opening my notebook or my laptop each day and taking 15 minutes to write, I'm performing an important job: I'm staying in touch with my creativity. 

And who knows what kind of fireworks can happen after that?

Happy Holidays 2013!

Dear Writers,

Thanks for following Yellow Pencils throughout the year!

I hope Yellow Pencils inspired you in some way. Did you find an idea for a story? Learn a new writing skill? Have fun experimenting with the prompts? 

Keep writing and filling pages with words--your words. 

Yellow Pencils returns next week for another year of writing activities. 

Have a great holiday!

A Writer's List to Santa 2013

It's that time of year again. Time to write to Santa. 

I'm not asking for the latest tablet, a spiffy dictionary, or the newest bells-and-whistles computer. 

Once again I'm asking Santa for words. After all, isn't that what we writers really need? 

Here's my letter to Santa from last year. Santa is magical, so why not ask him for help with our writing? 

Here's my "wish-list" to the big guy in red. 

1. An engaging, struggling character who comes to life on the page.

2. A unique setting that draws my readers in.

3. Descriptions that paint a visual picture in words.

4. Just the right adverbs--sparingly, to give some verbs that extra oomph. 

5. A brilliant, fabulous, magnificent title that entices someone to say, "I have to read that!" 

What's on your list? What will make your stories prance and jingle their way across the page next year? 

Music in Our Stories

Most of us like to listen to music.

Whether it's the newest boy band, a great female singer, or a classical favorite like Bach, music adds another dimension to our lives….a dimension I like a lot!

The characters in our stories can like music, too. The kind of music they listen to tells a lot about who they are.

The young adult novel I'm writing takes place in 1967. It's been fun to make a playlist of songs my 14-year-old main character would be listening to. (And I have to remember, in 1967 she'd be listening to music on vinyl records--no iTunes, iPods, or even CDs.)

Here are some popular songs from 1967 that my character loves:  

• "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles

• "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees

• "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

How about your character? What songs would he or she listen to? Make a list of 3 songs, then choose one your character loves the most. 

Listen to the words and write them down. Why does your character love this song? What does it reveal about the situation your character's in?

If you find yourself humming, that's good. It means you're "in tune" with your characters! 

Dialogue, Dialogue

If you're like me, you spent the past Thanksgiving weekend talking. Maybe you had relatives over for dinner, or you got to spend extra time with your friends.

In our stories, talking is called dialogue, of course. I always like when I come across dialogue in a story, because it's interesting to see how characters will respond to each other. 

Dialogue serves three roles in a story. 

1) Dialogue gives your readers information.

"How long have you lived here?" Jason asked. 
Bob groaned. "Five long years." 


2) Dialogue reveals something about your characters' personalities and how they speak.

Jennifer and her grandmother stared at the Grand Canyon.
"Cool," said Jennifer.
"Wondrous," said her grandmother.


3) Dialogue moves your story forward.

"What happened?" Leon said.
Angie grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on. This place is going to explode!"

For a fun, silly exercise, write a dialogue between:

• A sports car and an SUV racing for the same parking spot.
• A shoe and a toe.
• A chair and the person about to sit in it.
• A toaster and a piece of bread.
• A snowman and the girl who wants to knock it down. 

Have a good time talking and "dialoguing!"