Writing Inspiration for 2013

Next to my computer is a little piece of paper with two sentences, and I look at them each day. They're from the marvelous book, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield. 

Here are the two sentences:

"The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down each day and trying."

Those two sentences inspire me each day. Do you know why? Because they take the pressure off me. All I have to do each day is try. I can do that! 

Each day. That means not just when I feel like it, or when inspiration strikes, but each day. Even when I don't feel like it. 

And you know what? When you sit down and try, magic happens. No, you may not write the Great American Novel, and Steven Spielberg may not ask to turn your book into a movie. But when you try, words appear on the page or screen. Your words. Words turn into sentences. Sentences turn into paragraphs. And paragraphs turn into stories. Your stories. 

I don't have a New Year's resolution. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm going to sit down and try. Each day. 

Happy Writing in 2013! 

Happy Holidays

Dear Writers, 

Thanks for following Yellow Pencils throughout the year. I hope you found ideas to stir your imagination and inspire your writing! 

Yellow Pencils will return next week for another year of writing prompts and activities. Have a joyous holiday!

A Writer's List to Santa

If you could ask Santa for help with your writing, what would you ask for? No, not a brand new MacBook. I'm thinking more about....words!

Asking Santa for words? It sounds weird, but here's my Writer's List to Santa. Imagine how brilliant my story would be with Santa's help!

My Writer's List to Santa

1. An opening line that makes the reader say, "Wow!"

2. Powerful verbs that tackle, explode, and roar.  

3. A cliffhanger "stay-up-all-night-reading" end to each chapter.

4. Dialogue that makes the characters jump off the page. 

5. An ending that leaves the reader laughing, crying, and pondering life--all at the same time. 

What's in your Writer's List to Santa? Ho, ho, ho! 

A Random Title Story

What is a Random Title Story?

In my bathroom there are four kids' books posters on the wall. As I looked at the posters today, I thought about creating a fun story from the titles. That's what I call a Random Title Story.

The titles on the posters are:

• Cat and Rat by Ed Young
• Little Hobbin by Theodor Storm
• Time for Bed by Mem Fox
• Six Creepy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler

Here's my story. How about creating your own Random Title Story? 

Little Hobbin's Night Out

Little Hobbin knew it was a mistake to babysit for the Six Creepy Sheep. But what could she do? She needed the money, and jobs for hobbins were as rare as...well, they were rare. Little Hobbin wasn't good at thinking up similes. 

Ding dong. Oh no, who was that? Little Hobbin opened the door. There stood her next-door neighbor with his children, Cat and Rat.

"Can you babysit tonight?" asked Cat and Rat's father, a gigantic striped alley-cat with his ear torn off. 

"I'll take them with me to the Six Creepy Sheep across the street," said Little Hobbin. "Is that okay?"

"Sure, whatever," said their father, who was known for not keeping track of his children. Cat and Rat's mother, a ferocious rodent, had left years ago. 

"Follow me," said Little Hobbin to Cat and Rat, and the three hobbled, padded, and scurried across the road. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sheep left for the movies (a horror story involving lamb chops). 

"Time for bed," said Little Hobbin to Cat, Rat, and the Six Sheep, thinking she could watch her favorite TV show, "The Hobbins Go to Hollywood."  

But just as she predicted, the Six Creepy Sheep did creepy things. Like sharpening their teeth on the kitchen knives. And putting spiders into their parents' lambswool slippers. Cat dunked the sheep's tails into the pot of Elmer's Glue on the stove, and Rat ate all the cleanser under the sink.  

"Stop!" said Little Hobbin, sinking into the couch. "TIME FOR BED!" 

But it was too late. The Six Sheep were glued to the floor, Cat collapsed in a heap from glue fumes, and Rat was doing something gross in the garbage pail after eating all that cleanser.

Little Hobbin hobbled to the sofa. Forget her TV show. She curled up in a wool blanket and counted sheep. Oddly, they were all holding knives in their teeth. Little Hobbin happily snored her way through the night. Maybe babysitting wasn't so bad after all.