live and in person

PLEASE say you’ll join in the fun. We need you, all of you, near and far! The Novel: Live! is about to launch:

T-shirts now available! All profits benefit the good works of www.826Seattle.org
Link to buy: http://thenovellive.org/merch.php

Now taking suggestions for The Novel: Live! You are cordially invited to send in any ideas for plot, character, setting . . . anything at all! We will seriously consider each and every suggestion. Send all suggestions to: suggestions, or take in person to Queen Anne Books in Seattle.

Kick-off Party next Sunday, Oct. 10 6pm at Elliott Bay Books! All welcome! Drinks! Music! T-shirts! and Nancy Pearl auctioning off naming rights for the protagonist, love interest, murder victim, and pet! More public brainstorming! All fun and for a good cause, Writers in the Schools.

we’re writing a whole novel in 6 days

REALLY. Check it out:

starting with a beginner’s mind

Several friends have sent this link my way, knowing I would totally relate. (Click the link! You’ll thank me!) I had much in common with that child, and the mom is like my mom. She used to let me dictate stories to her:

…until I was old enough to write (and self publish) on my own:

Daisy v. 2

A revised manuscript finally wings its way out the door. I’m posting this so you can see 1) this funny cartoon and b) the time stamp on the e-mail.

From: Susan Wiggs Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 4:55 AM
To: my long-suffering editor
Cc: my cheerleader of an agent
Subject: Daisy v. 2
Importance: High

Where were you when you read it for the first time?

I’m assuming you read it more than once. Pretty much everybody I know has. To Kill a Mockingbird is now fifty years old. I was ten or eleven when I read it for the first time, and I loved it so much I can still tell you exactly what I wore (plaid pedal pushers) and ate (orange double popsicles), what the air felt like around me (hot) and the glimmer of the flashlight losing battery power as I stayed up extra late to finish. I remember staring at the tree on the cover and trying to picture the characters. I loved Scout. She talked and thought like me, and Atticus reminded me of my dad. I had never heard of rape before, and didn’t realize it was sexual until years later. Racial prejudice did not exist in my town in upstate New York, so it all seemed very exotic and tense to me. But Scout felt so real to me. I’ve read this book several times through the years, and there’s always something new to discover.

(photo: www.time.com)
It was the only novel she ever published. A tough act to follow. She dedicated her life to books and education, and now lives in New York City and Monroeville, Alabama. I think the only person who has her number is Oprah.

Here is the summary from Writers’ Almanac:

Would someone please take the camera away from this woman?

And you thought writing was about writing. Ha! As a RITA Award finalist for Lakeshore Christmas and Fireside, I am under instructions to send in a photo of myself doing the “I’m-a-writer” sign, to be used in some fashion at this year’s awards ceremony. The memo: “We’re looking for a few good pictures. If you want to be a part of the 2010 RWA Awards Ceremony, we want a picture of you, doing the “W for Writer” with your fingers. See the example below (and/or attached). Even if you can’t come to Orlando, send your picture in anyway. Be a part of the fun!”

My friend Darlene went a little nuts, styling the shots. What do you think? Is this the face of a RITA winner???

susan wiggs writer doing yoga

susan wiggs writer on deadline

susan wiggs and barkis badass writers

dog days

Life is so hard for Sonny and Barkis.

bird 008

bird 010

bird 011

bird 023

bird 024

bird 025

bird 0261

bird 027

bird 028

bird 029

now it REALLY ’tis the season

I don't eat them, either, but aren't they cute?

Confession: It felt a little odd, having a Christmas book out before Halloween. I just couldn’t drum up that cozy, romantic mood that makes Christmas so special. The good news is, I ate the last of my Halloween candy for breakfast and NOW I’m ready to rock Christmas.

Here is a preview of Lakeshore Christmas. It’s worth opening the link because it gives you a few of the amazing recipes at the end. Remember my motto for this book: Bake some cookies. Save the library. Save the world.

You know, I’m so ready for Christmas now, I’m going to send somebody a signed book. You know the drill–write a Comment on this blog entry and you’re entered. In your comment, let us know the moment when you FINALLY feel the holiday season is here.

Winner will be picked via www.random.org on Sunday after I get home from the Fire in Fiction workshop. Which btw you should be coming to.

Really.

how to write when you don’t have time to write

The massively talented gals at Pens Fatales were nice enough to post this article last month. Here it is again in case you missed it. I would love to hear your strategies for carving out writing time.

I hear it from emerging writers all the time. I’ve got a great idea for a novel. I’m going to sit down and write it as soon as I…

…get my day job under control

…get my final kid into kindergarten

…into college

…out of jail

…get my finances in order

…fix my marriage

…finish painting the house

…pay off the car

…clean the can opener

…clean the rain gutters

…get the puppy housebroken

…retire from my job

…finish watching the third season of “Weeds”

…get my Bachelor’s…Master’s…PhD…LLB…MD

…pay off my student loans

…read all the Stephanie Plum books

…check in with my nineteen thousand Facebook friends

…upgrade my computer

…make tenure

…landscape the yard

…take a vacation

…host my book group

…teach my teenager to drive

…finish knitting this sweater

…forgive my parents

…forgive myself

…get over my fear of failure

…get over my fear of success

…get permission from my parents/spouse/children/therapist

…hire an agent

…learn to use the subjunctive case

…quit worrying about what my family will think of my story, especially the dirty parts

…stop smoking/drinking/playing online games

…figure out the business of publishing

…lose 20 pounds so I look good in my author photo…

You name it, and a procrastinating writer has said it.

Here’s a dirty little secret. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the cruel reality is this. There will never be a good time to write.

Life will always intrude. That’s what life is. Be glad for that. If you have no life, you have nothing to write about.

The good news is, there’s a simple solution. Make time for the things that are important to you. If writing your story is important, make time for it. Simple as that. Turn off the TV, leave the dishes undone, close your e-mail, grab a notebook and pen, and tell your family, “Don’t interrupt me unless your eyes are bleeding.” You’ll be surprised by the respect they give you.

The way you spend your day is the way you spend your life. So quit being your own worst enemy and start being your own best friend. Make time to write, even if you don’t have time.

Author bio:

Susan Wiggs’s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers’ group in a 17-foot motorboat. She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Her latest novel, now available, is called Lakeshore Christmas. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

how to revise your novel

Step one – open shitty first draft.

2 print out in word draft mode, light colored ink. 3 put on extra

strong glasses and lamp. rewrite every single page until it looks

like it’s bleeding. Be aware that you might need a lot of physical

space for laying out the pages. clothespins are key. 5. type in

handwritten edits. 6. go back to step 2 and do it all again. lather

rinse repeat.

Step one – open shitty first draft.

Step two –  print out in word draft mode, light colored ink.

Step three – put on extra strong glasses and bright lamp. Rewrite every single page until it looks like it’s bleeding. Be aware that you might need a lot of physical space for laying out the pages. Clothespins are key. So are Post-It notes.

ugly stuff

Step five – type in handwritten edits.

smells fishy to Barkis

Step six – go back to step 2 and do it all again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

everyone's a critic

Barkis is not too subtle when he wants to go for a walk….