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Glory! We have reached day 24 of the Golden Coffee Cup! I know this is a busy week but try to carve out time to feed your creative soul. Post your successes and I will do some holy snappin'! Snap! Snap! Snap!

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Today we get a-gripping-the-wall high five from Chris Eboch. Chris is the author of a wonderful spooky mystery series, HAUNTED. There are three titles currently: THE GHOST ON THE STAIRS, THE KNIGHT IN THE SHADOWS, and THE RIVER BOAT PHANTOM. I hope lots of Christmas trees have these stacked underneath. :)



In max adventure form, today Chris pours out the piping hot stuff:

Sometimes getting through a manuscript feels like climbing a cliff. But people do climb cliffs, with the right training and equipment. You can climb your way through your manuscript, with your writing tools, and your support group holding onto the other end of the rope. Take a rest when you need to, but keep heading for the top, one desperate fingerhold at a time -- the view from up there is worth it.

All good writers know we must drag our characters through hell and back before they can achieve their goal and win their rewards. It's only fair that we struggle too, as we get those stories down on paper. Then their joy in achievement will reflect our own.


Well, I hope you all are hanging out there on a rope. Don't let go! Keep climbing. You are about to achieve something fantastic! Come back tomorrow for another hot cup of java.

Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting points and its rich environment. But the point from which we started out still exists and can be seen, although it appears smaller and forms a tiny part of our broad view gained by the mastery of the obstacles on our adventurous way up. Albert Einstein.

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Oh, happy day! I'm so glad you have hung in there. Keep working. The end of the Golden Coffee Cup is in sight! One more week!
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Today's high five comes from the wonderful Holly Cupala. Holly is all about the heart and soul and, yes, she actually can translate both into written words. Her book, TELL ME A SECRET, chronicles seventeen-year-old Miranda’s unexpected pregnancy and her gripping journey to navigate the labyrinth of her bad-girl sister Xanda’s life, unravel the mystery of her death, and free herself in the process comes out early next summer. Mark your calendars and get your tissues ready, folks. Librarians prepare shiny stickers.



Holly is serving up our hot java today:

I believe that we as humans have been made with purpose wired into us, into our very DNA. Not a thing is wasted in the continuum of our lives, neither hurts nor joys. Every one of those experiences weaves into our reasons for being.

If you are here, that probably means your purpose is laced with stories, perhaps one story that pursues you relentlessly. To claim that purpose, you must step forward with courage. Surround yourself with fellow travelers. Prioritize time to soak in inspiration, time to create. Learn to recognize the voices (many of them in your own heart, or voices from the past or present) that would stop you. Listen to the one true voice, the one that knows your purpose with absolute certainty. Then do whatever it takes.

Your story and your destiny demand it.

Great stuff, Holly. This is the heart of the Golden Coffee Cup, folks. I hope that you have really been searching out the depth, width, and breadth of your work. You have a purpose. I will be here tomorrow with more of the hot stuff. I hope you will be, too.

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. Mitch Albom

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Welcome to day 22 of the Golden Coffee Cup. What a journey we are taking! Oh, I can't wait to hear back from you about your successess!

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Today we have a figuring-it-out high five from Karl Jansky, the father of radio astronomy.



I think listening is one of the hardest things to do: to listen to characters, to listen to your critiquers, to listen to your editors, to listen to your own heart. I came across this story recently and was deeply inspired by it. This story illustrates the importance of listening.

In 1932 Karl Jansky was investigating the vast amount of static found in transatlantic radio telephone service. In the silence he heard a hiss of unknown origin. This hiss rose and fell once a day. He rotated his antennae in every direction searching for the source of the sound. It wasn't coming from Earth, but from space. He realized the sound was coming from no nearby source like the planets or the sun.

It was coming from the heart of the Milky Way. This discovery was the birth of radio astronomy. It changed the way we view the universe.

So stop and listen today. What do you hear? What does it mean? Will it change everything? I hope so.

That's today's cup of java. Come back tormorrow for another cup of the hot stuff. :)

Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. Shel Silverstein

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Welcome to another day of the Golden Coffee Cup. This is the two thirds mark. Snap! Snap! Snap! Are you feeling the euphoria?

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Today's hard working high five comes from the very talented David Small.



His book Stitches is an oh-so brave story about David's basically disastrous childhood. Things were deeply mucked up for him in those years.

I get that. I get it so deeply. I'm not sure if I can be as brave as David about my life. I can wholly imagine how intensely personal it is creating a book that reveals the inside of your broken life. Stitches is an autobiographical graphic novel. It's about redemption and the eternal power of hope, a sure testament that from the ashes will rise vibrant life. Yeah, evil sucks, but good will rise. It's also about the refuge of art and the salvation it can bring to our lives. You might want to get a hold of this book. And also, somebody slap some shiny stickers on this one.

The challenge today is to reveal the world, your world. Whatever you have been holding back, the stuff you keep under cover and don't tell people about, let it loose. Distill your sliver of the universe and douse your pages with it. It will be the most painful and wonderful thing that you have ever done. Why not do it today.

Come back tomorrow for more hot coffee. The java will be here. Hope to see you.

The highest revelation is that God is in every man. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Day 19 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Whoo hoo! I can just feel the momentum. The euphoria is beginning. But if you're struggling, take a deep breath, wipe the slate clean, and remember again, this is yet another day with no mistakes. It's never too late to start a journey or get back on track.

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Today is comes a toast-with-your friends high five. Clockwise Conrad Wesselhoeft, Me, Megan Bilder, Cathy Benson, Susan Greenway and Louise Spiegler.



Conrad Wesselhoeft, author of upcoming ADIOS, NIRVANA from Houghton Mifflin, offers more piping hot stuff. I'm sure it will super charge your work.

First, Conrad connects plot and a sneeze:

The way I plot a novel pretty much parallels the way I sneeze. That's because a good story, like a good sneeze, both contain:

1. The "inciting moment" when you know something's going to happen and all other thoughts fly out of your head.
2. The mindful build-up that contains a sense--and hope--of inevitable culmination
3. The culmination itself--very cathartic and satisfying.
4. The mopping up.

Next, for all the storytellers on this journey, Conrad puts our journey in a nutshell:

It boils down to the importance of storytelling. Sentence-writing and paragraph-polishing are important, of course, but storytelling is the key. This is not too different from what our ancestors sitting on the river bank, around the smoky fire, were doing 25,000 years ago. Telling stories.

And last from Conrad, a special key to help you move forward.

Faith is another thing--faith in self. It can be hard to sustain, in this funny business of writing fiction. Specifically, faith that what we're doing is important. (It is!) And faith that the creative mists of the mind will ultimately crystallize--that we will have that breakthrough. (We can only hope.)

Have a little faith today, folks. I'm sure you will find magic on the page. See you tomorrow for the next cup of hot java.

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. Anton Chekhov.

A friend might well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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Whoop for day 18 of the Golden Coffee Cup! You have got to feel pleased today. Take time today to flip through your pages. You rock!

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Today is another fist-bump. My friend and colleague, Conrad Wesselhoeft bumps fist with Seattle sports impresario and rock 'n' roll drummer Michael Kelly.



To me, Conrad W. is one of the best writers that I have ever read. He's got a book coming out next year called ADIOS, NIRVANA from Houghton Mifflin. I borrowed this from Publisher's Marketplace: ADIOS, NIRVANA is about a teenaged poet-musician who survives the first anniversary of his twin brother's death with the help of a dying blind man, the best group of thicks a guy could have, a demanding school principal who wants him to play the "pussiest song in the world," at graduation, and one very special guitar, for publication in fall 2010. Watch for it. This guy writes the bone -- sturdy, ageless stories that I'm so thankful that he's taken the time to craft.

He's bringing the java today and tomorrow. So Yay!!!!

First, Conrad offers some insight how to improve the structure of a novel, stressing the profitableness of revision. This should bring some peace and hope to you all, and help you press forward with your projects. Conrad writes:

The nice thing about the structure of a novel--as opposed to the structure of, say, a cathedral--is that the revision process lets you go back and add bolts and girders, without everything imploding. I'm finding with my book (ADIOS, NIRVANA), even this far into the revision, that adding one little bolt (just a phrase or sentence) in chapter three, for example, can definitely strengthen the rest of the book, in terms of plot. And yet I wasn't aware of the need for that bolt until now. So time, puzzling and pondering are great friends. They give answers, eventually.

I love this next bit about how to create a meaningful character. Here's another sip from Conrad:

I believe that the more a character "confesses," or shares, of his or her deep worries and feelings, the more interesting that character is, and the more the reader wants to get involved. A confessional tone can both relieve tension, and cause it. There's a fine line, though. Some writers are so agile, that their characters confess virtually nothing, but they imply much, through action. The challenge is to find the balance--how much to share.

Think about it? Are your characters confessing?

I know this is a venti java today. Thanks, Conrad. Come back manana for more, folks!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. Edward Abbey.

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Welcome to day 17 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Whoa, we've worked a lot. Three cheers for us!

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Today we get a book signing high five from ratchet-up-the-action specialist, author Suzanne Collins.



Full throttle ahead. I read HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne; it's one of those books written to keep you up all night because, no, you can't put it down. I love a book that plunges into the action and keeps flying forward! It is about fearless action. Sudden violent action releases powerful chemicals into the blood steam: Epinephrine and Endorphins. This chemical cocktail dually floods your body with the flight and fight response and the pleasure response. HUNGER GAMES is a good read for if you are looking how to increase the tension and emotionally involve your reader.

Your goal for today is head toward the deep in, climb the diving tower, and plunge off of it head first. I remember as a child that feeling of jumping off the tower. I remember running and jumping into air, doing a flip and then slicing into the water. I hope that you will inject some action into your work today. Pour it on the page.

Come back tomorrow for more of the hot stuff. Keep working. Let me know how it is going. :)

I am scared easily, here is a list of my adrenaline - production: 1: small children, 2: policemen, 3: high places, 4: that my next movie will not be as good as the last one. Alfred Hitchcock

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Oh, yes, we have reached day 16 of the Golden Coffee Cup. It's the sweet spot. I hope this is the place you put your doubts away. For sure, your creative momentum will take you the rest of the way.

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Today we have a leaning against the red wall high five from blockbuster author Stephenie Meyer.



A stay-at-home mom has a dream about a sparkly vampire vegetarian and a girl who really needs to see a neurologist about that clumsiness (but I digress). The mom decides to go with this great idea and burns that midnight oil for three months, creating Twilight.

I say listen to that inner story and put it on the page. Trust your crazy ideas. This article, "Best Selling Science Books", talks about what it takes to be a best selling science-book. I think that the recipe given here is true for all books. The key ingredients are style, personality, and presence. Execute your work and pour this stuff on. You might find that find your book will take off like a rocket, too.

You get three quotes today at the bottom of the java. I hope you take them to heart. See you tomorrow. It's only a day way.

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. Gore Vidal

Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book; a personality which, by birth and quality, is pledged to the doctrines there set forth, and which exists to see and state things so, and not otherwise. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. Epictetus

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Hi, folks, this is the top of the mountain for the Golden Coffee Cup. It's all down hill from here. We have reached the half-way point. Yippee!

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Today I'm introducing something new to the Golden Coffee Cup, instead of a high five, we have a fist bump from my friend and colleague, filmmaker Paul Michael Gordon, and Spider-man. If you want to know something more about Paul, check out his short, ALMAS.



Paul offers this fab bit of java to help you on your way today: The inspiration for some of my best work does not come from tedious research or an endless amount of education, but instead the hours I spend daydreaming, reminding myself I am just a little boy wanting to be a part of a great adventure.

Paul and I are working on a screenplay project, CHARLIE STARK: CHIMERA AWAKENING. The plot centers on Charlie Stark, a teen who once led an elite team of child soldiers in a secret war. Mix in alien technology and a madman with a horrific eugenic vision for the world -- Charlie must get back in the Game, take down the madman, and work hard to not become one himself. Ya, I'm having lots of fun.

You might remember I'm finishing up this screenplay for my goal. Currently, I'm right on track. Snap! Snap! Snap! Drop your successes in the comments and I will do some more holy snappin'.

I have to SHOUT OUT another collaborator today, Chris Cheng. He just won the Lady Cutler Award in Austrailia. I wrote number of articles on The Spectacle blog about our collaborative novel, THE FOUR WINDS, written by Chris Cheng, Chris Eboch, Louise Spiegler, and me. Check it out if you wish.

That's the java. You better get busy and idly stare out the window for a while. I hope your daydreams rock!

Today we have learned in the agony of war that great power involves great responsibility. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

With great power, comes great responsibility. Stan Lee

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Yay for day 14 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Whew, two weeks, what achievement! It's like climbing a mountain, and, finally, finally the summit is in view. It's a great feeling. Enjoy it.

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Today's high five is a classic from Francis Hodgson Burnett.



Francis was a early super-star author beginning in 1868. She was an orphan at age 18, supporting two siblings with her story sales. Her life was fraught with much heartache, including two divorces and the early death of her oldest son. She received no royalties for her first book because of faulty international copyright laws, yet in the midst of the chaotic turmoil of her life she wrote a slew of wonderful books, and notably to me: A LITTLE PRINCESS and THE SECRET GARDEN.

I loved these books as a teen. Yes, as a teen -- I struggled with reading as a child. I read Francis's books over and over again. I remember reading THE SECRET GARDEN the first time, getting to the last page, closing it, and then opening it again, and reading it from cover to cover to again. Let's create those works that will set a fire for story burning in someone else. Remember how important your work is. Think of the generations of children you will influence.

I hope you play hard, work harder, and seize the day! Come back tomorrow for yet another cup of hot java. Hey, is anyone struggling? Don't give up. Revise your goals, cut them in half, go in a different direction, but do not throw in the towel.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

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Welcome to day 13 of the Golden Coffee Cup. This is the day that I tell you seek out new worlds, new civilizations, to boldly go where you have never gone before!

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I can't resist a little Trekkie moment. So, today's high five comes from Star Trek reboot specialist, the multi-talented J. J. Abrams. He directed the recent Star Trek movie, but he also writes great stuff too.



Love, J.J. He's just a wonderful storyteller who understands the world is filled with profound mysteries. I think that thought is a the thing that J.J. keeps close to is his heart. Deep within each of us is a locus point (a profound mystery) -- a place that brings together our feelings and intuition of what is true; that's your heart. Boil down the essential today. Reach for the vital parts of your ideas and experiences. Pour that on the page. Reveal your heart. Boldly go.

If you have some spare minutes, check out this J.J. Abrams video on TED. There is always great stuff on TED. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Hope you've enjoyed the java. Come back tomorrow for another cup.

I close with a quote that I hope aligns your heart with kismet.

I couldn't believe it, ... I started on a Monday and turned in the outline on a Friday. On the Saturday they called and said, 'OK, we're making it'. J.J. Abrams

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Oh, Day 12 has arrived. What a joyous thing! You've been working hard, and I want you to take a minute and think about all you have done. Amazing, isn't it. It's so satisfying -- that little stack of completed stuff. I hope you take a minute and pat yourself on the back. Being kind to yourself is oh so important to have a successful journey.

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Today's high five comes from the catalogue of Georges-Pierre Seurat, a working-hard-on-the-art five.



The thing that I love about Seurat is his ability to understand the emotion of light. I just have no other words for it. On these fall days, I see the warm hued-light that bathes the whole world in enchanted glow. Seurat and his dots capture that light. He just figured out how to pour living light onto a page.

I'm telling you now. I've never seen a photograph that can capture whatever it is that Seurat got on to his canvases. When I've seen his work, I've had to quickly review why I didn't become an international art thief. Uh, I'm clumsy, I've moral inflexibility, I'm a rotten liar, and I've an extreme dislike of alarm noises. But for these small obstacles, I'd be snatching original Seurats left and right. I'd so do it, man.

So this brings me to the big thought of the day, you have a unique perspective. You have a specific harmony of skill that no other person has. Bring that genius out of the nether reaches of your thoughts, your heart, and splash that stuff all over some pages. Be brave.

That's your cup of java for the day. I will be back tomorrow with some more of the piping hot stuff. Time keeps slipping into the future. I'll meet you there.

Originality depends only on the character of the drawing and the vision peculiar to each artist. Georges Seurat

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Yes, we are at day 10 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Hopefully you are ahead with your goals and deserve some holy snappin'. Snap! Snap! Snap! If not, don't panic. We still have two thirds of the Golden Coffee Cup to go. Ramp up your efforts or consider revising your goals. The GCC is about keeping it real.

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Today we have a hanging in there doodle high five from Trudi Trueit.


Trudi is also pouring out the daily hot java. She's revved up for the Golden Coffee Cup this year and is working on a new middle grade fiction novel.

Trudi writes about her doodle: It sort of sums up why I became a writer - angst, so much angst! It was either be a writer or a comedian and since public speaking makes me throw up I figured everyone's clothes were much safer with me writing. Humor books for kids are some of my favorite books to write, because humor is so vital to life. Laughter helps us get through the hard times, learn about ourselves, and step out of our pain to reach out to others.

So, true, Trudi. Honestly, folks, laughter is the only thing that keeps me sane! Thanks for the affirmation!

Trudi also sends three tibits of inspiration for you:

1) Take the work seriously but not yourself.
2) A writer is not defined by the binding, or lack of one (I was a writer long before I got published).
3) Keep your sense of humor. Who knows? One day you may actually get paid to use it!


Now for the SHOUTOUT! If you want to learn more about Trudi, check out her blog, her website, and her author page at Simon and Schuster, (At this site Trudi says: I have answered a TON of trivial personal questions like, 'if you were a bird, what sound would you make?' Okay, it's not that bad but close.)

Hope you use that sense of humor today. See ya tomorrow for the next hot cup of java to spur you on with your goals.

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. Zig Zigler

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Welcome to day 9 of the Golden Coffee Cup. Nine days of work feel substantial. You can do this! You can! You will!

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Today's holding up the walls high five comes from Mary E. Pearson, author of THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX among others.



I've been really challenged recently about slipping into the skin of my characters. Mary's character Jenna Fox is that kind of character. I can't tell you how real Jenna seems to me. I've worried about her. I've taken the painful steps with her to rebuild a life that would never be like the life she had before. Yay, for Mary for taking such care with a character! What a great read.

I hope you find the place that deep calls to deep in your characters.

I'm always on the search for deep connection. My hope is that I will feel deeply about the characters of my own work and pass that feeling to my readers. When I worry about my characters, when I try to protect them, when I ultimately let them suffer, I know that I am drawing close to what I am searching for. I never want to go there. I don't want my characters to go through the terrible things they must journey through. Still we journey through the darkness, and at the end, the light shines. I do shout with joy when my characters are victorious. I do like a victorious character.

Today, I'm challenging you to try harder to reveal the breathing soul of your characters. Let the things that you have suffered inform and flesh out the characters of your work. As always be fearless.

That's today's steaming cup. Keep on going! Don't give up! I will be back tomorrow with more hot java.

Today's quote is an excerpt from THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margery Williams. May all of our characters be real.

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

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Hello, Golden Coffee Cuppers. Ohh, day eight, a new beginning, love that about the number 8. Time to get to work!

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Today's a glass of vino five comes from author Sam Youd.



You might know him as John Christopher, Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, William Vine, Peter Graaf, Peter Nichols, or Anthony Rye. Yep, some folks do have a lot of words inside.

So, Sam writes about freedom and the destruction of society a lot. He just revolves around those ideas. Are you revolving around any ideas? Do you have themes that guide your work? What are they? Do you know? Like the words of Bob Dylan, "Everybody's got to serve somebody." We don't want to preach but we have something to say. That's what creative stuff is about -- communicating. I've found knowing what I'm about is very liberating in the creative process. I hope you find some freedom in thinking about what you're about.

Seize the day! Post how your doing and I'll do some holy snappin' See you here tomorrow.

The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion... It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation - persevering in what he knows to be practical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree. Alexander Graham Bell

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We made it to day two. Whew! I'm already feeling pressure. I think that is a good thing. If you are hyperventilating, remember revision of goals is totally allowed and part of the process.

My first SHOUT OUT! Check out Deb Lund's daily NaNoNuj for more inspiration.

Today's tree hugging high five comes from one of my literary crushes (!) -- Neil Gaiman. Neil received the 2009 Newbery Award for THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. I have to say I love this book. It touched my heart like Madeleine L'Engle's WRINKLE IN TIME woke me up to love, like David Almond's SKELLIG made me wonder again, like Lloyd Alexander's TARAN THE WANDERER sent me on my journey. All of these books opened me up to a part of myself that I did not know was there. In THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, I found a piece of my soul revealed by the light of Nobody's story. It was the most comforting thing imaginable to me.



I cried buckets while reading Neil's lovely book because in the deepest way I connected with the feeling of "Nobody living in a graveyard." Aren't we all that? And yet we are precious and have meaning. I think beyond all the craft, one of the most important things about great work is the creator's willinginess to reveal what is inside heart and soul.

So today, lift up the cover of whatever you are and let it shine out. The best story telling is in the nakedness of the soul, the rawness of who we truly are. It is a blinding, painful, yet wonderful place. I'm really challenging you early on. Speak within your creative process those things that you have been avoiding, open up those things that you are hiding, and see if your work takes off.

I will be back tomorrow with more hot java. Seize the day! Molly

Here's a last quote from Neil.

Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten. Neil Gaiman

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Hi folks, well, I guess you can tell that the writing has not been going so well this week.

Oh, my gosh, I want to toss all my work-in-progress books out the window right now. I'm not going to do it, but the feeling is there. I'd don't know if I can write a great first chapter. I can write a perfectly adequate first chapter, but a stupendous sizzling first chapter seems to be beyond my grasp.

A first chapter is really the last chapter of a book. It serves as the cornerstones. Most people create that last chapter after they have set a whole universe in motion. The first chapter makes the promise, hooks the reader, and sets the bar for what is to come. I can square up my books, but it's nothing fancy, like my house, a big brown box of a house. It's design is truly the "cardboard box." I want more, but it's all I can seem to achieve.

I have little advice for you this week. Howl at the moon. Kick against the pricks, ouch!. Hit the wall. But don't give up. One thing you might want to do to get past this is bump in the road is to envision what it's like on the other side of that wall. Remember that feelings are fickle, and next week, eh, this will be a forgotten memory. Last of all, be nice to yourself.

I copied this off a petroglyph at the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. Writing books is like this. I call my doodle, "Juggling Guy".



Remember: ©Molly Blaisdell, all rights reserved. If you want to use my cool doodles, ask permission first. It is so wrong to take people's doodles without permission!

The playlist hit this week is Brendan James and "The Other Side". Yes, the journey makes us stronger.



And last, a quote to tuck in your heart for the week.

Hear the other side. St. Augustine

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Oh, yay, for summer days. I went on a thirty mile bike ride today, and I am full of amazing snapshots: the little tiny white dog that was sure it could take on a bike, the woman riding her bike with her parrot, and the man who said he knew the secret formula for time travel. I'm always collecting images -- the time travel thing, that's a whole novel.

My friend Katherine Bond has been chatting with me about her need to feed her muse. This is the kind of muse that is the source of an artist's inspiration. I'm going toss out some quotes here because back in the day everyone was into their muse.

Dante Alighieri, in Canto II of The Inferno:
O Muses, O high genius, aid me now!
O memory that engraved the things I saw,
Here shall your worth be manifest to all!
(Anthony Esolen translation, 2002)

John Milton, opening of Book 1 of Paradise Lost:
Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, [...]

William Shakespeare, Act 1, Prologue of Henry V:
Chorus: O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

Yep, having a muse is something to think about.

My inspiration comes from several things. I like to do something sort of crazy beyond my skill set and experience. My 30+ miles bike ride was just that sort of thing. I've walked on erupting volcanos, jumped out of third story windows (there was a net!), and learned how to throw a set of dishes on a pottery wheel. This sort of buzzing activity jazzes my creative self.

Another big infuser of muse power into my universe is to chat. Oh, how I love a good conversation. I live to hear others tell me their story. I also love a good book or a fine movie -- not as good as a conversation, but pretty good. Yes, surprising really, I'm a writer, but I love a good conversation more.

Yet another muse connection is to play certain kinds of thinking games. I do not know how to explain this but it is true. I especially like Scrabble, Boggle, Settlers of Catan, Backgammon, and Risk. A good game will make me want to stay up all night writing. I'm not sure what games are firing up in my brain, but they are.

I have other muses, but hey, folks, I've got to sleep sometimes.

I talked about a tangential subject to MUSES in a blog entry back in March, Pure Genius. Please check it out if you need more inspiration.

I hope that you take some time this week and follow your muses. See where they take you.



My doodle for the week is "Up in the Sky".







Today's playlist hit is musical madness: "Lonesome Polecat" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Singing and dancing!











Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Today will be short again. Happy 4th of July, Americans! I know there are a few readers out there who live down under or across the pond who might not have the 4th on their radar. I'm hearing unending explosions right now. They really love fireworks around here. The air smells acrid and the smoke is shrouding the full moon. We zipped around about 5 police cars surrounding a wild party at house on the way home from a family gathering. Ah, the 4th.

This week I was thinking about the power of the things you don't say when writing. It's the heart of showing. Don't tell me your character is angry. Slam a fist into a wall. Kick the bedstead. Throw out a string of angry words. The heart of story is to not say things but invoke the undstanding of these things in the reader. You have to search for the words make your reader think. The words that open their eyes. Don't be satisfied with the surface of your writing. Dig deeper.

The best writing has a bible of subtext. Some of this subtext will always be subconcious for the writer. You won't be aware of it but I do think that there are ways to sense it is there. Your passion for your work is a good barometer.If you feel so deeply about your work that you are laughing and crying while you write, this is a good sign. Let the work speak without trying to shovel out what you mean. Be crafty. Be delicate. You might surprise yourself. Enjoy the journey.

Today's doodle is a quick watercolor of one morning a few months back. I call it "Washington at Dawn."



The playlist hit come from the US Marine Band with a nifty version of The Star Spangled Banner! I know there a few Marines out there who visit this blog. Thank you for your service! Remember to write every day.



When you wander, as you often delight to do, you wander indeed, and give never such satisfaction as the curious time requires. This is not caused by any natural defect, but first for want of election, when you, having a large and fruitful mind, should not so much labour what to speak as to find what to leave unspoken. Rich soils are often to be weeded. Francis Bacon

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Blue sky outside, perfect weather, so I'm keeping it short, folks.

I'm going to write about the painfully honest today -- what it takes to write a book. There is no magic fairy wand, no incantation, no gift of the Irish, no talent, no brilliant idea, no flash of genius -- writing springs out of practice. Reading thousands of books helps, but the biggest thing you have to do to write a salient manuscript is to press a minimum of a million words to many sheets of paper.

You can't run a marathon, climb a mountain, or sail around the world without some work, and you can't write a book without some work. That's why you keep hearing the advice to write every day. Most of those words are about learning how to write. If you have a writing dream, fan it this week. Toss on kindling. Throw on dedication. Make some tangible goals. Mix in some accountability. Stop dreaming and get on your yellow brick road. Press some words against paper.

My computer is on a slow boat back from China but good news for all of you who love the doodles : here is a doodle. I call it a "Scribble."



Today's playlist hit is "Mr. Blue Sky" from ELO. This song spun around my turntable soooo many times through junior high and high school.

Here is the quote of the week!

The conditions of conquest are always easy. We have but to toil awhile, endure awhile, believe always, and never turn back. Marcus Annaeus Seneca

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Hey, folks, welcome!

Here's the announcement: World rights to Conrad Wesselhoeft's YA debut ADIOS, NIRVANA, about a teenaged poet-musician who survives the first anniversary of his twin brother's death with the help of a dying blind man, the best group of thicks a guy could have, a demanding school principal who wants him to play the "pussiest song in the world" at graduation, and one very special guitar, for publication in fall 2010, to Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, at auction.

From left to right. Back row: Louise Spiegler, me, Conrad Wesselhoeft. Front row: Susan Greenway, Cathy Benson, Megan Bilder.

(Note: this is not my only wonderful group. I'm blessed beyond measure when it comes to the writing journey.)

Now for all the Smackdown folks. You never finish books. You only abandon them. I always feel like a worn-out, wrung-out dishrag when I'm finished with a revision draft.

As promised, here are some tips to handle flaw types.

Typos- It's a good idea to keep a list of your most likely typos so that you can keep an eye out for them.

Stuff that doesn't make sense: You are working too fast. Slow down and give yourself extra time to think as you move forward.

Deleted stuff: Never really delete anything. I keep an extra file called the dump. Any time I delete, that bit goes into the dump and occasionally I do go dumpster diving.

Stuff I've got to move is orange. I use symbols to make moves, like "o, p. 22" and on page 22 you will find the 'o'. That is the destination.

Stuff that is awkward or needs better wording is yellow. It's called a thesaurus, folks. Use it and often.

Stuff that I need to add to is green. If it is short, I just write the addition on the manuscript. If it is longer, I often keep some lined paper nearby and freehand a needed paragraph and staple it to the page.

I hope one of these tips helps you.

Now for the first drafters, what happens when you are stuck? Yes, sometimes a draft grinds to a halt. This is the most disheartening thing ever. I've found a few things that can help this. You can try rereading the manuscript from the beginning. Print it all out and don't take a pen. Just read. This can jump start you. Another thing to try is to skip ahead. Jump to a section where you are sure what to do and get to writing. Here's another thing to try. Pull out the Hero's Journey checklist and start marking off your story points. Is something missing? The last one is stick the manuscript in a drawer for a month. Let you unconscious mind work the problem out. It will sometimes. Hope this get you out of any miry patches.

This week's playlist hit: Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey singing "When You Believe". I hope it inspires you to keep going forward whatever stage you are at.

No doodles this week, hopefully my computer will come back someday and my tech stuff will be set right.

So here is your quote for the week. Have faith, folks.

Faith is like radar that sees through the fog. Corrie Ten Boom

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Our Western Washington SCBWI conference is two weeks in the past now, and still some of the wonderful snippets of wisdom and tantalizing tips stick in my mind, and continue to to nourish me.

I'll not forget Nina Laden (ROMEOW AND DROOLIET) reminding us, "If you don't make mistakes, you may not make anything."

And Deb Lund (MONSTERS ON MACHINES) reading her unforgettable poem about that inner voice that harasses us as we write, and summing it up by telling us, "Sometimes we have to revise our own story, that story we tell ourselves."

Krista Marino, Senior Editor at Delacorte, reminded us to take cute out of our dictionary, when talking about children's books.

Nathan Bransford (Agent, Curtis Brown Ltd.) gave us his pet peeves for story beginnings: Don't start your book with

• the weather
• your character waking up
• looking in the mirror
• sarcastic characters (too flip and negative)

Steven Malk (Agent, Writer's House) says it's great to be aware of trends, but don't write to them.
He also advised us to be nice to everyone, not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because you never know when that editorial assistant may become the Senior Editor.

Kelly Sonnack (Agent, Andrea Brown Literary) told us to avoid

• forced pace-building (suddenly, quickly, at that moment)
• copious tears (only one tear per story)
• faces draining white or blushing
• exclamation points!

Justina Chen (NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL) encouraged us to "say yes to the emotional truths of your heart."

And Sundee Frazier (BRENDAN BUCKLEY'S UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT) told us she has to write, that she cannot deny that creative part of her being. "I could not deny the One who created me."

I've offered just a few nibbles of that wonderful feast that was spread before us at our unforgettable Feed Your Genius conference. Now fully fueled, it's back to work. Happy writing, everyone!

Picture above: Some of my favorite people in the whole world--Molly Blaisdell, Janet Lee Carey, me, Katherine Grace Bond, Holly Cupala, all members of our Diviner Writing Group, all of us enjoying the Conference Feast

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Today is going to be short. I've been out of town and just want to check in with you. One of the hardest parts of creating a first draft is what I affectionately call "the slog." That is where you sit in a chair for hundreds of hours and write an incredibly terrible stinky awful (ahem, first draft) book.

Here are some tips to help you keep going. Keep some nice tea and a special cup around for every 3000 words. Reward yourself for success. Race a friend. Pop an email over to someone you know who is writing a first draft. The challenge? I can write more words than you! Want a different strategy? Try spending a day at the library. Take a sack lunch and write all day long. Try this at a bookstore and then a coffee shop, then go to the park. Try the backyard too. That will probably pack on another 10,000 words.

Please let your inner critic take a break while you push through "the slog. Promise that you will make reasonable goals. "I will write 100 words every day this week, not 30,000." With that small reasonable goal, up it by 50 words a week until you reach 1000 per day for a week. Reset and do it again. Give yourself to permission to do whatever it takes to write that draft. Rent a cabin on Maui and take the laptop if that's what it is going to take. Take a class. Join a critique group. Wake up at 3:00 A.M. Go to bed at 3:00 A.M.

Bottom line? Write, write, write, write, write.

No doodles, but a proud mom moment. My son graduated with honors from his college this past week. The gentleman to the right is my son.





Today's playlist is Duncan Sheik's "Half-life."








Quote for the week.

It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding. Erma Bomback

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I'm going to wrap up my series on Beginnings this week and will start up a new one next week. Please post topics you would like to know more about, and I will surely let you have my two cents.

Today I want to encourage you to zip some creativity into your first chapter language this week. You've got a nifty plot going with a winning hero, and now it's time to brush in the details. Yes, you might want to head over to your poetry tool box and add some imagery and emotion through your word choice.

Think onomatopoeia. Add some words that make noise. So, sigh a melancholy air release or bang, bash, and boink away! Zoinks, Batman! This is great in picture books but you might be surprised to find that YA authors slip in noises too to spice up that first chapter.

Don't stop with making some noise. Chip in some alliteration and assonance along with that onomatopoeia. Add some simile and metaphor. Pull out your classical rhetoric textbook and check out those figures again. Or just head over to The Forest of Rhetoric. I go there regularly to toss on some genius.

Don't go crazy overboard! Nobody wants a little salad with their croutons.

Yes, you are going to fine tooth comb that first chapter and you are going to strike every boring word. You aren't going to run or walk anywhere. You'll dash, dive, saunter or tiptoe. You will make that first chapter the most sparkly writing ever. I know you will.

Whew! You've got lots of work ahead. Good luck as you go forward. After all this you should have a fantabulous first chapter.

Still no doodles. Waiting on the computer fairies to wave their magic wands and heal my sick, sick laptop.

My playlist hit is Josh Radin and "No Envy, No Fear."


My quote for the week:

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Ann Frank

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Hi, folks, welcome back for my synopsis series.

When you write your synopsis remember that you are trying to reveal the most concentrated taste of your book. This includes the ending. A synopsis is not the place to hold back on that. I also think it's good to avoid pat phrasing like 'a heartfelt coming of age novel', 'an epic fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien, Rowling or Lewis', or 'a seductive vampire love story like Twilight." Standing out from the crowd is paramount so no comparisons to other novels. Your synopsis should show and never tell that your story is heartfelt, epic, or seductive. Strike any 'generalzation phrasing' out of the sypnosis. Instead, reveal youself as a unique voice. This will be achieved by bold vision, succint words, and specific content.

My last bit of advice involves some research. Take that synopsis into critique group. Listen to the advice of your critiquers. If they have issues, address those issues. If they love it, read it to a few people outside that circle. I would find a children's librarian or someone who is a true bookophile.

These are the words you are hoping for, "I would read that book." Now, this is not something that you put in a query letter, but it something that will feed your confidence when you write that letter.

You want to make sure the copy is absolutely clean. You should be ready to go. Best of luck!


The doodle of the week is 'View from my window'.



Remember: ©Molly Blaisdell, all rights reserved. If you want to use my cool doodles, ask permission first. It is so wrong to take people's doodles without permission!

The playlist hit of the week is "Don't Stop" from Fleetwood Mac's
Rumors album from back in 1977.



Now the quote of the week:

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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