Cheryl Herbsman wrote a great post on the muse and how different writers approach the art of writing. She also included some links to other good ideas on the subject. Her post got me to thinking about this muse business again, so I did a bit of an Internet search to pull together some handy tips for calling those little minxes when you need one of them. That’s not what I found, but I did find lots of tips for putting those thoughts down with or without Calliope, Erato, Melpomene, or Thalia on your shoulder. I guess if you get them all you can put something down paper that’s worthy.

How to Call in Your Writing Muse offers some very sensible ways to move ahead in that W.I.P.

Here’s something that I found interesting, an interview with writing teacher, Mark David Gerson.

I liked these 7 Writers Muse Kickers to Fill Up That Blank Page.Starting is sometimes the hardest part. In fact, I’ve sometimes resorted to writing the end first. It’s sort of like setting up a target, and then going back and taking aim.

Do you have a muse? Do you wait for inspiration before you sit down to write or do you sit down and hope that your brain will offer up what you need that day?

When a friend of mine recently asked for some boy book recommendations for a sixteen year old, I tried to think of YA books that would have been up Dad’s alley. However, the sixteen year old was not into fantasy or sci-fi, so I limited my list to realistic fiction—current and past—with the reluctant reader in mind. Please share some favorites that grabbed you.

1. The Pigman by Paul Zindel

2. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

4. Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

6. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

7. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

9. Break by Hannah Moskowitz

10. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff

Here’s how it works:

If you’re willing, you put up a blog post that week (you choose the exact time). If you don’t have a blog, you can use another social medium such as Facebook. You agree to donate a certain amount of money for every comment you receive on that post by a certain date. (You pick the amount.) The money goes to your local library, bookmobile, or other literacy-based charity; or if your local system is well-funded, you may want to pick another library that needs help. You can set a cap on the donation. I’ll help you write the blog post if you like; I try to keep your work minimal.

Ideally, you visit the other participating blogs and leave comments, helping them meet their challenge goals. You spread the word to raise consciousness about the needs of libraries and to bring as many people as possible to the participating blogs.

Libraries are suffering in this economy, with budget cuts at all levels of government. At the same time, people need libraries more than ever–not only as a free source of information and entertainment, but for community programs, computer resources, help with job searches, etc.

If you can’t host a challenge, you can participate by commenting on the blogs and spreading the word, or even by making a flat donation to your library (whether money, books, or your time). If you would like to host a challenge, please leave your email in the comments below or, if you want to keep your email private, send me a message at jennifer[at]jenniferhubbard[dot]com. Aside from helping libraries, we had a lot of fun with the challenge last year! Thank you.

The challenge will be hosted and indexed at my blog: http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/

The majority of American take libraries for granted.  They are always there, chock-full of information and excellent reads, and will always be, we think.  However, with the current economic situation, libraries are truly at risk.  Lawmakers around the country are slashing library hours, freezing book purchases, and reducing staff. There are even some who argue that with e-readers and the Internet libraries are obsolete.  We, as readers and writers, can only shake our heads at such ignorance.

What’s a reader to do?  Here are a few suggestions:

1) Join the friends of the library group if there is one, or start one if not.  Our local friends group takes used book donations all year long and then has a giant book sale once a year to raise money for the library to buy new materials.

2) Ask a librarian what you can do to help.  He or she will have insights about what can be done in your neck of the woods.

3) Have a bake sale, lemonade stand, or car wash near the library to raise funds.  Every little bit helps.  Who wouldn’t pay $1 for a lemonade to help their local library?

4) Join writer Jenn Hubbard’s “Let’s Love Some Libraries” challenge from March 23 to 27.  Lots of YA & MG writers have agreed to donate a certain amount of money to a needy library for every comment they receive.

Sure, I have self-interest in this.  I’d love for every library in America to have my novel on its shelves.  But most of all, I’m issuing a call to action, because of my own memories of libraries as a sanctuary when I was growing up.  My dad was in the public health service, so we moved every few years until I was in 7^th grade.  That was tough, having to always start over with a new place, a new school, and new friends.  Once the dust settled from our move, the library was one of the first places we found, and I’d leave there with the maximum amount of books I could check out.

My parents could never have afforded to buy all the books I wanted to read.  In large part, libraries made me the reader and writer that I am today.  It’s time for me to show some gratitude and find ways to assure healthy libraries for every girl and boy who walks into them.

How about you?  Other ideas?  Please share them in the comments below.  Thanks!

Some things I’ve had to look up in the past? What kind of exam must be taken for a nursing student to become a nurse. How long the average student spends in Med school. The meaning of Ve Ri Tas on the Harvard Crest. (It’s “truth,” by the way.)

I’ve searched for information on angels and demons, and guardian angel stories; theories behind various realms on earth. . . .

And now there’s a new idea rolling about my head. I’m thinking it might be the start of a novel—something I’m hoping to begin in the spring. This is going to require some research, too, some of which I’ve already started. Some “deep research” is involved, which leaves me thankful that I have access to academic databases via my day job.

I’ll start my search online, though. This time I’ll be researching death, and grieving, and ways to die.

More specifically, I need to find a way for a young person to die that is not prolonged or bring about a severe amount of suffering (i.e. not cancer). The character needs to know she is not going to make it, but the evidence of this can’t be physical. This could take a while, which makes me thankful that no one has access to my search history.

Demons, hell, ways to die. . . . Here’s hoping that my computer profile is never flagged for unusual activity.

For the sake of book research, what strange things have you looked up?

Poetry is not to communicate information. It is to give us a sense and a perception of life. It is not to tell us about experience, but to allow us to participate in it fully.

Poetry is the most concentrated form of literature. It tells us, more is not better.

Poetry is active and rhythmic. It draws on resources to deepen our experiences. We use all of our senses to absorb it: intellect, imagination, emotion.

Poetry is alive. Its function is to allow us to live more meaningful, richer lives.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t get me wrong. I think these techniques are useful, and plenty of authors swear by them. In fact, most authors I know can’t begin their novels unless they know their characters inside and out. I’ve tried doing it this way, but I always felt like I was forcing a personality onto an MC that she didn’t yet have. To me, the process is like a relationship; I need to get to know my characters gradually.

When I was part of the dating scene, getting to know the guy was exciting. On each date, I found out more and that was part of the fun. How boring would it have been to have known EVERYTHING about him on that first date? How likely would there have been a second or third date if we knew each other’s quirks from the first second? When you get to know each other, quirks become endearing. Before you do, they can simply be weird.

I like getting to know my characters as I go along. Often I have one picture of them and they prove me wrong. I like surprises, am happy that I don’t know everything that’s in my MC’s glove compartment or her boyfriend’s locker. Like my best relationships, my best characters evolve in their own time.

In doing so, I was reminded of Little Willow’s compilation of books on “Tough Issues for Teens” over at Bildungsroman.   That blog also features lists on other topics.

And so, today, I provide a short list of some of these lists.  People are welcome to leave other links to topical lists in the comments.

Class of 2k10 seasonal/holiday/event -themed booklist: http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k10/4779.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Tough Issues for Teens: http://slayground.livejournal.com/74061.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Mind Readers and Ghostly Visitors: http://slayground.livejournal.com/324469.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Sleuths and Spies: http://slayground.livejournal.com/168661.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Books Set in School and Transition Times: http://slayground.livejournal.com/78353.html

Authors include the senses in their writing to bring the reader into the story, to make the story come alive. The senses also serve the deeper purpose, which is to inspire both the reader and the writer.

We want to be moved. We want to feel for a character. And in the best case scenario we want what moves us about the character to move us in a way that affects our own lives as well. The books I love the most are the ones that leave me feeling hopeful and inspired, alive with possibility.

What books or what else inspire you?

Now I’m pondering this concept of a story’s power to redeem. What exactly does that mean? For me, after reading Hemingway’s novel, it means I have hope that families can overcome the tragedies life tosses their way. When I read my favorite fantasies, my faith that good will triumph over evil is restored. In a romance (even a vampire romance), redemption allows me to believe that a couple can find the type of love that will emerge intact from all manner of trial and tribulation. Even in dystopian fiction, redemptive stories show me the power of one person to challenge and sometimes change the society in which he or she lives.

Redemptive stories make me feel good, give me someone to root for, and make everything all right – even if it’s just for a little while.  They stick with me and give me cause to stop and think – as I have been doing all week about The Road to Tater Hill.  So, have you read any redemptive stories lately? Tell us about one.

Writers work on deadlines all the time: submissions, revisions, galleys, contests, conferences, blog posts. Then there’s the “other part of life:” family birthdays, home maintenance, groceries, hair. Last year with my debut novel, my calendar looked a lot like a strategic plan for war. I think I’ll frame it to read in my retirement years.

This year I’ve tired to think about reorganizing just enough to slow my heart rate and still blow dry my hair when necessary. Here’s my plan: Internet-blog twice a week on my own blog, then post on fb, do Connect here as promised on lucky 13 every month, post twice a month on Verla Kay and 2009 Debs as long as there’s posting happening, Twitter on Fridays and Sunday afternoons.  Events-do two a month and that includes anything for my book. Other life-Yoga three times a week, hike two times a week, weights two times a week, graze during the week, dine on the weekends, hire a housekeeper.

Most of the people I talk to have the same feeling about the speed of time and trying to meet the deadlines in their lives. How about you? How do you feel about deadlines? Do they scare you or motivate you? Do you have enough time to do all that you need or want to do?

Here’s something that I found interesting when I was thinking about not having the time I need to fit everything in. In 1620 it took 101 days for the Pilgrims to sail from England to Plymouth, Mass. It takes 7.25 hours to fly from London to Boston today. With those facts in mind, I should have no problem meeting any deadline. I should have much more “free” time since it take much less time to do anything with all of our modern conveniences, like this computer for example.  Anyone find this humorous?

This is ironic because when my public school English teachers made me write within the lines using one of those “I am…” formats or even with open-ended writing prompts, I’d get irritated because I couldn’t be as creative as I wanted. During this challenge, however, I find myself craving a fill-in-the-blank worksheet so I have something to go by, so I can see that I’m getting it “right.” That word, “right”, is problematic in itself, isn’t it? There’s no one kind of fantasy or contemporary or historical or horror world. There’s no one straight line that makes it work. There are some basic elements, I suppose. For example, fantasy needs to have things that cannot occur in the everyday world, but then what? Where to go from there? I’m going to finally write down what’s in my head and figure it out.

Where will your writing road trip take you?

There are several reasons an author might choose to keep the parents in the background. A big one is that, in any novel, the main character should be the agent of change. In a YA novel, the main character is usually a young adult. That main character must make the important choices–whether they turn out to be wise or disastrous. An adult can’t come in and solve the problem for the character. Kids make dozens of independent decisions every day; it’s part of growing up. And people confide more often in their peers than in their parents. Just think: who were you more likely to tell when you had your first kiss, fought with the mean girl down the block, noticed a classmate cheating on a test, or first saw a friend using drugs–your parents or your best friend? Kids who go to school outside the home spend hours in a world with people and rules and customs and situations that aren’t a part of their parents’ lives.  They deal not only with the rules of the home but the rules of the classroom, the lunchroom, the school bus, the after-school job, the youth group, the locker room, the beach, the friend’s house, etc., etc.

Another reason is that not every kid has two involved parents.  I have at least two friends who lost their mothers at a young age; I had a close friend who rarely saw her divorced father.  The real world contains parents who have to work longer hours than they’d like, parents who are struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction, parents who live far away. And therefore, the fictional world does, too.

Which isn’t to say that parents must leave the stage altogether, that they are or should be absent from YA literature. I especially welcomed the presence of Ava’s parents in I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME (Lisa Schroeder), Grady’s parents in PARROTFISH (Ellen Wittlinger), and Miranda’s mom in LIFE AS WE KNEW IT (Susan Beth Pfeffer), among others.

 Here’s my list of can’t fail resolutions:

I will eat more chocolate.

And potato chips. And cinnamon candies. And tons of other foods I use for celebrations. I hope there are a lot of them. On days when nothing special happens, I will make up my own reasons for merriment. Meeting a writing goal. Getting a decent haircut.  Not hitting that terminally long red light on my way to work. I will celebrate ordinary events, and I will eat accordingly (for those of you think I’ve gone off the nutritional deep end, I’m looking into a juicer. There has to be a special event that calls for a kale/spinach/parsley cocktail.) 

I will get lost.

I live in New Jersey, a land of meandering roads with street signs that will point you toward your destination…eventually. I have ventured off the Garden State Parkway and found myself unable to get back. My GPS is equally perplexed by the NJ road system.  When it fails, I am left to wander. With writing too, my plot will turn in unexpected ways. My characters will do something new, and I will lose my sense of direction.

Sometimes I intentionally take the wrong turn. If I’m lucky I’ll find a beach or a place to get a bucket of blueberries. I enjoy getting lost. It’s what happens when you leave the familiar behind and venture into something new.  And new places mean new possibilities.

I will take on too much.

In 2010, I’m going to finish my work-in-progress, work full-time as a librarian, go on class/library visits for my debut book, spend time with family and friends, possibly buy a house and probably deal with an occasional crisis or two. Like everyone else, I’m juggling a lot. Oh sure. I’ll drop a few balls this year. Something will come crashing down. It’s one of the consequences of having a busy (and full) life. But except for that occasional crisis, there’s not a thing here I’d give up.

I will feel guilty. 

I’m convinced that guilt is an archetypal theme that runs through the new millennial American experience. There will be times when those unanswered emails, unfinished projects, and all the things I should have/could have/would have done better if only I had more time will keep me awake at night. But I know my guilt comes from doing too much (my choice) or perhaps from eating too much chocolate (my choice again) so I will try to let myself off the hook.

 I will find some quiet time.

Somewhere in the chaos, I’ll find a moment to take a few deep breaths, glance up at the moon or stare out at the bay (and also go late night channel surfing and play way too many games of Spider Solitaire).

 I will read a book that takes my breath away.

It’s happened every year since I started reading so it’s pretty much guaranteed. I never know which book it will be or why. A single sentence. An idea. The book as a whole. Perhaps it will make me see the world in a whole new way or maybe something familiar will be so well articulated that it will make me wonder why I never noticed it before. Everything I know about writing and storytelling will be challenged.   I will hold that book in my hands, and I will feel grateful.

 Happy New Year!