Some Advice for Writers…

OMGosh…I am SO happy it’s Friday - even if it is Friday the Thirteenth (No Triskaidekaphobia here!).

You know, today marks the end of the epic Blog Book Tour and I’m hanging out on Eric Stallsworth’s blog today. Since he was nice enough to host the final leg of the tour -  thought I’d ask him to come over here and share a few of his thoughts about writing.

Take it away Eric:

First off, I’d like to thank Christine for allowing me to guest post on her blog.  It’s always fun to do this sort of thing, and for Christine it’s a true honor.   She has inspired and influenced me in more ways than I can count.

When she asked that I write a guest post, I had to think hard to come up with a topic.  Although Christine is an expert on gifted kids and their education, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.  But having lived and breathed for 40 years now, I realized I can offer a bit of advice to any young writers out there.

I’ve talked before about having fun and choosing to smile at every opportunity, but there’s something else that’s an important part of succeeding in life.  This definitely applies to writing and becoming a writer, but it also applies to just about anything else we do.  I’m talking about balance.

It might sound strange, but balance is one of the keys to a successful life.  I don’t mean the ability to stand on one foot while wiggling a hand over your stomach and patting your head without falling over.  What I’m really talking about is how you balance all the various things going on in your life.  I’m talking about balancing what you do, what you eat, how much time you spend playing games, and how hard you work.

It’s obvious that if you eat too many chocolate bars a day, that’s not a balanced diet and your health will suffer for it.  But what about if you’re a writer who writes every day, as often as you can pick up the pen?  Believe it or not, that is a life out of balance.  Just as not writing enough means you won’t succeed, writing too often means something else in your life suffers from the lack of attention.  And if it’s important to you (this other thing), it deserves your attention as much as writing does.

I guess my point is to find the balance that works for you and don’t let one aspect of your life (writing or otherwise) dominate everything else.  There’s nothing wrong with working hard at something like writing, but keep it in balance so that you succeed in all areas of your life – not just writing.

Thanks again Christine for this opportunity.  As always, it’s a pleasure to know you and play a small part in the launching of your book. 

And for the rest of you, do you balance your life well?   If not, why not?

And thank you Eric for stopping by! Have a great weekend everyone. I’m sharing the winners from the Epic Blog Tour Contests, as well as letting you know who is posting reviews of 101 Success Secrets.

And one last treat for today – I hanging with my idol, Christina Katz, talking about my writing process and giving away a copy of 101 Success Secrets as part of her book-a-day-in-may giveaway! Not to be missed, trust me! Click here to check it out.

WOOT, what a great day! Yes???

The Things Kids Say – Honors HS Kids Offer Up Some Advice

Today I bring you some amazing advice courtesy of author and Honors Teacher, Matt Blackstone and his HS Honors class:

 

Matt Blackstone is a high school English teacher, baseball fanatic, and YA author. His debut novel, A SCARY SCENE IN A SCARY MOVIE, about a teen with O.C.D., is due out July 5th, 2011 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He recently got married and learned to do the dishes. He lives in New York City.

When I asked the Bookanistas if they would like to offer up some advice for my series, Matt enthusiastically asked if he could solicit advice from his kids and share that. Of course, I said….YES!!!

So here you have it – quotes from gifted and talented honor roll students at Mott Haven Village Preparatory High in Bronx,NY.

It’s difficult being on a higher academic level than my peers because people expect a lot out of you.  But the competition is what fuels me . . . Still, you’re categorized as the smart kid, so you need to work hard to maintain it, and as soon as people see you don’t understand something they try to take advantage of it and make you feel inferior. . . At the beginning of the year, you want to impress your teachers, but then when they realize how accomplished you can be, they expect even more from you and when your work isn’t up to standard, they get mad at you, angrier than they would any other student.

~Justin , 11^th grade

 My teacher tells me, ‘I have a good math mind; you should use it more.

Being high skilled gets stressful, especially when you try your hardest and teachers still get disappointed in you, and then they want to stay after class . . .  It gets annoying.

 ~ Caridad, 10^th grade

The future image of myself is what inspires me to keep striving for success. . . I know what to expect of myself and how my papers should come out.  I don’t feel extra pressure.  It feels good to know that people expect a lot out of you, so it gives you motivation to do as well as you possibly can . . . When people are jealous of me, luck is the word they use to describe my success.  It’s not luck; it’s hard work. 

~ Omar, 9^th grade

It’s important to stay focused and not let others influence you.  I like reading on a higher reading level than other students because it lets me help them. . . Even though I’m high level, if I don’t pay attention in class, I won’t succeed in it.

~ Sheniqua, 9^th grade

Reading at a higher level makes homework easier, but you still need to do it, you’re still a student.  Everyone has responsibilities.

Even if you have high skills, you can’t be cocky; if you are, you’ll miss out on the important material.  If you think you know it all, you could end up getting it all wrong.  You shouldn’t take anything for granted.

~ Destiny, 9^th grade

HAHA! See why I loved writing 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids! The advice Matt sent over is perfectly representative of the advice I received from a thousand kids ages 8 through 18. So inspirational and the very reason why I think the book is so good…because this kind of advice is on every single page!

Thanks Matt – and thanks kids for reminding me yet again how amazing these kids are.

Be sure to leave a comment for the kids and get automatically entered into the EPIC BLOG TOUR contest going on throughout the tour. Today’s stops – Shelli Johannes-Wells’ blog and Monica Morrell’s blog. Hope to see you there!

GT Advocate and Parent, Jennifer Merrill Shares some words of wisdom…

I am so excited to have one of my favorite parents of GT kids stop by today. I met Jennifer with the release of my last book. She is funny, amazing and never ceases to amaze me. I know you’ll feel the same by the time you read her post. 

 Jennifer Merrill is the parent of two GT kids and a GT advocate extrordinaire. She maintains a humorous blog, Laughing at Chaos, where she talks about it all. In her own words, her blog is her own “little slice of the internets, where I rant rave scream write about whatever goes through my head. Better than mumbling to myself as I mosey down the street; you get strange looks that way.”

Be sure to stop by and say hi – her blog is fantastic!

Another thing about Jennifer – I’m really trying to get her to write humorous stories. Read her blog and you’ll see why – that girl is HYSTERICAL!!!

Take it away Jennifer:

So I’ve been asked to pass along a tidbit or two of advice to a gifted kid. Well, as a gifted adult, I finally learned that there is no one answer. To anything. What may work for me may not work for you. Sadly, it only took 37 years to make that discovery. Hopefully I just saved you several years of struggle and I expect accolades from you soon. No applause please, just throw money.

See, I have discovered that life is more like a really fantastically awesome brunch buffet than a plated dinner where everyone gets the same dry baked chicken and roasted potatoes. I love really fantastically awesome brunch buffets. I can have a taste of this and a tad of that and seconds on the smoked salmon and for your own safety move out of the way if you’re between me and the chocolate fountain. No, I’m not kidding. It’s chocolate. In fountain form. But then…maybe the next time I go to a really fantastically awesome brunch buffet I have no interest in the smoked salmon and shrug at the chocolate fountain (hey, it could happen!) and instead dive headfirst into the carved roast beef station with a stop at the personalized omelet skillet. And the most incredible part of the really fantastically awesome brunch buffet is that everyone gets what is best for them and everyone is happy. With a plated dinner of dry baked chicken and roasted potatoes…well…it’s good and all, but it’s not something to which I’d want to return. I’d much rather have the choices available at the really fantastically awesome brunch buffet.

Just like food, I want the choices to learn about this and read about that and try a few other things a couple times, and thankfully I’m at the point in my life where that is possible. Life is too delicious to settle for the learning equivalent of plated chicken and potatoes when you yourself can choose from the fantastic options out there. The world is a really fantastically awesome brunch buffet and it’s just getting better and better.

~~~~~~~~

Life is a buffet – yep, another great piece of advice! Thank you Jennifer for stopping by and sharing this. Be sure to stop by her blog on 5/12 for a little Q&A with me. It’s sure to be pretty funny…

And don’t forget, the tour continues today with two stops – Michelle Hickman’s blog and The Golden Eagle. Be sure to leave comments here, and on the stops to be entered in the EPIC GIVEAWAY.

Wherein Author Holly Cupala Shares Her Advice…

Today we have another installment for my advice series celebrating the launch of 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids: The Ultimate Guide.

Today’s guest – Tell Me A Secret and Don’t Breathe a Word Author, Holly Cupala: 

Holly Cupala wrote teen romance novels before she ever actually experienced teen romance. When she did, it became all about tragic poetry and slightly less tragic novels. She has worked with the Western Washington chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, been a readergirlz diva, and now serves on the board of the University of Washington Writing Program. When she isn’t writing and making art, she spends time with her husband and daughter in Seattle, Washington. These days, her writing is less about tragedy and more about hope.

TELL ME A SECRET is her first novel, and her second, DON’T BREATHE A WORD, is coming October 2011 from HarperCollins. Ten percent of the author’s proceeds go toward World Vision’s Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls.

Take it away Holly:

If I could give a child one piece of advice for life, it would be this:
 
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.
 
How do you find your purpose? Live. Hope. Look. It takes time, but meaningful things often do.

I just love the profound nature of this advice – we DO all have a purpose! THANK YOU Holly. I sincerely hope we get a chance to meet in person one day.

Be sure to leave a comment and be entered into the EPIC BLOG TOUR contest going on throughout the tour. And be sure to visit today’s tour stop  on Ali Cross’s blog. She talks specifically about the impact the book has had on her and her family here. Thanks Ali!

See you there!

Fellow Bookanista and Author, Shelli Johannes-Wells Shares Some Advice

Today we have another installment for my advice series celebrating the launch of 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids: The Ultimate Guide.

Today’s guest – fellow Bookanista and marketing guru, Shelli Johannes-Wells:

 

Shelli Johannes-Wells is a Tween/Young Adult writer represented by Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media Group. She owns her own marketing company and runs a popular marketing blog for authors, Market My Words.

Take it away, Shelli:

 Stop, Think, Decide.

My 7 year old is very impulsive in her actions. She is in the gifted program and very book smart. But she acts before she thinks. We have come up with these three steps for her which help her to slow down and think through something.

Ah yes, thinking BEFORE you act – very important indeed. Thanks Shelli. I’ll be hanging out on Shelli’s blog as pat of my blog tour on 5/10. Be sure to stop by.

OH! And be sure to leave a comment and be entered into the EPIC BLOG TOUR contest going on throughout the tour. Today I’m talking with GT Expert Lisa Rivero on her blog - hope to see you there!

Fabu advice from Megan Miranda

Here we are, at the end of April! Can you believe the amazing advice we’ve had. This has been an absolute blast to do! I had originally planned to end the advice series today…but my friends are just too amazing and I have more advice to share. SO, the advice series will continue into my blog tour. Hey, it gives you something to read on my blog besides a list of where I am touring, right???

The contest for April, however, does end today. I’ll be posting winners of both the comment contest and the advice contest on Sunday. Monday start the epic tour! The schedule goes up Sunday as well. Personally, I think this has been a fabulous series – it has been so fun hearing everyone’s advice…and yea, I took notes as I clearly need to take some of that advice myself!

For today’s post, I bring you FRACTURE author, Megan Miranda.

Megan Miranda is a scientist – turned – teacher – turned – stay-at-home-mom – turned – writer. She is not nearly as indecisive as she sounds. She is represented by Sarah Davies at The Greenhouse Literary Agency. Her first novel, FRACTURE, will be published by Walker/Bloomsbury in early 2012.

Take it away Megan Miranda:

I’m not sure if this is a tip for success, really. But it is something I think about a lot. It’s something I believe played a large part in preparing me for my post-academic life. Which I guess is kind of the point.

So. My advice:

Do something you are not good at. Bonus points for doing something you are downright bad at. Horrible, even.

Do something that you struggle with, that does not come easily, that nobody praises you for.

No, really.

Of course, also do those things that you’re good at, or that you’re passionate about – which may or may not be the same thing. Do those things that come easily. Do those things that make people sit up and take notice.

But make sure you do something else, too. Something you have to really work for. That’s where you’ll learn the most about yourself.

For me, that was running. I wasn’t fast. I wasn’t born with endurance. I figured I couldn’t possibly run another mile. Or reach the top of that next hill. I couldn’t possibly get any faster.

But I did. Over time. With work. Eventually, I did.

Me, years later: I do not remember my GPA. I do not remember the names of the math and science awards I won. I do not even remember my SAT scores, which seemed so important at the time.

But I do remember the best 5k race I ever ran: 20 minutes, 50 seconds.

I did not win.

I never won.

But that’s not the point. The point, I think, is this: you’re not always racing someone else.

 

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids - featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

Come on back this weekend for the winners of the comment contest and the advice month-long series. And wait until you see the tour – full of vlogs, interviews and lots of giveaways! Be ready to par-tay.

Liar Society Authors, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Share Their Advice for Kids

I am so excited to have two of may fav writerly peeps, Lisa and Laura Roecker, here to share their advice for kids:

Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing-partners with a love of all things Young Adult. Some call it arrested development, but the sisters claim it keeps them young. Plus, it’s cheaper than Botox. Lisa and Laura live in Cleveland, Ohio, in separate residences. Their husbands wouldn’t agree to a duplex. THE LIAR SOCIETY is their first novel.

Take it away Roecker Sisters:

Never give up, but learn how to adapt.

Learn to adapt  – so profound in its simplicity, I think. LOVE IT!

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids - featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

How do you adapt when life gets intense?

Possess Author Gretchen McNeil Dishes Some Advice…

I am so excited to host the author of POSSESS and my good friend, Gretchen McNeil:

Gretchen McNeil is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4′s Code Monkeys and she currently sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She’s a founding member of the vlog group the YARebels where she can be seen as “Monday” and she writes…occasionally. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debuts with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011.

I just recently finished POSSESS and let me tell you…LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! She is currently hosting a giveaway for an ARC on her blog. Go check it out here.

Now, on to her advice. Take it away Gretchen:

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. 
 
I’ve always been kind of a spazz.  When I was a kid, adults were always trying to reign me in, tell me to control my energy, lower my voice, don’t be so crazy all the time!  I felt like I was wrong somehow.  Not doing something wrong, but that I was actually just WRONG. 
 
Then I grew up and embraced my inner spazz.  It’s who I am and I’m quite happy to admit it.  I wish I’d been able to learn that lesson earlier.  

I love this – be yourself. Trust me, Gretchen is one of the coolest peeps I know and definitely, being true to herself is why!  

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

Nisa did just that and posted her own contest here. Check it out. And THANK YOU Nisa for your support and friendship.

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids - featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

What would you tell a kid?

Advice from QT blogger, Danyelle Leafty

 Today we have another installment for my advice series celebrating the launch of 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids: The Ultimate Guide.

Today’s guest: The I-can’t-believe-I-get-to-call-her-my-dear-friend, QT Blogger  and amazing MG/YA author, Danyelle Leafty. Danyelle and I met online a year ago or so. She’s a CP, friend, talk-me-off-the-ledge confident and I am thrilled that she is here to share a little wisdom today.

 

Danyelle doesn’t exactly believe in fairies, but her skepticism hasn’t stopped an odd assortment of imaginary people from bullying her into writing their stories. This is the place in which she details her journey, talks about frogs, and harnesses the occasional dragon.

 Take it away Danyelle!

If I could give a child one piece of advice for life, it would be to learn how to love themselves–warts and all. I’m not talking about a Narcissus kind of love, because look where that got him: turned into a flower that was later eaten by a hippo. (They often leave that last part out. :p) I’m talking about learning to appreciate who you are and love yourself for that. Know that you are lovable. That we’re all imperfect and have things we need to improve, and that’s normal and okay. You have worth, and it’s important to learn how to see that.

 I love this one! So so much.

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids - featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

OH! And just a couple of reminders of the various comment contests going on –

• Random comment contest for bookish swag – ends today
• Comment contest for an ARC of POSSESSION by Elana Johnson – ends today
• Comment contest for the entire advice series – ends next Friday.

Whew!

Moonglass Author, Jessi Kirby, shares a little advice

Today we have another installment for my advice series celebrating the launch of 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids: The Ultimate Guide.

Today’s guest: The fabulously amazing author of Moonglass, Jessi Kirby (and yes, all of you HAVE TO READ her book – it is incredible!) 

Jessi Kirby is a former English teacher who lives in Orange County, CA with her family. MOONGLASS is her first novel.

I had the privilege of meeting Jessi last week, and can I just tell you…SHE IS fabulous! Here’s a pic of us at BN. So dang fun hanging out with her, and no doubt we will be hanging out in the future! But for now…

Take it away Jessi:

Success at anything takes hard work.  Just because you’re good at something, or it’s your dream doesn’t make you an automatic success at it. To truly succeed you have to push harder than is comfortable.  Work longer than you want to.  Experience setbacks and decide to keep going.  It’s not something that’s easily won.  It’s something you work at, again and again, because it matters to you.

 Work hard – YES YES YES!

Want to share your own advice for kids? Leave it in the comments or snatch the jpg and do your own post. I’ll be doing giveaways on Fridays throughout the month, giving various book swag prizes. So leave a comment and let me know if you do your own post!

For more great advice for kids, be sure to check out 101 Success Secrets for Kids - featuring advice from me and hundreds of kids about school, friends, family and life. The book features tip sheets, quizzes, and fun crafts all designed to help kids embrace life and live to their potential. Available from Prufrock Press, Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

Don’t you just love all this fabu advice? I know I do!