Hey everyone, at the request of Lauren B, over the next little while, each of the group members is going to give a little update on how their writing is going. So, here's mine!

I've been very busy lately so there has been very little time to work on my novel that I mentioned on the 'Members' page. I am slowly rewriting the beginning of my novel and taking out a lot of the backstory that I included in the first draft. Trying to piece parts of my first draft together with the new chapters I'm writing is kind of like piecing together a complicated jigsaw puzzle. A lot of my 'writing time' is spent sitting at my desk and trying to think out how my novel fits together.

The other reason I have been taking a break from my novel is to work on a short story. I have been working on it since February and a couple of weeks ago I submitted it to a contest. I'll hear back mid-June about the results of the contest so I'll post an update on the website when I find out.

Over the next little while, I'm going to work on some poetry, and get back into revising my novel. With any luck, I'll be able to finish my novel this summer!

-M

Based on experience, I've compiled a list of the top five reasons I get bored when writing my novel. It's this boredom that leads future famous novelists to say "Good Riddance!" and begin a new project.

1. Your novel is dreary. You might as well be watching paint dry.
Fix: Make your characters more interesting by giving them odd quirks or more difficult goals to achieve. Add some spice to your plot by throwing in a few really tense scenes. If it's a certain part of your story that is making your eyelids droop, stop where you are and skip to a different part! Maybe you'll find out the you don't need the boring part after all.

2. You hate spending time with your characters. Occasionally you say to yourself "Why don't I drop a bomb on all these lousy people."
Fix: First, why is it that you don't like them? For me, I often read a really good book and think about how my characters have nowhere near as much depth and interest as the characters I read about. If this is the case, consider what the author you are reading has done to create such lifelike characters. Try and apply some of the techniques she/he used to your characters. Characters can always be remolded. Nothing is set in stone. You can always go back and change your characters appearances and give them litle quirks and different voices.

3. You're watching TV and using "I think my novel's boring" as an excuse for not using your time productively. 
Fix: I'm not sure whether there's too much advice I can give you about this one, but one thing I can do, is say that, at least for me, once I sit down and start writing, I find it hard to start watching TV again.

4. Cute Baby Animals, nuff said.
Fix: Seriously, this is a big one. I play on a soccer team, and whenever any dogs are in the vicinity, no one focuses on soccer for a good ten minutes. The best thing you can do about this one is to plan your writng time when there are no cute things around (babies included).

5. You've been working yourself too hard.
Fix: Maybe you have been busy with other work, or you need to clean your room, maybe you've walked your dog, or already worked on your writing every day this week. No matter what the reason is, the only thing you can do is TAKE A BREAK. Just have a nap, or read a book, go for a walk, or play a  sport. Even watch a little TV! Go on, I give you permission to rest for as long as you need to get rejuvenated.

So go ahead! Fall back in love with your writing!
Happy Writing!
-M

Here are some new words:
1. Mimsy - rather feeble and prim. This word was invented by Lewis Carrol, author of Alice in Wonderland. It is a combination of miserable and flimsy.
2. Gratuitous - done without good reason or purpose, eg: gratuitous violence.
3. Attenuate - make weaker; make thin or thinner.

Use them wisely!
-M

Hi everyone, I just wanted to give you a  bit of info about commenting.
First of all: We LOVE to hear from you. If you have any suggestions, questions, absolutely anything.
Secondly: When  you comment, it asks you for your email and a website. Both of these are completely optional, so if you don't have a website or you don't want to share your email, that's completely fine.
Last: Commenting helps us know what YOU want to hear about. If there's something you're interested in, we can give you our thoughts and experiences, as well as research that other writers have to say on the subject.
Happy Commenting!
-M

Actually, this post has nothing to do with frog spawn, other than the spawn part; but in this case, we're spawning ideas - lots of them.
I'm a fairly lucky writer, I have to say. I know writers that struggle for months, years even to come up with a viable idea for a novel that they can carry through to the end. I, on the other hand seem to have several novel ideas all buzzing around at once as I try to work on my current work-in-progress.
 The way I find my ideas is through external stimulation - a lot of media, books, newspaper and things that happen in my life. Even when I'm learning about dull topics I try to find something in them that I could include in a story.
When I first started out, coming up with ideas was hard, but now my idea radar is on pretty much 24/7.
If you're looking to start a novel here's some tips on getting ideas. not everything will work for you, but try some of them out - what have you got to lose?
1. Read.
2. Read the newspaper. Look especially for articles that fall in the genre you like to write, or things that interest or disturb you.
3. Read books in the same genre as yours. Books in your genre (the well written ones) are like how to guides. When you're setting out on your novel writing voyage, take a few of your favourite books with you.
4. For young writers: When you are in your classes, listen for things that could be modified to fit into a story. Such as places that you could include in your stories, animals, and various strange phenomenon that could work their way into your writing.
5. Ask yourself 5-10 (or more) "what if..." questions daily - these questions are the start of great stories. For example: There was a man standing near a convienience store today wearing a formal suit and tie. At first I thought he was talking to himself, but then I noticed his blue tooth. Every few minutes he would raise his hand to his mouth to block out what he was saying.
What if....this man was part of a secret organization trying to defend the world against a form of alien that could tap into thoughts and control your brain.
This was a fairly random example, but doing this will help you find ideas.
Try out some of these tips for yourself.
Happy Writing,
-M