You may have thought that we had disappeared....but this is not the case. Actually, we did disappear for a while, but now we're back, at least temporarily.

As many of you know, life sometimes gets in the way. Things have stopped me from blogging regularly, and also (sadly) from writing regularly. But, as Christmastime approaches, I feel the need to try and get back to some of the things that are important to me. This means WRITING MY NOVEL! I have only had a few chances to write over the last little while, and I am very excited to get back to work. 

I have been working with the same characters for so long, that I actually miss them when I don't write for a long time. I miss the things they say - even though I basically make them say things, I miss the way they interact with eachother, and I really really miss the way they have been progressing as I continue to revise my novel. 
So, I challenge you to  start writing again with me! I am sure many people would love to get re-commited to their works in progress, so this is the chance to start again. It's almost a new year, and writing more is the perfect resolution!

Right (write) now, I would like to leave you with a little story about how my novel, which I have been working on for about 2 1/2 years, came to be.

It all began the summer of 2010....
I had just finished my first attempt at a novel (an uncompleted novel that I wrote for NaNoWriMo http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/node), and I really wanted to write something new. When I first started planning this novel, I wanted everything to be perfect. I had big plans. Huge plans. Every name had to be just right, all the characters had to be fully developed, it had to be AMAZING. So, I started writing. I wrote for one whole year, and on the first anniversary of the day I started the novel, I stayed up late to finish it.

Of course by this point, I was starting to have doubts about how perfect it really was...and then I started reading it, and realized that I was completely wrong. It wasn't that it was slightly imperfect -  this novel was truly crappy.

So, I started revising. Suddenly, all my perfect character names were commonplace. My scenes were terribly clichéd, the writing was awful, and I had a million changes to make. Obviously, this was very intimidating. I knew I had to start from the beginning. I re-developed all my characters using character questionnaires, I made a story map, and then I started rewriting. I had to completely re-write many many many many scenes, and my novel is still looking kind of intimidating, but I think things are slightly more under control.

When I started this novel, I had no idea that I'd be working on it for so long. I didn't think I'd be able to stick with it for more than one summer, but, I fell in love with my characters. I started to think I had a story worth telling, and now, I feel like I might be at loose ends when this novel is finally finished!
Thanks for reading my novel's story!
-M

Hello! M here.
I have a little story/update for you:
Until a few days ago, the revisions of my novel were coming along smoothly. Sometimes, I could revise a whole chapter every day! Each scene, including the end of the book, was clearly planned out in my head - all I had to do was write it. Now, one hundred pages in, I have come to a novel writing crossroads.
Before I met with this challenge, I had already planned out that one of my main characters was going to die at the very end of the book. I clearly understood all the relationships between my characters, and how they were going to change leading up to, and after this death.
Now, another idea, one that could (maybe) create a brilliant (or at least pretty good) outcome to my novel, has burst into my head. The only problem is, it changes the dynamics of all the relationships in my novel and the outcome leaves room for a second book, which I'm not sure I want to write.
The reason this situation demands a second book, is because it leaves the state of the romantic relationships between my characters uncertain. I've been working on this novel for over two years, and I'd really like to work on a new project sometime soon. But, I do love my characters, so a sequel is something I might want to think about in coming years. Basically, the change is that instead of one character dying, it's another character who is not as close to my main character.

So, here they are, the pitfalls of my supposed brilliance now that I am in the late stages of working on this manuscript:

1. Because I've already written the end of the book (when I wrote the first draft), and I really like it, I don't know if I want to make this switch which could affect the enitre manuscript.
2. As said before, another book might be needed.
3. I don't have time to work through things, and wait until the end to decide who's going to die - if I change the ending, I have to start changing the relationships between my characters at this point in revising.
4. I don't want to cause a bout of writer's block at this point in my story, and my indecision about what to do at the end of my book could put a block in my way.
5. The new idea leaves me not understanding the relationships between my characters, especially the romantic relationships.

I think I need to expand on pitfall #1 a bit:
I looove the way my book ends currently. I wrote most of the ending in one day - almost in one sitting! The ending nearly brought me to tears to write, because of the death, and I don't want to lose that emotion by making a different character die. Because of this death, the end of the book is a funeral. If the character who dies is changed, much of what happens at the funeral will need to change as well, and the last scenes will need to examine the dynamics of the relationships between my main characters at the end of the book, rather than how they're coping with the death. That right there is the biggest challenge, because I don't know how I want things to end for my characters.

    What got me into this situation is something you may have heard writers talk about before: when characters have minds of their own. When I created these characters, the things that I wrote about them doing, such as the way they reacted to situations, and the way they intereacted with eachother, often came naturally. One character started to fall in love with another character, which lead me to the idea of the different ending. I know this sounds odd, but when you work with characters for a long period of time, they become so real that you can't ignore what they're trying to do for themselves, which may not be the same thing you intended for them to do.

Last, how I'm going to fix this:
The honest answer to the question of how I'm going to fix this is, I have no idea. I have a few options, but I think the option I may have to go with is the dangerous one - to pay attention to the characters entirely, and don't plan ahead to much. I'll let the relationships that want to expand, expand, and, in the end, when the time comes, I'll see who I think should die. Of course, one of the major things I will be doing to figure out a plan, is having long conversations with the other group members about this problem, to try and talk it out. Sometimes, when you have other people ask questions about your work in progress, it helps you sort out some things in your brain.
Whew, that was a long post. I know it took a while, but I think it's something I needed to talk about, mostly to explain my own experiences and how I got into my current situation, but also to get our blog readers thinking about problems in their own manuscripts, and how to solve them.

I'd love to hear advice from you about how to solve this problem, or about problems you've had with your writing, and how you fixed them.

Thanks for reading,
-M

Hey, What's up? It's R! After a few relaxing summer days, I've already come up with a story idea. It's a fantasy story and M has challenged me to write at least 30 pages over the course of the summer. Since my last story was a short story, this will be a big change for me. I encourage people to challenge themselves as well and write longer stories this summer, or try a writing style that's different from the one you usually use. 
    Tonight I'm going to start doing character sketches and story plans, which is always a good way to start out if you are unsure of where you want your novel to go. I hope to get my story done by the end of the summer because I'm often busy during the rest of the year. Hopefully M and I will be able to do a short meeting soon, and add some activities to the activities blog.
Write, write, write!
-R

Not My yummily superawesomlicious (Reggie does not approve of these words) Chai tea, but my plans for the day, and my QPK Society mug!

Today is the first day of my writing summer. Which means...the party is over - I'm writing every day until the end of the summer. But, in some ways, said 'party' has just begun. 

I love to write. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Writing is something I'd like to do for the rest of my life. So, although I won't be spending the summer relaxing in front of the TV, I'm doing something that is very important to me, and also better for my brain. By the end of this summer, I would like to finish revising my novel, which will only get done if I write every day.

Next - my lovely mug. For my birthday a few years ago I was given this wonderful mug, and a special pen to draw on it with. The QPK Society seemed like a perfect thing to celebrate with the mug, so that's how I got my beloved (and HUGE) mug that I use for tea. Note about me: I am a tea lover.  

So, with my mug poised and my novel ready and beckoning, my writing summer begins. Also, another special event is beginning today...but that'll be for the next post.
Ciao,
-M

    I hope you enjoyed the first post in the series! This post will discuss meetings,  the jobs of each group member, and how to organize your meetings.

Meetings
    The Qpk Society has several times when we meet up  - Christmas, and other holidays where we are all together, the Family/Memorial Day weekend, and at the end of the summer. Sometimes we also meet over Skype. It is difficult to meet regularly because we don't live in the same city, but we keep in touch as often as we can, and often send pieces of our writing through email so other group members can read them. 
    When creating a group, if everyone in your group lives in the same area, it is ideal to meet once a week, or once every two weeks. Make sure you find a time when everyone in your group is available. On days when you don't meet, make sure that you work on your work-in-progress so that you can discuss it at the next meeting. The way we make sure we don't use up our writing time because of our meetings is to have two meetings a day when we are all together. Our first meeting takes place from 3:45pm until 5:00pm. At this meeting, we do writing activities and all the things mentioned in the meeting post. The next meeting time goes from after dinner until we go to bed. This time is called Reading and Writing Hour, where we spend time working on our novels or stories, or reading. At various intervals, we stop and read parts of what we've just written to entertain everyone, and to get feedback. It is a good idea to meet with your group to do a version of Reading and Writing Hour because it allows you to have an audience for your work. Plus, if you don't feel comfortable sharing your work, you always have the option of just working on your writing and not sharing.

Whoa thats a lot about meetings. Briefly, enjoy this picture of a cute cat in a box!

Awww...kitty :)

Now, back to the post.

The Jobs of Group Members
    To keep our meetings running smoothly, each group member has certain jobs that they do in the meeting and to prepare for the meeting.

President - M
I'm the president of the group, which means I have to make sure everyone is prepared and on time for the meeting. I also have to plan out the order in which the meeting will go, and speak at the start of each meeting about what the goal of the meeting is. As you have probably noticed, I'm also the primary poster on the blog.

Vice President - S
S is the vice president of the group. She helps the President organise group events and makes sure the room where we meet is set up for our meetings. She also dicusses with the President what the goals for the group are, and updates we should make to the website.

Secretary - R
R deals with concerns related to people outside our group. She organizes when we have visitors, and makes sure the visitors are signed in and prepared for the meetings. R also does the words of the day at every meeting.

Assistant/Alternate - K
Whenever one of the other group members needs help with an activity or if they aren't able to attend the meeting, K fills in for them.

In addition to these jobs, each group member prepares an activity for the group to do.

Planning Your Meetings

Everyone has a preference about how things are organized, so you will have to discuss an order of events for your meetings with all the group members.

Here is a typical plan for the QPK Meeting:

Opening announcements - M - We usually just repeat the group motto and slogan and dicuss what we are going to do at the meeting.

Words of the Day - R - R chooses three words from Reggie and reads them to us with a definition so we can write them down.

*NEW* Writing News - Alternates Members at Each Meeting -  This new part of the meetings, which we will start at the next meeting, is where we find articles about writing in the newpaper or online and share them with the group.

Free write - Find a pencil or pen and paper. Set a timer for five minutes. Write whatever comes into your head and don't lift your pencil from the page. If you think: eat to like the cookies and the bullfrogs that sing when the breeze goes the trees that are glowing red and orange, write that down. Write anything and everything that comes into your head. It doesn't have to be gramatically correct.

K - K does her activity with the group. The order in which we do our activities changes at each meeting.

R - Activity.

S - Activity.

M- Activity.

Extras - Anyone else who wants to do an activity can do theirs at this time.

Closing announcements - We generally talk about what we learned from the meeting, what our favourite parts were, and what our goal is at Reading and Writing Hour.

Your meeting can include any or all of these activities, plus anything that you want to add that we don't have. For the activities, you can use activities that we talk about in our meeting posts, or ones that we post on the activities blog. I'm sorry that there are not many up there right now, but as the summer progresses, we'll add some more.

In the last post in the series, I'll be talking about special activities that you can do with your writing group, and some other things to consider when creating your group.

In the comments, we'd love to hear some suggestions from you about what we should add to our meetings. We're always interested in new ideas!

Hope you got some great ideas from this post!

 -M

Summer is nearly here and the QPK Society has many exciting things planned - besides lounging on the dock at the cottage and relaxing with a good book. There will be many new updates on the blog, including book recomendations for some of the books that we read this summer, the other posts in the series for starting your own writing group, and some more activities! Plus, updates on our writing and meetings. Sadly, the full group will not be able to meet until the end of the summer because S and K will not be at the cottage, but R and I (as in me, M) will have a few meetings and write whenever we can. 
I am looking forward to summer primarily because I get to spend more time writing and blogging (although swimming is a plus too!). I would really like to finish revising my novel by the end of the summer, but I also plan on taking some open courses on writing and other subjects that interest me, to become a better writer. Here is the site to find courses in case anyone is interested: http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

I'd love to hear what our readers' writing goals and plans are for the summer, so post in the comments about what you're going to do!

Write, write write :)
- M
    

Hey everyone, M here!
I told you earlier that I'd keep you updated on how I did in the short story contest I entered, so....................I WON! I'm really excited because my story will be published in the local newspaper and I get to go to a special banquet dinner this summer. Plus, I get a big bag of books!

    This contest has been such a great writing experience for me. I started out with a good concept and worked very hard to revise my work before submitting. I really proved to myself that if I work hard and follow through, great things can happen. I suggest that everyone enter contests because who knows? You might win!
Here are the steps I took when writing my short story:
1. Come up with an idea. This step is a must for every story, for obvious reasons. Finding your idea can be as simple as listening to things people say in your everday life. 
2. Write the first draft of your story. I wrote the first draft of my story in one sitting. It didn't take long, but the first draft was pretty messy.
3. Revise. I went through and cleaned up as many mistakes as I could see and improved language here and there. I also tightened up the plot by adding extra details.
4. Find a trusted friend to read your work. My first reader picked out all the parts that they thought I could improve on or that were confusing.
5. Repeat Step 4. I repeated step 4 countless times. It was an involved process, but it paid off in the end.
6. Have your family read your work. My family pointed out things they thought were confusing and I fixed them up.
7. Copy edit. I went over my story several more times and checked for grammar and punctuation errors.
8. Submit. I submitted it to the contest! Make sure when you do this that you follow all the rules, including the word count, the genre, and the number of copies you need to submit.

Last friday night, a woman from the contest called me to tell me that I'd won. It kind of felt like I was in a dream. At first I was even afraid to tell people because I thought it was all in my head - seriously, it's a crazy feeling, you can comprehend it until you experience it.  Basically, I screamed for a little while and then called my family and the other group members to tell them the news.

So, find a contest in your area, and enter it...you never know how it will turn out!
Happy Writing,
-M

Hello fellow writers! This is the first post in a new series about how to make your own writing group. With each post, we will give you tips and suggestions on finding members, picking a name, finding a time to meet, and how to organize your meetings, as well as how we started our group last year. I hope you enjoy what we have to say, and start your own group using the advice.

I love to write. It's something I couldn't imagine not doing. Growing up, I read soooo many books that I couldn't have avoided inspiration, and sure enough, it came pounding into my head. Also, having a grandmother that is a writer really helped. When I found out that my three cousins shared this love of writing, we started having reading and writing hour every night at our cottage. After several years of this, I came up with the idea of creating a writing group. When I shared this idea with my cousins, they all loved it.

The first thing we did was pick a meeting place and a name, the name being one of the most fun experiences in creating our group. We chose to meet in a small room in the basement of our cottage, away from the noise of a house buzzing with the sounds of our family. When you are choosing a place to meet with your group, here are some factors to consider:
1. Enough room for all your group members.
2. Away from noise and distractions
3. Out of the way of your family.
4. A place that appeals to your creative mind.

Next, the name, the motto or slogan, and other fun things...
As you know, the name that we chose for our group is The Quill, Pen and Keyboard Society, but before we found this name, we went through many others. To decide on names, we split into two groups of two, and went off on our own for a little while to brainstorm.  Then, we reconvened and presented our ideas. It came down to two names, the one we have now, and The Literettes (literacy, all girls). After much deliberation, our name was chosen, because Literettes sounded more like a group based around reading, and The Quill, Pen and Keyboard Society, suggested writing.

Next, we split up again and tried to come up with our motto and our slogan. We finally found ones that we liked:
Motto: Peace, Love, Write. (as shown on our home page).
Slogan: Ideas today, bestsellers tomorrow (because ideas were what we had and we aspire to publish our writing).
For these, think of things that you want your group to truly represent. If you are religious, you might want to include that. If you write a certain genre of fiction, put that in your slogan or motto.
Last, we created a group pledge. I'll post this sometime, but I don't have it written down near me right now. Each group member had to hold a pencil, and say the pledge (a little cheesey, I know, but it was fun). We also named our dictionary at this time. We added a bonus rule to our pledge for him:
Respect Reggie.
I don't know how we came up with Reggie as the name for our dictionary. It might have been based on the Archie comics. Having a name for our dictionary was humorous of course, but it also reminded us to look in the dictionary for words, and value the power of language. 'Respect Reggie' doesn't just mean 'Respect the Dictionary', it means respect language, and realize how powerful it is. 

I hope you enjoyed the post, and are inspired to start your own group.
The next post in the series will be on meetings and organizing them, and the jobs of each member. 

Happy writing,
-M

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