Last Day of the Golden Coffee Cup!!!

Hi folks, it's been a month of creation, of ups and downs, and another journey on the road of writing.

Hope you are getting all those goals squared away today. Here is a last bit of inspiration, better than fairy dust.

E.B. White on writing. Go to a room with a view and write your heart out. Waah, I want to work by his window.

Dick King-Smith thinks hanging out with friendly hogs is very inspiring. Perhaps you should try that.


Thought David Almond reading a story would help you on this last day.

Perhaps hugging some dogs will help, it worked for Roald Dahl.


Well, enjoy every last drop of the Golden Coffee Cup.

BTW if you worked hard and completed your goal, email me at molly.blaisdell@verzion.net and I will send you the coveted "Golden Coffee Cup".

Home Stretch!!!

I know it is all cozy, snoozing under that blanket! Take all those lovely dreams and weave them into something wonderful.















Take time during your chores just to conjure up delicious dreams.
















Any who, above all things enjoy the journey!

Golden Coffee Cuppers!

EXTRA, EXTRA INCENTIVE!!!!!

I'm happy to report that Paula McDonald of P&G Speakeasy Cafe in Duvall has said that anyone coming into her establishment who can show her their Golden Coffee Cup award will be entitled to one free latte in honor of the occasion. Buy lunch while you're there. Paula loves artists.

Ooh, how fun is that!!!! Thank you, Paula!

BTW, Happy Thanksgiving, Americans!

Uh, The Tree Fell Today

Remember my dream the other week. I should really pay more attention to my dreams. A thunderstorm rolled through Woodinville and a tree fell in my yard today ... and on the roof of the neighbor's house. The deck is fine. But the whole thing is sort of freakish. I mean I just dreamed a similar scenario last week.

On the upside, now that we have established me as a decent prognosticator, I predict many goals will be met and many Golden Coffee Cups are handed out.

On the writing front, I received a lengthy letter from an editor this month and have spent some time pondering.

On the Golden Coffee Cup, yep, I'm moving forward. I've ended up jumping back and forth between chapters. I have written one of the missing scenes and I tweaked that first chapter until I'm a very satisfied author.

Post where you are!

Rock on!

Let your inner rock and roll move you forward.

Children's author Julie Andrews thinks the hills are alive with sound of music. Perhaps you need to go for a walk.

Children's author Madonna thinks that children need more meaningful stories. Perhaps you will be the one to do that.

Children's author Dolly Pardon says channel your inner diva and write that book!

Nothing wrong with getting a few writing friends together for a jam session. Think the Rock Bottom Remainders.


Work on those projects and rock on!

Happy Day

Have you ever had one of those dreams where a tree fell into the house, the deck was mangled and another tree had crashed into the neighbor's fence and then you wake up and realize all that wasn't real! I suppose that is my worst fear. Might seem lame but I woke up shaking. My vivid imagination has been a lifetime blessing and hinderance. I can't watch a scary movie, no, no, no - not even the monkey scene in the Wizard of Oz. I can't watch horror films, no, no, no -- not even the Scary movies or the Screams or Slither, humor does not help. It's makes sense that I turn to books. It's not because books are less scary, it's just easier to dole the scary scenes out over days. This keeps the goblins, aliens and demons out of my dreams. Even with that I avoid Mr. King.

Any who, I'm thrilled to realize that the only thing looming on my horizon is a couple of hours of volunteering in a classroom.

I hope you have a chance to write today -- that you let you imagination run wild! Don't hold back at all. Let the great and mighty rushing wind go and see what havoc it will create; how long till it warms and slows into a warm Zephyr?

Happy working toward your Golden Coffee Cup.

I'm almost, almost at the halfway point; where are you?

Need Some Direction?

The late Ellen Raskin wrote The Westing Game. This book won the 1979 Newbery medal. Online for everyone are portions of this manuscript along with Ellen's discussion. The Raskin manuscripts reveal multiple revisions of each draft. One can see not only the role of the literary editor and the copy editor, but the way in which an author shapes her work. Riveting stuff, if, uh, you are a children's writer. Check it out.

Try reading along with Strong Bad's children's book.

Perhaps you need a lesson in epic story telling and really don't want to wade through The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler again. Try Grocery Store Wars.

I'm moving forward with the Golden Coffee Cup goal. I've reached the 1/4 mark. Happy working.

Inspiration

You just have to keep working day after day. Word after word. You can do it!


One of my favorite books as a child was written by Elizabeth Coatsworth. The book was THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN. Elizabeth and Henry fell in love, but Elizabeth refused to marry Henry until he finished his book. You can read about Elizabeth here.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

Inspiration is everywhere. Get to work.

Busy, busy, busy

I'm on task after three days. I start Chapter 5 tonight. I hope that you are getting things going. Golden Coffee Cups await! I hope you draw inspiration from this picture. Imagine sitting over there on those logs and scribbling some thoughts. Lend some of that energy to your goal.

Time to work, folks!

I hope that you have taken a deep breath and have taken a first step toward your goal! I'm doing my deep breathing from yoga and am ready to focus on the task at hand. The Golden Coffee Cup awaits.

Here are 5 things I've done to be sure that I keep on task.

1. Set aside an entire Saturday at the library to work. I'd show up when the doors opened and leave when they closed. I'd bring a sandwich, some fruit, water bottle, laptop and bottle of glue. The glue was to remind me to keep the bum in chair.

2. If I'm sitting at the computer staring, I'll unplug it and move to the bed or couch or deck and see if the muse is hanging out there.

3.I've set the alarm 30 minutes early and put the laptop right by my bed to pick up the second I wake up.

4. I've packed up the computer and headed to a coffee shop in town, ordered my favorite tea and worked for a couple of hours.

5. I have worked through more baseball, gymnastics, trumpet, violin, swimming, ballet, track practices than I can name. I always balance the laptop on the steering wheel and work. It's usually a nice chunk of time between 45 minutes and 3 hours.

Please share your favorite "keep on task" tricks.