I’ve just finished reading The Everafter by Amy Huntley . The main character, Madison, is dead and she finds her way back to her life through the objects she lost when she was alive. It’s a romance, a mystery and a thoughtful book about letting go.

What objects make you reflect on your life?  Could you chose one object and write about the memory you have because of it?  Where does it come from?  What does it make you feel?  Can you write the memory down using all your senses, like Amy Huntley does, to really bring that moment back to life?

Publishers have magical rooms that are filled with books and if you ask really nicely, sometimes they gift you one or two. I was lucky enough to be in New York this week and I wandered in to visit the marvelous folk at HarperCollins who gave me Tangled by Carolyn Mackler and Gorgeous by Rachel Vail Both are fun and feisty and fabulous. And completely inspiring for those of us who write.

So, to do some fun, feisty and fabulous writing tonight, I want you to imagine the incredible. What if you could fly? Or if a dog ruled the world? Or if you could change into anything you wanted to be? Or if babies could tell you what they thought? Or if you were in love with a photograph? Imagine the fabulous and then write twenty sentences. Don’t stop until you’ve got twenty down. If you can’t imagine something of your own, use one of my ideas above. Ideas are supposed to be inspiring and are often made much better if they’re shared.

Have fun.

When I was a teenager I wanted to be a writer.  But I had no idea how to go about it.  I had never met an author.  I couldn’t believe the words I scribbled down on scraps of paper would one day be turned into actual books.  And I didn’t have a clue how to get my ideas on the page in a way that worked.  Over the last fifteen years (ish), I’ve learned loads of things about being a writer.  I wanted to share with you my thoughts on writing, my insights into character and plot, and some great exercises and writing techniques that will really help you get your own writing off the ground.  I’m still just finishing up getting this site up and running, but soon I’ll post an easy exercise to help you generate new ideas.

For tonight, I’m just going to ask you what you’re reading.  I think reading is essential to good writing.  Lots of what I learned about being a writer I learned through reading great books.  I’m just about to start Arthur Slade’s The Hunchback Assignments.  I’ll let you know what I think (I hear good things about it!)