Finding My Way Using The Writing Road Map..

Today I am practicing writing dedication. My laptops virus protection went out of date causing annoying little renew pop ups to continuously appear on the desktop. In effort to avoid this problem I uninstalled the program intending to replace it with different but comparable software. After the removal process completed my computer restarted as is typical with an uninstallation of any virus protection software but when it restarted a variety of errors and warnings were visible before windows fully loaded.

I installed the new virus protection software and ran a complete file scan of the hard drives and removable media (USB's etc.) in windows which was time consuming. Afterward I ran an additional scan of the system in DOS just to be sure their wasn't any hidden problems. The scan found four Win32 Malware Gen Viruses that needed to be dealt with before the computer could implement future protection. I have fixed all but one of the errors (IE3sh.exe what ever that is.) and it is now one o'clock in the morning. I am finally able to write an entry in the blog.  So as I said I am practicing dedication to writing, while improving my ability to function as a sleep deprived parent.

Okay, so, moving on. let's talk about this road map in exercise one of my writing course. The aim of the first writing workout session is to try to make nine affirmation statements and list the reasons behind them. This road is going to take quite a while to build and may be modified numerous times throughout the duration of this course, so do not be surprised if it doesn't look the same as when you first saw it.

1. I will aspire to move than just being published.

• I want my writing to inspire a life long love of reading.
• I want my writing to be an escape, to provide incite into another time, place or life.
• I want to teach morals and values to today's youth.
• I want to have an impact on my readers, on an emotional level.
• I want to impart wisdom on and restore confidence in my readers.
• I want to promote self awareness and motivate others.
• I want to give readers a sense of power and control over their world.

2. I will work hard at my craft.

• I understand that writing is not a talent one is born with.
• I will treat writing like a second job.
• I will continue to work on my course and seek out other opportunities to focus on writing.
• I will join a writers group and seek the assistance of others in my field.
• I will pay attention to grammar, punctuation and word usage.
• I will let go of my work and learn to accept reviews and criticism.
• I will revise my writing numerous times, insuring readers get the most out of the work.

3. I will respect my audience.

• I will spend time with and observe children.
• I will seek to meet the developmental needs of my readers.
• I will not talk down to my audience.
• I will not oversimplify language or soften a story line inappropriately.
• I will develop a child like perspective of the world.

4. I will work to become a part of the rich tradition of children's literature.

• I will read Caldecott and Newberry books, as well as other award winners and analyze them.

5. I will learn the conventions of the genre and audience.

• I have chosen a single category of children's books (middle grade) and will learn the rules of that category.
• I have chosen a preferred genre of children's books (fantasy).
• I will speak with my cousin Lenore, a librarian, about books for middle grade readers.
• I will read best sellers in this category and genre, in attempt to find why they appeal to children.
• I will speak with experts about the category and genre I have chosen.

6. I will determine the tools I need and assemble them.

• I will learn to write on the fly, and carry my lap top, dictionary and thesaurus with me whenever possible.
• I will make positive use of my writers group.
• I will talk to others in the field; writers, booksellers, teachers and librarians.
• I will read my work to children and watch their reaction.

7. I will learn the rules of submitting manuscripts.

• I will seek out and learn the guidelines for individual publishers.
• I will choose which publishers to submit my book to based on these guidelines.
• I will read books published by the houses I deemed appropriate to insure my book meets their criteria.

8. I will take chances.

• I will submit a finished manuscript to an appropriate publisher.
• I will be open to trying a different category of writing.
• I will research opportunities outside of children's books, for my works.

9. I will treat my writing seriously.

• I have committed to writing.
• I will develop a writing habit.
• I will eventually write for a minimum or two hours twice a week.
• I will take advice and critiques into consideration but I will use my own judgement when revising manuscripts.
• I will learn to business of writing and publishing requirements.
• I  will keep up to date with that business through the use of magazines and other publications.

I will complete the first revision of the road map in the morning, I know that there is much to be added but I am incapable of completing the task this evening.  However I do feel considerably happy I was able to get some writing time in today, we are now just a little bit closer to creating a writing habit.

À demain (see you tomorrow)  ~ K