Shirley Raye Redmond: My "great expectations" were easier to pursue when they were in writing. I have an article on will power that appeared some years ago in BYLINE MAGAZINE posted on my website at www.readshirleyraye.com, if you're interested. It's a condensed version. It won't be easy at first--exercising that will power (self-discipline) muscle. But the more you do so, the more "limber" you'll become and more "fit" and your writing productivity and eventually your writing income will increase accordingly.

Billie: Are there specific exercises we can do daily to build our will power muscle strength? sticky notes? timer? self talk statements to have tattoos of? books you have read on the topic? quick reminders to surround our will power muscles with:)

Shirley Raye Redmond: Think of what all the fitness gurus tell us--that we should exercise minimally 30 minutes a day to stay fit. Well, then, we should write 30 minutes a day too. It doesn't have to be the same kind of writing each day though. Just as they tell us to do cardio and weight lifting, etc., we should vary our routine, but be faithful. Some days, you'll want to draft fresh material. Another day you'll want to revise for 30 minutes, etc. I just read the book OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell. It's not a writing book--but its about the "science" of success. He states that every successful person has one thing in common--they spent 10,000 hours developing their special interest, whether it was Bill Gates messing with computers or JK Rowling at her writing desk. Do the math.

CAT: So, that's actually a great thought for one to mull over. If you don't love it, you're not going to stick to it, right?

Shirley Raye Redmond: If you love it, you'll stick with it. And really, 3 years is NOT UNREASONABLE. Those of us who went to college spent 4 years learning "something" that we didn't necessarily love, but in the end, we were "equipped" to do the job of teaching, computer programming, physical therapy...whatever. The best part is that ICL really equips you MORE THAN COLLEGE WRITING COURSES will. I have an M.A. in literature, with an emphasis on children's lit, and I can tell you I was never taught how to write a query, how to write a novel synopsis or anything at all about marketing one's work after its written. So all of you are way ahead of the game by being ICL students.

BILLIE: I have spent hours of my life dreaming about being a writer until one year ago. Now that I am determined to actually write the stories in my head, here is my problem: I sit down to the computer with the story line and main events in mind. I am excited about the protagonist and antagonist. As I write the beginning of the story I realize the main setting of a small mountain town needs a name. I want it take place in a real place that is fitting even though it's a fictional tale. I end up down a rabbit hole of seaching out small mountain towns in different parts of the country for three days. After I finally find the town complete with pictures and maps I move into the next part of the story. She is forced to move from California to a new home in the mountains with her aunt and uncle. My next rabbit hole is learning the difference in speech and culture between the two places which I am in day three of. My adventures feel necessary to continue with my writing so that dialog and events fit in there place. Are these rabbit holes vital to getting the story typed out in the rough draft? Or are they an evil distraction that I should skip over and come back to with editing and rewrites. I must confess this has been happening since i sat down at the keyboard a year ago.

Papa Moon: I can help answer that. I got interested in the Civil War and decided to write about a Confederate kid caught up in setting up a Union Hospital. To do that I did some very basic research about battles around Richmond, where I live, and about civil war medicine. At that point I did my first draft of "Field Hospital". At the same time, I kept up reading about the Battle of Seven Pines, about civil war medicine and hospitals. I kept notes and as I had time revised my story, making it more accurate. When I submitted, it was radically different than when I'd started. The point is when I'm writing, I don't sweat the details until I've got SOMETHING to revise.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Yes, good response. But I confess, I am easily lured down rabbit holes. I love research. I love historical detail. I love flipping through phone books to make sure I select names for my characters that reflect the region/town where they will live. I have have used a kitchen timer to limit my time spent exploring rabbit holes. When the buzzer goes off, that's it--time to get back to drafting or revising or whatever. Keep track of ALL YOUR NOTES AND SOURCES. They will come in handy for different projects. For instance, when I wrote THE ALAMO (Simon & Schuster) I knew nothing but the barebones. I spent TOO MUCH TIME researching, but enjoyed every minute of it. Learned so much about the kids at the Alamo and other things that never appeared in the book, such as the fascinating life story of Elisabet Ney who later sculpted the famous statues of Houston and Austin. But I saved all that material and later wrote a 750-word article about her life for a magazine that paid $500 for the piece. So the time wasn't REALLY wasted.

Billie: OH thank you both! I love researching and spend too much time learning about the topic of the moment which sometimes leads to another topic or tunnel to another rabbit hole. I am afraid I spend most of my set aside writing time doing reseach with only a bit of writing as the clock ticks on and my children and life require my attention to move on for the day. While saving my reseach: how do you recommend keeping it in order for future reference? After years of researching and using it again for another article you must have a great system.

Papa Moon: I'd like to know about that too. I use the Endnote software I used in Ph.D. school to keep track of books I've read, but I use pen and paper that I later transcribe. I'd dearly love a more efficient system.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I'm really OLD SCHOOL. I use colored files folders--paper ones. I label them ALAMO, Audie Murphy, Regency fashions, whatever. Then I slip all my notes inside. I keep a bibliography of sources and even write the call numbers down, if I found the book in my local library, so I can go write back there and retrieve the book, if I need it later. If it's an online source, I bookmark the site and then copy the web address down on the inside of the paper file folder too.

Claudette: What I'd like to know more than anything else is: "How do I keep to one specific project when fifteen others are screaming for attention with equal amounts of whining and tantrum? I know I've always had a problem with having too many interests at the same time and being detail oriented toward all of them. How do I change this pattern at my advanced age?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I must confess, I'm the wrong person to encourage you to focus on one project or interest at a time. By that, I'm assuming you meant WRITING projects, right? I actually work on multiple stories, articles, books at any given time. That way I never get writers block. If I just can't concentrate on that biography of Sir Richard Branson, I switch to my regency romance...or whatever. The key is FOCUS and COMPLETION. I keep lists--I have a weekly list of things I NEED or WANT to work on and then I have my daily list, which I make up the night before. Then in the morning, when I plunk myself down at the desk in front of my computer, I know exactly what my day will hold. This morning's list says WEBINAR, PUFFIN, BUNYIP and FRIENDS OF LIBRARY MEETING. So...I know exactly what I'm doing today.

Claudette: Thanks so much, SRR. I do understand and that's how I normally work. It just seems that the more I work on, the more ideas I get that scream for attention. Maybe I'll just have to content myself with a BIG ideas file and leave it at that. You've been a help.

Shirley Raye Redmond: That's just what you want to happen--NEW IDEAS screaming all the time. Let 'em scream. And write them down. I keep SEEDS of ideas on index cards in a recipe box. Some stay seedlings and have been in the box for more than 20 years. But others begin to sprout at the back of my mind and I'll pull out the card and write something down on it. I review the cards once or twice a year. And then one day, I'll put out a card and say, "this is what I'm starting on next." Sometimes its prompted by a creative urge. Other times, I pick an idea to develop because I had an editor tell me that "We need more science topics for girls." That's how I decided to write THE DOG THAT DUG FOR DINOSAURS--a true story about Mary Anning, the princess of paleontology. But I focused on her dog because there were already several picture book titles about Mary herself. Anyway, its been a huge seller money wise and Houghton Mifflin recently bought the text book rights for a handsome chunk of change. So save those ideas! YOU NEVER KNOW which ones will come to fruition.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I'd like you to consider if feelings of guilt regarding your writing efforts make it difficult to exercise your will power muscle. Over the years, I've met many beginners who feel guilty for writing or wanting to write at all. Most have been women. They procrastinate, lamenting that they should REALLY be spending more time with their kids or spouse, that they need to remodel the bathroom, finish their scrapbooking, serve on the PTO, etc. This sort of guilt really hampers their productivity. They even feel guilty if they spend $75 to attend an all-day writing seminar, but don't blink when it comes to spending TWICE that amount on a pair of shoes so their sons/daughters can play basketball. So, ask yourself, is irrational guilt playing a part in your procrastination? Analyze those sources of guilt. Understand that a good self image plays a role in successfully pursuing your craft. Establish an "action environment" and decide that writing is so important to you that you will NOT give up...no matter how guilty you may feel about it.

BethC: So, what do you recommend we can do to find a balance between our writing time and the rest of our lives? Have you dealt with the guilt that you speak of? If so, how did you find a way to get to where you are?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I don't know how to tell you EXACTLY how you can do so, but for me, I knew I wanted to be (and was) a writer before I married, before I had children. That was me. I guess I had enough drive and self esteem that I was determined NOTHING would stand in my way, no matter how much my life changed. My husband never felt guilty going fishing or spelunking with his buddies so why should I feel guilty going to writers' group or a workshop? He didn't feel guilty BUYING EQUIPMENT for those interests, so why should I feel guilty buying the materials I need for my pursuits? When my kids were young, playing Little League, etc. I took my tablet and wrote. When they were actually playing, I'd watch and cheer. The rest of the time, I was writing. Again, it's that word ACCOMMODATE! You have to schedule the writing and snatch every opportunity. You have to want it badly enough to do so.

Chippy: Do you have any suggestions for those who just don't have much if any time in a day that can be claimed for writing?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Chippy, I used to write fillers when my writing time was limited. These were usually less than 300 words. Most magazines for adults have "front of the mag" sections that need fillers. Recipes for kids magazines, puzzles and the like, are quick to write--easy to sell. I would get a byline, which is great for self esteem and for filling one's writing portfolio. Then I'd save the money I earned for these to pay for a conference. Once I got to the conferences, I met editors and eventually my agent. It's one possibility for your to pursue.

Jan Fields: I actually have no trouble getting myself to write (I have more trouble with getting myself to remember to stop for lunch and such) -- but I LOATHE submission (which is one reason why all my book credits are work for hire). I'm okay with studying markets. I love to read editor blogs. I love studying lists to see which ones I connect with. It's the actual process of putting together a submissions packet. It's like herding cats to keep myself on task...I think it's because I detest the whole submission/rejection/get over it/submit again thing. I find it kind of soul sucking. So do you have any tips for turning my will power in the right direction on the whole submission thing? Honestly, I turn into a quivering pile of self-doubting jello whenever I get back into the whole submissions thing.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Don't downplay the fine work you've done with work-for-hire titles. I know two professional writers who had their contracted manuscripts REJECTED because their final drafts did not meet the tone and style of the series they'd been hired to write for. In fact, I flunked my first Nancy Drew "audition" because my voice was not the same as the new "Nancy" in today's series. Thankfully, my agent convinced them to give me another chance. I was dying to do a Nancy Drew! Also, I think because I sent something out EVERY FRIDAY, I didn't have time to get emotionally invested in every project to the extent that I feared being rejected. I was getting lots of rejections....and eventually acceptances. So I heartily recommend the buckshot method of submitting (you're bound to hit something!) as opposed to the silver bullet method. Less stressful.

KimP: What type of system do you use for tracking magazines and publishers? By this, I mean both the ones I want to write for (and need to know about their needs/tastes/etc) and those I have submitted to.

Shirley Raye Redmond: keep my market guides--both for mags and book publishers--by my computer desk and thumb through it. I really don't keep a list of editors I want to write for. I also subscribe to many free writing ezines, like WRITERS WEEKLY and WRITING FOR DOLLARS. Each week they send out news and market updates. The editors mention publications looking for specific items and I write down those that interest me in my market notebook. I don't really do this in any scientific or professional way. However, I do keep carefully track of where my submissions go, on what day I mailed them out, if it was a query only or a cover letter with sample chapters, etc. This I do in a notebook too that I keep right next to my computer. I also record any rejections and the date, as well as "go ahead on spec" or "send complete mss," whatever and the date. Does that help? The main thing is to find a system to works for you. I have friends who use all sorts of online grids and Excell spreadsheets, etc. But I've been using my method (I get a new notebook each year) and save the notebooks for 5 to 7 years back. I'm comfortable with it now.

Papa Moon: However, when I was talking with my children’s librarian one day, she showed surprise and gave to the effect that MG/YA fiction books are checked out much more often than nonfiction. I’d like to know what sorts of NF you write and do you mostly write NF articles or books?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Well, Papa, I've written more than 400 magazine articles--the majority for adult publications because they pay better than children's magazines. All my nonfiction books are for kids, however. Some of them are work-for-hire titles. But my Random House and Simon & Schuster nonfiction are my biggest royalty earners. You can visit my website for titles--www.readshirleyraye.com I've written about everything from giant squid to Lewis and Clark. Random House will release my TRUE fairy story THE FAIRY HOAX in May 2012.

Shirley Raye Redmond: But I'm sure the librarian is correct--kids would check out more fiction than nonfiction. They probably only WILLINGLY look at nonfiction when doing a report for school. But keep in mind that kids don't really BUY many books. Most children's books are bought by librarians, teachers and parents and grandparents who want to broaden kids' horizons. Also, nonfiction RIGHTS sell over and over again. For instance, I just received in the mail yesterday my copies of a new McMillan/McGraw Hill reading book, in which the text of my LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT appears. THis company had to purchase these rights from Random House, who shares the income with me. When the book sold as a Children's Book of the Month club title, I received book club cash. When Scholastic purchased book fair rights, I received money too. So...youngsters may not check out the book from the library (and Random House did release a special library bound edition just for libraries) but when parents take their kids to one of the many Lewis and Clark heritage sites across the country, the buy the book as a souvenir. The title has sold nearly 200,000 copies and I'm sure very few kids bought a copy!

Shirley Raye Redmond: As you will learn, nonfiction IS the bread-and-butter for most full time writers. Fiction is fun and if you're lucky enough to make it big with something like TWILIGHT or OLIVIA or a RAMONA series, that's wonderful. But in the meantime, you can pay the bills with nonfiction. You still need a creative story arc and the book will sell and sell and sell because nonfiction is true and doesn't go "out of style," as vampire books will, sooner or later.

Jan Fields: I think there is a slight difference in school libraries. Especially in the lower elementary grades, a lot of kids check out nonfiction. My daughter (when left on her own to choose a book) still tends to bring home nonfiction over fiction. And at school libraries, a lot of boys check out nonfiction. I believe public libraries tend to cater more to the "big" reader...the kid who carries home piles of books and often that is the fiction reading child. But school libraries, where every child is kind of expected to leave with a book...many kids favor nonfiction. This is expecially true for the unusual topics like gross science, weird animals or such. At least when I've seen the books my daughter's class fancied.

Shirley Raye Redmond: You're right, Jan. And often, teachers or librarians will tell the kids they have to check out a nonfiction book that's about something they are learning about in the classroom. I know my grandson is always bringing home books about dinosaurs and tigers.

Papa Moon: I didn't know you wrote for adults too! If I'm going to get a submission a week going, I'm going to need to check out some of those too. What magazines have you done things for? I'd like to read some.

Shirley Raye Redmond: oh goodness, now you're really taxing my brain! I've sold articles to such a wide variety of magazines--from Cosmopolitan to Shotgun Sports and everything in between. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to google "Shirley Raye Redmond magazine articles" and see what pops up. Many magazines DON'T post their old issues online, but others do. You can also go to www.writersweekly.com and they have writing articles I've sold to them in their article database. I think Texas Power Coop magazine has an online database. That's where you can read the Elizabet Ney article. They have a million or more readers, so it's a great place to sell.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Magazines for grown-ups pay better than kids' publications, generally. Not all pay $1 a word. Miniature Donkey Talk, for instance, will only pay up to $125 for a 700-word piece. The Institute publishes a great market guide--THE BEST OF THE MAGAZINE MARKETS FOR WRITERS. It give all the submission guidelines and pay scale.

BethC: I find my biggest problem is distractions. TV, internet, etc. What advice do you have for reducing distractions to help maximize writing time?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Yes, TV and computer games, etc. are probably the most distracting time wasters of all. When I started writing decades ago, I was raising two kids and a husband, getting two degrees, and juggling multiple community activities. If I'd plopped down in front of the TV in the evening, I'd never have written my first book or most of the articles I eventually wrote and sold. But it's hard to wean yourself from the boob tube, I know. Resolve to go TV-less for two or three evenings per week, and you will discover more time for writing. Increased productivity will eventually lead to increased sales. I picked my nights. I scheduled them in my appointment book. (All writers should have an appointment book, just like any other professional). I could get the kids to bed and work from 7:30 or so until 10:30 or 11:00. In those days, that was a huge chunk of writing time for me...and it paid off. I now write full time. Of course...it takes will power to "just say no" to TV and computer solitaire and the other temptations out there. But if you really want to write, you'll do it.

Papa Moon: I'm at the point where I'm trying to think through a list of consistent activities that relate to my goals and objectives, and to assign rough time budgets to them. I believe the "Big Activity Blocks" for writers are: Research, Creation, Revision, Market Research and Submission. I'm still working on how much time I should devote to each on a daily or weekly basis, and also sub-activities down to daily tasks. I need this because I'm ADD and Distraction is my middle name. Do you think I'm on the right track and am I missing anything big?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I like your categories--research, creation, revision, and market research/submission. Yes, you need to schedule time for all of these. I do. It's sad in a way--we should all be able to write and write and have editors revise for us. Ha! The good thing is that when you're not really feeling creative (we all have days like that) then focus on research or spend some time exploring magazine websites and publishers' blogs, etc. I've always found this to be inspiring and after an hour or so, am ready to get back to writing or revising. Once you've sold your first book manuscript then you have to add a new category--publicity. Again, it's sad to say that publishers allot very little money, if any, for publicizing a newbie's first book and yet, if you don't sell 2,000 or 3,000 copies, they aren't likely to buy a second mss from you. It's a vicious cycle. I easily spend 4 hours a week doing nothing but contacting museum gift shops and toy stores and other likely markets for my already released book titles so that I can keep those royalties coming in. My giant squid book has sold more than 200,000 copies and I'm sure its because I've contacted every single aquarium bookstore in the USA to carry the title and because some wonderful reviewer recommended the title when the second NIGHT OF THE SMITHSONIAN movie came out. It makes me very sad to think that I'll never be able to write all the stories I want to write because I have to spend so much time with the "business" side of making a living as a writer, but there it is. That's the writers life.

luv2rhyme: You mentioned that you spend about 4 hours a week with publicity for your published works --"the 'business' side of making a living as a writer", and lament that you need more time to simply create. Doesn't the literary agent take care of business matters, such as promoting books, contacting markets, keeping track of royalties? Isn't that his job? In your experience, have you found more cooperation with the author from large publishing houses, or smaller ones. What would you say are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Let me answer briefly: No agents don't promote books. You can hire a publicist to do that. The agent circulate one's manuscripts to publishing houses they think may purchase them. Once an offer has been made, they negotiate the contract. This is hugely important and for that the agent earns 15% of all advances and royalties. Frankly, the big houses like Random House and Simon and Schuster don't really care if they "discover" new authors. They want marketable manuscripts that will make money. If those are produced by the same writers over and over again, they'll buy from them. In fact, the best thing about selling to a publisher the first time is that they are more than likely going to buy from you again, if you are easy to work with--meaning you'll do revisions in a timely manner, etc. That's why its so hard for newbies to break in. Editors like working with authors they know. I've sold mss to both big houses and little houses and there are pros and cons of each. It's good to develop a close relationship with the editors. In small houses, its good to become friends with those in the marketing/publicity department too.

chippy: You're sitting in front of the computer, you want to write, but the words are just not coming. Do you write nothing, just writ something, go away and read something? If you've already covered this, I apologise for repeating, but I was thinking about this and just wondered.

Papa Moon: I don't know about Miz Shirley Rae but David Morley at the University of Warwick says in his podcasts just to start writing - anything, but preferably in the vague vicinity of where you'd like to go. A reporter friend agreed. He said he "warms up" writing trash every morning. My problem is to get my tail seated at the keyboard in the first place!

Jan Fields: One way I try to avoid this problem is by never stopping at "the end" of something. So if I write a story, for example, I don't get up from the computer until I begin the next one. If I finish a chapter, I begin the next chapter. That way, I always have something specific waiting for me to "do" something. I've also "warmed up" by writing blog posts when I don't have anything waiting for me that's open ended. And sometimes, I just really don't feel like writing...so I read or research. But I don't give into that very often. It can turn into a habit.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I do the same thing Jan does--try never to stop at a natural stopping point. That way as soon as I get to the computer or tablet (I do write a lot by hand still), I pick up where I left off and am eager to get back to work.

BethC: If you stop, say, two paragraphs into the next chapter, do you ever sit down the next day and think, "Hmm, I wonder what I was going to write next?". I've done that several times, and I end up deleting some of what I wrote the night before. It's more a matter of forgetting what I had on my mind the previosu day/night. Any suggestions?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Perhaps you could scribble down a few lines of dialogue or a brief, brief summary of where you want to go when you start up again? TOMMY DECIDES TO EXPLORE CAVE...or whatever. Leave it there on your desk and hopefully, when you sit down the next time, you'll pick up where you left off.

Papa Moon: This brings up a question I've been struggling with, and that is do you plot out a book before you start writing? If you do, how much detail? I'm asking because with my short stories and assignments, my pre-plotting has generally been no more than thinking though the protagonist the general setting and the conflict. Then I start writing the first draft, frequently not knowing, even how it will turn out. My concern is that while I can pull that off for a 800-3,000 word story or essay, I'm pretty sure I'll need much more outline than that for a 30,000 word novel. Or am I just jumping ahead in my studies, Oh Sensei?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I definitely need to outline. I'm not an "organic" writer. I need a road map. I want to know where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. But I always start with a "cast of characters" first. Then from there I scribble down answers to WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW and WHY? I let that mix gel for a while. I pick the subplots I want to develop, based on possible conflicts between characters. Then I make up my mind how many chapters I'm going to have and decide what action will take place in each. But writing is a personal thing and each writer must find a method and rhythm that works for her---him.

CAT: When I write, if I'm putting a certain scene into a book, a lot of times I'll actually do the action myself, just to see what results really do turn up, instead of just imagining what would probably happen. Like right now, I'm doing NaNo, and my MC goes to look up an address on IE. Instead of just saying what probably pulled up in the search engine, I physically go in, type in what he's looking for, and see what my results show me. Do you think this is too much, or good? I like to make sure the feel comes through as being authentic. What do you think?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Again, I'm the wrong person to ask about "how much research." I love it too much. I think what you're doing now will give your story a lot of authenticity and you need that--to win over the editor. How much is too much? Honestly, I don't know. Only you can say. If you're feeling comfortable with the setting, the time period, the material, whatever you're researching, then you've probably got a handle on it and that's good enough. Of course, that's only my opinion.

Papa Moon: I can also contribute here, I think. I learned how to research when I got my Ph.D two years ago. I just recently finished a story about a kid in the Civil War. I felt I needed research to accomplish several specific things.
(a) To make sure the events in my setting actually took place where my story said they did. In this case it was on Eliza Allen's Farm in 1861, but beyond the name I still have absolutely no information on her/her family. Most public records in Richmond got burned at the end of the war.
(b) I needed enough detail so that I would avoid that-couldn't-have-happened criticisms from some Civil War enthusiast. (This is Richmond, still the Capital of The Confederacy for many people).
(c) I also needed to read some letters and documents from that time to be able to mimic the dialogue. My protagonist doesn't use current slang, of course, but he does use somewhat more complex sentences than kids do today, because adult writing used more complex sentences than comparable pieces today - in my opinion anyway.
Finally, (d) I needed to have "scholarly and primary" sources to convince the Cobblestone editor that I probably knew what I was talking about. So I read several accepted scholarly works by well known Civil War historians, and some personal reminiscences from that period.
All that stuff led me to be able to draft and submit another NF piece about Civil War medicine and Chimborazo Hospital to Cobblestone. (FYI Chimborazo was the largest military hospital in the world at that time.) Now lets see if all that work pays off some day. Even if it doesn't, the trip was fun.

ColoradoKate: Just to add... I'm writing historical fiction, too, and I keep finding that I need to look up the tiniest things: what classes an eighth-grader would have taken in 1969, exactly when and where a certain demonstration took place, when the junior high basketball team practiced, and so on. Needless to say, I LOVE the internet. I can't even imagine doing this, otherwise. And Papa, I keep meaning to mention to you--my great-grandfather was a surgeon in the Civil War. When my brother and I cleared out my parents' house after they had both passed away, we found a little pharmaceutical kit that we figured must have been his. It was a small leather satchel that opened like a notebook and had all these tiny glass vials for morphine and laudenum and all sorts of other things, all strapped in place. It disappeared when we were packing up, unfortunately; I hope my brother has it and it didn't get accidentally discarded, but either way, I'm sure I'll never see it again! Which is fine.... I'm just glad I got to see it that one time. (We also found his pistol!)

Shirley Raye Redmond: Kate--you might want to write that discovery up as a personal experience piece and send it to CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN. They buy p.e. essays. Visit the magazine's website for submission information. One can never have too many sales or too many bylines.

Mikki: When it comes to keeping files, I'm a dinosaur...so my children say...and everything I find on the Internet that is legitimate and factual, I print out. Notes that I take from books/library research, I put into Word, and then print them out. I have one entire file cabinet with nothing but research, the majority of it on the Civil War era. Several years ago, I made the mistake of keeping my research for articles in files on the computer...wrong thing to do...computer crashed, files gone. So now I just print everything out, entire articles and etc., then use what I need.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Mikki, I think you're smart to keep those hard copies. Computers can be iffy. We often have power outages up here in the mountains of northern New Mexico, but I can always turn on my huge flashlight and pull out my file folders and yellow pad and keep on writing.

CAT: I love hard copies. There's just something about the written word that feels so much more fulfilling than the TYPEwritten word! In fact, I have a MS that is completely paper written. I need to get it on the 'puter for my crit group to read, but I wrote every inch of it on paper. I love that. I'm going to bind it and make it a keepsake. It'll be worth millions, later.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Good for you! I love hard copies too. I wrote my very first novel, a romantic suspense, by hand in spiral notebooks. Then I typed up one chapter at a time on my electric typewriter. When the book sold, I took the advance and bought my first computer. I no longer have that computer, but I still have all those ratty spiral notebooks!

mmmgood: Must a writer have a book that is already complete that he/she wants to get into the hands of editors before investing in attending a workshop or conference?

Shirley Raye Redmond: No, Marie Elena, having a complete book mss is not necessary at all. When I attended my first workshop in St. Louis years ago, I wasn't even PLANNING to write kids' books. I wanted to write articles and essays and short stories. The good news is that at many of the SCBWI conferences and workshops, you can sign up for a private 10 minute face-to-face session with an editor who will read the first few pages of your book manuscript. So...if you've ever wanted editorial feedback to see if you have a "winning beginning" or a marketable story premise, this is a great way to get that. Save your receipts. Workshops and seminars are tax deductible for writers.

BethC: I thought conferences were for those writers who were already going at full-steam ahead in their writing careers. It's good to know that ALL writers can benefit from them!

Shirley Raye Redmond: Actually, conferences and workshops ARE BEST for beginning writers. Everything you hear and do will be fresh and new. Once you get to be an old fossil like me, you'll find that you're hearing the same things over and over again...or that the presenters are giving you advice you're already following. I don't go to many conferences now as an attendee--I'm usually one of the workshop presenters. However, I still take the opportunity to speak with other writers--you'll learn who just sold a book and to whom-- and you get to sit with editors and agents at lunch and dinner and learn what they are looking for. And believe it or not, success is contagious. I believe that. When you start meeting other writers who are selling, suddenly you realize how truly DOABLE this is. You feel more motivated.

Okami: Other than conferences, Are there any ways to get more info that can give me an edge in finding the right agents and editors to submit my work to? Yes, I read market guides and some blogs, but I'm starting to max out. It seems the only thing I haven't done in terms of learning more are conferences, but few are in my state of Michigan, and the ones that are still far to get to from Detroit where I live.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Are you a member of the SCBWI? Do you subscribe to THE WRITER or THE WRITER'S DIGEST? What about ICL's monthly newsletter CHILDREN'S WRITER NEWSLETTER? I actually sold my picture book BLIND TOM, THE HORSE WHO HELPED BUILD THE GREAT RAILROAD after reading an article in the newsletter about a publishing house looking for manuscripts with western themes.

Papa Moon: I'm supposed to be reading MG/YA books and I do, but sometimes I feel if I can't read a book meant for grown-ups I'll go crazy. So I don't go crazy but feeling guilty takes some of the fun out of it.

Shirley Raye Redmond: There's that guilt factor coming into play again. All reading--whether it's YA novels or whatever--should be considered MARKET ANALYSIS. You're studying the craft--not plot structure, story development. When reading nonfiction books, not the story arc and organization. Etc. etc. DON'T FEEL GUILTY. It's nonproductive.

Mikki: The discussion of SCBWI is one I would like to pose a question to: how much weight do agents and editors/publishers actually give to a writer who is a member?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I don't know what to say about the SCBWI membership question. I've only attended the big LA conference once. However, I try to hit the small, one-day regional workshops every chance I get--at least one a year. I met my Random House editor there. They've now bought 4 books from me and I hope there will be more in the future. I've made other valuable contacts at the one-day seminars too--learning that Simon and Schuster were looking for writers for the Nancy Drew series, for example. Does it matter if you're a member? I think so. I always mention it in my query/cover letters. Even when I get rejections, the editors often write, "I'd be happy to see more submissions from you." That may be because of my writing credits OR it may be because we met at a SCBWI workshop and they know I take the job seriously. Your membership is tax deductible, remember. So are your conference expenses.

Anita3: I know this is a little off-topic, but where would you mention your SCBWI membership in a query/cover letter- in the beginning, or the end?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I mention it in the final paragraph of a query or cover letter, along with my publishing credits.

Kim P: I used the library's Reference books: A to Zoo Subject Access to Children's Picture Books by Carolyn Lima so much that I finally asked for it last Christmas from my family. They bought me both the 7th Edition and the Supplement to the 7th Edition. Even though it is of course out of date as soon as it's published it at least gives me an idea of subjects and what has already been published in those subjects. When someone new is coming to our local critique group, I always bring those books and the Children's Writer Word Book by Alijandra Mogilner along with the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market as the first books to share for reference. Now with this course I'm finding even more. What books would we find on your shelves?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Good question, Kim, and kudos for building such a library. I like all the market guides ICL publishes and keep those handy. I have an American Heritage dictionary and the 1846 Webster edition (helpful for historical writing). As many of the newer resources like Writers Market are available at the library, I tend not to buy those for myself, but instead collect tomes like THE WORLD GUIDE TO GNOMES, FAIRIES, ELVES, AND OTHER LITTLE PEOPLE (which was a huge help when working on my upcoming FAIRY HOAX book being released by Random House in 2012) and THE INTERNET KIDS & FAMILY YELLOW PAGES and THE FIELD GUIDE TO LAKE MONSTERS, SEA SERPENTS and OTHER MYSTERY DENIZENS OF THE DEEP--stuff like that.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I love to shop used bookstores for old cookbooks published in the 1800s and early 1900s. I buy memoirs by ordinary people that lived long ago like PIONEER PREACHER by Berryman. I also find a lot of great used books on Amazon and buy anything that may come in handy. I save all my receipts. Books like these are tax deductible.

Kim P: Your answer makes me want to shop as I sit here. I love the idea of browsing used bookstores for the older cookbooks and memoirs. I looked on Amazon for the THE WORLD GUIDE TO GNOMES, FAIRIES, ELVES, AND OTHER LITTLE PEOPLE. It sounds fascinating with the fact of how long ago it was first published and the history with the myths and legends.

Shirley Raye Redmond: The Fairies book has been a great reference and I've had several people in my writers group, who borrowed it when working on their on books--one woman actually sold a book on GOBLINS. I have handy guides on interesting criminal cases (good plot ideas) and one on women explorers and even WORD ORIGINS AND THEIR ROMANTIC STORIES by Wilfred Funk.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I used to play a game (with myself) that if I bought a book I'd have to sell an article or story or essay inspired by that book--which helped me justify purchasing more books. I was often successful with this scheme. For instance, after buying an old copy of Osa Johnson's memoir, I MARRIED ADVENTURE, I wrote an article about her and her husband and the museum in Kansas dedicated to them and sold it to SHOTGUN SPORTS. My most recent romance novel ROSEMARY'S GLOVE was, in part, inspired by an article on orchid hunters that I tore out of SMITHSONIAN magazine years and years ago and also the book, FLOWER HUNTERS. Sometimes I don't write a whole article, but a filler. For instance, after buying a used copy of GIVE ME MY FATHER'S BODY (less than $10), I wrote a filler about explorer Robert Peary bringing back a meteorite from Greenland (an island) and sold it to (of course) ISLANDS magazine. They pay $1 a word. The piece was about 150 words. I earned back my book money and then some. I know, it's a silly game. But it has often motivated me, and I enjoy the challenge.

Okami: how do you know your improving as a writer, if you can't sell anything you write? Yes, I know many people didn't sell their writing for 20+ years, but there have to be ways to tell you're getting better when no one's biting all that time, because no one can coast through that much rejection and setbacks without some kind of encouragement, both from others and within themselves.

Shirley Raye Redmond: How do you know you're improving? I'm assuming you've kept all your stories/novels over the years. When you go back to the first, don't you see improvement in character development, narrative pace, lively dialogue, story tension etc???

Shirley Raye Redmond: Don't measure your improvement as a writer by how many stories/novels you sell. I know many fine writers who have not sold as many books as I have. They are better writers, frankly, than I am. However, I try to tie all my topics to school curriculum or dates on the calendar (140th anniversary of completion of transcontinental railroad, for example, or 200th anniversary of Lewis & Clark expedition.) I make the point in my query how marketable my topic/story is (I do the same with fiction--when princesses were really hot, I wrote 2 princess books, etc). It's a tough balance. Just keep everything you write. One day an editor may mention something to you and you'll say, "I've got a novel like that!" It will be a talent plus timing equal SALE sort of thing.

Okami: Are you inherently a bad writer simply because you're not a master of brevity? I keep hearing how writing short stories makes you a better writer for longer stories and novels. and I just don't understand it.

Shirley Raye Redmond: No, you're NOT inherently a bad writer if you're not the master of brevity. However, you might not be marketable--particularly in the "write for kids" market.

Jan Fields: The key is to understand the difference between wordy and direct, simple elegance and flowery excess. If you're just chopping and chopping, you're not being brief; you're butchering. You don't chop, you examine and look for ways to be more direct, more concise. You look for places where you've wandered away from what you NEED to say. You look for ways to improve clarity (which almost always lessens word count...wordiness isn't just a fit issue, it's often a clarity issue as well. That's why short story writers who finally master the form say it makes them better writers across the board...not because they've become comfortable with butchery, but because they've become masters of simple, clear, direct AND style. It's not easy, but you do have to move past chopping. It's almost a mental shift, like an epiphany rather than just a manual skill like chopping.

Okami: What do you do when you can't find an agent who is open to your work?

Shirley Raye Redmond: (1) even if agents are not interested in your query, still send it to editors open to unagented submissions. Remember, writing is subjective--so is what one likes to read. Many books that have sold and made money, I would never have bought, were I an editor, simply because I don't like those sorts of books. So...agents and editors all have preferences.

Shirley Raye Redmond: (2) If you're a member of SCBWI, you will have access to the online publishers guide. There is one specifically of small, independent presses that buy material for mid grade and younger.

Shirley Raye Redmond: (3) the best way to actually get your material under the nose of an editor with a big house that only accepts agented mss (when you don't have an agent) is to attend a workshop where that editor will be speaking. Sign up for the individual appointment. You will then get permission to submit to her (or him) and write REQUESTED SUBMISSION on the outside of your envelope.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I know it can be frustrating, but the fact that you're still writing shows how much you love it! And that's a good thing.

mmmgood: Sitting down at any given time to revise a previously written story, or work on something that isn’t of great interest in that particular moment in time is practically useless for me. My mind wants my fingers to type what it seems to be dying to get out – nothing more, and nothing less. So, I guess what I need is some practical advice on how to turn on the creative part of my brain when it has to write something it isn’t interested in writing.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Being able to write all day is wonderful, but to get to that point you really DO have to work on things, occasionally, that don't interest you. You also must learn to love revising your work. You know, that's my favorite part of the writing process. It IS creative. It's like decorating a cake with the roses and the swirls of frosting. The mixing and baking of the cake is the plotting, drafting, etc. Sometimes, if I'm reluctant to work on a "dull project," because I have something more exciting in mind, I use a kitchen timer. I set it for 25 minutes and MAKE MYSELF revise a particularly troublesome draft or outline a story or article I've been avoiding. I force myself to concentrate. When the buzzer goes off, that's it. I put it away and reward myself by working on the project I'm really enjoying at the time. Do this two or three times throughout the day. Before you know it, the task you've been dreading will be done.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I started out as a journalism student and we had to write every day in class and we also had daily homework outside of class. The topics were assigned. Most didn't interest me--can't even remember what I wrote about. But the instructors reminded us over and over again to get the WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE, and HOW questions answered. I discovered that one or more of those questions ALWAYS got my creative juices flowing on any given topic. Over the years, I've written about "boring" subjects and didn't find them boring because I was pursuing one of those rabbit trails--WHO was that pigeon that won a World War II medal? WHERE was the first plesiosaur fossil discovered? WHAT drugs cause Reye Syndrome in children? WHEN will Rosemary realize she loves Broderick and not Lord Beverley?

Jan Fields: I'm not Shirley (and don't even play her on TV) but I do sometimes have the problem of getting my brain to write GOOD stuff when it doesn't want to work on a specific project. Part of the time, it has to do with "self-talk" (letting my "self" whine and complain about how dull it is. Sometimes our feelings follow our words, so if we talk up revision in our heads...our hearts follow eventually) and sometimes I just need to walk away from something and come back.

Jan Fields: I had a middle grade fantasy novel that started great and then turned into a big steamy pile of cow plop. I went back to the good part and wrote forward time after time after time...but it just got ploppier. Still, I knew the right book was in there. Then this week, something brought that book to mind when I was well way from the computer and I imagined it was something someone else was working on...if they hit the same ploppy part, would I have any suggestions? And amazingly, I did. And since it felt really new and fresh, I was really excited again to work on it and bring out this fresh new idea.

Jan Fields: So sometimes, if the creativity just won't come in a revision (and assuming you aren't under deadline where you just have to suck it up and smack yourself in the head a few times) you just need to leave it alone for a while (and I left this fantasy novel alone for YEARS...which I wouldn't actually recommend) and suddenly...the fresh comes back and you're on it again.

mmmgood: I suppose this means I can lay the guilt aside when I walk away from a once-upon-a-romance for a time. I can see where time can allow for different ideas and interests to work their way to the surface. If I return more than once and nothing strikes me, that doesn't mean it's a lost cause. Duh! Why didn't I see that before?

Shirley Raye Redmond: Jan, I loved what you said about the "ploppy parts." I think that's why there is a 4-drawer file cabinet next to my computer desk. It's filled with manuscripts with ploppy parts I'm not ready to tackle yet. Another good reason to have multiple projects going! After writing my first kids' novel, GRAMPA AND THE GHOST, I didn't know what to do with it. I knew nothing about marketing. I wasn't even certain it was any good as I'd written it in 6 weeks as a post partum depression project. So I stuck it in the file cabinet and left it there, until I met an editor at a writers conference who told me what she was looking for and I said, "I've got a book like that!" She gave me her business card and I sent it to her. She bought it and it later became a Weekly Reader selection. Which reminds me---meeting many editors over the years at workshops and conferences has also taken the dread out of submitting manuscripts. I mean, if you've had cheesecake and coffee with someone and talked about your recent purchases on ebay, its easy to submit a manuscript to her, even when she's a Random House editor.

mmmgood: Wow. SO encouraging, Ms. Redmond. Thank you for sharing that with us! Now to get the money for a conference!

Shirley Raye Redmond: The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org) has a great list of conferences by state/region. Check them out. I think Writers Digest.com posts a list of conferences too, but they aren't always geared specifically to children's writers. I can honestly say that meeting editors face to face is the BEST WAY to break in. They come to conferences looking for writers. When they get back to New York or San Francisco and face that pile of manuscripts on their desks, they are more likely to buy one from someone they've met than a total stranger. It's worth the money. You'll make it back 10-fold or more with your first book advance.

Jan Fields: So, any final words of wisdom for our willpower muscles?

Shirley Raye Redmond: I’d like to share this bit of wisdom—find a writing buddy…or two…or twenty! I’ve been with my local writers group for 20 years. By conquering isolationism, we grew together, “exercised” together (our writing will power) and have celebrated each other’s successes.

Shirley Raye Redmond: Some years ago, I met Walter Hooper, C. S. (Jack) Lewis’s former secretary, in Oxford. I learned a lot about Lewis and his writers’ group during that hour’s chat. The Inklings, as they called themselves, weren’t really the stuffy Oxford dons one might have imagined them to be. I also got an “inkling” of what it takes to ensure the success of a writer’s group.

(1) The Inklings had specified goals. They knew what they wanted to write and why. They had purposeful critique sessions. They shared info about publishers, and they networked. Each member was committed to professionalism. More than once, Lewis was quoted as saying, “Write to be read.” Members of the group, which included J. R. R. Tolkien, Nevill Coghill, Owen Barfield and Lewis’ close friend, Charles Williams, took this advice to heart and all enjoyed literary success to varying degrees. Even “Warnie” Lewis, Jack’s brother, wrote several books of his own.

(2) They had a commitment to craft. Too many beginning writers spend more time anticipating the joy of book signings than concentrating on writing well. The Inklings had phenomenal publishing successes because they mercilessly honed and polished their prose. Their bestsellers are still selling today. Lewis’s The Last Battle won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for best children’s book of the year when it was released in 1956. His commitment to craft has paid off for decades.

(3) Last but not least, they had synergy. This word is generally defined as “cooperation” or “the working together of two or more parts to stimulate new ideas that result in greater productivity for all the parts.” Synergy promotes the originating of new ideas and their fruition. The members supported one another all through the brainstorming, writing, revising and marketing aspects of one another’s work. For instance, when The Hobbit was published in 1937, Lewis wrote glowing reviews of Tolkien’s book for a wide variety of publications, including The Times Literary Supplement, and was instrumental in ensure the success of his friend’s book.

Shirley Raye Redmond: The Inklings met twice a week—socially on Tuesdays at the local pub and on Thursdays for reading and critiquing at Lewis’s rooms at the college. They brought with them their best intentions. John Wain, one of the younger members, once described the Thursday night meetings with fond fervor, declaring, “The best of them (the critique sessions) were as good as anything I shall live to see.”

Shirley Raye Redmond: Let me encourage you to follow the example of the Inklings. Being a part of ICL’s Writers’ Retreat is a good start. Be persistent. Writing success will follow. To prepare for that success, you may want to read C.S. Lewis’s Letters to Children, edited by Lyle Dorsett and Marjorie Mead. It will provide you with delightful examples of how to answer your future fan mail from young readers!

Jan Fields: I am delighted beyond words at the wonderful workshop we've had this week. Thank you so much for joining us and responding to our many questions. Many thanks!

Papa Moon: I just have to say that the past three days has been the most intense and exhilarating experience I’ve had since I was in school as a grad student. I hope I didn't come across as a know-it-all, but your words are gold and I am poor. I got several major “take-aways” to act on. These aren’t ALL I learned – just the biggies;

1. Ship a submission every single Friday. I'm not sure I can make that happen, but it's a goal.
2. Find ways, time and money to attend conferences. Expensive, but a necessary investment.
3. Set up a systematic work program of activities under Research, Creation, Revision and Submission (and someday Publicity).
4. Find and join a local writers group and keep regular with Writer’s Retreat.
5. Develop a submission plan for every story – submit to more than one market in it. (This actually from Jan Fields in another thread) but I think it's important to include here.
It seems pretty daunting when I think about it and I may never get there - especially the Friday deadlines (I'm durned if I'll ship out poor quality stuff just to make deadline). I does seem to break down down into do-able tasks within a reasonable time frame. It had BETTER – I’m an Old Guy and I don’t have all that much time left.

Shirley Raye Redmond: I'm happy to have provided some useful information and a bit of inspiration too. Writing can be a lonely business. We need to stick together and help each other out when we can.