Here, at the end of 2009, it’s time to look forward to events in early 2010. These are recent announcements I’ve received.

Help a New Fantasy Publisher Get a Start

From Stacy Whitman. As you all know, I’m a children’s book editor. Since I was laid off at Wizards of the Coast, where I edited fantasy and science fiction novels, I’ve been freelancing, and I’ve decided that the next step will be to start my own company. If you guys are on Facebook, you might have already seen me posting about the small press that I’m starting, Tu Publishing. If you’re not, I’m working on starting a small publishing company that will fill a gap in the market, to publish multicultural fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults. Our website is http://www.tupublishing.com, if you want to know more about our mission.

To get started, publishing books takes a lot of money, even on a “shoestring” budget. That’s why I’m doing a Kickstarter campaign—to raise enough money to get started and give a reward to everyone who donates. If enough people donate $5, or $15, or $20, we’ll be able to reach our goal. For every donation through Kickstarter, the donator gets a reward: bookmarks, early copies of books we publish, books donated to libraries, etc. For a really big, pie-in-the-sky donation, I’ve even promised an author visit. :) So they get something for their money, and with enough people banding together, the project can become a reality.

The project has had almost 3 months to run. So far, we’re up to $4031 of $10,000, with just under a week left. So we’ve got some ground to cover—no money exchanges hands if we don’t reach $10,000.

Here’s the link to the Kickstarter page. It’s completely secure—payments are handled through Amazon payments.

Note: Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein also used Kickstarter to fund her book of speeches about writing for kids. It seems to be a new way of getting grass-roots support for a publishing project.

Fearless Writing by Crescent Dragonwagon

A Fearless Writing weekend — the Valentine’s Day/President’s Weekend (Feb. 12-13-14, 2010), Fayetteville, AR. Folks can get full details and register here but I’ll spell out a little more below.

We’ll begin Friday night, work/play together all day Saturday, all day Sunday, with a departure on Monday morning: about 12 hours together, plus informal times at meals — intense, but not at all tense. The workshop costs $895, and THIS INCLUDES ALL MEALS AND ACCOMMODATIONS. (Thank you, Mt. Sequoyah Conference Center!) You can pay all at once, or put $250 and down to hold your place.

IF FOLKS BOOK BY DECEMBER 15, THERE’S A $100 DISCOUNT.

I offer a full money-back guarantee (words you almost never hear about writing workshops, right?

I say them because I’m certain everyone who attends all the sessions will get every minute and every dollar’s worth put into Fearless Writing back ten- or twenty-fold, and because I really want people to come — I’m passionate about it).

If you click on the link, you’ll see this guarantee in writing on the registration page.

Why is Fearless Writing Worth Taking?

As writers, and as human beings, we all periodically find ourselves stopped cold.

• By doubt in our own abilities. By uncertainties about the direction or style of particular piece of writing we’re working on.
• By unexpected change, demands on our time, illnesses (ours or that of someone we love), or unfamiliar economic, technological, or social conditions.

Fearless Writing offers a way to stop being stopped.

It’s an unfailing map: one I use myself, over and over, even after 48 published books in five different genres (I’ll be adding a sixth genre in 2011, when my book on the Fearless Writing method will be published by Ten Speed Press in 2011. 25+ pages of its core ideas are included as part of the workshop, by the way).

The workshop harnesses the anxiety generated by chaotic conditions as a powerful creative force. It’s practical, effective, creative, serious and playful. It turns what look like insurmountable obstacles into the material from which we write, and indeed, become more and more able build all-around thriving lives.

Fearless Writing‘s practices and principles spill over, cornucopia-like: from writing, to creativity, to problem solving, to business and personal life.

It works for writers, and blocked or would-be writers. It works whether those writers write or aspire to write for children or adults, in fiction or non-fiction.

It even works for people who don’t identify themselves as writers. It works whether you perceive the obstacles stopping you as inner or outer barriers.

It works, period.

Note: I attended this last January and highly recommend it.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

This week, I’m taking Fearless Writing, a class taught by Crescent Dragonwagon, children’s book author, cookbook author, writer and fantastic person.

Day One

I went to the Historic Arkansas Museum on Sunday evening at 6 pm for the Fearless Writing class and found it locked and dark. One other gentleman was also walking around, lost, looking for the class. We finally realized that on Sunday the class was held earlier in the evening. Sigh.

However, later that evening, CD called and said she would make up the class on Monday morning for the two of us who can’t read schedules. I hadn’t expected such graciousness! It was my mistake, not hers.

That first meeting, we were asked what challenges we face as writers, what burden we wanted lifted, what questions we wanted answered about our work. The groups’ responses were typical: how do I know if I’m any good, how can I do justice to this story, how do I make time to write, how to I put writing as a priority in my busy life.

In Fearless Writing, we are dealing with the psychology of writing, psychology of rewriting, the psychology of creativity. Why do we create? How do we validate ourselves as creators and our work as legitimate, worthy pieces of art?

For me, the transitions this year loom as my youngest son graduates from high school. I know enough about myself, my writing, and my writing process that I know I need to be dealing with this and not ignoring it. That’s why I’m sitting and listening to this fascinating woman each night. She’s reminding me of what I already know. Reminding me that I know how to stand firm and do my work.

Day Two: New Tools for Psychology of Creativity

Crescent Dragonwagon is also giving me some new tools for dealing with the psychological effects of creativity. For example, she uses acrostic poems as a way to “take your emotional temperature.” We wrote our full name down the side of a page, then she timed us and we wrote a narrative poem.

Interesting how the mind searches for story and closure. Almost everyone’s poem was a whole idea and usually had a narrative line. (Of course, they needed revision, but the first drafts were surprising & amazing.)

Crescent has recently sold Fearless Writing and it will appear as a book from Ten Speed Press in a year or so. When it comes out — oh, yes! — I’ll be letting you know!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I’m back! After a great holiday season, I’m ready to jump back in!

During the holidays, I updated the blogging software for my website. If you notice anything amiss, please let me know.

2009 Goals

Have you set up goals for 2009? Done New Year’s Resolutions? My goals are pretty similar to last years: write better, write more, sell more. I’m taking some solid steps toward that.

• Friday Ideas enters a new year.
• I’m attending the Fearless Writing class this month.

What solid steps are you taking toward your writing goals?

Goals for Revision Notes blog

Again, I’m hoping to write posts that actually help you write better novels and picture books.

I’m planning to do a new series in February: Examples of _________.

I’m always asked for examples of various aspects of a novel or a picture book, such as examples of good plot, foreshadowing, characterization, description. What would you like to see an example of?

What other topics would you like to see this year? Talk to me!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win