Writing Conference near Philly, Notes on Revolution & Fringe, & Web-building

Conference sponsored by
Philadelphia Stories Magazine

SATURDAY, OCT 13, Push to Publish WRITING CONFERENCE OPP! 
Anyone situated in eastern PA (Philly, Bryn Mawr, Westchester, Fort Washington, Ambler and the like) want to attend a very helpful one-day conference on writing? I will be presenting on the Writing for Children & Young Adults panel at PUSH to PUBLISH, Strategies and Techniques for Getting Your Work in Print and Online. The event is sponsored by Philadelphia Stories Magazine, and takes place at Rosemont College on Saturday, October 13th. That’s this coming Saturday!
Anyone want his or her manuscript edited and critiqued? I will also be on the speed-dating panel, as a freelance editor and manuscript doctor. There are agents, authors and editors galore. For schedule, full list of faculty and directions info, click here.

I’ve been busy designing a brand new website on Wordpress! My old website was run by someone I hired long ago. It was super-frustrating, because I couldn’t change even one line myself. No more! This one will be complete with downloadable study guides that I created for both of my YA novels, and other cool stuff. I'm still baffled by how to add certain widgets and other thorny issues that make me want to scream and tear at my hair. But I am determined to figure this all out.

On another note, I got a very thoughtful review from a blogger in the Philippines at her Books for YA. Check it out here.

Update on my dogged determination to keep watching Revolution. Report: The acting is actually getting better and the shocking switchback twists that JJ Abrahms is so very good at has just paid off with one character. Miles, but I can't say how. Report: The first new episode of Fringe (Last season-bwah!) was effortlessly awesome in comparison to Revolution's clunky, cutesy start. In Fringe, it's jumped to the year 2034, and the Watchers rule. Olivia, Peter and Walter have jumped too, and are still the same age since they were preserved in amber (hahahhahha). The new plot point here, is that the daughter they had is now twenty-something, and she's amazing on so many levels, including being able to kick as*s in the investigatory Fringe kind of way. So, she'll be a part of the team going forward. Sounds contrived but the writer/director/actors managed to pull it off.

Getting back to my work grind, my next quest is to create an online newsletter, and of course, finish that sequel. I’m thinking of doing Nano to help me. Anyone else doing Nano in November? What have you all been up to? Any word to the wise about Wordpress?

G for GERMINATE

Today for the A to Z Challenge I'll ruminate on germinate. It generally means "to come into being" or "to grow". From the Latin, germinatus, to sprout. First used in 1610.

I love to garden and I love to write. Both require germination. Seeds need sun, moisture, a thin layer of dirt and time. In story germination, one needs to free-write, outline, research and do lots of lucid dreaming.

One helpful tool for plant germination is eco-friendly plant fabric that lets in sun and water, yet keeps temperatures warm and pests out. A helpful tool I've found in organizing nascent story is the Scrivener corkboard feature, with its virtual Index cards on which you can "jot down" plot points and then reorder endlessly. Find out about Scrivener here.

The Scrivener Virtual Corkboard

Seedling Tray

When plants get bigger and outgrow their seedling trays, they must be transplanted directly in the soil. When a story gets richer and more fully fleshed out, one must plant it firmly in a laptop file, and plow straight ahead to the end, only to go back to the beginning and revise. Both need love, patience and smart pruning.

The Voynich Manuscript, from around the Renaissance

Perhaps, you'll combine writing and plant images in a mysterious tome, such as the Voynich manuscript, which depicts alien plants and a blurb in a language that no code breaker has yet figured out. No kidding. Check out this Smithsonian site.
But first, leave a note about what germination means to you. How do you grow your plants, your story, your life?