Dining With Authors on November 11th

DINING WITH AUTHORS BENEFITS YOUNGEST LEARNERS

"Dining With Authors," a festive evening to meet Greenville's local authors will be held at the Embassy Suites on Thursday evening, November 11.

Enjoy great food, and bid at the Book Lover's Silent Auction.

6:00-7:30 Reception and Silent Auction
7:30-9:00 Dinner
Meet and dine with local authors:
Linda Kelly | Ray Blackston | Melinda Long | Tim Davis | Gene Fehler | Michael P. Gibson | Shirley Twiss | Michael Cogdill | Mindy Friddle | Dot Jackson

Ready 4 Reading provides learning resources and books in homes to help families and children develop preschool reading readiness to improve the Upstate's high school graduation rates and grow the literate workforce. The event will add much needed new family reading programs serving parents with preschoolers in poverty. Parents learn how to share books through Family Fun Events and circulating bookbags. For more information contact Ready 4 Reading at 864-250-8868.

Write Every Day

Do you realize that if you wrote only one page every day for a year, you'd have 365 pages. That equals one adult novel, or one and a half YAs, or two middle-grades, or five chapter books, and a crazy number of picture books and short stories!

And if you took off weekends and holidays, you'd still write over 200 pages.

It's so easy NOT to write, though. That toilet just has to be cleaned the minute I sit down to write. The phone rings and demands to be answered. I have to check Facebook and my email. There are blogs to read. And I almost forgot! I have a coupld of tweets to write -- will that count toward my writing time?

It's a lot easier to write if you have a time to write. During that time segment, sit down at your computer and write. DO NOT go on the internet at all. If you have to do any research that would involve going online or getting up from your chair, put xxx in the place in your manuscript where you need it and then keep writing. You can always go back and fill in what you need. Instead, focus on getting the words down. Get the story written.

It's also a lot easier to write if you have a special place. That doesn't mean you have to have a fancy desk. You don't even have to have only one place to write. I have a desk; it's not fancy, but it works. I also have a laptop that I can take with me. So I do! I've started taking it to work and writing on my break. That's what my son does, because he works full-time and wants to be able to play with his 19-month-old daughter when he gets home. I was impressed with how much he gets done on his netbook, so I decided to try it for myself.

You don't even have to sit in front of a computer/laptop/netbook/ipad to write. Carry a notebook or notepad with you and write. Sit in the park or in a coffeehouse and write. Write while you're waiting for the doctor or for an appointment. Write while you're in the car line at school, waiting to pick up your kids.

The point is that you should really try hard to write every day. I know there are days when you're sick or your kids are sick, or both. I know there are days when you are so crazy busy that you don't know which end is up. I know there are days when you'd rather prop up your feet on the coffee table and lose yourself in some mindless TV show or movie. Been there, done all of that. But here's the truth: You're a writer, right? Then you need to write. Every day, if at all possible.