#Wipmadness Week One

I love the Fall season. Not only is my favorite Starbucks drink back:



School is back in session!

I taught first grade for fifteen years and thought for this week's Wipmadness theme I'd use the wisdom of six-year-olds. For this I'm taking from the awesome book A YEAR OF WRITING DANGEROUSLY by Barbara Abercrombie. If you haven't picked up a copy of this book yet, I highly recommend it!

59. What Writers Can Learn From Six-Year-Olds

Creativity: Use any and all opportunities to be creative.

Energy: You need to practice, and you need energy to do the work you love.



Emotion and Passion: Can't write about emotions unless you're in touch with your own feelings.



Focus: Concentrate on what you love, ignoring what people think you should do.



My 12 year old LOVES theater and will act 'silly' if that means getting into character.


Curiosity: Question every aspect of life.



So my question is what inner child aspect comes into your writing?

And now here's the fun part! You all know I LOVE to share my reads with people. So comment for a chance to win a YA book. For this week I'll start with two books that deal with the paranormal world. **My favorites!



This one is set in historical Paris!



Comments

Little Willow said…
I am so thankful that I'm fueled by all of those listed elements: creativity, energy, emotion, passion, and focus. Embrace these things, everyone, and encourage others to do the same. The world would be a happier and more productive place!
Unknown said…
My inner-child's imagination tends to run a bit on the wild side, as shown in my FB post today. O_O

Love your theme for #WipMadness this month. Looking forward to September and drafting a new PB manuscript. Still waiting to hear back from my agent on my other one.

Yay to the fall, cooler weather, and Starbuck's seasonal drinks. :)

Kim Baccellia said…
So true, Ali! Thanks for stopping by!
Kim Baccellia said…
Ooh, can we have the link to your blog post? Would love to check it out! Thanks for stopping by Candilynn!
Unknown said…
Any opportunity for creativity and curiousness. So true! That's living the life of the writer.

It's been a while since I've popped by, but I'm glad to be here today.

Excited to be writing on a rethinking of my MG wip, Shadow Status, this September. Glad to have WIPmadness company.
Kim Baccellia said…
Yay, Lora! Glad you dropped by! And double yay for being excited about your MG project! Fall to me always equals starting anew. I used to love that about being a first grade teacher. I miss seeing and feeling all their energy and excitement for the new school year! I think the same can be done with a writing project too. Good luck with your MG!
Oh, you know how I love paranormal! Thanks for hosting this month, Kim!

I think the inner child that comes out in my writing is the tendency for my characters to speak without thinking. To just spit it out without any editor censoring them. I wish I wrote that way! I'm terrible about keeping too tight a reign on my writing in the early stages, so it amazes me when my characters can drop their inhibitions and just blurt it out.

I'm halfway through chapter 5, now and hoping to pick up some speed while I await a new verdict on the finished ms.

Rock on, wipsters!

Hello, everyone!

My inner-child is always present in my WIPs. Even in darker passages, I find a way to splash a little humor to offset the bleak.

I'm always inspired by the Keysmashing Tots, as well. In my current WIP, there's a lot of worldbuilding involved and my inner-child has boundless curiosity. I want to push the boundaries of my own imagination in everything I write.

Thanks for hosting this month, Kim!

Have a great writing week, all. :)

Tonette
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kim Baccellia said…
Mary Ann,

My characters have a tendency to do that too! I once had a character get very impatient for me to 'hurry it up' so he could finally get together with my main character. I had to tell him, "Dude, you need to take a cold shower!"

Good luck with your finished ms! Sending positive vibes your way!

Thanks for stopping by.
Kim Baccellia said…
Tonette,

Humor is a big plus! I know I've had readers tell me some of my character are 'funny'. I just listen to them and write what they tell me.

Curiosity is a huge one for me too in my own writing. I need to push the boundaries more in my writing. I'd love to have some of that inhibition of a six-year-old and just write it!

Thanks for stopping by!
Shari Green said…
Emotion definitely finds its way into my writing, and I'm getting better at focus--doing what I love instead of what I think others would want me to do.

Hoping to be a lot more present for wipmadness this fall than I was in the summer! I've got a brand new first draft that will sit for a week or so, and then I'll be heading into revisions. Might have to take my ms and head to Starbucks for my fave...soy chai latte. :)
Kim Baccellia said…
I get what you're saying, Shari with the emotion thing. I still find it hard to just write what I want without worrying what others might think. Let's just say this revision is more dark, edgy than my other books.

I'm with you on taking ms to a coffee house. Today it's going with me to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I love their iced mint Moroccan tea latte with sugar free chocolate. Nom! **Love the iced Chai ones too!
Unknown said…
Hey, Kim! I had posted yesterday about my inner-child's wild imagination on facebook. You should be able to scroll down and find it. The post starts out like this:

Don't think I'm crazy, but...

Finally watched Mermaids: The Body Found on Animal Planet...
Denise Jaden said…
Thanks for hosting, Kim!

I've lost my inner child lately, so this is a good reminder. Fun. That's what my inner child used to bring to my writing. Hopefully I will find that again. I'm a bit overwhelmed in general lately--critiquing, beta reading, copyedits, plus my own revisions. I had hoped to be outlining something for NaNo by now, but apparently not!
Kim Baccellia said…
Candilynn,

LOL. My 12 year old watched that and ask, "Uh, mommy, are there really mermaids?"
Kim Baccellia said…
Denise,

I feel your pain. Copyedits. Ugh. A necessary part of writing but yeah I feel the same way with my own. Cyber hugs!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Ah, I'm so confused by the short work week - almost forgot about WIPMadness!

My niece is six and she discovers something cool about pretty much anything. I think we forget to really look around us as we get older.

Thanks for hosting this month!
Kim Baccellia said…
Jennifer,

I used to love that about teaching six-year-olds especially with the Fall. So much excitement over the new school year, the holidays, and just being at school. Sometimes I miss that. The enthusiasm of these kiddos!

Thanks for dropping in! Yes, it's been a crazy week with the holiday. Hope you get some #wipmadness writing in! It's been hard for me too!

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