DAY 3
Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?
I admire Dr Seuss! Who else can make even the grumpiest of adults laugh at the absurd, rhyming stories. My son used to love Dr Seuss books. We read some of the so many times, we had them memorized. Just thinking about those silly rhyming stories bring a sense of calm over me. We always used to read them before bed.
Janet Evanovich is my favorite “adult” fiction author. I love her fresh sense of humor, details, great dialogue and fun characters. I would really love to meet Ranger! Humor is a great escape for me from everyday life. The action, humor and romance keeps me turning the pages, book after book.
My writing mentors belong to a yahoo group called the Grading Pens. They have stuck with me from the very beginning, encouraging me every step of the way. They not only critiqued my potential published creations, they supported me emotionally through their kind words of encouragement. Barb Bockman, the admin and creator of Grading Pens, will always be my favorite writing mentor.
DAY 4
How do the things you read impact your writing? What do you love to read? What do you avoid reading at all costs? How would your writing change if you read more of the things you typically avoid?
I love to read children’s books, chapter books and picture books. Of course, I am kind of sad that my son is too old for a Dr. Seuss marathon. I read the books he’s reading to keep up with what’s popular these days. I find myself writing stories are articles for books that my son would read at his age now. He is my number one critic. He is also a wealth of imagination. When I get stuck, my character can’t decide what to do next, we read my story out loud, and he always has a few amazing ideas that I try out.
I love to read Christian Fiction. I recently found Chop, Chop by Leanne Cronk and The Mr. Right Series. Both are for tweens and teens, notice a trend in my reading choices? I think it’s very important for girls especially, to have self-esteem and self confidence to stay true to their faith.
I avoid reading historical fiction and westerns at all costs. I think my stories would gain a little bit of historical background if I read more about history. I tend to write in present day, but my writing could be expanded if I knew more and wanted to know more about important things in history.
Until tomorrow!
