And really, I am the Queen of Summer Breaks. But I also know that too long of a break from writing and my brain gets mushy. I can’t remember what my manuscript was all about, and my creative idea juices sort of dwindle to a trickle. So I work–but I break up my routine.

Which brings me to the topic I discussed over at the Muffin today: taking writing classes. Sometimes, a class is just what a writer needs to get excited, to get new ideas, to break old habits, to mix up the routine. And goodness, there are an awful lot of writing classes!

I came across this Write Now! Mastermind class the other day and had to read the details twice. Free? Really? That’s a pretty sweet deal. But honestly, there are sweet deals like that going on every day in the writing world. And maybe the summer is the perfect time to rev up your writing life with a fun class.

So do something for yourself this summer. I know it’s sounds crazy, but you’ll feel great, putting your brain to work during the break!

You remember the Not Your Mother’s Book series, right? There are so many of these titles–on moms, cats, golf, RV’s–well, it’s just a smorgasbord of subjects is what it is. If you can’t find a subject to write about then you’re not looking.

And if you’re not writing to submit, then you’re not going anywhere. So how about you pick a title and write a story? Whip out a first draft while you’re sitting in the van, waiting for baseball practice to end. Pen a story instead of watching TV. Make an outline in your head while you’re washing your hair.

Then edit and polish and submit. Make the time to work on it, little by little, till you have a story that’s good to go. It’s important that you write to submit because you’ll write better, knowing that someone else will be reading your work. Not the someone elses in your critique group (though a critique group can be tougher than an editor!). Not your loving mate. Not your friends. Not even your mother.

Send out your story to an editor. Because it’s the little steps along the way that train you up as a writer. Sort of like a mom training up a kid in the way she hopes that kid will go.

My mom did a pretty good job, training me up. Maybe I’ll finish that story before I go, after all.

I don’t have a horse in this race, as the expression goes, but I’m still excited to hear about the Children’s Choice Book Awards, 2013. Any minute today, they’ll post those titles, and I’ll take a few minutes to dream about my books and the what ifs that might follow…

Of course, first I have to deal with a little sticky wicket I call “publishing.” So, Tip One:

Book Publishers Accepting Submissions by Location

I can’t say for sure if a regional publisher is an easier sell. But I can say that this list of publishers are accepting submissions (unlike bigger publishers who only accept agented submissions). A local publisher may be a perfect fit for your proposal or manuscript, particularly if your book has a regional bent.

And Tip Two comes from one of my very favorite authors, Margaret Atwood. She shared her Ten Rules of Writing Fiction. Because before I can get my book published, I have to write the best book my brain can bust out. So I particularly liked Rule Ten:

10. Prayer might work. Or reading ­something else. Or a constant visual­isation of the holy grail that is the finished, published version of your resplendent book.

So, yeah. We’re back to publishing. And if I’m going to write and pray and visualize, I might as well dream big.

Like the Children’s Choice Book Awards. (You get a trophy, right?)

And even though I don’t have a clutch of kids hanging about my house these days, I do have the Beneficent Mr. Hall, who has been a muse for many a piece of writing. Including this (ridiculously appropriate for today) poem.

                                             Taking Out the Trash

                        It was just ‘round the time when kids fall asleep,

                        And fathers plop down in soft chairs.

                        With dishwashers running, and TVs a-humming,

                        As mothers tread soft on the stairs.

                        “Did you take out the trash?” she asked with a smile,

                        She doubted he’d gotten right to it.

                        “Ten minutes,” he said, never turning his head.

                        Why rush around now and do it?

                        She picked up the gym clothes, the games and the books.

                        She put everything back in its place.

                        He sprawled on his seat, with his two propped-up feet,

                        A look of sheer bliss on his face.

                        She packed all the lunches, wrote checks, stamped the bills,

                        Fed the dog, even cleaned the fish bowl.

                        He cheered on his team, with a whoop and a scream.

                        “The trash, please!” she begged. His eyes rolled.

                        “Okay,” he replied to the tone in her voice,

                        With a sidelong glance at the mother.

                         “I can never relax,” he said, stating the facts.

                         “It’s just one thing after another!”

And because I can never get enough of how-to-write books (as you know by now if you read my WOW! post), I’m adding Jessica Bell’s Adverbs and Cliches in a Nutshell to the queue. Partly because of this lovely review by Margo Dill. But also because there’s a special WOW! deal going on now.

But you already know that if you’re a subscriber to WOW! Women on Writing. And if you’re not subscribed then quit reading right now and do it.

(Did that come off a little bossypants? I felt like it might be a little bossypants. I’m not going to change it, mind you. Just wanted you to know that I know. And when I finish reading all these books, I’m going to know even more.

Wow. It’s kinda scary, right?)

“It doesn’t sound too bad.”

I love that setup. Because what follows is such a great story. I’m working on a manuscript now that makes me think of THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

And here’s what I think, in my secret thoughts: I want to write a book as good as William Goldman’s THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

I do a lot of re-writing because…well, I’m not William Goldman. But that’s okay. I have a goal, a standard, if you will, that I hold my work to.

And sometimes, on a really good day with my manuscript, it doesn’t sound too bad.

(Bet you have a book like that, too. Want to share your secret? I won’t tell anyone. Promise.)

I hope Messrs. Lerner and Lowe won’t mind me switching up their lyrics, but I needed something amazing to convey just how ridiculously excited I am about Brenda Novak’s Online Auction for Diabetes Research. And honestly, nothing says out-of-control like Cathy singing really, really loud and clicking on auction items she can’t afford.

Writers can find a veritable smorgasbord of goodies to bid on, from critiques to cover endorsements to author dinner dates. But it’s not all about writing, or even book giveaways. It’s like going on a treasure hunt over there! Gift baskets, jewelry, handmade clothing, prints and art and…well, SO much more. I’m just a big fan of this auction!

I’m a big fan of diabetes research, too. Thanks to strides in diabetes management, my wonderful big brother lives a wonderful life. So I’m happy to support Brenda’s cause. And snagging an auction item along with it?

Better than Julie singing “The Lusty Month of May” at full volume. (Oh, geez. Here I go again…TRA LA, IT’S MAY, THE LUSTY MONTH OF MAY!)

Now don’t go reading anything into that omission, friends. The Beneficent Mr. Hall is the Benefactor of the Feast over here and keeps me in the style to which I have accustomed myself. And other than expecting me to fix the feast on a semi-regular basis, he doesn’t ask much.

Which is a very good thing, on account of the fact that when I’m writing, I’m not good for much. I wrote and submitted two stories for Married Life and both were included in the book. The editors were looking for stories about fun, family and wedded bliss, and I guess both of my stories fit the bill.

As April marks the 33rd anniversary of our wedded…well, sure, let’s call it bliss, I decided to feature that book over on the sidebar.

And since The Beneficent Mr. Hall played a prominent role in both stories, I should thank him for the inspiration.

(But I kept the bucks–and spent it all on writing. Wheee for me!)

April 23rd was Shakespeare’s birthday, and as I’m a HUGE fan of the bard, I thought I’d do something to commemorate his special day.

But it’s also Friday, and nothing says fun like good old Andy Griffith. So here’s to you, Will Shakespeare! And here’s to Romeo and Juliet!

Okay, fine. I suppose great  minds think alike and all that. And it’s a fine article, too, that also proves that many agents think alike when it comes to novel beginnings. Certain openings come up again and again–and that, my writer friends, is not a good thing. You want an agent to read page one and find something different and engaging. So if your novel opens with an agent’s pet peeve, I’d strongly recommend that you revise.

Of course, there are exceptions. And maybe you’ve written the exceptional trite beginning that works. Submit at your own risk, friends.

Which brings me to my next topic. When I read Lovely Lisa’s post today about romance, it reminded me that I’d come across a romance opportunity that might appeal to my readers/writers who haven’t written novels but who have (or could whip out) a romantic short story.

Crimson Romance (an imprint from F & W Media) is looking for stories in the 5,000 to 10,000 word range on holiday themes and sports themes. I know a couple writers who were published in the romance anthology, Fifty Shades of Santa. But for those of you whose stories weren’t accepted, here’s a great opportunity to try again for publication.

Or maybe you want to try your hand at romance-writing for the very first time. A short story is a good place to start. Just don’t start with one of those bad beginnings that agents don’t like.

I mean, it’s not called Wednesday’s What NOT To Do for nothing.