Cathy C. Hall Writes

Just very quickly going to remind you that if you have a burning desire to win an essay contest, but you don’t want to pay an entry fee, you still have time to enter the annual Funds For Writers Essay contest (no fee). Of course, you can also enter the annual Funds for Writers Essay contest (fee) as long as you have five bucks and can finish your essay by midnight on October 31st. The theme for this year is “diligence” and so may I suggest that you diligently set your butt in the chair and get writing those 750 words (or less).

And if you’d like to get in on some online hobnobbing with agents, editors and other writers, you might want to zip over to this spot and sign up for the WAE Network (Writers, Agents and Editors). I don’t know much else about this network except that it’s launching soon.

Somehow, I thought it had something to do with Kelly Milner Halls. But when I zipped over to her website, I didn’t see anything about this new network. What I did see, and what THRILLED me to my toes, was her new book, In Search of Sasquatch.

As I happen to have a burning desire to meet Bigfoot (or a Bigfoot), I’ll be rather busy reading all the stuff on her site. But you all should probably start writing that FFW essay.

Oh, my Seussical stars! I am SO excited that I came across Picture Book Idea Month (beginning October 30th)over at Tara Lazar’s very clever blog!

See, I’ve done NaNoWriMo a couple times. Okay, I haven’t exactly completed the 50,000 words at NaNoWriMo, but I did get most of my YA book down, and from that NaNo starting point, I completed the book. I know that external motivation gives me the push to finish projects. And I’ve had a few inspirational nudges towards picture books in the last year. So, I’m ready for PiBoIdMo to give me the swift kick I need to produce picture book ideas.

On the other hand, I am right in the middle of writing a Middle Grade novel and I need to finish that project. So, here’s my plan: One hour per day on PiBoIdMo. I mean, all I have to do is come up with ideas, right? I can come up with an idea in an hour. Heck, I can come up with ten ideas in an hour.

They might be really stinky ideas. But I’ll worry about that little glitch later.

(P.S. Let me know if you’re participating and we’ll motivate each other as well, and I’ll be posting updates throughout November. Remember, you must SIGN UP by November 3 at Tara’s blog to be eligible for the prizes. And of course, all that motivation, too!)