A writer’s ultimate goal is to connect.

… with the reader

… with a topic

… with a place, era or event.

Many writers accomplish this goal of connecting, through the lives of their characters. The words on the page are ink made flesh and suddenly, through the characters’ actions, quirks, mannerisms, dreams, appearances and dialogue readers can connect. As the writers of this book state in the introduction: “We read to connect with characters who provide entertainment and whole trials may at meaning to our own life journeys.” But creating this connection is no easy feat.

The single best took I have found to help me in this endeavor is The Emotional Thesaurus, created by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, the two brainiacs behind the website Writers Helping Writers. This book (as well as the others in the series) have been my number one recommended writing book for the past five years. I bring them to every writing retreat and my students can tell you they show up in class at least once a semester.

I recently had the honor of reviewing Angela and Becca’s newest release, The 2nd Edition of the The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. This edition even is bigger and better than the original. While reading, I experienced a full range of emotions myself. Let me recall them for you here and now.

Today on my blog I am going to give you a run down of my favorite books from the past year as well as a list of books I can’t wait to read in the year ahead. This is my second post of recommendations for the year. You can check out a few other titles I shared in my Summer Reading Round Up, here.

**Note, not all of the titles mentioned for 2018 were published in 2018. The same goes for my 2019 list. These books are listed because they are GREAT (or I anticipate them to be) and organized in this fashion based on when I discovered them.**

If you are a close friend or even someone I just happened to bump into at the Y, I apologize if you’ve already heard me profess my love for these books. If you’d like a quick recap of my favorites or are looking to add to your own list of books to read, read on…

The very first number one song on the Billboard Pop Charts for 2019 was High Hopes by Panic at the Disco. This feels a bit serendipitous for me, because I had recently chosen it as my new theme song. The lyrics of the song speak to dreaming big dreams. Brenden Urie sings of the power of hope and positivity and making it despite the odds. Even if you are strange or weird or your dream seems wild and unattainable to the rest of the world. A true American dream anthem. (The tune is catch as hell too, so it’s got that going for it as well!)

In the past week I’ve had a few nights plagued by terrible dreams. No matter how irrational the sequence of events, I always awake legitimately afraid. To ensure that the nightmare does not continue the second I close my eyes, I must be fully awake, without a trace of the bad dream in my mind. Often to succeed in this effort I will distract myself by thinking about something positive.

Many years ago, I would mentally plan my office space, trying out different furniture and color schemes in my mind. I would imagine myself writing in grand and cozy spaces and day dream about the time when I could write as my primary professional purpose. That space is now completed and when I resigned from full time teaching last spring, I made my five year plan my reality.  So, this week I was left wondering, what thoughts should occupy my night time day dreams now?

What should my new five-year plan look like?

For the past month my friend Christy and I have been sharing one holiday book a day on our Facebook pages. It has been a great way to celebrate both the festive spirits of the season and also our love of books.

Maybe you missed our posts? Or are looking to fill your shelves with great books to read this time next year? Perhaps you just aren’t ready for the Christmas season to be over? Or maybe you have a bunch of Amazon gift cards burning a hole in your pocket?

Either way, I’ve listed all of the books for you below. I hope you enjoy these holiday favorites! Happy holidays and happy reading! Merry Christmas from your favorite word nerd! <3, Amanda

There are many books I am embarrassed to say that I have never read. 

Growing up I was never on the honors track. I take that back. I was in “Gifted and Talented” programming in elementary school and the top reading group in 5th grade. But when you enter the abyss of middle school, the cavernous black hole of hormones and social hierarchy, differentiation and special programming cease to exist (even today!). And college prep and the advanced courses of high school have yet to start. Somehow, I fell through the cracks. 

As a middle school and high school student, I felt like school was mostly a way to pass the time until I could get to gymnastics practice, which I attended mostly year-round. I wasn’t a bad student, but in the gym I was surrounded by friends and could spend my time doing what I was really good at, and what I truly loved.

As an education major right out of the gate, most of my college work was focused on elementary level texts, Cognitively Guided Instruction math classes and a smattering of science and social studies courses. I began my Master’s degree shortly after attaining my undergraduate, and so my single adolescent lit course at UWEC counted as an elective in my new degree.

Don’t worry about me. I got a perfectly fine public education. A great one even. I’m mentioning my education background to make the point that I wasn’t destined for a literary life. Instead of reading from a required list of pre-selected titles, I created my own literary landscape.

I’ve been asked many times if there would be a sequel to Emmy’s chocolaty adventures in Duluth and now I can happily say, YES! Today, I want to give you, my loyal blog readers, a chance to take a sneak peek.

This book has been so much fun to write and I can’t wait to share it with you. Champion Chocolatier: Reality Bites will be available for sale in early February. You can email me if you’d like to put yourself on the pre-order list.

Below you will find the first chapter, but if you want even more behind the scenes action, you can check out a few of my previous blog posts on the topic HERE and HERE. I will be celebrating the release of this book with a big ol’ fancy party at Le Chateau Restaurant in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. You can find more details about the event HERE and HERE.

And now, with out any further adieu, I proudly present…

Over the past year, the state of Nebraska has launched a new tourism slogan. “Honestly, it’s not for everyone.” In a world dominated by twisted truths and false advertising I find their candor refreshing. I also find their marketing campaign phrase could accurately describe the life of a writer.

The life of a writer can be hard, and solitary, and populated with more paper and ink that people. Being a writer means purposefully subscribing to a life of working and waiting. Rejection, writer’s block, maddening plot holes … And honestly, it’s not for everyone. Despite its challenges, the writing life is one I love. It is one I am fighting tooth and nail to not only be a part of, but to be successful in.

For me, the working and waiting and all the struggles I mentioned above are worth it. If I get to spend my days creating stories that entertain, educate, and engage readers… then it’s worth it. I enjoy the solo hours in my writing office just as much as I enjoy my meetings with my critique group. I love reading and the physical act of committing words to paper. I love being creative and thinking through the obstacles of made up people and the situations I put them into. Plain and simple, being a writer makes me happy.

Even though this life may not be appealing to everyone, I want to share with you the events of last Saturday. Every once and a while, I get to do somethings, that even those of the nonliterary persuasion find… magical.

On Saturday, I had an amazing literary day.

I wrote nearly 20,000 words in the first three weeks of November. 42 single spaced pages written in 11 pt. font. It is about half the length of my current work in progress, a romantic comedy novella… the sequel to my first book for adults. I feel pretty darn good about that accomplishment.

I was able to manage this feat through the use of two strategies, and I want to tell you about them, so you can replicate my success.

The first thing I did was create a loose outline. I talked more about this process in a previous blog post that you can check out… but basically I took a stack of note cards, wrote one possible story event on each card and then arranged (and rearranged) the cards until I was happy.

Then, it was time to sit down and write. Because I have a tight (self-imposed) deadline for my current work in progress, I knew I couldn’t sit down and wander through my story. I needed to get the words on the page and fast. So, I decided to try a writing sprint.

What is a writing sprint?

November is Gratitude month. If you’ve been on Facebook at all recently, you may have seen your friends’ gratitude posts. These conscientious friends are participating in an experiment put together by The Grateful Planet Facebook Page.

To participate in the experience is simple. Each day in November, publicly state one thing in your life for which you feel grateful.  According to NationalCalendarDay.com “Gratitude’s amazing powers have the ability to shift us from focusing on the negative to appreciating what is positive in our lives.”

I haven’t been playing along on a daily basis, but on the eve of the day our country gives thanks, I find myself truly grateful for a lot of things.

One year ago today I was drafting a piece I titled Roadkill. My life was ugly and messy and unhappy. As I sit here today I couldn’t be further from that place if I woke up and found myself suddenly in Timbuktu. To celebrate, I am shouting out my gratitude one blessing at a time, one for each day in November.

I’m at the beginning stages of a new novel project. If you follow my blog or Facebook page  at all, you already know that I am hard at work on the sequel to Champion Chocolatier. And while I don’t want to give away too much info… I am willing to share that in this book Emmy will travel to North Carolina and gets to spend time at the Biltmore Estates – the largest privately-owned home in the United States.

In the writing world, novelists typically live in one of two camps… either among the plotters or the pansters.

A plotter…

is a writer who strategically maps out what is going to happen in their story before they begin writing it. Whether through outlines or a story map, this writer charts the course of their story and before they even begin chapter one, know what is going to happen in the beginning, middle and end of their book.

Despite what your time in middle school might have taught you, a pantser in the writing world is not someone who runs around pulling down people’s pants.

A writer who is a panster is…

someone who flies by the seat of their pants. They let their story blow and flow wherever the wind (and characters’ desires) take them.

To learn a few pros and cons of each of these writing strategies, you can click HERE and HERE.

Up until recently I have spent most of my time in the pantser camp.

Today’s blog post is in the form of a graphic essay. What the heck is that?

Not to brag, but my third grader could tell you. He recently stayed in from recess (his choice!) to work on his personal graphic narrative. In this case, graphic doesn’t mean gruesome or explicit. (Although I’m certain there was farting in my son’s story.) Graphic means pictures are involved. For Kam, this meant telling a story as a comic. It’s a real thing. I’m telling it true!

Occasionally you hear of authors scraping entire manuscripts or making massive, time sucking changes. Maybe it was the need to switch from third person close POV to first. Or perhaps they decided to cut a character or start from an entirely different place. I had heard of cases like this and seen the frustrating and emotional social media posts. I had read the authors notes in which the writer bemoans the number of drafts and thanks their editor and significant other for tirelessly supporting them when they didn’t think they were going to live to see the other side of the project.

But like an idiot I thought “that will never happen to me”. It was not an intentionally arrogant thought. I did not think I was better than these other authors, I just… I don’t know… didn’t think I’d be willing to throw away hours, months, or even years of work.

Call it karma or the boomerang effect, if you will, but I’m currently finding myself in the very place I’d never thought I’d be.

Guilty pleasure (defined): an activity one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard or is seen as unusual or weird.

Most people use the term guilty pleasure in connection to the entertainment industry, but the majority of my guilty pleasures are consumables… Pop Tarts, Diet Pepsi, and in the fall… candy corn.

If you were a fly on the wall in my office, kitchen, living room or car it would not take you long to discover that I am fairly regimented in my daily routines. I try, at all times, to maximize my own efficiency in hopes that there will be just a little more time to do x, y or z.

This is why protein smoothies are my favorite lunch. I can easily eat-drink my meal during my daily commute to teach my 12:40 Intro to College Writing class. I’d be fine if we cut cable because I rarely watch TV and I make grocery lists to avoid extra trips to Target.

I also usually select my reading and listening material base on what it will provide me, and often times, ENTERTAINMENT, does not top the list.

I know that I’m behind the times on the topic that I’m going to talk about. I know that my sister and cousins (all younger than me) have been doing for years what I’m about to suggest. I know that other writers in my critique group have also discovered this wonderful medium as well, so I’m late to the party. But now that I’m here, I’m so glad I came.

What on earth am I talking about?

Podcasts.

Last weekend I attended one of my favorite word nerd events of the year. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Fall Retreat! Three jam-packed days of fun, professional development, networking opportunities and books. Books, books, books… so many books.

It’s easy to see why this is one of my happy places, but just in case my reasoning isn’t 100% transparent, I thought I’d spell it out. Are you ready to learn more about this incredible international literary organization? Then read on.

I’ve been writing on my blog for quite a long time now. I’ve been celebrating Writing Wednesday since February 2016 to be exact. This is post #97! And you know what? I’m really proud of it. It’s got a lot of great content and it looks good. But you know what makes me sad? That so far, it isn’t as far reaching as I’d like! I could put literary gold up on the site, but if there is no one there here to read it… its value diminishes.

That’s why I’ve taken extra steps to make it even easier to access. Last week, with the help of my business coach Chynna Haas from 29Rebel, I added a subscription service to my blog. Just sign up HERE and each Wednesday when I post, my helpful and motivating words will arrive, almost as if by magic, to your inbox.

I’ve also done a round up of a few posts I think you might be interested in… that you may have missed over the last two years. First up? My most popular blog posts ever!

I’ll start with the first one, which came from the book Steal Like an Artist., by Austin Kloen. I know there are some people who would consider me boring, and I guess I probably wouldn’t argue. Maybe that’s why I’ve never really had trouble with getting work done. I’ll confess, this summer, surrounded by fun options and people who do not have to go to work or school… being productive proved a little more difficult. I often felt stressed that work wasn’t getting done, or guilty that I wasn’t hanging out with my family. I knew that situation was temporary, and now that the school year has started, I’m ready to set my vacations and afternoons at the pool to the side and be super productive (and boring) again.

But I’m still in uncharted territory. For the first time in my life, my professional hours are not dictated by a strict bell schedule.