Errol Elumir's NaNoToons & NaNoWriMo farewell music video

Errol and I had a ton of fun doing comics for NaNoWriMo this past month! You can see Errol's farewell music video on the NaNoWriMo blog.

Comic: Serious Line Editing

Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein (Arthur Levine Books) has an excellent post about her 3-step line editing process: A Mid-Line-Edit Ramble e On Line-Editing.

Rights Of Writers: Can You Sell 1st Publication Rights To A Story Posted Online?

New York attorney Mark Fowler used to contribute an advice column to my e-mail newsletter for writers, Inklings. Now he has a blog of his own called Rights Of Writers, an excellent resource.

In his most recent post, he answers the question: “Can I sell first publication rights to a story I’ve already posted online?”

U.S. Thanksgiving NaNoToon for writers now online

The latest NaNotoon by Errol Elumir and yours truly is now online at the NaNoWriMo blog!

Comic: Writer On Thanksgiving

To all you Americans out there: Happy Thanksgiving!

Comic: What they're really thinking

To American writers out there: Happy Thanksgiving!

Errol's new music video: "NaNo Will Make A Scribe Out Of You"

Daily NaNoWriMo comics!

As I mentioned before, when Errol Elumir & I discovered that the official NaNoWriMo site was only posting our comics on a weekly basis rather than daily (which is fine, except we wish we could have known earlier :-)), we scrambled to find a way to provide comics on a daily basis.

So check out the Toronto NaNoWriMo site to find daily NaNoWriMo comics!

Cartoon Caption Contest for writers -- with prizes!

I've posted a cartoon caption contest over on Writer Unboxed.

Apologies for the lack of posts in the past week. I'm at a boardgaming convention in Texas right now (for fun AND work -- I'm writing a boardgaming book) and will be heading back home today.

NaNoToon archives: "You First"

More Nanotoons from the archives

Jane Austen's Fight Club

Too funny. :-) Thanks to Jeff for pointing this out.

Nanotoon comics from the archives

Looks like the NaNoWriMo blog is posting the comics that Errol and I created once a week instead of daily, so we'll be creating just two more comics for the NaNoWriMo site.

To satisfy those looking for daily NaNotoons, however, I'll be posting some comics from the archives as well as (possibly) creating some new ones to post here. :-)

Interview: Robert Lee Brewer & the Poem-A-Day (PAD) Chapbook Challenge

One of the creative challenges I've decided to take this month is Robert Lee Brewer's November PAD Chapbook Challenge, in which participants write a poem each day, based on a prompt. "During the month of November, don't worry so much about finished drafts; just get the rough drafts cranked out each day. After all, you've got December (and the rest of your life, for that matter) to edit.

It's been fun posting as well as reading other people's poems. Robert was kind enough to take some time out of poetry writing to answer a few questions...

What gave you the idea to start the PAD Challenges? (& how many have you had so far?)
 
We’re currently in the third annual November PAD Chapbook Challenge. Earlier this year, we finished the third annual April PAD Challenge. That’s where all the prompts and challenges started. I’m always trying to think of ways to help other poets—and inspiring them to write is just one way to do that. So I started offering a prompt a day (and two on Tuesdays) in April of 2008. That first challenge was so successful I started doing Wednesday Poetry Prompts each week. As we neared NaNoWriMo month in 2008, I started thinking that it would be neat to give poets a slightly different challenge while fiction writers work on their novels—so I challenged them to write a poem a day in the hopes of getting a 10-20 page chapbook together.
 
You must be so pleased with the response you've had! Every time I check in, SO many poets have posted! How have you found the experience so far?
 
I remember telling my wife (who I was dating at the time) that I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody participates that first year. Boy was I surprised when more than 100 poets jumped in the first day! And it’s only increased in popularity since. I’m the type of person who always hopes for success but expects failure. So I’m almost always pleasantly surprised by any type of success. The best part is that over time I’ve heard from many current and past PAD participants who have placed their PAD poems with various publications and even published whole collections. Plus, it’s amazing to hear that these challenges have either sparked an interest in poetry or brought poets back to their poeming ways!
 
What advice do you have for aspiring poets?
 
Read contemporary poets. Local poets if possible. Find them at literary festivals, open mics, readings, online, or wherever possible. Read online journals. Read anthologies and literary journals (at the library or bookstore). Of course, you must write too, but I find that the more poetry I read the better I feel about my own voice. Outside of that, read your poems aloud or have a friend do so for you. This really helps you figure out obvious flaws in the rhythm of your words.

 
What are your current/upcoming projects?
 
I currently have the November PAD Chapbook Challenge, the WD Poetic Form Challenge: Rondeau, and a challenge to create a new poetic form. In addition to poet interviews, craft advice and publishing tips, I’m usually trying to offer prompts and challenges for poets. At the moment, I’m also figuring out my plans for the 2012 editions of Poet’s Market and Writer’s Market. Plus, I’ve been submitting both individual poems and a few chapbook submissions of my own.
 
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
 
If anyone wants to tweet poetic on Twitter, there are a few different hashtags available to poets. On Tuesdays, they can use #poettues. Throughout the week, poets use #poettalk to share links, poems and poetic quips. @32poems hosts a #poetparty every Sunday evening from 9-10 p.m. ET. And, #novpad is the hashtag of choice for poets who are pushing through the November PAD Chapbook Challenge. Outside of that, thank you so much for the interview. It was fun!
 

Inkygirl Haven mentioned in The Second Life Enquirer

Recently, I mentioned that Jilly Kidd had generously donated some space for me to set up a display of my work as well as a children's book writer & illustrator resource center on Second Life.

The Second Life Enquirer recently profiled The London School Of Journalism's virtual space station, and I got mentioned. :-) The quote:

Inkygirl Omizu: This RL writer and cartoonist has a lovely display of her work, resources for children's writers, beautifully designed free furniture and items for writers and readers, and desks with writing animations if you'd like to sit and work in her compartment.

Yay! RL, by the way, is short for "Real Life" (as opposed to SL = Second Life).

For those not familiar with Second Life, "Inkygirl Omizu" is my avatar name. Anyway, feel free to check out the article for a description of some of the other LSJ resources for writers. My display is on the second floor.

Comic: Daylight Savings Procrastination

Children's writers and illustrators on Second Life

For those on Second Life, I have an area on the London School Of Journalism space orb devoted to resources for children's writers and illustrators. Many thanks to Jilly Kidd for her generous donation of ad-free space!

After I took the screenshot above this morning, I dropped by the Milk Wood Writers' Dash to see who was up and writing already. The Milk Wood events are for ALL writers, not just those who write for children:

If you're on SL, feel free to add me ("Inkygirl Omizu") as a friend. I have landmarks to both of the places above in my Profile Picks.

New comic for writers on Writer Unboxed

Just posted a new comic over on Writer Unboxed for writers called You May Be Luckier Than You Think.

Yay! Comics are up on the NaNoWriMo site now...

http://www.nanowrimo.org/nanotoons

(and more are coming)