Know It All

"Here's a question: do any other YA authors out there get asked if they have kids of their own? Because when I say no, I get this look..." - Claudia Gabel.

When Claudia* twittered this out, it got me thinking. "Write what you know" is a great way to tap into pure feelings and experience. You can explore real-life texture and detail from your own life. You can provide genuine emotion, and finally take advantage of some of the crap you’ve been through by spinning it into fiction. But you can also get tangled up. You can get set in, “But that’s not how it really happened,” and force your story to follow a narrower path. I’m a big believer in spring-boarding real feelings into new creations. It’s just that when I do it, I have to remind myself to balance what’s best for the story. Real life doesn’t always translate into believable fiction!

I say: whether you have kids, know kids, or were one (what feels like) two seconds ago, don’t let anyone give you the look! Have faith in your gut and your imagination, prepare an answer for the doubters, and do what feels right! Plus you know, if we had to wait for writers to write “what they know”, there’d be no Labyrinth, no Neverending Story, and not even a George’s Marvellous Medicine (I hope!)

Do you think that having kids is key to writing YA?
Do you write what you know?

(Or if it is true, and you have to have kids to write YA, and be in love to write about love, etc. Let’s not ask what’s happening over at Stephen King's place...!)

*Claudia is super-sweet, super-talented, and has an AMAZING new publishing deal. I was lucky enough to work with Claudia on my book The Jelly Bean Crisis, and can say without hesitation: she rocks! Yay Claudia - so excited to read Elusion and Etherworld!

Keep kicking ass!

Go Bagless (You Rebel!)

Toss on a tin-foil hat for an end-of-the-world party: are you an eco warrior? Do you compost? Recycle? Do Meatless Mondays? Walking Wednesdays?

There are a billion plastic bags choking up the planet, and that's just in NZ landfills. Hey, it's not like I'm totally eco-noid or anything. I drink fizzy drink (and recycle the bottles), I eat pizza (and compost the crusts), and I know that when I turn down a plastic bag, millions of others will probably take one.

But I love eco-initiatives that make me feel empowered, and I have to believe that every bag makes a difference. I don’t think feeling scarce, deprived or judgemental is going to make the world a better place. I can’t worry about melting ice or shrinking habitat, because it will keep me up at night. I can’t save the whole world.

But I can save mine. A billion plastic bags: one bag at a time.

July 3rd is International Plastic Bag Free Day - shop with reusable bags, or be a total rebel and go bagless!

...Wait, is it too late? Do you already have a whole drawer full of plastic bags in your kitchen? Don't worry! You can always recycle them as street art...



Keep kicking ass!

The Periodic Table... of Storytelling

Writers, film fans, TV lovers: prepare to fall head first into James Harris's Periodic Table of Storytelling. Seriously, have you seen this thing??!

http://computersherpa.deviantart.com/art/Periodic-Table-of-Storytelling-203548951?offset=70#comments

Described as a visual metaphor for TVtropes, this visual arts project has created conversation and controversy.

Gorgeous, intricate, and all kinds of clever, this has MADE my month. Oh, to have it on a t-shirt. (And to be someone who wears t-shirts :)).

You can use it to inspire or enhance your own plots, or just enjoy marinating around in other people's!

Everything is possible!

The Universe in a Year

Tens of millions of stars... searchable constellations...
Get ready for the Photopic Sky Survey!

Nick Risinger spent a year travelling with his cameras (and his father), photographing the starscape. "I worked my way through the sky, frame by frame, night after night."

The result? An interactive, zoomable image of the entire night sky.

37,000 images, laced together: our universe like never before.

"Frame by frame, night after night."
If Nick can capture the entire sky in a year, what can you do?

As well as totally blowing your mind (and freaking you out...), doesn't it make you feel like anything is possible???



Keep kicking ass!

Feel Good Words

Have you checked out Free Rice?
It's the addictive online vocabulary game that makes you feel good!

For every answer you get right, Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme to end hunger. Super cool!


Started: 2007
The current total? 91 255 368 390

Click to play...
Show off your vocab...
Learn new words...
Watch your donations grow... 

Win-win-win-win  - love that! :)


If you haven't been played before, woohoo - I get to introduce you*!
If you haven't played for a while, check out the new subjects - there's art, math, languages... brilliant!

You can boost the daily total right now! Go! 


*Apologies in advance to your WIP!

 Keep kicking ass!

You can quote me on that!

There it was.

A line from my blog, smiling out of a Twitter post at me. I got quoted!!!!

Here it is:

"Everything is possible. Stop talking about it. Start doing it"           ~ @JoleneStockman

People write for different reasons; to get rich, to get famous, to be able to work in their pyjamas, or just to get the shrieking voices out of their head...     I write because I want to make a difference*.

I love the idea that pieces of me are heading out into the world, bouncing around and sending out ripples... So for me, being quoted? Having someone (thank you Tony Riches!) enjoy my words enough to repeat them? Pfffoooar. That's AMAZING. That's a little piece of me out in the world. Yay!

So, how about you? Why do you write?

*...of course, I'm not denying the shrieking voices or the joy of a life in pyjamas... and I'm not turning down any of the other good stuff either... Making a difference is just my toe-tingliest intention!


Keep kicking ass!

Oh Why A-Z?

Looking for a way to kick-start your blogging? The A-Z challenge:

• Lights a fire. Nothing like a daily deadline to keep you moving!
• Lasers your focus. Suddenly the world starts filling with potential blog fodder ("Ooh, there's my X!" "Woohoo, W sorted!") 
• Helps you let go. Posts don't have to be perfect: just enthusiastic, spell-checked and you.

Thank you so much everyone for stopping by, commenting, and following :)
I posted more in April than I have posted... ever...! I love being a (more active) part of the blogosphere! You guys ROCK!

How was A-Z for me?

I've met some incredible people. Sweet, supportive, super smart :)
I've read some amazing blogs. Brave, honest, laugh-out-loud.
I've been inspired :)

Thank you to the organizers - I can't even imagine how much time you guys put in! Bring on A-Z 2012, it will come around quickly!

I'm especially stoked that I got such a great reaction to my posts World Domination and Zip It & Zoom. They are the closest to my book "Total Blueprint for World Domination". I love getting people excited about their world!


PS My most popular posts? Pooh and Ice Cream. Best we not think too hard about that :)


Keep kicking ass!