Part of the writing process is experimenting. Writers differ on their opinions about outlining–some love it, some hate it, and some are mixed. The decision to outline is a personal one. You need to determine what works best for you. Some writers cannot write without an outline, while others like to jump in and “see what happens.” Some will have the plot up to a certain point, and then write the ending as it comes, not forcing it to go one way or the other. In contrast, some writers start from the ending and work backward to ensure that all the pieces are there that lead up to the end. (This works particularly well with mysteries or stories that have some type of surprise ending.)

Keep in mind that outlines DO tend to change, as do characters as you write more and get to know them better. Yes, characters are known for taking on lives of their own. Many people find that it is best to let the character lead them, as trying to force a character to do something that is not in his or her nature simply does not work (and leads to rewriting it all anyway). Again, it is a personal preference. As you saw with the character profiles, there are several ways to get to know your characters.

An outline does not have to be the standard formats you may remember from school. There are many different ways to visually plot your story. Many writers use sticky notes, or colored note cards, as these can be moved around as needed to show plot progression. Others use spreadsheets with each character or thread listed down the side, and the plot lines across the top. I like to use a big roll of butcher paper. I plot the story across the top, for as long (literally) as it takes on the paper. I then list the actions underneath each chapter or primary scene. This is just a larger version of the spreadsheet. I also use a lot of colored Sharpie pens. And of course, there’s a traditional outline format. If you “Google” outline, you will find lots of examples.

Remember that writing involves a lot of rewriting, no matter if you use a detailed outline and notes or if you “wing it.” Keeping this in mind may help you feel more relaxed about letting things change as they need to so that the story can evolve as it needs to, while allowing required events to remain in place so that your ending makes sense when you (and your readers) arrive.

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When our first child was born, my wife and I visited a local company that specialized in baby proofing products and devices for the home. The consultants there made great suggestions and recommended a number of products that were not only reliable but actually “safer” than most common brands. The company is no longer in business, but we kept many of the devices in place since we knew we were going to have another child some day.

I remember speaking with the baby proofing consultants. If I had implemented everything they recommended, I could easily have spent thousands of dollars to completely baby proof our house. But my bank account and common sense told me that I only really needed to focus on the areas of the house where the baby would spend the most time.

Since we spend most of our time in the family room, that’s the room that got the most focus. The glass coffee table had to go. I put rubber bumpers around the fireplace and glass TV stand and used plastic plugs in all the open electrical outlets. Other than that, we put away breakable or fragile items, installed cabinet locks in the kitchen and bathrooms, and made sure the nursery had similar precautions installed. We also moved any furniture that a baby could possibly tip over onto himself.

Since our second child is now walking, we have been revisiting my baby proofing, and I recently ran across Baby-Safe Beanbag Coffee Tables via West Elm on the Coochinoos site.

At first glance these tables looked very inviting, but the cost caused me to think twice. The tables would be safer than a wooden or plastic coffee table for anyone with a walking infant in the house. But the downside would be that you couldn’t put anything on one of them. All it would take is one bump from the baby and your items would go flying off onto the floor.

So I highly recommend that parents use common sense and find products or devices that will work for their own family situation. They should also consider the habits of their own infant. Our first born never really got into anything we proofed for him, but our second child has a mission to touch any and every thing he sees.

Look around, do your own research. Visit other families with children and see what works for them. Below are a few websites that I found helpful and you might, too.

Baby Proofing Your Home
http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/babyprf.htm

How to Baby Proof Your Home for the first 12 Months
http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/article-topics.php?Article_ID=2122

Childproofing Your Home - 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/grand/12steps/12steps.html

Lea Schizas is a multi-published author and award-winning editor of two Writer’s Digest 101 Top Web Sites. Between her writing projects, editing services, mentoring (or as many of us whom have had the privilege of connecting with Lea our “mother-hen”) writers’, networking, etc., her vast array of projects would exhaust anyone looking in from the outside. That said, I am elated and honored to share with you the perceptive and captivating interview with Lea.

Donna McDine: What or who inspires you to write?

Lea Schizas: I’ve joked on several interviews that I mistook my umbilical cord as a cool writing implement and that’s how my writing career began. In all honesty, it was my dad’s love for the penned word that set me on my path. As a young girl I remember hearing dad’s speeches at weddings, meetings, get-togethers, and how he captivated the audience with his words.

Along with dad’s talent, it was my collection of comic books that really moved me to write. I loved the cliff-hanging endings, pushing me to buy the next comic book to find out what was going to happen. And that is exactly how I set up each of my chapter endings, thanks to comic books.

DMc: Where do you work? What is your ideal writing environment?

LS: I’ve worked wherever I can get peace and quiet, alone time with my laptop. Right now I’m in a corner in my living room. The ideal writing environment would be my own office, where I can close the door to the yapping of my five kids and friends, to have my own shelves in front of me with my stack of writing books instead of having them spread throughout the house. But, this is one lesson writers need to adapt to – writing whenever and wherever you can, regardless of your surroundings. So, I’ve adapted quite nicely.

DMc: How many hours do you devote to writing and how long does it take you to write a book?

LS: Donna, I am involved with many writing commitments so I work looonnng hours on my laptop. My day usually starts at 6:30am and doesn’t finish until midnight strikes. Now, I do clean, cook, and all the other motherly things so my time isn’t spent leaning over my laptop constantly.

Each day I devote to moving my own writing and editing forward, and then give one or two other writing aspects (updating sites/blogs, preparing zines/newsletters/reviews) my devotion as well. This slows down the time to complete my own work but I can safely say that I can finish three books in a year.

DMc: What do you most enjoy about the creative process? Are your characters based on people in your life?

LS: I enjoy the freedom of no fear. What do I mean by that? I don’t fear being locked up in a nuthouse for stepping into my characters shoes while penning their stories. I become a teen with visions of past murders; an alien who finds himself tried for treason; a girl who discovers she is a princess to this whole new world she never knew existed. Writing allows you an escape, along with your reader, to leave your own safe domain and live another person’s life. This exhilaration can’t be felt in another profession as it is felt by those who write.

My characters are not based per say on anyone in my life but each do possess characteristics of family members. By keeping it ‘in the family’ it’s easier for me to flesh out their personalities, reactions and actions, to their fullest potential. And it doesn’t matter if my characters are human or animals; characters need to ‘feel’ real.

DMc: Do your characters crowd your conscious and sub-conscious thoughts? If yes, does it become difficult to keep them quiet?

LS: In my previous answer, I wrote that I step into my character’s shoes so my answer would be yes, they do crowd my conscious and sub-conscious thoughts. How can they not? Until their story is finished, they are my buddies, telling me where they want to go, what they want to do. Some who are in a series have started their own blog, and quite popular as a matter of fact. They’ve now jumped out of my head and communicating with readers. And this is what it’s all about- leaving a memorable impression on your reader, connecting them to your characters.

DMc: Please provide us with a glimpse into your current project.

LS: I have one big project that needs thought to successfully pull it off.

It is my upcoming re-release, “Rock Kingdom” with Tiger Publications. It is the first in a series of books based within the land of Rock Kingdom. This is an unusual piece of work for me in the sense the villain is given as much attention as the main character, Alexandra Stone, a young teenager who discovers she is the princess to this whole new world her parents kept from her for a reason. The villain has a dilemma, and in each book not only will I offer glimpses into his past life to discover this ‘dilemma’ but also offer the panoramic portrait of Rock Kingdom, each book hosted in a different part within this world. So I am mapping out each book, each area holding a purpose and revealed secret to the ‘villain’, and introducing new citizens of Rock Kingdom along with the regular cast of characters in the whole series.

But this isn’t the only book I’m fleshing out. I have eight books in the works right now and each one is given equal time for me to complete. Every book needs to stamp its mark into a reader so I try not to rush anything.

DMc: What do you find to be more challenging: editing other writers’ manuscripts or developing your own?

LS: I don’t have a hard time developing my ideas into penned words, nor the editing stage. I do have a hard time figuring out if I’m objective enough and deleted inconsequential passages to the fullest extend. That is why a critique partner or an editor comes in handy. We need another pair of eyes to catch things we are too involved with to see.

I have absolutely no difficulty editing other manuscripts because I am totally objective to this work and can spot plot holes, passive writing, weak dialogue easier than its creator.

DMc: Do you maintain your numerous websites on your own? Or do you have assistance?

LS: I’ve been accused of being twins, possessing a magical wand, or totally nuts. I agree with their last sentiment. I have no assistance. I do them all as I wrote earlier, devoting/splitting my time each day to one or two projects besides my writing and editing. I always say determination and perseverance are two qualities a writer must possess in order for them to complete their projects. Passion has to be, however, within you, as well, and I do possess passion for the written word.

DMc: What do you do when you’re not writing?

LS: Editing, reading…oh, you mean ‘out of the writing sense’. Hmm…play with my three-year-old dog, Daisy. She’s in one of my books, naturally. Go to the movies, visit Chapters for a good book (they must think I’m the owner with the amount of times I visit), garden, or sit outside and do absolutely nothing. Rare but it happens.

DMc: What has been the most memorable experience in your writing career?

LS: Besides being published, there are many memorable experiences in my career but two stand out for me. Kathe Gogolewski, a MuseItUp member and dear cyber friend, surprised me for the Muse’s second year anniversary. She went behind my back and contacted several writers I know and they made a tribute to me, each writing a small thank you as to how I touched their writing life in her site, www.tri-studio.com It wasn’t the tribute nor the thank yous that touched me than the fact they went to the trouble of doing something special for me. This meant the world to me.

The other total surprise was when I met with another Muser, Shelagh McNally, at a café here in Montreal and she presented me with a plant and a very special card that I treasure to this day. It was from all the writers in the first anthology project I set up, co-authored, edited and had published by Double Dragon Publishing, “The Muse On Writing”- http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonwriting. These writers live all over the world but each one signed, wrote a special note to me, then sent it off to the next person to sign until it came to me. We’re talking this card went around the world until it finally came into my possession. And I had no clue. Again, this gesture, I can’t tell you what it meant and continues to mean to me.

My parents taught me that you never do something if you are expecting thanks. You do what you can for others within your means and time constraint. And that’s what I do so whenever an email of thanks comes my way, or the above two gestures, these are my favorite toppings to add with my ice cream. They move me to pay it forward to the next writer.

Thank you, Donna, for the wonderful questions and opportunity to meet your readers.

Visit Lea Schizas at her website.

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Donna McDine’s publishing credits include Stories for Children Magazine, Stories for Children Newsletter, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Once Upon A Time Magazine, and a pending non-fiction article for Boys’ Quest Magazine. She’s also a children’s book reviewer for Musing Our Children Group, The National Writing for Children Center, and Stories for Children.

How many times during the summer months have you heard your children say, “I don’t want to read right now”?

If you’re like me and many other parents, you’ll do anything to avoid those words from being said. Besides, you want summer reading to be fun. But where do you start? Well, here are some tips for parents.

1. Learn all you can about how children learn to read. Reading is taught differently today than it was when some of us were children. Find out how children learn to read and become familiar with strategies used to help children with reading at this PBS website www.readingrocket.org.

2. Follow your children’s lead by doing what interests them. Children are curious. They love to discover new things. Make reading all about discovery. Search for Reading is Fundamental activities for ages K-8 at www.rif.org.

3. Read a book that’s now a children’s movie. Start with your local library’s children’s book and movie list. Check out other library lists on the internet at www.publiclibraries.com.

4. Read about the people, places, or things your family will visit. Take a virtual field trip (www.virtual-fieldtrips.com) of famous historical or geographical sites, or sites from popular works of literature. Or, before you go on your real vacation, visit your summer vacation spot on the internet. Print off any free children’s stories, articles, or coloring pages to read before you go, or in route to your destination.

5. Let your children catch YOU reading. Children tend to gravitate toward what interests others around them. If your children show an interest in your book adventure (bookadventure.org) material invite them to read with you.

Try these simple tips to make reading fun for you and your children this summer. Instead of telling you they don’t want to read right now, they’ll be asking, “Can we read just one more book? Please!”

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Jewel Sample is a children’s writer and author of Flying Hugs and Kisses. For information about her background and publications, visit her blog.