WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? #002, in a series

Let's say you're working on a piece of creative writing and you want to shake things up for a particular character. Where can you go? To something that's in almost every newspaper out there...

HOROSCOPES!

Horoscopes can add twists to your plot. All you have to do is think of your character, and then read ALL of the horoscopes for the day, and choose one that presents interesting possibilities. OR what if the exact OPPOSITE happened? Here are a Baker's dozen (thirteen) horoscopes, pulled from a variety of newspapers, to get you brainstorming about what fate may hold in store for those voices in your head:

1. Impulsive actions will be your demise.
2. Make plans to socialize and put a little romance in your life.
3. Attending a reunion or simply contacting someone you used to know through a social network will open a door that you should probably have never let close.
4. Don't let someone entice you into an encounter that will leave you making an uncomfortable explanation.
5. An old friend will surprise you.
6. Refuse to let someone pull you into a dispute that can cause an emotional problem with a friend, relative, or neighbor.
7. Problems at home will develop if you overspend on things you cannot really afford.
8. Plan to have some fun and to experiment with activities that interest you.
9. You will gain respect, support and help if you initiate the first move.
10. Saying too much will lead to an embarrassing blunder.
11. You show your emotions and are a master at the art of persuasion.
12. You have a vivid imagination and are a visionary with the potential to turn ideas into reality. You have a deep desire to explore.

And here's a bonus: 

There will be hidden factors that you need to flush out before you make an irreversible decision.

Now, give it a try and soon, you'll have your characters heading in directions even YOU didn't know they'd be going. Happy exploring!

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM? #001, in a series

I'm often asked where my ideas come from. It's not unusual for me to be working on multiple projects (while working hard to finish off one that's almost complete), and I never seem to run out of ideas. While it's easy to say, "Read widely," or "Read in areas you don't normally read," or something like that, I decided it's easier to show what I mean...

WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM #001: THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC????

Don't knock it until you've tried it. The National Geographic is filled with exploration, precarious situations, dangerous creatures that are all too real. Overall, though, it is about people from different pockets of our planet. Here are a Baker's dozen (thirteen) lines ripped from various issues, to get your creative juices flowing:

1. It was white-knuckle time.
2. We ask about that story and are met with a stony silence.
3. The vehicles reminded me of a wolf pack, sniffing the wind for prey.
4. It all came too quickly, many say.
5. "We owe them something."
6. "This is my chance not to feel helpless," he says.
7. "No one knows why," I say. It's the only answer I can give them right now.
8. "I've been doing these things since I was 14."
9. "People love to watch this," she says. "But not many want to do it."
10. It disappeared into the thick brush on the right.
11. They come in the night.
12. "Brace yourself."

And an extra:  "The day I drove away, I peered through the dusty window of my Jeep and saw them waving."

NOW: Take action! Choose your favorite prompt from above and do some freewriting with it. See where it takes you...don't wait--do it NOW!

BAD LUCK that turned GOOD?

I had a tremendous bit of bad luck today. That's right--BAD LUCK that was good for me. While I was lining up  to get appointments with agents today, the names of two of the ones I wanted to get appointments with were rubbed off the board. I was about to turn tail when another YA writer told me about an agent who didn't have YA in her bio description, but who had agented many YA books to publication. I decided to give her a try.

As the volunteer organizers started walking down the line to see who each person was hoping to get an appointment with, I was fourth from the front. Thank goodness none of the three in front of me wanted to see her, because she had one spot left and it was going to happen in about 5 minutes, so they pushed me to the front of the line. I met with her and pitched not one, but two of my YA novels.

The result? She asked me to send the first 100 pages of each to her! I also showed her a sample of the writing itself, and she said she liked my writing style--it was appropriate to the audience. What made me feel best of all was that she GOT my books...she even seemed excited to find out about them.

It felt...right.

I like her AND her energy, and I would do backflips through flaming hoops

 to have her represent me and my work.  I won't name names yet, but I am REALLY hoping this works out. We had a real connection and I think we'd work well together, so I can't wait to get her reaction to those 200 pages! Onwards!

PATRICIA YOUNG...THANK YOU!

Today, I finally had a chance to attend a workshop given by poet Patricia Young. She's a poet who has published 10 books so far, and she has won basically every poetry award there is in Canada: the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, the Dorothy Livesay Award, the Bliss Carmen Award, the National Magazine Award, the League of Canadian Poets' National Poetry Competition, and Arc's Poem of the Year contest.

 But here's an even bigger rush: she and her writer husband sat with me at lunch today, and she looked at 7 or 8 of my poems at the same time, and told me she enjoyed them. She encouraged me to publish more poetry, did a bit of blue pencil work for me, and then she took out a copy of one of her own poetry books, An Auto-Erotic History of Swings,

 autographed a copy of it and GAVE it to me. What a sweet gift! Here's the message, at least until I scan the one from the book:

For Ace--with admiration. All the best with your poems. Patricia

I.........won? ... I won............... I WON!

Ok, so when winners for the SIWC poetry contest were SUPPOSED to be e-mailed by the 15th, and the 17th rolled around and I STILL had no e-mail, I had gone through basically all 7 stages of grief and (sort of) moved on. THEN, I got THE e-mail. The one that said, NOT that I had won an honourable mention, but that my poem, "Silver Anniversary," had WON THE CONTEST! $1000 and publication. It accomplished two of my writing goals in one shot:

1. To win a major writing contest.
2. To be paid $1000 for a single sheet of paper.

But what I learned that was even better was:

1. Being acknowledged in front of 800 or so other writers--what a rush!
2. Having people ask me to sign their anthologies who told me how much they enjoyed my words while I was autographing their book. I mean, poets being asked for autographs? How cool is that? Tricia and Dana, you made my weekend!

THE GOOD NEWS...THE BAD NEWS...THE GOOD NEWS...

Ok, so the good news is that SIWC 2011 is finally here! The bad news is that I was so fired up about it that I woke up at 2:45 a.m. The good news is that means I have a quiet house at the moment and more time to write today. The bad news is that by the time the evening meal and awards banquet roll around, I would have been up for, oh, 16 or 17 hours? I'm not sure I'll make it to the night owl session...

I'm really excited about pitching to Kaylan Adair today. She's an editor with Candlewick Press, and they handle every kind of writing I do--picture books, chapter books, and YA novels. So the good news is, this is exactly who I need to pitch my work to; the bad news is that I only have 10 minutes, which is about enough to pitch, oh, one of my six books. I'm hoping she'll agree to see me outside of the pitch times so that I can show her all that I've been working on in the past year : Joanie Ark: Dragon Slayer, and If Volcanoes Spewed Tomatoes (picture books); The Abracadabra Amulet and Galaxy Girls: Fire and Water DO Mix! (chapter books); and One-Way Ticket and Arietta: Summer of Blades (young adult novels).

WE'RE ALMOST THERE AT SIWC...AND I'M SUPER EXCITED!

Ok, in two days, the yearly SIWC event will be GAME ON in Surrey again! I'm hyped about it for several reasons (one of which I'll blog about AFTER the first day of the conference), but I'm thrilled to have so many works I'm proud of to pitch to agents and editors: two picture books, two chapter books, and two novels. I hope I can get appointments to see the agents and editors I want to see...

I am the most prepared I've ever been for this conference this year, so I know it'll be a busy time and it will FLY by in no time. I'm hoping that agents and editors will request partial and full manuscripts and that I take that next step to seeing my books in print! I know I'm getting close...I have a few small publishers who have expressed interest in two of my earlier works, although I still don't have any contracts in hand. I'm hoping 2011 / 2012 will be my breakthrough year and I'm going to do all in my power to make that happen!

JAZZED about SIWC...

Ace Baker

ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID...

Ok, so the 15th has come and gone, and I've not had an e-mail from SIWC, so that means even though my poetry was shortlisted for their contest for the SECOND time, I've come away again with no prize.

"Pity party of one, Mr. Baker? We have a seat ready for you...it's an electric chair."

So...just a little more self-pity before I move on. My picture book, Joanie Ark: Dragon Slayer scores a 97% at PNWA this year, and still doesn't make finals. I've been shortlisted for poetry at the Vancouver Readers and Writers Festival...and won nothing. I've been shortlisted at SIWC twice now...and won nothing. It's a wee bit frustrating to come so close and still walk away empty-handed.

A small publisher has told me they're interested in my chapter book series for the end of 2012, but I still don't have any contract in hand for The Abracadabra Amulet.

A query I sent out last week to a small publisher for my contemporary YA mystery/thriller, One-Way Ticket, came back the very next day with requests from two of their editors for a full manuscript, which I promptly sent. I'm hoping for a little good news...from somewhere? For some piece of writing I've done?

That's why I'm gearing up for SIWC. I'll be pitching two novels, two chapter book series, and two picture books. I also have two new writing deadlines for novellas I'm working on for novella contests in November and December of this year. So I'm going to turn that self-pity into determination--into making sure that my writings are so compelling that they're irresistible to all who read them.

If you need me, I'll be in Dreamland for the next few months...after all, I'm back to writing! ;-)

SIWC 2011 POETRY CONTEST: I MADE THE SHORTLIST!

Ok, it's been a while since I've added to this blog, but I just received news that my poem, "Silver Anniversary," has been shortlisted in the Surrey International Writers Conference contest! Top prize is $1000 and there are also honourable mention prizes of $150. The trouble is, I have to wait until the 15th to find out if I won or placed. I try not to get myself too excited over these things (I was shortlisted in this contest once before for poetry and ended up winning nada), but it's tough. I really believe my poetry is breaking through to new levels, so it's quite hard pretending that I don't care what happens--I WANT TO WIN! Ahem, ahem. In the meantime, I'll continue what I do to earn my regular paycheck...inspire young minds...but I want to win. :-)