For teachers and librarians

Hi, all!

I am in the process of turning my usual Skype lecture into a DVD. It will run about an hour long and will include some of the following:

Talking about how to form an idea
A brief discussion of the correct way to format a manuscript
What revision REALLY mean
The argument that one is never too you to begin writing
Debate over whether or not to outline
Common FAQ

and details that are a work in progress.

I've had several librarians, teachers, book clubs, and even students who want to learn all they can about writing.

I intend for there to be several DVDs so viewers are not overwhelmed. I've used much of this material during classroom Skype visits, but the DVDs will go into much greater detail, show actual edited pages from my manuscripts.

As for the intended audience, both boys and girls, likely ages 7-16. Every writer has a different skill level, maturity, and I will not be talking down to older viewers nor covering super simple topics for a younger audience.

If you, or someone you know is interested in the first DVD in my collection as well to inquire about price, please contact me at jess _ burkhart AT gmail DOT com.

I'd love it if you'd repost this blog and alert others of a project that I'm incredibly passionate about that will help young writers.

:)

xo

Coming soon. . .

* Major changes/additions to the Canterwood Crest Website

* A book signing on August 25 in West Chester, PA (details on sidebar!) :)

* Vlog

* A few other fun things (*teases*)

They're in planning stages and will be coming to you this summer/fall! Right now, I'm on Super Deadline Mode with MASQUERADE. Don't want to be late and keep you guys waiting.

xx

I'm going to Camp NaNoWriMo!

I'm going to camp this summer!! I've never been to camp before and I'm sooo excited! I wouldn't have known about it had Katharine Swan not left a comment about it. Thank you, Katharine!

On August 1, I'm going to Camp NaNoWriMo. There's also a June 1st camp, but it doesn't work with my writing schedule. So August it is! It looks like so much fun--writing 50,000 words in a month with other "campers." Just looking at the site puts me in a summery mood. I'm sooo insanely excited! I think I'll get marshmallows, Hershey bars, and other camp-like stuff and turn my living room into a cabin. Oooh! A sleeping bag!

I can't wait to see what "cabin" I'm assigned. Friend me (jessicab_87) if you haven't already on the NaNoWriMo site. Thank you to everyone at the Office of Letters and Light for ALL of the hard work you do. It's inspiring beyond words and I would not be where I am today without NaNoWriMo.

Anyone else up for going to camp with me? Or starting camp June 1st?

Any of you guys ever been to a real camp? What was it like? Did you love it? Hate it? Get eaten by mosquitoes? What did you take to camp? Srsly, help me out here to make my at-home camping experience as authentic as possible. :) Tell, tell!

Write with me this weekend--Twitter style

I'm dedicating pretty much my entire weekend to writing. I'm working on MASQUERADE and doing #1k1hr with friends has been awesome. This weekend, though, what if we try smaller goals? I propose:

Write Your Book Twitter Style!

Every time you write 140 *words* (I changed it from Twitter's 140 characters) you get a point. All weekend, keep track of your points and feel free to share them here, Tweet, Facebook or whatever you like. Just know there will be someone else doing it, too. :)

If you Tweet about it, hashtag it with #140words.

Anyone want to commit? :)

Signed copies at Barnes & Noble (Union Square) NYC

Yesterday, I signed the above copies of various Canterwood books at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. It was my first visit to the 4 story store and it's awesome! :) If you want to grab a copy or reserve one, def head over or have someone pull a book from the shelf. :)

#1k1hr

Had a lot of fun writing MASQUERADE today! I can only write for about an hour at a time before stopping to ice my arm, but I'm seeing a doctor again soon. Hopefully, I'll either have surgery in the fall or have a plan so that I can write all that I want! Eeek! It's something I used to take for granted--being able to write allllll day and not even think about it.

Since 2006, though, what started as carpal tunnel (and still is present) has progressed to tennis elbow and/or thoracic outlet syndrome. Basically, it's too much pain for OTC pain relievers to touch and braces only help a teensy bit. The second I'm off the computer, I'm in pain for the rest of the day or even a few days after. It's like a toothache that won't go away. The WORST is when the pain spikes. The best way I can describe it is as though someone's shoving a white hot iron fire poker into my elbow. Not so fun!

But I feel great when writing gets done, like today, and I know to stop before I make my arm too mad. I tried my Barnhart girl, Lauren's, #1k1hr strategy on Twitter and it was so fun and totally worked. Doing it again tomorrow. :) Search the hashtag and try it for yourself if you're up for a challenge!

Signing off!

xo

Back to Brooklyn!

Man, 7 weeks is a LONG time to be away from home! It's been taking some serious adjusting to get into a routine that doesn't revolve around crazy hospital schedules. I slept until almost 4 today and gave myself the weekend off, except for copy edits, since K and I just got back mid-week. *ignores giant suitcases that need unpacking*

I'm starting MASQUERADE tomorrow and am SO excited about it. K and I outlined most of it in Minnesota and it might be my fave LT book to date. It's going to be soooo fun to write! I want to share the cliffhanger with Team Canterwood right now, LOL, because it's killing me!

MASQUERADE is due next month (!) so the blog might be a little quiet until it's turned in. But I'll be on Twitter and reading your comments to see what everyone's up to.

When do you guys get out of school for the summer? Any summer plans? Share! :)

xoxo