Seeing the Write Sights

I just got back from a trip to Italy a few days ago and, while I might already want to go back, have found a lot of writing inspiration from this vacation. I'd been in a writing rut for a long time, avoiding writing anything new or editing anything old for a long time. Thankfully, my sister gave me a travel journal before I left, and I quickly filled it with detailed notes about our trip. Additionally, my tour director told me that she writes a story for every place that she visits, so I've decided to try something new and write a story for each of the cities I visited. Not only have I found inspiration to write through seeing Venice, Florence, and Rome, but I also found some interesting spots for writers in these historic cities. These "write sights" might be of interest to writers making a trip to Italy.

  Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice- My sister's friend recommended that I make a stop by this unique store, and I'm glad that I did. This store, right on one of the canals, has books in every nook and cranny imaginable. Upon entering, I noticed a gondola filled with books, chairs made out of old volumes, and a tower to climb made out of books. While this store may have too many books for the reluctant reader to handle, it is a must-see for any avid readers or writers. I bought myself a copy of The Travels of Marco Polo, who was essential to the development of Venice, as a souvenir.


Santa Croce Scuola del Cuoio, Florence While Florence may house a lot of famous art such as Michelangelo's David and several famous paintings in the Uffizi Gallery, the city is also known for its leather. There are many nice bookmarks and journals available at the Santa Croce Leather School. Florence is always famous for its paper.


Vatican City Finally, the Vatican City houses many interesting Bibles and an old printing press which had been used several years ago. Additionally, the architectures and artwork here is unbelievable.

New characters?

I've decided to release some character sketches every week or so from something new. Keep checking in for more updates.

This is Riley Baker.

Filgersville characters

Here's a picture by Will H. CrazyCrudd of the Filgersville characters.

Worcester Writers Collaborative

A lot of new and exciting things are happening with the Worcester Writers Collaborative (WWC). Next Saturday, January 28th, there will be a group signing at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough, MA from 1-5 PM. As of now, I am planning on sharing a reading from MiF. We'll see how that goes. Telegram Towns published an article today about the upcoming signing. Also read about WWC authors and founders Cheryl Cory and Jessie Olson in The Daily Holden.

In other news, the Collaborative has insipired me to work on my next book. I'm currently editing and am hoping on releasing it for summer 2012. I've also kept busy with the Westborough Patch and Story to Tell.

Setting Your Stories

An article in the Telegram & Gazette this weekend discussed how Stephen King briefly mentions Westborough in his new novel. While I thought it was funny that King should mention our town in his novel, it got me thinking about something very important when writing: setting.

Although individual places such as the protagonist's house, place of work, or school are important, the town or city which they live in is just as crucial to the story. Take some time to develop the town. Where do people go for a fancy dinner? What is there to do for fun? Are there any slang words particular to this setting?

I was in a critique session once and my critique buddy asked me about an ice cream shop my characters went to in one scene. When she began asking what it was like, I had to pause and ask myself. In all honesty, I hadn't thought about it all. I just knew it was centrally located and a popular place for kids to go to after school. After receiving this feedback, I went home and made some decisions about this place. I continued on to think about the town as a whole. I began asking myself some important questions and soon I had a much clearer vision of Greendale. It grew from a place with a hodgepodge of buildings to a town with specific streets, locations, and areas.

If you are working with a setting which actually exists, it would be a good idea to spend a day there, take some pictures, and jot down some observations. One of my English teachers often visits the settings of the books we read in class. She shows us pictures of actual and specific buildings which match the places in the novels. If you have a fictitious setting, begin to develop it by asking yourself some of these questions.

-What is the town known for?

-Are there any town traditions? Do they celebrate holidays with parades and ceremonies or do residents have to go elsewhere?

-What are the people like? Are there any qualities specific to the residents?

-Are there any good or bad areas?

-Is there a downtown? If so, what is it like? Are there stores, restaurants, or parks?

-How does this setting involve itself in the story?

Back Again

It's been a while since I last blogged but after going to a Worcester Writers' Collaborative signing at Annie's Book Stop in Worcester, I found new motivation to publish. It's always so exciting to be around authors and their new books. This made me want something fresh to share. I published Misadventures in Filgersville in 2008. It will have been out for four years next August and I decided that it's time to set a deadline and try to publish another story for next summer. I've started to take the first steps. I completed NaNoWriMo the other day so now I have new found time to edit my manuscript, and I'm starting to think about some of the more production based steps of the process.

So, here's my challenge to you. If you have that manuscript that you've coddled for years, it may be time to take the next step. Editing may always be done but share it for critiquing and then query with agents or begin the self-publishing process.

Overcoming Challenges

It has been one grueling month since beginning Moby Dick. It's finally springtime, although it snowed today, and I am halfway through reading the book. It's been challenging to keep up with the reading but it's manageable. Feel free to comment on headway you've made towards your goals thus far, at this halfway point.

Fortunately, I received some inspiration in overcoming challenges this past Saturday at the Eric Carle Museum from the author panel on "Overcoming Challenges" with authors and author/illustrators Brian Lies, Mary Newell DePalma, Jo Knowles, and Barbara O'Connor.

These authors discussed how they traversed adversity in their careers and writing. They emphasized values such as discipline, balance, and perseverance in reaching success. After being stuck at a writing standstill, this event motivated me to get back to work and helped me realize that sometimes the best remedy to a writing problem is to simply write through it. In general, this seems to be a great way to solve problems: to plow through them and persevere even when things seem unwelcoming. Try new things. Although certain choices may not work, they may segue into a solution.

The Literary Whale Challenge

Have you ever had something that you've always wanted to try but just have been a little too afraid to try it? A challenge that seems as colossal as a whale? So have I and I am left with no choice but to attempt this challenge.

In English class, we were assigned Herman Melville's Moby Dick this past Thursday. This book is infamous in school for destroying grades and being a difficult read to say the least. This book seems as daunting as a whale is large. In honor of this book, I pose a challenge: the Literary Whale Challenge. In honor of reading the wonderful Moby Dick I challenge you to attempt a feat appropriate for yourself,possibly pertaining to literature (ie. reading a challening book, writing a novel, etc)to complete the Whale Challenge. Comment on this post with what your challenge will be or even just that you will be trying the challenge. I will periodically announce my progress with my English assignment and once the book is assigned to be completed, the challenge will end within a few days or so. If you meet your goal, post it on the blog and you might be able to win a certificate. Good luck, and have fun!