1. Beyond the Evil Laugh: Bringing Villains to Life
While I haven’t perfected my evil laugh yet, I have learned a few things about creating villains that have helped me craft more life like bad guys….

2. Jay Asher on Taboo Topics
Taboo subjects are subjects people are uncomfortable discussing. It doesn’t mean those issues aren’t happening, just that we don’t like talking about them.

3. Writing The First Draft
Can I tell you a secret? I hate writing the first draft. It never lives up to my vision. I doubt myself through the entire draft, battling thoughts like ‘not talented’, ‘get a real job’, and my least favorite ‘this is boring’.

4. Lynn Cowell on Publishing Her First Book
This month, I released my first book “His Revolutionary Love”. When I’m not speaking or writing, I like hiking, wearing well worn sweatshirts and anything combining chocolate and peanut butter.

5. SUBMIT Your Writing
Submissions… It’s the process of allowing another person (i.e. the editor) to critically evaluate your work and decide whether or not it should be published.

6. Writer’s Ed
If you were learning to drive, you wouldn’t just get into the car and take a cross-country road trip would you? Of course not! You wouldn’t be able to navigate difficult interstates and you wouldn’t have years of driving experience to make split second decisions that are often required when using the interstate.

7. Author Interview: Alexa Schnee
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing eighteen year old Alexa Schnee, the author of Shakespeare’s Lady (Guideposts Books Spring 2011).

8. Five Ways To Tell Your Story
Have you ever tried to write a story that just didn’t want to be written? Perhaps you weren’t using the right tool. Like trying to loosen a screw with a hammer, it just won’t work.

9. Balancing High School and Writing
Many teenage writers have successfully balanced writing and homework in high school. It might be tough but it’s not impossible. Here are five ways to stay on track…

10. Author Interview: Dallas Nicole Woodburn
For as long as I can remember I have loved to read, and I just naturally began making up my own stories as well. I was in kindergarten when I wrote…

11. Getting Your First Writing Gig
Getting your writing published is a thrill like no other, but it takes hard work to make it happen. Fortunately, I have some tips that I used when first getting published.

12. Jenny B. Jones Spills the Beans
I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series…

The following commandments are from Monica Wood’s The Pocket Muse – Ideas and Inspirations for Writing.

1. Don’t wait for inspiration; establish a writing habit.

2. Take time off.

3. Read voraciously.

4. Shut out the inner critic.

5. Claim a space.

6. Claim some time.

7. Accept rejection.

8. Expect success.

9. Live fully.

10. Wish others well.

One of the hardest things to do, during NaNoWriMo is stay motivated. It’s easy in the beginning of a project, but long work hours and little human contact, can make writing seem well, daunting.

To keep the writing blues at bay, shake up your routine! Try something new. Dive in, head first. Here are fifteen tips to help you do just that!

1. Change your location. Literally. If you write somewhere noisy, try writing somewhere quiet and vice versa.
2. Write at a different time of day than you normally do.
3. Take a day off. Do nothing.
4. Visit your local bookstore or library. Sometimes writers just need to refuel.
5. People watch. Find an unoccupied space in your city or town and watch the people that go by for an hour. (Be sure to bring a notebook and pen!)
6. Ask for someone’s life story. Often times, hearing someone else’s life story can spark an idea or connection that we hadn’t considered.
7. Set a timer and write for ten minutes. You’re not allowed to stop moving your hand.
8. Just do it! The best piece of advice I ever heard on the topic of writing was “Writing begets writing.”
9. Take a step back and ask yourself, “Are my short-term writing goals tying in with my long-term writing goals?”
10. Read in genre that you normally don’t. For instance, if you read romance, try horror or science fiction.
11. Take a trip. By car, by train—doesn’t matter. While you’re on the trip, turn to the passenger nearest you and make up a different life for yourself.
12. Take a class on a subject you’ve always wanted to study further.
13. Buy yourself some new writing supplies. How about a funky pen you’ve always wanted? Or that notebook that’s four dollars that you keep passing by?
14. Take up a new hobby. One you wouldn’t normally explore.
15. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen. Make conversations with people from other walks of life. Experience life through a new perspective!

But more than that, have fun. Experiment. Try new things. And don’t be surprised if somewhere along the way, you find inspiration.

Debra Weiss, editor of Today’s Teen Writer, is a twenty something writer living on the East Coast. When she’s not at her desk, she can usually be found at her local Wal-Mart, searching for the perfect notebook.