Purple Pencil Independence Adventure

Wednesday is the 4th of July aka Independence Day! How are you celebrating? With a barbecue? Fun at the beach? A fireworks show?

For this week's Purple Pencil Adventure, write about what independence means to you. If you had ultimate control, how would you live your life? Where would you live? What would you eat? How would you spend your time?

Write about your ideal "independence" day in the comments.

Purple Pencil Father's Day Adventure

It's Father's Day weekend! If you have a father or father figure, spend some time with him this weekend. Have an adventure. Go to a baseball game. Play catch. Go camping.

Then, write all about it: what you did, how you felt, your favorite moment. Be sure to give Dad a copy of your story recapping your adventure. It's the best Father's Day gift!

Write about your Father's Day Adventure in the comments.

Purple Pencil Food Holiday Adventure

Today is National Doughnut Day! Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts at participating locations and Dunkin Donuts is giving away a free donut with beverage purchase.

What food do you think deserves it's own holiday? Why? How would you celebrate it? And what restaurant is most likely to do a giveaway?

Write about your ideal food holiday in the comments.

Purple Pencil Dr Seuss Adventure

Today would have been Dr Seuss' 108th birthday. His books - which include Oh, the Places You'll Go; The Cat in the Hat; The Lorax; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; and Green Eggs and Ham - are beloved by children of all ages. Which one is your favorite? Why? Do they inspire you to write? Or to go out and have an adventure .... or stay home and have an adventure?

Write about your favorite Dr Seuss book in the comments section below. Rhyming is optional! You can also vote on Write On Online's Facebook Page.

April Challenge Adventure

It's April! And that means there are some awesome opportunities! You can write a screenplay in a month for Script Frenzy (there's a kids version), take the Poem a Day Challenge for National Poetry Month (or join One Billion Poets.com, which is a poetry site for teens around thw world), or come up with something spectacular and ongoing to do during the month of April.

You can win a prize just for declaring Your April Challenge!

Here's how it works:

1. Post in comments to the April Challenge Post what you will be participating in during the month of April: Script Frenzy, the Writers Digest Poem-A-Day Challenge, or declare another "challenge," such as writing a blog post a day, a submission a day, a book, etc.

2. Go for it!

3. Keep the Write On! Community posted by responding to requests for progress on Write On! Online and on the Facebook page ... this also serves as a way we can continue to cheer each other on!*

4. Write! And have fun!

5. Four winners will be chosen at random to receive a book thanks to Michael Wiese Productions.

* Plus: Every time you post, during a call for updates, you will receive another entry in the drawing! Keep your eye on the Facebook page for bonus entry opportunities!

Each of the four winners will choose a books from Michael Wiese Productions as their prize.

Post the way in which you will Challenge Yourself in April here. Don't forget to check back in throughout and at the end of the month, too. Four winners will be chosen at random. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 10, on Write On! Online and in the May Write On! Newsletter.

Write On!

Spring Adventure

Spring arrived last Sunday. The weather will start getting nicer ... if it hasn't already ... leading to a season of lots of fun outdoor activities.

How are you celebrating the beginning of Spring?

Write about your Spring Adventure in the comments section below.

Speaking with Sarah Coe-Odess, "Brentwood News"

Debra Eckerling, creator of Write On! Online and Purple Pencil Adventures, spoke with high school senior Sarah Coe-Odess at the Brentwood News re-launch party last month. Sarah, who is interning as the managing editor of the Brentwood News in Los Angeles, shares her experience and offers advice for would-be writers.

Watch the video interview and keep an eye out for this week's Purple Pencil Adventure this afternoon.

Why Write? Webisode Writer/Director Tina Cesa Ward Speaks

Tina Cesa Ward is the executive producer, writer, and director of the multi-award winning hit web series Anyone But Me, which is about New York teens coming of age in a post-9/11 world. Between the stage, screen, and web, Tina has been awarded nearly a dozen times.

For more on Tina, read her interview on Write On! Online.

Why is writing so important for young adults?

I wrote when I was a young adult and I think it really helped me not only become a better writer because I started so young, but I worked through a lot of personal issues just by putting pen to paper and creating fictional worlds with characters that let me express my feelings in a safe way. We all need to be able to express ourselves and writing, whether you want to pursue writing as a career or not, is an amazing way to be able to do that. Plus how much fun is it to make stuff up? A lot of fun.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were a tween or teen?

That things are going to get better but they are also going to get harder.

How has the ability to express yourself helped you in life?

As a kid it was an amazing escape to write stories, and even as an adult it is. Although I love writing completely fictional characters and stories, they still touch on topics that I personally am working through. I've always been a pretty shy and private person and writing lets me explore what it would be like to be someone other than who I am. It can break you out of your shell a little bit. Sometimes I write characters and/or dialogue and think "Did that really come out of me?" Sometimes you just never know what's inside you.

Talking with Teen Writer Isabel Kaplan, Hancock Park

First-time novelist Isabel Kaplan wrote Hancock Park at the age of 16. A Los Angeles native, Kaplan, 19, attended Marlborough School, and is now a student at Harvard University. Hancock Park was released by HarperTeen on June 30.

When did you first start writing?
I started writing around the same time that I learned to read—so, about 15 years ago, at age four. I wrote my first short stories in the second grade, when I was seven years old.

How did the idea for Hancock Park come about? What was your writing process?
The idea for Hancock Park grew out of my experiences and observations growing up in the unique and sometimes crazy world of Los Angeles.

I wrote Hancock Park during my junior and senior year of high school. For me, the key was really finding time to write and then sitting down and focusing on writing and not allowing myself to flit back and forth between Microsoft word, my email, and the distractions of the Internet. As a result of writing and editing a novel in the midst of a very busy two years, I've learned to be a lot better at time management.

How much of the novel is based on real life experience?
Hancock Park is the story of a city I know well and it features many places and experiences that I am familiar with. That said, Hancock Park is not my story—it's Becky's, and the novel depicts her struggles as a 16-year-old in Los Angeles.

How did you get it published?
When I was 16, the summer after I finished tenth grade, I met Judith Regan at a book party, and with her, I discussed my ideas for a novel. She was intrigued and asked if I had written anything; I had only written about ten pages of what would become Hancock Park, and I showed them to her. At the end of that week, she offered me a book deal. It was incredibly exciting. When Judith and HarperCollins parted ways, many of her books were dropped. I was very fortunate—HarperTeen, another imprint of HarperCollins, wanted to obtain Hancock Park, so I switched imprints and began the writing and editing process with a new editor, Farrin Jacobs, who was fantastic. And now Hancock Park is available on bookshelves everywhere!

What was your favorite part of the process?
My favorite moments in the writing process were when I'd reach the end of a section or a chapter and finally see my ideas coming together, not only in my head but also in words, on paper. That's always incredibly exciting and very rewarding. Also, seeing the book jackets for the first time—as silly as it might seem, only then did it hit me that this was real, that my writing was going to come together in a real book.

The greatest challenge?
Balancing writing with high school, extracurricular activities, and the college application process was quite a challenge at times. There definitely wasn't room for much procrastination!

How do you balance novel-writing with your Harvard education?
My time-management skills have developed a lot over the past couple of years. Sometimes, my workload can feel overwhelming, but I really love to write, and when you love to do something, you make time to do it.

Who are some of your favorite writers?
I love Margaret Atwood, Doris Lessing, James Joyce, Junot Diaz, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lois Lowry, Beverly Cleary, Sylvia Plath, E.M. Forster, and many, many others...

Advice for writers?
My main advice would be to write as much and as often as possible and to read a lot! As a writer, I'm certainly still in the process of learning, growing, and developing my voice. I think that reading a lot is crucial, as is actually setting aside time to write and not allowing yourself to get distracted by anything.

This interview was originally posted last summer on Write On! Online. Read the entire Q&A here.