I’d like to start DIY MFA by looking at art because that’s one of the writing tools I use most often, especially when I need to find new characters.  It has taken me a while, but I finally have a small collection of postcards that story ideas for me.  These can be pictures almost always depict people, either going about their daily lives or stuck in bizarre situations.  When there aren’t any people in the images, I try to place myself in that scene and imagine what a character would be doing or thinking in that setting.

Image File Litmus Test:  The picture’s content doesn’t matter.  What matters is that I get a sense that the world of the image extends beyond the canvas or photograph.

Warning:  You need to set some limits for yourself.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same is true for image files.  You could waste hours of precious writing time collecting images of characters you’re never going to use.  This is why I prefer postcards.  Every time I visit a museum or a new city, I take five minutes in a gift shop to buy a few postcards.  At first I had only a handful of images, but over time the collection has grown, and without much time, money or effort spent.

Tip:  If you have family or friends who travel, ask them to send you a postcard with a “picture that tells a story.”  This way, your image file can grow even if you’re not collecting the images yourself.  They’ll get sent to you!  Also, it will be interesting to see what images they choose.

Eugene Atget, Staircase, Montmartre (1921)

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Juvisy, France (1938)

Karen Halverson,  Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California (1992)

Edward Hopper, Movie (1939)

Archibald John Motley Jr., Nightlife (c.1943)

Pierre Auguste Renoir,  Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise (1875)

Gerhard Richter, Woman Descending the Staircase (1965)

Sheron Rupp, Trudy in Annie’s Sunflower Maze, Amherst, MA (2000)

August Sander, Children, Westerwald (1920)

John Singer Sargent, Fumee D’Ambre Gris (1880)

Homework: Find 5 additional images for your image.  These can be postcards, pictures clipped from magazines or even images you captured with a camera or sketchbook.  The important thing is that all five images help us find a character.

Are there any artists or photographers you recommend who are especially good at capturing such images?  Any must-haves I should add to my image file?

We all have them little ticks or totems that we can’t write without.  Whether it’s a cinnamon latte or a special notebook or a favorite writing spot, these things shackle us and limit how we do our writing.  Sure, some rituals can be helpful sometimes because they tell our brains “OK, it’s writing time.”  The trick is not to become so attached to these rituals that they become crutches.

All you need to do is write.  Today is our first Writing Sprint.  There is no assignment or prompt today.  Instead, I want you to write for a chunk of time and focus on breaking away from crutches that shackle your writing.  Don’t overturn your writing habits altogether, just make one small change.

Examples: If you’re used to writing on the computer, use a paper and pen.  If you prefer a noisy coffee shop, go to a library.  If your favorite spot is your own desk, try writing outside.  If you can only write for long chunks of time, force yourself to write in the nooks and crannies of your day.

Tell us on Twitter: How are you shaking up your writing rituals today?

When you’re done, tell us how you did!  Post one of these badges on your blog, tweet your word count or share your writing sprint experience in the comments.

Dearest friends of iggi,

How glad I am that we’re embarking on another adventure together!  This afternoon’s post will be a short one just to remind you of some iggilicious things that are coming your way.  I also wanted to explain how DIY MFA works for anyone who is new to the program.

Registration: is open and will be throughout the month of April.  Just go to this post, fill out the form and you’ll get a free eWorkbook (please allow 1-2 weeks).  You’ll also be entered to win an iggi journal that looks like this:

How DIY MFA Works: All you need to do is check in every day and read the daily post.  If you miss a day or want to review something that already passed, don’t worry.  Just go to the iggi U tab at the top and you’ll find a list of links to all the past posts.

In addition, you’ll also find a list of links for the first round of DIY MFA which took place in September 2010.  The material this time around will be all new, so if at the end of April you’re still craving more, you might enjoy looking over the past course as well.

Important Note: if you didn’t do DIY MFA the first time it’s OK.  You can jump right in with 2.O and you won’t be behind at all.  If you have done DIY MFA in the past, don’t you worry either because the material this time will be mostly new (and any review material we’ll approach from a new direction.)

DIY MFA Chats and Sprints: Don’t forget that on Sunday we’ll have our first #diymfa Twitter Chat from 5-6pm EDT.  We’ll also be doing writing sprints on Saturdays so set aside a chunk of time to get those words down, then tweet your progress using our #diymfa hashtag.  If you don’t do twitter, you can use the comments on Saturday’s post to check in.

And that’s all there is to it!  I’m looking forward to this month and can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about creativity!

…or is it?

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

Ha ha, fooled ya!  In honor of April Fools Day, YA Cafe is doing another giveaway!  This time it’s a joke contest!

Today’s Special: If your favorite YA character had a theme song, what would it be?

Examples:

Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games — “I Will Survive”
Mia from If I Stay — “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
Edward from Twilight — “Another One Bites the Dust”

Tell us your favorite YA characters and their theme songs in the comments (here or at All About Them Words) and Random.org will pick a winner.  If you give us multiple jokes, you get multiple entries.  It’s that simple.  Contest is open until 11:59pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 6th.

One lucky winner will get a SIGNED copy of R.L. Stine’s Bitten (which is actually two books in one: Dangerous Girls & The Taste of Night).

Ghenet and I got a chance to meet Mr. Stine at SCBWI and he’s super-nice, not to mention really funny!  Here’s a picture of the two of us with him.

Want to see more April Fools jokes?  Fellow barista, Ghenet is co-hosting this same contest at her blog: All About Them Words.  Check it out, then join the fun by entering the contest!