No, that’s not how many words I have in my NaNoWriMo book (although I’m getting close). 10,000 is actually how many hours it takes people to achieve expertise in their field…

…at least according to Outliers, the new book by Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell. He quotes a neurologist who says:

“In study after study of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, and master criminals, this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.”

This does sort of make sense. I mean Tiger Woods first picked up a club when he was two. He’d easily put in 10,000 hours of practice hitting golf balls before he won his first tournament.

Britney and her dancing? Ditto.

(Although admittedly you couldn’t tell by her last VMA performance, but we’ll cut her some slack for that due to extenuating circumstances.)

And sure these people were also probably born with an innate talent for their chosen profession, but practice—and having access to the right opportunities, such as Britney’s early years snake handling with the Mickey Mouse Club–helped.

So, you know. I’m just saying. If you want to do something and do it well, practice. If you love doing it, this shouldn’t feel like a chore. Right?

Sadly, according to Mr. Gladwell there’s no guarantee that if you put in your 10,000 hours you’ll be super successful (look at Jean Claude Van Damme). But your chances are astronomically greater than someone who didn’t put in her hours…

…although yes, there are people who have only put in 100 hours of practice who are just as successful as people who practiced way more. We call these people One Hit Wonders. Or just plain Pratts:

Anyway, here’s someone who’s already putting in some solid work on her 10,000 hours: Meet Cameron, a young aspiring writer featured on Amy Poehler’s awesome new online series, Smart Girls At The Party, one of my New Favorite Things:

So cute! I love the song! I love Cameron! And you know what? I love Barbie! I do! In the Bratz vs. Barbie war, I choose Barbie, because her feet don’t come off with her shoes (sick) and Barbie has always had actual jobs, such as ballerina, jet pilot, and (at least when I played with the kids I babysat for) private detective, a la Stephanie Zimbalist in Remington Steele.

In other news–Lipstick Jungle is not cancelled! It’s just not renewed for next season. If you want to save it, you know what you have to do.

Anyway, I heard the Obama girls will be having slumber parties at the White House after they move in. Dude—I want to go to a slumber party at the White House so badly!

And okay, so I know I wrote that one book where a girl saves the President from being assassinated, then gets asked out by his son.

But I swear that President wasn’t based on this new one! I wrote that book a long time ago.

And yeah, okay, someone just optioned the film rights for that book. But don’t you see what this means?

It means I need to write another sequel, for when the film hits! And to do so, I need inspiration. And for that, I need to go to a White House slumber party.

But since I realize I’m a bit old to be invited as a guest, I have already decided: I’ll go as a Slumber Party Planner (you know, like a Wedding Planner? Only for slumber parties. I just made that job up. That’s what 10,000 hours of practice gets you)!

I have a lot of experience in this because:

a) I have been to a lot of slumber parties

b) I babysat a lot as a teen—it was my primary source of income and I sent myself to Europe with two (2) separate boyfriends on the money I earned doing it. The Babysitter’s Club had nothing on me.

c) No child ever threw up or got lost in the White House while I was babysitting.

I have some great ideas for the White House Slumber Party I’m organizing. First of all, Lip Synch in the Lincoln Bedroom, Jennifer Garner in 13 Going On Thirty style (no jumping on the bed though, I promise)!

I think we should lip synch to this girl-centric video that I’m loving at the moment…it’s by Katy Perry (and no, I don’t think she’s a one hit wonder). Because brides! With baseball bats! Also: Pink bicycles!

Hot N Cold



Then, of course, laser tag on the White House lawn (us against the Secret Service)! What could be more awesome?

Then we’ll have my favorite gluten-free snack (popcorn mixed with M&Ms) as we swoon while watching a high school girl try to fight off her romantic feelings for a vampire who can’t trust himself not to bite her, however much he might love her (here’s an exclusive sneak peek of the scene where they kiss for the first time).

PSYCH! Made you look! What did you think it was going to be? Twilight? It’s not even out yet!

But you have to admit, that girl was hilarious. Oh, Buffy!

Anyway, then after that, lights out!

Seriously, I think I should be able to get a kickass sequel out of all that. Especially if I get the Jonas Brothers to show up. Believe me, I’m working the phones. My friend Paris H. is ON it.

The best part of all is…my services as Slumber Party Organizer? Free. Of. Charge. Because I’m just such a generous, giving soul. No, really.

Oh, one more thing: what about a dachshund/poodle mix for the White House dog? I’m told they’re good for people with allergies. I saw one being walked the other day (his name was Doodle. Dachshund+poodle=Doodle…get it?) and he looked just like this one (minus the cat):

So cute!

Okay, off to go work on my 10,000. If you hear of any openings at the White House for Slumber Party Organizers, LET ME KNOW!

More later.

Much love,

Meg

Greetings diary readers! Sorry for the recent lack of updates. I’ve been busy finishing (and handing in—ALLELUIAH) my revision of BEING NIKKI, as well as traveling back to Key West from Indiana (I got to use the brand new Indianapolis airport—on the first day it opened! There was a band! And free wi-fi! And the burgers from the new TGIF were heaven).

Anyway, due to all this, my word count for NaNoWriMo is still ZERO. I plan to remedy this soon, but I am seriously doubting I’ll be able to catch up with any of you. But that’s okay. IT’S NOT A COMPETITION. It’s a challenge.

For those of you who are participating in NaNoWriMo, I appreciate all the thank you notes for the pep talk I sent you. I know not all of you are like me—people who think about cheating on their work-in-progress with a new WIP when the going gets tough. I can’t even tell you how many new ideas for books I came up with while I was working on BEING NIKKI.

But when you’re in the middle of your WIP (around the 30,000 mark for me) it can be hard sometimes to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The idea of just starting a whole new book begins to seem awfully tempting.

Which is why I have this blue plastic milk crate full of half finished stories (not to mention a hard drive full of them, after I finally got a computer and stopped typing my stories on old pieces of notebook paper). It’s embarrassing, really.

Oh my God, I went to take a picture of the milk crate for this entry, and I opened the dusty cupboard where I keep it, and I found it like this: filled with old notebooks and photo albums instead! I freaked out and screamed, “WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MILK CRATE???” and HWSNBNITB said, “Calm down. I moved everything in it to a waterproof bin in case of a hurricane”

Isn’t he awesome?

So I wanted to let everyone know (those of you who might be like me, and are considering cheating on your WIP) that you’re not alone.

But there’s nothing worse than an abandoned story! I feel so bad for mine! They’re worse than the stories I finished that never got published, because at least I know how those turned out. I don’t even remember how any of these the half-finished stories were supposed to go, such as—

…the historical romance about the feisty Southern belle who secretly worked for the Underground railroad.

I am not kidding you, it’s 150 pages of diary format and her name is Blue Belle. BLUE BELLE! Ugh.

…the one about the feisty art historian who is trying to keep the Nazis from finding out about the Lascaux cave paintings while having a romance with a member of the French resistance.

Apparently I was more interested in the feisty art historian’s wardrobe than the story because I drew a lot of pictures of her clothes (and I was in my twenties when I wrote this). Also, what were the Nazis going to DO to the Lascaux cave paintings if they found them that was so bad? I have no idea now. But apparently something REALLY REALLY BAD. They had to be stopped! 250 pages worth of stopped!

…the one about the feisty pickpocket who ends up snowed in with a distrustful but totally hot physician in 1870s Minnesota.

Feisty! 250 pages worth of feisty!

Okay, maybe it’s just as well I didn’t finish any of them. But seriously, it’s sad I don’t know what was supposed to happen in them (mainly because I ditched them for other stories I didn’t finish either). Because maybe they would have turned out okay.

So don’t be like me! Finish your stories! Otherwise you’ll just have a dumb milk crate (or waterproof plastic bin, or hard drive) filled with half-finished stories no one, not even you, knows the ending to.

(On the other hand, if your story REALLY isn’t going anywhere, and you aren’t contractually obligated to finish it–go ahead and give up if you get a better idea! Seriously, I am all for quitting. Because sometimes the only way you can make time for the stuff at which you’re REALLY going to be successful is to quit the stuff that just isn’t doing it for you…such as, a story about a feisty art historian who is trying to save the Lascaux cave paintings from the Nazis.)

You might be wondering how I’m spending my time not working on my NaNoWriMo story now that I’m done with my revision. Well, the usual way: watching TV (and the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam, when it’s on) of course!

I have so much TV to catch up on, such as Lipstick Jungle (which got cancelled, which at first I was sad about, because how many shows about smart, creative business women are there? But then seeing how the last episode ended and what’s coming up in the next episode, now I’m not so sure it’s a bad thing, because how crappy was what they did to Victory? And the whole Nicco-baby story line is icky).

And then there’s Friday Night Lights (this is sad, but I had no idea I got Channel 101, but I do! Yay!). And I don’t care what anyone says, I love KATH AND KIM. It’s like cotton candy for my brain…bad for me, not at all filling, but so fun and yummy!

Plus it stars two of my favorite people, Molly Shannon and Selma Blair! I’d watch them do anything, even just sit there and brush their hair.

And, you guys, seriously, what is TLC, The Discovery Channel, and BBC America DOING with shows like My Fake Baby, Britain’s Youngest Grannies, and My Shocking Story (just to name a few)? Are they trying to stop my writing career cold in its tracks? Why do they have to keep putting on these deliciously grotesque shows that I CAN’T STOP WATCHING (and neither can my girlfriends because we have to call each other afterwards and freak out about them)?

Anyway now, for your entertainment, I present two of my favorite things (stories that, THANK GOD, their creators finished) together for the first time: South Park and High School Musical. I apologize for this in advance and can only say–if I could be anyone besides me, it would be Trey Parker and Matt Stone because I think they have more fun than anyone in the whole world:

More later.

Much love,

Meg

I had so much fun at the Distinguished Alumni event at Indiana University this past weekend! It was great to visit with old friends, make cool new ones (I met Josie Bloss, the author of Band Geek Love, which I haven’t read yet, but I’m going to!), and hang out at my old campus. It reminded me of one of my favorite books, Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers. Only there were no attempted murders.

(I don’t have any pictures from the event yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll post some.)

In the meantime, if you like mysteries, you might want to pick up one of my co-distinguished alumni’s books, such as Envy The Night.

I haven’t read it yet, but Michael’s an Edgar-award finalist, so I’m sure it’s good. He’s really funny, thanked his mother (and dad and sister) during his speech, and he’s cute, too! So how could his books NOT be good?

Who has a crush now? YOU do. Just admit it.

Speaking of cute authors, have you checked out Neil Gaiman’s latest, The Graveyard Book? I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of it, and I am telling you, this is a great book.

Some of you may be looking at it and going, “This looks too scary!” but trust me, you’ll love it, because
a) it’s about an orphan boy who grows up in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts
b) it’s funny
c) there’s a romance, and
d) there’s a mystery.
The Graveyard Book has a little something for everyone. Read it. You won’t be sorry.

Okay, so I asked Olaf Sporns (the Distinguished Faculty member and expert in brains and robotics who was also at the award ceremony—oh, and guess where he’s been while working on the robots? Tsukuba, Japan, where Michael Moscovitz is. I’m just saying. When I get it right, I get it right, people) if brain transplants are possible, and he said no.

But what he obviously meant was “not yet, give it five years.” Right, Dr. Sporns? (Okay, how much do you love saying the name Olaf Sporns? Just say it. Olaf Sporns. LOVE IT. And love you, too, Dr. Sporns.)

Anyway, it’s that time again! I see that I have to address some rumors that are flying around the Internet about me/my books/movies of my books. So, without further ado, here goes:

Rumor #1:
Disney is currently holding auditions for AVALON HIGH: THE MOVIE

Answer:
This rumor is FALSE. Numerous web pages such as this one linking to credible looking industry sites claim that Disney is holding a casting call for AVALON HIGH: THE MOVIE. I have received many excited emails from actors and actresses and even agents asking for more details. Here is the truth straight from the producer himself:

“THERE IS NO CASTING CALL FOR THIS MOVIE. We are awaiting the first draft of the script by the new writer. We are not in prep on the show yet.”

This casting call is a vile RUMOR. Please disregard.

Rumor #2:
There is a Meg Cabot sanctioned Michael Moscovitz online profile on which he professes to still love Mia.

Answer:
This rumor is FALSE. There are no online profiles of Michael Moscovitz created by nor sanctioned by me that profess any such thing. If you see one, it is fan-created. Neither Michael Moscovitz nor JP Abernathy-Reynolds is the type to profess his feelings for Mia on the Internet for the world (or Mia) to see. That is just ick and something neither character would ever, ever do.

Rumor #3
The book Holiday Princess will be available in paperback this holiday season.

Answer:
This rumor is TRUE. This book is available now in paperback for only $6.99!

Perfect for a stocking stuffer or Hanukkah gift.

Those are all the rumors we have time to address right now because I am at the Monroe County Public Library about to meet He Who Shall Not Be Named In This Blog for dinner before I go give a little talk tonight at my old dorm, the Collins Living Learning Center (open to Collins residents only—they invited me).

Stay tuned for my next entry when we’ll try to address more pressing rumors, such as, “Is It True Meg Writes a Book a Month?” and, “Is It True Haagen Dazs Discontinued Meg’s Favorite Flavor Of Ice Cream?” (Answers: No and Yes, sadly)

RIP Macadamia Nut Brittle

More Later.

Much love,

Meg

Gah! So much has happened since I last updated this diary, I don’t know where to begin.

First of all, we have a new president elect! Yes, we DID! Is it just me or does this entire country just seem…happier? I mean, I had to get on two airplanes the day after the election (from one blue state to another!) and one of the planes was severely delayed and no one seemed to care or was in a bad mood about it or anything. In fact, everyone was joking around and even laughing about being two hours late and missing their connecting flights. When does THAT every happen?

Anyway, here is a shot of our new leader, sprinting into action.

Go, Barack, go!

I am way excited about there being little girls in the White House (and a puppy). Malia Obama mentioned being stoked about getting to decorate her new White House bedroom. I think there should be a new HGTV show about this! I would so watch it (whatever, I watched My Fake Baby about women who collect fake babies and also My Shocking Story about a woman with a giant foot the other night. I’ll watch anything).

Reader Karen wrote to me to point out this Princess bed:

And I think it would be perfect for each of the Obama girls (however, at $47,000, it is unlikely they’re going to get it).

And guess who came to the Scholastic store to read from Allie Finkle’s rules for girls? Miranda Cosgrove, from iCarly!

Here’s a blog with a video of her performance so you can actually watch it! Isn’t she pretty?

I’m actually in Indiana right now, getting ready for my big Distinguished Alumni Award banquet. There’s lots to do. I have press stuff all afternoon, and I haven’t memorized my speech for tonight yet. D’oh!

Meanwhile, our barnhouse here is infested with Asian lady beetles. So I’m spending all my free time dustbusting bugs. Gross. They look like ladybugs but they aren’t. I hate them. They’re on EVERYTHING. Why must all bugs persecute me so? WHY????

Finally, the excerpts for Forever Princess and Ransom My Heart are UP! Go check them out!

Sorry for the typos, this was written in haste. And now I gotta run like our president elect. Only sadly when I run, I don’t look as cool.

More later.

Much love,

Meg

Do you like Miranda Cosgrove (she plays Megan in Josh and Drake, Carly on iCarly, and was Summer, the bossy girl in School of Rock)?

Of course you like her! Who doesn’t?

Well, on Wednesday, November 5, at 4:00, Miranda will be at the Scholastic Store in downtown Manhattan to read aloud from her favorite Scholastic book…none other than ALLIE FINKLE! She’ll be posing for a photo op after the reading.

Don’t let Miranda read to an empty store! Go listen to her!

Things are always fun at the Scholastic Store

I wish I could be there myself, but I’ll be on my way to Indiana for my alumni award banquet.

I hope those of you who do go to Miranda’s event will tell her hi from me!

And now we just have ONE MORE DAY (seriously this time) until the Forever Princess and Ransom My Heart excerpts go up!

In the meantime, I finally remembered something that inspires me! I think it’s even actually appropriate for today!

When I used to work at NYU, my boss Jennifer (she was the head boss, so she didn’t quit every year like all my other bosses seemed to) had a poster hanging in her office. When I would get really sad and frustrated about all my rejection letters (three years worth of them, one a day, except Sundays and holidays when there was no mail), and I felt like giving up writing (or at least giving up trying to get published), I would go look at the poster in Jennifer’s office (this is the same Jennifer, by the way, I thank in the acknowledgements of all my books).

Here is what the poster, a poem by Shel Silverstein, said:

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child

Listen to the DON’TS

Listen to the SHOULDN’TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS

Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me -

Anything can happen, child

ANYTHING can be.

More later.

Much love,

Meg