Diana Scimone

MTV: Good News and Bad News

MTV has a great anti-trafficking campaign called Exit -- End Expoitation and Trafficking. 

Since MTV launched the EXIT campaign in 2004, it's created programming that's informed millions of young people from source and destination countries about trafficking and empowered them to take action within their communities.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that you can watch EXIT programming all over the world EXCEPT in the US, where MTV doesn't air it. 

Instead MTV US airs a lot of programming that actually promotes sex trafficking of children and adults.  

The Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking just launched a petition drive to encourage MTV to air EXIT in the US and be a little more responsible about what else they do air.

You can sign the petition here. It takes about 30 seconds. (Warning: The video clip with the petition is graphic.)

Day 9: A Word or 2 (or 3 or 4) About Child Trafficking

Our countdown to 09-09-09 is now in the single digits. It's just 9 days until the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser to stop child trafficking. 

Our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. So far we have nearly $1,400 in advance donations. All funds go to the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.

We'll give away lots of great prizes on September 9, and everyone who donates on the day or ahead of time is eligible. Here are some great books andCDs we'll give away.

1.  Adventures With PawPaw children's book series, written by Diana Scimone and illustrated by Leah Wiedemer (@DianaScimone and @RoamingArtist)

Adventures With PawPaw is a series about a little dog who travels to a different country in each book, introducing young children to other countries and cultures. We'll give away 2 sets of all 3 books in the series--China, France, and Costa Rica--which will be signed by yours truly (the author) and illustrator LeahWiedemer (who's illustrating the Born to Fly books for the B2F Project).  (Retail value $25 per set)

2. 3 books by Dr. John Stanko (@JohnStanko) Unlocking the Power of Your Purpose; I Wrote This Book on Purpose So You Can Know Yours; and Beyond Purpose: Keys to Unlocking a Life of Productivity and Fulfillment

John is my own personal purpose coach and serves on the board of directors of Born to Fly.  His excellent books will help you know your purpose and then move beyond that to actually do something about it.  We'll award the 3 books to 3 separate winners. (Total retail value of all 3 books $34)

3. 2 books by Ed Folino (@mypittsburghedf) Long Time Coming and My Pittsburgh

Ed is known as the Pittsburgh Poet. After he retired a few years ago working as an office products dealer  in the Steel City, he realized a life-long dream: to publish the poetry he'd been writing for years. He's already published 2 books, which we'll give away on 09-09-09 (1 book each to 2 winners). (Total retail value $29.90)

4. Slave Hunter: One Man's Global Quest to Free Victims of Human Trafficking, by Aaron Cohen and Christine Buckley (@AaronCohen777 and @ChristiBuckley)

There's nothing like tweeting with someone who posts riveting updates such as, "We're about to break into a brothel in Cambodia to rescue trafficking victims." Aaron Cohen and co-author Christine Buckley have brought that immediacy to their brand-new book, which is already #75 on Amazon's list of human rights books. We'll give away a copy on 09-09-09. (Retail value $24.99)

5. Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, by Chris Brogan and Julian Smith (@ChrisBrogan and @Julien)

I already posted about this hot-off-the-press book a few weeks ago, but wanted to include it in our book giveaway list. You can read that post here. BTW, kudos to Chris and Julien because Trust Agents is now #13 on the NY Times best-seller list. (Retail value $24.95)

6. How to Write a Book: 7 Steps to Help You Write the Book You've Always Dreamed of Writing, by Diana Scimone (e-book)

This book by yours truly will help you write the book that's inside you. It's practical, motivating, and encouraging, and will show you how to move your book from dream to reality (which every author on this page had to do).  This is an e-book, and if you win, I'll send you instructions to download it free. (Retail value $14.95)

7. The Quiet Place, by Nancy Scimone (music CD)

Nancy is my sister, and I'm a little miffed that she got all the singing genes in the family. She graciously left me some of the writing genes--but she can write, too.  In fact, she wrote all the gorgeous songs on this CD, which is a collection of favorite psalms set to jazz and classical (both of which Nancy does beautifully). It's one of the most relaxingCDs you'll ever hear--and you could win it on 09-09-09. (Retail value $11)

You could win one of these great prizes on 09-09-09 simply by donating to our fundraiser to stop child trafficking. Just click the orange Chip-in button at the top right (or here), and donate safely and securely by credit card or PayPal.

Remember, all the funds go to the Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking, and will help us print and distribute these strategic materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over the world.

* * *

Here's the answer to Friday's question:

Q: A young girl named Rosa testified before Congress about how she was smuggled into the US. What country was she from, and what US city did she end up in?

A: Rosa was from Mexico, trafficked into the US, and brought to Orlando, where she was held in a trailer and raped for profit many times throughout the day and night, until she finally escaped. She told her story before Congress, which you can read about here.

Today's question is:

Q: What does the travel industry have to do with child sex slavery?

Watch this space tomorrow for the answer--along with another prize in the 31-day countdown to the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking. We've got some pretty big prizes coming up this week!

One Person: PUSH Concert to Stop Child Trafficking

I "met" Stefanie Hamilton after I left a comment on her blog, Nowhere to Hide, where she writes about issues of justice.  Stefanie is helping to organize a PUSH concert on May 28 at the Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan--PUSH as in "push ourselves out of apathy and into action." 100% of proceeds from ticket sales and donations for CDs go to International Justice Mission to help stop child trafficking.

Now, isn't that a great idea--and something that anyone can do? Stefanie is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference.

I get emails from people all the time saying, "I'm horrified by the stories of kids being trafficked. What can I do to stop it?"

I usually refer them to the list of 43 ideas on this blog (see the list on the left, or go to www.dianascimone.com if you're reading this by email) -- but I suspect most people don't think they're really doing much just by holding a car wash or hanging up a poster about what to do if you spot a trafficked person.

We all want to rescue kids, and somehow a car wash seems so, well, so unglamorous. But car washes and concerts DO help because they provide funds for organizations that are working to stop the traffic--like IJM (which rescues kids) and Born to Fly International (which works to keep them from getting trafficked in the first place).

So if you're near Pontiac, Michigan, buy a ticket to the PUSH concert.  You'll hear great music from singer/songwriter Carol Clayton, Silent Violet, and Wurfel--and you'll know more about human trafficking when you leave than when you entered.  Tickets are just $10 and 100% of proceeds go to help stop child trafficking.

Want more ideas of how to make a difference?  Click on the category "One Person Can Make a Difference" on the right.  And if you're doing something to stop child trafficking, leave a comment and tell us about it. You, like Stefanie, are making a difference and we'd all like to know about it.

The Writer's Workshop: Lessons From Broadway

Exactly two years ago this week, I had an opportunity to meet Broadway writer and director Stephen Schwartz--and four of his words have stuck with me ever since.

All his words were memorable, of course, but I'm going to focus on just four of them here because they've been so valuable as I've worked on my first book for the "Not For Sale" project to help stop child trafficking.

Schwartz has written music and/or lyrics for many Broadway shows including Godspell, Pippin, and the current Broadway hit, Wicked. He collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on Mass, and with Alan Menken on the scores for the Disney animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  He also wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt. 

Can you see why when Stephen Schwartz spoke, I was taking notes?

So what are the four golden words he shared that I've remembered to this day?  They are:

The "I want" song

The hero of any musical or novel or film wants something--and what he or she wants is what the plot is all about. 

Since Schwartz deals with music, he calls it the "I want song."  As he spoke, he showed us how his musicals open with the hero singing his or her "I want" song. 

Pippin, for example, features the beautiful song "Corner of the Sky" a few minutes into the plot.  (Check out William Katt singing it on Broadway, with a little of Ben Vereen thrown in for fun.)

You can't get more "I want" than those lyrics:  "I've got to be where my spirit can run free, got to find my corner of the sky."  The rest of the musical is about Pippin's quest to run free and find his corner of the sky--with all the ups and downs and near-death experiences that his quest entails.

As you write your novel (or screenplay or musical), think about the "I want" song for your main character.  What does she want so badly that she's willing to go through an entire book to find it?  What propels him, keeps him up at night, motivates him and practically drives him crazy in his quest to reach it?

Find it, and you'll find a valuable tool to help develop your plot.

In an upcoming post, I'll talk about another powerful plot element and what happens when it collides with the "I want" song -- which is exactly what your story needs to keep readers on the edge of their seats (or paying $150 for a ticket to see it on Broadway). 

To read more of what I learned about writing from Stephen Schwartz, check out Issue #10 of my e-letter, The Writer's Workshop. (I'm no longer publishing The Writer's Workshop and have instead incorporated it into this blog, but you can find all the back issues here including the first seven, which are part of my e-book, How to Write a Book.)

   

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