I've spoken before of Suzanne Lieurance and The Morning Nudge. Her daily words to inspire and motivate are a constant source of wisdom and guidance, and I strongly encourage you all to subscribe.
In today's Morning Nudge, she talks of distractions and working through them. Given the extent of all the distractions around me currently as we wrap up the school year and move into the chaos of summer, I found it particularly helpful. But the other thing she talked of this morning is something I believe many of us battle at times. It is the notion that family and friends "often just don't get it when it comes to your writing." Very well said, Suzanne! She goes on to say...
"They just don't understand how serious you are--or want to be--about your work." She talks about not letting them "pull you away from your writing" and being "nice, but firm, when it comes to family and friends" so as not to be pulled away from your writing. I think it is probably difficult to "get it" if you are not a writer and trying to make it as a writer; however, I know, for me, it can be frustrating and defeating to deal with that kind of attitude from others. How do you deal with it in your writing life?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
FOCUS
As I sat here contemplating the state of my day and where to begin, I saw something I printed out last week and highlighted. I was feeling sorry for myself as there is so much I need to do around the house that is going to eat into my writing time today, but I can't seem to get focused enough to tackle any writing projects without first tackling the chaos around me. The dust bunnies are out of control and multiplying like guppies; sheets need to be washed; piles of laundry have accumulated from a weekend softball tournament; bags need to be unpacked from the same--you get the idea! I pulled out my pile of writing projects to work on and saw one of the motivational pieces from last week that I received as part of Suzanne Lieurance's The Morning Nudge Club titled "It's All About Focus." What I have highlighted is this..."There will ALWAYS be something that eats up your writing time if you let it." So true, so true! Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a way today to get focused on my writing without first attempting to get some organization in the chaos around me. I am going to succumb to that need in hopes of having more time to get focused on my writing the rest of the week. This is a delicate balance for writers when "work" is in the home. Some days I seem better able to put my blinders on so to speak and ignore the things that need to be done around me. Some days, I can't. I guess this is one of those. How do you manage the balance?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Writing for Children
I am currently reading Barbara Seuling's HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK AND GET IT PUBLISHED which has been a great help in the writing process of my most recent WIP (a PB for young children).
It seems I am confronted every day, in one way or another, by someone who does not understand nor take the time to try to understand the process or desire to write for children. As I was flipping through the book this morning to see how much I've read and where I need to pick up now, I saw a quote from the beginning of the book I had highlighted. It reads as follows:
"You have to write whatever it is that wants to be written. And then, if it's going to be too difficult for grown-ups, you write it for children." Madeleine L' Engle
These wise words are very inspiring to me and give me hope that what we all, as children's authors, work so hard to do each and every day is not for naught. So, for any of you out there facing frustration from those not understanding your burning desire to write for children or thinking it is a piece of cake to do, take heart--we are not alone in our desire to do so and know full well the struggle, time and effort it takes to get each word just right! I, for one, celebrate you for your efforts. Keep it up!
It seems I am confronted every day, in one way or another, by someone who does not understand nor take the time to try to understand the process or desire to write for children. As I was flipping through the book this morning to see how much I've read and where I need to pick up now, I saw a quote from the beginning of the book I had highlighted. It reads as follows:
"You have to write whatever it is that wants to be written. And then, if it's going to be too difficult for grown-ups, you write it for children." Madeleine L' Engle
These wise words are very inspiring to me and give me hope that what we all, as children's authors, work so hard to do each and every day is not for naught. So, for any of you out there facing frustration from those not understanding your burning desire to write for children or thinking it is a piece of cake to do, take heart--we are not alone in our desire to do so and know full well the struggle, time and effort it takes to get each word just right! I, for one, celebrate you for your efforts. Keep it up!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Spring SCBWI Conference Continued
As promised, I'm back to discuss the remaining presenters at the recent Spring SCBWI Dakotas Conference.
First up, Chris Richman, an agent with Upstart Crow Literary. Chris is actively building his list and is interested in MG and YA fiction with strong commercial hooks, standout voices and plots that grab him and refuse to let go. Chris enjoys working with debut writers and, per his report, loves "dark fantasy" so go for it if any of you out there have something for him. You can find submission guidelines on the Upstart Crow Literary website at http://upstartcrowliterary.com/. Chris' presentation discussed pitching your novel, and he really promoted making your query work for your project and targeting the right people. He said that although a pitch is important, strong writing is a must..."You have to stand out--that's the bottom line."
Lindsay Schlegel, an editor with Simon and Schuster who works with the Atheneum Books for Young Readers and Margaret K. McElderry Books Imprints, spoke about PBs: From Submission to Storytime. She stressed that "story trumps everything." Her presentation was very helpful, especially in terms of what to think about in the picture book process, namely rhyme and repetition, page turn and thinking visually. Unfortunately, Simon and Schuster Imprints are closed to unagented submissions with the exception of conference attendees (we get one unagented submission in the next six months--yippee!).
Chris Browne, illustrator and cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip Hagar the Horrible, and Chris Rylander, author of the MG novel THE FOURTH STALL scheduled for early 2011 release from HarperCollins, completed the panel.
While Chris Browne did not give a specific presentation, he was on the panel for the Question and Answer session as well as conducting informal critiques of art portfolios. I had the privilege of sitting at a table with Chris and thoroughly enjoyed his company and tales of his life and ancestors. He grew up in CT and lived for 28 years in FL. For the last three years, he and his wife have lived in SD about an hour from where I live. He is extremely funny and wonderfully talented, and I encourage you all to read Hagar the Horrible if you don't already.
Chris Rylander is the new Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Dakotas and organized a wonderful conference as you have read. Thank you, Chris; my hat is off to you for a job well done!
First up, Chris Richman, an agent with Upstart Crow Literary. Chris is actively building his list and is interested in MG and YA fiction with strong commercial hooks, standout voices and plots that grab him and refuse to let go. Chris enjoys working with debut writers and, per his report, loves "dark fantasy" so go for it if any of you out there have something for him. You can find submission guidelines on the Upstart Crow Literary website at http://upstartcrowliterary.com/. Chris' presentation discussed pitching your novel, and he really promoted making your query work for your project and targeting the right people. He said that although a pitch is important, strong writing is a must..."You have to stand out--that's the bottom line."
Lindsay Schlegel, an editor with Simon and Schuster who works with the Atheneum Books for Young Readers and Margaret K. McElderry Books Imprints, spoke about PBs: From Submission to Storytime. She stressed that "story trumps everything." Her presentation was very helpful, especially in terms of what to think about in the picture book process, namely rhyme and repetition, page turn and thinking visually. Unfortunately, Simon and Schuster Imprints are closed to unagented submissions with the exception of conference attendees (we get one unagented submission in the next six months--yippee!).
Chris Browne, illustrator and cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip Hagar the Horrible, and Chris Rylander, author of the MG novel THE FOURTH STALL scheduled for early 2011 release from HarperCollins, completed the panel.
While Chris Browne did not give a specific presentation, he was on the panel for the Question and Answer session as well as conducting informal critiques of art portfolios. I had the privilege of sitting at a table with Chris and thoroughly enjoyed his company and tales of his life and ancestors. He grew up in CT and lived for 28 years in FL. For the last three years, he and his wife have lived in SD about an hour from where I live. He is extremely funny and wonderfully talented, and I encourage you all to read Hagar the Horrible if you don't already.
Chris Rylander is the new Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Dakotas and organized a wonderful conference as you have read. Thank you, Chris; my hat is off to you for a job well done!
Monday, April 19, 2010
SCBWI Dakotas Spring Conference
As I said in a recent post, I just attended the fourth annual Spring SCBWI Dakotas Writers and Illustrators Conference. The presenters/faculty were as follows: Chris Richman, Agent with Upstart Crow Literary; Lindsay Schlegel, Editor with Simon and Schuster; Chris Browne, Illustrator and cartoonist of Hagar the Horrible; Rebecca Johnson, Author; and Chris Rylander, Author and Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Dakotas. All of the presenters shared great insight and useful information, and I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the tidbits I gleaned from these awesome presentations.
First off was Rebecca Johnson. She amazed me! Rebecca is an award-winning author of more than 75 books for young children, young adults and adults on diverse scientific subjects, most recently about the new organisms discovered during the Census of Marine Life, a 10-year global survey of ocean life.
Rebecca's research has taken her to far-flung parts of the world--into the heart of Antarctica, for example, and to New Zealand to study one of the world's most rare birds, the Kakapu.
Rebecca's involvement in the Census of Marine Life led to her newest book to be released in May 2010, Journey Into the Deep. Make yourself a note to get your copy at Amazon or Lerner if you are a science lover, or even if you're not. The marine life discovered for the first time ever are incredible. Rebecca shared a sneak peak of the photos used in the book at the conference. They are truly incredible! Words cannot even describe how cool are the Barrel-Eyed Fish with it's transparent head and huge, green eyes that rotate; the Ping Pong Ball Sponge and the Swimming Sea Cucumber. This is truly a book not to miss. Rebecca had just learned the day prior to the conference that Journey Into the Deep is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Much congrats to you, Rebecca. This honor is greatly deserved!
From a technical/professional writer standpoint, Rebecca shared so many words of wisdom, most notable to me was, "write what you love...write what you know." This is so true. If we aren't excited about our writing, how are we to encite excitement in the reader and a desire to pick up and read our work?
In a separate breakout session, Rebecca discussed finding time to write and using it. She suggested we figure out what we are spending our time on and cut back on, or eliminate, time zappers. I found this profound--"Perfection is the enemy of good." Perfection is my nemesis!
Rebecca also suggested we find our "zone," or time we are most able to write, and do nothing but write when in the zone. One other tidbit I found inspiring was, "Stop waiting for the BIG CHUNKS of time--they're not going to come." I am so guilty of this and need to learn to set small goals that are accomplishable and stop throwing in the towel on the days when the "big chunk" of time doesn't appear.
Per Rebecca, if you choose the writing life, "write daily...commit....choose it whole-heartedly...decide now to be one of those writers." What profound yet simple words!
I think that is enough for today. I thank you for letting me ramble on but know there are many of you out there that can benefit from Rebecca's sage advice. I know I am better for it!
I'll blog about the remaining presenters in my next post. I hope you enjoyed reading about Rebecca's presentation. She is truly inspiring both as a person and an author.
First off was Rebecca Johnson. She amazed me! Rebecca is an award-winning author of more than 75 books for young children, young adults and adults on diverse scientific subjects, most recently about the new organisms discovered during the Census of Marine Life, a 10-year global survey of ocean life.
Rebecca's research has taken her to far-flung parts of the world--into the heart of Antarctica, for example, and to New Zealand to study one of the world's most rare birds, the Kakapu.
Rebecca's involvement in the Census of Marine Life led to her newest book to be released in May 2010, Journey Into the Deep. Make yourself a note to get your copy at Amazon or Lerner if you are a science lover, or even if you're not. The marine life discovered for the first time ever are incredible. Rebecca shared a sneak peak of the photos used in the book at the conference. They are truly incredible! Words cannot even describe how cool are the Barrel-Eyed Fish with it's transparent head and huge, green eyes that rotate; the Ping Pong Ball Sponge and the Swimming Sea Cucumber. This is truly a book not to miss. Rebecca had just learned the day prior to the conference that Journey Into the Deep is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Much congrats to you, Rebecca. This honor is greatly deserved!
From a technical/professional writer standpoint, Rebecca shared so many words of wisdom, most notable to me was, "write what you love...write what you know." This is so true. If we aren't excited about our writing, how are we to encite excitement in the reader and a desire to pick up and read our work?
In a separate breakout session, Rebecca discussed finding time to write and using it. She suggested we figure out what we are spending our time on and cut back on, or eliminate, time zappers. I found this profound--"Perfection is the enemy of good." Perfection is my nemesis!
Rebecca also suggested we find our "zone," or time we are most able to write, and do nothing but write when in the zone. One other tidbit I found inspiring was, "Stop waiting for the BIG CHUNKS of time--they're not going to come." I am so guilty of this and need to learn to set small goals that are accomplishable and stop throwing in the towel on the days when the "big chunk" of time doesn't appear.
Per Rebecca, if you choose the writing life, "write daily...commit....choose it whole-heartedly...decide now to be one of those writers." What profound yet simple words!
I think that is enough for today. I thank you for letting me ramble on but know there are many of you out there that can benefit from Rebecca's sage advice. I know I am better for it!
I'll blog about the remaining presenters in my next post. I hope you enjoyed reading about Rebecca's presentation. She is truly inspiring both as a person and an author.
Monday, April 12, 2010
SCBWI Dakotas
This past weekend, I attended the regional SCBWI Dakotas Writers and Illustrators Conference in Sioux Falls, SD. The presenters were amazing with much information gained by all. The networking opportunities with publishing professionals were wonderful as well. Members of the faculty included Chris Richman, Agent with Upstart Crow Literary; Lindsay Schlegel, Editor with Simon and Schuster; Chris Browne, Illustrator and cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip Hagar the Horrible; Rebecca Johnson, Author; Chris Rylander, Author and Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Dakotas. Stay tuned for more to come about these wonderful presenters and the insightful information and tips shared by them.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Believe
"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." Henry Rod
I read this today in Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy. It reminded me of something my aunt used to tell me--think you can, think you can't; either way, you're right. It is so true. The power of belief is a strong and daunting force in what one will or will not accomplish on any given day. I know it is for me. If I believe I am going to have a productive day, I am much more likely to accomplish what I set out to accomplish. If I believe I am going to have a fairly unproductive day, that belief typically holds true as well.
How about you? What do you believe you can acomplish today?
I read this today in Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy. It reminded me of something my aunt used to tell me--think you can, think you can't; either way, you're right. It is so true. The power of belief is a strong and daunting force in what one will or will not accomplish on any given day. I know it is for me. If I believe I am going to have a productive day, I am much more likely to accomplish what I set out to accomplish. If I believe I am going to have a fairly unproductive day, that belief typically holds true as well.
How about you? What do you believe you can acomplish today?
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