by Carmella on March 10, 2010
A dear family friend recently passed away after a battle with cancer. This man mentored my husband for the last twenty years and gave him a job with a terrific company where he is appreciated and has the freedom to make family a top priority. Sometime soon, I hope to be emotionally ready to sit down and write this man’s widow a letter, letting her know just how much her husband meant to us.
Wrestling with what to say has got me thinking about other letters and personal notes I’ve written over the years. For instance, the poems I wrote for each of my brothers and read on their wedding days, the poem I wrote and read at my best friend’s wedding and the letter I wrote a friend when her infant son passed away suddenly. And I’ve been thinking about the reactions each of those things evoked.
I’ve also been remembering the essay I wrote about getting to speak with Rose Keller, a 9-11 widow whose husband’s name is on the memorial bracelet I wear each September. She was a complete stranger to me and our being able to connect came about because of some amazing and serendipitous events. Even though I was never able to sell the piece, the fact Rose called me to tell me how much it meant to her and that she was saving it to share with her children someday meant more to me than any check from a magazine ever could have.
I’ve been writing professionally for nearly 12 years now. Often times, I am guilty of getting caught up with the “product” I’m creating. I get stressed out about the publishing end of things or frustrated when (like the last few weeks) I just can’t seem to make any headway on my current book. And I forget the simple truth about this gift I’ve been given:
Sometimes, our best and most important works are the ones with the smallest audiences.
by Andrea on March 5, 2010
When my writing is going well, the piece I’m working on is always at the back of my mind. It’s almost like it takes on a life of its own, tugging at me to come back to my desk and keep going.
And I want to.
That’s where the guilt comes in. It sometimes feels self-indulgent to spend so much time working on my writing when it’s not my main source of income or helping me to raise my children. Here are some ways I work on keeping the guilt in check:
1. Get up early and write before everyone else wakes up.
2. Remind myself frequently that I’d be grumpy if I didn’t write – I need the mental peace it brings.
3. Pile on the praise to family members who are supportive of my writing time.
4. Suggest the children watch a Harry Potter movie (for the 28th time).
5. Remember I’m a role model for my children – and my future readers. Isn’t working towards a dream something I want to model?
– Andrea
by Christina on February 28, 2010
So I’m busy working on the perfect plot with star worthy characters and a stunning setting. It’s all there. Laid out with precise outlining. So why can’t I write!!!!?????!!!!
Please tell me you’re nodding your head saying, “Yes, this happens to me, too.” I sure hope so because it just happened to me. I’ll tell you why. It’s because my muse went off on vacation right when I’m smack in the middle of my first draft of my novel. (I know, the nerve).
In fact, my muse was gone so long that it took my over a month to write 5,000 words. Not those flying-fingers-across-the-keyboard words. These were the painfully-slow-I’m-never-going-to-finish-this-sentence words.
But I’m here to tell you I’ve survived! (Imagine a room full of cheers and clapping) My muse is back and my story is rocking once again. (more clapping) So how did I manage while she was gone?
Here are some helpful tips:
1. Daydream
2. Go for a long run (or walk if you don’t like to run)
3. Read
4. Chat with a friend to brainstorm ideas
5. Eat lots of chocolate.
6. Be silly
Silly? Yep. I went to some plot generators and found some crazy story ideas. Then I let my imagination go WILD. It’s actually kind of fun and a seemingly waste of time. But what do you know? My muse hurried on back, tan and smiling.
Check out these sites to get your muse running on back to that perfect story of yours:
1. Plot Scenario Generator
I got things like this: “The story starts when your protagonist hides in a closet. Another character is a foreign diplomat who is the most attractive person your protagonist has ever met.” Wow. Now that sounds like fun!
2. Random Plot Generator
3. Seventh Sanctum
Oh and according to my four-year old, my muse went to Bora Bora. In case you were wondering.
by Andrea on February 26, 2010
Not being a big sports fan, this is one of the first times that I’ve really gotten into watching the Winter Olympics. It’s not just because it’s in my home country (Go Canada Go!). Working hard to achieve my own writing goals has led me to really appreciate the level of dedication and commitment it takes to make it. A few things I’ve learned from watching that I can apply to my own writing:
Speed. Set a pace and get a rhythm going, but save something for that final push when it really counts.
Timing. One decision about which way to go or when to make a move can effect the entire performance.
Details. All the small elements–dramatic gestures, a simple step sequence–require attention to create a perfect routine.
The connections that writers make between writing and the Olympics are interesting, too. More food for thought about the Olympics and writing by Lisa over at Author2Author, Susan Lyons and Eileen Cook.
– Andrea
by Carmella on February 24, 2010
Life is still getting in the way of writing this week. But I sent out another query for my young adult novel and my picture book biography to two publishers. And, oh. I registered for a revision workshop my local SCBWI chapter is putting on in April. So I guess I’m managing to get something writing related done.
Just for fun, I recently gathered up my stats on my search for an agent for my young adult novel. I thought I’d share them. Personally, I like seeing other people’s submission stats.
Hope you find these interesting!
Everything But the Flying Monkeys (YA, 45,000 words)
18 – Agents
5 – Form Rejections
5 – Requests for Fulls – all personal no’s
2 – Requests for partials – one personal “no” to date
6 – haven’t heard back from at this point
If I did the math right (that’s a big IF!) it appears I have approximately a 60% positive response rate. Is that good? I honestly don’t know.
What are your stats?
by Carmella on February 17, 2010
See that tiny, 
black thing near the middle of the picture? That’s my mailbox. We’ve just had our third major snow storm in the last week-and-a-half. I’m tired of shoveling. I’m tired of cold. I’m tired of kids with cabin fever. I’m just plain tired.
As my friends can attest, I’ve had a crazy week on top of all the white stuff. It included, among other things, a sad trip to the vet and a potentially scary trip to Urgent Care. It shouldn’t come a surprise to anyone that I didn’t get much writing done this week. (Okay, try one lousy paragraph.)
It happens though. Life gets in the way. This used to frustrate me to no end. “Writers write EVERY DAY.” Right? Well, no. That’s not always possible. But I’ve learned that you just gotta cut yourself some slack and trust that your current project will wait.
So if other things need your attention today, don’t sweat it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I think my snowy driveway is calling. Again.
by Christina on February 15, 2010
The big buzzword these days in children’s writing seems to be ‘multiculturalism’. What an exciting time! There is so much out there in the world to enrich children’s literature. But I think it’s important to note that multiculturalism is more than just the race of our characters. I’ve lived overseas 10 years and I’m just now getting the concept of it!
So the question is, how do I fuse multiculturalism into my stories? Here are a couple of starters:
1. Food- I love how Jill Santopolo brought in the Italian culture into her story The Nina, The Pinta and Vanishing Treasure through foods and words. Create characters who love fried rice rather than pizza or who crave baklava rather than a chocolate bar.
2. Holidays- There are so many more holidays out there than the typical Halloween or Valentine’s Day. Check out this site to find new holidays for your characters to celebrate.
3. Languages- Try new words or sayings in your stories. Autumn Cornwell had fun with this by having her character learn Malay words as she encountered her adventures in Carpe Diem.
4. Traditions- What do your characters do on important events that show their uniqueness? Do they set shoes by the fire rather than stockings? Are they painting eggs in the Polish tradition instead of the die kits? Do they bow to their elders or take their shoes off at the door?
5. Travel- Get you characters out into the world. Expose them to new settings and see the world with new eyes.
Multiculturalism is so much more than even this. But it’s a start. How about you? Any ideas on how you bring the world into your stories?
Picture at top of post by: Eduard Ionescu
by Debbie on February 13, 2010
by Andrea on February 12, 2010
Once in a while, something happens that causes my whole outlook on writing to change.
When my father died a few years ago, it made me think about what I really wanted to do during my lifetime — write, of course! Instead of just dabbling and sending out the occasional submission, I took courses and workshops, set goals for myself, applied for freelance writing jobs, and ended up becoming a freelance educational writer.
This month, I had another breakthrough moment. This one was about what I do with my writing time. I decided to make more time for writing for myself.
Since then, I’ve been working on my writing almost every day. The surprising thing is that now I can’t wait to get to my desk to work on my story. It could be because this time, I have an outline. Or because it’s my third [still unpublished] novel and I’ve finally developed a more efficient writing process. But I think that it’s because I’m more focussed on writing for me. I know it isn’t going to be perfect. It could be a practice novel, or it could be “the one that gets published”. It doesn’t matter. My writing is important for me and I just want to write.
What breakthrough moments have had an impact on your writing?
– Andrea
by Carmella on February 9, 2010
I’ve been thinking about patience lately. Patience is not my strong suit. And, between you and me, I’m a slow learner when it comes getting a handle on that virtue. Of course, the Universe has a way of giving you plenty of opportunities to (clears throat) practice.
Lately, one of those opportunities has come in the form of a painful shoulder injury. It’s preventing me from, among other things, properly training for my next black belt test. When I told my instructor that I was thinking about taking some time off, he said he’d rather have me keep coming to class and just do what I can, even if it wasn’t much for now.
“I hate coming to class and having to sit some things out, though,” I complained.
My master smiled and said, “That’s ego talking.”
He was right.
Ego is what tells me I “should be at the same level as everyone else” and “you’re being a slacker for taking time off.”
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. My ego tells me the same kinds of thing when it comes to my writing: you should be further along in your career, you should be a much better writer, you should go back to what you’re good at instead of trying something new, you should have an agent by now.
The thing is, being good, being “further along” or whatever, takes time. Success doesn’t come easily for most of us.
It took me many years and tears to get where I am in my writing. I’m much better than I once was but not as good as I’ll be someday. I guess I just have to keep showing up and doing what I can, even if it doesn’t seem like much.
In the mean time, I’ll try to remember: Patience, Grasshopper. Patience.
