Diary of a Children's Book Writer

Milestones

2011-06-07T16:14:00.001-04:00

My daughter’s life is celebrated with milestones. And each milestone she hits, I get older. My life used to be marked by milestones, celebrated by my parents. But somewhere along the way, I forgot to look for the milestones in my life.

I sit and reflect upon this because my daughter is about to cross a momentous thresh hold in her life. She is about to graduate from middle school and enter high school. High school. Every child’s dream. Every parent’s nightmare. While she is ready to hurdle herself into that new environment and meet this new challenge head on, I am ready to take her and move into a cave.

Recently, she had try-outs for the HS cheerleading squad. Every day I would drive her to the HS for her try-outs and sit and wait in the parking lot. This was precisely the same time the HS Lacrosse team was done with practice. The BOY’S Lacrosse team. These boys were not boys. They were “men-lings,” somewhere stuck between teenager and adulthood. They towered over my daughter, who is very tiny for her age. They had facial hair and leg hair and for crying out loud, chest hair! How could my baby, my first born, possibly navigate her way through the hallways with these hairy beasts? No. I wouldn’t let her.

But I have to let her. She has to cross that milestone and walk over that thresh hold. She’s growing up and she’s proud of it and so I must let her go. Not completely. Never completely, but stay enough paces behind her so she feels freedom and so I feel I can still be there to catch her if she falls.

She might fall. Maybe even a few times. And sometimes she might fall so far that she might feel that she will never get back up. But I know that despite the bruises and scrapes from all the falling that comes with growing, she will also spread her wings and fly.

Preparation for this momentous occasion called for collecting class photos for a montage the school will play in the background during graduation. One picture in particular, made me stop, take pause, smile, and reflect. It was her third grade picture. Mrs. GaNun. She was the kind of teacher every child should be so lucky to have in their lives. She was strong but gentle, kind but authoritative, creative but structured, a dream come true. This was the year we discovered that my daughter had some kind of a learning difficulty. She was bright, very bright but there was something, a synapse, perhaps, that was not adeptly firing. Mrs. GaNun made it her mission to reach my daughter and more importantly, to teach my daughter what tools she needed to bring information into her long-term memory bank.

I stared at the faces in the photo, scanning to find my Emily. There she was in the front row, first one on the left. What I saw broke my heart wide opened and love oozed out in ways I cannot fully express. Why hadn’t I seen her expression before? Was I too busy? Was I too “in the moment” to see what was before me?

All the kids, all 20 of them to be exact, had broad smiles on their faces. The children in the front were clearly instructed to clasp their hands in front of them. And there was my daughter, even at that age, smaller than the rest. She did not have a smile on her face, the only child. She had an expression of timidity, a lack of courage or self-assurance. Her head, slightly tilted to her left, eyes wide, staring straight at the camera, her shoulders elevated just a tad, reaching for her earlobes. What struck me the most were her hands. Instead of being gently clasped in front of her, her wrists were crossed and then her hands were clasped. Where everyone else had a symbolic ring in front of them, she had a knot. Maybe she didn’t understand the directions of the photographer but to me, knowing her plight, knowing the discoveries made that year, she looked protective. Afraid.

As I stated earlier, it broke my heart; wide open.

I realize now, this was her journey and a necessary one. She needed to know her learning style, her strengths and weaknesses so she could attend to them. She needed to shine the light on herself in order to radiate later. And radiate she does. She is now fully aware of her needs and one could scarcely know that she has a non-working memory. She knows how to compensate and as a result, she excels.

This discovery brought me to myself. You see, I, too, am standing at a thresh hold of a milestone in my life. And I can learn a lot from my daughter. As I embrace my writing career, my financial insecurity, and the fact that, alas, I am growing older, I see myself in her little third grade face. I, too, have a “learning” difficulty, if you will. My biggest enemy, like all of us, is myself. I still have a long way to go. But I recognize now that if a snapshot of my life had been taken, I would be standing in the front row with my wrists knotted and hands strained, with my shoulders raised, and eyes wide. I, too, would portray one lacking courage or self assurance. But not anymore.

I have stepped into the spotlight and unclasped my hands, relaxed my shoulders, and fixed my eyes on what is ahead for me. There are many problems still to be solved but one I will not need to solve again is this: I am a writer, have always been a writer, and will always be a writer. I accept that my fate is unknown, that there is much hard work to be done, but now I know in my heart that no matter where life takes me, it is where I am meant to be, and I will have the tools I need to take me there.

Five years later, my daughter’s 8^th grade photo portrays a very different Emily. Hands at her sides, shoulders relaxed, eyes on the camera, and a smile on her face.

She is ready for her calling, ready for her milestone, and now, so am I.

Royal Mistakes

2011-03-02T14:18:00.002-05:00

A MC needs to really mess up. And I don’t mean mess up like they chose chocolate when they meant vanilla. There has to be a huge consequence and we, the reader, need to feel it. More importantly, we need to sympathize.

Sympathy requires understanding, being able to put yourself in the MC’s shoes. You understand their mistake and already forgive them before they even ask for it. You even forgive them before the other characters do and you hope along with the MC that the other characters will also forgive him. Moreover, we feel angry with the characters who choose not to forgive.

This mistake can be a lesson in humility, perseverance, or even a life-threatening lesson. In Ordinary people, Timothy Hutton’s character, Conrad, is the younger brother who survives a boating accident and as such carries the guilt of his survival around like a badge of shame: It should have been me who died.

To get in touch with such deep emotions, think back to a time when you really messed up. I mean REALLY. Think back to a critical moment in your life when you thought life would never be the same because of the mistake you made, a moment when you went down one road instead of the other and as a result had serious consequences to pay. Meditate on that memory. Really bring up the emotions of the decision, its consequences, and the reaction of the people who mattered to you at the time. Did your mother hold you and forgive you while you sobbed in her arms? Did your father hug you and tell you he loved you no matter what? Did you lose a friend? Did you have to face a teacher and confess to your mistake?

Journal about it. Write everything you can remember, the clothes you were wearing, the way you did your hair, how your body tensed up perhaps, everything and anything you remember, write down. Then consider how your MC can also royally mess up. Ultimately, the goal of a writer is to create characters who live and breathe and what better way then to make them royally mess up. After all, to err is human...

Care to share? If you have a particular memory you’d like to share, by all means...

Coming Up For Air

2011-01-19T11:23:00.009-05:00

Hello?

Anyone still out there???

No, I haven't floated off deep into the Blog-o-Sphere. I've been buried deep in research, brainstorming scenes, and well, building a skeleton for my new novel. I'm almost ready to begin writing my pages but before I do, I thought I'd come up for air, take a look around, and share what I've learned under here...

First, let me say that everyone's process is unique. This is mine. If it helps you, by all means, make it your own...

Novels Need Outlines. This is not to squelch the creative process. And yes, I've shared this view in previous postings but I've reached an all new love of outlines. I see them as quite the opposite of rigidity--which just might be how some of you view them.

An outline should free you. Writing a novel is like driving in the dark with no headlights on, so you really better know where you're going. We've all heard the analogy, an outline is your road map. That might be trite and cliché but it's true. If you have no idea where you're going in the dark, you're bound to experience a bumpy ride and you might even land in a ditch! Think of all the energy you'll need to expend digging yourself out! An outline preserves your energy and frees your mind so you can explore side streets and other avenues--as long as you know where you're headed, you won't get lost!

My outlines are colorful. They live and breathe. They change as the need arises. I like to think of them as the skeleton of my story that I will build up later with tendons, muscles, and flesh. But remember, without the bones, muscles and flesh can't stand. And without an outline--a skeleton--your story might fall as well or at the very least, you might get lost and never finish it.

Not a Four-Letter Word. Now, I am going to say a dirty word. Ready... It's an F word... Prepare yourself!

Formula.

There, I said it. Yes, formula. You know, the infamous Three-Act Structure and all the plot points in-between--the inciting incident, rising stakes, ticking clocks, separation of MC from his/her side-kick, Battle Scene, etc.

Writers want to believe they are better than a formula. I say embrace it! Story formula has been around since before Shakespeare. So, don't hide it behind your pills in the medicine cabinet. No! Take it out, dust it off, and let it shine!

Formula is another part of your road map, it's like knowing there are jug handles and exit ramps and one-way streets. Or if you prefer the skeleton analogy, it's the tendons--what holds the bones together and helps them move. It's what makes your story JUMP and BEND and SWAY. It's the forward motion of your story.

Another Scary Word... I'll whisper this one, as not to frighten you away, Page Length.

I first studied screenplays before writing my first novel (6 times). Everyone who writes screenplays knows most scripts are 120 pages. They know Act 1 is about 30 pages, Act 2, 60 pages, and Act 3, 30 pages or less. Knowing the length of pages you are striving for helps with your pacing, helps you decide where to put those pesky little plot points. But how does that translate to novels???

Depending upon the age of your reader, Act 1 is about 75 - 100 pages, Act 2 is about 150 - 200 pages (divide this in half for Act 2A/2B), and act 3 is about 75-50 pages, for the grand total of 275 - 375 pages, again, depending upon the age of your reader. If you write for younger independent readers, just be sure Act 1 is half as long as Act 2 and Act 3 is a bit shorter than Act 1. Of course there are no hard fast rules to this--it's just part of the skeleton.

All This Talk of Outline... How Does One Even Get Started??? Here is how I write my outline... For months, I might do nothing but ponder scenes, meditate on scenes, dream about scenes... I write every scene I can possibly imagine in a kind of short-hand way. I write whatever comes to me about that scene, sometimes dialogue, sometimes narrative, sometimes just a sentence--- this is where she gets kissed. Sooooo nervous! I don't judge what comes to me or try to "fix it". It's fast and messy and is only the crux of the scene. It is not a thing of labor nor design but just a flash.

I repeat this process until one day it stops. Then that's it, I know I have most of the scenes I will need to build my skeletal outline. I will then take all those scenes and print them on color-coded index cards. Some people use the colors to represent plot points or characters. I use them to represent drafts. Yellow is a first draft, orange a second, and so on. For example, sometimes as I am writing pages, I realize I need to include something I had forgotten about in an earlier chapter--usually a prop of some sort--I will take an orange index card and write in what I need to include in this chapter for the next draft. This way I won't worry the whole time that I will forget that loop hole.

Once all the index cards are written, I spread them out on the floor and put them in a semblance of order. I look and see what might still be missing, check for "screen" time for all my characters, look for arcs, motivation, rising stakes, ticking clocks, emotional rises and falls, and all the Formula or plot points of the skeleton. Once that is settled and only then, I will begin writing pages.

As you write pages, new things will pop up and that's good, go with it, adjust the index cards (your skeleton) as you need to and move on.

But Wait! Did You Do Your Research? Before pages, before brainstorming scenes, and certainly before my outline, I research. I research and research and research. Any concept can be researched. I don't care what you are writing. Even if it is something you personally experienced, the research behind a book is quite necessary.

You might only use 10% of what you've learned but that 10% will be the veins of your story. If your outline is the skeleton, and the formula the tendons, then the research is the blood that flows through the story to breathe movement into the muscles. The muscles and flesh would die without blood flow, therefore your story would feel flat w/o research.

Research should inspire you to write your story; it should IGNITE YOU! Set you on fire! If your research bores you, move on to another piece of research. It is often through my research that I will have a light bulb moment. While researching I keep a notebook with me at all times. I write the date and what book I am reading or what documentary or movie I am watching. Anything that flows through my mind as I am reading or watching, I scribble in the notebook. Later, when brainstorming scenes, I look through this notebook. 90% of my scenes--or what will later become the chapters of my book--begin with light bulbs that twinkle during research.

Research Your Genre, Too. Research extends into reading fiction in your genre as well. So, read, read, read books in your genre. Either take notes while you are reading or after you've finished a book. Think back to what worked, what failed, why it worked, why it didn't work. What this writer did really well, not so well... you get the idea. Then, after you've read 3 - 5 books in your genre, do an analysis of the ones you admired. How did that author do it? How is your story alike? How is it different? What parts are you missing in your story? What paradigm was used? Was it an Accidental Hero, A Fish Out of Water Paradigm...

Make Sure You Have a Theme. Before going to pages, be sure you know what you are trying to say--this will be the color to your flesh. A lot of people freeze when asked, what is the theme of your story? They think they suddenly have to don a smoking jacket, with pipe in hand, sitting in a upholstered chair by a roaring fire. But it's not as cerebral as you might fear.

A theme should be a simple sentence: Desperate people do desperate things. That's a theme. From there, just make sure EVERYTHING speaks to your theme. If it doesn't, cut it. And if it does, your story will have that je ne sais quoi, that special something that most people can't explain.

A word to the wise: A theme can't be one word, like my story is about love. That's too vague. My story is about picking yourself up after a broken heart. That's better. My story is about the lengths people will go to find love... That's good, too, as long as it's a simple, clear sentence.

Books to Read on Writing a Novel:

Until the next breathing hole... happy writing!

2010-12-16T13:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you are all getting a ton of writing done!!!

Summer Goals: Week Two

2010-06-28T00:27:00.008-04:00

I am not in a writer's group presently. I am on a sabbatical. But in order to keep me on track, I will post my weekly goals, among other things, throughout the summer...

Week Two

Continue to research for my new YA political sci-fi. Research, specifically what would be needed to over-throw the government - or for the government to completely change before "The People" knew what was happening. Reading: A 5,000 Year Leap - a non-fiction book on all that needed to be put in-place in order to create democracy, the formation of America, and what happened as a result.
Continue to read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale--a sci-fi--to see how setting and time is created without being intrusive to the story.
Read latest draft of OW - amended summer goals - finish this latest draft by Sept/Oct so I am ready to begin writing pages for YA political sci-fi.
Be sure to file latest story idea that came to me yesterday while researching. It will be another sci-fi but possibly adult!!!! Yikes!!

On another note; Life Lessons Learned While Living Life...

Last week, I was kind of forced into quiting my part-time job. I have just had the WORST luck in getting a job lately that suits me. Here's what I learned as a result of this experience:

Never work in a place where you enjoy being the customer. If you should lose that job, you will also lose the chance to be their customer.
Never confide in someone younger than you, especially, someone younger who is related to a boss.
Never lose sight of the big picture; this job was supposed to be just--a job while I pursue my writing career. I lost sight of that and became wrapped up in this part-time job and allowed it to blind me with ambition and consume me.
Never become blinded by ambition. It is good to be ambitious but try to reign yourself in if you are forgetting the basics... where you truly are on this path and what you truly deserve as a result.
And last but not least, never become desperate because it really is true, desperate people DO do desperate things. It is hard not to feel desperate when you are in a desperate situation. How to avoid that I am still working out but I think it has something to do with celebrating and focusing on the areas of success in your life and often times that revolves around the people who love you and whom you love back.

Cheers Everyone and Happy Writing!

Sheri

Summer Goals 2010

2010-06-21T08:53:00.003-04:00

Every summer I do something completely different with my novel writer's group. Usually for the summer we stop meeting in person to do critiques and instead we do Summer Writing Buddies. But before I explain what that is, first let me just say this:

I decided to step back from my Writer's Group. This was no easy decision but one I have been contemplating for about a year. I've found that being critiqued while writing, for me, is just not beneficial. While I believe writer's groups are well-intentioned and can be very useful, I also think there is a time and place for them. If you have three finished manuscripts under your belt, then you might be ready for a critique group. But if you are still in the throws of a first draft, it's time to pull away from critiques and just write.

Being that I am beginning a brand new novel, I decided not to write this one "by committee" and instead become very solitary and write my novel. However, with that said, summer is usually the time that I research a new project and write a solid outline so when my kids return to school in the fall I am all set to roll up my sleeves and get down to business. With that said, even though I am on sabbatical from my group and will not open pages up for critiques, I will do Summer Writing Buddies and here's how it works...

Anyone can form an online group like this. All you need is like-minded people who are decisive, creative-thinkers, and dependable. I think it's best to actually do this via the phone and not via computers but that is not always feasible so I will give you the online version. If you know someone the phone will work with then switch Virtual Meeting with Phone Meeting.

The first step to Writing Buddies is a plan. You each decide if you will "meet" weekly or monthly. Then you email each other your FULL summer goal list before your prescribed day to e-meet. For the first meeting you each take some of your goals that you think you can meet in the first week (or month if you decide on monthly meetings). When listening to the other writers' goals, see if you have any additional suggestions they might want to add to their week's list. It can't be just anything. It has to match the goals they've already set for themselves. For example, if someone says, I have to beef up my dialogue. You might suggest that they hang out at the nearest Apple Store on a Friday night and write down dialogue they hear from a gaggle of teens. Now, just because you suggested this as a goal doesn't mean that writer has to take your suggestion.

The next week that you e-meet for your Virtual Meeting (VM), you speak more specifically if you met your goals, why or why not, and what you learned from that week, as well as set new goals for the new week. After the VM you then email each other your new list of goals and then the whole process repeats throughout the summer months.

Summer Buddies DO NOT critique one another. They simply listen to goals, offer additional goals if helpful, and help identify patterns of behavior that might be counterproductive to meeting those goals. For example, one summer I was having trouble writing because my kids were home for the summer. It was that summer that I discovered headphones. They not only blocked out the noise but for some reason I focused more intently when they were on even if no one was home.

If you are just beginning a new draft or novel, give Writing Buddies a try. Here are my summer goals and then how I broke them down for this week only:

My Summer Goals:

I will read and research America's history as well as a few other countries' to see what really needs to be in place in order to have a break down in the government.
I will talk to historians in local colleges or online
I will NOT focus on pages. That is NOT my goal this summer. That is my goal for the fall. The summer goal is really to think, read, percolate, read some more, take notes, brainstorm, dream, meditate to meet my characters, etc. I will NOT allow myself to rush this process or allow myself to be swayed. Stick to my process, honor it, and believe it's possible - I can write and complete a novel in a year.
I will watch shows, movies, etc read about what experts say the future looks like as far as technology, environmentally, "governmentally," etc.
I will re-read From Where We Dream and use that process to brainstorm this story before I do ANY WRITING of it at all. This is actually my second priority. Reading and research is number one. I need to fill my brain with the stuff this story will be based upon and THEN brainstorm.
After I've brainstormed every possible scene, I will put them in an order that makes sense to me and from that I will generate my outline.
If, and only if, I meet all of the above goals, I will then write very rough, very short chapters for a first draft writing in the fall. These chapters can be as short as; Ch 11 S. kisses A. - and that will be OK. I will know there will be time in the fall to really flesh out the chapters.

My Mission Statement for Writing Buddies 2010 What I hope to get from my Writing Buddy partnership is to gain perspective into my patterns that might be working against my goals. I hope it will keep me on track with my goals, cheer me on when I need it, and shed positive light. I hope that we will be open and honest with one another in a loving and supportive way. I hope I will be able to do all the same for her and help her reach all of her goals in a positive, supportive way.

My Writing Buddy and I had our first phone meeting this morning. From that meeting, here are my goals for this week:

Get title of history book from my father and begin reading it this week. Take copious notes.
Get title of sci-fi book from Cathy and start reading it this week. Take copious notes.
Watch the Minority Report. Pay close attention to how the movie presents this dystopic America and why the viewers accept it without question.

And that's how Summer Writing Buddies goes. If you're interested, start a group of your own. All you really need is one other person. It's very helpful to tell someone your goals. It keeps you honest and on track.

Happy Writing!

Sheri

Writer's Groups

2010-06-16T17:45:00.002-04:00

As you may all know I am the founder of a writer's group. We've been in formation for about 4 years. While I love my group I've been struggling with the following thought: do writer's groups work for novelists who are still in the writing process of an new or incomplete novel? When you submit for critiques before your MS is completed, are you then essentially writing by committee?

I know what I think about this notions, but I thought we could open up maybe an interesting topic for discussion here.

What do you think? Do writer's groups work for novelists who are not done writing their MS? Let's share...

My Good Ol' Emotional Journal is Back...

2010-06-02T22:50:00.005-04:00

Ahhh, nothing like a new job and feeling that everything's going to work out to help me reclaim my life and what better way than to begin my Emotional Journal again.

If you are unaware of what my Emotional Journal is, allow me to share... As writers, we often think we know exactly what each emotion feels like, but when we write about it, it often becomes cliche or starchy-stiff.

One thing I do to combat this is to keep an Emotional Journal. Anytime I feel intense emotion, I journal about it. I note where I feel that emotion in my body, what my reaction was, if I said anything, or reacted in any way. This way, the next time I have to write about that emotion, I can SHOW how my character is feeling instead of TELLING about it.

Here is my entry this week for FEAR

Situation: Driving at night on rural rt. 523 with my girls. I wanted to see if my lights were working because I recently hit a deer and a passing car was flickering their lights at me. To me, this usually signals to slow down because a police car is lying in wait to catch someone speeding. Seeing that there weren't any cop cars around, I wondered if perhaps my light was out on the side that I hit the deer. I meant to only turn my flood lights off but instead I turned off my headlights and floodlights so that we were tooling down the road in pitch blackness. This particular part of rt. 523 is usually deer-infested and as I just said, I recently hit one so the fear was immediate.

What I felt: I felt the fear in the very souls of my feet. They tingled and felt as if they visibly arched upward as if they were being sucked up from some vacuum inside my body.

Daughter #2 said she felt her fear in her shoulders on her back… it tensed up tight and without realizing it, her hands gripped what ever they could.

Daughter #1 said she felt spiky tingles on the back of her neck.

Then we started talking about how fear feels differently for different reasons, like waking up from a nightmare in the dead of night when the house is quiet and still and you feel you are the only person awake and scared in the whole world. The loneliness and fear feel differently than it did on the black, country, deer-infested road.

For me, when I wake up in the middle of the night, fear, like an electric current, crawls up my back. I feel better if someone holds me with my back against their front—spooning me. I feel almost an acute awareness that I am not alone even though I feel so lonely at those times. I feel someone is watching me that I cannot see. The old “Boogie Man” in the closet or under the bed creeps right back as if I were 9 years old again. But this kind of fear is definitely a prickling sensation that starts at the base of my back and rolls all the way up, up my back, up my neck, and even to the top of my head. It comes in waves and just keeps rolling like that.

What are the different ways you feel fear?

On another note, tomorrow I leave for the NJ SCBWI conference! I am psyched!!!! I am meeting with agent Jill Corcoran from the Herman Agency and I am psyched about that too.
Jill was one of the agents on our panel last year and I really wanted to meet with her then. She seems like a very nice, easy-going person and I can't wait to hear her constructive criticism on my newest novel, a YA sci-fi.
Wish me luck!
Toodles,
Sheri

What, You Don't Call, You Don't Write???

2010-05-30T18:09:00.002-04:00

You might have wondered what ever happened to me. (Or maybe you stopped wondering.) I used to be a blogging junky, unable to stop myself, losing hour after hour into the blog-o-sphere. Then this year came and put me through the wringer and I was unable to blog regularly. Maybe you're wondering what's really been going on. Well, have I got a story for you...

Once upon a time, a young woman had a plan. She was going to be a teacher and a children's book writer. The plan was to teach for about three years while compiling ideas of picture books that were not written but ought to be written. For example, this young woman discovered there weren't any books on Ground Hog's Day, a "holiday" definitely touched upon in Kindergarten. Now there are a gabillion books on Ground Hog's Day.

As what often happens in life, three years swiftly became seven. The young woman married and had a baby. And another baby. And foolishly thought, I'll just write when the baby naps. Little did she know she would be tired and she would need a nap when the baby napped. But she did manage to take a writing class, read lots of books on writing, write several picture books, lots of bad poetry, take a two-year course on screen writing, begin a novel, write several drafts, as well as run a household and a thriving tutoring business.

Before she knew it, she had been on a nine year maternity leave.

"Time to go back to teaching!" she thought.

Gladly, she accepted a one-year maternity-leave position thinking it was a perfect way to test the waters and see if she and her family were ready for her to return full-time to work.

She had mainly been a kindergarten teacher before but she had also taught some first grade and one year of third grade so when this new school gave her fourth grade, it wasn't want she hoped for, but she accepted it with an open mind.

Grading 72 essays each week was very different then cutting out shapes for kindergarten. She loved her students and teaching them but all her time went to her teaching; Sadly, there was never any left over time for her family or her writing. She became very sad.

The maternity leave position came to an end. The teacher wanted her job back and there weren't any other positions available, so the still kind-of young woman no longer had a teaching job. She wasn't sad, though. She believed in the Universe and that everything would work out. She believed another job was right around the corner, one that would suit her even better.

Four years later...

...the still, kind-of-young woman had all but given up. She struggled to pay her bills without her teaching position, a recession hit, her taxes went up... (You know the story.) In order to make ends meet, she willingly worked several part-time jobs while her husband worked every other week in NJ and every other week in MA . They were grateful to have jobs in such a scary, lean time but even with all of that, they still couldn't make ends meet. She tried to remind herself that the Universe has a plan and everything will work out but she was losing faith.

Meanwhile, she did all she could to keep her writing dream alive. She began the Hunterdon County Children's Writers and Illustrators Group. She became an active member of NJ's SCBWI. She kept writing and reading and honing her skills, meeting with agents and editors and fellow writers. But all the guilt of pursuing a dream while they struggled to pay the bills added so much guilt and stress, it was hard to feel creative.

One day, she decided to accept the fact that she would never be able to return to teaching and began shredding her teaching papers in her file cabinet. She didn't do this angrily. No. It was more of a surrender, an acceptance of what is is, what will be will be, and a willingness to be open to the possibilities. As she was shredding her last papers--a packet on Blooms Taxonomy--she received an email.

It was from the Charter School she desperately wanted to teach for. They wanted to set up a phone interview! Happy Days!!!! Then they wanted a face-to-face interview! Hallelujah!!! And then...

THEY OFFERED HER A TEACHING POSITION.

But not just ANY positions...

A KINDERGARTEN TEACHING POSITION!!!!!!!

She was on top of the world. Someone was going to save her, believe in her, give her the chance she needed and deserved. She was beyond thrilled.

A happy ending! Yay!

This, of course, is a true story about me but I'd like to fill you in on this other reason for my lack of blogging as well. My first born baby is becoming a Bat Mitzvah in TWO weeks. And boy, am I busy with details and plans!

And... it's that time of year again... The NJ SCBWI Annual June Conference is THIS coming weekend! Yay! I am meeting with agent, Jill Corcoran, who was there last year and seems like a wonderful person/professional to get to know. I cannot wait. I am very, very exciting for all of these new wonders in my life... a new job, a new chapter in my daughter's life, and the June conference.

Thanks for all your patience, for not giving up on me or my blog, and if you are still out there, waiting for me to blog again.

Enjoy the sunny weather!!!

Happy Writing,
Sheri

Ahhhhh.... Spring.

2010-05-02T22:10:00.002-04:00

It's really here. It really, truly is. Flowers have pushed their way up through the ground, birds are nesting, goslings are waddling. Ahhhhh Spring. And I have also thawed. It's amazing how I am so affected by the seasons and how more lively I feel in the spring, summer, and fall.

Today, was still busy and crazed with running around but it was all okay. Better then okay, in fact. Em had a friend sleep over and I was actually up for it. Maybe even looking forward to it. I even took them to the mall and didn't mind one bit. David got the pool running and sparkling clean and then she asked if her friend could come over again to swim. Sure! Why not?

I made dinner and sat outside in our Adirondack chair as the chicken sizzled on the BBQ and it was all good.

So what about you? Are you feeling lighter, happier, more able to deal with things now that spring has officially sprung?

On another note... The NJ SCBWI Juner is coming up. Pages and a synopsis were due a week or so ago. I met the deadline goal with literally minutes to spare... Ahhhh... it felt soooooooo good to write again. I've begun a brandy-new novel. It's a sci-fi. *shudder to think* As a kid I hated sci-fi. As an adult I like the kind that is a social commentary, a study on life with a what if spin. That is the kind of sci-fi I am writing and so far, I am loving it. Love my MC, my secondary characters, the plot, the antagonist, the twist... It just all feels so good.

My first novel was well... my first novel. Duh... But I just mean it was more then just trying to figure out what I wanted to say. I also had to figure out how to say it. I will come back to that novel and do another draft but first a first draft on this one. I still need a better title but that will come. Right now it's 2020. A double entendre.

So, happy warmer weather everyone and may your days be filled with flowers and robins.

Early Signs of Spring

2010-03-23T14:33:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, it was still winter.
The bare and empty branches
Still quivered in the bitterness.

Today, something is different.
Outside, a cacophony of
Tree frogs and song birds.

But it’s music to my ears.

Although my ears are still
Cloaked in winter,
My soul, not fully thawed.

What is it that wakes them?
A stronger gravitational pull?
The closeness of the sun?

Is my spring device broken,
Still in a deep freeze,
Gripped in winter's icy touch?

I inhale the fresh grass and wet earth,
Let the yellows of the forsythia,
And the whites of the crocuses play with my irises.

The warm sun soothes
But does not yet penetrate
This glacial soul.

I Interupt My Study on S.A.D. To Bring You... When to Don a Tiara...

2010-02-24T19:37:00.005-05:00

Kelly Hoeckeleberg-Young is quite hysterical. If you don't read her blog, start right after reading this posting! She had a really great link to Kristin VanOgtrop's blog Simply Stated about Julia Mancusco's tiara donning at the Olympics. So while you're traveling the blog-o-sphere be sure to stop by there and have a really good laugh. All this laughing just might cure me of S.A.D. after all. (Who needs a light box?)

So this brings up the topic of when to don a tiara? Here are my various lists...

When I type the words THE END to my WIP
When I sign on with an agent
When I sell my book to a publisher
When my book is sold to a movie producer
When I walk the red carpet to view my movie

Here are some more practical times...

Every time I pay off a credit card (my husband will get to wear one then, too)
On the first day of summer vacation
When I finally find a job that pays me well
Anytime I remember to bring my coupons with me to the grocery store
Anytime I find amazing sales
Every September on the first day of school
For all the times I clean the entire house from top to bottom (that comes with a glass of wine, too)
When every stitch of laundry is done in the house

Times in the past I could have worn a tiara had I known this was a viable choice...

Graduation from HS and college
When I got married
During the whole nine months of pregnancy (both times)
After delivering both of my daughters
When I was no longer "chapped" from nursing both my girls

But the number one time to don a tiara...

Whenever you and your husband fight and you're right!

So don those tiaras ladies! It's the number one way to beat the winter blues.

Living Life With S.A.D. - Entry Three - Hope

2010-02-23T14:46:00.007-05:00

Take me with you.
Fly me away from here
to warmer places on the shore.

We can look for periwinkles,
white spindles,
and lions paw.

It can be so grand,
just you and me
in the sand, sun and sea.

The sun can't be too far away
For I heard birds singing today
in some nearby tree,
building a nest for his sweetie.

He called,
"Pur-dee, Pur-dee, Pur-dee,"
from the top of some barren Sycamore.

With calls of flattery to his mate
it reminded me that spring
won't be too, too late.

You and me,
Well, we don't even have to talk.
Just take me with you
to the sand, sun, and sea.

Let's dine on oysters
and wear their pearls
and when the sun makes it way back to here
I will return. I shall return.

I had two houses to see today for my freelance writing job today. And although it's been raining all day and it is quite grey and dreary, I heard birds singing in a nearby tree. And it in fact did sound like he was saying pretty, pretty, pretty. It made me smile.

There is no rhyme or reason to living with S.A.D. Some days are good. Some are bad. You just take it as it comes. And I find on the days when I have to get out of the house, when I have no choice, those days I am better.

But still, I cannot wait for spring. I miss the warm sun on my shoulders.

Entry Two; Living Life with S.A.D.

2010-02-21T22:19:00.007-05:00

The water rushed in through windows and under door jams.

I must get to higher ground, she thought.

She climbed onto chairs, counters, tables but still the water rose.

Seeing no possible alternative she succumbed to the rising waters. At first the cold stole her breath and made her lips draw a thin, straight line. Quickly it rose to her thighs, waste, chest, forcing her to suck in her stomach so as not to touch her skin to her cold, damp clothes. The cold made it difficult to breathe. She gasped like a fish upon dry land and decided to fight. But it was too late.

Her dressed spilled out like liquid fabric around her--floating, billowing. She waded through the force of the water searching for higher ground. She found the stairs and once on dry risers she took them two at a time. She ran to her bedroom where she always felt safe before but the water swirled in anyway. It found her and continued to rise.

There was no relief from the water. None at all. Her bed. He bookshelves. The top of her desk. The water rose to meet her no matter how high she climbed, no matter how hard she wanted to fight, the water fought back harder. Finally, she had no choice but to tread. Her arms and legs circled until they could no longer function, aching from the strain.

At last she gave up and became still. Her arms and legs. Her chest and feet. All still. The stillness was heavy and so she sank. She sank to the soggy carpet that used to be the floor of her bedroom. She sank down the stairs that she used to trot down to breakfast in the glorious morning sunlight. She sank to the wooden floor of the kitchen where she cooked many meals for her family.

Although strange, there was no denying how peaceful it was. Quiet. Life moved in graceful, liquid slow-motion. She knew she couldn't hold her breath for too much longer and she knew there was no higher ground to swim to any longer. So she did the only thing she could do. She took in one last, long, watery glance of it all--her home, her hands, arms, feet, legs. Her life. Her. And then all that was left to do was to take in one large gulp of water.

And it was done.

Living Life With S.A.D. Entry Two

One Hour at a Time

2010-02-15T13:24:00.008-05:00

Something happened. She wasn't quite sure what exactly or when it all began but something had changed. On silent padded paws, winter had broken into her sleep in the middle of the night and stolen her voice. And without a voice, she had no words. And without words, well, I don't have to tell you the horrors of a wordless world, do I?

But still, when did it begin? Bit by bit, piece by piece (no, that's too cliche... try again...) But still when did it all begin? October. Yes, it had to have begun way back then when the leaves had turned to amber and the evening sky to velvety shades of fuschia, purple and midnight blue. October had become the month of death since her mother passed away nine years ago. And yet every October, she was surprised when the sullenness overtook her. (Too dramatic? But it's true... stick to the truth).

Then came November, the month that's all about family. (Family.) What is family anyway? Biology that binds? Does it really? Blood is thicker then water. She knows many who would beg to differ.

December. More cheerful holidays that drive suicide ratings higher then any other month of the year. (Don't worry, there's no suicidal tendencies here). But December is more for her then holidays and forced cheer. It's the month they shared a birthday, she and her mom. December 28th. She remembers a time when she hated that fact, when she selfishly wished she had the day all to herself. But she was a little girl then and didn't really know what she was wishing for. Until now. Now that her birthday cakes just say Happy Birthday with her single name in curly blue cursive. Plenty of room for all the words to spread out.

January. Can anything be more depressing then the world growing older during a time of the world's recession? 10% of Americans are jobless and losing their homes. She could be one of those. Every day debt collectors calling asking for payment from money she does not have. Last year she worked three jobs, sometimes even more, to make ends meet. This year she lost 2/3 of those jobs and a perspective one. Two losses even happened on the same day. That day was extra special. (Too sarcastic? Too angry?) But it was still summer then and the summer sun had a way of transposing her to the Land of the Lotus Eaters and maybe there was no need to worry. Things work out. They always do. Now she's not so sure.

But then, as it always happens, October after October, and way leads unto way, worry, fear, and depression all move in, unpack and settle in for the long barren winter to begin. She remembers now, yes, that's when it all began, as it always does, in October when at first it's too subtle to notice and she still has some fight in her. Like the trees holding onto their chlorophyll before they succumb and become naked under winter's merciless wind.

As usual, it's so insignificant at first, just a cell here, a membrane there. A hair follicle. A toenail clipping. And then scrapings of flesh, pieces of flesh, chunks. And then it preys on her soul, her reason, her purpose, her goals, dreams. Until one day she looks in the mirror and notices she has simply vanished. She's become a missing person. M.I.A. (Be careful, don't get too melodramatic).

But wait. Listen. Shhhh. Somewhere deep inside of her, rattling around in her ribcage a songbird sings. You can still hear it if you try. There. Just beyond the heartbeat. Yes, the heart still beats. And just beyond it, listen. Do you hear it? The tiny woodland bird that will come home soon to nest in the early frosty spring. He still sings in her heart. But there is a disconnect. A wire left dangling from a fierce and mighty winter storm.

She has a friend, many friends, but this one friend said something that stuck, something that beckoned the sinews to work overtime. She said, One Hour at a Time.

One Hour at a Time. She can do that. One Hour at a Time. February's almost done. March is long and scary. But remember. One Hour at at Time. And then April. April with crocuses and tulips and life prevails once again, pushing its way through the defrosting ground. Buds on trees appear, birds come home to nest, bees buzz. Even the insects are missed and loved because on their dusty translucent wings comes her friend and saviour. Spring. (Corny, yes but all of it true).

Living a Life with S.A.D.

A Drive by Shooting

Deadlines, Goals, and Resolutions, Oh My!

2010-01-05T01:05:00.004-05:00

Every New Year, and sometimes for the Jewish New Year too, I post goals and resolutions and set new deadlines for myself. I look back and see if I met any of the goals listed the previous year. I see if I've grown or learned anything new and I reflect on what I want to discover about myself as a writer and a person for this new year.

But this year, I am not sure I will do that. I'm not sure why exactly. It's not that I am taking some stand against resolutions because I'm not. Resolutions are just goals and I am all for goals.

So what's with the silence this year? I keep pondering this one myself. I think it's because I have the same goal I have had for a few years now so why write it? After all, it's embarrassing to have the same goals year after year. Isn't it???

So why write it and tell all of you?

I suppose to keep myself honest. I suppose to keep myself on track. I suppose to remind myself that even if it takes me 50 years to do what some can do in just a few short years, they are still my goals, my ambitions, my dreams, my desires and they deserve my recongnition and attention.

So, here it goes... Once again, my goals for 2010 are to polish this latest draft of OW and get an agent who believes in my work.

I would also like to outline and write at least the first draft of my next YA novel and outline my sequel to OW.

PHEW! There. I did it. A bit like pulling off a band aid. Quick. Maybe a little painful. But much relief now that it's done.

There's something to be said about this time marching on business that makes me feel so low about my goals still being my goals. Somethng about how that makes them feel so unobtainable. Something about the fact that my goals haven't changed much and so it feels like I am spinning my wheels. It feels embarrassing. They feel unconquerable.

But truthfully I know better.

I know that I have learned with each draft I write. And time marches on with or without you so even if your goals haven't changed it is important to stay in the game, to pick up those drum sticks, don that marching band feathered hat, and march on brave writers. March on!

Happy New Year everyone! And as always, Happy Writing.

Not Here But Not Gone

2009-12-20T22:09:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the interuption of this blog. Hopefully all will be restored not too long after the New Year.

Have a happy and healthy!

Sheri

NaNoWriMo Week 3

2009-11-16T21:26:00.004-05:00

Notice my wall is becoming more pink and less orange.

Also I added my cast (just in case my book ever becomes a movie... =] )

WORD COUNT: As of today, Monday November 16, I am up to 14, 475 words.

Goal For This Week: I have to write 2,960 words a day in order to reach 50,000 words by November 30th - that's with taking off on Thanksgiving and the Friday after. If I succeed at this goal, I will reach 32, 235 words by Sunday. Which means I will have to write 17,765 words the final week of November - Again, at 2960 words a day, it is plausible.

Downside: My downside is also an upside... I begin a brand new job tomorrow. My training will, however, demand a full work schedule for the last two weeks of November! But that's OK. I will have to write at night when I come home - that is, if I don't have to study for the test I have to pass at the end of training. But again, I will make time and make it work as best as I can.

NaNo was a way really of making me reach my goal of this 7th draft being ready to go so I can start querying agents Jan 1, 2010. So, not that I am giving myself an out, but I do have December to reach my personal--albeit, not NaNo--goal.

Upside: I learned something HUGE this week.

I CAN outline.
I love my outline
My outline can grow and change as I grow and change. (It's becoming pinker by the day - pink index cards mean polished - another not-a-NaNo-goal)
AND... I put a common theory of revision writing to test tonight and lo and behold, IT WORKED!

What's the theory? Some writers believe when you write a brand-new draft, you should never look back at your old draft again.

Sounds scary, right? And a little crazy like reinventing the wheel. BUT... the theory is, all the good stuff from the previous draft will stick with you, all the yucky stuff will be forgotten, and new stuff will emerge.

So, after a little "whine" while trying to merge two old chapters and add new info and yet keep to my short chapter page lengths, I decided to give it a try. I shut down the old draft and just wrote. Seriously, 15 minutes later, I had 1,097 new words, all shiny and sparkly.

Robert Olen Butler - From Where You Dream - you are becoming my new god and bible!!!! It worked, people! It really worked.

A COLOSSAL BREAKTHROUGH!!!

2009-11-12T08:51:00.009-05:00

Look, Mommy. A rainbow!
No, it's not a rainbow, darling. It's a writer's hard work.

Yes, that's right, that which you see before you, is my story from beginning, middle, twist, ending, including the rules of my world and its fantasy elements in all its color-coded glory. It's a beauty, isn't she?

This is a HUGE breakthrough for me. Me, who said she was an organic writer. Me, whose taken, ahem, $^@(@ years and I am still writing the darn thing. Me, who had all these holes and thought, well, when I get to that part, I will just know what to do.

BUZZ! No. Wrong answer.

An outline is your friend. Embrace the outline. Love the outline. Beeeee the outline.

Okay, maybe I've gone a little loopy from all this NaNo stuff (which reminds me, I better keep this brief!) But I've done it. I've really done it - an outline in a living, breathing format that can grow and change as my story grows and changes. I love my outline.

I've always wanted to do this, but I never wanted to put tape on my wall or I thought it would look messy or I was afraid of strangers coming in my office and seeing it and wanting to read it. Gasp!

BUZZ! Again, wrong answer.

If you see something in your mind, if that little voice in your head says, I really wish I could display my outline on my wall so I can stare at it from time to time, read my whole story from beginning to end in five minutes... if you hear a voice in your head telling you your creative steps, then you need to listen, folks!

And listen I finally did.

Wanna know my color-code? Pink are my polished chapters. Orange are chapters from a previous draft, yellow are brandy-new chapters and the green and yellow mess to the left... those are the various rules of the various fantasy elements in my story.

TaDAAA!!!!! And there you go, a living breathing outline that I can change in a second flat if need be. Now, I better go stare at it some more and get on to my NaNo word count. THE END, here I come!!!!!

NaNoWriMo Week 2

2009-11-09T20:29:00.004-05:00

Goal For This Week: 14,000 words

What I Accomplished Last Week: 7, 664 words and a lot of whining!

Downside: I am not off to a good start. All that NaNo hype and I am behind!!!! I just couldn't get out of my own way this week, nor could I get myself started. Which, is really weird considering, I was SO psyched and ready for NaNo. The truth is, two weeks before NaNo began, I fell into a serious case of the blues - it was the anniversary of my mother's death, I am dealing with some finacial difficulties, I've been looking for a job (like the rest of America) and have not been able to find one (like the rest of America)… Anyway, by the time NaNo actually began, I was a deflated balloon. I've been trying to blow myself up again, but I think I have a slow leak somewhere that needs patching… This week, my goal HAD to shift. I had to find a job. And I did. Huzzah! So, NaNo took a back seat. BUT… I also recognize that I allowed it to take a back seat and did not sacrifice in anyway. I didn't stay up late. I didn't wake up early. I just allowed my time to silently slip away. Bad, bad writer-girl!!!!

Upside: I learned a lot about myself and the length that my negative voice will go at self-sabatage - (it will even make unnecessary gynocologist appointments to avoid writing. Imagine that! A story for another time.) Anyway, the positive is, I'm on to you, negaitve voice, and how you'll stop at nothing to stop me. So, I am constipated in the creative sense. I've had a daily dose of prunes and well, sorry, but I'm waiting for my writing to run… (Ok, I'll stop with the bowel analogy and get on with it.) The true upside is… it's a new week and I can catch up, eventually. And my true goal is not in the word count. It is in reaching those elusive words… THE END!!!

Any Additional Comments:

See ya at the finish line! Now get to work!!!

HEEERRRE... WEEEEE... GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-01T16:16:00.004-05:00

Ready for the ride, the thrill of a challenge, the excitement of a goal??? Well, ready or not, here we go! Today is November 1st, and for many of us that means our lives are no longer how we know them. For this month, we will live, eat, sleep, breathe NaNo.

So, if you are up for the challenge of writing 50,000 words in one month, then you will need a plan. Will you write 1,667 words a day, or do more during the week and less on weekends? If you don't know, then I suggest you figure it out and fast, because all successful NaNo experiences happen with a plan.

For the next month, I will be posting my progress weekly. Notice my NaNoWord-o-meter is back on 0... Throughout the month, hopefully, we will watch it grow until I reach goal of 50,000 or a completed 2.0 draft, whichever comes first!

For those of you who are also NaNo-ing this month, I wish you good luck! And for those of you who are sitting this one out, I say, Bok, Bok, Bok, Bok, Bokkkkk! No, I am only kidding. I would never squawk like a chicken at you... But to all, enjoy the view because sometimes it won't be pretty or for the faint of heart. There might be elation followed by depression, followed by breakthroughs, to plateaus... but no matter the emotion of the week, one thing's for sure, writing is like a roller coaster. So strap down that harness and heeeerrre..... weeeeee..... GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

NaNo Nesting

2009-10-20T09:55:00.013-04:00

Sugar Maples - one of my favorite trees.

Becky is one of my first blogger friends since 2007. She is also doing NaNo this year and recently blogged about something I didn't realize just might be a NaNo phenomenon. It's called...

NaNo Nesting!

Do you suffer from NaNo Nesting? Becky's desk is just so and she even outlined! (Sorry, Becky... I outed you.) It was last NaNo that I wrote my very first outline as well, always believing previously that I was an "organic writer." Organic shorganic. When you are writing fast, you need an outline. You don't want to turn up to your computer and waste precious moments trying to figure out your MC's next motivational turn. But this is not about outlining or organic writing. This is about NESTING and like Becky, I am beginning to feel the pangs of needing to nest...

On my list of preparation for NaNo is cleaning my house if you can believe that or not. I want to wash my floors, dust, organize, recycle, get rid of clutter, do a very thorough vacuum in those nooks and crannies sometimes forgotten....

It's not just about the outline, it's preparing for a life event. Like I am saying to my family, Look, I'm not really going to be available the whole month of November. You may see my body sitting here in front of my computer, but I will only be a figment of your imagination. The house is clean now - keep it that way!

That's not to say I won't drag the vacuum or scrub a toilet or sink for the entire month of November. Ewwww. That would be gross! And it's not to say that I won't be there to share meals with my family, help with homework, or tuck my kids in, BUT...

NaNo is like preparing for a birth, isn't it? Becky's already named hers. Me, I'm still kicking around a few ideas but nothing rolls off the tongue quite right.

...If only there was a baby naming book for books...

Do you nest before beginning a new book or a new draft? When I finish a draft, I always purge my office before beginning a new draft. But NaNo just seems, well, bigger. And so my purging has extended beyong these four walls.

What about you? Do you NaNo nest?

(I wonder if next year part of my nesting preparation will include making meals ahead of time and freezing them.... Now, that's an idea! NaNo 2010, look out! By then, I will have this down to a science.)

Today I Will...

2009-10-19T11:54:00.008-04:00

Today, I was over at Kathy Temean's amazing blog and was touched by inspiration on a day when I really needed a double espresso shot of some. Kathy's the RA for the NJ chapter of SCBWI. We are so lucky, here in NJ, to have her as our fearless leader and awesome cheerleader.

Well, today she was writing about a new book by Jerry and Eileen Spinelli entitled, Today I will. It has inspirational quotes meant to inspire daily writing exercises, ending with a daily promise, Today I will...

I fell in love with the idea of a daily promise.

This made me stop and think. Because so far today, I was wasting it on negative chatter in my head. When I read her blog posting I thought to myself, Now wait a minute! Cut that out! I scolded myself, Would your daily promise be, Today I will beat myself up?

No. Of course it wouldn't. We would never promise ourselves things like that, but I bet there are a few of you out there, like me, who do from time to time, unknowingly, spend the day with the negative voice in your head (No, I am not pschotic). I would even go so far as to say that WE ALL, from time to time, fill our heads with negative chatter and beat ourselves up over things we cannot change - essentially, wasting the day and our time. So, Kathy's blog made me Stop, Drop, and Write my daily promise. (I wonder if you can also write a promise of what you WON'T do).

Here are my promises for today...

Today I will write new pages to my WIP.
Today I will meditate.
Today I will find peace and carry it with me.
Today I will thank Flo for talking me off that ledge once again.
And I just have to do a NOT one... Today I will NOT allow negative chatter to fill my head.

Truthfully, you're only supposed to have one Today I Will per day, but once you start... it's like eating potato chips...

What's your daily promise for yourself today?

And while I'm here, I thought I'd remind those of you who might be sleeping under a rock or living in a cave....

ONLY 13 MORE DAYS UNTIL NaNoWriMo!!!!

I am so excited.

My genius husband created this phenomenal Excel spreadsheet for me to keep track of my daily words, total words, percentage done, percentage remaining... It does everything but write the story for me. I think I am going to use NaNo for two things - one for my WIP just to get me to the end - so for that I won't do a 50,000 word challenge because I don't need it. AND either for the revision which I already started OR for a brandy-new story... I can't decide. It's like trying on shoes and making yourself buy only one pair. Impossible!

What's the Point?

2009-10-14T20:11:00.008-04:00

OK. So, I am a child of the 60s and being a child of the 60s means that I grew up with flower children and hippies. I heard new songs from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones air on the radio. I wore bell bottoms and blue suede shoes. I had a shag haircut (and later a Dorothy Hamill haircut). I wore moccasins as shoes and I had an Indian fringe suede jacket and....

I know what The Point is.

The Point by Harry Nilsson was my favorite record to listen to when I was a kid. I knew all the words by heart and when I got a dog I felt was mine, truly mine, I named her Arrow. Then they made The Point into a cartoon narrated by none other then Ringo Starr. Oh, happy day!

I wanted to share with you, the wisdom of Rock Man and one of my favorite songs, Think About Your Troubles. Whose the boy's voice, you might wonder? Why that's Bobby from the Brady Bunch, of course!

Now what does this have to do with writing for children? What's my Point? Well, my point is two-fold. First, we authors come from a certain time and place. We grew up a certain way. We had certain experiences. And all of these things add up to our perspective on the world. They add up to our voice as a writer and that voice comes out of our MC's mouth.

This brings me to the second point. Our MCs come from a different time and place. S/He grew up in a different way. S/He had different experiences and therefore has a different perspective on the world.

How do we merge the two? My MC would certainly never have heard of Harry Nilsson's The Point. Many of you probably never have. But it shaped me. What shapes my MC? How do I have her voice and my voice? Well, you can disguise your voice as your MC's voice. That's one way to do it. But I think there's another way, a better way.

I like to have an adult in my story. An adult full of wisdom. And some of that wisdom is my wisdom. I can sound like an adult through this adult character and that is where my perspective can be heard.

It's still my MC's story. It's still her voice. And I need to know her perspective. What music shaped her? What philosophies color her world? What music from her generation will stand the test of time (or not). Pretend your MC is your own child. Let them have their own voice, but see if you can get a brush stroke in there every now and again that's yours.

And hey, whatever you do, no goofin' with the bees.

The Count Down Begins

2009-10-11T15:16:00.005-04:00

TWENTY DAYS UNTIL NANAWRIMO.

Excited? I am. I can't wait. Oh, that reminds me, I need to get my husband to get my Word Count Excel Spreadsheet a little more user friendly for me, though, this year.

Wait! Stop the train! You've never heard of NaNoWriMo? How can that be? Okay, I'll calm down. After all, I had never heard of it until last year either. So, here's what it is... It's a challenge. You like challenges right? Especially writer challenges, right? Well, then. This one's for you!

National Novel Writer's Month, or affectionately known as NaNoWriMo, is held every November. All you have to do is write 50,000 NEW words in one month's time. Oh, just that... WHAT?! I know. It sounds impossible. I felt that way, too. But no sweat. Believe it or not, it's doable. I came very close. I think 46,000 or 48,000 words...

The point of NaNoWriMo is not to worry about quality but to focus on quantity. Sounds backwards, right? The truth is, there's a time and place for everything. Revisions are for quality. In the words of Richard Peck, revisions are where real writers shine.... Okay, that's not a direct quote, but he said something like that at the SCBWI NJ June Conference this year.

Here' how NaNo can help... If you struggle to finish drafts, NaNoWriMo is for you! You don't have to post your new pages every day. I didn't. And don't worry about someone stealing your precious MS. When you do post, you can use the encryption button in Word. It garbles your MS up to nonsense but keeps the word count the same. What you do is you write forward. That's it. Sounds simple, right? But we all know that writing forward is sometimes the hardest thing to do. We want to go back and edit and tweak and find that perfect word to capture that pivotal moment. Again, I say, there is a time and place for everything. When writing an early draft, that is NOT the time to tweak. All you need to do - the hardest thing ever - is to write forward and do not look back.

Over at Rebecca's blog, they are discussing using NaNoWriMo to finish a project or begin a new one. I've been debating this myself lately too. I am on my sixth draft and about to begin the next revision of my WIP. This revision, I hope, is the draft that will be ready to show to agents.

However, I also have several other stories I have been outlining, but have always forced to take the backseat to my current WIP. I am thinking I might use NaNoWriMo to get a first draft done so when I do shop for an agent I will be able to say, here is a polished MS and here is a first draft and outline for another project.

Last year people told me starting a new book is the biggest kind of writer's block you can do to yourself. But I think this depends on where you are in the process of your current WIP. I don't think your should leave a project in the middle. But between drafts... I think it's a good time to get time and distance from your story. In fact, I think time and distance is just what the writer-doctor ordered.

Will you be joining NaNaWriMo this year? Will you start a new project or finish that current one?

2009-10-06T22:58:00.010-04:00

A little departure from writing about writing...

This is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. Thanks, Jeanne, for sharing. I hope it inspires you as it inspired me. We are amazing creatures, capable of creating unbelievable things. [For some reason it's very low. You might have to turn your speakers way up to get the full effect.]

AMAZING! I Wasn't Stricken With a Case of CWFBS!

2009-10-04T17:31:00.010-04:00

OK, so... I received a lot of ribbing from our fearless NJ SCBWI leader, Kathy Temean that my recent once a month blogging has got to stop and that I need to resume my once a week-former-blogging-self. It was like she was channeling the spirit of my dead mother, the guilt thicker than molasses... so fine! I get it. Point well taken. I will resume my normal once a week blogging. I promise-ish... Okay, I will do my best. How's that... (I know she is sitting reading this saying, not good enough. A promise is a promise... *sigh*)

Anyway, I am back from the fabulous, the amazing, the all-inspiring Toms River weekend. I cannot say enough about this workshop. But before I go on and on about that... Thank yous are in order.

First, thank you to Kathy Temean and Laurie Wallmark for putting together this stupendous mentoring weekend. What an amazing opportunity!

Thank you to our wonderful, encouraging, and sweet-as-apple-pie (or lemon squares...) editors, Lisa Yoskowitz from Penguin's Dutton and Eve Adler from Henry Holt . (Who, by the way, I would give anything to have the experience of working with at any point in my career.) Every writer I spoke with said they had such a great critique session and found each editor approachable, friendly, easy to talk to, and full of such insightful comments and suggestions regarding both their MS and the industry in general.

Third, thank you to all the novelists who had the daunting task of reading 180 pages total and offering supportive, yet informative critiques.

Although, I did not read any of the PB manuscripts, I spent some time getting to know this special group of gifted writers as well, and it was a pleasure getting to know all of you (PB writers, novelists, and editors alike).

This is the first time I have come back from a conference/workshop without "Conference/Workshop Furrowed Brow Syndrome," CWFBS for short. Come on ladies, you know what I'm talking about. CWFBS is what happens to writers near the end of the conference/workshop weekend when you've heard such an onslaught of feedback and information, and as if it helps in the process somehow of contemplating all that info in your head, your brow begins to pucker.

This simply did not happen.

Well, it almost happened after Kathy suggested that page 30 (out of a 30-page submission) was really my page 1... So, I almost came down with a serious case of CWFBS on Sunday morning after sleeping on this idea. But once I was in the room full of inspiring writers and editors, I was cured.

Sometimes a serious case of CWFBS occurs when you come home from such a weekend. You walk through the door, relived to be home, happy to see your family and pets, when your grab your briefcase weighted with critiques and reality sets in. UGH! Now you have the arduous task of wading through all the critiques to ponder their suggestions.

But, again, it didn't happen.

Why is that? What sets Toms River apart from the knowledge-filled June Conference or any other great workshops offered through NJ's SCBWI where cases of CWFBS have been known to sweep through the room like a flu epidemic? Why didn't it happen here?

You might think it was the gorgeous fall weather with a kiss from the summer sun. Could be. You might think it was the proximity to the ocean. Maybe. You might think it was just simply getting away for a weekend. Possibly.

I think it was the cast of characters. And not just the ones on our pages. It was a coming together of a diverse group of dedicated women who have made children's book writing/editing their life's work, the relaxed ease of friendship that comes from this commonality which creates a bond among essentially strangers.

When I taught kindergarten, I used to end the school year with the same bulletin board: We started the year as strangers but we ended as the closest of friends. This was true about this weekend.

Photos were taken, hugs were shared, warm words of support were spoken, and the awesome task was understood by all about what it takes to make this dream a reality. And to each of us I raise my proverbial glass and say, To us! To our dreams. To our stories. To our perseverance. I know I will be seeing you on the bookshelves one day! L'Chaim!

Hugs and kisses and wishing you all the best,

Sheri

PS, Please send me your blog/website links. I would love to add an "in attendance" below. This is what I have so far...

Off to Tom's River

2009-10-01T15:20:00.002-04:00

I am very excited. I am off to a writer's workshop weekend at Toms River through NJs SCBWI. My brain is a little scattered right now with all the novels I've been critiquing for peer group. That and I've been up until about 2:00 each night critiquing and preparing. But still, I am very excited.

Toms River is one of the rare occasions where novelists can have 30 pages of their novel read by an editor or agent and sit down to a 45 minute one-on-one! (as opposed to 15 pages for 10 or 15 minutes).

This year Lisa Yoskowitz from Dutton Children's Books and Eve Adler from Henry Holt will be in attendance. I've briefly met them at the June Conference. Both are very approachable and very easy to talk to.

The group attending is very small and our cozy accommodations are in the club house of the Toms River Country Club. I hear it is a very relaxing and education weekend. Have I said how excited I am?

So I am off tomorrow but when I return I will fill you all in on the experience.

Sheri

Split Personality

2009-09-10T09:52:00.018-04:00

Woe is the artist… We artists struggle with many things –

How to make money while pursuing our art?
How to ignore the household chores so you can write without guilt?
How to ignore distractions like the telephone, long conversations with a good friend, email, blogging, etc. ?
Do I exercise now in this spare time or work on my novel?
Do I write this in present or past tense, in first or third person?
Is my pacing right, my tone, does my voice sound like a 40-year old or a 12-year old?
The dog is whining; Do I let him out again, or put him in his crate so he can stop distracting me!

There are A LOT of things that get in our way but did you know that that is because there are two of you?

According to Robert Olen Butler from his book, From Where You Dream; the Process of Writing Fiction, there are two of you; the one you are aware of – the writer-self – and the one you might not be aware of – the nonwriter-self.

The writer-self says, I want to write! The nonwriter-self says, No I don’t. And that is the voice that tells you to do the dishes first, or fold the laundry, or let the dog out, or second-guess your every writer decision, or write this blog article instead of edit pages to send out for submission.

Now that you are aware of this saboteur you can look her right in the eyes and say, “CUT IT OUT! I mean it. I’m serious. I WANT TO WRITE,” and silence her once and for all.

Butler further goes on to say, writing, like all other art forms, must stay a sensual experience. Easier to do for dancers, musician, and artists, but not for writers whose art is words. So how does one create a sensual experience through words? Think of the five ways we experience emotions.

Sensual Reactions - be aware of where in the body the emotion is felt and what specifically is felt - a rise or fall in body temperature, heartbeat, muscle tension, neural changes...
Sensual Response - be aware of how the sensual reactions are shown on the body - posture, gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and so forth.
Experience Emotion through flashback - most of the times we are unaware of this because we do it so readily, but think about it... when you get upset about something, often times you get flashbacks of other times in the past you also felt like this. Sometimes it is an object that will bring you back to when you felt this way before. For example, you're angry with your mother because she always forgets to call you on your birthday. You have sensual reactions - maybe you get hot, hear a ringing in your ear. You have a sensual response - you stand with arms folded, foot tapping, shooting icy stares at the phone which never rings. And then you have the Emotional flashback as you stare at the phone - She always does this. Remember that time when I was 9. She said we'd go to Farrel's for dinner and the huge 12 scoop sundae. I waited by that damn olive green phone in the kitchen until the sun and moon switched places in the sky. By the time she got home, I was in bed and her breath smelled of wine and cigarettes once again. [this is just an example... my own mother would never do such a thing =] This flash back is key. It is quick, rooted in the present emotion but tells so much about both characters, triggered by an object in the present tying it to the past.
Emotional Flash forward - this is like a flashback but it speaks of the future. It can speak of your characters hopes or fears. Let's take the above example again. Next year I turn 30. Will she forget me again, even then? No! Next year, I am going away on my birthday. Yeah. Just me and Flo. We'll get on that charter bus... no a plane. Yeah, we'll fly out of this one street light town to some tropical heaven where there are no phones and then it won't matter if she forgets because I won't be there to find out. In the flash forward we still learn a lot about our character. We learn about her tiny town, her dreams of leaving it behind, and learn there is a friend she might take with her. But the yearning is still there. She still yearns for her mother to notice her and love her.
Sensual Selectivity - Butler says that at every moment we are accosted by sensual cues but when we experience an emotion we only allow a certain number of sensual cues in. What we see is our deepest emotional inner self. Again back to our example... Ugh rain clouds. Of course! Nothing but me and the lonely grey cloud above that follows me everywhere. Outside there are also flowers in bloom, leafy crowns on the trees, birds splashing in puddles but our MC can only see the lonely grey rain cloud because that cloud reflects her feelings, it's how she sees herself, and so she tunes out all the other sensual details and focuses only on the one that represents her emotions.

I recommend adding this one to your bookshelf dedicated to writer How To's. I am on my second reading now. There were some parts that were not so helpful for me. But the parts that were have changed my writing forever.

Now let’s share. What are ways you tell the nonwriter-self within you to PIPE DOWN and let you write?

Emotions in Your Life: Show and Tell; A Lesson From the Master and Emotional Journals

2009-08-31T12:29:00.005-04:00

We all hear about showing vs. telling; a common battle we writers must conquer. I know you've heard me talk about it here, several times. If you've not heard about this issue or you're new to my blog or writing, and you do not know what this means let me explain.

This is telling.

Mary was angry.

This is showing.

With clenched jaw, Mary spoke in staccato words, "You will never do that to me again!"

I didn't say Mary was angry in the latter example. I showed it. Which is better? You decide. Which makes you see the scene specifically, feel the emotion, experience the anger in a part of your body like Mary experienced it?

Forgive me for the repetition if I've already given this next example, but it is worth repeating because it was the moment this lesson resonated inside of me. My epiphany.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

...Their relationship came to be symbolized by a carrot. She left a fresh one, washed and peeled, next to his peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch each day. She was careful not to hound him about it. Only once did she mention that carrots were good for him, they supply vitamin A, and, as her own mother had told her time and again, they help one to see in the dark. The daily carrot became her last stand - one small, pitiful, final attempt to bond with her grandson. He never took a bite.

Frustrated, she worked up her nerve for a showdown. She said to him at lunch one day, "We used to have such good times together."

He went on munching his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The carrot, as usual, lay untouched on the table.

"David?"

Munching. As if she weren't there.

She went away in tears.

Two days later, out of the blue during lunch, an answer arrived: "You were Nana then."

"She stiffened. She stood in front of him, looking down on the top of his head, the brown hair she once loved to muss. "Then? I still am Nana."

"No."

"No?" Something delicate inside her fell from an edge and shattered. She could not keep the tremble from her voice. "What am I now?"

He did not reply. He got up and left the kitchen. A half-eaten sandwich lay on his plate.

Sticking up out of the bread, like an orange dagger, was the uneaten
carrot.

That, my friends is the best example of show don't tell. The pages I read where a light bulb not only went off, sirens sounded, blood rushed, and I said out loud, "Oh, I get it now!!!!" An aha! moment. We not only understood how David felt, but how the grandmother felt too, "...Something delicate inside her fell from an edge and shattered."

How does Jerry Spinelli do that, get there, show that, create those beautiful moments? I think he avoids using generalizations like,

"Who am I now?"
"The enemy," he said and left the table.

True, those words would sting to hear, say, and read, but how much better the surprise when we SEE that David saw his Nana as an enemy. The dagger stabbed his sandwich. It was powerful. So powerful that I still talk about it and write about it and probably will continue to do so forever.

I wanted to practice this in my own writing and so I created something I call my Emotional Journal. I've written about this before but today, I am going to share a snippet. Of course names are changed. The important thing is not to just retell an event that brought up an emotion in you. The important thing it to force yourself to say more, to show more, to make a reader feel what you felt by discovering in your own body where this emotion lived.

Then when you have to write a passage like this in your stories, you can draw from that. This is certainly not an example of fine, flawless writing. It is a journal, so I a do not edit, spellcheck, or search for the perfect word. It is a warm-up exercise to that days writing for my story. I think about my character and an emotion she might have to feel that day and then I mediate and try to remember when I've felt that way and try to describe it without generalizing.

Today's' entry was on betrayal. This is how I exercise my writer's wings in the morning...

Betrayal

Step One: Brainstorm Instances
Sarah with Jane
Daniel with John
Diana with Chris
Margaret with no one; just not being there for me at a time of need

Step Two: Choose one and briefly explain it
I’m going to take the one with Margaret because it is the most recent. Someone I love had just been diagnosed with Hashimoto Disease. I was trying to tell Margaret about the whole ordeal which had been very terrifying for us. There was a chance, a good chance, it was cancer. All Margaret was interested in doing was telling me her extensive knowledge and experiences with hyper and hypothyroidism. I tried to explain how that had nothing to do with this – an autoimmune disease. She became agitated, competitive. I told her about the treatment. She again questioned my doctors with an in-your-face attitude. She called me combative. I was shocked. I felt this shock behind my eyes, in the front of my brain, trying to right the wrong. I couldn't. My chest felt tight. High up in my chest, I felt tense.

Step Three: Take the instance - which is full of generalizations - and rewrite it from a sensory perspective…
The betrayal hit the back of my eyes first then seeped up to the front of my brain where it searched for a plausible answer. She was accusing me of the very thing she was doing. Combative. I was informative. She was fighting against everything I was saying. High up in my chest, I tensed. This tension moved down my back and I could feel something there crackle and pop. I’ve felt this sensation before – when fighting with Jane. An electricity, like a toxin, travels through my muscles until the muscle’s last bit of healthy flesh crackles and pops, no longer able to fight against the hurt and pain and bitter shock of a loved one turning against you. Blackness seeped from my eyes as my world became dark. If this person is not here for me, who then is?

Like I said, it is not flawless, but the point is, hopefully to be in touch with your senses when you felt that emotion. Where did you feel it? Emotions are felt in your body. Knowing where that feeling lived will help you SHOW it to your reader so they can feel it too.

Give it a try and share your samples in the comment section.

I Won an Award!

2009-07-27T20:27:00.004-04:00

I'd like to thank everyone at the academy... Ahem.... Oh sorry - that was a day dream. But I'd like to thank Amy Tate over at the Virginia Scribe for honoring me with this prestigious and beautiful award...

The Superior Scribbler

Isn't it pretty?

I'd like to thank Amy also for her patience because silly, over-taxed me took a long time to noticed I'd won this award. If we lived closer - not separated by a couple eastern states, I think she would have knocked me over the head with it. (And not to worry, Amy - your critique is coming. Really...)

Anyway now I am supposed to post these rules and follow them....

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy buds.
Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post, which explains The Award.
Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor! (honestly, I have no idea what the heck this means... So I will skip this rule and so can you if you'd like...)
Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

And the award goes to...

All of you deserve one but in honor of the rules... the Scribbler goes to;

Congratulations to not only these five writers but to all of us who...

put faith in our stories even when no one has asked us to write them
write despite a bad cold or being up into the wee hours of the night with a sick child
pick ourselves up to write again even after a rejection letter, an unfavorable critique , or you plain feel writing a novel is next to impossible
write because we simply have no other choice

Happy writing everyone!

Books on the Craft of Writing

2009-07-21T09:24:00.007-04:00

We've all read 'em... How to Books on the craft of writing.

I am currently reading Richard Peck's Invitations to the World. I'm kinda-sorta enjoying it. Some chapters are about teaching in a world where kids grow up in families without dads or in families with both parents working, so no adults are ever home. He talks about teaching in a world where the present becomes the past in a nanosecond.

Then, some other chapters are about when he was a kid and the vast difference between then and now; How when he was young, you lived in a community and fathers were home for supper at 5:00 and you learned to negotiate life by living it, not by playing virtual versions of it.

Then other chapters are where he quotes himself from his plethora of novels to show this point or that point about character and voice.

So far, it is not moving and shaking my world. As a speaker, Richard Peck is my hero. He made me laugh. He made me cry. He recieved a standing ovation at this year's NJ SCBWI June Conference. But I am finding it hard to remember what I've read in this book. FOr me, the format does not lend itself well for sticktoitiveness. I like the chapters best where he talks about his past. And I even like parts of the chapters where he talks about today's youth. But I find the chapters where he quotes himself indulgent, if I can be so honest.

So, how about it... What are your absolute most favorite, must reads for writers today? If the world were ending and you were allowed to bring one How to be a Better Writer book with you to our new planet, what one would you bring and what did it teach you?

Summer Goals, Week Two

2009-07-20T09:04:00.006-04:00

OK, It's time for weekly goals people! So, hop to it and post them in the comments section. How did this week go? Did you reach your goals or not? If so, bravo, keep up the good work, but if not, why? Let's talk it through and help one another.

Don't be shy? Who's first? OK, I'll go. My week was not so bright and shiny....
Novel Title: OW
Novel Draft: 1.6
Date: 7-20 -09

Goal: 1. To assess exactly how much time I need to complete this novel
2. To set up a schedule for next two weeks while kids are in camp.

a. this week – kids leave at 8:40. I will begin writing at 9 and then stop at 11:45 to pick them up from camp.

b. Absolutely no answering the telephone, making phone calls, checking email, writing email, checking my blog, checking my work email during these hours.

3. Send out next set of pages to my group for review by Monday.

4. Write at least 25 new pages this week – NEW pages, not revising previously written pages.

5. I am giving myself until Sept 20 to finish this novel once and for all. If I am not done by then, I am going to put it aside for a while and begin working on something new.

Actually Accomplished:
NOT MUCH! This was a very bad week. I was in a very low place and I allowed it to effect my work and cloud my judgment.

Downside:
I re-read chapters I thought were well done and hated them. This sent me in a tailspin of doom and gloom – I’ll never be good enough, I’ll never finish, I might as well stop right now and admit defeat, start a new novel, etc. etc. etc.

Upside:
It’s Monday morning and I’m still here, sitting at my desk ready to get to work on my WIP no more whining or bellyaching. Once and for all, just get to it!

UGH!

2009-07-16T15:56:00.002-04:00

Did you ever read your lasted WIP and think, "Do over!"

That is exactly how I am feeling right now. I just re-read chapter 13, which I loved last week and thought, "UGH! I want to start over!"

How do I resist this pull? I've been down this road before and always answer its call. I MUST FINISH THIS DRAFT! But right now, I just want to scrap it and start again.... again...

UGH!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-16T11:01:00.019-04:00

I have a book-crush... ... ... OK, for my regular readers, I know it is really no surprise. But I have a book crush on Harry Potter. There! I said it. And I feel so much better getting it out in the open. *Sigh* I just love Harry. He's the true shining example of a hero's journey. He was not born a hero (that is debatable, really). He was made a hero. He disbelieved. He believed. He distrusted. He trusted. He faltered. He succeeded. He tried. He failed. He tried again. He feared. He was brave. He was everyone's best friend - well, at least in the reader's world. Maybe not so much among Slytherins or Death Eaters.

I am so inspired right now I feel like I could run a mile! I saw HP yesterday on opening day and it was (can I sound like a teenager for a minute) TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, to BE JK Rowling! To create something that becomes a thread forever sewn into our societal fabric! To leave your mark and change the world. To create characters that the young and (not so) old want to read about and watch again and again. To create something that fans line up to see for ten years or more. To create the emotive connections between readers and characters so that when the characters in your head are "brought to life" on the silver screen, we viewers feel we know them, miss them, understand what is not said. *Sigh* Oh, to be JK Rowling.

As you all know I, at first, was a reluctant Harry reader. I went in kicking and screaming and dragging my feet and came out head over heals in love with the series, the characters, the world, and most of all with JK. Can I say, I know we are not supposed to have idols but JK - you are my idol!

I left the theater thinking, I want to do that. I want to be like JK. I want to write something that changes the minds of readers forever. I want to create something so vivid, so luring, that you can't look away and you crave more, more, more!

I also realized, I believe the key to such success is you have to have a boy MC. See, girls will read about a girl or boy MC but boys will only read about a boy MC. So, in order to really be able to span across the markets, you need to have a boy MC. This is nothing new and earth shattering for those of us who have been busily pursing publication. We've always known this, perhaps. But I so solidly understood the full scope of it yesterday as I passed scads and scads of movie-goers lined up for the 7:00 show. They were young. They were teens. They were adults.... (BTW, Harry and the Half Blood broke all movie sale records from the midnight showing ALONE!!!!) *Sigh*

I decided I have a lot of work to do! Not only do I have to finish this draft, but I think I need to write, if not an entire version, perhaps key chapters from my other character's POV to beef up my boy element. Also, after I complete this draft, I need to begin thinking beyond this novel into my grander scope, broader arc of the series.

Sometimes, when I see someone like JK Rowling or Walt Disney, who began as an "unknown" and had an idea, a simple concept, and I see how their perseverance paid off, how they used their talents to effect the world in a positive way, I marvel at such people and the good we can accomplish. I think, how, if we are capable of creating such beauty, such awe, such ingenuity, how then, can we not solve starvation, war, pollution? How can we capture the butterflies of love's first kiss and still not be able to live peacefully.

RUN, don't walk! Go see Harry. If I could, I would have walked right out of the 4:20 showing to the end of the long, winding line for the 7:00 showing! It was THAT good.

Now, go! Write! Be inspired! Inspire others! Use your talents for good!

Weekly Summer Writing Goals. Wanna Play???

2009-07-13T19:04:00.005-04:00

It's back... Summer Goals. If any of you would like to join in with me to keep each other motivated, inspired, and on-track, please join in in the comments section.

What are Summer Goals? Exactly what it sounds like. Every week you will set your writer's goal for the week. Maybe it's a word count. Maybe a revision. Maybe you need to cut words, etc. Whatever your goal, just state it and then tell us if you were able to accomplish last week's goal, why or why not.

My turn...
Novel Title: OWE
Novel Draft: 1.6
Date: 7-13 -09

What I Accomplished Last Week:
Well, I posted my goals late (via email to fellow Summer Goals Writers) so I knew it was a lot to tackle in a short amount of time and so I am not surprised to admit that I did not reach my goal. I see now though, that my goal will remain my goal probably for many weeks, most likely the rest of July. I did read chapter 12 and saw it was laden with problems and so I began rewriting. I know, I know. I wasn't supposed to do that but it's better now and I feel better about that chapter. I noticed chapter 13 was far too long and so I divided it up into chapter 13 and my now chapter 14. I also really like my new chapter 13. This is where I stopped working due to a very busy and full weekend.

Downside:
Didn’t reach my goal. BLECH! It was really hard to flex my writing muscles after many months away from my novel. It was slow going at first to get in touch with my writing-self. I felt very low and overwhelmed like I will never, never, ever complete this novel. *whine* When life takes you away from your desired goal and you come back to it after months away, the task feels HUGE and unobtainable. I do feel better now and I know if I just keep at it, I will eventually, sooner or later (hopefully sooner) finish my novel. But it is so hard to get back on track after a long hiatus. It truly is like exercising. (Speaking of… yeah, I should begin doing that again too!) *Sigh*

Upside:
Once I did get in touch with the writer-part of myself, it felt very good. And even though I shouldn't have been writing new pages (according to last week's goal), it was good to be writing anyway. I feel chapters 12 and 13 are exciting and move the story forward. It felt so good to write again.

Goal for this week:

Re-familiarize myself with my outline; add, delete, change accordingly
Continue to re-familiarize myself with my story by reading current pages from chapter 14 on
Edit as little as possible (if possible)
Try to keep chapters to 5 - 6 pages each. Divide chapters where necessary

Art Reflects Life

2009-07-01T13:42:00.008-04:00

How many of you have ever heard the Boomtown Rats song, I Don't Like Monday's?

Growing up in the 70s, I recall this song. I can sing almost every lyric, still. Although the song came out when I was twelve in 1979, it was still popular by the time I reached HS. I remember driving to school, listening to WPLJ play this song like a Monday morning anthem. I'd drive with the windows rolled down (when the weather was nice), and sing on the top of my lungs, Tell me why? I don't like Mondays. Tell me why? I don't like Mondays. Tell me why? I don't like Mondays. I want to shoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oot the whole day down....

It was also common knowledge, in those days, that the Boomtown Rats wrote that song based on a real life tragedy. Today, when people think of school shootings, their minds jump to Columbine. And, truly, that was a horrible, horrific, unthinkable tragedy. But, sadly school shootings have been happening for many, many decades.

The Boomtown Rats did, in fact, write this song based on a 1979 tragedy that took place on a Monday morning, on January 29. The shooter, Brenda Ann Spencer, was 16-years old. She was given a gun as a present from her father. She lived across the street from an elementary school in San Diego, California and decided it would be "fun" to open fire and shoot the children, teachers, passersby, etc. like a shooting gallery. When she was later questioned she replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." Spencer showed utterly no remorse and even said it was "fun." She killed two men and wounded eight children and a police officer. She currently sits in a California prison where her parole has been denied numerous times. She is up for parole again this year - 2009. At 46, she's practically lived her whole life in prison.

Why do I bring up this unspeakable event? Because, as artists, we hold a responsibility to tell about life and the world we live in, that one day will become history. We can use our gifts to tell about the trials, tribulations, or triumphs of life. The Boomtown Rats were plagued and haunted by Spencer's cold reasoning and it prompted them to write a song that I am positive, if you lived in the 70s (and were not a baby or a toddler) you remember it. They took life and made art.

Look around you. What if you were a child growing up today? What would you think about, worry about, be afraid of, or excited for? It is not the same world we grew up in and yet, somethings never change. Our job, as writers of children's literature, is to reach today's children. They live in a time when we've elected the first black President, whether you voted for him or not. I was born only 13 years after segregation ended! We live now in a time when our economy is frighteningly unstable. When I grew up, the United States had the strongest world economy. Times have changed, time has stood still, and we, the artists, the writers, must capture our time. Re-frame it, structure it, learn from it so we teach from it. We need to tell our story but reach today's children.

Will you be like the Boomtown Rats? Will you take life and turn it into art? What piece of today will you capture in your stories? What lesson do you hope to teach?

Thank you, Kathleen Conners, for inspiring today's posting. It is not one of her favorite songs, but look how thirty years later, we are still discussing the song and the story behind it.

I don't Like Mondays Lyrics
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s gonna make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he can see no reasons
'Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be show-ow-ow-ow-own?

Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I wanna shoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oot the whole day down

The Telex machine is kept so clean
And it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father’s world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain’t that peachy keen
Now that ain’t so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
'Cos there are no reasons
What reasons do you need?
Oh Oh Oh Oh

Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
I wanna shoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oot
The whole day down, down, down,
shoot it all down

And all the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with the toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles (With the problems of the how's and why's)
And he can see no reasons
'Cos there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die?
Oh Oh Oh

Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like
I don’t like (Tell me why)
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don’t like
I don’t like (Tell me why)
I don’t like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I wanna shoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oot the whole day down

Agent Panel Discussion from the 2009 NJ SCBWI June Conference

2009-06-17T10:28:00.005-04:00

Famous last words... I must be careful sharing with the Universe that I have free time on my hands because then all heck breaks loose and I am overburdened with too much to do.

Last week, I promised you all info from the June conference. Well, better late then never, right??? Here is some info from the agent panel discussion. More to follow. (When that is, I do not know. Bare with me... ... ... ...)

Present:
Jill Corcoran; Associate Agent, Herman Agency
Jenni Ferrari-Adler; Literary Agent, Brick House Literary Agents
Rachel Orr, Literary Agent; Prospect Agency
Scott Treimel; President, Scott Treimel NY
Emily Van Beek; Literary Agent & Rights Director, Pippin Properties
Marietta B. Zacker; Literary Agent, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency

Emily Van Beek – Emily’s agency, Pippin, is a child focused literary agency. Celebrating their 11th birthday in April, they represent everything from PB to YA, writers to illustrators. They currently represent just under 50 writers and illustrators. They represent authors like Kate DiCamillo, Doreen Cronin, David Small, and more. About half of these writers/illustrators began their careers at Pippin. And so Holly McGhee’s original vision for her company has come to fruition; Holly’s vision was one of longevity. For this reason, Pippin LOVES to represent artists who are just beginning their career and so does Emily.

When searching for a company’s name, Holly thought about books that meant the most to her as a child. Their mascot, Zeke Pippin, was gifted to them by William Steig, considered to be the grandfather of their agency. They are a small, but focused agency, dedicated to bringing the finest children’s book authors and illustrators to print today.

Part of the success of Pippin is due to a philosophy shared by all Pippin artists and authors.

The world owes you nothing. You owe the world your best work.
Evergreens—we want to create books that will stand the test of time.
We want to work with people in all media who share our philosophy.

Marietta B. Zacker – Marietta’s number one pet peeve is when people do not even try to pronounce her name. Mad(with a soft R roll)-ee-etta. She works for the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency in South Orange, NJ. They also only represent children’s authors and illustrators. Nancy Gallt founded her agency in 2000. They do not currently have a website. But Casey McCormick has great info and links about Marietta.

Jenni Ferrari-Adler – was founded by Sally Wofford-Girand. Brick House is located in NYC and is considered a “boutique” agency, representing mostly literary fiction and narrative non-fiction. Jenni specializes in representing fiction, food writing, and cookbooks, but recently experienced representing her first middle grade novel – an adventure set in the near future of a dystopic society where three friends unravel a mystery behind life-threatening migraines.

This experience has left, this once foody agent, hungry for more. Jenni is very interested in building her client profile and would love to represent more MG and YA authors.

A graduate from Oberlin College, she was the editor for Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant and has an MFA in fiction. She has also worked as a reader for the Paris Review.

They do not have a website but you can find out about them at here

Rachel Orr – is an agent for Prospect Agency in Brooklyn, NY. Emily Sullivan Kim is the founder. They currently have four agents, Emily Sullivan Kim, Rachel Orr, Becca Stumpf, and Vivian Chum. They represent everything from board books to adult literature, from writers to illustrators. Rachel launched their illustration department and currently reps eleven illustrators.

Jill Corcoran – The Herman Agency, located in NYC, was founded by Ronnie Ann Herman in 1999. They rep around 50 – 60 of the best children’s authors and illustrators.

Jill reps MG and YA and is looking to expand. She views herself as a talent scout and enjoys editing and helping your MS get to that next level.

Scott Treimel – began about 15/16 years ago with his whole career has be focused on children in one way or another. He was at Curtis Brown and Scholastic as an editor. Tired of hearing “NO!” all the time, he crossed over to United Artists, Home and Garden Magazine, and Warner Brothers where he founded their World Wide Publishing. He then worked as a consultant at Harper.

Then in 1995, he began his own agency where he represents everyone from teen authors to illustrators.

All the agents were very approachable and so easy to talk to. You'd be lucky to be rep'd by any one of them.

The following was a Q&A session brought to you by The 2009 SCBWI NJ June Conference Word of the Year

Dystopia n. Dystopic adj.
1. a world in chaos 2. disharmony 3. antonym of utopia 4. a current theme used a lot in today's children's MG and YA novels

The SCBWI NJ June Conference Agent Panel Discussion was sponsored by Vampires and Zombies and any combination of the two. (No vampires or zombies were hurt in the making of this panel discussion. Agents are Equal Opportunity Representatives.)

Q: What are the current trends in submission?

MZ: Vampires! They are done. Or zombies. They are done too. Or Vampire/Zombie mixes. Also done. Also, this is not necessarily a good thing, but I'm also seeing a lot of plot driven stories without character development; that can be done, too.

ST: Lots of “Dystopian” worlds. I don’t feel paranormal has peaked yet, but seeing a lot of that too. Historical fiction is low, can always use more of that. And please, no more stories about bullies, zombies, and yes, vampires!

Q: What do you want more of?

MZ: I want to see more depiction of what’s outside out world – true ethnicity, true representation of our populations. ALL kids need to be represented in books. More authentic ethnicity is needed.

JC: BUT don’t make ethnicity trite or cliché – Chinese New Year’s….

ST: Yes, DON’T make it about one black guy, one white guy, and one Spanish guy go on some adventure together.

MZ: Be true to yourself. Don’t write what you know like what Mr. Peck said (as in Richard Peck, our key note speaker). Look outside yourself.

EVB: Too many divorced or dead parents, or kids in new homes, unpacking boxes when suddenly, all of a sudden… no more of that!

Q: What about sexuality or books about gay teens?

ST: If you’re going to write about a gay MC, dig deep so it’s not just about being gay.

MZ: Gay shouldn’t be the issue. It should be authentic.

EVB: Even cursing, if not authentic, does not work.

JC: YAs do not need to have cursing and sex in order to appeal to the YA market.

Q: Can we re-submit something else after being turned down?

ST: It needs to be as good or better.

EVB: Rarely do you get a second chance so don’t waste a bullet. The world owes you nothing so put your best foot forward. Make sure you really put work in before coming back with an additional submission or re-write of the same MS.

MZ: Yes, and please don’t pretend that we don’t know you. Indicate that you had once submitted before and now you are submitting again. I don’t know why some writers think they can pretend like we don’t know you or won’t remember you. We will. So, just mention it in your query.

(NOTE TO SELF - keep excel spread sheet on who you send what to and what draft the MS was at the time because I would be one of these writers and it wouldn't be because I was pretending. It would be because I FORGOT!!!!)

Q: Do agents want lists of who saw the MS?

JC: Yes. The more we know, the better.

MZ: Trust! Trust us to give us all your information and that we’ll give it to the right editor. If that editor saw it already, we need to know that. And we need to know what draft they saw. Maybe they'd be open to seeing a re-write if they know you've done your revision with us.

ST: Don't forget, we are building your career, so I know this is more to the other question, but don’t just have one MS for us to show. If so-and-so saw this already, let us show them something different. And if everyone keeps telling you the same thing, maybe it’s time for you to re-evaluate your MS.

EVB – Know the agency's list of what they've represented. Know their flavors so you can find an agent that is the right match for you and your MS

ST: Yes, and don’t forget, we are each attuned, maybe, to different editors’ likes and dislikes, so the more you share with us, the better.

Q: If you have an agent who won’t rep one of your MS, is it OK to get a different agent for that MS?

A: (quite in unison) NO!

EVB and ST basically said the same thing: Unless you write children and adult, you would need two different agents for that.

ST: But don’t play the field. Like we said, we are trying to build your career. It could be that we feel that MS is substandard compared to your other MS and we wouldn’t want it to tarnish your reputation as a writer. Again, trust us. If you don't maybe you need a different agent.

Q: What do you love?

MZ: Sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot at these things when we tell a room full of writers what we love. Then all of a sudden we are bombarded with MS only about that. Often times, I don’t know what I want until I read it. I want something good.

ST: I have favorites, but I don’t want to be defined by them.

JFA: I love MG dystopic novels with exceptional writing, and rich worlds, great characters. For YA, it’s all about the voice; funny, fresh. In general, I want characters you fall in love with and can't forget.

EVB: My motto is, if I can resist it, I will. So, give me something I can't resist.

RO: It’s like falling in love. Sometimes I read something that is so good, I have to stop because I'm so afraid it’s going to suddenly go bad or I just don't want it to end. I know I love something when I start quoting it to my husband.

Q: How much do you edit before you submit to editors?

RO: I tend to over edit. I do line edits, definitely. I can’t help it. I think because I was an editor first.

EVB: I also was an editor before. When launching we’ll put a lot of work into it to make sure it is just right. The Underneath took two years and eight revisions, but it was worth it.

JFA: I do a lot of editing, too. For me, it’s one of the pleasures of what I do and it’s exciting to see what the writer can come back with as a result. That is so exciting to see what they've come up with as a solution and how much better it is.

ST: Between writing and revising, I’d say revising is the most important. Many times I can articulate what it needs, but the writer just can’t deliver it. Revision is where a true writer shows his/her talent.

MZ: Use your critique groups to revise, revise, revise before sending it to an agent though.

JC: I love to edit. I think because I’m also a writer. When I take on a project, I look at it as if we are critique partners. I edit a lot.

Q: How should we submit to you?

JFA: I am actively searching so email me your query with the first page and visit our website for more information on submission standards.

JC: You can submit the first ten pages. I am looking for WRITERS. I read the pages before the synopsis

ST: Check out our websites for submission policies but when querying an agent, let them know you are an active SCBWI member and send them a polished MS. But also be sure to mention what you are also working on. Try to get an agent first.

THE END!

More to come from the NJ SCBWI June Conference... at some point...

It's That Time of Year Again...

2009-06-08T18:24:00.003-04:00

Can you tell by looking at my desk what time of year it is??? It's NJ's annual SCBWI Conference time!!!! Well, it was this past weekend and my desk looks like it! The inside of my brain probably looks like this too, stuffed and messy with so much information!

Highlight #1: OK my number one highlight is really silly but an agent, who I thought seemed super nice, came over to me and said that I had a great smile and that I looked like such a nice, happy person, someone nice to know. I told you it was silly, but it was one of my highlights! Highlights, I tell you.

Highlight #2: was Richard Peck was our keynote speaker!!!! OMG! He was amazing. He was funny and serious and funny and made me cry three times. I was relieved, when in the bathroom later, I heard other ladies say they had cried too. (Note to self - it was not just female hormones... phew!)

He was so approachable too. Later, I walked over to him - wait, let me say that again... I walked over to HIM... OK, so for those of you who might not know... I get star struck around authors, agents, and editors. Usually I am an idiot - my tongue becomes ten times too big for my mouth and all grammar and vocabulary fly out of my brain. I don't know what got into me, but I walked over to him, put out my hand, and said, "Mr. Peck, my name is Sheri Oshins, and I just wanted you to know how moving your speech was. It brought tears to my eyes and I thought, just maybe, you might have done this at least once before." He squeezed my hand and laughed and said, "Maybe once or twice. I am so glad you enjoyed my speech, Sheri." *chills*

Later, when I stood on line for him to sign his books, he remembered me and we chatted a teensy bit more - couldn't hold up the line you know!!!!

Highlight#3 : sitting down with Michelle Poploff, VP of Random house to discuss my WIP. She had some great suggestions and I can't wait to finish this draft so I can begin again - it's like a sickness, isn't it? A word disease!

highlight#4: hanging out with all my writer friends and meeting agents and editors and not being scared to talk to them.

Throughout this week, as I have time, I will be blogging about what I learned so I can share all my knowledge with all of you!

Discussion: If you feel like it - what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done at a conference in an editor's or agent's presence? I once forgot the title of my WIP. Just a total blank. It was so painful. The published writer next to me said, "Well, if you can't even recall your very own title, that's not a good sign," to which all the editors and agents within earshot laughed. I can laugh now, but at the time... DOH!

My Emotional Journal

2009-06-01T10:43:00.008-04:00

I am going to begin a new type of journal to use as a resource in my writing. It will be called my Emotional Journal.

In my Emotional Journal, I will write about my feelings as they are happening so I can catalogue them and then later when my character experiences that emotion, hopefully, it will help me avoid cliches.

Let's take a look at one shall we... how about uneasiness? All weekend, I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had done something wrong, that I had forgotten to do something that others were counting on me to do. It made me remember what it was like to be a young kid or teen when say you got an "F" on a test and the whole walk or bus ride home, your stomach churned with the knowing you were about to get in trouble.

Later this weekend, when I called this friend I thought might be mad at me, I learned she was just busy and couldn't call me back. I felt such a powerful rush of relief, it almost made me cry. I, then, thought of my MC's father and how I can use the entry from my emotional journal to help solidify for readers the worry a parent feels and the release that comes when we know our kids are safe and sound.

My intent for my journal is to just free-write these emotions and situations and to underline all the cliches. For example, in my first emotion above, I wrote about a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is so cliche. So, the next part of my journal will be to try to brainstorm ways to write that feeling in a new, fresh way. That's not easy.

Cliches have become cliches because someone once said it the first time. And it was so succinctly stated that it stuck and became a thread in the fabric of our society. We all know what that sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach feels like. We've all felt it. How else can that be described without being over described. THIS is what I hope to discover in my journal.

Discussion Topic: Let's give it a try, shall we? How might you describe that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach?

Some Linky Love and Other News

2009-05-29T10:01:00.005-04:00

Take these stairs to the Blog-o-Sphere!

I must spread some linky love to my good friend and top-notch critiquer, Laurie Wallmark. She has just joined the blog-o-sphere. Welcome, Laurie! She also has a great new website (- well, it's new to me! Is it new, Laurie? Come to think of it, maybe I have seen it before...)

What can I say about my writing buddy, Laurie... Well, she is amazing! With so many balls to juggle, she does it so well. Not only is she a writer in my writer's group, one of the facilitators of the Hunterdon County Children's Writer's Group, but she is also Assistant Regional Advisor of the NJ chapter for SCBWI. When I say she is a wealth of information, I meant it! And boy does she give a great critique. I used to think I was Queen of Grammar until I met Laurie. I promptly took off my false crown and donned Laurie's head instead. (Besides, she looks so much cuter in it!) So, check her out folks! And be sure to do it at least weekly as she has information on editors, agents, and the ins and outs of writing for children.

Is that Light at the End of the Tunnel I see?

Or do I see dead people... No, no, no, that's a different blog article altogether.... It's definitely light.

Since I went from being a student to a teacher, I have always had summers off, so to me, a new year begins in the fall, not in January. I often confuse people - OK my husband in particular - when I say 'this year' and I am including this past fall... To me, that's still THIS YEAR. So, now that we've come to an understanding about my wacky perception, let's move on, shall we?

THIS YEAR, I thought I would NEVER make it to June! I was teaching preschool two mornings a week, writing a blog on greenifying your home, writing real estate copy (as I've done for three years now), substitute teaching, writing my WIP middle grade novel, being a mom, house keeper, yada, yada, yada.... So, understandably, I had my doubts.

Well, I gave up the substitute teaching pretty soon in the SCHOOL YEAR. And sadly, my blog on greening come to an end (hopefully temporarily) due to this economy. (That was an excellent monthly gig for a freelance writer!) And so I was left with preschool, real estate copy, writing my WIP, and all the rest of motherly/womanly responsibilities.

At times I thought I would buckle under the pressure. I spent many nights up until 2 am so I could meet my real estate copy deadlines and still go to the preschool job early the next morning. Several tearful nights with hubby, I claimed I would quit one job or the other. But each new day I talked myself out of it seeing the pros each job had to offer - preschool - a steady paycheck and camaraderie with other adults, real estate copy - keeping my writing skills sharpened and meeting deadlines.

And now here I am at the home stretch! I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel. Summer's just around the corner, school's almost done for the YEAR, my copy writing is coming to a simmer, and I am filled with so many emotions.

PROUD - Is it OK to say you're proud of yourself? Well, I am. Seriously, I never thought I could get through this year. True, I didn't finish my novel (YET!) and I had that deadline set and moved several times, but still, I accomplished an insane schedule and survived. Plus, on top of all of that, I participated in NANOWRIMO and reached something like 43,000 - 45,000 words in one month.
MOTIVATED - the summer's coming, my preschool job will be on summer break, my kids are eager and excited to start their various summer camps and I VOW I WILL finish my novel THIS SUMMER!
TIRED - OK, I am exhausted but it's a good kind of exhaustion. The kind that says you're alive and able to do something you didn't think you could.

Let's discuss... Was there some tough obstacle THIS YEAR you didn't think you could survive but did?

My First School Visit

2009-05-13T13:57:00.005-04:00

Today, I did my first school visit. I've been in front of a class before. Actually, for 8 years! But this time was different. Today, I stood in front of the class, not as a teacher, per se, but as a writer and it felt great! I loved every minute of it. Well... except the pre-public-speaking-jitters. But once I got started that all vanished. Well... except some physical signs of my nerves lingered... I always break out in a ruddy, hivey, rash on my chest when I'm nervous about something.

*note to self - no matter the season, be sure to wear something that comes up high on my neck!

So, what did I talk about? Well, this was a 4th grade class getting ready to embark on writing their own stories. The teacher wanted her students to learn not only about what it's like to be a writer, but about first person vs third person and POV.

I began by telling them a bit about me, what I do as a writer for a living and about my speculative middle grade novel. I showed them how my idea began on the back of a napkin and then I read the first page of my novel as it progressed through its revisions.

After each first page was read, we discussed if it was written in third or first person, whose POV it was told from, and if it told the reader much about the MC; the setting, genre, etc. They saw how the first draft's first page, although sounded "pretty" really didn't say much about my MC.

Then, we spoke about my third draft and how it began with a prologue. Again, they were able to see it had now moved from third person to first person and the POV was from an object and not a person...

I asked them to raise their hands if they ever read prologues. One student boldly rose her hand. I explained that's why the NEXT draft no longer had a prologue...

*note to all writers - kids don't read prologues!

By the time we got to my current draft's first page, they were able to identify all the "wanted" elements of a first page; hopefully, a hook that grabbed their attnetion, they knew the MC, her age, her friends, that she was no longer friends with them, and that she was different in a very rare and unique way.

Then we went on to list all the pros and cons of third person and first person before moving on to POV. To really show POV, we listed examples of fairy tales on the board and who the MCs and antagonists were. The kids tried to come up with ways to tell the story from the antagonists view point. Stories to read that do this well are The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Wicked by Gregory McGuire.

Next week, I will return to lead a writer's circle with them. In the meantime, they will begin writing their stories.

It truly was a lot of fun. I felt alive and happy when I left and now I know, I CAN do school visits! I have plenty to talk about and plenty to share, and the kids were fantastic!

Discussion Topic
Do you think it is fair to charge for school visits if you are not published yet? I did this one for free. But I would like to hear from the peanut gallery! What do you think?

Book Worm Review of If I Stay and more...

2009-05-07T13:04:00.005-04:00

Here's my latest bookworm review...

The last book, I read was If I Stay by Gayle Forman. This is Forman's second novel.

17-year old Mia is forced to make a decision that will keep you guessing and wondering. In a book about love, family, acceptance, being true to yourself, and making tougher than life decisions, Forman delivers her characters in a believable, well-rounded way. Written in first person, a compelling story is told to the reader by Mia, a talented and in-love cellist and how her life changes forever on a snowy morning. I recommend this book as a Must Read. It is a fast paced, yet quiet and delicate story.

It has been compared to The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and I can see why. Both stories are written in the same haunting first person style and both tell a tale about a teenage girl who needs to perhaps reconcile or decide what to do. Both are gripping and stay with you for a long time to come.

If I Stay has recently been optioned by Summit, the same company that produced Twilight, although there is no comparison between the stories, Catherine Hardwicke, who also directed Twilight will be directing the movie version of If I Stay. But, my advice, read the book BEFORE the movie.

Some honest feedback: I didn't love the book's first few chapters. I had a hard time liking her perfect, happy family and her place in it. But very quickly, that all changed. As soon as The Point of No Return occurred, I was hooked which, thankfully takes place pretty soon. If you find yourself struggling through the first few chapters, I suggest sticking with it until after the turning point, at least.

And what about the ending? Well, without giving anything away, I wasn't exactly dissatisfied but I wasn't blown away either. It ended the way I thought it would, and I guess I was happy about that, but I was hoping Forman would have something unpredictable up her writer's sleeve.

Give If I Stay a try and let us know what you think.

Here's a link to a great interview with Gayle Forman about her book...

I hope you'll consider trying my five minute writing prompt... There will be a first place prize... A copy of If I Stay.

Would You Believe?

2009-04-30T21:43:00.008-04:00

PHEW! What a whirlwind March and April were. So, where have I been? Would you believe I was abducted by aliens? No. How about I found myself falling through a mirror to the lost city of Lemuria (Atlantis' twin lost city - a little PJ Hoover's The Emerald Tablet for you). No, you don't buy that either... Hmmm, let's see... OK, I know. I was walking through the woods when I decided to follow this hawk and became terribly lost in an unfamiliar, unfriendly forest. No, that's in my book.

OK, truth be told... I was here all along but under siege of fast and furious freelance writing jobs. Before leaving for Florida, I thought I was going to burst a blood vessel in my temporal lobe! I have NEVER been under so much pressure. But hey, I am not complaining! It's good to be busy and good to have a job at a time like this. So, am I back? Yes. But, it won't be as predictable as I normally am - blogging every week. Instead, I am going to have to blog when the window opens. I think things are becoming more manageable.

In order to better balance my freelance, my speculative novel, and my blog, I am beginning a new bi-monthly feature. I am hoping it will keep us connected, hone our writing skills, and maybe help keep up my blog during this crazy run better than I've been lately.

But, before I go into more detail about this new bloggy venture, I need to spread the linky love to a dear friend, mentor, talented writer and artist, and NJ's own SCBWI Regional Advisor - Kathy Temean. Kathy's just joined the blog-o-sphere and I'd love it if we all give her a warm welcome by visiting her amazing site. Kathy offers a plethora of reliable information. She knows many agents, editors, and publishers. She gives good advice and knows her stuff! So check her out...

So what's my new bloggy column about??? Well, I am combining my two areas of interest, photography and writing. I am going to post a new picture prompt every two weeks, I will put up a picture and ask that you free write about the photo in my comments section. Let's make some rules though... Hmmm, let's see... Actually, it's only 1 rule. It should only take you 5 minutes. There, that's my only rule, for now. Feel free to write poetry, something for children, something for adults, the beginnings of an idea maybe for a novel... whatever comes to your head in five minutes and leave it in the comment section. Feel free to also comment on the off-the-cuff writing samples left there as well.

Let's get started. Here is our first picture...

You have two weeks to submit your five minute stories or beginnings of a story. So, May 14th. Hope you'll play along...

Glad to be back!

Happy Writing,

Sheri

Where has the Time Gone? And a Fabulous Must Read

2009-03-30T11:07:00.005-04:00

So sorry for my long absence. I haven't been here... I haven't been to your blogs... I disappeared from the blog-o-sphere. What's my story? Well, although the real estate market has not improved as far as the buying end, the listing end is as busy as ever. As I always say... For Sale signs pop up like daisies in the spring. And popping they are!

The other copy writer is on maternity, so I am covering her territory as well. AND... I never thought I'd make it this long in my preschool job, but here I am at the home stretch! I am proud of myself but I am being stretched as far as I can (and I am pretty limber). It is the thought of a springtime respite that is getting me through and receiving some very positive feedback on my last chapters submitted to my group for critique.

OK, enough about that... Schooled by Gordon Korman is the BEST book I've read, hands down, in a long time! (I'm onto Savvy now). OK, I know I just said that about Eggs by Jerry Spinelli, but this book is unique, fresh, and so cleverly written, I COULD NOT STOP READING IT. Each chapter moves the story forward but told from another character's POV.

My youngest picked it up at the book fair in school and said, Mommy, listen to this first page.

I was hooked!

I said, Let me see that, and never gave it back. (Sorry honey... you can have it back now.) Maybe it's my quasi hippie up-bringing, maybe it's that I am a '60s baby, maybe because I love rock-n-roll... but whatever the reason, this is your next MUST READ.

Kormon has written, something ridiculous like, 50 books! That's amazing to me. In this book, Capricorn (BTW, that's my sign) Anderson, is the most unusual middle schooler. Raised on the last remaining hippie compound... but today folks, not in the '60s... he is a total throw back to Peace, Love, and Understanding, when a semi-tragedy strikes throwing this home-schooled hippie into Cleaverage Middle School (nicknamed C-Average). As a total joke, he is voted class president. But, the jokes on the in-crowd as Capricorn's non-violent, insightful views, and unique visions slowly change C-Average, the students, and maybe even the teachers.

I loved Capricorn Anderson, felt I knew him, and didn't want the story to end. GO, NOW. Run, don't walk, and buy Schooled. You won't regret it!

Favorite Vacation Destinations and The Scholastic Book Fair

2009-03-13T08:25:00.005-04:00

LOOK! My elementary school is having their annual Scholastic book fair and plastered to the lunch room doors was this poster. Do you see what I see?
Danette Hayworth's Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning is featured on the POSTER! Hot dog! Way to go Danette!
Here it is again on the book shelf. I heard they were flying off the shelf and my daughters were bragging, "My mom has a signed copy and "knows" the writer." Funny how blogging with someone constitutes "knowing" these days. But I must admit, I do feel I "know" you guys. We all share the same desire - to be a viable children's author - and when I see a book on the shelf written by one of us, I feel a tremendous sense of pride, a lifted spirit, and that dreams really do come true!

Now shifting gears for a moment...
So sorry for my long disappearance. The spring is a busy time for my freelance writing, so I might be MIA for long jaunts here and there. But not to worry, I am doing fine.

Here's what I'd like to discuss - it's not about writing, sorry for that. I always swore I would keep my blogging focused on my original intention, but this is a burning question and I just need to know!

What is your favorite family vacation destination?

My family and I are trying to plan a trip. It is staggering the amount of info on the web and so hard to discern so I thought with spring and summer breaks looming, this could be a good topic for us to discuss. Where is your favorite family vacation and why? I would love to go to some tropical beach but with all the recent dangers of traveling to Mexico, tourists being held hostage, and the movie TAKEN I just saw, I must admit, I have become a bit of a traveling baby and would prefer to keep it in the USA. Any ideas??? Any suggestions???

To Be Read Lists and Antagonists

2009-02-25T13:04:00.005-05:00

Have any of you heard about this book, If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Dutton Juvenile)? it should hit bookshelves April 2, I believe.

It's herald as being a "...simple, (yet) beautifully told story of a girl's experiences after a horrific car crash. Forman deals with this difficult topic in a way that is striking and unusual, and thoroughly impressive.”—Suzanna Hermans, Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck, NY

Sounds really interesting to me. I am putting it on my To Be Read List.
Here are my top 4 To Be Reads...

Graveyard by Neil Gaiman (I know we've debated the first chapter of this book as being appropriate or not. But I am intrigued and want to decide for myself. I can't make a decision either way until I've read it.) (Harper Collins)
The Higher Power of Luck by Susan Patron (Simon & Schuster)
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Half Blood Prince by Jk Rowling - OF COURSE! I have to re-read before the movie comes out. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

Oh and lately, some of us have been talking about covers... if you like the ones with people or things on it? I have to say looking at the cover for If I Stay and Jerry Spinelli's Eggs, I have decided unequivocally, that I find I am much more drawn to covers with things on it. I love this cover. I love it's soft blue hue and the while tree and the dash of orangy-red. I love it's simplicity. The same holds true for Eggs. That cover doesn't even say the title on it. And yet, it is still clear and simple.

Presently, I just, just began reading Savvy by Ingrid Law. I am not yet loving it. But, again, I'm not far enough into it yet that I can give my full opinion. I've had my predictions for the ending since, I don't know, around page 1. If it ends exactly as I've already predicted, I might be disappointed that there was no surprise or tension. BUT... I wonder would a ten year old be able to figure it out so early? Not sure. I'll have to give it to my ten year old when I'm done.

As usual, I'll keep you posted as soon as I finish. If I finish. I might just go onto another of my MUST READS.

If you've read any of the above mentioned books, please let us know how you felt about them without giving anything away. Thanks!

Who are the Bad Guys, Anway - more on Antagonists

Recently, in my work in progress, my MC is struggling with who the "bad guy" is. She is realizing that everyone, herself included, has a dark side and that everyone has a reason to do the things they do (except for really heinous criminals). She is wrestling with the idea that who she has always believed to be the "bad guy" just might not be after all. So, now I turn our discussion over to something we've talked about before, but in a different light... Bad Guys.

I love writing bad guys. The true antagonist in my story is truly evil and my MC doesn't even know of her existence yet. But the people in her life who she has always seen as "against" her, she will soon figure out, they've always had her best interest in mind, even if their ways of expressing it have been jarring at times.

Let's talk about examples in literature (or in life) when this might have been true. Have you read a book (or experienced in life) where this is the theme? There are many examples of a twist. THis is not exactly the same thing... where you think someone's bad and you think someone's good and then at the end you discover quite the opposite is true. I am speaking more about the grey areas in life, about prespective, about mitigation.

For me, a prime example is My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult. Here, in chapter one, you believe the "bad guys/gals" are the parents and older sister. You HATE them. You question how they could do such a thing. THEN a few chapters later, you read from the mother's POV and you understand. You then read from the sister's POV and you are thoroughly confused. Who are the bad guys anyway, you wonder. THIS is what I am talking about. Grey.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka, a picture book, brilliantly explores the wolf's side of the story. He wasn't evil. He was hungry. He is a carnivore, after all. Mitigation.

I believe ALL our characters need areas of grey and mitigation, especially our "bad guys." What do you think? Have any suggestions on more books with blurred line between good and bad, right and wrong?

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

2009-02-22T18:27:00.005-05:00

I must admit, I have not read every Jerry Spinelli book out there. Not yet. But this one is so far my absolute favorite, Eggs. I don't normally think Jerry Spinelli has the most poetic phraseology but this book surprised me. Usually, Spinelli says it like it is and in as few words as possible. He is never overly flowery with his phrases. But here are some of my absolute favorite sentences:

"As on that night, fears he could not name blew chills upon him from a window left open to his soul."

(Speaking of the sunrise upon the water) "Orange at first, then butterscotch, then yellow, a plump breakfast yellow of egg yolk; and then, as if poked with a fork, it suddenly broke, spilling, flooding, the river and the city and the trees and the sky and every dark corner of the world."

Eggs made me laugh, wonder, cry... It told a story simply and beautifully and everything you hoped would happen did to a fulfilling way.

Now, what was so interesting to me is this... (spoiler alert) David, the MC, a 9 year old boy befriends a somewhat broken 13 year old girl named Primrose. Both want something - a mother. David's is dead and Primrose's is there but "not there," if you know what I mean.

The interesting thing to me is that, although this is a story about coping with grief and disappointment, although it is in everything the boy does and the girl wants and the way they interact with each other, it is not in your face "there." It is not, woe is me, the motherless child... A lesson learned for me who is also writing a story about a motherless child, but my grief permeates every page, not in what she does, or what she says, but in the back story and the actually missing of Mama. Too much telling and not enough showing.

Spinelli, however, has taught me volumes in this novel. The grief, the want, is still on every page but without being in your face. Do you know what I mean? He shows and so he doesn't need to tell. For example, David stabs his sandwich with his carrot at lunch one day. Grief. He roams the streets at night with Primrose. Denial. He's mean to his grandmother. Anger. He resoles to never break a rule. Bargaining. He learns to love his grandmother. Acceptance. Spinelli took all steps of grief and thought, how can my character SHOW these stages without me the writer TELLING about them?

For any of you who are writing about a motherless child, Eggs is a MUST read!

Breaking Dawn

2009-02-11T19:44:00.012-05:00

It seems like eons ago that I read about this book on one of your blogs, the last in the 4-book series by Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn. It was the debate of readers that sparked my interest all those many, many months ago to read all four books.

I've shared my honest opinions of Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight series as I've finished each one and as promised, here is my final opinion on her last book in the series.

A word of warning though...

This is my OPINION - I don't want hate mail. Although all comments are welcomed, please know, I am not bashing Stephenie Meyer. I respect her success and her ability to do what I still dream of - becoming published.
There WILL be spoilers.
I might not agree with Meyer but that does not mean you are not allowed to still love this book. That would be your opinion and we are all entitled to that.

So, if you are a true die-hard Meyer fan, you might not want to read further. If , however, you are opened to a writer's debate - one writer trying to learn from a published writer - then read on; this posting is for you!

What I've Learned Top Three Count Down

3. Pacing. Don't have one day span over 100 pages (give or take)

2. Don't start from your MC's voice, get the reader completely going, set a fast, intense pace, and then BOOM kill it with a switch of POV and then let that new POV span the entire mid section of the novel. For me, this was "whiplash reading." I was jolted and disturbed and didn't want to read from Jacob's POV. Maybe I could have handled it better if it switched back and forth more frequently right from the start. But for me, the sudden switch in POV and then its lasting effect, was jarring and I had a hard time wanting to read after that. I did eventually get used to Jacob's POV. But the damage was done.

On a side here - Don't think for one minute that I don't like books that switch POVs. I do. The first to come to mind is "My Sister's Keeper," by Jodi Picoult. Or any of her books for that matter. She is the master of switching POV's and I find this technique powerful and fascinating both as a reader AND a writer. Maybe Meyer just didn't - for me - produce that technique well enough.

1. But the number 1 problem for me (cue drum roll please...) is NEVER and I mean NEVER promise your reader something and then don't deliver it. UGH!!!!!! Harrumph! *blowing bangs up in an angry huff* I think my exact angry, frustrated words when I was finished reading was "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????????? I DON'T GET IT! HOW DID NO ONE, NOT ONE EDITOR, NOT HER AGENT, NOT ONE PERSON SAY.... You know, you did promise the ultimate batter scene, and well, er... um... You really have only had "kind of sort of" battle scenes in your books. Maybe, just maybe, just this once you should really deliver a true battle scene to your readers. Ya know, just this once... NO ONE SAID THIS TO HER? NO ONE?" *growl*

So, in case you couldn't tell, this was infuriating for me, to say the least. What... since like book 2 we were PROMISED a battle scene between the Cullens and the Vulturi and this promise was echoed through-out ALL of the books.

Sorry to bring up JK Rowling again here folks for the umpteenth time, BUT JK promised for 7 books, not 4, not 3, but 7, a fight between Harry - a mere child and Voldemort - the ultimate evil prince of darkness. Did she have Voldemort cowardly back away? Did she set the stage and then tear it down? Was it hard for us, the reader, to imagine how JK would be able to deliver this promise and how Harry would hopefully triumph? WOULD Harry Triumph??? The world held its breath in anticipation.

THIS IS THE JOB OF A WRITER PEOPLE!!!!!!! To figure this out! To set the stage and then DELIVER! JK did it. And JK did it in a way I never imagined. She tied up every loose end, our hero remained triumphant, fought evil and won, and we, the reader, were satisfied!

But Meyer did not do this. Finally, the long, awaited ultimate battle scene was upon us. The Cullens were lined up with their friends and witnesses. The Volturi were lined up with their witnesses. Characters were taking dibs on enemies... "Leave her. She's mine..." etc. WE WERE READY! We were good fans. We stuck with book. We trusted the writer. We went along with her (most of the time). We earned our right for the final battle scene. We EARNED it! But did she deliver? NO. Sadly, she did not. Now, we've talked about this here before. And we've concluded that:

She got away without a battle scene in book 1 because it was written in first person so if Bella was unconscious, we the reader had to be unconscious too.
We realized these books were written based on a fairy tale paradigm and not a hero's journey.

But here's my beef! If you don't write battle scenes well, or you don't believe in violence because you're... I don't know... say, a Mormon... then don't write a book where battle scenes are called for!!!

I, for one, could NEVER write about harm coming to a child. I mean serious harm. Now that I am a mother, I just could not, would not, want to get in touch with those stories of kidnapped children or children who are killed. Maybe one day, maybe I will want to write a story like that, but for now I know I can't. To me, this is like if I started writing a story about a child being kidnapped and killed, but never really got to the telling of that part.

It would be like if I don't want to write racy love scenes but write a romance novel.

If I can't write a mystery, but set one up with no resolution.

A sci-fi novel taking place here and now with nothing sci-fi about it.

These are vampires, people. Vampires. The Volturi are blood-thirsty, murderous vampires who show no mercy and the Cullens are "vegetarian" vampires who have been known to show mercy. The Cullens were willing to fight, but the Volturi back away???? OK, OK, OK! I know what you are saying... The Volturi had never before faced a group of vampires that they couldn't out right defeat... OK. I hear you. I see that. BUT STILL!!!!!! I thought there would be a changing of the guards. The Cullens would be the new power in the vampire world. But maybe they wouldn't want that title. Perhaps they'd give it away... There was literally no battle scene. AGAIN.

Clearly, Meyer does not write battle scenes. She does not believe in violence and she does not want her beloved Cullens to rise to power through violence. That's all fine. I completely agree. But why then, why, ever seed and promise one???? Her story, her premise, her vision of vampires were new and fresh and existed fine on their own. She never needed to make such a promise. Teen age girls would have still loved the story. They would have still loved Edward and would have still wanted to be Bella. The Volturi, or at least a promised battle between them, was not necessary at all!

So, I am going to add a new number to my list of what I learned....

Write what you write well.

2009 Winner of the Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award goes to...

2009-02-04T22:16:00.006-05:00

Leeza Hernandez!!!

Congratulations, Leeza! In truth, I am not surprised one itty bitty bit. Upon first meeting Leeza you immediately know she is someone very special! I am so very proud of her growth, determination, and stamina! And I admire her talent and positive disposition in life and art. I feel very lucky to know her, to be her friend, and to know that she is my friend too.

So what does winning this award mean to Leeza? Leeza says ...

After the shock and delight of receiving the award, I think I truly felt like winning was a sign that I was finally on the right track. I've spent the past few years wondering where I could fit in, what my style was, where I was headed, and even if children's books was the right path for me. For the past twelve months though, this has all started to come together and shown me my desires and passions for working in children's literature. I spent many an early day and late night sketching, painting, doodling, researching, networking, crying and illustrating -- and somewhere in that time, everything clicked. To have two such prestigious names in the children's book world -- legendary Tomie dePaola and Penguin Putnam's art director Cecilia Yung -- describe my work as "Fresh" and "Superlative" is the icing on the cake. I cannot express my gratitude enough to them or to everyone who has been a part of my life since I began this wonderful journey. The feeling is simply AWESOME!

Check out Leeza's new website. Her new work and website are really amazing and fun, so go on over and say hi.

Leeza is represented by Rachel Orr of Prospect Agency.

An Illustration of the Insane Pace of my Life

2009-01-30T10:47:00.007-05:00

As of lately, my life has taken on, well... a life of its own... that is to say, without me. And it's very irritating, to say the least. I have been moving at the speed of light since Jan 1 and have not had a break. It's been one thing after another. A car accident, a heavy schedule, a stomach virus... ... ...

The reasons this annoys me...

I haven't written a single new page the whole month of Jan. (OK, let's back up... actually I didn't write a single new page the whole month of Dec either. (I might as well be honest.))
I feel like I have no control over my day and what I want to do with it. Before I know it, my day is over, my To DO list is still two pages long, and again, no writing got done

As, I've posted before, I write for real estate. The winter is the time I get my own personal writing done as it is usually a very slow time for the market. People don't usually list their homes now. They wait for the spring when for sale signs pop up like daisies. BUT... I've actually been busy this winter and the momentum is building. I can feel it.

To be honest, I can't even really explain what exactly is making me so hurried, but I feel I can't catch my breath. Here's a typical day of the week, for example.

wake up at 7, get the kids and myself ready for the day
kids missed the bus, now I have to add driving them to school to my list
drive them to school, pick up my coffee (this is a MUST)
go to work
12:30 see a house or two for copy review
pick up kids from school
drive number one to flute lessons
grab dinner on the go
go to the library for my writer's group meeting
finally come home at 10:00 pm

Today, my planner was a beautiful thing. See, under the date, Friday, January 30th, 2009, it was blank! NOTHING - that's right, nada, bupkus, empty. Plus, I don't have a car - it's being serviced, so I can't go anywhere. It's not only a beautiful thing, it's a RARE thing, as well. I couldn't WAIT for today. All week I just kept thinking of Friday. I'll get through today and it will almost be Friday. Two more days and it will be Friday. Go to bed and when I wake up, it will be Friday.

My plans for today...

write copy
work on novel
do laundry
pack (child number 2 and I are going away this weekend)

I woke up my normal time. Got my kids off to school AND on the bus - sorry, no exceptions today - Mommy doesn't have a car! *insert maniacal laughter* Read a ton of work emails, answered all of them. That's when I started to veer... Hmm, I thought, I have some time. I haven't read or commented on any of my friend's blogs in a while.... a few hours later... I felt the whiz and whir of life speed up again. With hurry in my heart, I jumped in the shower, rushed to get dressed and ready, ran down stairs, made lunch, ate so fast, I barely tasted it when all of a sudden...

...lunch wasn't agreeing with me. My stomach didn't feel so hot. Oh, no. I couldn't have caught the stomach virus... I gazed up at the clock -

10:30 AM????

THIS is my point! I have become so accustomed to rushing and time flying by, that I assumed it was lunch time! I just can't seem to slow myself down even when life has given me the chance. I am THAT used to the rush.

So, how do you slow down your life when it wheels out of control?

2009 Newbery Award Winner

2009-01-27T20:07:00.003-05:00

Did you hear that the American Library Association just announced their 2009 children's literature award winners? And among them was Neil Gaiman, author of “The Graveyard Book,” illustrated by Dave McKean and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books. Gaiman won the coveted 2009 John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature.

Have any of you read this book yet?

I have read only the first few pages. I am confused. A book written for children... begins with a man and a sharp knife who has broken into a house and has killed the mother, father, and oldest child. And so the youngest child, is the only survivor and I'm not sure why at this point, but he must live in a graveyard.

Like I said, I have not read this book. It strikes me as inappropriate for this young age group and so I want to hear from those of you whom have read it. Please fill us in. Would you have given it your vote for a Newbery? Is it less gruesome than its beginning? Is it gruesome in an appropriate way - seems an oxymoron to me... Very paradoxical - writing a tale of a heinous murder for kids. At first glance, I put the book down, deciding I didn't want my kids to read it, but clearly I have missed something very huge! And now I am intrigued and filled with wonder...

Have you read it? What do you think? And let's share our views on when we think we've gone too far and have crossed that line that maybe we shouldn't cross in children's literature... Or maybe we have to cross - to make big, bold choices - in order to say something just as big and as bold...

Jason Tagged Me!

2009-01-22T18:15:00.005-05:00

Jason tagged me and I'm grateful for a fun and lighthearted topic to write about.

In the words of Jason, the rules are to:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Write down six things that make you happy
3. Post these rules
4. Tag six others
5. Notify me that you've tagged six others--or that you're not in a happy place right now...

Happy Things

The feel of the warm summer sun on my skin
tickling my kids
a long, loving hug from my family
being outside in nature, among the trees, or by water
(hasn't happened yet but...) hearing the words "We'd like to buy your book and we'd like to also offer you a movie deal" (it can happen...)
being with fellow writers who inspire me and I inspire in return

Now I tag...

Well, instead of making it specific... if you're looking for a topic to write about, consider yourself TAGGED. Let us know you are going to play along in the comment section... of just answer your happy 6 in the comment section.

Thanks Jason!

A Strange Predicament

2009-01-19T13:46:00.005-05:00

I find myself in a rather strange predicament; I have nothing to say lately.

Now, some philosophers might argue that saying "I have nothing to say" is technically saying something. And I suppose I'd have to agree. But, even with that said, I find myself rather subdued these days and with nothing fascinating or interesting to report.

I am in a very quiet and contemplative place. But that quiet contemplation is not describable with words. It's just quiet. This is not an easy feeling for a writer who, as I've said in the past, flies on wordy wings - the wordiest of all, most times.

I have been wondering though lately... do you think the classics would be successful if written today? I don't think they would. I don't mean written today with today's style. I mean if they were written as they were then but tried to be sold today.

I recently saw Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and although I know watching a movie and reading a book are often more dissimilar than similar, I found David a boring character. It was all the periphery characters that were most interesting, flawed, and grew/changed. Even though David had a horrible childhood, as many of Dickens' child character do, he grew up well, despite his horrors and never showed any sign of being affected.

Secondly, he didn't even bring about or solve the battle scene. He was just simply the sun of some strange universe filled with other more remarkable planets.

So, I reflect on what sells today... what sold yesterday... and how they are different.

Today, readers expect or anticipate that your main character will be the most flawed or unique and will go through the most change, there-by changing those around him/her. Was that always true of the classics? No. Yet, they've survived the test of time. Is that always true of today's characters? No. Look at Twilight. Bella didn't really "change" until the last book. And I would argue that her "change" wasn't even really a "change?" She was still the same character but stronger, more balanced, and prettier. (Of course I still have about 100 pages to go before I am done, so perhaps I am premature in my conclusion...)

Well, look at that! I guess, I had something to talk about after all. But even still... in this very wintry of winters... my mind seems to be hibernating. Quiet and contemplative, like the snow, once again falling outside my window....

Do you think the classics would sell in today's market? Why or why not?

Writer's Resolutions 2009

2009-01-12T10:45:00.003-05:00

Hope 2009 is treating you all well. And if it started out rough, like it did for me, I hope you are in a better place mentally now. I began my new year by angrily questioning the Universe, "Why THIS lesson again? WHY??????? I thought I learned it already!"

Once I calmed down, I was able to see that it is not the lesson that shows us what we've learned, but how we deal with the trials and tribulations of life that REALLY illustrate what we've mastered. And so, now that I am in a proper frame of mind once again, I want to talk about resolutions.

But I am not speaking about resolutions to lose weight or exercise more… Those are important goals too. After all, your health IS important. I am speaking about my favorite kind of resolutions - Writer's Resolutions of course!

Whether it be to sell a magazine article, finish three dummies in the year, or polish your manuscript, setting goals is the first step to obtaining them. Without setting a goal in writing, it is too easy to forget or forgo. Something magical happens when you put something in writing. We all know this - after all, we're all writers! But when you put something in writing, you automatically become accountable. Don't know where to start? Start small and obtainable.

Feel free to borrow any of these goals if you can't come up with your own…

Make a space that is just for you and your writing. A place where you and only you go to write.
Decide on an amount of time you will try to write each day or each week. For example…. I will write two hours five days a week, rain or shine. Or… I will write ten hours a week.
Some novelists like to work with word count instead of time. So maybe your goal could be… This year I will strive to write 5,000 a week. (Believe me, that goes fast! Take it from a past NaNoWriMo contestant!)
Maybe you've had a novel (harrumph!) you've been working on for quite sometime so your goal is to (once and for all, for crying out loud, G-d willing) finish the (darn!) thing.
Maybe it's to read more books in your sub-genre… This year I will read 20 books in my field.
Maybe it's to test your book to a live audience… This year I will reach out to schools or libraries to see if I can read my books to a classroom and test it out on a live audience.
Or here's my favorite… I will treat my writing like a business and be present each day, ready to work as if my livelihood depends on it.

Whatever your dreams are, turn them into goals. And then watch your goals become reality!

Happy Writing!

Start at the End

2009-01-08T20:44:00.005-05:00

The secret is to start a story near the ending. — Chris Offut

I really like this quote from Chris Offut.

It's like my screenwriting professor once told me, "Come in a scene late and leave early." I think it's the same mentality. Start so the reader has to think - No. WANTS to think - wants to figure it out. And end the story so the reader feels s/he has done so successfully, and yet is satisfied, perhaps, by the things s/he couldn't figure out that you, the writer explained.

Makes it sound so simple, doesn't it? But we all know it's not. Maybe that's the secret - start near the end - but I wonder where the blueprints are? It's one thing to KNOW something but another entirely to be able to do it.

But as grandiose as it sound, this is what I will strive for in my novel. I don't know at what point I'll accomplish this tall task or if I ever will, but this is my goal. I'm not there yet. I'm a long way from being there. Somehow I feel when I write the ending of my novel, I will know the beginning.

What do you all think about Chris Offut's quote? What ideal do you strive to reach in your craft?

2009

2009-01-05T22:21:00.005-05:00

I have to say, 2009 has me a bit worried, a bit scared, a bit... well, ill at ease.

So far, 2009 is off to a rough start for me...
I've been in a minor fender bender and have heard just a lot of sad news this first week of the year. I won't go into details because I don't want to be a total downer, but have any of you had a rough start to the New Year?

Here's a funny video to cheer me up and anyone else out there having a rough start to 2009...

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!!!

Favorite Holiday Recipes

2008-12-24T11:24:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year when we are all cleaning and cooking and baking and preparing our holiday meals for friends and family.

I host Hanukkah each year and every other year New Year's. This year is my year for New Year's too, so, I am not out of the woods yet. Since we are all pretty much in the same boat, I thought we could do a Holiday Recipe Game of Open Tag.

Here are my rules:

Please no tagging! Everyone is very busy now, so this is purely optional.
If you WANT to play, leave a comment here on my blog that you intend on joining in and then just post a recipe on your blog by December 31st.
Once you've posted your recipe and the rules for the readers of your blog, then send some linky love, but only to other bloggers who have already posted their favorite recipe. (remember, because it is such a busy time for everyone, no tagging, please. OK?)

Latkes (AKA Potato Pancakes)

Latkes are a traditional food to eat on Hanukkah. Why??? Because they are so darn oily (and yummy) and they remind us of the oil that burned for eight nights. But you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this tasty treat.

Ingredients:

six medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes
1 medium or large onion
1/2 cup matzo meal (if you can't find matzo meal, you can substitute with flour, but it won't have that je ne sais quoi)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
vegetable oil
cheese cloth
brown paper bags, ripped open so they can lay flat

Directions:

First, fill a large bowl with cold water.
Peel the potatoes and place in bowl of water immediately after peeled. (Potatoes will turn a reddish brown when exposed to the air. Keeping them submerged in cold water, will keep them white.
Grate each potato (there is debate about grating by hand or using a food processor. I say if your food processor has a grating setting, use it!)
Oh, you'll need another bowl for the grated potatoes. No water this time.
Grate or finely chop your onions. (Try this... chop while running the water in your tap, or burn a candle to reduce the tears that onion fumes can bring...)
Next, cut your cheese cloth into large sections.
Have another large bowl at your ready or re-use the one that once had the cold water in it...
Put a handful of the grated potato into the center of one of your cheese cloth pieces. Make sure it is well wrapped and then squeeze all the water from the grated potato. Potatoes naturally contain a large amount of water. This water will get in the way of your mixture, making it too wet when it fries. Squeezing out the natural water with the cheese cloth is the secret to perfect latkes. If you do not have cheese cloth, you can just squeeze it out in your hands. But cheese cloth works best.
Once you've squeezed out all the excess water, out the grated potatoes into a bowl, (you use a lot of bowls when making latkes. Sorry...)
Add all the other ingredients and mix well. You can use a spoon, or your hands.
You want the potato mixture to be able to stick together, like meatballs. So, if it is still too wet, you can add a dash more matzo meal or flour. But you don't want it to be too dry either. So, be careful.
In a large, flat pan, heat up the vegetable oil. You want to fry, so you will need a lot of oil.
Once the oil is hot, take about about a palmful of potato mixture and place it in the hot oil. Use a spatula to flatten it out.
Once the latke is a deep brown on one side, flip it until it is the same deep brown on the other side.
Latkes are greasy. One tried and true way to rid some of that unwanted oil, is to take the fried latkes and place them on brown paper. Paper towels work well too, but not as well.

Latkes are eaten with apple sauce or sour cream (think baked potato and sour cream...) This is a another long-lived debate... Is it better with apple sauce or sour cream? I prefer sour cream... but my kids prefer apple sauce. My DH is an equal opportunist, eating some with apple sauce, and some with sour cream. Both are delicious.

Latkes are best eaten right away! But if you have to make them ahead of time then keep them in a warm oven until ready to eat, but they often loose their crispiness when sitting in an oven. Also, if you want to make them well in advance... you can flash freeze them. Let them cool a bit and then lay them on cookie sheets lined with brown paper and cover with tin foil and then freeze them right away. When ready to use, broil them until hot and crispy. The heat will release all the oil, so no need to add more.

Enjoy!

Oh, just one more tip... make mini versions of these and serve as an appetizer with a tiny dollop of apple sauce or sour cream. These are perfect when made and frozen ahead of time and then just broiled to heat up. Your guests will love the pop of flavor each little mini morsel will provide!

Teriyak Salmon

This is perfect for any holiday meal or a regular family meal. I am making it
for New Year's this year. Don't like salmon? That's OK. This marinade is terrific on any meat - steak, chicken, pork, shrimp... You name it. Just substitute with your favorite meat and enjoy!

Ingredients:

a half a pound of salmon per adult, less for children (unless they're my children! They love salmon!)
1/2 cup teriyaki
1/4 cup oil
2 tbsp water
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 tsp brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp pepper (optional)

Directions:

If possible, marinade over night. Make sure you coat the top and bottom of the salmon.
Cover and put in the fridge over night, or at least for a few hours.
In a preheated oven, bake at 350* until center of salmon is no longer translucent. Depending upon the thickness, that's usually about 30 - 40 minutes.
I baste about every 15 minutes and then when I think it's done, I cut into the center with a butter knife to separate the meat to check that the color has become opaque.
Another way to tell when salmon is done, is if it's flaky to a fork or knife. It should pull apart easily.

This meal is great with rice and fresh veggies. I also love to make a green salad with apples or pears and some kind of nuts... walnuts, almonds, pecans... those flavors compliment the teriyaki perfectly.

So, what about it? Have any great recipes you'd like to share? Anyone have excellent dessert recipes?

Have a happy holiday everyone! Stay warm. Stay dry. Love and be loved!

See you in 2009!

Is it THAT Time Again... (insert whining if you must...)

2008-12-14T10:36:00.006-05:00

Oh, boy, here we go! It's New Year's Resolution Time...

Out with the old, in with the new, but first we must reflect back on our year's progress with our goals. I wasn't even sure if I remembered all of mine, so I had to look back here to remind myself of 2008's goals.

Let's see I said I would...

Make revisions to a particular picture book.
Polish pages 1 - 30 in my WIP (MG low fantasy novel)
FINISH my WIP (the one and the same MG low fantasy novel)
Save, save, save (for the SCBWI Bologna Children's Fair)

So, how did I fare...

I did make those revisions to that particular picture book, showed it to two editors and then pulled it underground, wanting to focus all my attention on my MG novel. This decision came after one editor in particular said, "When I saw your name, I thought this can't be the same Sheri Perl-Oshins (knowing I write novels) and that's when I stopped and asked myself, do I really want to be pulled in two directions, or focus on one? My answer was, focus on one. No matter what led to my decision, the goal was still reached. Check.

Yes, I did polish pages 1 - 30, but this seems like a silly goal to have had since I hadn't even finished writing the darn thing. Looking back, I know why I had that as a goal - an SCBWI conference. So, check to #2.

Finish my WIP. Well, there's still time and with NaNo I did pump out close to 40,000 new words all in one month - more than I've ever done. I've since cut a lot of the dribble and my word count is back down to 34,599, but still, it was a feat that I am proud of and although I have not reached this goal, I know I will. So, let's say half a check.

And what about saving up for Bologna? I can sum that up in one word; Recession. I had to give up that goal - but no hard feeling about it - reality is reality, even if it's not the reality you'd hoped for. So, no check there.

Even though 2008 seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye, and looking back, I do feel a measure of success, it is time to look ahead to 2009. This year's goals will be easy to define. (Hey, I made a rhyme... must be a poet and I don't even know it!)

Finish my novel!
Polish my novel!
Maybe the later half of the year, if it's ready, begin looking for an agent.

And that's it! Three very good goals. How about you? Did you meet your 2008 goals? What goals will you set for 2009?

Daniel Radcliffe all Grown-Up and the Trickle after NaNo

2008-12-09T21:08:00.007-05:00

Well, he might not get the same type of cheers as co-star Robert Pattinson - which is more akin to Beatles hysteria. However, Daniel Radcliffe (AKA Harry Potter) is still my favorite.

Did you get to see his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio? Here's part one (above) and part four (below). You can catch parts 2 and 3 on You Tube..

Are you a real fan of Daniel's? Well, if so, you can catch him on Broadway in Equus, a controversial play, where the young Radcliffe appears nude for a long and dramatic scene. Not the Harry Potter we've come to know and love. But I suppose they all have to grow up... the actors and the fictional characters they portray.

So... Life After NaNoWriMo...

I have been sputtering to a slow start to continue my book since NaNo. I took the first week of December off. 1) I had a stomach virus and 2) I was seriously burnt out. I think I used up all the words in my head and I needed to grow new ones. So today, I wrote, maybe 50 new words... It's amazing how a week off creates such space and distance between you and your story. I needed to re-read the last few chapters, study my outline, and do some quick research to get back into it. It really IS like exercising!

But still, I love my idea and I am still going forward, hopefully now with a bit more of a serious flow than this painful trickle. There is something to be said about a fake deadline. Self imposed deadlines don't seem to have the same affect on me as NaNo did. But I've got to make mine work the same because I do really want to finish and begin revisions.

Anyone else having a slow time after NaNo?

Casting Call

2008-12-01T13:34:00.024-05:00

Have you ever done this... pictured well known actors/actresses as the characters in your story? I've noticed the characters I've done this for, have more distinct voices and mannerisms and are more clearly defined.

So, after the harrowing writing month of November, I decided to take a creative break by casting my characters.

It wasn't as easy as I thought. I don't think my main character exists - or at least, I don't think she's been discovered yet. But if I could turn back the hands of time I would cast Jena Malone as my MC. Check out the rest of my cast of characters...

Tom Sturrbridge -- my MC's bff (and not to bad to look at either - again, I would have to rewind the hands of time by about 10 years.)

Kevin McKidd -- my MC's father -- He was on Journeyman last year, but the show was cancelled. Now, he is the new doctor on Grey's Anatomy. He just has my MC's father's mannerisms down to the T that it really helps me to think about him when I write this character.

Patricia Clarkson -- I'm not sure yet, but I just love her and would love her as either my MC's mom (but too much of an age difference between Patricia and Kevin) or maybe as one of my fantasy characters.

Cate Blanchett... Well who wouldn't love Cate Blanchett to be cast in their book? I'd love her as my antagonist. I think she plays great villains, but she's awesome in any roll.

I still don't have some key characters. But that's a search to continue another day...

So, how about you? Who would you cast as your leading lady and leading man? Who would be your antagonist? And how do you go about discovering them? Have any good links for head shots we can all use?

FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO

2008-11-30T19:59:00.011-05:00

Drum roll please........

If I count all words in this draft at this point, the total count is......

40,829

However, about 7,000 of those words are from a few chapters from my last version that I need to rewrite, but have now run out of time. So, if I only count all the words written from Nov 1 - 30 and don't count those two or three chapters I haven't rewritten yet, than my final word count is......

33,016

But, I am not upset at all that I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words. I never thought I would meet that goal, although there was a moment when I did believe it was attainable. I have learned far too much to feel sad. I have learned I can...

...write through fatigue
...write through pain
...write through a cold
...write through sick children
...write through sleepless nights
...write after working with 3 year olds
...write while my family is home and doing loud activities
...write in the car with the radio on and the kids in the back seat watching a movie (My husband was driving... Oh and I cannot, however, write while my DH sings. Sorry, THAT is too much of a distraction for me!)

~But most of all, I have learned that I can finish this book and that I will finish this book.
~I have learned that 50,000 words is reachable and that my story will probably wind up being longer than 50,000 words.

I have learned a good set of earphones do a lot more than block out sound. They also work like blinders on a horse and help me to zero in my focus.

I have also learned not to share your story before it is finished and never, never, EVER revise until YOU ARE DONE! Repeat after me.... NEVER, EVER, EVER REVISE UNTIL YOU ARE DONE!

Writing my first novel has been a real up hill battle, learning simultaneously about my novel as I am learning how to write one! Not an easy task at all. But I love what I do. I can't not (double negative, I know...) do what I do. And one day I will make money doing what I do. I believe in my story and I believe in my dedication.

I would recommend NaNo to everyone and anyone who will listen. My suggestions are...

write an outline before Nov 1. Write several. A long, detailed one and a short one. My long one was 31 pages full of detail - what characters were in that chapter, what props, what's foreshadowed, what was the mini conflict, mini resolution, and "disaster" that kept forever pulling my MC to that point of no return, or what I like to call the journey... My short outline was 2 pages long and basically was a few short words - no more than 3 - just sighting he crux of each chapter.
Do your research before November 1
Tell members of your writing group, you will not be sharing pages for the month of November

I want to thank all of you for following my journey and for cheering me on through this process. It was such a thrill to know you were all there behind me and I was behind all of my fellow NaNo writers as well.

My story will not reach The End at word 50,000. And although NaNoWriMo is over, many of us are not done. So, join me in setting a new goal - to reach 50,000 words or the end of your story by December 31st. Let's ring in the New Year with new MSs. So, whose with me?

Again, from the bottom of this writer's heart... thank you! December 31st, here we come!

NaNo Day 25

2008-11-25T21:41:00.004-05:00

NaNoWriMo Day 25 Word Count

I know, I haven't posted in a while. It feels like forever, but even though I haven't been blogging, I have still been writing. It was a real difficult process breaking 30,000. I was really burned out. I needed to take two days off from writing, catch up on sleep and life outside my fantasy world, in order to be able to come back to my desk ready and able. It was the best thing I could have done.

Today, I wrote my first scene where the antagonist first appears to my MC. I was nervous to write it at first, wondering if I could get in touch with a mean side. It was soooooooo much fun writing this scene! I love writing about this person readers will love to hate. Oooo, she's so wicked and evil. And my poor MC - she didn't even really know what to do. I felt scared for her. I literally held my breath the whole time I was writing.

So, where does this lead me...

Goal: I don't have any real word count goal right now, because I know I will not reach 50,000 words by Nov 1, so I just told myself to fix the previous chapter, update my outline, re-familiarize myself with where I was going, and write the next chapter. And those goals were completed.

Actual: And with that said, putting the numbers out of my head, I wrote 2,389 in one day, AND on a day when I worked in the morning with the little-uns.

Total Word Count: 31, 502

Downside: None, really... except I am trying to research information I desperately need for my antagonist and just can't seem to find what I need on the Internet. Not a huge deal - I'll just have to make it up (imagine that) until I can find what I need to support my theory. (I like to write so that my ideas are actually supported - that makes my fantasy world seem all the more possible...

Highlight: Hitting 31,502! Writing about my antagonist and really enjoying it. Still loving my book and my idea. Still feeling positive even though I won't reach 50,000 by the 30th, I still know I am forever changed by NaNo and that I WILL finish, that I CAN finish. So, I've set a new goal...

My new goal is to finish my book (50,000 words or more...) by December 31st. I want to ring in the new year with my first novel complete! (Of course I use that term loosely. I know once I am finished, my work has only just begun... but still, it will feel so darn amazing to write that last page, tears rolling down my cheek, doing a happy gig, kind of good.

Anyone want to join me in cheering each other on to the finish line by the new goal of Dec 31st? Let me know in the comments section and we can try to set something up on our own...

NaNoWriMo take II in December.

Good luck everyone! And have a happy Thanksgiving!

A Break from NaNo - When Characters Speak to you in Dreams and Meyer's New Moon

2008-11-19T21:03:00.012-05:00

This posting will be a break from all my NaNo posting...

First, I wanted to share a really strange dream I had.

So, today I became bleary-eyed from all my writing and I really needed a nap. Twenty minutes tops, I told myself. (They say a twenty minute nap is all your need. Any longer and you wake up groggy.) So, I climbed under my fluffy down comforter (it's winter cold here in NJ this week) and settled in for a twenty-minute nap. I looked at the clock through one-eye (the other was already asleep) 2:40. I told myself, OK, you'll wake up in twenty minutes.

I had been wondering about this one character for the past few days. She always sounds British to me, but her being British really makes no sense at all. So, as soon as I fell asleep, she came to me and said, "But I am British and this is why..." and proceeded to tell me exactly how this came to be and it made PERFECT sense! Then, in my dream, a buzzer sounded, literally making my eyes pop open. I looked at the clock and it said 3:00. So, not only did she tell me how it was that she is from Great Britain, but woke me up on time too. Strange, right...

Now for the second book of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - NEW MOON. I finished reading this book maybe a week or two ago, but NaNo has kept me so busy, I haven't had a moment to write about it. I am already pretty well into the third book ECLIPSE, so I am not so sure how much I'll remember about NEW MOON, but I promised I would share my thoughts.

So, who was it, Beth, who had said the series is a modern day fairytale and not a hero's journey??? And I said she was brilliant and so right. Well, book two is no exception to that paradigm. I will be honest even though I usually aggravate a lot of you Twilight fanatics. I thought it was boring. Really ho-hum boring. *SPOILER ALERT* highlight to read... It was all about Jacob and Bella's silly obsession with hearing Edward's voice in her head when she did life-threatening stunts, which for the way this character has been set up, crossing a padded room could be life threatening to Bella.

I kept waiting for something to happen and for Edward to come back. For some how that voice in her head to actually be his voice, even though it was established early in the first book that he could not read her mind. I missed Edward! I liked Jacob and I felt badly for Bella, but I just didn't get into it the same way. Also, it occurred to me, there was no real final battle scene at all. Again - not a hero's journey, but it was over and I was like, what? What'd I miss? I mean, yeah Edward comes back and they see the Vulturi, but there wasn't a battle scene. Just "will you let us go?" ... "Ah.. OK, but we'll be back." I felt let down.

So, why did I run out and buy the third book before even finishing the second one??? I DON'T KNOW!!! I am smitten. I am totally in love with the world, maybe not the paradigm, maybe not some of the plot, but I am completely caught up in a world where vampires could co-exist peacefully with humans and werewolves could be their mortal enemy. I couldn't wait to read the third book even though I was ho-hum about book two.

So, in short, not much of a thrilling, captivating review, but my honest impression, as I will always give. Don't hate me. I still love the series, I don't know why. And I have great respect for Stephenie Meyer. But I must be truthful about the way I feel. Read a cliff note of book two and just go right on to book three. Kind of like in Harry Potter's book five was painful for me and a lot of my friends. It seems to be the one where a lot of people lose interest. But you HAVE to read it in order to get to books 6 and 7. However, book five, although a tedious read, was necessary. You did learn A LOT and someone tragic dies... But book two of Twilight didn't even have that going for it in my opinion. I think she could have shortened book two to 50 pages and combined it with book three. I don't think it was enough to stand alone. Again, just my personal opinion...

OH and Robert Pattinson - Edward Cullen - in the movie, was just at the King of Prussia Mall signing autographs to Beatle-type mania fans. Girls fainting and screaming... Hot Topics has been having him tour their stores in key locations to sign autographs and talk to the crowd, who apparently couldn't even hear him over all the crying and screaming. Ay-yi-yi, his life will never be the same!

NaNo Day 19

2008-11-19T17:09:00.003-05:00

NaNoWriMo Day 19 Word Count

Goal: 2500 words

Actual: 2696 words

Total Word Count: 26,690

Downside: So far not liking my chapter 15 at all. might delete it tomorrow

Highlight: LOVE my chapters 13 and 14. AND... I'm over the mid-way hump and now on the other side of the novel mountain!!!

NaNo Day 18

2008-11-18T17:05:00.007-05:00

NaNoWriMo Day 18 Word Count

Goal: 2500 words

Actual: 3588 words!!!!

Total Word Count: 23,994

Downside: None!!!! :)

Highlight: I did do a lot of brand new writing, but I was also able to rewrite two chapters from my previous draft, thus my lofty daily number. But I have to say it again... I am just so happy with what I have learned about myself during this process. A lot of the obstacles I used to place on myself, have been tossed to the curb. Good Ridden! I feel empowered and freed by those things that once stopped me dead in my tracks. So, whether I reach the 50,000 words or not, I feel great about all the insight and commitment to my story I have gained.

NaNo Day 17

2008-11-17T20:48:00.007-05:00

NaNoWriMo Day 17 Word Count

Goal: 3,000

Actual: 2,384

Total Word Count: 20,406

Downside: Realizing there is no possible way now to get to 50,000 words by Nov 30. Between Thanksgiving and the day after (we will be traveling, so I will be gone for two full days) at my present pace, I will have like, 9,000 words to write on the 30th. I am disappointed, but trying to stay positive. There is still a voice in my head saying, maybe you'll still reach 50,000. But I remember back to day one, my goal was never to actually reach 50,000 words.

Highlight: I like my story! I am rediscovering parts of it that are so much better this time around. I think I am a much stronger writer then when I first started writing my novel a year ago. No. I KNOW I'm a better writer. And even though NaNo is not about content and quality, I still think this draft is already WAY better then 1.5 draft. I have learned that I can write when I'm tired. I can write when I'm sick. I can write after I've been to the dentist and I'm in pain. I can write with my kids home! That's a BIG one, something I was never able to do before. I have learned that headphones, really good headphones that truly block out noise, are indispensable! Invaluable. A must have when you have kids, a dog, the phone... etc. So, if I don't reach the 50,000 words by Nov 30th, I know now that I WILL reach them. I know now I will finish my book, even if that is not until December 30th.

I'm Sick! And NaNo days 15 and 16 (17 to come later...)

2008-11-17T11:17:00.003-05:00

Oh no, you guys! I'm sick! All I want to do is curl up in bed and go to sleep... Being sick (and cleaning a very messy house that desperately needed it) has seriously hampered my word count.

My current word count for this weekend was 18,022. I managed to write a bit over 3,000 for the two days, cleaned the entire first floor of my house (all but my office), organize two closets, switched daughter #2's closet over from summer to winter, and helped her clean and organize her room. I collected eight garbage bags of clothes and toys for good will and for garbage, finished my freelance writing, and mailed out my invoice. And all while being dog-sick! So, I am amazed, that with sickness and all, I got any words down on paper, let alone 3,000. I'm upset though because I was striving to write 3000 words on Saturday and Sunday. Not combined. So once again, I am behind!

What once felt possible - reaching 50,000 - now feels like it's slipping away, just right there, beyond my reach. I don't mean to be a downer - it's my cold talking - But I've done the math. I see the word counts for each day from this point forward and I have serious doubts. I guess (I prematurely celebrated last week!)

Reaching 50,000 words was never my original goal - it was to write daily (if possible), discover more about my writing process, and get passed this hump in my writing I never seem to get over. I did reach most of those goals and I feel like I am a much stronger and committed writer then I was before I started NaNo.

This is not to sound like I have given up. I certainly have not! I will finish this book. I will finish this book. I will finish this book! I just might not finish this book by November 30th... :)

Enough complaining - I started writing this morning right after the bus pulled away and then I had to succumb and took a nap. Now, I have complained to all of you while drinking a cup of strong coffee - so... onward! To writing! See you all later when I report in today's word count!

NaNoWriMo Day Twelve

2008-11-12T21:30:00.023-05:00

And so an elm fell in love with a maple

and were locked in an

everlasting embrace.

NaNoWriMo Day Twelve Word Count

Goal: 1945 daily words

Actual: 2043 daily words; 15002 total words; 30% done!

Downside: I caught a bad case of the "let's read all my previous pages" bug today and completely lost track of time re-reading and revising! I was stuck, I tell you, stuck! I couldn't help myself. I felt like I couldn't remember all that I had previously written and so I couldn't write forward without first reading back. It's a bad habit, -- the way, I'm used to writing... First, revise yesterday's pages and then writing forward. I'm what I like to call a two-stepper. Only, I didn't just read yesterdays pages...

It all started because I was critiqued last night on the first four chapters of this WIP. Originally, I wasn't going to let anyone read it until it was finished and I'd had a chance to revise it. But these ladies have read my story since the very beginning and I wanted to hear if they thought, this new angle and new voice was putting my story on the right track. Their answer was 'yes,' happily.

I saw the piles of MSs on my desk this morning, and I tried to ignore them. I told myself to put them in my binder and read them December 1st. But they called me. They beckoned me. They taunted me with their remarks in the margins and squiggly editorial marks. And like not being able to turn away from an accident scene, I was pages deep suddenly in revisions!!!

Highlight: With that said.... I still managed to eek out 2043 words today, bringing my total word count up to 15,002 words!!!! *party horns sound* *confetti falls* I also felt very overwhelmed still that I was behind and kept saying, well, I should be at 20,000 words today. I should have written 6,000 words in order to catch up. And then I said, wait a minute... There are still 18 days left. 15,002 words subtracted from 50,000 words is 34,998 words divided over 18 days = 1944.3333 words a day, or just 1945. I really think that's possible! For the first time, I REALLY feel like I can do this! Like I can finish this novel. It might not be polished. It might have a lot of repetition and cliches, but I can write 50,000 words in 30 days! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Time is yet to tell, but I am feeling very positive and very good. And this NaNoWriMo business is AWESOME!!!!

NaNo Day Ten and Going Strong!

2008-11-10T15:34:00.011-05:00

First, to start the day, I decided to go for a drive and take some photos of the beautiful fall foliage before is quietly slipped away into winter. We already passed the peak of the season, so if I missed today, I would have to wait until next year. Above are some of the best shots of the morning.

Oh, Casey McCormick awarded me an "I Love Your Blog" Award. As soon as I can figure out how to post it on my blog I will. Thanks, Casey! I've never been awarded an award before! This is my first! I am over the moon about it!

After yesterday's conquer of my daughter's dresser (I posted a few more pictures at the end of the that posting, BTW) I was on top of the world today and wrote until I just couldn't any more. So, what's the word count... drum roll please...

NaNoWriMo Day Ten Word Count

Goal: daily goal, in order to completely catch up = 8,805 I knew this was somewhat impossible. So, I kept it in mind, but didn't feel hard pressed to reach that huge daily goal.

Total word count for ten days should be around 16,670 words. Again, I began the day at 7,865 words, so I again, didn't really strive to reach that lofty goal, but kept it in the back of my mind

Actual: daily word count actually reached today was 5,094! I was very happy with this number and very surprised. My heart actually hammered as I stepped back to tally up the day's words!

Total word count to date: 12,959 Chris Batty, from NaNo, sent an email to all of us today saying we should try to get to 15,000 words by tonight since this November has blessed us with 5 weekends instead of 4. Maybe I'll get there by tonight. Maybe not. Either way, I am ecstatic that I went from 7,865 to 12,959 in just one day! What a day!

Downside: Word burn out! I have to admit by the time it was time to stop (because the bus was pulling up to drop off daughter #1, I was relieved it was quitting time. I think I ran out of words. I'm surprised I can even write this entry. But this is not really a downside. It's just a fact... what I feel like after I pump out 5,000 words in one day, actually 3.5 - 4 hours of work.

Highlight: Well, duh! my word count! I am so thrilled! I feel great!

Now, tomorrow is my test. I work with the kiddies in the morning. It is brain numbing work. They're adorable, but by the time I leave there, my brain has clicked off. I am going to take Philip Pullman's advice (from NaNo) and write even on bad days. So, tomorrow I will put that to the test. Stay tuned to find out how I do...

Thanks again everyone for all your support. It means a lot to me that when I am trying to get through these daily goals to "hear" you all behind me cheering me on. You're the best bloggy friends a writer could wish for! XO

The Dresser Unveiled!

2008-11-09T21:58:00.014-05:00

I know I just wrote about not wanting to skip days writing, but today was a really good day and a long time coming. Three months ago, I promised my daughter I would refinish her dresser. She had just inherited furniture from my baby sister and it made her old dark stained, early American dresser stick out like a sore thumb against her new furniture in white with pink accents.

The furniture also had a black undertone and a bit of crackling. At first, I looked at the new stuff and said, "I can do that no problem..."

Well, there were a few snafus along the way...

First, I had to sand the dress down to it's naked wood. I got pretty close (picture two)

Then I had to paint the whole thing black. (I see a dresser and I want it painted black... no colors anymore, I want them to turn black... my tribute to the Rolling Stones, thank you) I could swear I took pictures of that step, but they seem to be missing from my camera.

Next, I painted on a coating of crackle glaze.

Then the snafus ensued....

The crackly was old. Really old. I probably should have bought a new bottle, but I'm a Capricorn, and well we're um... practical... so I used what I had. When I painted the white paint on top... Ay, yi, yi! What a headache! Anytime my paintbrush touch a previously white painted spot, it would take all the white off with it.

So the whole dresser would look the same, I had to endure the frustrating task of painting everything even though the crackle was so frustrating to work with. I've crackled before and this has never happened!

Then, once everything dried, I sanded everything all over again. Not all the way down to the wood, but enough just to smooth out all the horrible spots of very bumpy white. Then I applied a very thin coat of crackle in key locations (instead of the whole piece) and let it dry for... a few weeks.

Then I applied another thin layer of white and let it dry for... well... a few more weeks.

Then finally, yesterday, I figured out if I water the white paint down, it might be easier to work with. DUH, it was!! I painted everything with the very watered down white and it came out great! Three months later, but great nonetheless.

Last, today I applied some accent areas in a light pink and put on the new knobs and viola! A brand-new dresser and honestly, when it was placed in her bedroom, you cannot tell that the dresser didn't come with the set!

So after all that, it finally paid off and looks really fantastic and I am very, very proud of myself. It took forever, and my poor daughter had to live with her clothes in baskets and on racks for three months, but she hardly ever complained and was a real trooper. Today, she said it was worth the wait.

Having all her furniture back together like one happy furniture family, inspired us to organize her room. We went through all her clothes, made piles for good will, piles to put away for the summer and changed over all her clothes to winter clothes. Then, we organized her closet, vacuumed behind furniture we couldn't get to in a while, put on fresh, new sheets, and she said she felt like she just moved in.

So, even though I didn't write, it didn't matter. I really needed to make good on this promise and it felt sooooooooooooooooooooooo good to finally see this arduous project come to an end. *SIGH*

Tomorrow, I'm home all day with no plans accept to write, write, write. I am feeling, light, free, and ready! I hope to add some serious bulk to my word count then. But for now, I feel terrific!

The dresser in cognito with the rest of its furnitre family

NaNoWriMo Day Eight

2008-11-08T12:57:00.002-05:00

NaNoWriMo Word Count

Goal:
regular daily goal = 1667 words
Total word count goal for eight days = 13,336

Actual:
today's word count = 1,793 words (for today and yesterday.)
Total word count = 7,865

I'm still off by 5,471 words

What I learned: write something every day, even if it's crap. Writing every day keeps you connected to your story, characters, the flow you are moving in, your pacing, your voice, etc. Taking off a day or so in-between, no matter the reason (good or bad, avoidable or unavoidable) does make it so much harder to get back in to the story again.

Downside: I am so far behind! But I know I will catch up. I do have later chunks of my story written, but needs to be revised, so when I get to that part, my word count should jump back up. Also, although I am striving to show and not tell as much as my earlier draft, I am noticing I have a lot of back story. Too much back story. In one chapter, I have six paragraphs of back story. That can create a slow and boring reading experiences, so I must be careful of this!

Highlight: I'm writing again! Nothing else matters, as long as I just keep writing. Eventually, all these other things will be worked out in subsequent drafts. So... just keep writing, will hopefully be my new mantra I can stick with...

2008-11-05T23:14:00.003-05:00

I'm a little freaked out guys! I didn't get to write yesterday or today. I was 1,000 words or so ahead, but now I am 2334 words behind! I know I said I went into this not worrying about the word count, but then I fell in love with the word count and with having a clear goal. Now, I'm off that goal and I'm freaked.

Yesterday my kids had a half day. I worked in the morning and went grocery shopping in the afternoon. My one daughter had a friend over in the late afternoon, who then stayed for dinner and didn't go home until 8 pm. So, to occupy my other daughter, she and I baked cookies together and other stuff.

Then, I was completely taken over with watching who our next president would be on TV, that before I knew it, it was 12:30 am, we had elected the first black president, and the day was done without having written a word.

Today, my kids were home from school (they're home again tomorrow and Friday). I had conferences for my middle schooler to attend this afternoon. It was amazing! Usually, there are some concerns brought up at her conferences, but I just about welled up with tears. Every single teacher told me what an amazing daughter I am raising, how hard-working she is, how respectful she is, how conscientious of others she is. And they all made a point to say to me, "Good job, Mom. You're doing a terrific job raising your daughter." I seriously almost cried twice! So, instead of coming home, we went out and celebrated. (Oh but first we went to the orthodontist...)

We don't live by any shopping malls, so we don't often go, but we went tonight; that's how she wanted to celebrate. I allowed her to buy a few things she's needed and wanted for a while now and then we went out to dinner and just had a great, relaxing time together with my girls and one of their friends. We just got home from our little escapade a little while ago and it's already 10:40 pm. I need to force myself to go to bed now so I can face a room full of three-year olds tomorrow morning at the preschool.

So, two days have passed me by and not a word written. Tomorrow, it's back to preschool. My one daughter will have a friend over in the afternoon when I get home from work (They're coming to the preschool with me. They are so excited and can't wait to be with the kiddies).

Oh one cool thing I finally figured out... Headphones and white noise. All these years, I could never work when my kids were home because I could hear the TV, or their IPods, or whatever they were doing to occupy themselves. But yesterday during the "play date" (even though in middle school they don't call it that anymore...) I had a brainstorm. I went to YouTube and listened to white noise on headphones. It worked like a charm!

Anyway, tomorrow I will need to try to write 4,000 to catch up for past two days. That's life, I know, and my girls will always come first, so... tomorrow I will just have to make up for it. Until then, wish me luck!

NaNoWriMo Day Three

2008-11-03T15:24:00.004-05:00

Today was a bit harder, only because I had a short time to write in the morning before having to go to the dentist. Then I had a short time to write before my kids got home from school, while I was still in a bit of pain and exhausted from the who dentist thing. Still, I managed to eek out over 1,000 words, so I am happy.

NaNoWriMo Day Three Word Count

Goal: 1667 daily words or 5001 total word count for the three days

Actual: 1516 daily words, 6072total word count

Highlight: I was in some uncharted territory today and that was exciting. The chapter I worked on today, was not just a re-write, but it included a lot of new material I added from my writer's retreat into my outline. Also, the highlight was just having a deadline. I love a deadline. I work very well with ridiculous deadlines. They make me push myself and work against pain and fatigue. If I didn't have this deadline, I wouldn't have written at all today. I probably would have taken some Motrin and a nap after the dentist, but instead I wrote. That feels great! (I;m having some color technical difficulties today...)

Downside: I didn't make my 1667 words for the day, but I am still ahead of the total word count needed for the first three days by 1,071 words, so I am not too upset about it. I'm off to a good start and I feel great. And yes, the NaNo website is still super slow!

NaNoWriMo Day Two

2008-11-02T12:53:00.007-05:00

So far, this is exactly what I needed to kick my butt into gear. My family has been amazingly supportive, keeping the house quiet so I can write. Yesterday my DH took the kindelah out of the house so it would be super quiet.

Goal: 1667 daily words or 3334 total word count

Actual: 2577 daily words, 4554 total word count

Highlight: Fixing some things that were missing, wrong, or needing deletion from my 1.5 draft. Being VERY AWARE this time around of SHOWING and not TELLING.

Downside: Again, the downside remains when it is time to update my NaNo word count. The site is excruciatingly slow and it doesn't show yesterday's words at all. I mean it does on My NaNo, but not at the top right on the home page... I guess someone has to verify, and how can they when I still can't cut and paste my scrambled text in that spot... ARGH!

But I don't want to end on a sour note, so I will repeat my total word count instead...

4554 words in two days!

NaNoWriMo Day One

2008-11-01T18:45:00.014-04:00

First, some Halloween pictures... Lambertville NJ might not do much on the 4th of July, but they go hog wild on Halloween. The entire neighborhood gets into the "spirit."

NaNoWriMo Day One Word Count

Goal: 1,667 words

Actual: 1,977 words

Highlight: Passing my goal with ease

Downside: Can you say S l O W . . . The NaNoWriMo site could not have been slower. I think I grew old waiting for pages to open. And I couldn't download my daily excerpt for verification. At first, I was not going to download my text for fear of stealing, etc. But then I figured out how to scramble my text so I thought, maybe I will download today's writing. However, I couldn't get my cursor to even click on that spot. Did anyone else have this problem.

Question for NaNo Writers: Are you going to download your excerpt each day for word count verification?

Things to Ponder While I'm Gone and the Eastern State Penitentiary

2008-10-28T15:14:00.005-04:00

I will be going on brief hiatus while I focus on trying to write 50,000 words this month for NaNoWriMo. I may, or may not, get the chance to post or visit your blogs, so just in case... have a great November and I guess... a Happy Thanksgiving!

While I am gone, here are some things to ponder...

Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?

and...

Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays?

Oh and...

Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

And if you are in Philly between now and November 3rd, be sure to check out the Eastern State Penitentiary. My family and I (just the teens and grown-ups) go ever year to Terror Behind the Walls. We have a blast every year! So, if you can go, I highly recommend it!

Have a great Halloween and a great November and to all my fellow NaNo buddies, best of luck!

See you in December!

Oh and PS, while I'm gone, if you follow my blog, please sign up to be a "follower." I love those smiling tiles. Thanks!

NaNoWriMo

2008-10-22T13:43:00.007-04:00

Cindy Pon cyber twisted my arm - no, not really - but she inspired me to sign up for NaNoWriMo.

Never heard of it?

I had heard bits and pieces of it here and there.... NaNo this... and NaNo that... but I wasn't sure what everyone was talking about...

The short of it is, NaNoWriMo is a contest of sorts held annually in November.

Why? Because November is Novel Writing Month. (Yay!!!)

It's challenge: to write 50,000 words from Nov 1 - Nov 30.
It's focus: quantity, not quality.

That's right, I said quantity. At first you might squint and say, What? Don't focus on quality, how absurd. But not really.

There is a time and a place to concern yourself with the beauty of your MS, the flow of your phraseology, the air-tightness of your plot, the motivation of your characters, the... well, you get the picture. It's just the first draft it not that time, nor place. All that should matter in a first draft - OK, the biggest factor of the first draft - is finishing the darn thing! Once you start editing and revising a first draft, you lose focus. You lose momentum. You lose your mind! And that threat of your baby becoming an Unfinished Novel under your bed becomes very real.

How do I know this? Because this is precisely what I have been doing for the past year! I have been working, revising, editing, re-writing my first draft. And where has that gotten me? Well, no where, really. It's made me stagnant. I keep re-reading my first draft saying, Oh wait, I forgot this. Or, Oh wait, that's all wrong. Or, Oh wait, that's way too weak a motivation, etc. And so... I keep going back to stage one instead of being able to push forward and move onto a second, third, fourth draft!

It's time to STOP THE MADNESS PEOPLE!

So, I challenge all of you first drafters out there: Join NaNoWriMo with me and Cindy and Leeza, and countless others. And let's once and for all, WRITE/FINISH THAT NOVEL!!!

Did I convince you? Tell me your buddy name and I'll tell you mine and we can cheer each other on.

Go Novelists!!!

PS You're allowed to use outlines and notes, but they are not part of your daily word count.

Twilight Spoiler and a Hero's Journey

2008-10-15T07:45:00.007-04:00

As you all know I recently read Twilight. And as most of you Twilight readers probably know, the first book has the first three chapters of New Moon at the very end. So, that was able to hold me over until I could run to the book store to pick up the next book. Last night, I was finally able to buy New Moon and was very excited to begin reading when a thought occurred to me... (but please do NOT read on if you do not want the ending spoiled for you...)

I thought... Hey wait a minute! Bella didn't save herself in Twilight!!! True, she stood up to the antagonist of the book, but ultimately it was Edward and the others who save her and kill the Tracker.

This goes against EVERYTHING we are taught. We are told our MC must battle the antagonist him/herself. The MC must conquer the antagonist (or not -- a novela noir). No adults are supposed to help, and this is true from PB all the way up to YA.

JK Rowling broke a lot of rules but mostly about page count and she wasn't afraid to show a very evil antagonist in a MG novel or to show a child hero fighting. Obviously, by the end, Harry was a YA and was intended for a YA audience. But, her rule breaking, I feel, was for the betterment of children's literature.

However, to write that your MC does not win the battle scene from her own wit and cunning, I am not sure how I feel about this. Bella does, on her own, go with the intention of fighting, even if that means ultimately her death. She does fight as hard as she can, but in the end, fails and needs to, unknowingly, rely on the others to save her. Plus, SM doesn't even show us that battle scene.

Is this how she makes it OK? We see Bella's intention to battle the Tracker and even though she loses, as we are reading it, we still felt satiated for some reason. Maybe it is because we never see how the others fight and win. If we did, it would become their battle scene. Is this how she got away with breaking this rule and leaving us almost unaware that her MC didn't fight the ultimate battle scene... because it was never shown. Even Bella (written in first person...) doesn't know the battle scene, which is why we cannot know the true battle scene.

This reminds me of what my screenwriting teacher used to say... Know the rules, so you can break them. I guess this is exactly what SM did. We can all argue that eventually, if Edward and the others always save Bella, this will become a glorified fairy tale with a fair maiden waiting to be saved by her man, but as you know... I am way behind all of you and have not yet read past chapter 4 of New Moon - so please do not give too much away...

What do you think about this? Why were we still satisfied at the end? What do you think about breaking rules? Do you think you are doing that in your WIP? And what is the difference between us doing it and hearing at every SCBWI event that we can't break those rules and yet here are these two great writers who not only did, but are laughing all the way to the bank? Please share your thoughts about this, I really want to hear what you have to say...

Writer Retreat

2008-10-12T11:42:00.023-04:00

So, this weekend was the weekend of my self-proclaimed writer's retreat. How'd it go? Well, first a smattering of eye candy...
My room

My writing space.

This is only one of the many porches, shot through a door.

A sad, lonely Gargoyle, waiting for someone...

The Penthouse for birds

If we wear fur coats, trees wear ivy coats. Oh, yes, darling, you look smashing!

I always thought these trees look like a paint-by-number.
In case you're wondering... It is a Sycamore or also known as a London Plane Trees. (But they're quite fancy... hahaha)

Where to begin... Well, first of all going away, being out of my element, opened my eyes to things I hadn't considered. When I am home, I am distracted, as previously posted, and I don't think I saw things in my own writing, quite as clearly.

The Retreat...

My First Revelation...
The first day I got to my B&B, I read the pages previously written and it was as if someone had handed me a special pair of writer's glasses where mistakes were now glaringly obvious. At first, what struck me was how much I told in my story instead of showed. Now, I thought I was aware of this before, but for some reason, it was so obvious when I was away -- all the mistakes I had made and hadn't even seen them before.

Maybe it was so obvious because I had put my novel aside for a number of months and read it fresh. Maybe it was because I was away and out of my element and so I was able to see it through fresh eyes. Maybe it was a little of both. But, whatever the reason, I was so taken back when I read my pages and saw these mistakes. At first I was discouraged. But don't worry - that didn't last too long.

My Second Revelation...
I hated the pacing! Hated it! I was told once, very early on, that I had to quicken the pacing. And perhaps I did, but I misunderstood I think exactly what that meant. I thought, then, that it meant, I needed to bring the fantasy element right upfront. But now I realize that is not necessarily so. I realize now, that it means to hint about the fantasy element right away, to show it little by little, to tease the reader with foreshadowing so they can guess what the fantasy element is and lead them to the REVEAL where they will then feel like, Yes! I knew that's what it was!

My story is considered low fantasy - like ghost stories - it takes place here in our world, with our strengths and weaknesses and our beings... But, there is that fantasy element in my story.

So, I slowed the pacing but added hints about the fantasy and made the hints grow, and grow, and grow, until the reveal -- which makes it actually feel quicker paced, even though, in reality it slowed the reveal down. I learned that quickening the pace doesn't mean a sudden thrust into the REVEAL. Of course in a high fantasy novel, the fantasy element should be right up front, but again, you should still take time getting to the reveal. And if the reveal IS your fantasy element, then I like the slow hints along the way, slowly building and building. So, I turned up the sound a notch or two on my subtle references and painted with a few brighter shades...

My Third Revelation...
I realized in order to slow down the pacing, but make it still engaging, I would need new chapters in the beginning of the book, so, I would need to change my intention for the weekend....

My original intention was to turn out new pages, but seeing these two glaring mistakes (telling vs showing and pacing...), made me re-think these intentions.

Instead, I went back to outlining. UGH! But this time, it was a real, bon-a-fide outline. I outlined and wrote very detailed summaries for three new chapter, re-organized two subsequent chapters, and completely, and I mean completely, changed the reveal. And you know what? I love it!

At first, yes, it was very hard to see that my work was not on paper as it was in my head. But then I got over that fast and got straight to work. I have to say, the brainstorming and outlining process, for me, is exhausting! I took a three hour nap on Saturday and woke saying, Oh No! I completely forgot to put this in the outline for chapter four... so, even when I slept, I was writing, and outlining, and organizing...

The Outcome...
I was definitely ready to come home, and I am a little disappointed that I can't say I typed the words, THE END, but I am happy. I know I am on the right path now and in a much better place, especially that my new prescription for writer's lenses has been upgraded - and I owe that to the 20 books I read this year and the writer's groups and conferences I attended (and still attend...).

In the end, I didn't write new pages, and I am still sticking to outlining, but I'm OK with that. I am not going to rush this process. It takes time to write a novel, especially your first one - so I hear - so back to the drawing board and that's OK.

The Outline
Here is the outlining format I used for each chapter, old and new...

Chapter Number; Chapter Title
Characters We Meet: Here, obviously, I listed all the characters who appear in each chapter. But I did not forget to mention the ones that also came in dreams or visions. That's still an appearance, after all...

Tristan’s Goal: This is my MC. I write here what her goal of this chapter is. Sometimes a goal can also be trying to avoid doing something.

My Goal: This is where I listed what my goals, as the writer, were. For example, show a relationship growing together, show a relationship growing apart, introduce a new character, etc...

Conflict/Obstacles: What is the MC's conflict or obstacle in this chapter? What is getting in the way of her reaching her goal?

Arc: What is the MC's mini arc for this chapter? There should be a larger arc that is resolved at the end of your story, but I believe each chapter should strive to have a mini arc within. So, I try to have my MC start a chapter one way but end another way, which leads to...

Disaster: The disaster of the chapter, I usually have towards the end of the chapter so it can leads to...

Cliff Hanger of Chapter: ... the unanswered question of this chapter actually takes me to the next chapter where it might be answered and then another disaster leads to another mini cliff hanger, leads to the next chapter, and so on...

Anything foreshadowed: I love foreshadowing. I think foreshadowing is what engages a reader. I think it is important to answer some foreshadowing a long the way to make the reader feel successful, like they're so smart, and leave the bigger foreshadowing to be resolved in the end. So, I need to keep track of everything that either is, or can be, considered foreshadowing.

Fantasy in the Chapter: I need to keep track of the fantasy element - Was it hinted upon? Was it the reveal? Was it used in one way or another? Was something new learned about it??

Any props in chapter:Props are a huge part of foreshadowing, in my opinion. Some items mentioned early on, can be used later as an AHA! object... So, I keep a list of all of these.

!Misc Notes:This was a very important part for the chapters I had already written. It was where I would write things like... UGH! This chapter told and didn't show nearly enough. Or... be sure in the second draft to add such and such to this chapter. Or... be sure in the second draft to delete, or change, or... You get the idea.

Chapter Summary: Obviously, this speaks for itself. But for the new chapters, that I hadn't written yet, this section was quite long and detailed. I would write the whole chapter summary from beginning, middle, end, include dialogue, and props, mini arcs, foreshadowing, the conflict, the disaster, and the cliff hanger ending. For chapters that were already written, I simply told a brief synopsis, since I can just read the chapter or the above info for more details.

I have to say, some of these outlining elements I learned from reading your blogs. So, I have to thank you, to all of you for sharing your methods, ideas, and thoughts. It is what lead me to my version of an outline.

How does your outlining method differ? How is it the same?

Twilight and A New Year

2008-10-09T14:59:00.012-04:00

I finished reading Twilight today. I am fasting for Yom Kippur and really shouldn't be reading or typing on my computer. I should, instead, be in Temple, thanking G-d for writing my name in his Book of Life for another year. But why I am not in Temple, is a discussion for another time….

For now, let’s discuss a simpler topic, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I was very harsh on this book and its writer when I was on about page 85. So, have I changed my opinion?

Yes and No.

First the No.
I still maintain that she laid on Bella being such a responsible 17-year old a bit thick. I still maintain that it was strange that she didn’t own a cell phone and that there were no former friends from Phoenix - her hometown, texting or emailing her when she moved to Forks. I wish I could ask SM why she made these choices for the lack of true teenager-isms in today’s world of technology. Maybe she just wanted to keep it simple and friends from Phoenix could have complicated the plot… I guess I’ll never know.

Then the Yes
I had to make a decision; Read as a writer, or read as a reader. I decided upon the later and once I did, it made a huge difference in the enjoyment factor. SM really did do a good job capturing first love obsession. I was able to remember those distant butterflies in my stomach and my heart skipping beats at the sight or feel of my first love. It was fun to go on that ride down memory lane. And then to add the element of fantasy – a lion loving a lamb. It was… well… fun… for lack of a better term.

*SPOILER ALERT*
I also enjoyed the spin on a modern day Romeo and Juliet of sorts - A Capulet in love with a Montague - forbidden love between a human and a vampire.

I do wonder, had I read the book unaware that Edward was a vampire, what the reveal would have felt like. I felt a little gypped that I allowed myself to not be as guarded as with Harry Potter.

The hunt of the tracker was exciting and her bravery and yet fear, palpable. I did see the reason behind her clumsiness from a writer’s point a view and her queasiness of blood. Here is a girl unable to walk a straight line without hurting herself and buckles under the sight of blood, but able to stand up to a literal blood-thirsty killer. I always knew she would have such reasons in the end, but I guess for an adult, it still felt a little trite. I can see for a teen, that this would be a wonderful twist of character flaws vs. strengths within Bella. She needed to be clumsy so "falling through the window" would be plausible.

I did really love the twist that SM created about Vampires; Vampires are “people” to, with feelings, and emotions, and needs, and wants, and desires. And that they want to experience life and don’t necessarily have to be evil, blood-thirsty killers. That there are all kinds. I thought that was her strength in this series – her unique vision on vampires – a vampire who can love and choose not to kill.

So overall, I give it a thumbs up. If you get passed the 40/17-year old Bella thing, the story is exciting and entertaining. I will go on to read the next one.

Side Note: My sister and step-mom have both read the series and I stated my case to them one sunny day at the beach. They both looked at each other and laughed and my step-mother said, “Lori (my sister) WAS Bella!” My sister was known for vacuuming and cleaning the house because my mother, although wonderful at many things, was not a good housekeeper.

I also learned how to cook rather young because our mother went back to work.

And this made me also realize, that there are those who will see themselves in Bella. Those of us who will relate to growing up too soon, for whatever reason. And most likely, we believe we were more then what we were… more responsible, a more capable cook, smarter about boys… etc.

It is our reflecting back, seeing ourselves this way, that makes Bella more believable I suppose. And for teens, I am sure they all see themselves as these things in their mind… responsible, reliable, capable. And they should! So, they can see these parts of themselves in Bella. And maybe that is the allure this character has on some readers.

My sister identified with her, believed that was her life. I am sure there are many other readers out there with the same relationship to Bella.

Or maybe I'm just delirius with hunger right now. What time is it? How many more hours of fasting??
___________________________________________________________

Speaking of fasting... Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. According to the Jewish Calendar, it is the year 5769. The week after Rosh Hashanah, leading to the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is a time to reflect on the last year and your actions. It is a time to be honest with yourself and your involvement with G-d. It is a time to see where you went wrong, where you might have wronged others, and to ask for forgiveness and atone for those sins.

It is also a time to think how you will improve yourself this new year. How will you better your relationships, your character, the way you live, and treat others as well as yourself. So what better time then now to refelct upon Devon Ellington’s questions on goals on her new blog.

The 25 questions will definitely take up some time to answer, but if you want to give it a try, here they are…

1. Looking back on the previous year, without consulting your notes or the GDRS for it, what stands out in your memory as a met goal that makes you feel positive about the future?
2. What did you find you needed to release, because, as the year progressed, it no longer worked to struggle towards it as a goal?
3. How has writing become more important in your life this past year?
4. How do you plan to move it up on the priority list this year? List three specific steps to make your writing more of a priority.
5. In terms of a living wage, what do you need to adjust in your writing output in order to achieve your wage-earning goals?
6. Do you still hang on to the fallacy that if you love to write, you don’t “deserve” to be paid a decent wage for it? List three steps to move past this block.
7. What large projects do you want to start this year?
8. What projects from the previous year do you need to complete? (Either first drafts, revisions, query letters)
9. What mix of smaller projects do you want to get into the pipeline this year?
10. How do you prioritize your projects? How do you shuffle them as your needs change?
11. What is your querying goal for the year? (IE, how many queries per week/month would you like to send out)?
12. What new area/genre are you willing to expand into/experiment in this year?
13. What is the greatest gift to your writing self you can give?
14. What do you need to renegotiate with other factions in your life to give yourself more writing time?
15. Decide on one writing risk for this year – be it a submission in a new genre, attending a conference, or trying something completely out of your comfort zone. Write about it, and set yourself a loose timeline to accomplish it.
16. What new and unique marketing arenas will you enter this year to promote both yourself and your work?
17. What do you need to do to enhance your self-esteem so you refer to yourself as “writer” FIRST when someone asks you to define yourself?
18. What kind of time commitment are you willing to make on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to support your writing?
19. What other elements needs to balance with your writing? What happens when you feel unbalanced?
20. What contract are you willing to make with yourself to prevent writing from falling farther down on your priority list when “life gets in the way”?
21. How do your writing goals for the year fit into your dreams for the future?
22. What resolutions do you make to integrate your writing and the rest of your life?
23. How do these goals fit into your three year plan? Your five year plan? Your ten year plan?
24. Name one new non-writing element you plan to introduce into your life (and that might give you something new about which to write).
25. Name one non-writing element in your life that gets in the way of your writing that you commit to giving up or limiting and, instead, devote that time to writing.

I See the Light

2008-10-07T07:50:00.004-04:00

(Phosphorescent minerals from the Franklin Mineral Museum...)

Yesterday, my computer crashed. In a little more detail, it all began with a paper jam.

I was reading manuscripts, critiquing, getting ready for my Tuesday night writer's group. I was printing out Jeanne's latest MS when my printer jammed. I cleared the paper and then my computer said an unknown USB port had attached itself to my computer.

My imagination swam with sci-fi images of alien life with suction cup tentacles clinging to the back of my computer.

I checked around, couldn't see any unknown aliens or USBs, so I did what I always do when my computer acts up, I re-boot.

BUT!!! When I rebooted, the computer froze on the opening Dell page and would not move from there. I pressed F2 and F12 to try to access the set-up or re-booting, but nothing. No reaction. Nada.

At first I was only mildly irritated and decided to re-boot again. But, again, my machine froze at that opening page. Again, I felt irritated, but not freaked out. I left it alone and decided to go to the kitchen to do a couple things. As the minutes ticked on, I began to panic. I went into a full blown, "I must fix this now" panic. Called friends for numbers of tech guys. Called some tech guys. I even cried a little, just a bit of high pitched panic fighting tears when I called my very own tech guy - my husband. I asked a friend, what is the Universe trying to say?

And then I wondered, what is the Universe trying to say? Here I was, with zip drive in hand, about to back up when my computer crashed. Here I am, days from a big writer's event where I needed my story, and my computer crashed. Does the Universe not want me to be a writer? Is it a sign about my writer's event? Maybe I shouldn't go??

Maybe we give the Universe too much credit.

But despite it all, somewhere, deep inside, I felt a sense of calm. It was small at first. But I felt it somewhere from within. I decided to let go of the fear and panic and go with the calm instead. My husband has fixed my computer before, I reasoned. He has recovered all my data before. I am going to relax, put my faith in him and know it will all be OK.

The thing is, I moved from panic to calm relatively quickly.... in maybe the span of two hours. For me, that's quick. Normally, I would have stayed stuck in panic until my computer was fixed. But this time, I really did trust. Inside, I was aware there was a piece of me shaking in fear, wanting to cry, rip my hair out. But I wouldn't succumb to that part of me.

My DH came home and within minutes, it was up and running again.

"How'd you do that?" I asked in amazement, spying two double A batteries on my desk.
"Well," he blushed, "I changed the batteries in your keyboard and plugged the printer back in. It was loose from the back."

I had visions in my head of this moment when my computer flashed with life again. I would wrap my arms around my DH's neck and exclaim, my hero. But batteries and a plug???

Well, he's still my hero, but I'm a bit embarrassed.

What did I learn from all of this. Like those phosphorescent minerals glowing in the dark, so was my calm. At first it was just a glow in the dark and my panic was at the surface. I decided to trade places. Put the calm upfront and the panic in the back. And, I saw the light.

I mean, I understand now. It's easy to panic when you wonder if you are about to lose your life's work. It's easy to panic when facing any potentially dangerous situation. But if you trust, if you believe somewhere within you, that everything will be alight, make the switch. Put your fear behind you and your faith in front. Things may or may not turn out the best in the end, but you will have moved through the situation better. With more grace.

I thought about my kids and the role I wanted to portray... a crying, panicked, crazy woman, or a calm, intelligent woman who believed it would be alright. When they asked me, I admitted I was scared, but I knew Daddy would come to the rescue, batteries and all.

So how often do you back up?

Life's Many Distractions

2008-09-29T16:53:00.004-04:00

Come on and play with me...

I'll be your best friend.

Come on.

It won't take long.

Just throw the ball.

And I will bring it back again.

There's time for the laundry later.

And you can make that dinner then too.

But for now, just come on.

Play with me.

It will be lots of fun.

I'll wag my tail and make my happy face

And try not to shed too much.

If you just put down that pen,

and turn off your computer,

and come and play with me.

___________________________________________________________

Some of life's many distractions (even if in a good way)...

My dog Kenzie, begging me to throw her ball.
My kids and their HW
Laundry
Vacuuming
Dishes
Cooking

Or, I guess you can just say - LIFE is a distraction when you're trying to write a book!

Don't get me wrong.

I love my kids.

Love my dogs.

Don't love housework, but am mature enough to know it's not going to do itself.

*Sigh* too bad JK Rowling's house elves aren't real...

So what are your top five distractions? Oh I just thought of a few more...

emails
blogging

So, I love my kids, I love my husband, and I love my dogs. And I am so grateful to be alive and we're all healthy.... yada, yada, yada. I do not take any of that for granted. HOWEVER, I am TRYING TO WRITE HERE while I hold down the fort and work 4 part-time jobs.

So..... I am going on a little retreat.

In a few weeks I am driving a little bit away - not too far - and shutting myself up in a room and writing, writing, writing. It's just for two nights, but still! It is solid, uninterrupted, quality, no children's bickering, no dishes, no laundry, no cooking, only writing time. And I'm psyched!

My vision: In a beautiful setting, a C. 1800's house stands with wide, welcoming porch, creamy yellow clapboards, wavy antique glass windows, and up there, there, in that window, see? The one with the light on... that's where I'll be, writing feverishly into the night. Only stopping for sustenance and the potty.

I'll feel like Emily Dickinson, or Jane Eyre, or.... like me! Writing and working, dreaming and planning, thinking, and figuring things out, missing my family terribly, and making the most of my time away.

I once read this article by a writer - naturally - who spoke of his writer-friends who needed to go away, into the woods, in order to write - very Thoreau - and he felt it was silly. If you can write, you can write anywhere. It doesn't have to be in the woods, in a cabin, in a cottage, or a B&B.

At first, I laughed and agreed with him, scoffing at these writers alongside him. But not anymore. No. Ut-uh, Mr. I'm not laughing anymore. Now, I totally get how you might need to leave the distractions of life behind - your world behind - in order to truly submerge yourself into the world you are trying to create in your book. Even if these distractions are things... people.... pets... you cherish.

Sometimes, we need to leave our world to enter a new one...

Diary of a Children's Book Writer

Milestones

Royal Mistakes

Coming Up For Air

Summer Goals: Week Two

Summer Goals 2010

Writer's Groups

My Good Ol' Emotional Journal is Back...

What, You Don't Call, You Don't Write???

Ahhhhh.... Spring.

Early Signs of Spring

I Interupt My Study on S.A.D. To Bring You... When to Don a Tiara...

Living Life With S.A.D. - Entry Three - Hope

Entry Two; Living Life with S.A.D.

One Hour at a Time

Deadlines, Goals, and Resolutions, Oh My!

Not Here But Not Gone

NaNoWriMo Week 3

A COLOSSAL BREAKTHROUGH!!!

NaNoWriMo Week 2

HEEERRRE... WEEEEE... GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

NaNo Nesting

Today I Will...

What's the Point?

The Count Down Begins

AMAZING! I Wasn't Stricken With a Case of CWFBS!

Off to Tom's River

Split Personality

Emotions in Your Life: Show and Tell; A Lesson From the Master and Emotional Journals

I Won an Award!

Books on the Craft of Writing

Summer Goals, Week Two

UGH!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Weekly Summer Writing Goals. Wanna Play???

Art Reflects Life

Agent Panel Discussion from the 2009 NJ SCBWI June Conference

It's That Time of Year Again...

My Emotional Journal

Some Linky Love and Other News

My First School Visit

Book Worm Review of If I Stay and more...

Would You Believe?

Where has the Time Gone? And a Fabulous Must Read

Favorite Vacation Destinations and The Scholastic Book Fair

To Be Read Lists and Antagonists

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

Breaking Dawn

2009 Winner of the Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award goes to...

An Illustration of the Insane Pace of my Life

2009 Newbery Award Winner

Jason Tagged Me!

A Strange Predicament

Writer's Resolutions 2009

Start at the End

*2009*

Favorite Holiday Recipes

Is it THAT Time Again... (insert whining if you must...)

Daniel Radcliffe all Grown-Up and the Trickle after NaNo

Casting Call

FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO

NaNo Day 25

A Break from NaNo - When Characters Speak to you in Dreams and Meyer's New Moon

NaNo Day 19

NaNo Day 18

NaNo Day 17

I'm Sick! And NaNo days 15 and 16 (17 to come later...)

NaNoWriMo Day Twelve

NaNo Day Ten and Going Strong!

The Dresser Unveiled!

NaNoWriMo Day Eight

NaNoWriMo Day Three

NaNoWriMo Day Two

NaNoWriMo Day One

Things to Ponder While I'm Gone and the Eastern State Penitentiary

NaNoWriMo

*Twilight Spoiler* and a Hero's Journey

Writer Retreat

Twilight and A New Year

I See the Light

2009

Twilight Spoiler and a Hero's Journey