Life Imitating Art

Posted on May 6, 2012 by

Guess what? I’m sitting at my favorite coffee shop working.  I just reread my scene where my characters are digging in this graveyard to find an ancient pendulum that will guide them in the origins of my main character’s curse.

But, this is the weirdest thing. There is this girl here (I’m spying on her right now!).  She is sitting at the coffee counter talking so loudly about using a pendulum to guide her entire life.  She is a living character from my book.  It’s like she stepped out of my computer and met me here.  She even looks like a character!

What are the chances of that?

I was sitting at this same coffee shop three years ago when I finished the first draft of  this story for the National Novel Writing Month.   I did the NaNoWriMo after hearing about it from the author, Anne Sibley O’Brien.   I spent the whole month randomly yelling her name into to the writing gods.   Anne Sibley O’Brien!  It was a very satisfying way to get through fifty thousand words.  I mean really, it was her idea! She’s the one that planted the kernel of craziness.   On the very last day of the month, I was putting the finishing touches on my last three thousand words and she walked into Arabica.  Let’s get this straight, I don’t bump into her very often.  There she was!

I wonder if these things are signs.  I wonder if people who have faith in the creative gods need these things to plug on?  If not, we are just crazy.

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A Revision Haze

Posted on May 4, 2012 by

My son made this battle scene over April vacation.  Must admit, I kind of love it.  It’s exactly where I am after a very long two of weeks of flu symptoms being passed on from one family member to the next, like an evil game of  tag.

“You’re it!”

My littlest bean suffered from a concussion and to heal she created a hovel on the middle of the dining room floor (Yes, she does respond to her new nickname, Troll) with books and water and audio stories on CD’s.   She spent five days down there.  Hanging out. Napping.  It’s starting to look very appealing that hovel.  I might need to crawl in.

In the middle of all this, I’m revising.  The thing is that I’m always revising.  I’m the revisor who calls, “Wolf.”  At this point, I’m not even sure that anyone believes that I have this manuscript.  It’s true.  I. Can’t. Stop. Touching. It.

Writing is a battle of ideas and wills.  It’s so fun.  It’s so incredibly difficult. Is the novel getting better?  I’d hope so.  Yet, I am so far into this battle I honestly have no idea.  It’s such an odd place to be.

How’re you?

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It Aint Easy Being Green

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

Lately, I’ve been kinda green.   That’s not green with envy.  Actually green.  Yes, my skin is tinged with the green you get when you don’t leave the house, or eat anything, or exercise.   Yup, that’s stomach bug green.

When you are stomach bug green and you finally feel better, the mirror is your enemy.  You can try to hide your green,  but when you are not somebody with a plethora of products this can be difficult.

What’s a girl to do? That’s right, look for a magic cream.  You can only imagine how thrilled I was to find sixty dollar rejuvenating cream for next to nothing at the local Marshals.  Yes, this will fix me. Normalcy, here I come!

I was psyched, until I checked out:

“Isn’t this a deal,” the sales clerk says.  ”But you know, it’s not going to work.”

“What?” I almost pulled my hands to my cheeks.  Did she see my green?

“Well, my mother had a friend that worked for this very company concocting potions for unsuspecting ladies.  Like you.”

At this point, I shifted uncomfortably in my Danskos  ”I went to the Elizabeth Arden Spa in Arizona.  I kinda loved their concoctions.  Must admit, I was looking pretty good when I left that place.”

“It’s all crap,” She smiled, slyly.  ”But to each his own.”

It aint easy being green!

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Checkout Conversations

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

Writing good dialogue isn’t something that came naturally to me.  I had to spend some time really listening to how people speak to each other.  Yes, reality television is a great place to start with this (Think Jersey Shore!),  but I’m often amazed by the real interactions that I have.

Like this one:

The Check-Out Line at Seven AM

“Honey, why don’t you come over to me and I’ll check you out.”

“Great,” I say. “But just so you know I might have more than fourteen items.”

“No, you’re good.”

“Thanks, I really need to get home to make school lunches.”

I plop my basket to the cash register and start unpacking.  Soon, a line is formed behind me.

“Um, maybe you better let those people go before you.”

“What?” I say, glancing at the people shuffling back and forth with single muffins and pre-made tuna fish sandwiches from the deli and one guy with a simple jar of olives.  ”Sure, they can go ahead of me.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen somebody so crafty in shoving that much stuff in one basket.”

“Seriously? You think I’m crafty?”

“Yeah,  you win the prize little lady.  The guy behind you just wants his Lotto tickets.”

“Um, okay,” I step away from my groceries and let two people go past.

“Alright now, let’s just get you out of here,” the clerk says, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. “Next time, let’s not do express. Okay?”

“But you asked me-”

“Don’t listen to me, I’ve got no concept of time or space.”

“Good to know…”

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A Dog Story

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

Lulu.

When we brought Lulu home from the Almost Home Rescue two years ago, I knew that she’d be a great dog.  Yes, she did have some issues.  The first moment in the house she dove into the pantry and hid behind the bread maker.  She didn’t eat or drink for days.  She pooped in the pocket of the first person who tried to pick her up!

That’s one scared ‘lil pup.

But she slowly came out of her shell, trusting a bit more as the days past.  She turned into a really great dog.  Except for one thing.  My little guy wanted her to sleep with him, and she wouldn’t.  We tried everything.  We stuck treats at the end of the bed.  We led her to the treats.  Nothing.

Now, you might have noticed from my dogged pursuit of publication, that I’m not quitter. I made this one of  my personal missions.  Dog in kid’s bed.  Ulterior motive: kid wakes up in the middle of the night, he can just hang with the dog.  Easy peasy.

Turns out that it’s not so easy.  I had to drag Lulu out of hiding every night.  I pushed her up the stairs.  She’d hide under boy’s bed and escaped ASAP.  This made me crazy.  I found myself sitting at the base of the stairs for an hour every night.  We’d face off.  I’d click my fingers at her and point toward boy’s bed.  Go!

This went on for weeks and at times I wondered if I finally met my match.  Until one day we couldn’t find Lulu at bedtime.  We looked everywhere, except the boy’s bed.  There she was waiting for him, and she has every night since, almost like she can actually tell time.

That’s a good dog!

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NESCBWI Conference~Keeping It Real!

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

This is how it went:

I was home for the ninth day in a row with my children, watching via social media everyone getting ready for the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference.  My littlest was laying on the couch burning a fever, date night was canceled, and the plumber just left with bad news.  I was starting to feel a tad sorry for myself when I devised a plan.

I would simply get up at 4:30 am, drive to Springfield, Massachusetts, and spend the day. It’s genius.  I know!  So that’s what I did.  I shot out of bed, grabbed coffee, stuck on my YA book on CD, and went on my way.  Three and half hours later I arrived in Springfield.  The hotel was quiet, because the keynote had already started, but I registered (See my impromptu name tag) and slipped into the world of writers.

Some observations:

I’ve never actually arrived at a conference in full tilt.  It’s kind of weird.  The participants are on this creativity high.   The first person I spoke to, don’t know her name, clutched my elbows together and squealed, “I just need to tell somebody, I got a full request from an agent!”

This energy reminds me of whitewater kayaking.  Imagine this, you sitting in a boat about to tip into the rapids.  The trees are above you and you simply need to push off, but it’s scary.  Once in the water, the squirly waves pull this way and that.  There is this moment of plunging and then flying into the sky before whipping your body behind a rock to take it all in.  Here, in this quiet you’ll find a moment to experience all that this river has to offer.

The conference was really the same.  Participants were riding waves of true greatness.  Friends of mine were speaking and basking in the glow of their first published book.  The winds of opportunity whistled through the Sheraton.  At moments, I felt the need to find a still eddy and simply listen.  Listen to Kate Messner talk about speaking at the Ted Conference.  Listen to Harry Bliss discuss his inspirations for The New Yorker covers.  Wow!  Like a river that should be on your kayaking list, this conference is not to be missed.

My favorite:

I stole this picture with permission from Jo’s site because I think it sums up the conference so perfectly.  Each author holding their new books, signing away.  Love that.

Some thoughts on Lynda and Jo…

Getting to hear Jo Knowles speak for the second time in two months was a treat.  She taps into the revision part of my brain that can be a tag sluggish.  I recommend that if you haven’t already checked out her books, you do so quickly.  They are amazing.

Lastly, I’m so happy that I made this trip to see Lynda Mullaly Hunt speak about her debut novel One for the Murphys.  Lynda is such an inspiration to me.  She is not only one of the nicest people you could meet in the writing world, but she is this really amazing cheerleader for all of us writers in the trenches.

Final thoughts:

The ride home was long,  but during my three and half hours I had time to think about jumping into a conference head first.  It’s a long day (almost twenty hours for me!) but its totally worth it.  Go open-minded and ride the energy of success.   Have a few drinks with friends and reconnect with people in the industry.  Make new friends!  This business is simply too difficult to go it alone.

(Confession: This totally took me more than 15 minutes to write)

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SCBWI Northeast Conference- Tips for Success!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

(I’m not heading to the New England SCBWI Conference this year, but I’m reposting my tips for the participants.  Enjoy everyone!) 

Let’s be honest.  I write because I love to write.  For me, it’s a fun and surprising venture that takes me to places where I could have never dreamed.  It’s not just a pastime, not a hobby.  You see, I need to find my work on the shelves of the Boston Public Library (shown above!).  I want to walk through an airport and see teens pouring over my novel.  I’m dying to put on my own little writing show to schools around the country!

So, my point.  Writing Conferences are a great way to learn about the business and do the ever important networking.   Granted, I’m not an expert, so take from this whatever you wish.

Top Ten Ways to Survive Writer’s Conference:

10.) Get business cards for goodness sakes! This is about making connections.

9.) Try to meet at least ten new people- then go find them on Facebook, Twitter, and follow their blogs.  Build an on-line network of writer’s. Following their careers is an inspiration.  

8.) Listen to the experts.  They were chosen to present for a reason- they’re amazing.  Pick their minds.  Follow their tips and watch your own writing improve.

7.)  Prepare your elevator pitch.  This sounds simple enough: work it, rework it, practice it, and be ready to let it roll off your tongue.  (I once met an agent in an elevator where I gave him my elevator pitch- he took the manuscript. You never know).

6.) Smile.  This seems simple enough.  Just smile, show your teeth.  Look happy.  Be positive.

5.) Hide in your room.  Look at your work.  Make notes.  Revise.  This is important because you might have some really incredible breakthroughs with all of that creative energy floating around.

4.) Research the agents/editors who will be there.  Check out their likes/dislikes.  Then if you get the opportunity to talk to them, you have something to say.  

3.) Work on good karma.  A lot of writers’ are introverts (not me, obviously), make a point to talk to those people.  Pull them into conversations at lunch, make them feel comfortable.  We are all in this together.  Make sure everyone is included.

2.) Host a small party in your room! We did this last year, invited some people, had a few drinks, ate some cheese.  Once again, build community.

1.) Do not, I repeat, do not charge the agents and editors.  I watched one agent be whipped around the room like a piece a bread on a beach with hundreds of hungry seagulls.  I was heading for him myself when I realized that I almost knocked another author over in my haste (He’s the agent I met in the elevator!).  Be cool, writers.    

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Oh, April Vacation!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

I’ve tried to write a post for the last couple of days.  Yet, the children have robbed me of my words. When I try to write (Like right now!), they stand too close and breath in my ear.  It’s Chinese torture!

I’ll just leave you with images…

I wonder what today will bring?

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Wesley McNair, A Reading

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

School vacation started yesterday and my writing time turned into kid time.  It took roughly forty-five minutes for kids to start complaining about being bored and eating the house dry of snacks, like fire ants take over a field of cattle!  By the time I got through dinner, I wanted to collapse onto the couch, but I didn’t.  I rallied and drove to the South Portland Public Library to listen to local writers read their work, and to hear Wesley McNair read his poetry.

I’m sure you know Wesley McNair.  He’s Maine’s Poet Laureate, but he’s also won all these prestigious awards and has been published in all the fancy literary places (Kenyan Review, The Atlantic Monthly, etc.).  I sat in the back of the room listening to this man and suddenly my tired neurons were starting to fire with words and ideas.  McNair simply has something about him that makes you want to live in his pocket, listening to him grumble about syntax and meter, and the obscurity of human nature.

Seeing his books for sale, I frantically pawed through my bag for money.  I had just enough for his new book, Lovers of the Lost.  I waited in line for him to sign it- because I can’t resist a good signature from a writer!  This is where I realized what I true master this man is.  He took his time with this signing, asking questions to other writers, probing them with tidbits of knowledge about the publishing world.   He exuded good writing mojo in a way I’ve never seen another writer do.

When it was my turn, he asked me about myself. He probed me about where I am in this publishing journey and then he wrote this:

It’s pretty obvious that I loved that!

You know, it’s not often that I’m in awe of another person.  But this man, his writer’s voice, and his true teaching presence is pretty amazing.

“Adjustment, for that matter, may be the one lesson hope has to give, serving us best when we begin to find what we didn’t know we wanted in what the future brings.”

Wesley McNair, “The Future” from Talking in the Dark

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Pinterest!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

Yes, Pinterest.

I finally mucked up some time to explore this bag of fun called Pinterest.  My first impression was, “Oh look, all my friends are already here!” My second thought was, why are people doing this? Is it for extensive planning? I hung out on my friend Shannon’s site (She sent me the invitation.  It’s like a private party! You need an invitation to be in the club).  She had boards for the house she’s building and all of these really cool outfits that looked like they belonged on her.  I hate shopping.  I need to just pin some outfits.  That’d be so easy! Who knew?

But then I started mucking around and its a really interesting way to transfer information.  I started frantically clicking and organizing until I had this picture below (Courtesy of screen capture: Command Shift 3):

This is my new board! I feel a crow-collecting, collecting, collecting.

But why do this if your not building a house or a fashion diva or planning a wedding?

Well, honestly I have no real idea, but my hunch is that it’s like Tumblir.  Your favorite things move so quickly in this site.  For instance, my bookcases board has been pinned 162 times in the last twelve hours.  Who are these people pinning? No clue. If you a blog you can Pin It!  I found people have actually pinned my blog without me even knowing it.

My last impression: it’s a site for thievery.  I can go in and steal my inspirations and people embrace it.  Hah, it’s perfect for a writer.  I’m going to brainstorm using images for my next book.  Genius.

I wonder what else I’m missing on the web?  Truly, let me know!

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