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Thank you!

I wanted to thank everyone who weighed in on Friday’s post. So many good comments (and reminders)! Here is what I got out of it:

1. Some of those balls are rubber and will be okay if I drop them. Still, some of those ARE glass, and I need to be extra careful with them . . . family and husband being good examples.
2. Schedule my time. In the past I have done this, but lately (the last few years or so!) I’ve let it slip. I think it’s time to go back to the dark side of my OCD. Just a little. 😉
3. I’m not alone. So maybe, just maybe, I’m not the mess I fear I am. I’m just human.
4. Breathe and wear a helmet. I’ll get through.

Where’s your happy thought?

Speak up:

15 comments

| TAGS:

family, fire balls, happy thought, husband

On Juggling

I’ve always been a bit of a sloppy juggler . . . rushing to catch the ball that’s about the shatter against the floor (oh yeah, the balls are glass, I’m just sure of it).  

1. My writing . . . oof! Phew, got 100 words in.  
2. My family . . . oh no! We’ve got 2 minutes to get to soccer, let’s move it people! 
3. My work . . . my deadline’s tomorrow?  
4. My husband . . . you don’t mind if we talk about my book on our date, do you?  
5. My blog . . . uh . . . I had an idea . . .  
6. My co-op preschool . . . It can’t be my week to teach already, can it? 
7. My friends . . . Wait, what are their names again?  
8. My exercise . . . I could just skip today, right? Surely the scale was wrong. Again.
9. My cleaning . . . Do I really need to vacuum today? 
10. My laundry . . . I still have one more clean shirt, right? Oh wait, that was yesterday. . .

Anyway, you get the idea. So many balls, so hard to keep them all in the air.

What are your secrets for not dropping the ball? And seriously here . . .

Speak up:

25 comments

| TAGS:

exercise, family, husband, juggling, laundry, writing

What in the heck is Voice?

Five-and-a-half years ago, I had my first ever critique by an editor at my first ever writing conference. I went into the meeting with so much hope, and came out devastated.

While the editor was very nice, he basically told me that my writing stunk (my own word), and I needed to keep practicing. The only bit he liked was the part I was considering cutting, and he said it sounded like I just hadn’t found my voice yet.

I haven’t touched that book since.

Anyway, that was the first I’d heard of “voice.” What in the heck is voice? I wondered.

According to About.com “voice is the author’s style , the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character.”

At Kim’s Corner for Teacher Talk she says: “voice shows the writer’s personality. . . . It contains feelings and emotions so that it does not sound like an encyclopedia article.”

But see, while good definitions, none of this really helped me “find my voice.” I do think that I’ve learned a bit in the past five years, and so here are some things that I think helped me:

1. Don’t just read good books, study good writing. Ask yourself why you like it, and listen to the voice.
2. Know what point of view (POV) is and how it should be used in writing. I know that may sound obvious, but I look at my first ever book, and cringe at my all-over-the-place POV. I’ve been re-writing it with a solid POV, and it the change is astounding. (trust me!)
3. Write what you enjoy. No . . . more than just enjoy . . . write what you’re passionate about. For me, that made the difference. I wrote the book I really wanted to write on a subject I adored.
4. Work with a critique group. I can’t tell you how many times my amazing group steered my writing to keep my voice on track. “This just doesn’t sound like something the character would say,” they told me. Or “This is a POV shift.” Little things that add up. (Thanks guys!)
5. Write. Write. And write. There’s nothing quite like practice. We hear this all the time, but how can we expect to be good at something we rarely do? We can’t.

I admit, I’m no expert on voice, but hopefully this is a little helpful. And I’d love to hear your thoughts . . . How did you find your voice?

Speak up:

16 comments

| TAGS:

critique group, POV, Voice, writing

Wisdom of a Five-year-old

“The first rule of the game is to not get killed by the bad guys. Cause if you get killed, you’re dead. And that’s bad.”

Happy Halloween everyone! Have a great weekend, and don’t get sick eating too much candy. (It’s the mom in me. I have to say it!) 😀

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22 comments

| TAGS:

Bad guys, Halloween, Wisdom

GPS-ing Our Plots

Last weekend I went to the beach with my kids. I’d never been there, but I looked it up on-line, plus I got an address to enter into my handy, dandy GPS.

Fortunately I had google-mapped it, because the GPS wanted me to go straight through DC (which EVERYONE knows you avoid if you can). I went around.

But on the way home, I was in no rush. The kids had a movie going, so I thought, why not? Let’s see where the GPS takes me.

Wow.

A path I NEVER would have taken in a million years. Still, it got me home and it only took 15 extra minutes.

When I started my now-complete novel, I had a plan. The basic chapters laid out. It was to be a short, funny jaunt through fairydom. Apparently my internal GPS had a different idea. All kinds of elements and subplots snuck in there, and the book went a different direction than I had planned.

Was that a bad thing? I don’t think so. Was my first plot-line terrible? I don’t think so either.

That’s what’s so great about writing. Our books can go so many different directions, and it’s all up to us.

How do you decide where to go with a book?

Speak up:

15 comments

| TAGS:

beach, Buried in Books, GPS, plot

Story time: When I was little, I wanted to be a cheerleader. Doesn’t every little girl?

I told my mom and while she smiled, I saw the worry in her eyes. “It’s really hard to become a cheerleader.”

I told my friends who looked at me with skepticism. “Why?”

I told my older sister. “You have to be popular to be a cheerleader. I wouldn’t count on it.”

The thing is, I’d always been taught that I could do whatever I decided to as long as I was willing to put in the effort.

So in 7th grade I convinced my mom to sign me up for a cheerleading class. I learned to do kicks and jumps. I learned how to hold my hands just right. I learned how to chant loud and clear so everyone could hear. I learned how to do back-handsprings. I tried to learn how to do the splits.

The day finally came, and I awoke to a single rose in the vase. A note was attached. “We love you no matter what happens.”

I was nervous! I knew I wasn’t the prettiest, the skinniest, the most graceful, or the most popular, but I had worked hard. When my number was called (22), I went out there and did my best. I was thrilled when I was given a call back . . . right up until I flubbed the dance in a major way.

They started calling the numbers. The first, second, . . . . when the seventh was called, I knew in my gut I didn’t make it.

But my gut was WRONG. I was the last one called. My years of work had paid off. I had done it!!

I tell this story because as a kid, I never doubted my abilities. I KNEW I could do anything I put my mind to. Even if it was hard. But now, as an adult, I let doubt seep in. Worse, I let it influence me. And really, what’s different? NOTHING.

Nothing has changed but my attitude. So I’m telling myself now: I CAN write, and I CAN succeed . . . even though it’s hard and takes lots of work and practice. It may take years of effort. But I CAN do it. And so can you.

How do you overcome doubt?

Speak up:

23 comments

| TAGS:

attitude, cheerleading, lucky number 22

Query and Thanks

I’m getting ready to query. I’ve been polishing my letter, and after some fairly major changes (thanks to an amazing critique by Carrie Harris), I was wanting some feedback.

Disgruntled Bear happened to be offering query critiques last week, and I snuck mine in just in time. I wanted to thank her for all the time she’s generously giving to do this. VERY nice of her! If you’re curious or feeling generous with your time, I’d love to hear what you think. My critiqued query is here. 🙂

Also, I recently won an Animal Encyclopedia from Connie Arnold. 

She has a new book coming out called Animal Sound Mix-up. I wanted to thank her for the beautiful book I received in the mail yesterday. Can’t wait to read it with my kids. 🙂

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Speak up:

20 comments

| TAGS:

Carrie Harris, Connie Arnold, Disgruntled Bear, query letters

Yesterday, my 6 year-old found a notebook and a pen and started writing. When I noticed, he showed me what he had written: A bunch of squiggly lines across the page.

“I’m writing a book,” he informed me.

I asked him to read it to me, and he launched into a story about his little sister playing with a friend. Then he stopped. “I haven’t decided what these two squiggly lines say. I still have to write the next chapter.”

After that, he started writing all the words he knew. And may I just say how giggly it makes me that he knows the word “Bob”? Right up there at the top. If you’re writing a book, ‘Bob’ is an essential word. N’est-ce pas?

This, more than anything else makes me feel like a writer (okay, maybe getting published would top it). My kids see what I do, and accept it as the way it is. Not only that, they want a piece of it. (Little do they know what they’re getting into!)

What makes you feel like a real writer?

P.S. Happy Birthday Lenny! Eleven is a lucky number. 😀

Speak up:

25 comments

| TAGS:

Bob, chapters, notebook, writing

Fulfilling My Promise

Friday, I promised to finish off those awards by sharing 5 tidbits about myself then passing them along. So here goes:

1. I once dressed up as a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe for Halloween. My roommate and I had matching outfits: pink sweats with a sneaker-shaped slipper for a hat.
2. I played soccer on my high school soccer team. All three years. SO much fun.
3. When I was two, I fell out of a second story window and walked away without a scratch. I CRIED like a banshee, but otherwise, fine. (And I better not hear any “THAT explains it!” comments.)
4. My thumbs are double-jointed. Pretty cool, eh?
5. I hate chili. Like a lot. Sorry to all my Texan friends, but I think this disqualifies me from ever living near you.

Okay now for the more interesting part. Just so you know, I only give low-stress awards. You need do nothing with it. I’m good with that. This is just my way of telling you that I think your blog is cool. So you can choose the Versatile Blogger or the Creative Blogger Award. Or none, of course. 🙂

First, Shallee McArthur at Life, the Universe, and Writing. I recently found her blog and have been loving the open friendliness I can feel shining through her writing. Go visit. You won’t be disappointed.

Next, Terri Tiffany Inspirational Writer. I’m always so impressed every time I visit. Her words really are inspirational and uplifting. Her title fits just perfectly. And she gives some pretty awesome advice, too.

Jemi Fraser at Just Jemi. You should see the buckets of awards she recently got. And all deserved. She isn’t afraid to share her frustrations, and she’s everywhere with her upbeat comments. Who couldn’t help but love Jemi?

Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares. This is who you WISH you had as your English instructor. She is hilarious! Under her tutelage, grammar is no longer scary. It is fun. I see the doubt in your eye, but seriously. You want a laugh? Go visit.

Finally, with two days from his birthday, how could I not include Lenny Lee at Lenny’s World? A little spot of sunshine and happiness that is incredibly infectious. His posts and comments always, always, always make me smile.

Honestly, I could give you all awards. It was really hard to choose just 5. But thank you so much for being my friend and visiting my humble little blog, and thinking what I write is worth reading. I don’t know how I made it so long as a writer without the support of the amazing writing blogosphere (that’s you).

Speak up:

22 comments

| TAGS:

Awards, chili, Jemi Fraser, Lenny Lee, Missed Periods, Shallee McArthur, soccer, Terri Tiffany, thumbs

First 250-Words Blog-Fest

In a practiced move, Friederick leaped from his horse and unsheathed his sword. “Why don’t we just see who deserves to be captain right now.”

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26 comments

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The Other Prince