Thankful

I am thankful for my faith, family and friends. They have given me love and laughter to last a lifetime. And to think that some people lose these three essential things is heartbreaking. I just finished reading The Outsider: A Journey into my Father's Struggle with Madness by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer and it shows how this can happen. It is beautifully written, and I can only imagine the lumps the author had to swallow as he wrote this book. It is an honest book.





The rest of this author's books are for children and they are just as thoughtfully and beautifully made. His most recent one is The Origami Master. It's an unusual tale of friendship and freedom with gorgeous illustrations by Aki Sogabe.

I am also thankful for good books to stretch my mind.

Thanksgiving and Birthdays

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite American holiday and not just because the focus is on thanks and giving and food, lots of food. See, my mother's birthday falls near Thanksgiving and I can't help but think about her and what an extraordinary woman she was.
*
Recently, my uncle emailed me some old pictures (I don't have a scanner) so it's lovely to share this picture of my mom at age 22. Isn't she simply beautiful? I can almost hear her voice, her silvery bell laugh. She's married, keeps house, is a mother of two boys already. My sister and I haven't yet arrived on scene. She died over twenty years ago at the age of 51. I still miss her.
*
I share stories about her with my children and she will live in their hearts long after I'm gone. I'm writing a few vignettes -- things I remember, things she told me -- and I hope it will paint a fuller picture.
*

Not only was she a character in real life, but I've borrowed many of her traits for mothers in my stories. Driving Lessons, my young-adult short story contest winner (Children's Writer) a few years ago, captures her voice. I really should find a home for that story ... ah, the writing life. I am thankful to have one. Very much.

*

Gates of Excellence

A couple of years ago, I read Gates of Excellence by Katherine Paterson. Since I had read many of her books, it was like visiting a good friend. So many things she said in that book have stuck in my head ... but one statement in particular (thank you, Darcy for getting the exact quote) resonates:

I was writing — learning and growing along with the children — until eventually I was writing fiction worthy of publication. It might have happened sooner had I had a room of my own and fewer children, but somehow I doubt it. For as I look back on what I have written, I can see that the very persons who have taken away my time and space are those who have given me something to say.

This is so true for me. My children, my pets, the very responsibilities that I wish I could take a break from are the ones that inspire me to write. My very first magazine pieces that were accepted are actually family stories about quite mundane things, like sorting socks, weeding, mending clothes. And I'm delighted to have these stories beautifully illustrated.

I have put away my novel for the remainder of the year. I've been juggling so many new activities since this summer -- teaching, an insane football practice schedule, the new pup who is now entering her doggie teens (she's 5 mo. old), and church -- that I am not able to focus on the novel at all. I was surprised that I don't feel bereft, rather enriched a hundredfold by all these experiences.

Giving myself permission to stop working on my novel has freed up my mind to work on other things ... and I'm again writing short pieces. Oh, it's wonderful. I've missed this. And thanks go to Kathryn Galbraith for inviting me to speak to her class about magazine writing. It was a fantastic reminder to get busy myself. I tell you, teaching really lets you learn those lessons well.
*

Journey

I think of writing as a lifelong journey. What I didn't realize when I began writing for children is how profoundly it would change me, and how it would cause me to take another journey. I can't precisely pinpoint the transition, but for the past couple of years, much of the writing I've done hasn't been for publication, but solely for myself. I've been examining my faith or lack thereof. And there are places in my notebook where the ink runs because of the tears -- tears of sadness for the lost years and tears of joy because I am the prodigal daughter ... and I'm returning not just by myself, but bringing my entire family back into the welcoming arms of God. And so, I embark on another journey ... and this time I know I'm not alone. I am blessed.
*

Go Vote!

Tomorrow will be a busy day. My son is sick but I'll cart him to the polling booth anyway. I was nineteen years old when I was naturalized as a citizen of this great country. And I've been proud to cast my vote every election since that time. So do your duty -- go vote tomorrow -- even if it's with a sick kid in tow!

And later that night, I will fight traffic to give a talk on writing for children's magazines at the University. I feel like a magazine-evangelist. But I truly believe that writing for magazines has much to offer a beginning or seasoned writer. This past year I haven't spent as much time on magazine pieces and I've truly missed it. There's never enough time to work on all the projects but as I slog through my novel revision, I am tempted more and more to set it aside and work on little poems and articles that bubble up to the surface. A confession: last week I did put aside my novel. Sigh. But I know I'll pick it up again.

*

I Love Your Blog

I am very new to blogging so I was delighted to receive this nomination from Molly who blogs at Seize the Day. She didn't tell me, but I love her blog and have it on a feed and that's how I discovered. Thank you, Molly.

Here are the rules:

1. Add the logo of your award to your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

*

I'm going to pull a Molly and not say anything on the blogs that I'm nominating, but folks, if you're reading my blog, go check these out:

*

1. itty bitty kitty committee -- I wrote about them earlier. If you need a kitten fix, check them out. Can you hear me say, "Aw!"

*

2. The Daily Coyote -- ditto as #1 except it's a coyote. More ooohs and aaaahs.

*

Are you wondering whether I'll ever have any writing blogs? Here they come ...

*

3. The Bookshelf Muse -- Angela and Becca have done an incredible service with their Emotion Thesauraus, and they've begun their Setting Thesaurus. Check it out.

*

4. Random Thoughts -- Bish has the most interesting thoughts, though they don't seem random at all. I've learned much about island life from her.

*

4a. Freefall -- Anna Levine has a new book and a new blog. And I'm learning a bit more about her daily life in Israel.

*

5. Revision Notes -- Darcy Pattison is an incredible teacher. Read her blog. Read her books.

*

6. Planet Esme -- Thoughtful, insightful book reviews and more by Esme Raji Codell.

*

And now I depart from writing blogs to ...

*

7. The Doctor Is In -- A physician looks at medicine, religion, politics, pets, & passion in life. That subheading on Dr. Bob's blog says everything. Some day I hope to be able to articulate as well.

*

I know I cheated, but hey, rules are meant to be broken ... Besides many of the blogs that I read regularly have already gotten the love. Probably some of these as well.

*

Happy reading folks. And remember to keep writing as well.

*

*

Critters

I'm fond of critters and subscribe to two blogs that satisfy my critter-picture-needs: The Daily Coyote and itty bitty kitty committee. On the Daily Coyote, there's a picture of a coyote, a dog and a cat all curled up together. Awwww, too sweeet.


I'm still waiting for my kitties to feel the love for the new pup. Today, I rested with the pup beside me and the cat on top of me. It took quite a while for the pup and kitty to settle down but it did happen. And then the kids came home and mayhem ensued ...

Here's a picture of the kitty tolerating the pup. How I wish I could capture the moments right before, with the pup sitting, watching the cat, tail thumping wildly, and the cat saying, "Don't you dare come any closer."

The pup is four and half months old now ... and how she's growing!

*

Letters of Merit

My critique group rocks!

Allyson Schrier and Molly Blaisdell both got Letters of Merit for the Barbara Karlin grant (for picture book) and SCBWI WIP grant (YA contemporary) respectively!!!! Woo-hoooo!!!

I know, too many exclamations!!! But I can't help it. I'm so proud of these ladies for sticking to it and submitting their work and getting this recognition. Way to go!

See, I controlled myself (but I'm grinning ear to ear).
*

Do It for Love

I just came across this advice from Walt Disney: "find a job that you like so much that you'd do it without compensation; then do it so well that people will pay you to continue."

Gosh, how this resonates with my life -- scientist, mother, and now writer.

I needed to hear Disney's words as I revise.
*

A No Good, Horrible Weekend

I'm trying to get into the writing groove and finding it sooooo hard to do the revisions on my novel. Where's the love? I am not getting the same satisfaction from polishing a chapter as I get from polishing a short poem or article. When I work on a short piece, I can say that I'm finished. I don't see the end in sight for my novel.

The first half of the book is in decent shape. The second half, not. So I've decided to borrow a trick from my singing days ... start working on a piece backwards. Yes, I've sung Mozart and Verdi and Brahms and the only way to finish with a bang is to make each and every cell of your body knows the material. And you do this by working backwards. Because you practice, practice, practice getting to the end, you can finally not just sing the notes, but feel the music in your bones. That's what I want to accomplish with my words. As Dr. Green would say, "Once more, with feeling!"

I'm good at beginnings. I love writing when the characters are literally telling me the story and all I'm doing is transcribing. But characters are fickle. They stop talking (perhaps I'm not listening) or do something I'd rather they not do. Sustaining a story for fifty-sixty thousand words is hard. Making it sing (with feeling) is even harder. So, I'm going backwards, and I must admit that working on the ending has put me in a better mood. I'm leaving these characters in a better place ...

So what does this have to do with a no good, horrible weekend? Nothing, except, when the worst thing that can happen is twisting your ankle so you have to keep off your feet, ice it and rest, life's actually pretty good.

So, tell me, how do you fall in love again so that you can make your stories sing?
*