It's the little things

My publisher called for all authors to list books they plan to complete for publication in 2014.  This was a great move for the house and for me. It helped us both plan.   Now, I know what I need to accomplish and pretty much when in order to get these books published. I work better with deadlines and dates than an unending, blank calendar.

However, the best part of my writing life lately is watching young writers bloom underneath my tutelage. I have carefully created real-world situations where students have an audience besides me, a teacher. They now see the larger world as their audience.  They are crafting words with purpose beyond a grade. That's been my goal in teaching, but this is really the first year that I could make that happen on a larger scale. I've been working up to it, but this year is the year that all of the magical pieces fell into place. 

I have Creative Writing students begging to spend more time with their NaNoWriMo novels...that was in November, yes? They are begging to spend more time writing in January. I won't hold them back. They alone know when their story is complete.  I can't answer that really, which is why I haven't "graded" those stories. I'll look for progress and over-arching story arcs, but they will know when they've reached success. 

My language arts students just completed blog posts and comments on books. I've encouraged the staff at my school and their parents to also read and comment, to foster a reading community, to say something to our students and children. I once had an author write a comment back to a student on his blog post. I still do a happy dance about that. 

Here are the links, if you'd like to also play a part of our real world community. 

http://haranda1st.blogspot.com/

http://haranda3rd.blogspot.com/

http://haranda6th.blogspot.com/

A Writing Place

I think having a special place just for writing is important.  Sadly, I chose (too often) to make that special place in my bed. XXXXXXXX NOPE! Wrong! Go directly to jail!

About a year ago, I brought my childhood desk to my own home. It was an antique that had been my aunt's. In her ownership, whitewashing had been all the rage. In mine, restoring furniture back to its original lovely wood was the thing to do. It's easier to slap white wash on than to remove it from every nook and cranny.  Grrr.   But, I digress.

I hadn't quite finished the restoration started in my 20s, and here I am in my 40s. I didn't care. I loved my little desk, and I wanted it. So, I packed it and all the pieces still un-reattached, and brought it to a place in my bedroom, just like when I was growing up.

While I was working on my MFA in Creative Writing (go Full Sail Univeristy!), I occasionally worked at my little desk, but I didn't make it a habit. I still found myself back on my bed, either laying, lounging, or sometimes kneeling at the side of the bed. And what happened is that my sleep and my rest suffered.

I've read tons of those studies and articles about good sleep.  Don't do other things in your bedroom that take away from your rest. I ended up surfing the internet when I should have been sleeping. I found myself up until 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 in the morning.  All the while, my sweet little desk sat quietly.

I've even noticed more problems with my already not-so-great back and with my calves and hamstrings getting tighter. But, I continued to lie in bed or sit on my bed. Oh oh..have I mentioned that I have an OFFICE with a desk and a desk top computer? Yeah. It's ridiculous, and I acknowledge my part in it. However, a special writing spot is different. It's different for me, anyway.

SO...


The other night, I moved my charger and my laptop back over to my desk. Even before 2014 starts, I want to get back into the habit of using my darling desk. I am currently about 48 hours into the writing desk only phase of my writing.


Writing feels like it's own, very special activity now. I feel like I'm productive and working. I also feel like I am in a sacred space, sharing a piece of my family's furniture with generations of women before me.

Do you have a special space? If you do, I'd love to see it!  If not, go create a space now.  Enjoy it.

Plan C?

Well, my book is not yet published because my publishing house is having a challenge getting an illustrator.  At one time, two illustrators were interested, but since I'm not on the business side as an author, I don't really know any details.  What I do know is that my little Baxter mouse is still waiting for me to write more stories and for the rest of the publishing process to continue.

I've had a lot of feelings about this. I've been very angry and disappointed. I've also been desperate and sad. In between, I've felt the call of a challenge. What is it that I can do? I'm not an illustrator, so I won't be creating my own art. I'd like to, but I know my creative and time limitations.  Plan B was to get published in anthologies and write on more Baxter stories while the house locates an illustrator. (There are really good people who are trying to work miracles behind the publishing house doors.) But, I'm still no closer to getting published than the day I signed my contract last March.

However, as we were taught in my master's program and as I have experienced as an entrepreneur - keep many options available. As writers, we should not have all of our dreams banked on one piece. I actually have a couple of other books in the works. Several of them are children's books. One is not. And honestly, I have a previously published article that I have been expanding for an ebook. So, there ya go. I have two other projects to work on.

My publishing house is really cranking out books, though. I've watched a number of authors see their books selling in multiple markets. So, I think Plan C might be to look at my nonfiction books, started a couple of years ago and tabled once I started writing children's books with my classes. It seems to be a reasonable plan to focus on those texts, which deserve to be told, and send them to be published since I know that they have fewer requirements for the house to handle. So, I'll send in something that I know they can handle with a bit more ease. Cool!

There are many circumstances out of my control - and even out of the control of my publishing house - but I can continue to keep writing.  I can keep looking for the opportunities in front of me.

A discovery in writing

I'm still working through Nanowrimo with my students, and we are all finding the end of the month slowing down.   Some of my students know they are only in the middle of their stories and push to write more. Some of us are stuck.

I've been switching back and forth between a  young adult novel and another Baxter children's book.  I struggled with Baxter's story until today.  I went to read the first book I wrote, Merry Christmouse, and discovered I had been writing the new story in a very different voice and style.  Most importantly, I was writing in a different verb tense.  

Once I went back to make changes in the new draft, I noticed how I relaxed and slid right into the story again.  Who knew - the story wants to be told in a certain tense and style.

Nanowrimo - how are you doing?

As many writers are ended with Nanowrimo this month, I've takes my students to write with the Young Writers Program.  They are doing GREAT! I have one student who knows ALL of the tricks to pounding out more worse - adding description, writing out contractions, fights between characters, etc.  She's ROCKING. 

I'm not doing as well.  I'm getting stuck in the middle of my stories again. I have two stories going right now. I'm writing a paranormal YA book and another installment of my Baxter books. I can come up with strong beginnings and strong endings, but I've probably said it before - I've got a problem with mushy minutes. I thought I had plot lines developed, but something dissolved right after the rising action started. 

I've heard many writers and authors talk about "winning" Nanowrimo, but I think that winning isn't the prize for me.  I typically have the end of a six weeks where I am grading and the start of a new six weeks that I need to plan out. I wish I could write more when they write.  I can be pretty competitive, but as I've grown older, I've realized just what is to gain (or lose) if I compete. 

Nano is different for me. Nano is a time where I do write more than usual. I stay just a little more focused.  Whatever I create during Nano is more than I had before. Maybe one day, I'll work out my grading schedule and have weeks of planning completed in advance.  Until then, I'll just be grateful for the work count I didn't have before. 

Let's have a party!!!

I am very excited about all of my young authors. The anthology, Lost Tales from the Mountain published by Mountain Springs House, is a nice looking book and filled with spooky stories and poems.  Five of my students were published in the anthology, and we are going to plan for a SIGNING PARTY!  

I can't wait to get the details ready and let these kids feel the excitement of signing their autographs in books they were part of.

Life keeps getting better in the writing department!

After my publishing house announced that my poem would be published in their anthology, the business manager contacted me to let me know that FIVE of my students who submitted pieces would also be published. My kids will be published in a couple of weeks!

I encourage my students to try. It really doesn't matter if you win or lose, but you need to get used to trying and trying. Persistence has been the most successful character trait I've developed.

So, I also encourage my kids to sign up with Goodreads.com. They can keep track of books, and every book that I share with them after I read, I post a review to Goodreads. I also let my kids know that I frequently go into the giveaways and enter the contests.  I've won twice!

This last week, I received a copy of Wonder Light by author R.R. Russell. It was totally sweet and delightful; a wonderful book for young readers. Naturally, I wrote a review on Goodreads and Amazon.  Next thing I know, RR Russell has contacted me to offer a 15 minute Skype with my creative writing students. How about that awesomeness?

I think I've found my happy spot!

So you, dear reader, go out there and be persistent.  Keep trying!