Tell me about yourself!

Hi friends,

I'm late to the blog posting today, sorry! I get to spend the whole afternoon writing today, so this will be brief. I'd love to play a "get to know you" game. Anybody up for it? Answer any or all of the following questions in the comments section.

Who is your writing (or artistic) role model? Who inspires you?
What genre(s) do you write?
What's your favorite thing about writing?

OK, I'll go first!

Writing role model: I love Shannon Hale. I love the way she writes strong, thinking, brave heroines, and weaves this gorgeous prose around them. She creates vivid, fairy-tale worlds where there is immediate danger and also magic everywhere. She is also a mom and someone who seems to care about the world. I've seen her speak and she was down-to-earth, kind and FUNNY. Also, as she was signing books, she pulled up a chair for me next to her so I could nurse my fussy baby boy. How much classier can you get?

Genre: I write mostly YA. So far, I have stayed within the world of fantasy. But I have at least two ideas for contemporary novels as well. My books do not have wizards or dragons or fairies (though I love those books too!) but they do have mystical elements. They seem like novels set in some faraway time and place, but there is always some magic involved. I asked an agent how he would describe my work last year and he said, "You could call it 'literary fantasy'" Hello? I LOVED that. So, that's what I'm going with: literary fantasy.

Favorite thing about writing: BEING TRANSPORTED. No question, that's my favorite part of the whole process. It's like a free ticket to Narnia, anytime I want it. (What I always dreamed of as a child!) Though I guess I go to different worlds--worlds that *I* create. It's phenomenal. I get to invent luscious, exciting, heart-racing situations and throw my characters (and myself!) into them. It's so much fun, I love it. It reminds me of when the trolley would come by on Mister Rogers Neighborhood. I would get so excited! The trolley could go to The Land of Make Believe, where there was a castle and talking kitties and tree-houses and magic.

Oh! I think I hear the trolley bell calling for me! I'm off to my own little land of make-believe. See you on the flip side. : )

Can't wait to hear your answers.

Happy weekend!

About to Blossom

Are you seeing the cherry blossoms out there? Do you live some place where you can see them? Because they are just amazing around here! Quite a few trees are bursting with white or pink blossoms. And some are in that delicious phase of being just-about-to-bloom. Whenever I see those tightly closed, dark pink buds, I stop and look closer.


Please don't laugh, but, this is where I feel like I am with my writing: Just-about-to-bloom.


I have been writing and learning and working with a critique group for a few years. I have gone to  quite a few writing conferences and workshops. I finally feel like I am getting a handle on it. And exciting things are starting to happen.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not published, I don't have an agent. But I have that sense of immense possibility on the horizon. I feel like my dreams are just around the corner. I was listening to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" not long ago and I almost cried during these lines:


Sail on Silver Girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.


Isn't that beautiful!?  Can't you just hear Art Garfunkel's sweet voice singing it?
So, of course I had to put that on the bulletin board in my writing space:


ALL YOUR DREAMS ARE ON THEIR WAY.

I love thinking about it that way. I'll just keep working away and doing my best. Meanwhile, my dreams are on a boat, sailing closer ever day.


I hope yours are too.

The Best is Yet to Come *OR* Why I Could Never Be an Olympian

Have you been watching the Olympics? They are so exciting. They are thrilling. I saw that Apolo Ohno has now got a record for being the most decorated American Winter Olympian ever. I thought about how many hours he must have spent in his young life ice-skating. Thousands, right? I mean, he must have dedicated tons of time to this sport he loves. All Olympic athletes do. It’s admirable. And they have to do it to rise to the top of their game. It's the same way with writing. We spend thousands of hours learning and practicing and writing and revising in order to rise to the top of our game.

But I could never do what these Olympians do.

Besides that fact that I am not particularly athletic… And I never really got into sports… and I’m really too old to compete in any of these events anyway...

I just think it would be hard to have a profession or a passion where you knew you were going to peak at a young age. I think I would despair if I didn’t think I was just going to keep getting better and better at the thing I love.

I was an actor for a long time, and I went through the exact same thing. I lived in Los Angeles and, as a woman, there was definitely this sense that there would be an expiration date for my career chances. It was not a good feeling. But I knew inside that with every role, and every life experience, I was only going to get stronger as an actress. I did not have to have perfectly toned thighs and smooth cheekbones in order to bring excellence and gravitas to a role. On the contrary, I knew that my favorite actors were the ones who had lived a few decades, and let all that life show in their work. Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, and Gena Rowlands, to name a few.

Fortunately, for my next act, I chose writing. Now, I am more certain than ever that I can keep getting better. I have read published writers whose later work is more focused, more complex, and more skillful than their earlier books. I have seen for myself the kind of work I used to churn out, compared to what I am capable of now. Not only that, I am blessed with seeing that my revisions are FAR lovelier than my first drafts. Time is on my side, in more ways than one! 

So, if any of you writers out there are falling for the "I'm-too-old" message our culture likes to give... Don't. It's BS. You are just going to get better and better with time and practice. There is so much to look forward to: excelling at your craft, deepening your understanding of story structure, rich life experiences that will infuse your work, and--best of all--seeing that no matter how old you are, you can learn and grow and improve and expand.

This is going to be me someday, folks! One happy grandma, sitting outside writing! 

It would be glorious to be an Olympian. But it's also glorious to be a writer, plodding forward toward mastery. 

New Look

Hi everyone!

I just had to make a change. I hope you like the new look. I felt too limited by all that pink. I will be posting first thing tomorrow morning but I wanted to say: IT'S STILL ME! I just gave the blog a bit of a makeover.

Hope your Sunday was perfect.

Writer Skills: Decisiveness

A writer has to make dozens of decisions at every sitting. Even before we sit, during our day-dreaming sessions we make choices. What should happen to my main character in chapter twenty-six? Should I change it from four sisters to two? What if I moved the whole story to a different planet? This is the endless inner questioning of a writer.


I am horrible at decisions. I hate to admit it, but it's true.


This is what makes PLOT so hard for me. Once I get to know my characters, I am aware of the MILLIONS of possible paths they could take. I am acutely aware of the paths not taken, and they distract me. Not only that, once I settle on the basic plot arc, there are a hundred different ways I could express that same story line. Should I have flashbacks? Should I use the first person or the third? Should I add poetry at the beginning of each chapter? 


Being the magic overlord of my characters is not always an easy wizard hat to bear, my friends.  ("Heavy hangs the head that wears the.... wizard hat," as the saying goes. I believe it's Shakespeare. But don't quote me.)

It is a conundrum.


And it never ends. You never stop having to make decisions. When you're revising, it's: Should I cut this paragraph? Am I gilding the lily here? Do I use the word "looked" too many times? (Yes, always, always. I can't help it!) 


And then there are all the decisions about the publishing process. Who should I submit to? Should I try to get an agent? Which one? At what point do I follow up?


It's enough to make the magic story overlord tear her hair out!


But... I'm calm now.


So, how do I get better at decisiveness? I'll be honest, it's a skill I could stand to hone in my personal life too.


Is this an issue for anybody else?


Is there a book?
Is there a mind trick?
Did I just get the short straw in the decision-making gene department?
Should I cultivate ruthlessness?
Maybe consider training as a spy?
(Now those people have to make quick decisions...)

Any help is much appreciated.

Thankful for an ordinary day

This morning a little cloud of grief sits over me. A dear friend experienced a tragic loss yesterday, and I am having one of those days when I realize the dearness and tenuousness of life. I have always felt that birth and death are times when we get to go right up to the edge of life. We get to press our faces up to this mystic window and peek into whatever's beyond, and then turn back to our life and see the cozy little pod of people we call home. As I sit here in my pajamas, sipping my coffee, and listening to the imaginative play of my children, it all feels sweeter and heavier with meaning. 


It's also one of those days when I don't feel able to make sense of death. The loss--though not mine--feels  raw and unjust. So, I am just sitting with that today. With both truths.  


Even though I just changed a poopy diaper and broke up a fight over a stuffed mouse, I'm glad I'm here, with these two round-cheeked, brilliant, imperfect children. And I'm aware that not everyone is having a day like mine, ordinary and easy. Some people are holding on by a thread today, trying to wrap their hearts around a new reality.


So, I'm sending blessings out to all of you, no matter what kind of day you're having.

What Can a Story Do?

I'm a big believer in the power of story. It is the connecting point for me for my passions (writing, theatre, family). It is an ancient concept that has served humankind well for eons. I have observed the way stories help my young children every day. And stories have certainly inspired and healed me personally. I think that writing, telling, and listening to stories is incredibly powerful. I take it very seriously--and I also think it's great fun. For the purpose of this list, when I talk about STORY, I am including: books of any kind, plays, movies, television shows, songs, fairy tales, operas, poems, dances, comics, pictures on cave walls, and anyone telling anyone a story about anything.


The following list is not comprehensive, but it's a start.

WHAT CAN A STORY DO?

Remind you that you are not alone.
Teach you about something you've never heard of.
Let you know how things might go (the first day of kindergarten, a break-up, sex with a vampire...)
Make you feel alive.
Make you restless.
Awaken your curiosity.
Heal an old wound.
Take you on an adventure.
Inspire you to write, build, act, dance, or paint.
Light a fire inside you.
Show you who you want to be.
Show you who you don't want to be.
Teach peace.
Build empathy.
Connect people with one another.
Soften you.
Frighten you.
Embolden you.
Tickle you.
Infuriate you.
Shine a light on painful subjects.
Remind you of who you are.
Make you swoon.
Make you sob.
Make you believe in miracles.
Make you despair.
Make you laugh.
Spark a change in your life.
Bring back the past.
Imagine the future.
Illuminate the moment.
Show possibilities.
Wake you up.
Keep you company.
Help you escape.
Open your mind.
Reassure you.
Lessen your burden.
Fill you with hope.
Reveal the world's cruelty.
Flip your worldview.
Spur you to action.
Expand your idea of what's true.
Make you think the author is speaking just to you.
Nudge a dream awake.
Bless you.
Fill you.
Enrich you.
****
What else?

Valentine for my Readers

Can I call you my readers? That sounds a bit presumptuous. Almost like something a published writer would say... But I just can't get myself to say "Followers." And here's why: I am an experienced blog reader. I have read and followed kid-lit blogs for quite some time, but the blog writers likely had no idea. I had their blogs bookmarked, I checked in on them regularly. I read their posts and admired them from afar, always thankful that someone was bothering to write about writing. But I was either too shy or too busy to join in the conversation most of the time.

I think the technical term is "lurking". But I don't like that one either. I'm well aware that there may be many people reading this who don't care to comment and who don't choose to "Follow" per the Blogger system. (OK fine, it's probably just my mother-in-law and my critique group buddies, but still! You're out there, I know it!)

So I just want to say THANK YOU. My little foray into blogging has been a BLAST so far. I find it just downright delightful to think about writing and creativity and to share my thoughts with you. When you share your thoughts in return, it's awesome. But not necessary. (Though seeing those neat little rows of followers just tickles me pink! Thanks to those of you jumped on board. You made my day every time!)

So Happy Valentine's Day to all who may be reading this! May your weekend be full of sweetness and connection. May you be surrounded by the people you deeply care about. And if you get one of those candy hearts that says "HUG,"  imagine it's from me!

Transitioning into Writing Time

I have been reading this phenomenal book called "A Life in the Arts" by Eric Maisel. It is so great. I cannot recommend it highly enough. And it has me thinking about my writing habits and how I can sort of optimize the way I work. The thing that is really sticking in my mind today is analyzing how I transition INTO working. 


I find that I cannot sit down and write when there are other things to tend to around the house (children, meals, etc.) I need to get to my writing space or a library so I can focus. But then, when the writing time begins, I find that I need a little transition time. In an ideal world, I need to move my body first, either walking or dancing (sometimes at the same time, more on that another day.) But even if I only have a short time to write, I need to do something that signals to my brain: NOW IS YOUR WRITING TIME. Don't waste it.

Sometimes I listen to music. Sometimes I write in a writing journal. I can just blurt out what I'm thinking and get the wheels greased. It seems to clean out my mental closet and also warm up my writing muscles. When I was finishing up the last draft of my manuscript I lit a candle on my desk as a reminder too "keep the fire under me" to finish it. That was really useful. 


But now I think I'm ready to develop a way to expedite the process. I want to try to make that jump from Daily-Grind Mama into Super-Imaginative Writer Mama more swiftly. So, I'm on the case! Searching for a ritual or a new tradition for getting myself into writing mode. I'll probably experiment with different things this week.  


Any ideas? What do you do? Do you have a regular way of transitioning into your writing time? If you have some tried-and-true techniques--or even some crazy ideas--to suggest I will try them all and report back in. Thanks!

Stage to Page: Writing Lessons from a Theatre Geek

Well, you knew it was coming. I wasn't going to be able to resist talking about THEATRE. There have been so many parallels in my creative efforts in both acting and writing, it's fascinating. Even after almost five years of learning, I still feel like a newbie in writing. But the world of theatre is much more familiar and comfortable to me. Many of the things I learned in drama school are completely relevant to writing. So... I am climbing up onto the dusty stage right now, clearing my throat, and gripping the lapel of my smoking jacket... Ahem.

Kidding!

But seriously, I hope this will be helpful.

Now, with no further ado, I give you... the very first...

Writing Lesson from a Theatre Geek:

BALANCING CONFIDENCE AND HUMILITY

In order to TRY anything creative, you have to have enough confidence to dive in. You have to be bold. You have to be brave enough to walk up onto that stage and make the attempt. You have to be courageous enough to sit down and fling your ideas onto the page in hopes that they will come together as a story. If you don't have that confidence, nothing will ever happen. You also have to have the nerve to SHOW your work to people. An audience, a director, a critique group, a... (gulp!) publisher! Sharing your work takes a ton of courage.

And then you have to shift, and be open and vulnerable. You have to let constructive criticism in so you can adapt, make changes, adjust your performance, revise your manuscript. It's a totally different mindset, but just as important as that first surge of confidence. From that place of humility, you are able to take things apart and rework them.

And then, once the director has given you notes, you step up on stage again, ready to integrate what you have been given. Once you get notes from a critique group or an editor, it's time to sit down with your manuscript and get back in touch with that inner boldness. That certainty that you can do it. That you will do it.

Moving between the two requires a kind of "supple awareness" as my teacher Stephanie Skura once called it. It's actually a very sophisticated thing to do. I'm sure most artists go through it in one form or another. It's certainly not easy. I find that sometimes my confidence inches toward bull-headedness. And my humility slips toward self-doubt. But I just keep trying to stay with it.

Does this ring true for any writers out there? How do you walk the line between confidence and humility? Is one more familiar? Does one or the other get in your way?

I love hearing your thoughts.

Happy Monday!

Writer Mothers: Finding the Time

I know I am not the only one whose hunger for writing time is larger than the actual number of hours I get to write. I'm sure just about every person out there with a creative urge has to struggle to find the time to do what they love.

And I know that mothers are not the only ones with this dilemma. But if you are a mother who is also trying to carve out a creative identity, I have a special place in my heart for you! And if you only have half a minute to read blogs, here is my message in a nutshell:

DON'T STOP TRYING! You CAN find the time, and you deserve it!

The big question is HOW?

Seeking BALANCE is what I hear constantly from mothers I know. It's the same for me. I'm always trying to find ways to really be there for my children AND commit some serious time to my writing. It's a constant quest to find that right balance. How can I do enough writing hours in a week so that I feel truly productive and fulfilled? How can I balance that with my other responsibilities?

But I've realized that balance is not something that you really find. It's something you seek. As a gymnast once told me: standing on your hands is not some position you get into and hold. The muscles in your hands and arms and body are constantly adjusting and shifting in order to maintain that balance. You have to work for it.

I am a big believer in constantly re-evaluating how you do things, in order to make sure your life is working for you, and that you're not just running along in some groove that is ultimately unsatisfying. Mothers (and parents) have so many immediate needs to see to: make breakfast, wipe noses, hug after falls, drive to school, pack lunch, catch up with laundry, break up fights, brush teeth... Sometimes you discover you've had your head down all day and by the time your "writing time" rolls around, you're too exhausted to clean up after dinner... let alone write a novel!

At our house, we've tried lots of things in the quest for balance: scheduling writing time for the month, thinking of it as my "job" (even though I have yet to be paid for any of the hundreds of hours I've devoted to writing), and once--oh, joyful memory!--a weekend writing retreat.

Even with a super-supportive husband, it can be a struggle to make sure that I give writing the time it deserves. Those balance muscles are always working and readjusting. And, to be honest, sometimes balance goes out the window. On those days, I order a gluten-free pizza for dinner, put on a movie, and resolve to try again the next day.

I'd love to hear how others are making it happen. What do you do? How do you configure your life so that your dreams get time and attention?

Picture Book Wisdom

I write YA books, but I am a huge fan of picture books. I always have been. I was in love with them as a child. I saved some of the gems from my childhood collection. I bought them for myself before I had children. And now I love reading them with my two kids.

Every now and then I come across a page or a quote that is very profound to me. I want to frame them and use them for daily inspiration. Here is one that I love:

There's a fabulous story called, THE KNIGHT WHO WAS AFRAID OF THE DARK by Barbara Shook Hazen. It is about a brave knight named Sir Fred who is not afraid of anything, except the dark. He ends up almost losing his love, Lady Wendlynn, because she asks him to meet her at midnight or never see her again. Sir Fred is extremely torn. He is terrified and full of anxiety. But he decides to go. Armed with his electric eel and a shield covered with fireflies, he grits his teeth and sets off through the dark to meet her. Here is how the author describes it that moment:

"His fear was great. But so was his love."

Isn't that AWESOME????

Have you ever been afraid of something? Like writing a novel? Like starting a new rough draft? Like revising? (Not that we're talking about me here...)

But then, when you realize that your LOVE for it is just as big as your fear... maybe even bigger. It's worth it! So! I am armoring myself with the spirit of Sir Fred today, and plunging into the dark of the unknown (ie- the plot of this new story.)

May you all have the courage you need to blaze forth with your writing. And may your love always be bigger than your fear!

The Wood Between the Worlds

I am in an interesting in-between place with my writing right now. I am about to start another revision on my work-in-progress, a YA literary fantasy. I am excited to dive into the revision and take the book to the next level. I've received a lot of great feedback on the story, and I really feel like it's close.

There's just one problem...

I want to write another novel first.

No big deal, right? I'll just whip out another novel.

Should be no prob.

Ha!

I know it sounds crazy, but here's my plan: I am going to whiz through a rough draft in February. A lovely, lop-sided, possibly garishly bad, indulgent, from-the-gut first draft. I really feel like I need to. I've had a ton of ideas over the last year. I couldn't get to any of them because I had my nose to the grindstone, working on this other book. But I jotted all my ideas down, and now I'm ready to take one and develop it into a full length novel.

Then I will go back to my beloved first book and attempt to weave some revision magic.

I think it's possible. Don't you?

Here's the cool part: I don't know which idea is going to get to become a novel in February. That's a very exciting place to be!

Has anyone read THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW? I am a huge Narnia freak, so prepare yourselves for Narnia quotes and metaphors on a regular basis.

THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW (I know I don't have to say this, but: by C.S. Lewis) is my favorite book in the series. There's a wonderful scene where Digory and Polly end up in the Wood Between the Worlds. It's a tranquil, sleepy place full of trees and pools of water. Each pool leads to a totally different world. If you slip on a certain color ring and step into the pool, you will magically enter that world. There are times when Digory and Polly don't know which pool to go into. Their own world is in one of them. In another they find terrible danger. In another the very dawning of Narnia happens.

So that's where I feel like I'm standing right now. In the Wood Between the Worlds. I have about four big ideas. They are all completely different. And if I slip the magic ring on and step into one of the pools, I'll get to create a whole world--a brand new story will be born. But I have to pick one. That's the tricky part. You can't stay in the Wood Between the Worlds or you'll just fall asleep and fritter your life away. (ie- never write anything!) I have no idea what I'll find once I'm in that world. But that is the GLORY of writing, isn't it? There's a whole world to discover, if we're willing to slip the ring on and go for it.

So, it's time to choose a pool.

Wish me luck!