A Promised Announcement

Astute readers, you may remember at the beginning of last month I mentioned I had a big announcement. The time has come to tell you I have another book besides Elixir Bound coming out soon (not sure of the release date yet, but maybe even before Elixir). And guess what? It's a picture book!

"A picture book?" you say. "But, Katie, you've never mentioned anything about a picture book. I thought you only wrote novels."

Well, you thought wrong. My picture book The Bedtime Knight is coming out through MeeGenius! as a picture book app. The illustrations are being worked on right now (okay, maybe not this second, but the text is finalized and with the illustrator right now).

It's going to be an exciting summer. I've got a certain milestone birthday next month. The Boy will be turning one. And, of course, Elixir Bound (and now maybe The Bedtime Knight) will be out in the big, wide world.

Oh, I almost forgot...I've been hard at work on a new website, which I hope to be lauching very soon. That means the Observation Desk will be making a cyber-move from Blogger to Wordpress. No worries, I'm taking you all with me!

WIP Wednesday

Guess whose upcoming e-book has a page on her publisher's website? (Duh, it's me.) Check out the back copy for Elixir Bound and my author bio on the MuseItUp site. I was a little surprised to see it labeled as Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (the paranormal part is what surprised me). Although Elixir Bound is definitely more fantasy than paranormal, I think it's smart marketing to include the paranormal label.

I'm playing the waiting game with Elixir Bound right now. Waiting to hear from my line editor, waiting to find out about my cover art, waiting until I have some time to figure out how the heck to market this thing! I'm also waiting for a certain someone to fulfill his quest to find an important prop for the book trailer.

In the meantime, I've been squeezing out a few minutes of writing time to work on Black Butterfly (did you correctly guess the color and animal?). I also got a fantastic critique of Pirate Island (my middle grade adventure story) at the Poconos conference and have a whole new direction for revisions.

Next week I'm featuring Meradeth Houston author of YA paranormal Colors Like Memories on the blog. Here's a book trailer to whet your appetite.

SCBWI Poconos Retreat 2012

I had the pleasure of attending the Eastern PA SCBWI Poconos Conference again this year. With The Boy only being 8 months old and nursing, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go, but the hubby stepped up and watched the little guy at the inn all weekend while I ran off and cavorted with the finest the kidlit community has to offer.

How awesome was the conference this year? Three words: Laurie Halse Anderson! Aside from giving what was probably the best keynote speech I've ever heard, she was just so accessible to the conference attendees. She shared stories with us, offered us advice on our own personal projects, and was honest, thoughtful, and tough about encouraging us to make writing an imperative part of our lives (and she gushed about how cute The Boy is).

So as is my tradition, here's some nuggets of wisdom from the conference that I think have some universal appeal (feel free to substitute the word "writing" for the endeavor of your choice):

• Word of mouth is a great way to find any professional from an agent to a plumber. (Steven Chudney—How to Find and Work with an Agent)
• Whether a thing is a mountain or a molehill depends on how we see ourselves. (Amy June Bates—Keynote)
• Take the time and make the space for your writing dreams. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
• When you create writing time that creates a commitment of the soul. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
• Dare to get excited, even when you might get let down. We could all get hit by a marshmallow truck tomorrow. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
• A vital aspect to nurturing talent is to accept and validate your need to create. Honor, cherish, and celebrate it. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
• You can always make it better. Do not ask, "Is this any good?" Ask, "How can I make this better?" (Laurie Halse Anderson—Digging Deeper to See Farther: Revision Secrets)
• Facing your fears and not giving up, that’s what the Teeny Tiny Ghost books are about. (Kay Winters—Keynote)
• Being brave is not being scared; it’s being scared and doing it anyway. (Deb Heiligman—Keynote)
• The trick about a to-do list is to make it doable. (Deb Heiligman—Keynote)

Stay tuned because the rest of May is all about e-books. And I'll have another big announcement at the end of the month!

Life is a WIP

Today isn't Wednesday nor is it the second week of the month. Oh well, you're getting my WIP update anyway!

I finally opened up a Word document and typed out the beginning page of a certain project that has been developing in my mind for quite some time now. This one has been making my skin prickle with excitement. It's mostly some scribbles in my notebook. I hope I can keep the excitement up about it now that it has it's very own document on my computer. I have notions of trying to do a fast draft with this story, but so far in my writing career nothing has been fast!

The working title is a color followed by an animal. I'd love to hear your guesses about what it is?

This weekend I'm off to the Poconos for my favorite small conference with the Eastern PA SCBWI (and no, I won't be hanging out in one of those wine glass hot tubs). I love catching up with my Poconos friends. And the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson is a keynote speaker! I signed up for her revision class too...maybe that'll get my butt in gear on revising my MG novel Pirate Island.

What are looking forward to this weekend?

WIP Wednesday

Ummm..it's the second Wednesday of the month...and this is my first blog post of the month...sigh...where does the time go?

FINALLY finished my latest round of edits on Elixir Bound. Over the years I have gotten much better at revising, but I still wouldn't say I like doing it. I love the thrill of a new idea, letting it marinate in my brain, the tendrils growing into a plot and characters. Furtive moments of writing snippets in my notebook because I just can't help but get these thoughts on paper. The possibilities are wide open, no disappointment that the words fall short of the image in my mind.

Revision is a slow slog though the vomit of words that made it to the manuscript, have been pored over a million times, and still don't quite meet expectations. If I have to transform another HAD, WAS, THAT into more interesting language, I might just (oh, JUST is another one of those words I'm trying to cut out!) throw my computer through the kitchen slider.

Wait, what am I talking about? I've been waiting years to work with an editor on my manuscript to whip it into publishable shape. In that case, I LOVE revising. Too bad I can't stop thinking about that new story...the one I haven't even officially started writing yet. I look forward to the day I am sick of that story!

WIP Wednesday

I've got quite a few works-in-progress, so I'm instituting a new column about a WIP on the second Wednesday of each month.

Why Wednesday? Because it begins with the same letter as WIP, and you all know how us writers love our alliteration. Why the second one of the month? Because that's when my critique group meets, so it's easy to keep track of. Why once a month? Because it's a good way to make sure I have at least one post a month (which lately is about all I'm managing to do!).

My soon-to-be published novel (oh, it's so satisfying to write that) Elixir Bound is up first. A buddy of mine from my aforementioned critique group share a Wordle of his WIP, which inspired me to create one of my own. I used the entire manuscript of Elixir and Worlde spit back this image.

That big, orange word "Katora" that dominates a huge chunk of the Wordle is the main character's name. I think that's fitting, especially for a YA book, because so much of the preteen/teen experience is focused on the me and discovering who you are as a person.

Many of the other large words are also character names, which I guess means my story really is about the characters. Or I just need to stop using their names so darn much! Another interesting thing I noticed is that there are quite a few body parts listed ("Lips" and "mouth" anyone! You know there's going to be kissing in the book!). Some of my other favorite words: "Elixir," "family," "power," "breath," "fire."

I'd love to see what kind of Wordles you all come up with!

A Big Deal

Some months ago I posted that an opportunity had come up, a big one, one that I was very excited about. Back in October I was on maternity leave from my job at the puzzle factory and had just gotten back into subbing agents with my YA fantasy Elixir Bound.

This was the first full novel I had ever written. Back when I first thought I had "finished" this manuscript, I started sending it out to a few publishing houses, mostly to editors I had met at conferences or ones I had been following online. I got a few bites (and waited a very, very, very long time to get a heartbreaking rejection from an editor I would have loved, loved, loved to work with), but nothing came of them. I put the manuscript away and worked on a new project.

Time passed and I started thinking about that YA fantasy again. It just so happens that this manuscript was very close to my heart, originally written as a way to mourn the death of my sister. Then it became more than that and I was hooked on writing. I attended a seminar with an agent who offered a ten-page critique. She like the pages, offered some very good advice on revisions, and wanted to see the whole thing after I worked on it. She was very kind and praised my writing, but ultimately passed on offering me representation.

Another close call. The manuscript was better than ever. I was ready to start submitting hardcore. But not to editors. The world of kidlit publishing had changed since my first round of subbing and most editors wouldn't even look at unagented material and even when they did, it took forever to hear from back, if you ever did hear back.

I said to myself, "No more submitting to editors. I am only going to query agents. That's the route I want to take to publication." So I did a ton of research to find the right agents. I wrote, rewrote, and rewrote my query letter. I had other writers critique my letter and rewrote some more. Finally I started subbing. Again, there was some interest, but no offers.

Then I gave birth to The Boy. And that brings us back to maternity leave and subbing to agents...only agents. Somehow, though, I ended up on the Muse It Up Publishing website. I did some research, heard some good things about this Canadian e-book publisher. They had a buzz about them. I broke my rule and sent in Elixir Bound.

A few weeks passed and I got an e-mail from Lea Schizas, the founder of Muse It Up. She wanted to publish Elixir Bound! A myriad of emotions overwhelmed me. I was excited, shocked, nervous. I still had no agent, but one offered to take a look at the contract for me. She said, "Go for it!" And I did.

You'll be able to buy your very own copy of Elixir Bound for your Nook, Kindle, PC, or any other e-reader device in August...of this year! I first conceived of a there-and-back-again tale of two sisters nearly ten years ago. It took a very long time to get to this point of publication, and now it's moving very fast.

My son will grow up most of his life knowing his mommy is a published novelist. My sister will live on in the pages of a story, my story, our story.

"Don't stress, don't stress, don't stress"*

I will never apologize to you, dear readers, for going long stretches of time without writing on my blog. It's not that I don't appreciate you...I cherish each and every one of you (really, it's not that hard to send out a little love to five or so people!).

It's just that when I started this blog I did it for fun. I wanted to have a place to exercise my personal literary voice and my opinions and thoughts. I said to myself, "I'm not going to stress about this whole blog thing. If I feel like posting, I will, but if I don't feel like it or don't have the time, so be it; I won't stress about it."

So when I see day after day that I haven't posted anything since October 29th (and it was a short post about the weather of all things...with a picture that filled most of the space), I keep telling myself, "Don't worry about it." I've got plenty of good excuses as to why I haven't posted (I just had a baby a couple of months ago!).

Still, I hate seeing that same posting every time I click on my blog page to read all those other blogs that are listed on my sidebar. It makes me feel like such a slacker. It reminds me off all those journals I started as a kid and teenager and fell short on. I would write furiously in them for a few days in a row, then a week would go by, maybe a month, maybe even years before I would write again. And still, to this day, there are more blank pages than full ones in each one of those books.

And then it spirals into a reminder of all the things I haven't done in life, of all my shortcomings and failures. The dirty laundry in the hamper, the maternity clothes that haven't been packed away, that manuscript that needs to be revised, that e-mail I haven't responded to. It's enough to drive any sane person (and I'm not claiming to be entirely sane!) mad.

Now, though, I can breathe easy for another few days because there's a shiny, new post on my blog.

*Jesse McCartney

"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"*

I've never thought that sitting around wishing for something to happen makes that thing happen. Not that I haven't done my share of wishing on shooting stars, on eyelashes that have fallen out, when the digital clock reads all one number (like at 11:11, for example), on a coin thrown into a fountain, when splitting a wishbone, when blowing out birthday candles...okay, I really don't just sit around wishing on things all day.

Oddly enough, though, a lot of writing is sitting--the old butt-in-chair as you write--is waiting--to hear back from critique partners, agents, or editors--and is wishing--because you've got to have something to keep the hope alive. But you also have to be active too. I need to experience life in order to be inspired while I'm sitting and writing, I need to send out my work in order to wait to hear back, and I need to actively daydream about my life as a best-selling author to fuel all those wishes (okay, that last one doesn't really work, but you get the idea!).

So for that past year or so, I've been submitting my writing more actively than I have in all my previous years as a writer. Some opportunities have come up. And a strange thing happened: I found myself turning some of them down.

It wasn't because they weren't good opportunities or because I had so many offers pouring in that I could just shrug off the ones that didn't give me the most gain. It was because they didn't feel right in my gut. Not that the offers were bad; it's more that they were not the right fit for me at the time. Every time I've said no, it's been very, very hard. What if I never get another opportunity for that piece of writing? What if I never get another opportunity for any piece of writing? Did I just say no to the only chance I ever had as a writer?

The thing I've come to realize is that a single no or a string of noes (I originally typed "a string of nose," which would be an entirely different thing...LOL!), whether it's someone else telling me no or me telling someone else no, doesn't mean the end of my writing career. My career ends when I stop sitting and writing and waiting and wishing.

It just so happens that some 3,120 days since I first conceived of the idea that, yes, I can be a writer for real (this is an estimate because I don't remember the exact date I thought this), a pretty big opportunity has come up. One that I feel is right in my gut...one that I am going to say yes to. One that makes me want to climb to the top of my house and shout "YES!" from the rooftop (admittedly, this wouldn't be too hard because I live in a one-story ranch).

So maybe sitting, waiting, wishing worked out okay for me after all. I think I'll go do some more of that and maybe the next offer will be even bigger.

*Jack Johnson

"Here comes the story of the Hurricane"*

I know, I know: Everyone's talking about Hurricane Irene! Well, I do what I want to do, which often isn't what everyone else is doing, but what I want to do today is talk about Hurricane Irene, so I won't let the fact that everyone else is doing it stop me.

I've got to admit, earlier in the week I was a little freaked out. I don't normally get all worked up about things like the weather. Where a hurricane goes is out of my "circle of influence" and while I can take steps to prepare for one, there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop it from coming. But I'm 9 months pregnant, so I'm trying to give myself a little slack for being more worried than usual about something like the weather.

Really, I shouldn't be that concerned because The Boy has proven to be resilient through record-setting snowfall, a tsunami, and an earthquake. He's probably in the womb saying, "Bring it on, Mother Nature!"

Thinking about my lack of control over the weather, got me thinking about my YA fantasy Elixir Bound because certain higher beings in that story can control the weather. They use it to communicate with each other and to send messages to regular-old humans too.

Then that got me thinking about how an author can take something that is uncontrollable in the real world and manipulate and control it in a story. There's terrible things in life that we have no control over, like war, rape, abuse, your 16-year-old sister suddenly dying when some unknown thing attacks her lungs. And for all intents and purposes, none of these things make any sense.

So as a writer, I can take a world that is often confusing and scary and try to make sense of it. There is something very empowering about that. That doesn't mean I will succeed at making anything in this real world make sense through my fictional world, but at least it might open up a dialogue (even if that conversation is only taking place in my own head). And maybe someday others will connect to that thing I was trying to make sense of and will realize they're not alone in their feelings.

Because there's lots of other wonderful things in the world that can't be explained either, like love and souls. As a writer, I explore these crazy, scary, wonderful things in my stories. First I explore these things for myself. And hopefully, others will read what I've written and explore those things for themselves.

*Bob Dylan

"Cause lately I've been thinking"*

"Thinking: The talking of the soul to itself." ~Plato

Don't worry, I'll let you in on the conversation soon enough! In the meantime, We Do Write is hosting a twitter-length pitch contest with agent Mandy Hubbard.

*Incubus

"Isn't it ironic?"*

My English teacher my freshman year of high school was quick to point out when discussing irony that most of the things Alanis Morissette sings about in her song "Ironic" (rain on your wedding day and having ten thousands spoons when you really need a knife) are really not ironic, they're just bummers. The truth is irony is so often misused in today's world that the meaning of it has been muddled. I've been wondering if it even plays a role in contemporary literature anymore, and specifically in children's lit because that's what I write.

I'm going to specifically focus on dramatic irony and verbal irony that isn't sarcasm (because sarcasm is so not used in today's world and nobody 'gets' it anyway!). (Caveat: I'm not sure I actually understand what irony is and I'm probably going to do a terrible job of discussing it, and you will only end up more confused by the end of this post.)

Let's start with dramatic irony, which is when the audience/reader/observer is privy to information that allows them to better know the true implications of an action/speech/situation that involves an unknowing character/speaker/subject. A classic example in when Romeo takes his own life because he thinks Juliet is dead, but the audience knows that Juliet only took a potion to appear dead.

Verbal irony is when something is stated that seems to mean one thing, but the speaker actually intends it to mean something else, often the opposite of what was said (and this is done with intent on the part of the speaker...as opposed to dramatic irony which occurs without the subject's knowledge). Now sarcasm can be a form of verbal irony, but verbal irony doesn't have to be sarcastic. In A Series of Unfortunate Events the narrator starts the story by saying not to read the book because only bad things happen, but of course, the narrator doesn't really want the reader to put down the book.

I think it's a bit more obvious how verbal irony is prevalent and relevant in today's society. We see it in books, on TV, in everyday life. Dramatic irony is a little bit tougher to observe, especially in children's lit. Today's kids are so savvy about everything that it's harder to create a character that is believably in the dark about something that is obvious to the reader.

Going back to the Romeo and Juliet example, are we really supposed to believe that Romeo was so dense that he couldn't figure out that Juliet wasn't dead? In a historical context, we can buy that Romeo wouldn't have known to check for a pulse and that he could have actually believed that Juliet's "crimson" lips and cheeks were possible even after death. But today, it's hard to believe that a guy--even a young one with a minimal amount of medicinal knowledge--wouldn't be able to to tell the difference between a dead body and a live person.

I feel like I could go on and on about irony and really come to no conclusion at all. I've been researching definitions of irony and asking others for examples of irony in contemporary children's lit and I'm just feeling more confused about the whole thing than when I started. Frankly, I was kind of sick of the whole idea of irony before I even started writing this post and now that I'm rereading what I've written, I'm thinking I didn't really say much at all in this ever-growing post.

And who's to say that Alanis Morissette didn't know that all the crap she says in "Ironic" wasn't ironic? Maybe she knew that the whole time, and the song ends up being even more ironic because it isn't talking about irony at all. Now I'm throwing my hands up in frustration! Please, someone post an intelligent comment about irony so that this whole thing doesn't feel so pointless.

Also, check out the SCBWI Writers of Lower Fairfield blog where I'll be occassionally posting about writing-related topics.

*Alanis Morissette

"Sometimes your words just hypnotize me"*

The magnetic poetry writers were at it again. Some of the old favorites showed up (I'm looking at you "pleasure puppet"), but this was some of the best poetry ever to be displayed on my refrigerator.

• walk like a skeleton look like a gentle little girl (possibly good advice for a skeleton, but sounds a little threatening to little girls)
  


• squirrel play spark s emotion (as long as the squirrels aren't eating anything out of my veggie garden, their play is okay with me)
  


• please expose the fruit (that's what she said!)
  


• explore you r mind and dream sweet vision s as you drown in the puddle of my soul (I'd say that's one deep soul we're talking about here, but I've heard a person can drown in less than an inch of water, so maybe this soul isn't so deep after all)
  


• he ly no or (I'm not sure these magnets were put together with any specific purpose in mind, but any form of expression--intentional or not--gets included...for better or for worse)
  


• feel that hard monkey s pleasure puppet give tremendous naked sex (the monkey and the pleasure puppet are always up to no good)
  


• essential bosom compel always (the question here is what does the essential bosom compel one to do)
  


• make another memory to warm the cold night s of no moon and dark shadow s (nothing like anticipating the need to stave off a depressing night)
  


• dead experience (quite the intriguing oxymoron)
  


• take only truth make only love (I think I saved the best for last)

Once again, thanks to everyone who chose to expose the fruit of their creativity on my refrigerator. Your musing never fail to entertain me.

*Notorious B.I.G.

"The Book I Read"*

I've got to give a shout-out to a member of my critique group who had his first book signing last night. Congrats to Tommy Greenwald on the release of his MG novel Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading.




This book has a great hook for reluctant readers with a main character who may possibly be the most reluctant reader ever (and he gives tips on how to get out of reading), but it is also full of great characters, hilarious moments, and a fun plot that enthusiastic readers will enjoy. (And really, even though Tommy is in my critique group, I'm not the least bit biased.)

At the book event, Tommy shared a few of his favorite tips that Charlie Joe gives the readers. Here's a few of my favorites:

Tip #2: "Never read a book by someone whose name you can't pronounce." (I must confess that I don't adhere to this particular rule. Otherwise I never would have picked up Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.)

Tip #4: "If you want girls to like you, don't read." (Not a particular concern for me, but I could see how the target audience might be interested in this tip.)

Tip #9: "Reading can make you fat." (And I thought I was getting fat because of the whole pregnancy thing...I guess I'll have to cut back on my reading.)

Tip #20: "When you're more than halfway through a book, pick up the pace, skim a bit, and get it over with as quickly as possible." (I have done this one before...not often, but there are some books that I've had to read and just couldn't connect with.)

Tip #25: "When finishing a book, never look at it again." (With this tip, Charlie Joe makes ten suggestions on what to do with the book...my favorite, "Wrap bacon around it and give it to the dogs." Proof positive that everything is better with bacon!)

I'm afraid you'll have to read the book to find out what the others are. Next up, I've got some more good reading when I share the latest round of magnetic poetry!

*Talking Heads

"Isn't that random?"*

I've had lots of disparate thoughts going through my brain lately and it seems this post is a reflection of that.

First off, astrologists recently found a giant quasar that appears to be not only the brightest object ever found, but also the most distant and earliest quasar ever detected. Quasars are of particular interest to me because they are found the center of young galaxies and surround black holes (you all should know by now how much black holes fascinate me). Who doesn't want to learn more about a super-bright object that is massively powerful and full of energy?

On an artistic discoveries, check out this cartoon called "Born Like an Artist." I wonder what the anthropomorphic personification of my artistic soul looks like? I'm not sure it would be an animal. I think it might be something more abstract...maybe some kind of squiggle or a bouncy, round face.

And to combine two of my intellectual loves, here's a periodic table of storytelling. A couple of "elements" that caught my eye are Jhg, 1wa, Mpb, and Gtb.

Over at Diversity in YA Fiction, the authors are challenging readers to diversity their reading choices. Publicly post an essay about your diverse reading experience and you have a chance at winning "a giant collections of fabulous MG and YA books."

Finally, a third love of mine (soccer) is being showcased on a worldwide stage this summer. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 earlier this week. I was pleased to see that the women's games are getting just as much TV coverage as the men did last summer.

Where have your thoughts been taking you lately?

*311

"Insane in the Brain"*

I come across a lot of quotes in my day job as puzzle master (i.e. puzzle magazine editor). After a while, it seems I've seen them all. One in particular, though, always makes me think of my pursuit to be a published author.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results."

I've seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein, Rita Mae Brown, and an Alcoholics Anonymous publication. Where ever it came from, I think it's interesting that this definition of insanity could actually apply to many writers.

As writers, we are constantly sending out work and getting rejections. Then we turn right back around and send that work out again and hope for a different response. Does that make us optimistic? Persistent? Confident in our work? Well, according to the above quote, it could actually make us insane.

True, because we don't keep sending our work to the same person over and over again that might not make us insane. Yet I still can't help but feel like the whole submission process, even when there is hope of an agent or editor who has never seen your work connecting with it, is insane (and masochistic!).

It's like saying, "Here is my manuscript, a snapshot of my heart and soul in words. I've been working on it for months, years, maybe even decades. Please take a look at it. I know you'll probably say it isn't 'right' for you. Maybe you'll even hate it. Maybe you won't even read it before rejecting it. No matter, when you reject me, I'll take it personally, even though I know I shouldn't, and I'll feel like my work isn't good enough...that I'm not good enough."

And we do this over and over again. INSANE!!!

Then again, anyone who has a big dream probably has to be a little insane. When it comes to big dreams, success is almost always a long shot. And where would the world be without big dreamers? So maybe a little insanity in the right places is a good thing. I'll just keep telling myself that anyway!

*Cypress Hill

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm open"*

Help! I seem to have broken my can opener. Or maybe the can opener is working, but there's nothing inside the can. Can anyone help me? Does anyone even know what I'm talking about?

While I figure out how to get the can opener fixed (or how to fill the can back up), I've been pursuing other creative avenues.

I've been working on a counted cross stitching project (no, I'm not an 80-year-old grandmother) that I started years ago and totally forgot about. It's of a green dragon on top of a cliff with a castle and a giant moon in the background. If I ever finish it, I think I'll hang it in The Boy's room, which we've decided to paint a light green.

I've also been reading...a lot. In my literary adventures, I was chased by zombies; I was a super-smokin' rock star who reconnected with an old girlfriend; I tripped in my designer shoes, went back in time, and fell in love; I was an Irish princess who was kidnapped and forced into slavery; and I was two different boys with the same name, both of whom fell in love.

I've even been thinking about dusting off my guitar case and plucking out a few tunes. At least I'm keeping busy, even if my muse is on an extended hiatus. What do you do when the mojo isn't flowing?

*Seether featuring Amy Lee

"Pictures of people taking pictures of people taking pictures"*

At the 2011 SCBWI Poconos conference, the session called "Writing Not Waiting" was taught by editor Robert Agis. He started us with some writing exercises, which I actually participated in whole-heartedly (sometimes I don't connect with the writing exercises in these types of workshops and can't really get into them). He gave us a line that we were to use as a catalyst to write. It didn't matter what we wrote, just that we wrote something.

It was surprisingly freeing. I haven't just sat and written without a defined purpose for a long time. I always feel guitly about doing that because I think I should be spending time on my current project or my blog or revising or creating freelance puzzles. These exercises reminded me that sometimes you need to sit and write freely and that it is not a waste. It will actually allow you to work on your own writing without the pressure of making things perfect (which is impossible anyway...perfection, that is).

That's one of the things I've been struggling with lately and relates to the whole getting-back-to-my-true-self goal. I haven't felt free while writing. I keep getting caught up in all the things I don't know about my characters and the setting or all the things I haven't researched yet. And my obsessive need to explore all these aspects of the story ad infinitum is holding me back from discovering the very things I've been obsessing over (and sucks all of the fun out of writing). Writing without judgement or too much thought may be just what I need to discover more about my story.

So in my ever-growing effort to be a better person/writer, I took some advice from Robert. He talked about using images as a stimulus for writing. He recommended taking stock images from websites and doing Internet searches to find photographs that represent characters or settings in your story. They can be there to act as "can openers" for your writing. Here's the can opener I created for my mermaid story.




Some of these are from my own photos from Tahiti (where the story takes place), others are Internet images and ones from magazines. The ones with writing on the bottom are English/French/Tahitian translations of popular words and phrases. The other writings are about black-pearl farming (which is the future trade of one of the main characters).

*Jack Johnson

"Swing Life Away"*

Every year at the Eastern PA SCBWI Poconos conference I learn something new. I always enjoy this conference, but there wasn't a single speaker or session I attended that disappointed. Here's some insightful nuggets that resonated with me not only as a writer but as a person (these are not written with quotation marks because I often paraphrase when I'm taking notes, but I think the ideas the speakers intended are all intact):

• Even when you think something isn't relative right now, write it down. You will change. Something extraneous now may be exactly what you need later.
• There are no secure boxes. Do whatever you want to do, and do it wildly, purely, uncensored, even regrettable. Do it as hard as you can. ~Donna Jo Napoli

• There are so many things out of our control, and we, especially children, are trying to figure things out and how to control our lives.
• Write what you want to know. You'll experience what you never imagined. If you take the chance, something will change, not just your manuscript...you! ~Suzanne Morgan Williams

• Don't worry about how long it takes, worry about making it right.
• Nothing can make you feel worse than to compare yourself to someone else. It's important not to beat ourselves up. We all have our own journey, we should celebrate our own journey.
• Never give up because you might be on the one yard line, and you just don't know it. ~Donna Gephart

• Part of the fun for me is when I get to go out with my giant turkey head and do book signings.
• They told me you probably shouldn't show so much penguin butt. ~Lee Harper

This year I also learned that no matter how childish an idea seems (like going on the swings on a lovely spring day), never be too ashamed to share it with others (especially if you are at a conference full of people who create books for children). They might just want to join in on the fun, and you might make a friend in the process.

I think the most important thing I took away from this conference was to live and write with more freedom. As an adult, I think I've gotten away from expressing my true self. There isn't one reason for this that I can pinpoint, but I blame some combination of worrying about what others think of me, trying to follow all the "rules" of society, and in general just being too self-aware.

It's time for me to let go a little. To do and not think. To write drafts with more abandon. To be more relaxed when I send query letters. To not be afraid to let my true personality show through. What have you been working on lately?

*Rise Against

"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made"*

A few weekends ago, my twin-not-twin sister and I took a trip to the publishing capital of the world for the NYC Teen Author Festival. There was a week's worth of workshops and readings, but we were only able to go for the massive book signing that featured more than 45 authors at Books of Wonder.

My sister is an avid YA reader, so she was super-excited to meet some of her favorite authors. I was excited as not only a reader but also as a YA writer because the kidlit world is full of such generous people who are always willing to talk and offer encouragement.

Australian YA author (trust me when I say that there is some seriously awesome kidlit coming from down under) Melina Marchetta admitted that she was nervous that no one would know who she was, which was so surprising because she wrote the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award winner Jellicoe Road. I mean she has some serious U.S. fans, one of whom is my sister...I think the main reason she wanted to trek all the way into the city was to see Melina. I picked up a signed copy of her new book The Piper's Son.

Two authors who "I know" from Verla Kay's blueboards that I was looking forward to meeting were Maggie Stiefvater and Danette Vigilante. I have been dying to read the final installment of the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy, which is called Forever. Unfortunately, it isn't out until July 12th (which just happens to be my b-day), so I had to settle for having two books I've already read signed: Shiver and Lament. Maggie wanted to know which one I liked better and I copped out on my answer by citing reasons why I like both...Shiver because of the fantastic love story and Lament because of all the fantastical elements.

(There's my sister, Maggie, and me...picture courtesy of the person standing behind us in line!)

Danette signed The Trouble with Half a Moon for me. She commiserated with me over the fact that I'm on the agent hunt. Surprisingly, Maggie told me that she actually like the process of subbing to agents. I don't know that I've ever heard another author say this (maybe she'll switch places with me for a little while...that way I can try my hat on as a best-selling author and she can wait on pins and needles to get e-mails--mostly rejections--from agents).

(Here's Danette and me...this one my sister took.)

I also had a really nice chat with Sarah Beth Durst, who I didn't really know that much about, except that she wrote a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon called Ice. She signed my copy as my "future reader.

Finally, I met the tired-looking and prolific David Levithan (he organized the Festival) and had him sign Will Grayson, Will Grayson (now I just have to track down his co-author John Green and get him to sign it too) and Emily Lockhart, who signed The Boyfriend List (I didn't remember to bring my copy of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, so I'll have to catch up with her another time).

Events like this always make me dream about the day I get to do a book signing in NYC...it'll happen someday...or at least I keep telling myself that! And don't forget to check out my tsunami post and comment to help raise money for Japan.

*Jay-Z