Once again, I sit in front of the monitor, fingers dancing on the keyboard, wondering why the heck I am doing this. I am my only reader. This blog that I had dreams of becoming a writing blog with people visiting and leaving bits of input here and there has turned into a journal. I guess that's ok. If at some point I am able to connect with others who have a passion for writing I will then be able to set up a blog that gathers appropriate traffic.
I sent out a pb ms to ABC Picture Book Competition. I sent out another to Dragonfly Publishers for another competition. I heard back from Enslow Publishers and they didn't show any interest in hiring me to write non-fiction books for them. Sigh. Since I sent out two to them; one for K-3 and the other for Middle Levels; I count that as two of my seven. So at this juncture, I have heard back from three of the seven. These last two sure sounded like rejections. The first one said that my resume was on file. I sent an article to a kids magazine and they rejected it. So for 2009, it looks like I am not really in great demand. Heavy sigh.
Will I give up? Not a chance. Something is driving me to write. It's a force greater than I am. I just haven't found my niche. I hear it calling me. It just won't properly identify itself. I am working on a pb to send out to Sylvan Dell and I feel pretty good about it. They are such a class act. They "marry" fiction and non-ficion and it's really fun to write. That's what is in the works at the moment. After that, I'll resurrect my ya sci-fi ms and breathe new life into that one.
May the force stay with me!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Frosty February Findings
Right off the bat, here, "THE" groundhog saw his shadow. Now, let me tell you this...that is dreadful news; at least for me. I love the sun. I love to go outside in the fresh air and do my hooking up with nature thing. I do not like the bitter cold and the deep snow and if we have that many more weeks of it, then my depression will only worsen. Since I try to look on the bright side (I said TRY...I don't always succeed), it can mean more time to write. Right? Right! Write!
Since my focus for this blog is writing, then I need to stay focused here. I have had three rejections so far this month. It's early, so it's possible that more may darken my days. Then again, perhaps that acceptance that I KNOW is coming my way will do just that. In the meantime, I have gotten myself in deep with so many ideas that I am scattered like snowflakes over the field. The flake part of that bit is more true than I want to even admit...I guess I just did.
I have my sci-fi ya ms that I have left on simmer; I have a cb contest that I am writing for; a well known greeting card company has just sent out an sos (in general...not to me personally...sigh); I have recently gotten amazing glimpses into a part of my father-in-law's role in WWII and really want to write his story...it's so amazing; I want to submit to one of my fav cb science houses and have so many science ideas that I zip all over the place and can't seem to settle down; and there are several poems that I have percolating in various parts of my brain...gee I wish they'd get it together and stay put! I know that I need to focus on ONE project, see it to its finish and submit. I know that. Really. Maybe I should write about ADD! I do have it. Obviously.
There are two words that keep surfacing as I read my writing mags, list serve entries and such. They are as follows; "Smart Writing." Man is that giving me a run. I get the writing part of it, but SMART. It has so many outfits. So, who do I write to...the kids or the editor/publishers?! Both? Cripey. That's a tough sell for an unknown (that would be me, in case you don't know). In an effort to perhaps get a taste of what is selling, I went to Amazon and ordered too many newly released novels for kids, including this year's Newbery Winner. I'll devour them once they get here and then sit back and wonder if I had just experienced "Smart Writing" or palatable writing for those pubs. I will say this much...it's all overwhelming. I'll stay the course, and may very well eventually say to hell with it, I have my own voice and if they don't like it...well...then...I really don't know. That is then. This is now. I must post this, do some chores and write.
Since my focus for this blog is writing, then I need to stay focused here. I have had three rejections so far this month. It's early, so it's possible that more may darken my days. Then again, perhaps that acceptance that I KNOW is coming my way will do just that. In the meantime, I have gotten myself in deep with so many ideas that I am scattered like snowflakes over the field. The flake part of that bit is more true than I want to even admit...I guess I just did.
I have my sci-fi ya ms that I have left on simmer; I have a cb contest that I am writing for; a well known greeting card company has just sent out an sos (in general...not to me personally...sigh); I have recently gotten amazing glimpses into a part of my father-in-law's role in WWII and really want to write his story...it's so amazing; I want to submit to one of my fav cb science houses and have so many science ideas that I zip all over the place and can't seem to settle down; and there are several poems that I have percolating in various parts of my brain...gee I wish they'd get it together and stay put! I know that I need to focus on ONE project, see it to its finish and submit. I know that. Really. Maybe I should write about ADD! I do have it. Obviously.
There are two words that keep surfacing as I read my writing mags, list serve entries and such. They are as follows; "Smart Writing." Man is that giving me a run. I get the writing part of it, but SMART. It has so many outfits. So, who do I write to...the kids or the editor/publishers?! Both? Cripey. That's a tough sell for an unknown (that would be me, in case you don't know). In an effort to perhaps get a taste of what is selling, I went to Amazon and ordered too many newly released novels for kids, including this year's Newbery Winner. I'll devour them once they get here and then sit back and wonder if I had just experienced "Smart Writing" or palatable writing for those pubs. I will say this much...it's all overwhelming. I'll stay the course, and may very well eventually say to hell with it, I have my own voice and if they don't like it...well...then...I really don't know. That is then. This is now. I must post this, do some chores and write.
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