Packets

After what seems like an eternity to me, I have gathered, organized, honed, redone, tweaked, and prepared the contents for packets to send out to a small handful of carefully chosen publishing companies whose sole purpose is to sell non-fiction to schools and libraries. These packets look like large paper envelopes. These large paper envelopes contain yet more papers with writing on them. However, that could not be farther from the truth. These packets actually contain glimpses of who I am as a writer of non-fiction. These seemingly innocuous packets could make the difference in my future as a writer of non-fiction. I am putting myself out there, as it were, to toss and turn as the waves of a battered economy take charge of the directions that these packets may take. My writing samples need to find their ways to editorial directors who are looking for just what I have to offer. The slush piles are greedy. They can't wait to claim yet another soul of a writer. The truth of the matter is clear. There are many of us. MANY. The market is flooded as the waves continue to do what they do best, depending on the weather conditions. My packets could easily get lost in the storm. OR, they could get washed ashore, gently, like a message in a bottle, to be found by just the eyes who are looking for them. So, I'll send them off, with a prayer for them to find a home. Do wish me luck.

November's End

E-Gad! Well, I have recently read that when blogging, one doesn't apologize for not having kept up with ones blog! So, I won't apologize for not having kept up with my blog. OK? Having said that, I do wish to explain my apparent absence. For the past month+ I have been immersed in an online course, as explained in a previous entry. It was rich! At this point, I am 99.9% ready to send out "packets" to a handful of educational publishers. The beginning of December is a good time to get yourself out there as they are beginning to think ahead to their spring catalogs. Here's the thing; it's all about timing. Well, I suppose one needs to be able to handle the craft of writing non-fiction as well...that would help. So, when I go to the post office to deliver my paper children to the unknown and sometimes fickle hands of fate, I shall offer them up as a blessing, not unlike an ancient Mayan priest who is about to offer up his youngest daughter to the hands of the gods as he makes every effort to NOT look into the bowels of the volcano! (Yes, I realize that I came very close to a run-on sentence there!) After that, I will wait for the gods to smile upon me with news at some point in the not too distant future that one or more of the ed pubs would love to offer me a contract!

October's End

I have to spend more time on this. It's essential that I stay in tune with my objectives for this site. It's about writing. It's about who I am as a writer. It's about who I am becoming. Each day brings with it more opportunities to deal with the craft, even if it's no more than a fleeting thought that I grab from the ethers to think about later for my use. It is an energy that surrounds me, runs through me, and tickles my imagination. I am trying so hard to direct that energy from there to my fingertips so that I can do what I so desperately want to do. Write. It requires a discipline that is akin to an athlete who is training for the Olympics. I had no idea it would be so difficult. My small world is full of distractions and being ADD (diagnosed and I believe it!) it takes all of my will to stay in one place long enough to get those words either on paper or in Word or Clarisworks, depending on which machine I am using at the time. I can do this. It niggles at the back of my brain during all of my waking hours. It even surfaces while I sleep, because I often recall dreams where I have been doing something that is writing related. I know that I am supposed to be doing this, because I am driven. As the saying goes, "it is written."
I will be finished with my online course with Laura Salas re: writing non-fiction for educational publishers in another couple of weeks. It has been intense, but she is good. I am learning so much. I feel good about it and it was no mistake that it happened to grab my attention. My first love is fiction, but this is very satisfying as well. I would love to create some works of truth that kids actually enjoy reading, whether it's for research or just pleasure.
I am currently working on an article to submit to the group for critiquing. It's about the box jelly that is found in Australia. Kids would love it because the critter's venom is strong enough to kill humans and rather quickly at that. The thing would give me nightmares if I lived there!
That's all for now. I am promising myself to be more faithful to this blog after I finish the course.
Over and out...

Educational Publishers

I am going to start on online class re: writing for educational publishers on September 29th. Laura Salas is teaching it and it really sounds and feels like a direction that might very well work for me. I adore writing fiction. I love writing poetry. However, I taught fourth and fifth graders for nearly forty years. It makes sense to me to marry my teaching experiences with writing for educational markets. I am really excited to begin. Hey..."nothing ventured, nothing gained," right?

in the beginning...

My writing career began when I learned to read. I fell in love with books from a very early age. In fact, I am relatively certain that this affair with the written word began many lifetimes ago. At any rate, although I remember little about my childhood, I do remember the excited feeling that I would get when we went to the library or had a chance to write stories. The other bit that I am able to recall from my childhood is around visiting my best friend's house and recording stories that I would tell. I always began with "Once upon a time," and the rest would be made up as I would go along. When I was in high school, I was part of a small group of storytellers that would go to the local library and tell stories to small groups of elementary aged children. From there I went to college and was told by my creative writing teacher that I had talent. After I graduated from college I was fortunate to land my first teaching job. From there, life took over. I got married, had two children, and taught school for the next thirty-nine years, earning my masters, national board certification, and the presidential award in excellence in elementary science for my state (Maine) as I zoomed through my life's story. I am presently sixty-one years old and have yet to fulfill my dream to write to publish. I have much to offer and have worked at honing my skills and continue to work. It's an ongoing and never-ending process. Having said all of that, I am anxious to begin. Do wish me luck.

positive attitude

It's the end of August. I am actually not sad to see summer's end. It's been hot, humid and wet most of the summer and the mosquitoes have run rampant. Perhaps the fall will bring with it the gift of sunny days without biting insects. One can hope.
This is my first entry on Blogger/Blogspot. I have a blog set up on livejournal (http://lindakuzyk.livejournal.com) that I have used to capture my thinking and I will keep it alive. I will use this one for writing in general. My livejournal blog is for writing as well, but this one will have a different flavor. I am making a promise to myself to write every day and the positive attitude will come about as I keep my promise to myself.
I hope to meet other writers and in the process, learn from them and hopefully have them learn from me.