June flashed by me and I guess July did as well. It has been a busy summer, despite the drizzly, rainy, humid, depressing weather. The big event has been the arrival of my daughter, granddaughter, three dogs and two cats. Husband/Daddy will be deploying to Iraq for a year during the first week in August. The girls and furry family members will be staying here with me, my husband, one dog, four cats and a rattie. It will be a potentially life-altering set of circumstances. It should give me a plethora of ideas for children's stories, however! I just hope that I have time to write them!!!!
That's "it" for the moment. Over and Out.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
It's July! June got rained out...
I have been a bad, bad blogger. I am so sorry that I have let my huge numbers of followers down by not posting! serious wink here
It has not been at all productive, in terms of writing. My mind has spun out a few, but never to be captured on paper or epaper. I like that word...epaper. :-) I haven't heard from anyone else whom I sent things out to. I guess I should at least jiggle a chain or two. My promise to me is that I will get back at it as soon as I complete some tasks that need to be done on the physical plane. The mental will have to wait.
My daughter and granddaughter will be moving in with us for 12-15 months while husband/daddy deploys to Iraq. He has been told that his company's mission will be to work on rebuilding the city and they shouldn't see any combat. I have noticed that the violence is escalating in Iraq as our combat troops move out. That is not good. We will worry about him and pray for his safe return. In the meantime, the girls will stay here, along with three small dogs and two cats. We have one large dog, four cats and a rattie. So, my energy has gone into culling and organizing and cleaning and basically wearing myself out. It has been raining here in Maine "forever." It is unreal. The rain has kept me inside, doing my hard physical labor. However, the lack of sun has made things all dreary, damp, dank, and depressing. How's that for a bit of alliteration?
I felt the urge to get a post in, as I made a promise to myself that I would try to make this a blogsite. It has turned into a journal, but I guess it is what it is. I'll never get a following if I don't seriously break into print. I'll never seriously break into print if I don't write!
Sigh! Over and out.
It has not been at all productive, in terms of writing. My mind has spun out a few, but never to be captured on paper or epaper. I like that word...epaper. :-) I haven't heard from anyone else whom I sent things out to. I guess I should at least jiggle a chain or two. My promise to me is that I will get back at it as soon as I complete some tasks that need to be done on the physical plane. The mental will have to wait.
My daughter and granddaughter will be moving in with us for 12-15 months while husband/daddy deploys to Iraq. He has been told that his company's mission will be to work on rebuilding the city and they shouldn't see any combat. I have noticed that the violence is escalating in Iraq as our combat troops move out. That is not good. We will worry about him and pray for his safe return. In the meantime, the girls will stay here, along with three small dogs and two cats. We have one large dog, four cats and a rattie. So, my energy has gone into culling and organizing and cleaning and basically wearing myself out. It has been raining here in Maine "forever." It is unreal. The rain has kept me inside, doing my hard physical labor. However, the lack of sun has made things all dreary, damp, dank, and depressing. How's that for a bit of alliteration?
I felt the urge to get a post in, as I made a promise to myself that I would try to make this a blogsite. It has turned into a journal, but I guess it is what it is. I'll never get a following if I don't seriously break into print. I'll never seriously break into print if I don't write!
Sigh! Over and out.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ta-Da!
OMG! I am about to become a published poet! On my son's birthday, no less, I got a message from Silver Boomer Books about a poem, "Child of Summer," that I submitted ages and ages ago. They want to include it in their upcoming anthology. I am going to link their blog to this blogsite as soon as I figure out how. I can include the URL, and that's what I will do now... www.silverboomerbooks.com
I got a REAL contract and even though I am but one piece in the book, this is a real "MOMENT" for me. I am thrilled!
A "lesson" is forming itself in my brain even as I write this. The biggest expenditure of my creative energy goes into writing fiction and/or non-fiction for kids. I belong to GROUPS, I READ, I STUDY, I LEARN how-to's and not how-to's, and I SUBMIT! I get rejections. Now, my poetry? That comes from WITHIN. The lesson is continuing to form itself. Right now, it is misty and wispy. You see, I DO need to know the industry, in terms of writing prose. Really. But I am trying so hard to do it RIGHT. Am I leaving myself out of the formula in the process? I need to really chew on this one!
In the meantime, I have to say that I feel so happy today. Linda, the Poet! OMG.
I got a REAL contract and even though I am but one piece in the book, this is a real "MOMENT" for me. I am thrilled!
A "lesson" is forming itself in my brain even as I write this. The biggest expenditure of my creative energy goes into writing fiction and/or non-fiction for kids. I belong to GROUPS, I READ, I STUDY, I LEARN how-to's and not how-to's, and I SUBMIT! I get rejections. Now, my poetry? That comes from WITHIN. The lesson is continuing to form itself. Right now, it is misty and wispy. You see, I DO need to know the industry, in terms of writing prose. Really. But I am trying so hard to do it RIGHT. Am I leaving myself out of the formula in the process? I need to really chew on this one!
In the meantime, I have to say that I feel so happy today. Linda, the Poet! OMG.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
May 20th
Today is my son's 40th birthday. I feel blessed that he has been in my life. He is special and I love him dearly. I won't get to be with him, except in "spirit," because we live four hours apart. Sigh.
I have just decided that a good part of my energy needs to be devoted to setting up a space someplace that is MY writing space...an office, if you will. My stuff is scattered all over the place; boxes, folders, different rooms, etc. Now, that is just not working for me. Will it make me a better writer? I doubt it. However, it will make me a more organized writer. In the long run, it will help. Now, this all begs the question..."where?" I have no immediate answer. I do know, however, that it has to happen.
I'll keep my endeavor posted in this blog. Sigh. Hello? Is anyone out there? Does anyone "shiv a git?" I do, so I'll keep plugging away at his blog.
Happy Birthday, my Sweet Son. I love you with all of my heart.
I have just decided that a good part of my energy needs to be devoted to setting up a space someplace that is MY writing space...an office, if you will. My stuff is scattered all over the place; boxes, folders, different rooms, etc. Now, that is just not working for me. Will it make me a better writer? I doubt it. However, it will make me a more organized writer. In the long run, it will help. Now, this all begs the question..."where?" I have no immediate answer. I do know, however, that it has to happen.
I'll keep my endeavor posted in this blog. Sigh. Hello? Is anyone out there? Does anyone "shiv a git?" I do, so I'll keep plugging away at his blog.
Happy Birthday, my Sweet Son. I love you with all of my heart.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Rainy May Day...
Guess what? Nobody reads my blog! I have it attached to the end of my primary email acct, yet nobody bothers to come here to check it out. Owie! I feel INVISIBLE!
Speaking of invisible, I am now at the seventh day of the NaPiBoWriWee and did not succeed, in terms of cranking out seven rough drafts of picture books. HOWEVER, AND this is a biggy for me...I DID come to the finish line with ONE that I really like. I do have six others that I am going to go back to. I have also learned something about myself. I cannot start and stop and then come back and continue where I left off. If I start and finish in one sitting, then I can do a really rough first copy. If I leave off (and I always do, with the exception of much of my poetry) and then come back, I have to read the beginning to get back in the groove of where I was headed when I stopped. I AM NOT able to just whip through and continue. I find my areas that can be tightened up and/or changed altogether and get mired in the re-write before I get to that place to continue. Thus, time passes and my forward momentum is lost. Heavy Sigh, here. So, in terms of the challenge I failed. In terms of getting a picture book almost done, I succeeded. I would not have done even one without the challenge. So, thank you, Paula Woo. You have inspired me! www.paulawoo.com
Day 7 is not over yet. I am going to go and finish that PB. Its title is "How Do You Hide A Dragon?" I am having so much fun with it! Now, where is my notebook..............
Speaking of invisible, I am now at the seventh day of the NaPiBoWriWee and did not succeed, in terms of cranking out seven rough drafts of picture books. HOWEVER, AND this is a biggy for me...I DID come to the finish line with ONE that I really like. I do have six others that I am going to go back to. I have also learned something about myself. I cannot start and stop and then come back and continue where I left off. If I start and finish in one sitting, then I can do a really rough first copy. If I leave off (and I always do, with the exception of much of my poetry) and then come back, I have to read the beginning to get back in the groove of where I was headed when I stopped. I AM NOT able to just whip through and continue. I find my areas that can be tightened up and/or changed altogether and get mired in the re-write before I get to that place to continue. Thus, time passes and my forward momentum is lost. Heavy Sigh, here. So, in terms of the challenge I failed. In terms of getting a picture book almost done, I succeeded. I would not have done even one without the challenge. So, thank you, Paula Woo. You have inspired me! www.paulawoo.com
Day 7 is not over yet. I am going to go and finish that PB. Its title is "How Do You Hide A Dragon?" I am having so much fun with it! Now, where is my notebook..............
Monday, May 4, 2009
Oh My...It's May!
My "Word!" March whipped by me and then April evaporated. Now it's May. I love May. The buds on the trees and bushes are ready to burst open. It will very quickly go from the promise of spring to full blown spring...bugs and all! Yes, giant mosquitoes have landed on my arms already and I have my first blackfly bite. That part of spring most certainly "sucks," but I live in the state of Maine and those pesky insects come along as part of the experience.
I have to pat myself on the back as having completed Robert Lee Brewer's PAD (Poem A Day) Challenge for the month of April. I wrote thirty poems and submitted them. Robert gave us (approx 1500 poets participated!) a prompt each day which gave us a focus and a common start and finish line. I reacted to many of the prompts with "whatever will I do with this one?!" and with others, my mind and pen flew. I am very happy with some of my poems. Robert and his wife, Tammy will be choosing a small number of their favs to send along to some other poets to help him decide which ones will go in an ebook. I'm not holding my breath. It's all very subjective. This is my third PAD Challenge and each time I have done all thirty. It's great for my muses and it gives me a feeling of having accomplished some serious writing. I am happy with that and that's a good thing. Some of the poems that others wrote are truly amazing and it makes me realize how many of us love to write.
Now I am in Day 4 of another challenge. Children's writer, Paula Yoo offered a challenge that she calls "NaPiBoWriWee," which stands for National Picture Book Writing Week. SOOO, I am now buried in pages of picture book beginnings. I have one nearly done and will need to do some furious writing to get caught up. Now, understand this...a good, quality children's book is VERY DIFFICULT to complete. Trust me on that one. I will make every effort to cross that finish line with seven very ROUGH DRAFTS! My ideas are jotted down and I just need to allow the mind and imagination to shift from poetry to prose. Yes, I can do poetry for kids' books, but it is my understanding that many editors/publishers are shying away from that form at the present time. I try to keep my fingers on the pulse of what's shakin' out there, and get conflicting feedback at times, but the rhyming thing seems to keep bubbling up to the surface. It will pass and I will be ready! In the meantime, I need to stop writing here and start writing there!
I have to pat myself on the back as having completed Robert Lee Brewer's PAD (Poem A Day) Challenge for the month of April. I wrote thirty poems and submitted them. Robert gave us (approx 1500 poets participated!) a prompt each day which gave us a focus and a common start and finish line. I reacted to many of the prompts with "whatever will I do with this one?!" and with others, my mind and pen flew. I am very happy with some of my poems. Robert and his wife, Tammy will be choosing a small number of their favs to send along to some other poets to help him decide which ones will go in an ebook. I'm not holding my breath. It's all very subjective. This is my third PAD Challenge and each time I have done all thirty. It's great for my muses and it gives me a feeling of having accomplished some serious writing. I am happy with that and that's a good thing. Some of the poems that others wrote are truly amazing and it makes me realize how many of us love to write.
Now I am in Day 4 of another challenge. Children's writer, Paula Yoo offered a challenge that she calls "NaPiBoWriWee," which stands for National Picture Book Writing Week. SOOO, I am now buried in pages of picture book beginnings. I have one nearly done and will need to do some furious writing to get caught up. Now, understand this...a good, quality children's book is VERY DIFFICULT to complete. Trust me on that one. I will make every effort to cross that finish line with seven very ROUGH DRAFTS! My ideas are jotted down and I just need to allow the mind and imagination to shift from poetry to prose. Yes, I can do poetry for kids' books, but it is my understanding that many editors/publishers are shying away from that form at the present time. I try to keep my fingers on the pulse of what's shakin' out there, and get conflicting feedback at times, but the rhyming thing seems to keep bubbling up to the surface. It will pass and I will be ready! In the meantime, I need to stop writing here and start writing there!
Monday, April 6, 2009
March Marched!
Oh My! March came and went. Lion? Lamb? I couldn't say, really. I got all caught up in a new (to me) healing adventure around the use of sound. I KNOW it's been around for a long, really long time. It would seem that it found me when it was supposed to. Anyway, I spent the better part of the month reading, researching, discussing and trying to learn about some of its facets. I got so excited that I set up a new...yes NEW...blogsite using Word Press. I got it started... I left it. I will return to it. This site took a hit. Nobody reads it anyway...heavy sigh. Then there's my Livejournal site! Good heavens. I guess all of that kind of makes a clear pic of how I operate. I have so many interests, which leads to too many irons in the fires, which ends up with my spinning all kinds of wheels, going nowhere quite quickly!
I am excited to have jumped onto Robert Brewer's Poem a Day Challenge for April. Ah yes, add another iron to my fire. It's day 6, and I have managed to get one in...yes, you (I) read it correctly...ONE!
So, I feel as though I need to try and get caught up somewhat with that. My YA, Sci-Fi MS has gathered dust. I have submitted a few things...gotten a handful of rejections and now need to write some of my favorite ed pubs a reminder that I sent things in. That, of course, could go either way...one scenario is around the fact that my reminder could arrive on a "bad day" and it could further piss them off, so the form rejection letter gets sent to shut me up, or the other scenario might be that it gets to them on a day when positive vibes are floating around like free radicals and they look at my stuff again and love it! Hey, this is my blog. I can succeed if I want to!
So, off to finish washing the stove and getting another load of laundry in. I also need to get a pile of crap out to the compost pile and get my doggy out for a romp before it "rains heavily at times with high winds," as promised. Ah yes, after THAT, I will write. Oh yes, I really need to vack the kitchen floor! THEN I will write. A nap? Maybe. THEN AFTER THAT I will write.
Once upon a time, there was a writer wannabe...she tried and tried...life often got in the way, but she just couldn't give it up...then one day, a letter came in the mail from a publisher whom she had sent a manuscript to months ago. Hands shaking, heart pounding, eyes watering, she opened the envelope...
I am excited to have jumped onto Robert Brewer's Poem a Day Challenge for April. Ah yes, add another iron to my fire. It's day 6, and I have managed to get one in...yes, you (I) read it correctly...ONE!
So, I feel as though I need to try and get caught up somewhat with that. My YA, Sci-Fi MS has gathered dust. I have submitted a few things...gotten a handful of rejections and now need to write some of my favorite ed pubs a reminder that I sent things in. That, of course, could go either way...one scenario is around the fact that my reminder could arrive on a "bad day" and it could further piss them off, so the form rejection letter gets sent to shut me up, or the other scenario might be that it gets to them on a day when positive vibes are floating around like free radicals and they look at my stuff again and love it! Hey, this is my blog. I can succeed if I want to!
So, off to finish washing the stove and getting another load of laundry in. I also need to get a pile of crap out to the compost pile and get my doggy out for a romp before it "rains heavily at times with high winds," as promised. Ah yes, after THAT, I will write. Oh yes, I really need to vack the kitchen floor! THEN I will write. A nap? Maybe. THEN AFTER THAT I will write.
Once upon a time, there was a writer wannabe...she tried and tried...life often got in the way, but she just couldn't give it up...then one day, a letter came in the mail from a publisher whom she had sent a manuscript to months ago. Hands shaking, heart pounding, eyes watering, she opened the envelope...
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