Ahh! Lovin' The Country Life

Every year, well for the last seven years or so, we've been blessed with watching a family of geese. I affectionately named the parents Edgar and Edna. Edna puts her nest on the island in the center of our pond. She rarely leaves the nest, but will occasionally come to the house for a bit of bread. Edgar on the other hand, is quite cute at the beginning of the nesting period. After a while though, he becomes a pest. He follows me around when I am outside, he peeks in the windows, and he even recognizes my car when I come into the driveway. I have to up our food budget so I can feed Edgar! He is a begging goose. He wants white bread...absolutely no sourdough or rye! He will even snatch bread from my hand now.  Seven little ones arrived last week and Edgar and Edna are teaching them to come for bread. We know the time is short. Every year, they take the little ones to a neighboring pond where they will stay until they are nearly grown. They'll come back here until they are ready to fly away. Then next year, it starts all over again!

Blanchard Intermediate School

Blanchard Intermediate School invited me to visit on their Family Reading Night. This was held before spring break (and it was also the birth week of Dr. Seuss),

 

The children were reading and taking tests for their AR points. They served a beautiful birthday cake and Seuss juice (how clever) and I was honored to read my book to the children. School is fun!

Writing Project

My current work is a chapter book. This book is for grades 1-4 with the younger children reading with parents or teachers. The main character's name is Mila Louise Denton. I can't tell you how I arrived at that name, but I am curious to hear how other authors decide the character's names for their books.

SCBWI Conference

The conference is quickly approaching, and I am wondering what I will take from it. There will be agents and editors speaking. I will even have a manuscript critiqued by an editor. That is an amazing thing and doesn't happen everyday. These are some of the many benefits of being a member of SCBWI. I plan to be like a sponge, soaking up every drop of experience, knowledge and inspiration available. I also am going with a positive mental attitude and a willingness to hear honest feedback and to observe other successful authors and illustrators. Counting down the days!

It's Not What You See On TV

One of my favorite movies is 'Romancing the Stone' with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. (Yes, I am a creature from the 80's. I was the best decade for music and movies!)

If you've seen the movie, you know it is about Joan Wilder the romance novelist. I watched her type on a manual typewriter, bawling her eyes out, living the story. She never makes a mistake! I can't type three words without having to correct something.

At the end, she rips out the last sheet (my typing teacher would have cracked me over the head) and adds it to the large stack. She puts the stack in the envelope and Voila! off to her publisher. I know many writers, myself included (if I can humbly say that I am a writer), and no one writes like Joan Wilder! There are revisions, critiques, rewrites, etc. It takes a long time. It's not easy!

Many people think if you write children's books, it's the easy way out. You have to advance to writing for adults. Not so! Writing for children much more difficult. You have to see the world as a child, write something children will love,  leave half the story for the illustrator, write so the parents will love it, and don't forget--minimal word count.

If writing were like the movies make it seem...the world would be filled with writers! It is an arduous task. You have to love it and put in the effort to succeed.

Happy Writing!

Confirmation for Conference

I got my confirmation in the mail on Saturday for the SCBWI OK Spring Conference.  I am excited for that day. It will be a chance to mingle with other writers and as Anna (our SCBWI Regional Advisor) says, "Learn the craft." Learning for me has been ongoing since I joined SCBWI.

At the conference, our guest speakers will be:
Liza Kaplan, Editor, Philomel Books, Penguin Group
Melissa Manlove, Editor, Chronicle Books
Andrew Harwell, Editor, HarperCollins
Kristin Miller-Vincent, Agent, D4EO
Tricia Lawrence, Agent, Erin Murphy Literary

This is BIG! To actually be face to face with editors and agents and have one of them critique your work...it's an opportunity that doesn't come along everyday. We hold these people in such high esteem. Can you tell, I'm getting anxious for March to arrive?

In Limbo

I'm sure every writer goes through it. One day the ideas are flowing, the next day, not so much. I guess I'm in that predicament. I'm working on a story, and I'm stuck. I know kind of how I want the story to go, but I can't seem to make it there. I thought if I relaxed and forgot about it for a while, it would come to me. So far, I can't seem to make it past that hurdle. I don't want to say I'm a quitter, but I am seriously thinking about putting this story in a file and coming back to it sometime way down the road. I will be starting a new project today. Hopefully, this one will come easier. Actually, no one ever said children's writing would be easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done.  I still believe in going after what you want, so I will keep fighting my way through. Someday, it's going to happen, and when it does, it's going to be BIG! Dream big or don't dream at all! 

Two Lies and a Truth

The annual SCBWI Christmas party is coming up, and there is a game that will be played called, Two Lies and a Truth. I've never played it before, but it's really simple. Everyone writes three statements about themselves and gives to the leader. Two of the statements are lies and one is true. I just turned 50 last week so you would think I have enough interesting life experiences to easily whip out one truth and then a couple of tall tales. I'm so stressed out! My face reads like a book. Anyone who looks at me can tell exactly what I'm thinking. I can't get a falsehood out without looking like I should be sent to the big house. I 've been dwelling on this for about two weeks, and I think I've come up with one pretty convincing lie and a truth that hopefully nobody will believe. Two down and one to go. It's going to be fun to see if anyone can figure out the truth from the lies. Now, to practice my poker face!

ReadOK Update

After leaving the capitol last week, I was exhausted. The staff expected 200-700 children to attend. I got an email later that there were 2000+. Now, I understand my need for an afternoon nap! It was a great event. I hope all the children enjoyed the day away from their desks and out getting some good  Oklahoma fresh air.

Barbara Park, An Inspiration

Barbara Park, (Junie B Jones) has always been an inspiration to me. I love her writing! My daughter and I read Junie B Jones when she was young. It was great to hear her laugh out loud at the antics of 6 year old, Junie. The language was just as if it were coming from a 6 year old, which made it relatable and funny. Thousands of children and parents alike love those books. I believe there are forty something to date.

 I'm writing an early chapter book and was researching the word count of the Junie B Jones stories. I was heartbroken and shocked to read that Barbara passed away today from ovarian cancer. Young readers around the world have lost a gem.

I was also amazed to read the negativity surrounding Barbara Park's books. Some school libraries have banned them, and some parents have written vile posts about her stories. It seems some feel the language was not written correctly. Junie B says 'runned' instead of 'ran' and has called her friend a dumb bunny. So what? For perfect grammar,  read a textbook. These books make children want to read. They improved reading skills. What more can I say? Don't we, as adults, read books that don't necessarily use English in the proper manner? Reading takes us away from problems we are facing, depression, pain, etc. Reading takes us to lands we may otherwise may never visit. Reading opens our minds to things we may never be exposed to. 

I, for one, am a huge fan of Barbara Park. Through the years, she has made many people smile. I hope to be half the success she was.

Rest in peace, Barbara Park. You will be missed.