FREE writer’s conference

Ever heard of the Muse Online Writer’s Conference?  Well, it’s that time again folks. 

I experienced this free event last year for the first time and can’t say enough about what a totally marvelous opportunity this conference is for writers of all levels, all genres and all interests.  (I wrote about it in my October 2008 blogs but it looks like they have a new website this year so I’ll post it below.)

Where I live, there aren’t a lot of writer’s conferences, other than a small local one every August.  The closest SCBWI event from me is an eight hour drive away.

For anyone who wants to attend a conference but can’t for whatever reason, this free online conference is something not to be missed.  I refer to last year’s handouts and free ebooks continuously and have joined the online group to keep informed of this year’s upcoming activities.

Check out their website at:
http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/index.htm

Register early - you don’t want to miss this event!

Now all I have to do is figure out how I can get out of running my business the week of the conference so I can spend every spare minute there…hmmm.

How does the summer affect your creativity?

Today’s the first week of August and technically we’re into the last half of the summer season.  Have you been on a vacation?  Had company from out of town?  Spent time at the beach? 

These are all typical summer activities, especially for those of us who live in a place with four very distinct seasons. 

I used to think that the long days of endless summer sun would call me outside and away from my computer.  I imagined two months of little or no writing time.  Let’s face it - summer goes by quickly, right?  We have to enjoy it while it’s here.

But summer also means that my business (performing arts studio) runs fewer programs, leaving me more free time.  I tend to be someone who works best in a structured schedule and following deadlines.  So, for the first couple of weeks off the summer after I started my business, my writing output was minimal to non-existent.  This was summer - time to relax, right?

But soon I found myself packing a hard cover writing book, several pens and a couple of books in my beach bag.  The more time I spent at public beaches, parks and shopping malls, the more ideas I began to imagine as future writing projects.  Interactions between families or groups of kids playing together spawned poems about friendship, summer activities, weather and other such topics.  An idea for a play about kids at a summer camp came to mind.  I even penned a mystery/ghost story as I wondered about an abandoned old shack on a patch of land overgrown with foliage.

We’re writers - right?  It’s what we do.  It only stands to reason that it doesn’t take long for our surroundings to begin to supply us with all sorts of ways to be creative.

I love living in a place with four distinct seasons.  I love feeling the different energy that each season gives to my writing.

WINTER:  

It’s cold out (and dark a lot more) so I can hunker down with a big project or finish up pieces that I’d started but not completed.

SPRING:   

A time for renewal - time to send out those subs I’ve been working on all year.

SUMMER:  

Less structured but a time to re-energize and find the creativity around me.  Time to get all those new ideas down.

FALL:      

School starts again.  Classes begin at our studio.  It’s time to get into action and work on several projects, prioritizing which ones require my attention first.

How do the seasons affect your creativity?

Self publishing - it’s not for everyone!

Okay, I’ll say right out that I’m probably going to get a lot of comments on this post and I’m prepared for that.  But before you comment remember this:  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion!

I’m just flabbergasted at the growing number of authors who have decided to self-publish.  Now, before you get defensive, let me clarify that I mean the number of fiction authors. 

I totally get that doing a POD book or an ebook that’s an information guide might be a more lucrative way to go for some non-fiction subject matter.  I also understand that some writers may only want to make a few copies of a book for family and friends for a special occasion and self-publishing allows them to do that.

I don’t have anything against POD technology or self-publishing per se.

What I don’t understand is why any author who’s truly stoked about his/her novel being published and available in bookstores would choose to self-publish.  So many vanity press companies have such bad reputations (we’ve all read the countless complaints about Publish America).  And major booksellers won’t stock self-published or POD books.

I know what you’re thinking.  It takes forever to go down the traditional path.  You don’t have to tell me - I know!

I’ve been slugging it out as a writer for many years and started seriously submitting about seven or eight years ago.  It’s frustrating as hell to wait for six months or longer to hear back from a publisher. 

But as I stare at my folder filled with rejection letters, I can’t help but notice a pattern.  More often than not my rejections now come with short, personal notes.  A rejection’s still a rejection but seeing something like “cute story, great character, unfortunately we’ve recently published something similar” tells me that my kidlit PBs aren’t always getting passed by because they aren’t good.  Sometimes it’s just bad timing.

I’ve managed to publish enough magazine clips, both in kidlit publications and also some NF, that I do feel that I’m making headway.  A recent acceptance by Writer’s Digest for an article in an upcoming market book keeps me hopeful that with each rejection, I continue to work harder on making my writing stronger and that it’s only a matter of time.

Nope - I haven’t broken either the kidlit PB market or the adult suspense genre but I’m not willing to feel like a sell-out by self publishing.

Okay, before you throw daggers in my direction, I know that self-publishing isn’t always a sell-out.  But there are a lot of really bad self-published books out there - badly written and badly edited.  I don’t want my book lumped in with those.  Also, these vanity presses charge the author a lot of money and often the quality of the finished product is terrible.  (I have heard positive exceptions regarding the quality of Booklocker.com and Lulu.com)

My philosophy is simple:  If it’s meant to happen for me, it will.

I’m doing the groundwork:

• researching publishers and agents
• following the specific guidelines when submitting
• only sending my very best work
• getting my work critiqued before subbing it out
• editing and revising
• researching the markets
• making contacts at conferences and online
• honing my craft
• never giving up

Will I change my mind one day?

Never say never, but I doubt it!

Self publishing is not for everyone and I really believe it’s not for me.

Just do it!

I think I may have mentioned that I co-own a performing arts studio with my best friend.  We teach classes in dance, music, drama and creative writing.  Our students range in age from 3 years old to senior citizens.

Sunday night we received some very disturbing news.  One of our students, an eighteen year old girl, was killed in a head on collision.  She is one of three children, all of whom participate in several of our programs, as does their mother.  So, we have quite a history with this family.

Well it’s been a sad few days.  Visiting her mother, we marveled at her strength at such a horrible time and we cried with her as she anguished over the loss of her first-born.

If you’re still reading this I’m sure you’re wondering what any of it has to do with writing. 

As people, I think we all tend to take life for granted, sometimes more than other times.  If we aren’t sick and we aren’t old, we believe that we have all the time in the world ahead of us to conquer and pursue our dreams.

But tragedies like these clearly remind us how fragile the whole balance of life and death really is.  None of us know how it will all unfold.

So if you want to write a book, what are you waiting for?  Just do it!  Don’t let time slip away because you don’t know how much time you have.  Don’t waste another minute complaining.  If you want to write…write.  If you want to get published…submit.  But don’t wait.

Just do it!

You never know who may be reading what you’ve written

When I first started subbing out my work, I listened to the advice of more experienced writers as I worked on getting some clips in my portfolio:  Start with smaller publishers/publications first.

So, that’s what I did.

Although I had more rejections than acceptances at first, it wasn’t long before I was able to get a few articles accepted, for pay, by ezines and websites.  I also cracked some of the smaller children’s magazines and ezines, allowing my first kidlit poems a chance to be read by a wider audience than the children at our studio.

I’m thankful that a lot of these smaller publishers accept work on its merit, rather than the reputation or publishing record of the submitter.  If it weren’t for them, would any of us newbies ever get our feet in the door?

More recently, as many of you know, I’ve turned my focus to two areas.  One, my first adult suspense novel and two, writing plays for our drama students.  I’ve managed to sell some of my playscripts to middle school drama clubs and children’s programs at some smaller professional theatres.  I’m working on my novel’s final revision so it can start making the rounds with agents and editors.

But last week, to my surprise, I received a very interesting email from an editor of Writer’s Digest books.  It seems that he is putting together a new “market” book and wanted to know if I still had rights to an article he’d read online. 

I was amazed.

I was also fairly certain I hadn’t sold anything other than the electronic rights to this article in question, so I checked.  Yes, I still had all other rights.  So, I emailed him the exact information and he responded with an offer to include my article in Writer’s Digest’s newest market book, coming out in December of this year. We are currently in the process of doing some tweaking and negotiating the contract. 

I’ll publish more details once the contract is signed and everything’s a go for sure.

But this brings up two very interesting points about the power of the internet and having a web presence.

1.   
The editor told me they almost never reprint articles that were originally published online but my article caught his eye because of its appropriateness”
to the new book

2.   
This article was written back in 2000 and sold to a small online writing website ezine.  I had cracked a small market and was happy to have been accepted for publication.

And now, several years later, a piece I wrote for one of the smaller publishers is now going to debut with one of the biggest.

So always write with integrity and submit your best work.  You never know who may be reading what you’ve written.

What I love about Stephen King

I’ve always had this internal urge to create.  I remember organizing the neighborhood kids into characters and giving out scenerios that we could play.  My parents tell me that I used to sit on my swing set for hours and sing songs that I made up on the spot.  I loved making up stories and writing them down.  I especially enjoyed pretending to be someone or something else when I played.

I was often accused of having an over active imagination…as if that was a bad thing!

Only as an adult have I come to realize that this creativity, which rears itself in the forms of music and writing, is truly a gift I was blessed to be given.  Whenever anyone asks me why I bother to write books when so far, I’ve only managed to crack some magazine markets, I can only give one reply:  Because I can’t “not” write.

Stephen King has a FAQ page on his official website and I absolutely love his answer to the question:  Why did you become a writer?  Here it is, copied from
http://www.stephenking.com/pages/FAQ/Stephen_King/whywriter.php

“The answer to that is fairly simple-there was nothing else I was made to do. I was made to write stories and I love to write stories. That’s why I do it. I really can’t imagine doing anything else and I can’t imagine not doing what I do.”

That’s one thing I love about Stephen King.

I remember enjoying what I would refer to as “scary” movies and watching them with my mother on nights when my dad would be at work or volunteering at a local organization.  My mother introduced me to Alfred Hitchcock and I immediately became a fan of the genre.  I loved the quirky way Hitchcock would appear in his films and part of the fun of watching them was to see if I could spot him.

Although I prefer King’s books to any films made from his stories (with the exception perhaps of Misery, which was an excellent film), King developed that same quirk of appearing in bit roles in his own movies.  That’s another thing I like about Stephen King.

I took an online workshop years back and the one thing I remember about the plotting seminar was that we were all told to ask ourselves “what if”.  It brought me back to my childhood drama games again.  I can still hear the voices of my neighborhood friends in their enthusiastic high pitches yelling “what if I…” followed by a plethora of different scenerios, keeping us playing for hours.

Who knew that Stephen King would subscribe to the “what if” method, but according to his FAQ, King applies this technique to his writing all the time. 
Another reason I love Stephen King.

• I love the fact that Stephen King lives in Bangor Maine, not Hollywood or New York. 
• I love the fact that Stephen King’s wife is also a writer
• I love the diversity of King’s subjects
• I love the fact that King writes every single day
• I love that Stephen met Tabitha in a library
• I love how his books can still scare me after all these years

So that’s what I love about Stephen King.

Why don’t you like me?

Revising my novel has become part of my daily routine.  Even when I’m not re-writing scenes or slicing chapters, I’m constantly thinking about Eleanor, my heroine, and Mel, my villain.  They’re inside my head and they won’t be silenced, each vying for my attention.

I don’t like Mel - that’s a given.  He’s controlling, abusive, deranged and unpredictable.  Now, considering he’s the villain in my suspense novel, I guess those are good qualities.

But the revelation I had while working on a chapter the other day was that I’m not sure I really like Eleanor, either.  My critique group has eluded to this once or twice saying things like:

• Eleanor seems to cry too much
• Although someone might actually react like this, it doesn’t seem to draw me into her (Eleanor) as the heroine of a book
• Eleanor often lets someone else help her instead of facing things herself

And the more I re-write and revise, the more I’m beginning to see Eleanor as less than the strong woman I first envisioned her to be. 

So what do I do now?

How can I write passionately about someone I’m not sure I like?

Eleanor can’t help that she was a victim of serious verbal, physical and sexual abuse.  Eleanor can’t help that she’s terrified of Mel.  But, Eleanor can help herself.  She did it once before.  She got away from him.  She has to do it again, not only for herself, but for her readers.

So Eleanor, you’ve challeneged me to review what I’ve revised.  If I don’t like you, how will my readers?

The revision process is a long and complicated one but on the other side of all this hard work a better novel will emerge!

Suspense/mystery links

Just thought I’d share some links that might be of interest to other suspense/mystery/thriller novelists.

http://www.hycyber.com/MYST/myst_writers.html
Alphabetical listing of mystery and suspense writers

http://www.writerswrite.com/fiction/michelemartinez.htm
Writing Suspense (article)

http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/index.htm
Lisa Gardner’s site - articles, tips, tricks, etc.

http://www.hackman-adams.com/articles/index.htm
Lots of links about “thrillers”

http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Ways-to-Inject-Suspense-into-Your-Novel&id=177867
How to inject suspense into your novel (article)

http://www.mysterymentor.com/
Marilyn Henderson’s website (the author who did the professional critique of my
suspense novel)

http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/
ThrillerFest 2008

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/genrefiction/tp/mysteryrules.htm
Ten rules of good mystery writing

http://www.poewar.com/mystery/
Ten tips for writing your mystery novel (but many of the tips just apply to good
novel writing in general)

http://www.writingclasses.com/CourseDescriptionPages/GenrePages.php/type/O/ClassGenreCode/MY
Mystery writing courses

Hello, is anybody out there?

The writing life is a solitary one, isn’t it?

Endless hours spent in front of the computer monitor writing, revising and researching. 

A single coffee cup, a notebook and a favorite pen pass the time as I people watch, listening for that one excellent snippet of conversation or finding that one unique character for my latest project.

The reference section of the local library, where I find it so easy to get distracted into researching several projects at once.

Whiling away the afternoon at my favorite bookstore, not caring that I’m sitting in the childrens’ section, reading the latest MG adventure novel.

Oh the luxury to find the time to read purely for pleasure!  Is that even possible now that I’ve embarked on my writing journey?

Writing can, for the most part, be a very lonely and isolating activity.  But thanks to the internet, that isn’t the case anymore.

With all the online writing groups, forums, listserves, critique groups and blogs, I no longer worry that I don’t live in a major metropolis, a stone’s throw from agents and publishers.

I really enjoy listserves.  I get the messages in digest form, downloaded into my Outlook Express, so I can read them offline.  Currently, Yahoo Groups has over 100,000 writing-related groups with listserves.  Some of my favorites are:

Childrens-Writers (for those who write PBs, MGs, YAs, articles etc.)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/childrens-writers/?yguid=162578819

Fiction that Sells(Genre fiction markets and tips)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FictionThatSells/?yguid=162578819

Musical Makers(for musical theatre bookwriters/composers/etc)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/musicalmakers/?yguid=162578819

There are also tons of online resources for critique groups, workshops, conferences, writing sites and more.  Check out this page for a whole host of links to get your started:

http://www.thewriterssite.com/direct_pages/writing_feedback.html

So remember, no matter you live, you can connect with other writers online in a great number of different ways.

 

I owe it all to Mary Higgins Clark

As you all know, I’m furiously working on my final (I say this “tongue-in-cheek”) revision of my adult suspense novel, “When Love Won’t Die”.  It’s been a lengthy project for a couple of reasons.  After writing and rewriting, I decided to put my novel through a critique group and professional critique, adding more time to the year or so I had previously spent writing my first draft.

Sometimes as I sit in front of my computer screen, wading through all the critiques and weighing in on the suggestions from my peers, I wonder why I continue to plod along on this project.  Look at the odds.  It’s harder than ever for a first-time author to get a book deal these days.  More and more publishers are closing their houses to unsolicited subs.  And then there’s the catch-22 of needing an agent to get published vs. being published to get an agent.

Sometimes, when I’m stuck (usually doing research), I enjoy a trip to a local bookstore.  Seeing all the books lining the shelves reminds me that each of those authors had to start somewhere and hey, if they can do it, why not me?  And then I meandor over to the fiction section where the suspense/mystery/thrillers are kept and see the plethora of titles by Mary Higgins Clark.

I’ve read Mary’s books for longer than I can remember and I continue to enjoy how she interweaves her characters and plot twists into stories that keep me guessing until the last pages.  She has twenty-six suspense novels to her credit and her next one, “Where are you now?” comes out later this year.

But Mary Higgins Clark didn’t have an easy time of things.  She grew up in a one parent family (after her father passed away) and sought out a more prolific career in an ad agency before trying her hand at her passion, writing.  In 1956, she sold her first short story.  Even after marrying, Mary faced a huge challenge when her husband died, leaving her alone to raise five children.

Every time I think about not having enough time to write or how life is getting in the way of my creativity, I immediately see this young woman, getting up at 5 a.m. every day so that she would have 2 hours to write before her children woke up and had to get ready for school. 

I guess I’d have to say that I owe it all to my inspiration, Mary Higgins Clark.  Her story, her books and her accomplishments are what help keep me motivated when it would be easier to give up.

For more news on Mary Higgins Clark, check out this site:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm?sid=33&pid=352932

So thank-you, Mary Higgins Clark. 

Who or what keeps you going?

Pros and Cons of Critique Groups

Being a writer can be a very lonely profession. For some, this isolation becomes a real deterrent; preventing them from achieving any real kind of success.  Critique groups

provide a wonderful lifeline, especially for the newer writer.  But what exactly is a

critique group?

 

Before the internet, critique groups consisted of individuals living in similar geographic locations who desired to connect with others for support, networking and feedback.  Geographically, the internet has opened the door for writers from all around the globe. Online critique groups enjoy membership from a wide variety of places.

 

When making the decision to join a critique group, whether online or in your local community, writers should consider the following in their research:

 

1.  What do you want to get out of belonging to the group?

 

2.  How much time will participation take?

 

3.  What are the goals of the group?

 

4.  Is the group genre-specific or general writing?  (Know which you’re looking for

     when investigating potential critique groups.)

 

5.  How big is the group?  (More than 10 participants is often too large a group.)

 

Obviously newer writers can receive great benefits from participation, but many seasoned professionals consider critique groups a continuously useful tool as they prepare and submit manuscripts.

 

As with anything, there are always pros and cons. Let’s take a look at these as they apply to critique groups.

 

PROS:

 

1.  Receive feedback on everything from grammar and style to character, plot, tone, 

     POV and much more.  Critique groups are a great place to test out new works and

     first drafts as well as fine tuning a manuscript before sending it out.

   

2.  Provides a place for encouragement and interaction with other writers. 

   

3.  Critiquing the work of others is a great way to become a better editor of your own

     work.

 

4.   Writers are exposed to each other’s styles and unique voices.

 

5.  Although the critiques are the focus of the group, network opportunities also exist

    in everything from leads on contests to information about publishers and agents as

    well as wisdom from those with experience in different areas of the business.

   

6.  The submission deadline, usually once per week, is often the nudge many writers

     need to continue to produce new work or stay with a longer project (like a novel).

 

7.  Writers can easily miss small errors in their editing but the critique group offers

     several pairs of eyes who can spot these mistakes.

 

Critique groups, then, can be a great place to test out new works or give final drafts one last tweak before sending them out.

 

CONS:

 

1.  Is it safe to show your work to strangers?  (Although this can be of concern, the

     many writers surveyed for this post agree that critique groups are quite safe.)

    

2.  Harsh critiques can be discouraging.  (Remember, you must decide if the

     criticism is constructive and whether or not you choose to use the advice given is

    is always up to you.)

 

3.  The time it takes to critique the work of others can become time away from your

     own writing.           

 

It is apparent that the pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to critique groups.

Do your research.  Before you join any group, make sure that they meet your needs so that belonging to a critique group can be a helpful tool in your ongoing quest to become a better writer. 

Keeping yourself motivated on your revisions

Writing a first draft is an exciting adventure for me.  As I develop my characters and start to get to know them, I enjoy sending them into different situations and seeing how they react and respond.  I wait eagerly for them to push my plot into new areas and take me down new paths.  In fact, I even enjoy the research required to make my manuscript credible.

But we all know that the first draft is simply that.  It isn’t a polished manuscript, reading to submit to agents or editors.  (At least I hope we all know that!)

So, we send it through a critique group or writing partner and await feedback.  Again, an exciting time for me as I read comments and criticisms of my work, hoping to make the writing stronger and the book more saleable with each new batch of feedback.

Now comes the part of the process, and yes, I can hear some of you groaning, that I feel really takes the work:  Revisions.

When I first got my adult suspense novel back from Marilyn Henderson, with the 12 pages of single-spaced, typed critique, I cringed.  Could she seriously have this much to say about my masterpiece?  But as I read through her comments, one thing became clear.  Revising is necessary if I want a chance to get represented by an agent or publisher.

But with revision comes change - sometimes huge change. 

I took Marilyn’s advice to remove a character from my original draft.  This one revision sent a domino wave of changes through my entire manuscript, resulting in deleting complete chapters and totally rewriting others.  Sometimes it feels like I’m writing a whole new book.

Now, I’m submitting all my chapters to my online critique group, hoping to get enough feedback to make this final revision my best work possible.

But this project has dominated my writing life over the past two years.  There are times when I wonder if it’ll ever be polished enough to send out there.  And then, when it’s making the rounds, how long will it take before it gets noticed?  Or will it ever even get noticed?  When I think like this, it can become easy to just chalk the whole experience up to a exercise in the discipline of writing an entire novel and then move on to the new projects I’m anxious to begin.

So how do I stay motivated on continuing and finishing this final set of revisions?

* Knowing I have to submit to my critique group keeps me working on the
        revisions.

* When I get tired of revising, I research publishers and agents in my genre,
   which gets me excited to finish my manuscript.

* To help motivate me to workon the revisions, I keep a post-it on my
   computer that says, “How badly do you want it?”
 

* I re-read my book from the beginning and get excited about the story again.

* I read my favorite author, Mary Higgins Clark and picture one day being able
   to read a published copy of my own book.

* I talk about my project to friends who enjoy listening to the thoughts of a
   budding novelist, which gets me jazzed about my book all over again.
     

We’ve all heard it enough times:  Make sure you submit only your best writing.  Well, that’s what I intend to do.

Oh, and I forgot the most important way to get myself motivated to get back to my reivisions:  I blog about it!

Thanks for listening.  I’m off to re-write the next chapter.

 

What’s the SCBWI?

Are you a children’s book writer or illustrator?  Even if you aren’t published in the kidlit genre, the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) is an organization you should become familiar with and consider joining.

For the aspiring writers & illustrators looking for their first break, the SCBWI offers a plethora of resources including:

* writing conferences (international and regional)

*a network of writers/illustrators/publishers/editors/agents/librarians/teachers/
  booksellers - all available to offer valuable information to SCBWI members

*a bi-monthly newsletter

*grants/awards (Golden Kite award)

*a website filled with constantly updated information for anyone seriously
  considering writing and/or illustrating children’s books (online discussion groups/
  current market listings/critique exchange opps/links to member’s websites
& so much more

And there’s one other benefit that I feel is really an important one for writers looking to get their first book published.  Let me explain.  Many publishers’ guidelines state that they only accept work from agents.  But how does one get an agent without being published.  It’s such a catch-22. There are some publishers who still accept unsolicited manuscripts but there aren’t as many of those these days.  However, many publishers (even those who prefer agented subs) will look at packages from unpublished writers if they are members of the SCBWI.  So, belonging to the SCBWI could get your foot in an otherwise “private” door.

And the best part is that there are two different membership levels:

1.   Full membership (writers & illustrators commercially published or
produced as well as agents, publishers & editors)

2.  Associate membership (unpublished writers & illustrators or those
published in a field other than kidlit)

Full members can have a link to their own website, too.

I’m a proud member of the SCBWI, and have been for the past four years.

Check them out online at:   http://www.scbwi.org/

 

Waiting…waiting…waiting…

Why do you write?

I write because I have to.  I can’t stop the ideas from creeping into my mind and begging to be released onto paper. 

I write because I enjoy watching the effect my writing has on every reader.

I write because it’s part of my job - my favorite part!  (I write original playscripts for our drama department)

I write because, like most writers, I do want to be published. (Currently finishing my final revision on my adult suspense novel and working on a YA novel)

And luckily, I have had some success in the publishing world.  One of my essays was featured in a book published by Penguin Putnam called “Dear Mom:  I’ve always wanted You to Know
http://www.lettersfromtheheart.com/store.htm

I’ve had some articles published online:
http://www.musicalmakers.org/mmanswers.html
http://www.absolutewrite.com/screenwriting/business_of_playwriting.htm
and in the ezine for Filbert Publishing.

Several of my children’s poems have appeared in both Online magazines as well as national children’s magazines:
http://www.weeonesmag.com/  (Sept. 2004 issue emag)
http://www.writing-world.com/foster/foster04.shtml  (April 2006 issue of Dragonfly Spirit emag)
http://www.myfriendmagazine.com/  (May 2005 magazine)
and two upcoming acceptances for 2009 in Hopscotch for Girls magazine (What’s a Marsupial? and The Language of Tap)
http://www.funforkidzmagazines.com/frameset2.html?target=hs

Subbing out your work, waiting for a rejection or acceptance, and waiting for the final product to hit the shelves can span from several weeks to several years.  I sometimes feel like being a writer is like being in the longest line at some government office - the line that seems to never move as the clock ticks away the moments of your life.

But there are things I can do while I play this neverending waiting game:

1.     Let go of whatever I’ve subbed out and get busy on the next project.
2.     Keep the file of rejections that proves I’m a working writer.
3.     Keep a two-year calendar and highlight all the dates of my acceptances so I
        can look forward to those days.
4.     Keep reading works in your chosen genres.
5.     Stay on top of new trends in the publishing world.
6.     Blog about how annoying wa

And hey, get up from the computer once in a while and remember that even though you’re working hard at being a writer, there’s still a whole wonderful world out there to enjoy.

 So - what are you waiting for?

Weather and productivity - what’s your connection?

Talking to writers always fascinates me.  I enjoy hearing about everything from where writers get their ideas to their favorite places to write.  Some writers only conceive new chapters at the computer.  Some prefer the portable word processor, the Alphasmart.  Personally, I really connect using my favorite brand of pens and a large, hard cover journal with lined pages.

But more than the tools that I use, the weather has a profound effect on my productivity and I feel lucky to live in a place with four very distinct seasons. 

If I’m indoors in my little home office, I love writing when it’s cold, windy and rainy outside.  The gloomy weather, coupled with a hot cup of java provides me with the perfect scenerio to get down to some serious writing.  And it’s during those rainstorms that I must abandon my “pen in hand” writing method for the computer because once the words start coming, the only way I can keep up with my brain is to type.

So why don’t I get the same boost from those dark, cold winter nights?  Is it the cup of cocoa that numbs my power to create and instead encourages me to curl up in the front of the TV with a good movie?

Believe it or not, I actually prefer my little windowless home office to a bright cheery room or even the outdoors.  If it’s gloomy outside, the entire house has that cozy feel of darkness approaching when I turn on the soft, energy efficient light. But if it’s a sunny day, a window tempts me to abandon all thoughts of writing and get outside and enjoy the weather.

I must admit that I do, at times, enjoy writing outside amid the beauty of mother nature.  Sitting on a beach on a sunny afternoon, feeling the moisture from the surf as the waves splash onto the sandy shore provide me with a place to destress as well as scribble down new ideas for stories, or create new characters.  But as far as productivity goes, the rainy day wins hands down every time.

So does your writing have a connection to the weather? 

***For those unfamiliar with the Alphasmart portable word processor, check them out online at:

http://www.alphasmart.com/Retail/