Surprises, Successes and Disappointments

Our surprise addition to our menagerie. Her favorite place to sit is on me while I type.

What an amazing month or two. Busy yes, who isn't, but we managed to travel home and spend much needed time with family. We had my entire extended family (except one niece who's currently overseas) in one room at one time. Watching my kids connect and reconnect with cousins and second cousins was magical. 

Once all the dust resettled, I did manage to sign up for Julie Hedlund's 12 days of Christmas program--12 days of inspirational exercises for writers. 

Day two's exercise included writing our surprises for the last year. On day three, we wrote about our successes, with the added prompt to blog about them--a thought I loved. So, here are my surprises and successes for 2015:

Surprises:

• Had three separate agents express interest in pitches and queries
• Had an agent ask me to write an article for a blog she's involved with
• Realized how much I like the agents I meet and want to be friends with them all
• Understood an entire conversation in basic Spanish
• Received an honorable mention for my Halloweensie story
• Realized I really like writing for older children as well
• Adopted a kitten my husband found in the gutter

Successes:

• Narrowed down three strong picture book manuscripts
• Wrestled my historical-fiction middle grade novel into a revisable edition
• Wrote a picture book draft every month
• Revised picture book drafts every month
• Jotted down an idea for a new middle grade fantasy novel

Then came day four: Write your disappointments for 2015 (max at five), then make a big inner critic judgement about them, followed by a sound judgement. Whew, here are my five:

Disappointments: 

• Twitter pitch got favorited, but MS rejected: I can write a pitch but not a story: If I can write an interesting pitch, I can write an interesting story.
• Manuscript requested based on query, but MS ultimately rejected: This story is never going to work: If I can write a query, I can find a way to rewrite my MS.
• Haven't found the right fix for the middle section of my middle grade novel: I just can't write: I have a good beginning and an interesting ending, which means I will find a middle.
• Wasted too much time on social media: I have no discipline: I made valuable connections, which helped me learn more about the craft of writing.
• Had too many days where I wondered why I was still writing when so many better writers are out there: I just don't have what it takes: Who cares, I am writing the stories only I can write.

There you have it. Perhaps if any of you are stuck in a similar place, these exercise might help. Give it a shot and good luck. And a very Happy New Year to all.

P.S. An excellent video to start off your new year: 

The Importance of Community in Writing

Books by Dianna Hutts Aston

I had the fortune of meeting some writers through PiBoIdMo, run by Tara Lazar, who lived in the same area as me, so we started a Facebook group to keep each other informed of writer's events in our area. Word of our group spread, and we grew from a handful of members to over 30.

As I added the people requesting to join the group, I realized how many of them had amazing credentials. It made so much sense to pool that local knowledge, so we decided to have our own mini-workshop.


 
We had the first one, of many I hope, a week ago. About 13 of us, and the presenters, met in a library (the rooms of which you can usually reserve for free) and listened to award-winning author, Dianna Hutts Aston, talk about her inspiration, where her stories came from and how she got her start (She even talks about money in the full presentation for those who are curious about that aspect of publishing.). 

We were then treated to a tour-de-force presentation, by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, on using mentor texts to guide your writing. I've heard Marcie speak on this subject before, but I still learned so much. 



I put their full, well mostly full, presentations on YouTube (included at the bottom), but above are two very brief videos that showcase just a bit of what they talked about.

Besides learning how to improve my writing from these talented women, I also learned that a gathering of writers can empower an individual. We learned from each other as we exchanged ideas and knowledge, and offered suggestions and insights to those seeking ways to overcome a specific writing hurdle. 

I'd highly recommend forming smaller groups within your communities that you learn with and from. It's a more personal way to strengthen you in your writer's journey.

Have a great weekend and please see below for the full presentations.

Kick the Critic to the Curb

Blech--oranges don’t taste so good after you've brushed your teeth.

On a more flavorful note, I’ve been reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I’m ashamed to admit it’s taken me this long read her book, but it’s part of my assignment for the picture book class I’m taking.

You Can...

Still think you want to write for children? You can, and Tracey E. Dils has a book to get you on your way, You Can Write Children's Books Workbook. 

I ran across this writing book while looking for another one and popped it into my cart. I'm glad I did.

Here's a basic overview: 

Be a Child

I’m fortunate to be taking a 10-week picture book class from Joyce Sweeney. I’m only one lesson into it, but loving where this class is taking me. I asked Joyce if it was kosher to share some of her tips here and she very generously replied.

Here are some of the lessons I gleaned from week one: