How Do It Happen?

Where does the time go?
      How can the days in a week turn out to be so short?  Not short as in total number of minutes or hours but short in "as where did the time go?" and "can't believe the week is over."  We spend years of our lives in a job out of the home that we love. Oh how the days go so slow as we talk around the water cooler. We get to a phrase in our lives -  now everyday and every week goes by as a whiz or whirl.
      I'm rambling, right? Yes, but we are free to do that in our busy, get it done, hurry up world. 
       I wish I had more time to sit, type and explain. Got to run. 
      So... I'm going to post twice a week and put myself on a schedule.  Why?  I work best from a schedule.  More to come.   

Potential Opportuntiy

Have you heard of The Institute of Children's Literature?  Founded in 1969 in West Redding, Connecticut, it offers writing home study courses.  Institute instructors teach children's writing through written correspondence with their assigned student.  Information and responses by the instructor guides writing development from a beginner writing level through  the potential submission of a manuscript. Resources to support growth in writing are readily available if the student seeks them out.  No endorsement here but worth checking out!

My time with the Institute is over after almost two years. Special thanks to instructor, Marcia Amidon Lusted for her friendly letters of encouragement and honest critiques of monthly assignments.

Writing fiction/nonfiction articles for a children's magazine with my new learned knowledge is anticipated. Actuality of being published something to look towards.  Anticipated rejection from publishers seems part of the business.  Reality of debut author-a dream!  

ReadingPal

"We so strongly believe that the future of our state rests in the hands and minds of our youngest that we have personally contributed to the launching of ReadingPals--an early literacy initiative in ten Florida regions.  Our goal is to ensure that more children are reading at grade level by the end of
third grade."   Carol Barnett

Reading Pal Program
A three year initiative sponsored by The Children's Movement and United Way that focuses on engaging,training and deploying volunteer "reading pals" for children at local schools.  Tampa is one of the ten regions for this program.

Looking forward as a volunteer to interact with kids in the schools. Can only assist writing craft as reading and writing, go hand in hand. New direction in new chapter.

Summer Delights

"The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."      Mary Heaton Vorse
"Don't say the old lady screamed-bring her on and let her scream."   Mark Twain
"Find out what your hero or heroine wants, and when he or she wakes up in the morning, just follow him or her all day."   Ray Bradbury

The summer reading list is shorter. 
My reasons and I'm sticking to them.   
* hot, humid and rainy afternoons 
* putting "butt in chair"  
* reading late into the evening (all night,too)
* letting dust settle on the furniture

I found new characters with personalities that could be loved and hated chapter by chapter.  Settings that makes one gasp, giggle and yawn. Adventure, lost hope, and discovery of self.  Books that spoke to me at every turn.    
Go forth and read. You owe it to yourself. Make it happen.       

School Days

Children waiting at school bus stops.  Schoolhouses full of eager new teachers. College bound 'kids'  going away for the first time. Kindergartners with first day jitters and mid-grade students in their new 'diva outfits'.   The million of dollars in sales of school supplies. School days are here.

Two exciting books for sharing with kids during reading time or homework time.
From author Mac Barnett with wonderful illustration by Dan Santat.
Stories for the youngster in each of us!
www.macbarnett.com                
www.dantat.com
www.Hyperionbooksforchildren.com

OH NO! (OR HOW MY SCIENCE PROJECT DESTROYED THE WORLD)
2010 Disney Hyperion Books New York, NY

OH NO! NOT AGAIN! (OR HOW I BUILT A TIME MACHINE TO SAVE THE STORY) (OR AT LEAST MY HISTORY GRADE)
2012   Disney  Hyperion Books New York, NY 

Enjoy!

  

Day Tripper

Oh, for the public library.  Opportunity to write for one hour. The words come fast. My hand moving the pen over the paper to get them down.  One great hour of true bliss. 
On my way out, I pick up a new novel and several picture books for the weekend.
Humor is good for the soul.  I laugh when I get home and open my bag on the dining room table.

Why did I pick up the DVD- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ?
I am planning to take a trip to Hawaii. Any connection?

The novel Mennonite in a Little Black Dress  by Rhoda Janzen
The RNC in Tampa beginning Aug. 27.  From fancy parties  to zealous protesters, leaving town is a great option to keep the faith in politics and peace of mind. 
 
Children's picture books:  Think Big by Liz Garton Scanlon, OK GO by Carin Berger and Hand Book by Jeff Newman  (49, 79 and 45 words respectively)
Short easy books for my cluttered mind

Five bookmarks
Why only five?  I usually get a handful.

Six pamphlets on events coming to the library soon.
See Jane run. See Dick run.  See Spot run. 
No, not today.  No, not tonight.

I love the public library. Support your favorite librarian. Go for a visit. See what you bring home.

Lots of Its

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working."    Pablo Picasso

"Cultivate the inner self; its power becomes real."  Lao-Tzu

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always try just one more time."      Thomas Edison
                                   
Thoughts, Ideas, Inspirational moments
   Talk about it ....
         Use a friend as a sounding board to make it real.

     Think about it...
         Quiet, peaceful moments to relish the what it is.

     Write about it...
          Journal, draw, create with it.

     Don't get down about it...
         Whatever it may be; its okay, work with it.

     Reality check it...
          Will it really work or does it need revisiting?

     Move it and shake it...
           Change a word, add a paragraph, sleep on it, dream.
   
     Give thanks for it? Or not?  It belongs to you!

Kick in the Butt

 Inspiration and Motivation?

The heat of the day is stifling and the humidity makes your hair cling to your neck.  The music on the radio lift your spirits as you drive down Hummingbird Lane.  The name of the street inspires you to stop the car, pull over, whip out your journal and write the final pages of your novel. 

OR NOT!

You begin to think of ways you've been motivated in the past few months.  
Dr. Oz motivating you to eat right.
Oprah, who expects you to have self esteem and inspire others.
The threat of the job loss if you don't play your cards correctly.
Diet newsletters like Weight Watchers and MRC encouraging you to lose weight. 
Articles in a magazine like Real Simple that want to keep you organized in everyday life. What a concept?  Room in a closet for more stuff when your done cleaning.

 OR

Is it in a hammock feeling lazy with a margarita and a good book? 

Wait a Minute

Where does the time go in the summer? 
        My list of summer reads keeps getting longer and longer.  Why? How?
I think I know! Does this happen to you day after day?
       The big box bookstore with the best coffee and  thousands of books sits next to the mall. I can't resist the urge to stop, browse and buy more books.  Oh, instead of $100.00 a pop, I have it under control - only $25.00 - $30.00 at the checkout. On to the mall and quickly get the "must have" dress for the party.  I rush to my car knowing the bag full of books is in the car, drive home, with a plan to read all night.  Didn't happen-golly jeez!
      I pass the library as I rush to the gocery store.  I stop, rush through the double doors thinking to myself, What's a half hour of book bliss? Children books, YA, large print adult books, magazines and so much more.  Using my card, I check out a dozen children picture books to study for plot, characters and setting.   Now I wait for the rainy afternoon-it happens most afternoon in Florida.  Didn't rain!
      Drinking a cup of tea with honey, I think of all the other places books can be found in my daily life.The museum store where I docent, my local independent bookstore and the books already collecting dust on my bookshelf.  Not a good time!

Oh, joy, bliss, heaven, its time to read!
Which one comes first?
mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine    
The Kissing List by Stephanie Reents
Fifty Shades Darker  E.L. James  

What is on your list? How much time do you give to yourself to indulge in a book? 

Membership Counts

      The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a professional international organization for writers and illustrators of children's literature.   Visit the website: www.scbwi.org to find a calendar of events, regional information and other resources. Become a member and have special access to the latest publications, and the discussion boards where you can participate in the SCBWI online community.
      
     SCBWI writing craft workshops at a regional conference can help a writer kick up their manuscript a notch.  Members have the opportunity to meet authors, editors and agents on a personal basis. Networking  with others is motivating and reflects the true professionals in the business. 
      SCBWI members reach out to each other, learn from each other and share successes.
      How do I know?  As an SCBWI member for over three years,  I met debut authors in Miami (regional) and at the New York conference.  Authors sharing advice and suggestions that made their book a reality.  Their vision, intense efforts, time management, revisions, edits, marketing plan and just plain sheer determination.    
     Made me a believer - Dream big, develop writing craft, work hard and persevere.            

Comfort Zone

Where Do You Sit On The Fence?

 Think new ideas,  be visionary, a beginner of  random chaos.  Make a friend, read a book from your favorite author or better yet, a debut author. Run in the rain, sing in the shower and smile at your boss.  Attend a lecture on a subject you know nothing about.  Any joy you wish you could be doing.  Let the thing surprise everyone around you.  Something new!

BUT don't forget!  Be there for an elderly relatives birthday, reread that treasured old book, sit on an over sized sofa to dream.  Remember your favorite day over ten years ago. The very thing that may surprise you.  Be comfortable.  Something old!


  
:
When I learn something new-and it happens everyday-I feel a little more at home in the universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.      Bill Moyers  A World of Ideas  


Blank Canvas

"It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas."  Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) French Postimpressionist artist

For the writers and artists who look out a picture window on a Sunday morning to see blue sky, void of clouds, and steam coming off the road.  A picture to become part your canvas as you create your story line.  
Writing, hour after hour, the sky fills with puffy grey clouds and a thunderstorm threatens.     
The canvas changes, as does the scene within the story.
The setting, plot, characters ebb and flow.    
No blank canvas, no writers block, bliss at the keyboard.  Oh happy day!   

Before Her Time

New chapter in life

Mary Anne Evans (1819-1880) well known English novelist, journalist and translator is better known under the male pen name of George Eliot.   
In 1850-1856, living in London, she developed herself as a writer of essays and as a contributing editor of  The Westminister Review a political journal, she wrote of the need for realism not trivial romance fluff  in women's storytelling.
In 1858,  she took the male pen name George Eliot to protect her private life and be ensured her works would be taken seriously.  Women writers were not uncommon but she wanted to stand out as she developed her novels. 
Some of her literacy works include Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), and Middlemarch (1871-72) and Daniel Dermonda (1876). 

        In 1880, at the age of 61, she fell ill and died of kidney disease.  In 1980, a century later, a memorial stone was established for her in the Poets Corner of Highgate Cemetery in London. 

Which brings me to writing of  Mary Anne Evans aka George Eliot today.
 She was a women of her time, however, knew she wanted to give women a stronger position in a man's world.   Her writings would tell stories of influence, power, religion and politics similar to a Greek tragedy.  She is well known for her quote, "it's never too late to be what you might have been," leads me to believe in her final years as a writer she had more to share with world. 

In the right times, could she have been our first women president?  a secretary of state? a prime minister? a queen of her country?     

       

Come Over to My Place

The Fourth of July fireworks---innovative and refreshing.  The sparkle, flash, and sizzle awakened brand new story thoughts.  Multi-colors twisting and swirling with the west breeze. Designs exciting youngsters and  the young at heart.

Get ready!  My new web site coming your way.  Working with Donna Farrell,  my very own  web site will be up and running  soon. A new home for inspirational thoughts, links,  blogs, kid projects, book sharing, author notes, and more.   Stay tuned.    
 

The red, white and blue

Happy birthday, America! 
Flash from the fireworks, splash in the pool, sing America the Beautiful!
A fun-filled day across this great land!