Lists of Lists

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What would I do without lists?

I love lists.

Not only do they keep me organized and make sure I don’t forget things, they also give me a sense of accomplishment.  There’s nothing like checking things off your list to make you feel like you’re being productive.  Sometimes I put things on my list like get up or brush teeth just so I can check them off right away and feel like I’m off to a good start 🙂

The thing is, I have so much to do in so many different areas that I really need several lists.  Which leads to needing a list of my lists.  I am pretty organized (assuming I haven’t imbibed too much caffeine…)

but I am not tidy.  Seriously, look at my desk

When it comes to writing, though, the lists are of limited use.  It’s all well and good to have a list that says:
1. Write an early reader about a boy.
2. Write a chapter of current novel-in-progress (I guess that’s a N.I.P.?)
3. Write a picture book about baseball
etc.

It’s quite another thing to be able to accomplish that list.  It requires:
1. Coming up with viable ideas (not just anything, but something that will actually work and that people will want to read)
2. Actually doing the writing, which seems easy, but so isn’t!
3. Ending up with work that will make it past:
     1. my agent
     2. an editor

in the midst of the housework list
1. scrub bathrooms
2. dust (yeah, right)
3. vacuum everything
etc.

and the schedule list
1. take dog to vet
2. pick up dry cleaning
3. go to child #2’s game
4. take child #3 to the orthodontist
5. revisit colleges with child #1
etc.
oh, and I’m supposed to fit exercise in somewhere…

and the miscellaneous list
1. get car inspected
2. turn over flower beds
3. birthday present for Dad
4. fill out ENDLESS forms for kids’ schools, camps, etc.
5. costume for child #3’s play???!!!
etc.

and this is the short version…. 🙂

Here’s the list I would like to check off this week:
1. Sell one of my currently circulating picture book mss (just one – I’m not greedy!)
2. Finish my N.I.P.
3. Write a new board book, picture book, or early reader that is a definite winner!

No one said the list had to be realistic.  And there’s always that other list that starts out with
1. Keep dreaming!

The Bright Side

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If you’ve noticed a drop in posting frequency lately it’s because the last couple weeks have been professionally challenging on pretty much every level.  Were I to post on that, I’m afraid it would amount to whining which would not make for entertaining or enlightening reading!, so I have elected to spare you 🙂  You may thank me with donations of chocolate 🙂

Anyone who writes will tell you the writing life has its ups and downs.  I feel it’s important to look on the bright side, especially when discouragement is rearing its ugly head.  So here are 2 bright sides, and they are very bright 🙂  First, I got a lovely thank you note from a school I visited.  That was very nice.

And second, Beer is zo moe! is printing – very exciting!  Check it out:

Nicole, the talented illustrator, overseeing color with the editor, Bert Veltman

A sheet of covers!

So, there.  To discouragement I say, “Begone!”

And to myself I say, “Butt in chair.”  Didn’t someone say something along the lines of 99% of success in writing is just showing up?

“Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

NYSRA Conference

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There’s a reason I like to write.

Actually, there are many.  But one of them is, I can sit in the sunshine at my kitchen table in the created world of my choosing, with my two faithful dogs for companionship.

No one stares at me blankly.  There are no awkward silences.  I don’t find myself fervently wishing to be anywhere but there!

Put me in front of a blank sheet of paper or a new Microsoft Word document and I can almost always think of something to say – maybe not the next great American novel, but something.

Put me at the front of a room with a bunch of people (the kind that are over 4 feet tall and 10 years old) staring at me and waiting for me to enlighten them and my mouth goes so dry it won’t work properly, my hands tremble, and I have a sudden first-hand understanding of palpitations.  You know how in books people are paralyzed with fright?  I’m not paralyzed – I shake!  All but my mind.  THAT gets paralyzed.  I can’t think of a single word to say, even with notes in front of me.

So.  How was the conference? you’d like to know.

Well, I’ll tell you.

I drove to Saratoga Springs in the pouring rain.  This is getting to be a habit with these author outings.  It was cold and gray and wet, and I’m wondering if spring will ever come this year.

But I digress.

The hotel was very nice.  Merritt Book Store had set up a beautiful display, selling books by all the attending authors.  I had the extreme pleasure and privilege of chatting with Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter, two wonderful people and fellow authors whom I had met Saturday at the Empire State Book Festival, Michael Garland, the talented author and illustrator of many books for children, and Doreen Rappaport, the inspiring author of many biographies and historical books for children.  I also met lots of other very nice people.

Here is the beautiful poster the NYSRA made for my talk:

Dinner was fun.  I got to witness the formal presentation of the Charlotte Awards, sit with a number of interesting people, and hear all the other authors who were in attendance get up and speak, all of them very inspiring to listen to.

Here is the copy of their new book, Spilling Ink (which I highly recommend!), that Anne and Ellen signed for me as a gift for surviving my talk!

I told you they were really nice 🙂

The drive home was late and also in the rain.

The talk was very scary and I’m pretty sure the only people who wanted to leave more than I did were the people listening!  Thank goodness it’s over… until the next time 🙂

Trial By Fire

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Some writers are very outgoing people.

Others enjoy the writing life because it’s solitary – a life of the mind that doesn’t require constant engagement with other people.

I’m probably somewhere in the middle.  But when it comes to public speaking, I am squarely in the please-no! camp.  (This does not count kids – I’m always happy to visit with them!)

So you will understand when I tell you that, since today I’m off to Saratoga Springs to give a talk to actual professional grown-ups, I am undergoing a whole new experience of the term trial by fire!

Wish me luck!  If I survive, I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.  Or possibly the day after depending on recovery time 🙂

Ebooks and Apps As Tools For Teaching Reading

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OK, folks.  This is serious!

I know I said I was going to finish the week with Challenge #3, but I have changed my mind for two reasons: one, no one’s doing the challenge, (so I don’t expect any heartbreak over a temporary delay – we’ll pick it up next week), and two, I have to give a talk Monday to actual professional grown-ups and I’m feeling just a mite panicky (understatement of the year.)

I’m hoping you all will be able to help me out.

I’m wondering what people think about ebooks and book apps for kids.  What are the pros and cons of these types of new media as they relate to teaching kids to read?  Do they have a place in teaching reading?  Do they surpass traditional books in this area?  Do they merely distract from the actual process of reading with too many bells and whistles?  Do they make lazy readers who rely on the voice that will read to them?  Or, as some have said, do they open new doors, particularly for autistic and dyslexic students?  In what ways?

If any of you have experience with this, especially specific apps you’ve used or seen, I would really love to hear about it.  Parents, teachers, anyone!  Opinions are also welcome!

Please share your thoughts.  I am liable to dissolve into a panic-stricken puddle without a little moral support 🙂

On another note, for anyone who is interested, I will be at the Empire State Book Festival in Albany tomorrow, on a panel about picture books, and the New York State Readers Association Conference (NYSRA) in Saratoga Springs on Monday, where I will be giving the talk which relates partially to this topic.  Also, April Fool, Phyllis! is being featured on The Children’s Literature Network‘s new Book of The Day Fanfare segment today 🙂  And Phyllis wants everyone to know that her prediction of snow on April Fools Day was correct!

How Younique – Challenge #2!

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Part of what makes scientific research work is participation!!!  Five lovely people stepped up for Challenge #1.  Let’s see if we can double it for Challenge #2!  (And maybe Challenge #2 will be more appealing to you :))

For any of you who might not have read the comments, the responses to Challenge #1 were as follows:

1.  I never expected that one day I’d open my closet and find…
     … a raccoon eating my underwear.
     … a kangaroo napping.
     … an eyebrowless gnome in an angel sweater, her pendulous stomach being balanced on tiny knees.
     … a doorway to another world.

2.  It was obviously going to be an unusual day when my mom came into the bedroom and said…
     …”Get up, princess!  Your prince is arriving at the west gate.”
     … “Are you ready to make a mess?”
     … “Grab a diaper for your sister and your pirate eye patch and come with me.”
     … we were moving to the North Pole.

3.  He was afraid, but he called upon all the courage he had as…
     … gulped down a spoonful of fishhead soup.
     … he climbed the tree to retrieve the frisbee.
     … his mother pushed the brussels sprouts under his nose; if Sam couldn’t choke down at least three of the slimy green orbs, his tongue might never again experience the frigid splendor of mint-chocolate ice cream.
     … he knew that Cora, his little sister, wouldn’t be able to escape the evil dragon without his help.

Aren’t these creative, unique and fun?  For anyone who suddenly feels motivated to join in, please feel free to add to Challenge #1.

Now, on to Challenge #2!  Use these three words in a sentence: bike, eyedropper, moon.  I can’t wait to see what you all come up with.  Maybe in the interest of encouraging participation we should offer a prize.  Perhaps followers can vote on which sentences they think are the best, and the winner will receive something fun I have yet to think up….  Please include your thoughts on this in the comments 🙂  (Whether we should do it and what would be a good prize!)

Once again, I will not post people’s responses until tomorrow (or possibly the next day since everyone is busy and doesn’t get around to the blog every day.)

Ready, set, GO!

How Younique – Challenge #1!

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First things first… there are only a couple hours left to bid on my books at Write Hope if any of you happen to be interested…

Now, onto today’s topic: uniqueness (which doesn’t quite sound like a real word…)

When I go on school visits, I’m always telling kids about the importance of their voices – because everyone is different, everyone’s experiences and how they experience them are different, and no two people will tell a story the same way.  But I think it would be fun to see how true that really is….

So.  I’m hoping at least some of you are like me and can’t resist a challenge 🙂

I will give you a sentence to complete.  (Actually, in the interest of encouraging more people to try it, I’ll give you a couple to choose from – please feel free to do more than one!)  I hope lots of people will give it a try.  I won’t post your responses until tomorrow and then we can see how different they all are!  (Really, we’re like scientists here!)

1.  I never expected that one day I’d open my closet and find…
2.  It was obviously going to be an unusual day when my mom came into the bedroom and said…
3.  He was afraid, but he called upon all the courage he had as…

Tomorrow I will give you three words and see how different the sentences you come up with are (Challenge #2.)  And Wednesday we will take cliche’s and try to make them new (Challenge #3.)

Please join in if you can.  We are conducting important research for the benefit of kids’ education 🙂  I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!  And what better way to take a little break from Monday’s work?  Who knows, by finishing the sentence, you may come up with a story starter for yourself!  (Or when I post the responses tomorrow, you might find a story starter in someone else’s sentence!)

P.S.  Due to an underwhelming response on Monday (*cough*) I’m going to leave this post up for another day in the hopes that I might get a few more participants, and do the 2nd and 3rd Challenges later in the week.  Please join the fun, the excitement, the ground-breaking scientific discovery!

The Second Challenge

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So I’ll probably be the last one to post for the Second Crusader Challenge, but better late than never, right?

This time, the challenge is to write a flash fiction story of 100 words or less beginning with, “The goldfish bowl teetered…”  For an extra challenge, you can try to write in your own genre.  You know me.  I love a challenge…

The goldfish bowl teetered in the basket of Jessie’s bike.
“Be careful!” said Jenny.  “Without the fish, the deal is off!”
Jessie pedaled more carefully.  Jenny trotted alongside, hauling the red wagon, ready to grab the fish if it fell.
When they reached Bryan’s house he looked the fish over and nodded in satisfaction.  “It’s a deal,” he said.
Jenny handed over the handle of the red wagon.  “Bye, Joey,” said Jessie and Jenny.  “Remember,” they told Bryan, “no backsies!”
So easy!  All it took to get rid of their pesky baby brother was a single goldfish!

97 words!  Not bad for the Queen of Longwindedness!  Anybody else want to try?

P.S.  A set of my books, inscribed to the winner’s specifications, will be available for bidding on Write Hope tomorrow.  Please spread the word and bid if you can.  It’s such an important cause.

UPDATED LINK FOR THE AUCTION!!!  Susanna’s Books on Write Hope

25-27 Hours

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I’ve decided 24 hours are not enough for a day.  I need more like 25-27.  There’s simply too much to stuff into 24.  (Herein lies the reason that I’m a bit behind on my blog schedule…!)  I’m hoping to get an entry in to the 2nd Crusader Challenge because it looks fun, but I’m currently drowning in work and promotional postcards.  Where is my personal secretary when I need him?  (Oh, right… with my personal trainer, personal chef, personal chauffeur, and personal masseuse – in my personal good imagination!)

So in the interest of time management (not my strongest skill) today’s post is pretty simple – just a little something I wanted to share.

When I do school visits, one of the things I tell the kids is that each of their voices is important.  Each person has things to say that no one else can say in quite the same way.  Each person’s view of the world is unique.  And whether they share that view through writing, art, dance, music, or any other medium, it is theirs and theirs alone.

Yesterday, my husband showed me a quote from Martha Graham, and it turns out she says essentially the same thing (in her own way :)) and she’s somebody famous 🙂

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open". from The Life and Work of Martha Graham


I find these words inspiring, comforting, empowering.  I hope you do, too.  Are there certain quotes that you find uplifting?  Please share!

					

		
		
			





			
				



	
	

					
School Visits
			


	


				

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I love visiting schools.  Sharing my stories with the kids I write them for is a privilege.  Letting them see that authors are regular people, and encouraging them to pursue their own creativity in whatever form it may take, hopefully helps them believe that they, too, can be authors, illustrators, sculptors, musicians, or whatever their hearts desire.


For me it’s been a work in progress, though.  I am not, by nature, the kind of person who wants to draw attention to herself, or who feels like she has any right standing up before a roomful of people and trying to impart anything.  I don’t know about you, but the first time I had to face a roomful of kindergartners I was TERRIFIED!  You think I’m joking?  Uh-uh!  I was so nervous my teeth were literally chattering.  I had to clench my jaw to keep them still, and even that was uphill work.  And let me tell you, it’s pretty hard to talk normally with your jaw clenched 🙂


Eight years and uncountable school visits later, it has gotten easier.  I still shake when I have to address adults (and I’ve got 2 of those gigs coming up the first week of April!) but I have reached a point where I truly enjoy visiting with kids.


I have discovered that there is a fine line between having them really engaged and all-out mayhem, and that line is a tricky one to walk with large groups of 5 and 6 year olds!  But I love that they are so enthusiastic that they all want to chime in.  There isn’t much that’s more fun for an author than having 60 kindergartners laughing so hard they’re practically rolling on the floor (well, in some cases they actually are rolling on the floor!) or unabashedly joining in on an April Fools song they’ve never heard before but are perfectly willing to sing along with.  I wish I had a recording of them from Wednesday!


I try my best to make school visits fun and interactive for kids.  I remember being in a classroom when I was little.  There’s not much that’s more boring than having someone talk AT you.  So I have Phyllis and Woolliam/Baab – my puppets – who can always be counted on to be more entertaining than I am 🙂  I ask the kids a lot of questions so they get a chance to talk.  I make up songs related to the stories (songs that are always performed by the puppets – not me!) and encourage the kids to join in.  I show them the various steps to an idea becoming a picture book, tailoring the amount of detail to the age and interest of the audience.  I wish I could draw.  I think illustrators have a big leg up on authors because they can create something in front of the crowd.  The kids think they are magic!  But alas, for me a stick figure is about as artistic as I get.


But I am always open to new ideas.  I know there are other authors who read this blog, as well as teachers and parents.  What do you do on school visits?  Or what do you think would be fun and entertaining for the 4-8 year old crowd?