The Liebster Blog Award

Even though I have been very, very absent from the blogosphere lately, a couple of wonderful people have nominated my blog for the "Liebster Blog Award" and I couldn't be more thrilled!  The Liebster Blog award is a way to recognize the hard work of bloggers and the outstanding value of blogs that may not have a large following.  After being nominated twice by Squid McFinnigan and Glendon Perkins, I decided I'd better kick it into gear and accept the darn thing.


Here are the rules for accepting the Liebster Blog Award:

1. List eleven random facts about yourself
2. Nominate eleven other bloggers
3. Notify said bloggers
4. Ask eleven questions of the eleven bloggers that must be answered upon acceptance
5. Answer the eleven questions that were asked of you upon your nomination
6. Link back to the person that nominated you

And so, without further ado, here are eleven random facts about me:

1. I cannot sleep in silence at night.
2. I was a long and triple jumper in high school.
3. I love the smell of freshly cut grass.
4. I would rather stay in and read a book than go out.
5. I have never broken a bone.
6. My favorite alcoholic drink is gin & tonic (with lots o' lime).
7. I never understood the purpose of Dopey the Dwarf.
8. My favorite season is Fall.
9. I love movies that make me think.
10. I am a grammar enthusiast.
11. I am deathly afraid of snakes.

These are the eleven bloggers/blogs that I would like to nominate.  Some of them actually have large followings, so I might be bending the rules a bit, but these are the blogs I have found to be amazing and invaluable and feel deserve recognition:

• Doug Metz-      http://dwmetz.blogspot.com/
• Stephanie Weisend-       http://femaleuninterrupted.blogspot.com/ 
• Constance Burris-       http://constanceburris.blogspot.com/ 
• Joshua Miller-       http://lastlightpoleintown.blogspot.com/
• Teagan Kearney-       http://myfirstnovelnoworkingtitleyet.blogspot.com/ 
• Maya Davis-       http://mayaharvest.com/
• Karie Thoma-       http://catterflymusings.blogspot.com/
• Doug Langille-       http://douglangille.ca/
• Jamie Sheffield-       http://www.jamiesheffield.com/
• Mallory Terry-       http://malloryterry.blogspot.com/
• Gina Drayer-       http://agonystory.blogspot.com/

Please take the time to check them all out- they are amazing in so many ways!  There are many other bloggers and blogs that deserve recognition, but I tried to pick some that haven't yet been nominated.



Onto the eleven questions!  If all of you nominees would like to accept, you must answer these questions:

1. What is the blog post you are most proud of and why?
2. Name three of your favorite authors.
3. What do you feel you gain from blogging?
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world for free for only a day, where would you choose?
5. What is the fondest memory you have?
6. What is your greatest fear?
7. Who has been the most influential person in your writing life?
8. What is your favorite genre to read?
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
10. Name one strength and one weakness you possess.
11. What song do you put on for a road trip?

And finally, the answers to the eleven questions I was asked by Mr. Squid McFinnigan:

1. Where were you when you had your first kiss?  On the elementary school playground.
2. Your house is on fire; what 3 things would you save? (people excluded)   A flashdrive of family photos, my laptop, and as many books as I could fit under one arm.
3. What is your favorite blog post of your own blog?   10 Reasons Your Non-Writer Friends and Family Think You're Crazy
4. If you could switch with one person for 24 hours, who would you pick?   I have always wanted to be Indiana Jones...
5. What 4 famous people would you invite round to your house for dinner? (alive or dead)   Stephen King, Johnny Depp, Dorothy Parker, and Marilyn Monroe.
6. Your guilty pleasure...    Dipping Oreos in peanut butter.
7. Nicest thing another person has ever done for you?   Accepted me for exactly who and what I was and stuck by me through some very rough times.
8. Nicest thing you have done for a stranger?   I gave a homeless person a spendy dinner to go outside a restaurant in Boulder.
9. What is your partner's (present or past) most annoying trait?   Not picking up after himself.
10. Greatest fear?   Failure.
11. Your New Year's resolution from last year?   I didn't make any!  Low expectations...

And there you have it!  I am looking forward to hearing all the nominees' answers.  Thanks to Squid McFinnigan and Glendon Perkins for nominating me and thanks to all you bloggers and readers for making the interweb an incredible place!

The Three Worst Critiquers You Could Ask For...

Critique Itch: The overwhelming desire to let other people read your work, whether complete or incomplete, in search of an opinion.

We all come down with it at some point, whether it's early on in our first draft, or later in revisions, or, for a lucky few, when the whole thing is polished and complete.  I, myself, have had the itch for quite a while now.  But care must be taken when we seek out opinions and critiques about our baby.  There are certain people that just shouldn't be asked for an honest opinion about anything in terms of evaluating you or something you have crafted.  You wouldn't ask your son's first grade teacher to diagnose a rash on your left arm, now would you?  No.  Because they don't have the context to be able to evaluate something like that.  

There are three people you should never ask to critique your novel, no matter how much fiction they read...

1.  Your Mom

Yes, your mom has hopefully been there for you through thick and thin, skinned knees and lost loves, graduations and birthdays.  She has been the guiding force in your life for as long as you can remember, and you ask her opinion about any big venture in your life.  The problem with asking mom to critique your writing is that she is waaaaay too close to you to give any kind of objective opinion.  She has always thought you were a winner, no matter how defective your science project was or how ridiculous you looked in those acid washed jeans pinned tight to your ankles.  She will tell you it's wonderful; everything a good story should be and that everyone will love it for sure.  She won't mention the giant plot hole that is staring her in the face from the get-go, or the complete lack of sympathy she feels for pretty much all of your characters.

2.  Your Best Friend

No matter how many fights you've gotten in, or how many boyfriends/girlfriends you've stolen from each other, your best friend has stuck by you.  They may even be the type to be relatively honest with you when you try on something atrocious or start dating an ex-con.  But when you ask them to  critique your writing, they will:

 a) be too scared to tell you what they really think

b) be too eager to spite you after you got the hot guy's/girl's number last night

or c) not have a clue what makes writing good and shrug their shoulders at you

Best friends are incapable of being objective, much like good ol' mom, above.

3.  Your spouse/SO

When you ask your spouse to critique your novel that they have seen you pouring your spirit into for the last few weeks, months, even years, they will look at you like a deer in the headlights and may even feign an illness just to get out of it.  Of course, they may be curious to read the thing you've kept secret and been obsessed with for so long, but to give an opinion on it is a different thing, entirely.  There is no right answer for them; no opinion of theirs that you will accept.  If they say it is wonderful, you will immediately be suspicious that they are placating you and get upset.  If they say it is garbage, you will immediately be suspicious they are just mad because you spent the last twelve date nights finishing your book and get upset.  The best they can hope for is a harmless indifference toward the whole thing, after which you will also become suspicious and get upset.  It's like setting a trap for them.  Not very nice.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't let these people read your book, because of course you should.  They will most likely want proof that you are, in fact, not insane and all that time spent obsessing about imaginary people and places was not for nothing. I just don't think these are the right people to seek a critique from.  They are your loved ones and think highly of you no matter what.  But when you feel the itch coming on, you don't want that.  You want validation.  You want to know whether or not you suck.  Hopefully, your mom, best friend, and spouse would never tell you that you suck (as a writer), even if it is, in fact, true.  

So get realistic and get a beta reader, critique partner, or writing buddy that will look at your writing objectively and critically, with their writing knowledge behind them.  It will help you learn to swallow some of the tough criticism that will no doubt come later in the querying stage.

Wal-Mart: the Enemy of Setting

We all know by now, or at least you should if you are a fiction writer, that setting is a character; that place should live, breathe, and move just as your characters do.  I can't tell you how many boring, static descriptions of places I've read in the first few pages that literally lulled me to sleep.  But aside from being static and lifeless, I'm finding many settings in fiction to be indistinguishable in their sameness.  And what do we expect?  With a Wal-Mart in every town, McDonald's and Starbucks peppering every corner, what is left to distinguish one place from another?

With emphasis on corporations, chains, and globalization, I think our culture is slowly moving away from the importance of place, and what makes place unique.  What ever happened to all the dives, greasy-spoons, and local haunts that make a place memorable?  They have all seemingly been replaced by generic, cookie-cutter restaurants and hang-outs.  And when was the last time we all stopped and truly took in our surroundings, categorizing each element of the place we call home? 

 If you are writing a story set in the desert, I want to feel the relentless sun, the dryness on my skin, see the southwestern style stuccoed houses, etc.  If you're writing about the south, I want to pass by the huge plantation houses, smell the magnolias, and sip sweet tea on the porch with your characters. 

I think Faulkner is an excellent example of an author that gave us memorable settings; places we could feel and smell, see and hold in our thoughts, as if we were really there.  In his novel, A Rose For Emily, he doesn't just describe the house where Emily lives as a bland, typical house somewhere in the south.  He artfully paints us a picture of a crumbling Mississippi town in the post-civil war south:

"It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps--an eyesore among eyesores."

 I suppose my point in all of this anti-Wal-Mart nonsense is simply to stress the importance of place in the world of fiction.  We are all products of place, and the characters in our novels should be no different.  Whether it be a fictional setting or a real one, make it memorable and alive and it will help bring your characters to life as well.  Be selective in your description, though.  It's quality, not quantity, we're after.

Food For Thought Friday: Current Events

I have emerged from deep within the hermit cave to post some food for thought and an update on current events.  It's been so long!  I've been working hard on my manuscript and haven't had much time for reality lately.  A few exciting things have happened since I dug in to the last act of my book:

First of all, I had a mind-blowing epiphany about the POV in my story and after changing it, I've found the story is not only telling itself, but it's much more crisp and clear this way.  Hooray for clarity!

Second, my little 11 month-old monster started WALKING!  Very exciting stuff here, people.  My husband and I both were of the mind that she would likely crawl until she was middle-aged, but she has proven us wrong, once again.  Since she took her first steps and proudly smiled at me, she seems to have no desire whatsoever to do it again and gets exceedingly disgruntled when I try to get her to perform on command in front of other people.  Alas, I fear she will not have the successful performance career we had hoped for.

Third, my eldest has turned the ripe old age of 6 and I am in complete denial about it.  I swear he was just my sweet baby boy when I put him to bed the night before his birthday.  When he woke up the morning of the big day, it was like a scene right out of the movie "Big".  A grown little man emerged from his bedroom and proceeded to say grown little man things like, "I'm 6 now, mama... I'm too OLD for that."  Excuse me???  Where in the parenting contract does it state that your little ones will grow so fast?  It must be somewhere in the fine print, along with 'Hobbies will be a thing of the past,' and 'Don't expect to be able to go to the bathroom by yourself until you're 40.'

So that's what's going on in our neck of the woods.  While I continue to blubber about my babies not being babies anymore, why don't you enjoy this super delicious recipe, courtesy of Mountain Mama Cooks.  Her blog is awesome and has provided me with oodles of yummy recipes adapted for high-altitude baking.  This is one of my favorites:

Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Prepare two standard loaf size pans with butter and flour or cooking spray.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
4. Beat milk, vegetable oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and almond and vanilla extracts in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined. Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Transfer the pans to a rack and let cool about 10 minutes before removing the bread to the rack to cool completely. 

(P.S. Remember, this recipe is suited best for high-altitude kitchens.  For the regular recipe, go here.)

Adventures in Query Land

Even though my book is nowhere near finished, sometimes I can't help it when my mind wanders into unknown territories like Query Land.  During the final stages of draft one, I have also been trying to build a measly platform by securing some freelance work.  And you know what freelancing means: a trip to Query Land!  Without a clear understanding of solid query-writing, the chances of being published for any freelance gig are about as good as winning the Powerball.  The odds don't seem to deter anyone from buying into the madness, though, do they?  So how do we make our queries stand out among the many un-researched, unedited, and otherwise unworthy ones out there?

We do it right!

Keep in mind, I am no expert.  I have yet to make my impression on the literary world.  But I am learning as I go and have picked up a few tips along the way.  I'm going to start a series this week about my "Adventures in Query Land," where I will share tips on query-writing that I have learned and/or employed on my own journey. 

Another thing to keep in mind: all agents, editors, and publishers are looking for different things.  They all have different preferences on what they want to see and how they want to see it presented.  If you are querying someone that has specific guidelines on what they are looking for, then for goodness sake, follow those guidelines.  I've heard quite a few times about editors and agents being flat out annoyed by the fact that they take the time to help writers out by posting specific guidelines, only to have them completely ignored when a writer feels their query/manuscript is simply above all that.  They don't need to follow those guidelines because they are such an exemplary writer that they will just blow that editor's or agent's mind.

If you are in this frame of mind right now as you write your stellar query that does not abide by certain guidelines, please stop.  You are making the rest of us look bad.  You're like the grown man that cuts in line when highway 5 is under construction and down to one lane because you think you're just better than everyone else and your business is far more important than ours.  We're all trying to navigate through the heinous path to getting that publishing deal.  But those orange signs that tell you how to go about it are there for a reason.  So no cutsies, jerkface.  Just get in line with the rest of us.

Ok, rant over.  The whole point of examining what makes a query good or interesting is to sort of step into the shoes of the agent or editor you are sending it to.  They probably read twenty other queries before they got to yours, and they probably have thirty more to get through by the end of the day.  If you don't take the time to be professional, but also make yours grab their interest and keep it until the end, you will disappear into the pile with the rest.

So stay tuned this week for more Adventures in Query Land.

5 Signs You May Be a Writer Mama

1.  Your "desk" consists of one third of the dining room table and is cluttered with stacks of mail and school newsletters that you had every intention of reading but life stood in the way, as it always does, and so you find yourself running through the aisles of the grocery store at seven a.m., frantically looking for some kind of purple flower because you didn't realize it was "Give Your Teacher a Purple Flower Day" at school.


2.  As you page through your stack of queries to send out, you notice drawings that resemble Rorschach tests artfully done by your five year-old intermixed within the pile.  Although some publications do note in their guidelines that accompanying images are appreciated, you're not sure that's really what they had in mind.


3.  You sit down to write a serious article about world news, politics, or other serious topic because you dream of being a serious writer and pitching to The New York Times, but all that comes out is page after page of hilarious anecdotes about parenting. 


4.  You have trained your writing brain to turn itself on and off at the drop of a hat.  Your creative ideas come to you during swimming lessons, hockey practice, and when your child unexpectedly takes a super long nap. (This is rare and must be utilized to its full potential!)


5.  Although sometimes you feel like crying when you are on the brink of a really great piece of writing and your sleeping babe starts wailing like she's being tortured, you know in your heart that you wouldn't trade being a mom for any amount of recognition as an author.  (The NYT bestseller list excluded, of course.)


Happy Mothers' Day to all my fellow Writer Mamas and to mothers everywhere!

The Importance of Not Writing and Literary Fitness

In my time away from the blog, I have had something of an epiphany.  It has been quite a long time since I last posted, and I apologize for that fact.  The Perfect Storm came together and wreaked havoc over my life for a couple weeks, but it has since dissipated and the sun shines once again.  A move, a health emergency, and technical difficulties all contributed to my absence.  I hadn't really realized how dependent I was on the internet until I was without it for ten days.  I hardly knew what to do with myself during the times I would normally be blogging or contributing to weekly writing prompts.  I actually reverted back to a notebook and pen for a week.  It was excruciating.

But enough excuses.  Onto the epiphany.  When the green light finally blinked at me on my modem, signaling I was once again connected digitally to that giant world wide web out there, I sat down and cranked out three thousand words-worth of stories, comments, and other public posts in about two hours.  It's such a wonderful feeling when the words just spill out of you, isn't it?  In all my excitement, I realized that taking some time away from the usual writing exercises had helped those creative juices to build up inside me until they poured out onto the page like literary kool-aid.

I have always believed that the writing mind is a muscle that needs to be exercised and toned just like any other muscle.  The same old boring workout, day after day, will keep it in shape.  I will always be able to write something, just as our muscles will always be able to perform average tasks like walking.  But the lesson I'm learning is that walking every single day for the rest of my life is boring.  Unless I take time out to absorb the world around me and let that creative kool-aid build up again, my writing muscles won't be able to do amazing things like yoga, kettle ball, or even that zumba thing I'm always hearing about.  (By the way, what the heck is zumba, anyway?)

Taking time away from the norm and letting current events sink in and marinate for a while is a good thing.  It helps us elevate our writing from the doldrums of "fine" and "nice".  I don't ever want my writing to be described as fine or nice.  That is boring, plain old vanilla, and vanilla is not what gets published.  I want to at least rise to Moose Tracks status.  (I apologize to all the vanilla lovers out there.  It's just not for me.)

RTW: Poetry Month

YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday

April is National Poetry Month, as I'm sure you're all aware by now.  That means lots of lovely verse has been floating around the interweb ether for a few weeks.  It has even found its way onto the YA Highway Blog!  Today's Road Trip Wednesday question asks us to share our favorite poem and/or poet.  I find this prompt to be exceedingly difficult; impossible, actually.  To pick just one favorite poem or poet would be like choosing just one thing to eat for the rest of your life.  With so many delicious options available and an ever-changing mood, how could one possibly declare just one thing above all others? 

There are far too many poems that I would label favorites for me to share in one post, but I have chosen one that speaks to me today and has done so many times in the past.  I love this particular poem because it describes my personality so very well.  I tend to take things very personally and feel the weight of others' burdens on my own shoulders as well.  

After what happened at the Boston Marathon this week, I have been in a somewhat despairing mood.  For some reason, these tragic events weigh heavily on me and I find it difficult to shake them off and continue with everyday life.  I have been told many times in my life that I take things too personally and need to develop thicker skin.  This is especially true in the writing industry, where criticism is thrown at you whether you want to play catch or not.

So here is my favorite poem of the moment:

Personal

By Tony Hoagland

Don’t take it personal, they said;

but I did, I took it all quite personal—

the breeze and the river and the color of the fields;

the price of grapefruit and stamps,

the wet hair of women in the rain—

And I cursed what hurt me

and I praised what gave me joy,

the most simple-minded of possible responses.

The government reminded me of my father,

with its deafness and its laws,

and the weather reminded me of my mom,

with her tropical squalls.

Enjoy it while you can, they said of Happiness

Think first, they said of Talk

Get over it, they said

at the School of Broken Hearts

but I couldn’t and I didn’t and I don’t

believe in the clean break;

I believe in the compound fracture

served with a sauce of dirty regret,

I believe in saying it all

and taking it all back

and saying it again for good measure

while the air fills up with I’m-Sorries

like wheeling birds

and the trees look seasick in the wind.

Oh life! Can you blame me

for making a scene?

You were that yellow caboose, the moon

disappearing over a ridge of cloud.

I was the dog, chained in some fool’s backyard;

barking and barking:

trying to convince everything else

to take it personal too.

Anyone else have an opinion or favorite to share?

By the way, if you are a writer of fiction or non-fiction and haven't developed an appreciation for poetry yet,  check this out.

Food For Thought Friday + Writing Goals

Food For Thought Friday

+

Writing Goals =

 Double The Fun!

It's Friday: time for some food!  As an extra special treat, I thought I'd share some writing goals along with a recipe in the hopes that, by putting it "out there" in the magical interweb world, my procrastination will be put to shame and run far far away never to bother me again.  If only.  Any who, I am hereby declaring this space safe for goal-sharing.  It's kind of fun and motivational to challenge yourself every now and again, right?  So here are some goals, both writing-related and just plain me-related, that I am hoping to achieve sometime in the remainder of this year.

1. I will continue to write something every single day, regardless of what is going on.  My children may be completely uncooperative and cling to me like Velcro but I can still manage to spit out a few hundred words on my book or a poem or two when the darling little devils are sleeping.
2. I will stop self-editing ALL THE TIME.  Ok, that may be slightly unrealistic.  I will make a serious effort to stop self-editing all the time.  Better.  
3. I will not let The Fear stop me from submitting my work.
4. I will make decisions.  Yes, they may turn out to be mistakes but at least I'll know the few seconds of excitement I spent in the air were worth the jump.
5. I will register for a Writers' Conference.  I have heard nothing but wonderful things about people's experiences at these regional conferences and I know it will help me gain experience in marketing myself and my writing.
6. I will finish this marathon of a novel!

Anyone else have goals to set for themselves or share?


On to the food!  Today, I'm sharing a recipe that requires no baking of any kind.  Weird, I know.  But it's lovely and seasonally perfect and super simple.  Plus, the kids (and the big kid known as the hubs) will gobble it up it's so delicious!  Enjoy!

Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs

adapted from Bon Appetit

8 oz. ground chicken (about a cup)

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

6 Tbsp. grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for garnish

4 cloves minced garlic, divided

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1 egg

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 leek, white & pale green parts only, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds OR half an onion, finely chopped

6 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta

1 cup carrots, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

1 cup baby spinach

Chopped fresh basil

Mix chicken, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp. parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves, chives, egg and salt & pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Make sure egg is disbursed evenly.  Form into 1/2 inch diameter meatballs.  (Makes about 28)

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  Cook the meatballs until golden all over, about 3 minutes.  (They will finish cooking in the soup)  Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add leek or onion to the pot and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth and 2 cups water and bring to a boil.  Stir in the pasta and carrots; simmer until pasta is almost al dente, about 8 minutes.  Add meatballs and simmer until pasta is al dente, carrots are tender, and meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add spinach and 3 Tbsp. parmesan and stir until spinach is wilted and parmesan is melted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish individual bowls with more parmesan and chopped basil.

Just Take It Bird By Bird...

I have read many books on writing, as a way to procrastinate the actual writing part of writing a book.  Some of them were a complete waste of time.  Others were pure gold and I would like to share one of those treasures with you all today.

If you are like me and feel you would almost rather throw yourself in front of a bus than face the overwhelming fear of rejection and failure in your writing, you should read this book.  It speaks to the insecurities in all of us as writers and as people.  The book is called Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.

   

What I love most about this book is that there is an entire chapter called "Shitty First Drafts" and the next chapter is "Perfectionism".  The most difficult obstacle I have faced in my writing and still struggle with today is the fear.  The overwhelming anxiety that I am not good enough and have no business pretending to be.  I'm not sure if I've alluded to my personality enough here, (I've probably beaten you over the head with it by now) but to shorten a very long laundry list of quirks, I am a perfectionist.  Through the course of finding my voice as a writer, I have come to the realization that perfectionism is a distraction from reality.  It's like a blindfold that prevents you from seeing the truly marvelous mess of life.  Somewhere down the line, I made the very convoluted decision that the possibility of failure was much too scary and not even worth the effort it takes to put myself out there.  Miss Lamott explains it much better than I do:

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.  It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.  I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die.  The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it."

She goes on in more detail, but I'll let you discover it for yourselves in the book.  This mindset is so detrimental to achieving success as a writer, and I continue to fight it on a daily basis.  If you have even the tiniest bit of self-doubt, which a lot of writers do, check out this book.  It might change your perspective.  At the very least, it will give you valuable insight on writing and life.  Happy Easter, everyone!

Road Trip Wednesday: Best Book of March

It's Road Trip Wednesday Time

This week's question on YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday is:

What was the best book you read in March?

Oh, decisions!  How will I ever choose?  Oh wait, this is easy.  I would love to project an aura of Wonder Woman to you all and boast about how I've read twelve books this month in addition to spring cleaning my entire house, finishing my own novel, and discovering the cure for childhood boredom.  Unfortunately, none of those things happened in the month of March.  Perhaps in April...

Anyway, I really only read one book this past month, so I suppose it gets my vote.  It was really good and deserves to be best of March in my opinion.  The book was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  Not really a YA book, I know, but hey, it's slim pickins around here!  I love the dark and edgy tone that is just dripping with wit and suspense.  I would definitely recommend it.

This question is a great reminder of the importance of reading as a writer.  I am a firm believer that if you continually read good writing, it will begin to rub off on you.  If you surround yourself with crap or with no writing at all, that's probably all that will come out when you write: crap, or nothing at all.  So immerse yourself in great literature of all kinds and further your craft.  Happy Wednesday.

10 Reasons Your Non-Writer Friends and Family Think You're Crazy

     1.  Sometimes you enter the bedroom, laptop under your arm and a thermos of coffee in your hand, and despite the screaming children and a pleading husband, you emerge hours later without any idea what's going on
   
     2.  While you are writing on your computer, you unknowingly start squinting at the screen and  lean closer and closer until you are inches away and when your loving (concerned) husband asks what you are doing, you snap at him for disrupting your concentration

     3.  Your darling child has to ask you what's for lunch seven times before it actually sinks in

     4.  You find yourself staring into space while out and about, and while you know that you are plotting out your story or thinking up good dialogue, the lady picking out a bunch of bananas at the grocery store does not and shoots you an "Are you supposed to be out of your straight jacket and among the public by yourself?" kind of look.

     5.  You gradually become more irritable and begin to resemble something of a troll.  You realize this is more true than a joke when you find you would actually prefer to remain holed-up in a cave somewhere until you finish the manuscript.

     6.  Your friend or family member asks you what you think of the new Pope and you reply, "Wait, what?  I didn't know we had a new Pope."

     7.  You spend most of your day having entire conversations with people that don't really exist

     8.  You start asking random questions of people like, "Honey what is that thingy called that you pull down with your thumb on the back of a gun?" or "Is it possible to build an entire complex underground beneath a skyscraper?"

     9.  You begin to show complete disregard for personal hygiene as well as social norms like mealtimes, appropriate dress in a public setting (you mean I can't wear my sweatpants six days a week???), etc.

     10.  Even though you know that your eight month-old baby wakes up at or before 5am every morning like clockwork, you stupidly stay awake into the wee hours of the morning writing and then are completely dumbfounded as to how you only managed to get three hours of sleep (this could also have something to do with #5)

The Craptastic Early Years: When Taste Exceeds Talent

Just to recap: I have been working on this book for about two years now.  I took almost a whole year to explore the concept and characters, and then began the actual writing about a year ago.  Why has it taken so long, you ask?  Because I move at the pace of a sloth; to get into the mindset of writing and shut out the laundry piling up, dishes in the sink, crumbs on the counters, toys on the floor and dust on every piece of furniture we own takes a herculean amount of effort for me.  Needless to say, I would be elated to finish this draft and put some space between us.  (My neglected house and family would be just as elated, I'm sure)

So when I sit down to write and find that the only thing coming out of me is pure garbage spewed onto the page, I get upset; so upset that I cannot continue.  I then decide, to the dismay of writing gurus everywhere, to go back and reread some of the story.  What do I find?

MORE CRAP.

Pure word vomit, splattered everywhere.  Hello, my name is Amy, and right now I hate everything I have written.  What I really want to do is delete the entire thing and start over from scratch.  Thankfully, my better judgement stepped in and directed me, instead, to some wonderful resources on the interweb.

I consulted the wise Jane Friedman and her plethora of writing advice.   I found a post titled, "You Hate Your Writing?  That's A Good Sign" and lit up at the happy coincidence.  She describes a video series on YouTube from Ira Glass on story telling.  I dutifully clicked on the link and watched the series.  I would highly recommend watching this, whether you are a writer in crisis or not. 

He is talking about broadcasting in particular, but it does apply to any creative endeavor, really.  He says that when you are just starting out in the creative process, what you are producing is crap.  This is normal to produce crap and everyone does.  You have to push through the crap to get to the good stuff.  He also says that the fact that you know it's crap is a good sign.  Your taste is good, if not great, and that is what made you jump into the creative fray to begin with.  You can see, with your good taste, that what you are producing is not living up to that and disappointing you.  With practice, you will close the gap between taste and talent, but for now, be satisfied in the garbage and don't give up.

I cannot tell you how uplifting it was to come across this.  I knew, starting out, that I wasn't going to just type excellence on my computer every day and finish a perfect book instantly.  But when you're stuck in the middle of a long process, it can be hard to see any kind of closure and push through to get to it.

If you are in a similar place this morning and feel you would rather claw your eyes out than continue writing the same trash you have been writing since, oh, the first time you picked up a pen, know that you are not alone in your craptastic early years and that it just means you have exceptional taste.

The Parallel of Kids and Composition

5 Ways Writing A Novel Is Like Having A Child

I had a baby boy five years ago.  Then I had a baby girl eight months ago.  Now I feel like I am starting the process all over again with another new baby: my book.  Ok, so I realize that this might be a slight exaggeration, but they do have a few things in common.  If you are just starting out, congratulations on your new bundle of prose!  Parenting a novel can be just as tricky as parenting for real.

1. You will lose sleep.  Just like a newborn, this project is going to keep you up at night.  There are those few lucky people that have the ability to write during the day and keep all ideas and brainstorming out of the nocturnal hours.  I have never met one, but I hear they exist.  For the rest of us, ideas come at odd hours and after kids are put to bed and houses cleaned seems to be the only viable time to get any writing done. 
2.  Stories crave sustenance, too.  Those tiny bodies need nourishment to grow, and a developing story is no different.  At the beginning of the process, a story requires a lot of fleshing out to figure out exactly where it's going.  So give it a healthy dose of time and energy in the early stages.  Every two hours may be a little excessive, but you get the idea.
3. Your instinct will be to protect it at all costs.  When crazy Aunt Edna, who reaks of cigarette smoke and shakes like a maraca asks to hold the new baby, will you say, "Yeah, sure!  Go right ahead!"  I think not.  You will think of your precious new manuscript in much the same way.  I haven't let anyone read mine yet and it will be a long time before I'm ready to.
4. Your characters will sass back.  And argue.  And throw tantrums when they don't get their way.  Not really.  But they will gain independence as their voices become stronger.  You will find that once you nail down a character's goals and motivations, they will begin to speak for themselves.  You will know when their words and actions are true to their core beliefs.
5. Eventually, you will have to let go.  Watching your child grow up and acheive milestones is amazing.  There comes a day in every parent's life when they have to let go, whether it be at school, daycare, or just for an hour with the babysitter.  You will have to trust that it is in everyone's best interest and that they are in good hands.  When your manuscript is finished, you will begin the querying process, wherein the precious baby you have lovingly and painstakingly crafted over days or months or years will have to be released.  It is a sad and scary thing to share something so personal with the world, but know that it is the ultimate goal to be published and every writer goes through it at some point.  More than likely, it will be rejected.  But here's to hoping it gets accepted out there in that big world.

I know why the caged bird sings... do you?

At the risk of sounding a bit cliche, I must share one of my absolute favorite poems of all time.  Maya Angelou really does hit the nail on the head when it comes to life lessons, in my opinion.  I rediscovered this poem not too long ago and it has stuck with me.  I find it pertains to the place I am at right now, both in writing and in life.  So read, if you like:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for

the caged bird

sings of freedom.

Up to this point in my life, I have been coasting.  Yes, I have accomplished things.  Yes I have been busy with getting married, having kids, moving out of state, blah blah blah.  But to my own standards, I have been putting along comfortably, taking no risks and therefor reaping little benefit.

Well, it's time to change all that.  This poem really struck a chord with me because I think one of its main themes is the importance of living life to its fullest and appreciating the opportunities we are given.  It's time to sing like a free bird and strive for excellence!

Now, if I could just finish this novel...