Wordless Wednesday

Throw-Back Thursday

I include this photo of me from my first dance recital in my author presentations. I do this for several reasons. One very important reason is that dance, like writing, is a passion of mine. I explain to students that I include my passion for dance in many of my fiction stories. Sometimes it is the
theme of my story or sometimes it's just the use of a dance term or the mention of a tutu or a pair tap shoes.

Dance is a part of who I am. I encourage students to think about what they have a passion for and how they can include their passion in their writing. Another reason I like to show this photo is that there are usually students who are dancers themselves in the audience. Sometimes they have a brother, sister, or a friend who dances. I like to make them feel like we have something in common. I think it helps them feel connected to me. It's important to remind them that I was a child once, just like them and that they too can become authors just like me.

After a recent school visit a student approached me and asked if I always dreamed of being an author when I grew up. No one had ever asked me that question before. After a brief pause, I was honest.  I explained to her although I loved to read and write when I was growing up, I never dreamed of being an author. I wanted to be a dance teacher. That dream came true. I told her that your dreams (because I believe you should have more than one) might change throughout your life and that I didn't dream of becoming an author until I had children of my own.

My dream now? It is that both my dancing and writing will teach, inspire, and touch children in some way just as each child teaches, inspires, and touches me.  

Wordless Wednesday

On My Author Plate This Week

I spend most of my early mornings on Sundays doing paperwork to help clear my desk for the week ahead. Sunday evening I usually look at what's on my author's plate for the upcoming week and create a list. It's the only way I get some sleep. I thought I'd share this week's list.I wondered if people might be surprised as to what authors do besides write books!

My week will start with trip to the public library to pick up research books for my next military book due in two weeks. I'll reserve any books that might need to be transferred from another library and purchase any used books I can find online. Since I have a pretty busy week, I'll spend most of my time researching and organizing my information. I'll probably start doing the actual writing over the weekend.

SHRED! I don't throw much out in the way of bad ideas but I recently cleaned out a file that was stored in my attic. Much of it was 13 years old and filled with some VERY BAD ideas. Those will get shredded to make room for some better ideas! While I was shredding these I was apologizing in my head to all of the poor editors or their assistants who had read these. Sorry!

Also:
Write two proposals for author events.
Submit one picture book manuscript (And remember not to go to the post office at 5p.m. when they close at 4:30 or on Friday during the one hour they are closed for lunch.)
Add more content to new web site I'm creating.
Rate and review one picture book to post to Amazon and Goodreads.


Then if time allows, there's these receipts for my author expenses that have been piling up since January. There has only been one year that I was successful in putting them into a spreadsheet at the end of each month. I figure if I can get this batch taken care of over the summer I'll be ahead of the game before the new school year starts. My accountant is impressed that I even have an spreadsheet to send him.

Reading for enjoyment will most likely take place on exercise equipment or during lunch this week.

And of course, like every working dog, there will be a reward for all tasks completed in a timely matter!



Discipline. It can be problem.

So, I started off the new year with no specific goals. Write more, read more doesn't count. Those are just assumed. I thought I should start blogging more which wouldn't be hard to do since I hadn't blogged much at all over the last year.

 I did feel like I was ready to commit to a regular writing schedule. Since my life seemed to becoming more "regular"  I thought I would create a schedule at the beginning of each week based on what was going on (sale) that particular week. I would write it down on my calendar (after reviewing all the sales flyers.)

I was feeling like I finally had the opportunity to be more disciplined about my writing (and shopping.) So, there it was...more discipline in 2013. The next night (before I left for the mall) I chose a fortune cookie from the Chinese food bag, cracked it open and this is what it said:

Do you ever feel like someone is trying to send you a message? This one was shouting at me loud and clear. This is how I saw the message from the writing Gods:

discipline + talent = ability

 

This is how I saw the message from the shopping Gods:

 

discipline + sales = shoes

 

I headed to the mall to use some birthday coupons from my favorite retailers. I used discipline by not allowing myself to buy the boots at full price. I waited for the sale and got 40% off plus an additional 40% clearance and used my $15 birthday coupon. I bought $98 rain boots for a mere $20.28!  Using discipline, I went home, put my new rain boots on, sat down at my desk and wrote a blog post and my writing schedule for the week. Isn't shopping discipline great?




 

 

Mark Twain on Plagiarism

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary "plagiarize" is defined as:
: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source

As a nonfiction writer the subject of plagiarism must be at front of my mind at all times when working on an assignment. It's also something I like to discuss with the children at my school visits. And maybe because it is at in the front of my mind I've discussed it on a regular basis with my own daughters when seeing them work on essays or research papers for school. I discussed it again with my older daughter as she left for college and now my younger daughter will be reminded again as well.

So, when I came across this article about Mark Twain and a letter he wrote to his friend Helen Keller regarding an incident of plagiarism that she was accused of, I found Mr. Twain's take on plagiarism, creativity, and originality very interesting, no less something that I could relate to. Imagine that! Something I could envision myself and Mr. Twain discussing over a cold drink after a softball game.


"I totally agree with you Mr. Twain."

I enjoy the fact that something written so many years ago can still resonate with writers, like myself, today. Thank you Mr. Twain for your wisdom and insight on the subject of plagiarism.

Rest in Peace, Maurice

Children's author Maurice Sendak died yesterday at age 83. I think the New Times article and slide show combined make the perfect tribute to this iconic artist of children's books. I think he must be a part of every children's author's literary life. But the truth is, for most of us, he was a part of our lives way before we even thought about being authors.

How did Maruice Sendak inspire me to be a children's writer? Well, this book was the first wordless picture book I chose to share with my children. It still sits on their bookshelf today, amongst other worn favorites. I often tell the story about how I decided I wanted to write children's books. I don't remember the precise moment I made this decision, but I do remember it was during the time I was reading picture books aloud to my two young children. So, there were many authors that inspired me to tell stories through picture books and Mr. Sendak was one of them. For that I thank him.

Rest in peace, Maurice.