Keep it Clean Kids!

I think this post has the potential to not only help authors, but anyone who wants to do other activities in addition to keeping a pretty clean house. Keeping my house clean and working takes a ton of time, so anything to help make the process more efficient is fantastic. The faster the house is clean, the more time I have to write. I'm learning that maintenance is key!

My two kiddos are old enough now, that they can help. Yep, they actually help. A month or so ago, I created, and taped on a wall, a routine they can follow every day. They get to put a sticker on for each completed task. I'm a gold star kind of person, I think most people especially kids love a sticker reward! I posted my routine chart on Facebook today, and a couple friends wanted a copy. I figured if there are two people it could help, there are probably more people who need something like it!

Many parts of my routine come from the website flylady.net. You can check out swish and swipe there (bathroom maintenance, quick wipe of the counters and a swish in the toilet with a toilet brush.) She's got lots of great ideas, I do some of them. The form I use is in Excel on my Mac. Make it personal for you, or for your kids. I'll share what I have for myself another time. It started as a paper, now it's in my phone calendar. Anyway, here's my kiddos chart. I write their name on the top of their chart:

Daily Routine and Chores for Kids

Now, don't expect perfection from yourself or your kids! Keep a good attitude and make a game of it. "Let's see how many stickers we can get today!" After a month, my kids took action today to see how many they could get. They even worked ahead to the afternoon piano practice. Be patient and know that a little at a time creates good habits, which in the end produce a clean, or at least more clean home, and more time to write.

The One-Worded Book

At our most recent trip to the library, I found a gem of a book! We took it along with the rest of our haul on vacation. I read it to my kiddos before bedtime after a day of playing in the snow in the woods. I laughed, my kids laughed, my mother-in-law laughed and told my husband he had to read it, and he laughed! It was fun, simple, and endearing. The book is called Ball. On the front it reads, "Word and pictures by Mary Sullivan."

Don't let his sad look fool you, this dog loves to play! I had interrupted his dinner. Rocky will fetch his ball until the cows come home!

There was no need for more than one word, it was brilliant! Although ball is the only word used for dialogue, emotion and expression are not lacking! The characters are adorable. Through the illustrations and the annotation of the word ball, the dogs personality is clear. An enjoyable book for anyone, but we particularly loved it because it reminded us of Rocky.

As I think about what I can learn from this book as I move forward, a couple things come to mind. First, illustration can make or break a story. As an author who will likely have no say in the matter, it makes me nervous. Dialogue can certainly keep the pace of a story where it needs to be, but with good illustration, it's not the only method that should/could be used.

That's it for now! I've got some work to do!


Here's Mary Sullivan's website:
http://www.marysullivan.com

Take a Sick Day!

Last week was rough. That’s it, just rough. I had a great start, but my week got hacked! I was so sick I could not get out of bed, seriously. The thought came to me that I should pick up my laptop and type away as I lay in bed. What a great use of my down time! Due to my aching and nausea, I had a realization. I should take time to get well. Relax, take care, and get well. What a concept!

 

Am I less motivated to reach my goals? No. If I were clocking in and out of a job, would I have gone to work last week? No. I would have taken the time off that I needed to get well, and then checked back in this morning. Done and done. This week would have been loaded with extra work from missing last week. Yep, that’s there for me too. I’ve got some catching up to do.

 

If you find there’s been a legitimate reason that’s delayed your writing, don’t give up or give yourself a mega guilt trip about not reaching your goals! I am not a failure because I got sick. I would fail only if I stopped. I am currently behind the goals I set for myself, but watchout! This week is gonna rock, and I will catch right up and get back on track, now that I can get out of bed. What a blessing to be able to work.

Personalized NaNoWriMo

Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. All over the world, prospective novelists are beginning their writing goal for the month of November, of 50,000 words. The gargantuan goal of writing a first draft of a novel in one month is motivating and exciting!! In the past weeks, I asked myself if I should join in the fun. I do want to write a YA novel, after all.

 

I discovered by questioning myself about my writing goals is that NaNoWriMo is not for me this time around in it’s true form. As much as I want to write a novel, I will not be conquering a novel 2,000 words a day (25 days, 30 minus Sundays and Thanksgiving Day). There are other stories in my head that need to come to life first!

 

I will be adjusting NaNoWriMo to fit the goals I have! I want to write more children’s stories! I want to submit my completed Toilet Monster story! I want to update my blog on a regular basis with helpful, hopefully inspiring, and enjoyable information! I decided my “NaNoWriMo” time should help get me to where I want to be. Also, my very first responsibility is to my family. Some may insist that it’s only one month, but I’ve had enough pull me away in the last six months or so. More about that later.

 

After all the considerations of time and goals, I have decided on my personalized NaNoWriMo. It will still motivate and stretch me. My overall goal is to create my regular working routine. It will require dedication and sacrifice. I am a busy woman with many responsibilities! Early mornings will by my ally. Here’s what’s going to happen. There are 30 days in November. I don’t work on Sundays, so we’ll subtract those 4 out, 26. I’ll also let myself enjoy Thanksgiving Day, so I’ve got 25 days. I will write 500 words every working day. 500 x 25 = 12,500 words! My stories, submissions and blog articles are included in the word count. I will update my blog at least twice a week. I will write at least 4 new children’s picture books. I would love to make my goal higher, but I don’t want it out of reach. If I’m plodding along on 500 words and I can increase it, I will! Mark my words, this is the beginning of something beautiful.

 

Is NaNoWriMo for you this month? Is it what you need to stay motivated to get that fantastic novel idea out to the world?? Or do you need to adjust it? Don’t let this be an excuse not to accomplish 50,000 words! That is not the point. If you’re going for those 50,000, stick to it! It’s a fantastic goal and many great novels have been printed from this awesome NaNoWriMo month! If it’s not for you, find what goals will stretch you this month, and get to it!! Make sure your ladder is against the right wall!

Toilet Monster is Written!

Yesterday, my boys and my hubby went camping. It was fantastically quiet for hours at my house! After my chores were done, I stuck to my plan and finished writing my toilet monster story!! I feel so accomplished!

It is now in the capable hands of a chosen few readers who are testing it out. I'm excited to hear the feedback! After reviews are in and a final editing, it will go to either illustrating with my fantastic sister, or on to an agent, publisher, or contest. I am thrilled at the thought!

I feel a strong desire to continue writing children's books. I have realised how much I truly enjoy seeing my stories come to life.  I've had more ideas for some illustrated books. Whenever I have an idea, I write in in a journal dedicated to writing inspirations. I mostly note ideas of characters, plots, and other inspirations that pop in my head. Otherwise, they may evaporate before they have a chance at life. I feel secure knowing I have a reserve of ideas. I'm not running out of ideas any time soon. I just need to decide which idea is next! Do you write down your inspirations?

Just Me and 6,000 Rats Review

I absolutely adore children's books! I found a fun, slyly educational book today in my local library. It's called, Just Me and 6,000 Rats, and the subtitle is, a tale of conjunctions. It's by Rick Walton, illustrated by Mike Gordon and Carl Gordon.

This book is about a little boy who goes to the big city for the first time. Apparently where he comes from its normal to have 6,000 rats. They play tourist in the city. They go out to see the attractions, and before you turn each page, there's a conjunction to connect the story to the next page.

The 6,000 rats are the key. Without them, this story would not be entertaining at all! The text is subtlety hilarious and the illustrations are charming, witty and creative. I had some good chuckles over this book!

Maybe I will write that silly grammar book I thought of after all! If you want to write a book, go read books! Get inspired! See what works and what doesn't. If nothing else, it's enjoyable!

Inspiration

  It seems inspiration is everywhere. Today while I was working on my toilet monster story, I looked out the window at a little squirrel scattering about on my neighbor's roof. Squirrels are funny little creatures, and this one was no exception. It looked nice and healthy; ready for a long winter. I wondered if it was the same squirrel who raided my sunflowers upside down a month ago, then I remembered a story idea I had written down involving a squirrel. Watching the squirrel spurred some thoughts about the possible characteristics of the squirrel in my story idea.

  Having my own children spurs ideas as well. Oh the things they do! What better way to get into the child's point of view than a 12 hour day, 365 days a year observation? Though, I'm not always looking for a story.

  I was on a bike ride with my son yesterday, and he wondered aloud why the lines coming down from the telephone pole to the ground were shaped the way they were. He noticed they weren't going at their normal angle to make a triangle between the pole, line and ground. At first I was surprised he even noticed something like that. I hadn't even noticed it was there, really, so I looked, and I saw from his perspective and asked in my own head why. The wires had been pushed out so it looked more like half of a house drawn by a child. It only took a fraction of a second in my adult mind to figure out why, but it was asking that I found significant. "Oh," he said, "It's so people can go under it on the sidewalk." And off he rode.

  I suppose what I'm getting at is, if you need an idea, or if you have writer's block, open your eyes. Look outside yourself. Look from a different perspective. I'm beginning to find that there's plenty of ideas out there, you just have to be paying attention in order to catch on to it. Sometimes we learn from participation, and sometimes we learn from being quiet. Be an observer. Be quiet for a while and just watch, listen, feel and be inspired.

So Sad...Or Not

I heard back from the greeting card publisher, and sadly they did not accept my card ideas. It's too bad. Hmmm. Maybe it's a good thing. I'm refocusing to the Toilet Monster and New King stories. I have limited amounts of time to dedicate to writing, so it's probably a good thing not to split it too many ways. When I need a break from stories, or when I feel inspired I'll still write my card ideas and submit them occasionally, but I've decided I don't want it to be a main focus. I'm excited to move forward with my stories, I'm excited with where they were going. I thought I was done with the Toilet Monster, but it told me otherwise. It's in a complete rewrite, and I'm loving where it's going. That's all for now friends. I'll let you know how it goes. ;)

And the Winner is?!

My last post was about the greeting card ideas I sent out to a publisher. I was told a final decision would be made by mid-June. Maybe their running late? Maybe my ideas were so hot that they called in their international greeting card gurus to clammer over them. Unlikely, but just maybe.

I e-mailed the editor today to find out the final decision. I have questions running in my mind like, have they not told me because my card ideas weren't accepted? Should I have e-mailed sooner? Would that have put me on their radar more? Maybe this whole thing is a scam and all greeting card companies take all the submissions and print them as their own idea. I mean, who would know? I'm not going to be scanning their shelves for my ideas just incase they stole them. Unlikely, but just maybe.

On another note, I've really got to start writing again. I've acheived much on the home front, and some things, like my piano playing has gotten so much better. The dedicated time for writing though is still a challenge. They say if  you want something enough, it's not so hard, you just get it done. I don't think that's quite true. There's some truth there, but not the whole truth, is it?

Occupation? Greeting Card Author

Well, not yet! I just submitted my very first greeting card idea!!!!

I'm super excited about the prospect of being a writer of greeting cards. Hmm, what would my title be? Greeting Card Author? Greeting Card Writer? Conveyor of Relationship Strengthening Ideas? When I was growing up I thought about that sort of thing. Ditties, poems, sentiments, silly and clever hahas. When asked, "So, what do you do?" I would love to reply, "I am a mother of two, and an author of children's stories, novels, and greeting cards." Yep, I'd like all of those in my repertoire, how fun!

There are many greeting card companies. For my first submission, I chose one that fits my witty side. If you are thinking you might want to submit all those clever ideas you have, just do a good Internet search and find a company that has cards that fit your style. There are many types; funny, naughty, sentimental, Christian, and there are even a couple of web sites that you can create your cards, and customers can order your designs, have them printed, and sent out by the host company. The largest companies seem to have staff writers instead of free-lance. For the companies that accept free-lance work, some companies want the ideas sent snail mail, and some are e-mailed. Some have a minimum number of ideas that must be sent together. Just make sure you follow the company's guidelines (usually found on their website) to make sure your ideas would fit what that company does. In all my experience...well, that's what I've learned so far.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Toilet Monster...Still

And I thought I was done, ha!

I was happily typing along, doing what I thought were the last few changes to my Toilet Monster story,

An awesome illustration by my son. I figure it's
close to what I look like when happlily typing along. ;)

when during a conversation with my sister, I discovered that if I rearrange the storyline it would be so much better! Arg! Yeah!

Don't worry, the basic premise for my story about a giant is well noted and is contentedly waiting it's turn. I am going to finish my Toilet Monster story first. Once it is written, I'll hand it over for illustration.

While the story is out for illustration, I'll search and study how to e-publish. I'm so excited to learn how to e-publish, and I can't stop smiling about the thought of one of my stories being accessible to others to enjoy. I can sense the feeling of momentum and smell the coming accomplishment. The end result of the changes will be well worth the extra effort, and as I find out how to e-publish an illustrated children's book, I'll let you know.

Check out my handmade deadlines on the right. I'm incorporating time dedicated to writing into my daily routine to meet my deadlines. It seems if it's not on the schedule, it doesn't get done...so now it's on the schedule.

Giants!

Announcing my new illustrated children story's key element: giants!  It's going to be a story inspired by and written for my youngest child. I don't know the characters or premise yet, just that at least one character will be a giant. I'm also going to attempt illustrating. I'm terrified of the outcome, but I won't improve unless I practice. Here's my first practice piece. I sat down with the intention to create something with a giant's something-ness. IPad doodling I suppose. It was actually a lot of fun! I realize I lack training, knowledge, know-how and experience, but I've got to start somewhere!

I think certain giant stories and ideas have been overdone, so I'm doing some research. I want to discover what's been done, what works, what doesn't and why. In my community's many libraries, there was an abundance of Jack and the Beanstalk re-tellings, and even a spin on it from his sister's perspective. Boy oh boy has that one been done. There's also a tale from Ireland that I found many versions of, but I'm not familiar with it, so I want to read a few and find out why it's been copied so many times. Those two seemed to dominate the giant themed books.

I chose one that I was hopeful to be unique to read before I left the library.

It's a book called Mangaboom, by Charlotte Pomerantz and pictures are by Anita Lobel. At first glance I thought the illustrations were playful and inviting, but I was hesitant at the length of the text. I was also concerned when Mangaboom said, among other things, that she spoke Spanish and English, and the little boy said he knew a few words in Spanish. I was afraid this promising story was going to turn out to be a language lesson.

When I began reading, the story was intriguing and the characters were charming. The languages did not detract from the story, but added to it in a welcoming manner. Mangaboom, the lady-giant, lives in the top of a mango tree. A boy happens upon her. They become fast friends. He is an honored guest as she receives love letters and is set up with eligible giants by her aunt. He is a witness to a true lady finding love. A beloved, who loves her for all she is. The story is charming, witty, and I was gently taught by Mangaboom what a lady is. This story is a gem among giants.

What Works:

The lady-giant seems normal and mostly because she believes she's great the way she is, and it's not preachy or overbearing

Each character has a distinct voice; the lady, the boy, the over-bearing aunt, the unworthy eligibles, and the Romeo

Colorful, inviting, fitting illustration without the perfect angles, perspectives, planes...per my sister who I asked what the proper vocabulary is. Apparently I need to learn more about this! I loved the playful imperfection!

There wasn't any danger! It seems giants are usually deemed dangerous, and why wouldn't they be? If a giants were angered, they could certainly squash us poor tiny folks. This was just a story whose characters happened to be giants. Very neat.

What Doesn't Work:

Mangaboom likes to "skinny-dip and turn cartwheels on the beach". While it gives insight to her character, and it's hilarious to think about, I'm undecided as to whether it's appropriate for a children's book to refer to skinny-dipping. Hehe! I'm still giggling.

Time to Write!

The last few days have been really busy! I've been switching a couple rooms around in my house including my office. I'm excited to have a more organized space to do my writing in, and I think it will help me be more focused during my dedicated time.

Which reminds me, I need to figure out when that is going to be! During the day is difficult because I have other responsibilities with my children and my home. After my children are in bed things get quiet enough, but I'm busy wrapping up the day or spending time with my hubby.

I would need to get up by 6 a.m. to have any significant amount of time to write in the morning, and sitting still while writing would probably help me fall back asleep. When I wake up, I like to get moving and on to my to-do list. I think my best bet on most days is to finish my to-do list by the kiddo's bedtime and write very soon after they're in bed before I get too sleepy.

I'm super excited to be writing again!! I'm going to refine the Toilet Monster, add to the New King story, and start another children's book. Hopefully I'll have a bit to share with you very soon!

Test blog!

So it's been a while since I last posted, yikes! I just loaded the Blogger app to my phone. It seems to be where I do most of my media postings, so I thought I'd try blogging. While typing on my phone isn't the most convenient, sometimes just having a device close makes the post happen! Here's to a fabulous year of progress!

Jump on the Freight Train!

I've been wanting to work toward my NaNoWriMo goal, but  I freeze up when I feel overwhelmed, and dear oh dear I feel overwhelmed! I need to melt my nerves!

I thought I had my plot lined out and my characters sorted, but it seems to be a freight train riding off without me. I'm not sure if I should take back control (which my natural tendencies dictate), or if I should just hop on and see where it goes. The latter is likely to take me to a messy, but a more interesting story, so I feel more inclined to hop on the train. It sure is hard to let go of control though! Ah!

Ok, so the plan: Refocus. Turn off the editor voice. Let go and just write, write, write. Dedicate time to it each day. I really do have so much to do during the day as a mother and homemaker. I suppose I'll be getting lots of great practice at time-management and prioritizing. As much as I would love to super scrub my floor right now, I need to realize that some things can wait until my daily or weekly quota is met. After my story is completed with over 50,000 words by the end of November, I'll have lots of material to work with to make a fantastic novel that I will be proud to show to you all!

Any other suggestions?

2200 Words and Counting

It's amazing to see so many words appear on the screen during these first few days of NaNoWriMo. Actually I usually type my story with my eyes closed. I feel like my imagination can work better that way, I see my story unfold with my eyes closed. Silly? Maybe, but it works for me.

The story is taking me into new characters and plot depths I didn't expect. I heard once about an author's character dying and the author crying while she killed him. I've thought I would probably cry too, but I haven't understood how the death might come as a surprise. Isn't the author, well, the author of the story? I'm learning that isn't necessarily so. My story seems to be taking off with the characters and I'm just typing with my eyes closed.

Amazon Box

On a non-related note, I love the picture on the sides of the Amazon boxes. I think it's actually an arrow, but it looks like a smile and a dimple. I smile when I get boxes from Amazon! I got 3 of them today! No, not books, silly! A dehydrator!!

My other love is gardening; fruit and veggie stuff. When there's lots of produce, we eat, can, and freeze. Now I can dehydrate without borrowing a nice lady's machine! Mmmmm. I have some Bartlett Pears just waiting for me to start the process. Unless there's a major surplus, about half usually make it to the packaging stage. :) Dried pears, apples, and fruit rolls anyone?

Underdog Vs. Champion

I was talking to my sister earlier today about my New King story and another story I've just thought of, and she said,

"America seems to be osbsessed with the underdog, but there's something to be said for the champion" Oh, yes...she's brilliant. Here's her blog. http://casgrace.blogspot.com/

Well said, and I agree! We are referring to the underdog who seems to fall into just the right situation to conquer. Even so, they can be heart-warming, fun, and the journey to get from underdog to winner is exciting and makes a great story, but what about the champion? The character who trains for years or even decades, who is fully qualified, shouldn't he also win?

NaNoWriMo Prep

There's about one more week of NaNoWriMo preparation! I'm excited to get started, but I'm certainly glad to have a bit more time!!

I think I'm going to get my notes up on the wall where I'll be doing most of my writing. I'll hang my character bios, plots, settings, etc so that I will hopefully keep each character's voice and mannerisms unique. I think I'll hang up some key words too. Maybe I'll throw in a new vocabulary word. Yeeeees!

What are you doing to prepare?

Ready, Aim, Ugh!

The plan tonight was to put my kiddos in bed then write, write, write my plot and character worksheets for NaNoWriMo. Afterward, I would lie down in my bed for a restful nights sleep. It was a lovely plan! My kiddos thought differently.
Oh well, that's the beauty of working at home. I get to be with my angels at bedtime. I have a little time left tonight to figure out what worksheets are needed in order to be prepared to begin my NaNoWriMo novel on November 1. I'll begin/continue the actual worksheets tomorrow.

Lesson learned: Work during the day because the night runs out of room.