Blog Posts

Goals Met & Made

1/4/2019

2018 Goals Met (and Not)
I fell short on a few goals in 2018. I did not submit 20 queries. I did not publish 18 blog posts. I did not write 12 drafts – that’s the one that hurts the most. Here's what I accomplished:

read 350 new picture books
reviewed 52 books on Amazon
participated in 15 webinars
submitted 15 queries
drafted 11 manuscripts
wrote 9 blog posts
entered 2 writing contests
read 2 craft books
attended 1 writing retreat – Big Sur!!!

2018 Realizations

I love deadlines. I need deadlines. It truly pains me to miss deadlines. I need 12X12 to push me to write monthly drafts, even if I never intend to revisit those drafts again. I need a critique group to keep me on task and productive each month, even if I have no new work to share. And I need self-imposed goals like writing daily, even if it is for a mere 5 minutes.
I am more creative when I write daily. In 2017 I attempted to write each and every day – daily reflections, a poem, character interviews, 60-second prompts, anything. Though I did not fully achieve this goal, I did feel a boost in creativity, which led to stronger revisions.
I am an AM writer and reflector. I need time to myself each morning to write, reflect, and prepare for the day. Carving out time for myself in the morning allows me to be present with my family the rest of the day. Now that my son is *mostly* sleeping through the night and I am catching up on long lost sleep, it is time to set that early morning alarm again … or is it?
I need to rethink optimal writing conditions. I envision myself waking early, writing at the breakfast nook, drawing inspiration from the birds chirping and the dawn painted sky, while I feverishly write. But the reality is, I don’t have a breakfast nook table and I can’t control my children’s sleep. Early morning productivity is not an option at this time. I need to fit writing into the schedule the children’s sleep dictates, which may be a 2-3 hour window after they go to bed. I am finding this to be easier said, than done. More on this soon.
I need to adjust my writing expectations. There is no balance between writing and family. At this point in my life with my kids so young, the scale is tipped toward family. I am shifting my writing expectations and daily priorities so I can appreciate the writing time I do get AND not stress about the writing time I do not get.
I love bullet journaling and have no idea how I survived without it for so long! It is an amazing tool to stay organized and focused, and I plan to continue using my low maintenance, not-at-all-pretty version of this practice. Check out Kate Messner's post on bullet journaling for writers.

2019 Goals Made
I struggled with goals this year. I want them. I need them. But, I also want to give myself the flexibility to adjust my goals throughout the year based on what I need. I don’t want to specify a number of picture books to read, webinars to attend, queries to submit, or reviews to write. My priority is establishing new writing routines so I can get back to the writing, specifically, new drafts that excite me, rewrites to breakthrough revision slumps, and exercises and prompts to spark creativity.

My 2019 goals include:

Write daily & establish new writing routines to make writing a priority.
Read picture books and chapter books.
Write an Amazon review most Tuesdays #ReviewsDay.
Participate in 12X12 and write 12 drafts.
Publish 1 blog post monthly – explore author study interviews and writing exercises.
Join another critique group for accountability or build new critique partner connections.
Participate in at least 1 conference (Rutgers) and various local events.
Query … eventually.
Outline a chapter book series idea.
Read 3 craft books from the following list:
- Julie Falatko’s Writing in Small Doses
- Christina Katz’s Writer Mama
- Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat
- Matthew Dicks’ Storyworthy
- John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story
- Lousise DeSalvo’s The Art of Slow Writing

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2018 Halloweensie Writing Contest

10/29/2018

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It's Time for Susanna Leonard Hill's 8th Annual Halloweensie Contest!

This contest has special significance for me. After posting last year's entry about a new sibling surprise, I went into labor and delivered my son! I look forward to actually reading other entries this year. Thank you Susanna for a wonderful tradition!

2018 Prompt: Write a 100-word Halloween story appropriate for children 12 and under using the words shiver, cauldron, and howl.

Tricky Treats

When we moved on Halloween, nobody warned us about the house on the hill with blue shutters and a white picket fence.

Purple lights blinked and pumpkin grins glowed. The doorbell howled like a wolf. A witch with a cauldron opened the door.

“Trick or treat!”

We reached into the cauldron for a treat, but got a trick instead. We shrieked and shivered at the horror in our hands as we sprinted home.

“Did you get any candy?” Mom asked.

We shook our heads and opened our hands. Instead of sweets, the house on the hill gave out…carrots.

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Bringing Books to Life

8/31/2018

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As much as my daughter loves snuggly reading marathons, she also loves to act the books out, repeat favorite lines, draw and “write” about them, and use toys to extend the story. Building on my LEGO theme this month, here are two of our picture book-inspired LEGO creations.

After seeing a cover reveal blog post for Tanya Valentine’s adorable book Little Taco Truck, we created our own food truck serving up pizza and ice cream outside the community library and park.

Writing With The Stars founder Tara Luebbe’s book I Am Famous inspired an amphitheater and stage with a revolving platform (thanks Les Misérables).

For more book-inspired LEGO creations, check out the art of Marcie Colleen’s husband Jonathan Lopes. His literature-inspired work includes Dan Santat’s Beekle, Peter Brown’s Mr. Tiger, Marcie’s Love, Triangle cast, and more. And while you are at it, check out Marcie’s Study Hall program – an amazing mentor-led critique group for picture book writers.

In addition to LEGO bricks, we have used blocks to act out Cori Doerrfeld’s The Rabbit Listened with my daughter’s favorite line, “It’s going to be amazing!” We have constructed train tracks and pushed Two Little Trains west after reading Margaret Wise Brown’s classic. And we have emptied the contents of the play fridge to create our own food world like the one Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney created in The Stinky Stench.

As a former teacher, I love enhancing our reading with learning and play activities that create real-world connections and build my daughter's big imagination. Plus, if I cannot carve out writing time while the kiddos are awake, building literature-inspired worlds is a worthy alternative.