Football and Writing

It's football season, and I for one am really glad. I like football. I have teams that I root for, and teams I'd just as soon shoot...well, maybe not really. Still...

Okay, so what's the scoop here? Why I am using football and writing in the same sentence? 'Cause they're so similar! Really. To be a professional athlete, whether it's football or another sport, requires dedication, time and hard work. It also means you do a lot of preliminary stuff before you get to journey's end: the regular season game, or the story or nonfiction piece you're working on.

Football players work out...hard. They lift weights, they spend time in the gym strengthening the muscles they need for the task at hand. They run wind sprints, they practice receiving the ball, kicking and working on footwork with the tires.

So do writers work out...just as hard. We read about the right way to use plot, point of view, conflict, and so forth. And we practice what we read. We let our writer friends help us see what we're doing right and what needs work.

And, hopefully, the end result for both the professional athlete and the writer, is a slam dunk score, i.e. finished, polished novel.

What about you? What are the preparations and practices do you utilize to create and polish your piece of writing? I look forward to hearing about it.

My Blog's Worst Enemy

Yep, that says it in a nutshell. You see, yesterday I accidentally submitted to Blogger that my blog was spam. What I thought I was doing was listing my blog as one that was receiving spam. Oy!

I was then frantic to undo what I had done. But, apparently I'm okay, because my blog is still here, and I am able to post. Of course, then I wonder--has it just not come through yet?--or perhaps it went through but because there were no more reports, my blog is fine.

Wow, what a way to sabotage myself. But you know, we do that with our writing, too. We think we're being clever, but in actuality we are shooting ourselves in the foot. You know, that extra bit of description that leaves your reader's yawning, too much dialog (yes, that can happen) that leaves your reader wondering what is in the head of your protagonist, and so forth.

When I was in Chautauqua last summer, my mentor wanted me to write a bit more on my story, starting it at a different page. So, I did. Then I reread what I had written, and decided I needed to add a couple of things. I should have left it with my original instincts. Everything I had added, he pointed out and said it didn't ring true, or didn't need to be there.

So I'm learning to trust my instincts, and not be my own worst enemy. What about you?

A fresh attitude check helps!

It's Monday again, and time to start the week with a fresh attitude, and boy have I needed one! I've decided to look at my "failures" of not keeping up with emails, not posting other writer's interviews, not working on any of my WIPs not as failures but as impetus to start new and fresh.

It can be hard not to think of oneself as a failure, especially when you've allowed yourself to moan, groan and bitch about your writing life.

I freely participated in a downhill spiral of missed communications and depression about my books sales (or lack thereof).

But I've bolstered my flagging spirits with the good news that has surrounded me if I were only but to look: my three library visits were a great success! All six copies of my book at the local library system have been steadily checked out since the end of June. Yippee! Another librarian in another state is ordering six copies for her library! Another yippee!

Apart from annoying spammers that I can't seem to get rid of, my blog is going well, and I have plenty of guest bloggers to share.

Sure, I haven't worked on my books, but I have allowed myself to do some brainstorming and free association on a couple of them, and I'm anxious to get to work.

See, you can pull yourselves up by looking at the positive rather than the negative. It's working for me. What about for you? Share your story!

Why Can't I Get a Handle on This?

I know I've blogged about this before, but I feel like I'm drowning here, and could use some good input. Here's the question: How do I balance my writing life (i.e. working on works in progress) versus answering emails, facebooking, other social networking, creating interviews, and so forth?

I thought I had it figured out: Forget the emails and write first. The problem with that is that I know those emails are there, waiting for me. It's always in the back of my mind, nagging at me. So, I go clear emails, but there's always something that I have to do with some of the emails, thus I have to do those things before I can move on.

Of course, a lot of times I just leave those emails because I don't want to work on them, but work on stuff I HAVE to do...blog interviews, most of the time. Then, every time I'm getting internal pressure about emails, and I go to the emails, then SLAM - there are all those emails waiting for me that I've left, nagging at me, jiggling my conscience.

A lot of the writers I know are very, very busy and seem to thrive on it. I'm not that way. I have to make sure I have enough down time, away from the computer, to have hopes of getting anything done. So, I have to be careful about what I commit to.

And somewhere in the back of my mind is the knowing that I have a few problems with my work-in-progress that I haven't figured out yet, so that when I do get back to it, I have to go in problem-solving mode. Who said that writing is all fun? Certainly not any authors I know!

So what do you think? How can I solve these problems? I'd love to hear your story and suggestions.

The Aliens are Coming!

A parent cannot truly comprehend how dramatically life with children can change until the inevitable day an alien or two shows up on their doorstep. Gracious, for my husband and I, life was downright dull and complacent until our girls hit the magical age of thirteen. That was when, without any forewarning whatsoever, aliens took up residence in our house.

The first alien was 5’5” tall and answered to our oldest child’s name. It even took showers at the same time she did and enjoyed the same favorite foods. It was uncanny how much this alien dressed exactly like our daughter. And, it knew how to toss that golden brown mane back with just the right touch of come-hither. But, we knew it wasn’t our daughter. Our daughter was kind, gracious and compliant, loving, grumbled occasionally, and still enjoyed spending time with the family.

But the alien, oh my, what a rude shock awaited us! Mistaking the alien at first for my daughter, I told it to clean the kitchen after dinner. The alien pierced me with a black look, and haughtily informed me its favorite television show was coming on, and it would do the dishes after the show. Confused, I stared at her. What had happened to my daughter? This was when I first began to suspect my daughter had been taken over by an alien.

“No, you will do the dishes right now. Please also make sure you clean the sink and rinse the dishrag out.”

Trumpeting, an elephant stomped its way into our kitchen. First aliens, now ferocious, wild animals. I immediately grabbed my binoculars, aimed them at the kitchen and sighed in relief when all that came into focus was what I thought was my daughter.

Crash, clatter, bang. My hand flew to my mouth as what was obviously a ghost caused a green plastic glass to hover mysteriously in mid-air, and then whiz from one side of my kitchen to the other, landing with a loud splop! in the sink, spraying dirty soapy water all over my nice clean floor. While I was still trying to recover from this fright, there was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I suddenly realized that a foreigner had also come to visit, as the speech emanating from the kitchen turned unintelligible. Aliens, wild animals, ghosts, and foreigners. Whatever could be next?

Shaking my head in disbelief, I spoke loudly to my husband who was reclining in the living room while watching The Discovery Channel. We attempted to carry on a civilized conversation, but were constantly overridden by the alien, elephant, ghost and foreigner that remained crowded in my kitchen.

Hoping to escape from the mayhem reigning in my home, I pushed away from the table and headed down the short hallway to the bathroom. Closing the door, I was just getting about my business when thunder rattled the very hinges of the door. Startled, I racked my brain, and was certain I had heard nothing in the weather report of thunderstorms in the area. Uneasy, I soon settled down again when, my gosh, there was that thunder again. Belatedly, I realized someone wanted in--badly. Calling out that I would be done in a minute, I tried to breathe myself into a calming, meditative state. Hee, hee, whoo. Hee, hee, whoo. The pattern seemed somehow familiar, appropriate. When had I last breathed that way?

Boom, boom, rattle, rattle. Would it never quit?

“All right, all right. I’m done, just wait a minute.” I opened the door and stared, nonplussed, for in front of me stood a second, very cross alien. This one was shorter, and was wearing a top I was certain I had never approved of. Wondering at the depth of my luck, I quickly jumped back as this 13-year-old alien rushed past me, stepping on my toes without so much as a “by your leave,” or an “excuse me.” It was fiercely mumbling about bad hair days and missing gel, and firmly slammed the door in my face.

Stumbling back into the dining room, I was shaking as I grasped the table, heavily lowering myself onto my thankfully sturdy chair. Looking through the archway into the living room at my reclining husband, I shouted desperately over the din, “Honey, have you noticed any, um, unusual presence in our home recently?”

He looked up blankly. “No. There are just us and our teenagers.”

Monday morning...again!

Doggone if it isn't Monday...again. One would hope that after having to suffer through years worth of Monday's we would great a break and at least skip a week or two. And the very idea of it coming after a lovely Easter holiday makes it especially irritating.

Do you realize that every year we have to endure 52 Mondays, give or take? Over the course of my life that means I have struggled through 2,704 Mondays. Of course, sleep takes up even more time than Mondays over the course of the year, but hey! that's the way it goes.

I can definitely approach another Monday as a colossal waste of time, but is it really? Or is it just that I found it difficult to get myself back into the writing groove after a nice few days off. I suppose that in all fairness to Mondays, I cannot blame them for my own lack of productivity or of feeling totally swamped because I didn't check my emails all weekend. I know that's a sin, doggone it, but I think that is what Saturday and Sunday is for!

You can already see my Monday shaping up: fire up the computer, yes, dare to open that email, catch up on correspondence, social network (while managing to avoid pokes, hits and Farmville, Yo-ville and all those other villes), check on my personal bank situation, and so forth. Have I even hit writing yet? Ah, no. Is that what a Monday is for?

Let me know about your Mondays!

Katie's book, "Guardian," can be ordered through 4rvpublishingllc.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookseller.

Getting the Most Out of a Writer's Conference

I recently posted on another blog that I attended a writer's conference last weekend. Although I write for kids, the conference was aimed at mostly an adult readership. I wanted especially to attend the conference because Jane Friedman, a senior editor for Writer's Digest, was going to speak. I'd heard her before, and she was dynamic. I learned a lot.

Unfortunately, there were problems with the airlines, and Jane was unable to attend the conference. I was a bit put-out about the whole thing, and in my glorious pride, immediately thought I should have just stayed home, that there was nothing else I could learn from other presenters.

But I didn't go home (until the end of the day), and attended other classes instead. The presenters were much more glorious than my pride, thankfully, and I ended up learning a lot. I even went to one class that I thought was going to be about poetry, but ended up being about how to connect to your right brain thinking. It was one of the least attended classes, but the one that helped me the most!

Swallow that pride, and expect to learn from everyone who presents, AND from the other writers you meet and network with. Pride and arrogance have no place in writing or publishing and can put you down the wrong path.

What should you do to get the most of out of a writer's conference? Be humble and receptive and willing to learn and listen, even from those who you think you can't learn from. Therein lies the difference between the real writer and the one who simply blows hot air.

Surviving Writing College

This past week was spring break for my youngest who is away at college. I had fond thoughts of shopping, going to the Panera to eat, and cozy chats.

Hah!

She had fond thoughts of spending the time with her boyfriend, eating fast food, and cozying up with him.

Sigh.

It's hard to let go, isn't it, of our children as they grow and mature? I had particular problems with letting go of this one because she was my baby (perish the thought, she thinks) and I knew that things were forever changed, even if she didn't.

Our writing is also our baby, and there comes the time when we must let go of our works and put them into the trusting hands of query letters, of the synopsis, and publishers, trusting that our writing will grow and mature as time passes.

Perhaps our publishers don't cozy up to our writing the way we do, but heck! they're not the ones who labored and pored over every word, agonizing about plot, and creating living, breathing characters.

Once you let go of that writing piece, it can thrive in the hands of great editors and publishing houses. But, if you want to kiss the manuscript before you send it, I'll certainly understand, and so will all others who get to that point in their writing careers.

What about you? Has it been easy to let go of your baby, to send it out with a wing and a prayer, hoping it will find a home away from home?

My baby "Guardian," can be purchased through 4RV Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local bookseller.

Let's hear it and...

…ring the bells, ‘cause this blog tour is almost over! I can’t believe the amount of fun (and hard work) it’s been. But, for one lucky reader and commenter, it is not too late to check out the latest stop on the tour and win a FREE copy of Guardian. Check it out: http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

Blog Tour on 8th Day!

I can't believe it is already the 8th day of my virtual blog tour...and that much closer to giving away a FREE copy of Guardian.

How do you win this FREE book? Simply go to one of the sites of the tour (see right hand column) and leave a comment. At the end of the tour, I will choose one commenter to give the book to.

Here's today's stops:

Penny Ehrenkranz: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com
Kathy Stemke: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Treasure & the Knights Templar

Here it is, day three of my blog tour already. Today I will be featured on Christina Rodriguez's blog. I will be sharing a bit about the history of the Knights Templar and how they figure in on the treasure story, which I shared about on Ginger Simpson's blog on day 1. Be sure and check it out if you missed it.

We had a great time on Marvin's blog yesterday, and we were talking up a storm.

Remember that some lucky person will win a free copy of "Guardian" if they leave a comment during my 10 day tour--but you're in the hunt only if you leave a comment!

Drum Roll Please!

Ta da! Pop that cork, and bring on the strawberries. "Guardian," my middle grade urban fantasy is now available through the publisher, 4RV Publishing, here. Simply click on the book cover picture on the site, and it will take you to a buy page.

I cannot begin to express how incredibly excited I am about this. Since the contract was signed the end of October, 2008, I have been waiting for this day...some days more patiently than others. Let me tell you that, from the very beginning, 4RV Publishing has been a top notch group of professionals to work with.

The year plus has been packed with activity, mainly learning about marketing and promotion, and doing as much as I could do to gain exposure for my name and book as I possibly could before the actual book release. I have created a media kit, joined several social networks, gotten professional pictures taken, written a better synopsis, and worked with the publisher to make necessary changes in the text of the book.

Soon (I don't have a better date than "soon"), the book will be available to be ordered through all normal outlets, including your local bookstore. Frankly, the author and publisher will make more royalties if you order through the publisher, but I think it is important for bookstores to order the book, too, as it will let them know it is available and that people want to buy it.

I will be working on setting up a blog tour, so those of you who would like to host me, let me know (leave a comment below). Right now, I haven't scheduled anything because I only got notified this past week that the book was ready!

Again, my hat's off to 4RV Publishing for all the fine, enthusiastic work they've done on my book. I cannot imagine a more successful collaborative effort.

Tax Time? Soon!

Yes, I'm organized and I'm getting my ducks in a row so I can file my 2009 income taxes. Isn't that a terrible word: taxes? How about: government waste? How about: happy day?

Whatever you call it--I doubt anyone would say "happy day"--it will soon be time for all my American friends to pay the piper.

For my part, I get ready for tax time all year long. I have a spreadsheet I made on Excel that lists all my tax deductions incurred throughout the year: mileage, office supplies, professional fees, and so forth. That way, when this time of the year comes along, I'm ready to fill out my Schedule C without too much trouble.

Of course, I kinda cheat, too, because I use the TaxActOnline.com to file my taxes. The program is free, with only a charge for the electronic filing. It is cheaper than TurboTax and does all the figuring for me. It asks all the right questions, and fills in the correct amount so I don't worry about arithmetic. It also adjusts yearly and asks the right questions about things that have changed, tax-wise, from the previous year.

So all I have to do is plug in numbers, which isn't too difficult if you've done your work ahead of time.

But, what if you haven't? Should you panic? Not yet - you've got until April 15th to do that! Seriously, if you're not an organized person, this is one area of your life where you need to be. Pull your checkbook registers out and begin compiling your own spreadsheet of expenses. Don't forget mileage, because at $.55/mile deduction, it can really add up fast.

And remember, if you have a net loss on your writing, you can deduct that from your taxes, thus reducing your gross income. That means paying less taxes, which we can all smile about.

I ALWAYS have my taxes done by the end of the first or second week of February, and with a little planning and hard work, you too can file, and get that kiss-me-quick-before-I'm-all-spent refund.

Vacation BEFORE the holidays!

Sounds wrong, doesn't it? Whoever heard of having a holiday before the holiday? Well, we are going to Piegeon Forge in Tennessee for a short and much needed break. We'll only be gone four days and three nights, but I am quivering with anticipation!

Our eldest daughter and her husband along for the ride, and we should have some great time with them.

We've got a cool cabin reserved, complete with hot tub, jacuzzi, pool table, and the usual amenities. Got a real deal on it, too. Since we're going in the middle of the week, we get one night free! How cool is that? Also scheduled among our activities is a murder mystery dinner theatre on Wednesday night, which should be great. Even the weather is cooperating.

This may be our last vacation in a while. My husband's plant closed, so we're in the job hunting mode, but he also got a bit of a severance package, hence the short vacation.

The day we come back, there is a Christmas dinner to attend, and another the following day. I guess we'll get our break from stress and all before Christmas.

Hope the rest of you gys can avoid the stress, too, that many of us experience during this season of the year.

Heather Paye interviewing me

You can find Heather Paye's interview of yours truly on her blog at http://heatherpaye.blogspot.com.

Be sure and check it out, as well as leaving a comment!

Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!

OMG! It's almost finally here. That sounds like a dichotomy of terms, doesn't it? I did the final edits of my book, Guardian, and it's ready to go to layout and for copy editing. I use those terms, but don't really know what they mean, other than to know they are the final stages of publication. I know it is close, because I had to write an author bio, copy for the back cover, and an acknowledgement page. Isn't this so cool?

I want to laud the virtues of the 4RV Publishing group. Even though it took longer than I thought, these fine folks have been with me all the way, and have been committed to making my book the best it can be.

Of course, this doesn't mean I can rest on my laurels. No indeed, there is the marketing ahead (I've been doing some of that for awhile now), book store signings, school visits, and a mega internet push. My husband is soon going to join the rank of the unemployed, but this means he'll be able to go to visits with me. I hope to be able to branch my marketing out to include several nearby states.

And, in the middle of all this is my writing of my next middle grade novel, and working lightly on a couple of other books.