Freeeeeee Stuff!

If you are reading this in your email, please click on the title of the blog. It will take you to my blog and two things will happen: I will know how many people are really reading my blog and you can leave a comment at the end of the post. If you aren’t reading this in your email, please look on the right side at the top and sign up for an email subscription. I’ll do my best to make it worth your while with interesting reviews, interviews, links to other good sites and blogs, and random wackiness. Thanks!

In March I posted about helpful places to visit on the internet. There are so many, I could probably post something like it once a week, but since I only post about once a week, I think I’ll try to restrain myself to doing this only occasionally. But do please read through. There is a treat for you at the end.

There are a lot of companies that want to sell something to writers – classes, books, services, etc. Many of them send me something by email often. I usually whiz through the table of contents or sub-heads checking for anything of interest. Many times there are interesting articles, links to other useful sites, information on opportunities. Here are several you might want to look at and maybe even sign up for the free e-newsletters they offer.

Check out the Guide to Literary Agents blog: http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/. They always list a few new, hungry agents and tell you just what they’re looking for. They also have useful articles and interviews by agents and authors. They had a posting not too long ago called How to Blog with links to three really good articles: http://view.writers-community.com/?j=fec516777163027d&m=fe9b15707463077575&ls=fe611577706304757415&l=ff3a15707665&s=fe961770776c057b70&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe86107272630d7476&et_mid=274760&rid=3028165&r=0#2. It’s worth reading.

Writer’s Digest magazine has a free e-newsletter. They try like crazy to sell you books and magazine subscriptions, but beyond that they have some interesting articles and links. They tell you about contests (mostly their own that you have to pay to enter, but they are well respected), conferences and other events, give you writing prompts, and link to a lot of the articles they publish in the magazine. I get something useful out of it more often than not. http://www.writersdigest.com/GeneralMenu/.

Randy Ingermanson sells software for writers. He has something called the Snowflake method. I have a friend who has used it and thinks it’s pretty good.  I haven’t tried it yet, but I sure like his blog. He often bases his posts on questions from his readers (i.e. other writers) who ask the questions many of us have about writing, but don’t know who to ask. Check it out. http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/

I’ve recently run across a blog called Adventures in Children’s Publishing. http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/ It’s written by four writers who write for kids of all ages – from picture books to YA. They have a ton of interesting posts in their archives. There is a reason they have over 1100 followers.

If you like historical fiction or hope to write historical fiction (count me on both those) you will like Two Nerdy History Girls blog written by a couple of very talented authors, Loretta Chase and Susan Holloway Scott. The blog is just flat fun to read. http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/. Check it out.

Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency in Denver has a blog called Pub Rants. It’s always good to get an agents perspective. http://pubrants.blogspot.com/.

Nathan Bransford used to be a red hot agent; then he quit to become a children’s author. He blog is rife with interesting and useful posts. http://blog.nathanbransford.com/. You can scroll through his archives and find almost anything you might need information on.

Here are some specific blog posts I found to be particularly useful:

A good post on creating a pitch: http://amiekaufman.com/?p=454

An excellent post on how to write a good query AND (Bonus!) a free download of an e-book on writing queries: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/p/writing-query-letter.html

A post by my very prolific daughter Maggie on the daunting task and the rewards of blogging every day: http://www.maggiesnest.org/2011/04/28/embracing-the-no-good/

There are other blogs I really enjoy listed to the right. If you haven't checked them out, take a look. Just click on them and, by the magic of the internet, there you are.

And now for your promised TREAT. One of my favorite television shows is CBS Sunday Morning. The link below will take you to a fascinating interview with John le Carre about writing. It isn’t just interesting to writers. It’s just interesting. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/01/sunday/main20037717.shtml

Do you have some places you like to visit or good information you receive? Please share!

Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards -- A Review

My friend Mitty – AKA Elizabeth Varadan of The Fourth Wish blog – wrote a review for the Sacramento Book Review of Three Rivers Rising: a Novel of the Johnstown Flood by Jame Richards. First, I must admit I have a kind of voyeuristic fascination with disasters. Secondly, I love historical fiction. Thirdly, if Mitty says a book is “compelling” and “lyrical,” I’m going to have to read it, even if it is a novel in verse, which I find a little off-putting. (It has something to do with my insecurity about poetry. See my last post.) I picked up a copy and am so glad I did.

This story has it all – forbidden romance, heroes who risk their own lives to save many others, a boorish upper class who build their private playground with no regard for others, and a natural disaster of Biblical proportions. Richards weaves the stories of three different women whose lives ultimately intersect at the most horrific and remarkable of times.

Celestia Whitcomb spends summers with her family at Lake Conemaugh, a man-made lake created by an earthen dam above a valley of working-class villages and the town of Johnstown. The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club had been built by wealthy men on the shores of “their lake” as a summer get-away for them and their families. It is there she meets and falls in love with Peter, a worker at the club and a resident of Johnstown, a town in the valley below the dam. Of course, such a romance is forbidden, and they are forced apart. Celestia is sent to Europe, but they secretly stay in touch and hope to be reunited one day. When she returns to Lake Conemaugh, she finds Peter has left the club. She defies her father and goes to Johnstown to be with Peter.

Also below the dam lives Maura, a young mother of four, married to the love of her life, Joseph, a conductor on the train that runs through the valley. Her life is filled with the never-ending chores of raising a family on the little they have, while she waits for her Joseph to return to her each night.

Kate lost her fiancé in a drowning accident. She had to leave her home because she could not bear to be there any more without her love. She went to nursing school and is on her way to her first job when the train brings her through the valley just as disaster strikes.

Rain had fallen for days and the dam weakened. No one really believes the dam will not hold, but suddenly it is gone. All three women are in the valley below at that moment. All have survival as their goal – for themselves, their loved-ones, and those around them.

The story of the Jonestown flood is a huge one, but Richards tells it extremely well, building great characters and making us care about them, all in under 30,000 words – spare, elegant verse that draws readers in and holds onto them through this sad, sweet story of love, strength, and survival. I recommend it. It’s a young adult book, but I believe adults will love it as well.

Another Writer's Contest and a Winning Week for Me!

Another quick blog today with news that may be important to you as a writer, followed by news about me as a writer, followed by blogging awards I'm handing out.

First, there is another contest for writers that I think is a wonderful opportunity. I’ve read it’s harder to land an agent than a publisher. Frankly, I'm not sure I believe that, but I do know landing an agent is very hard work. There is a contest going on right now that should be of interest to anyone writing for young people. Check it out at: http://yatopia.blogspot.com/2011/04/pitch-contest-with-natalie-fischer.html. It looks pretty interesting!

Now news from another contest, one that ended last month. The Foster City Writer’s Contest had a children’s division this year. Perhaps they do every year, but this year is the first time I’ve taken a good look at the contest and the first year I’ve entered. My children’s short story, Helen’s Home Run, won first place! Woo-Hoo! There is a nice money prize and it will look good on my bio.

I also was awarded two blog awards by my friend, critique partner, and fellow blogger Elizabeth Varadan. (http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/) She blessed me with the Sisterhood Award and the Versatile Blogger Award! I am so honored. As with other blogging awards, these are to be passed along to other bloggers.

I shall award the Sisterhood Award to my friend Michelle Fayard, a former critique partner who (sad for us) moved away. You can find her blog at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/. She is the one who passed on the information about the agent contest. Good luck to both of us, Michelle! I also want to award it to Barbara Krasner, a friend and collegue who encourages and helps me at every step. More about her and her blog in the next section. She is a double award winner today. She is also a teacher and will be teaching a Highlight's Founders Workshop on writing Jewish-themed children's books. Check it out.

The Versatile Blogger award not only should be passed along, but requires I tell seven things about me you might not know. Hmmmm. When I received a Stylish Blogger award a while back, I had to do the same, so let’s see if I can come up with seven new things.

1. This week, was a good week for me as a writer. Besides finding out I’d won the Foster City Writer’s Contest, I received my first publishing contracts – for two poems I sold to High Five magazine, sister publication of Highlights. I’m very excited.

2. My grandson Gehrig is a future baseball superstar and has been playing some amazing ball lately. He may be only nine, but I’m telling you, someday you’ll be reading about him.

3.      My granddaughter Gracie is going to be a famous writer someday. She is only five and is already writing books! Must be something in the water around here.

4.      I have enough “Seasons” poems to submit a collection to publishers. I am polishing them madly and my goal is to submit before summer.  

5.      I had a writing teacher in college tell me to never write poetry again. I guess I just don’t listen well. You did notice I sold two poems, right?

6.      I am an active member of three critique groups. It’s a miracle I get any of my own work done.

7.      I couldn’t possibly do any writing without my critique groups. They give me so much help and encouragement.

I’d like to award the Versatile Blogger award to (drum roll, please):

Barbara Krasner -- http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/author/thewholemegillah/ -- everything you might need to know about writing for children with a Jewish theme.

Elizabeth Varadan -- http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/ -- a treasure trove of wonderful writing.

Maggie Hollinbeck -- http://www.maggiesnest.org/ -- yes, she’s my daughter, but she may well be the real writer in the family. She blogs every day and I much admire her passion and work.

Morgan Mussell -- http://thefirstgates.com/author/morganmussell/ -- always interesting, always thought provoking, always edifying and entertaining.

Margaret Duarte -- http://enterthebetween.blogspot.com/ -- I learn so much from Margaret about blogging and writing.

The Speculative Salon -- http://speculativesalon.blogspot.com/ -- a group of six writers share this blog. It’s always worth a look.

Have a great day. Back to my regularly scheduled (which means no schedule at all) blogging now.

Writer's Contest

Just a quick post to all my writing readers. There is a terrific contest going on right now. If you go to http://deareditor.com/2011/04/15/newsflash-a-deareditor-com-free-fiction-edit-giveaway/ you can get all the details. To celebrate the completion of her final manuscript for Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, the Editor is giving away a FREE Substantive Edit of one fiction manuscript for adults or young readers. Deadline: April 21, 2011. Check it out!

Let's Go to the Movies

If you are one of my writing friends and have not yet discovered The Speculative Salon blog, you might want to take a look. It’s written by six women who all write speculative fiction, and they take turns in the box. The latest post, written by Elizabeth Gibson, examines some films she loved as a child and how they influenced her writing. My friend Morgan Mussell also often blogs about the influence of film on his writing. You might want to check out his blog, The First Gates. Anyway, it seemed an interesting exercise to me, so, with a tip of the hat to Elizabeth Gibson, I thought about what films had influenced my writing.

As many of you know, I spent last year working on a historical novel based loosely on my father’s childhood, The Incredible Journey of Freddy J. It is, I hope and believe, a great adventure story. (It is also my hope and belief that one of these days soon a publisher will realize it should be published!) I certainly was a big fan of adventure films all my life. When thinking about Elizabeth Gibson’s post, the first film that came to mind was Treasure Island, the 1950 version with Robert Newton as Long John Silver. Disney did a surprisingly good job with Robert Louis Stevenson’s marvelous book. The resourceful Jim Hawkins is one of the great young heroes of book and film. The Swiss Family Robinson was another great favorite, the 1960 version with John Mills and Dorothy Maguire, heading perhaps the most inventive and ingenious family in all of filmdom. After seeing that film, I was pretty sure if I could find the right man in my life, I could raise a family in a fantastic tree house. (See how I was thinking, even then? LOL.) My writing certainly has been influenced by these and other sweeping adventures filled with resourceful people.

Beyond adventure films, the next group of films that came to mind were the great musicals of the mid-century that were imbued with adventure and, often, romance – The Wizard of Oz, Brigadoon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Calamity Jane. I could go on and on. I saw them at the theatres, bought the albums, and tried to replicate them in our living room, sometimes battling a sister for the starring role and best songs. When I look at Freddy J., I see the influence of these films as well. Music becomes a motif: fuel that keeps Freddy going and reminds him of home.The resourcefulness of those characters also shaped Freddy's character.

I could easily write one of my epic posts examining movies that have informed my writing, but I think for once, I’ll keep it short and simple. What movies have influenced you in what you do or even in how you live your life?

Ray Bradbury Sure Got it Right

I’ve been doing some substitute teaching the last couple of weeks at a continuation high school (a last chance school for those who don’t find success at the regular high school). I like subbing. It keeps me around teenagers, keeps me in touch with their interests, their language, their problems – all things helpful in my writing for young people. I work at three different schools – the regular high school, a charter school covering 6^th through 12^th grades, and the continuation high school. Each is a different experience and wonderful in its own way. I had a couple of real surprises while there last week, and not in a good way. Oh, I don’t mean behavior problems. There are always a few of those, but the kids for the most part are nice and very respectful. The principal is one of the best I’ve run across through the years and he runs a very tight ship.

The first surprise came from a very sweet senior girl. She seemed to work hard and behaved well. She asked if she could go to the restroom, and I told her to sign out and take the restroom pass – standard operating procedure at the school. I was busy with some paperwork, so when she asked me what time it was, I just pointed at the clock. She stood there for a few long moments, then said, “I don’t know what that is.”

“What what is?” I asked, baffled.

She pointed to the clock. “The time. I don’t know how to tell time that way.” She smiled sweetly.

She had never learned how to read a clock. Nice girl, seemed bright, used the language well, but at about eighteen years of age, she couldn’t read a clock! I thought a lot about it after the incident and have come to the conclusion that she never needed to learn to read a clock. We live in a digital world. Most clocks display the time digitally. When kids want to know the time, they take out their cell phones and check the digital display. Clocks in cars, outside of banks, on the stove, etc., etc. are digital. Why learn something one doesn’t need? And yet, I do think kids should learn to read a clock. I can't imagine clocks will completely disappear.

The other surprise was a young lady who came into the math class in which I was subbing. I had the workbooks laid out and told her she could get hers. She told me she wouldn’t be working in the workbook – all her work was done. She had completed everything in the book.

“I have a 4.0 GPA. I do all my work,” she said proudly.

“You can do work from another class then." 

“I’ve got all my work done in all my classes. That’s why I have a 4.0.”

“That’s great!” It was nice to hear that kind of pride from a student at a continuation school. “I’ll bet you’ve got a book to read then.”

“Oh, no. I don’t read. Reading is boring and it gives me a headache. I hate reading.”

Other students came pouring in, and I couldn’t carry the conversation further, but I spent quite a bit of time pondering it. There have always been kids who don’t like to read; that hasn’t changed. But students with a 4.0 GPA? That has changed. So I have to ask, how can a student reach the level of learning it takes to truly earn a perfect grade without having some love of reading or at least an appreciation of what reading gives? I hope I run into that young lady again this week so I can continue the conversation. I’d like to try to suggest some things that might change her thinking on reading. Maybe no one has ever spent the time to talk to her about what she has read, help her find her way through great literature, and teach her to divine her own maps through her reading.

But on a larger scale, I wonder if kids need reading these days. Just as the girl who can’t read a clock, maybe kids don’t believe they need to read in today’s world. I know the art of writing is rapidly falling by the wayside, and I blame it largely on email and texting. u no wat I meen? y lern wat u don need? (Sorry about that punctuation. I couldn’t help myself.)

Whenever I talk to young people, I ask what they’re studying in English class. Can’t help it. I have to know. So often the answer is something like, “We’re watching The Lord of the Rings.” “Oh,” say I, “so you’re reading Tolkein.” “Who’s Tolkein?” comes the response.

I know a lot of great English teachers who make sure their students read good literature, but time in the classroom is being shortened every year and more and more demands are being put on the teachers – time for test preparation, time for testing, time for parent conferences (or should I say confrontations?), time for tutoring, etc., etc. Some don’t fight the good fight so much. It’s just easier to show the movie or read an excerpt and talk about the story instead of reading it carefully, perhaps aloud, and discussing it, peeling away the layers, and taking the time to consider the power of words on a page.

Every chance I had when I was teaching, I would insert Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 into my curriculum. I told my students I thought it was the most important book of the twentieth century. We read much of it aloud in class and talked of what Bradbury was trying to warn us. Some of the kids really got it. They are the ones, I like to think, who carry books with them and carve out a little time each day to let great authors help them explore the far reaches of their minds, help them find texture in their lives, and enrich their existence. They are the ones who will read to their babies every day of their lives until they, too, become readers and lovers of books. 

Readers may be an endangered species. The world is becoming a place where young people don’t NEED to learn to read. I don't mean learning to read words; I mean learning to really read books. We must do what we can to make sure young people need and value reading. We have to continue to share great books, share the love of reading, and continue to write good books that engage children and young people in ways that will help them become readers. Ray Bradbury got it right. His great book is frighteningly close to coming to pass. If you haven’t read it lately, you might want to revisit it. If you’ve never read it, do yourself a favor and give yourself the time to read this fine book and the leisure to think about it, then act on what you learn. Bradbury would want you to.

An Homage to Writing God Chris Crutcher

I received a little gift a couple of weeks ago. Not in the usual way – wrapped up and beribboned. It came as a reminder. I was accepted as a reviewer for the Sacramento Book Review. When the list arrived for me to choose my first books, I found a new Chris Crutcher book and requested it along with three others. When it came, I dove right in. My review hasn’t been published yet, so I won’t write about that book here until after the review has appeared, but the gift was I was reminded what an incredible writer Chris Crutcher is. From my perspective, in the world of Young Adult writing, Chris Crutcher is a god. Maybe even THE GOD. I’m serious.

When I was still teaching, I always cruised the room, checking to see what kids were reading on their own. I found some good stuff that way. When one of my students said to me, “You should really read this,” I not only listened, I read. Those kids opened a lot of doors for me. Along the way, I ran across a book by Chris Crutcher called Ironman. One of my students hated to read, but loved bicycling. That’s all he could think about. Book report time was an agony for him, so when he told me I should really read Ironman, I paid attention. I suspect a librarian who was a good listener helped him find it. I read it and fell in love with the writing. It is so real. The characters are real. The dialogue is real. The situations are, oh, so real. There are layers of realism that reach kids in ways not many writers manage to do. And what a deft hand he has. He uses humor the way smart kids in pain do – to deflect and defend – and it’s brilliant and real.

I went in search of other Chris Crutcher books and found Whale Talk, Chinese Handcuffs, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrne, and Running Loose. Most of his books and stories are sports based and he covers quite a few. A little something for everyone. Like football? He's got a book for that – Running Loose. Are you a runner? Try Chinese Handcuffs. Is swimming your passion? Pick up Whale Talk or Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. What more could one ask? Well, how about a hockey book? Hockey is my favorite sport, after all. But then I haven't read all his books yet. Maybe he has one waiting for me.

I started recommending Crutcher's books to my students. Then I bought multiple copies and used them for my end-of-the-year novel projects and kept copies in my classroom library. They disappeared and I bought more. I understood. Kids didn’t want to return them. They wanted to have them and read them over and over. Great writing will do that for kids.

His new book, about which I will write when my review has been published, revisits some characters from earlier books. It sure was nice to see those old friends again, but I realized I had more reading to do. I met some characters I hadn’t met before and wanted to know them better. I picked up copies of Athletic Shorts and Deadline because characters from those were reprised in his new book. Next on my list will be The Sledding Hill for the same reason.

The first story in Athletic Shorts, a collection of six well-crafted, tight short stories, “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune,” will introduce you to an extremely intelligent young man with problems hanging off his problems, like love handles hanging over a tight belt. His parents are divorced, gay, and remarried to gay partners. And he, like his parents in one way, is big. Not just big. Enormous. At least from his point of view. And since his is the only point of view we have, we are convinced he is huge. “Really, I’m surprised someone in my family doesn’t have a trunk. Or a blowhole.” And, he is quick to point out, he is named after a cow. A cow! Chris Crutcher just cracks me up. Through a nasty trick by a handsome, rich, perfect football star (who maybe isn't so perfect after all) who hates him, Angus is elected Prom King. And the girl of his dreams, all of his dreams forever, is elected Prom Queen. He arrives at the dance and, “eyes straight ahead on the band, walking lightly on the balls of my feet, like Raymond Burr through a field of dog-poop sundaes” he makes his way into the dance. I won’t ruin it for you. It’s worth your time to get the book and find out what happens. I just wanted to give you a taste. Give yourself a break and read Athletic Shorts.

Reading books is the best way for me to become a better writer. I'm working on a re-write of my first book, Family Matters, and since it's YA, reading Chris Crutcher is the best (and most fun) thing I can do to make that book the best it can be. I’ll be reading Deadline next, and I’ll let you know how it is, although I think it’s safe to say, it will be time well spent.

Some Helpful Places to Visit

Nearly every day something appears in my email inbox or I run across something on the internet that is helpful to my writing. I’ve been thinking about how I really need to share this with other writers, so today is my day. Make sure you read to the end for a special treat.

Today I received an email from Jon Bard. He and his partner, Laura Backus, put out a newsletter called Children’s Book Insider. I’ve been a subscriber for a number of years. It’s a most helpful newsletter for those who write for children of any age. Through an article in the newletter, I made my first sale recently. They also have a free e-zine that arrive via Jon’s emails. Today’s has several videos chock full of helpful info. You can view them here: http://www.youtube.com/cbiclubhouse.

Hope Clark is another favorite person in my writing life. She has two free e-newsletters full of information on writing contests, places to sell writing, as well as interesting articles and links to other helpful places. If you go to http://www.fundsforwriters.com and click on the link to newsletters, you can sign up for free e-newsletters. I receive the Funds for Writers and FFW Small Markets newsletters, and I think they’re great. I had a short story accepted to an anthology that I read about in one of her newsletters.

Some of the outfits I receive things from are trying to sell me something, but as an old salesperson, I know the way to a customer’s wallet is with giving her something of value for free. Gotham Writer’s Workshops hopes I’ll sign up and buy a class someday (maybe I will), and they send me e-newsletters with lots of free fun and useful information such as contest info and links to other good writing stuff. You can sign up to receive the newsletters too. Go to: http://www.writingclasses.com/index.php?gclid=CPSmqeDq56cCFQtPgwodNi9Oag. The latest issue has a mini-interview with Wally Lamb, a wonderful author with some interesting things to say. This issue also included a link to The Writer Magazine on line and their free newsletter. Check it out: WriterMag.com.

Going to a writer’s conference any time soon? I know I am – April 2^nd – the Spring Spirit Conference put on by the local SCBWI region. Before you go, give this a read: http://donnabowmanbratton.blogspot.com/2011/02/dos-donts-and-stuff-of-attending.html.

Worth your time. (I know – her blog looks like mine, but that’s just because we have the same great taste and used the same template.)

Writing non-fiction? You should know about this: http://www.hbook.com/magazine/articles/2011/mar11_stone.asp

 

Someone (wish I could remember who!) put me on to Wikimedia Commons – a place to find pictures and photos you can use for free to dress up your blogs. It’s easy to navigate and, while some things require giving credit to the artist, a lot don’t even require that. You can find it here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

Jane Friedman, former Writer’s Digest publisher and editorial director has a blog at http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/. You can subscribe to receive notice when she posts. You might want to wander through her archives. Great stuff.

I have some friends who write blogs about writing and some blogs I’ve found to be particularly interesting and useful. I think they are all good. Take a look.

http://thefirstgates.com/

http://elizabethvaradansfourthwish.blogspot.com/

http://enterthebetween.blogspot.com/

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/

http://tmarchini.wordpress.com/

http://emusdebuts.wordpress.com/

http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/

I hope all this is helpful to you. And now, in case you haven’t had a laugh lately, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9fc-crEFDw  Every writer should see this. In fact, every writer has probably met this guy!

Thinking about Writing or Writing About What I'm Thinking

I so admire people who have the kind of discipline I think writers should have. My friend Morgan Mussell is one of those. He reads – no, studies – a lot of writing books, as well as studying the business of writing, and shares his knowledge with those of us lucky enough to be in a critique group with him or readers of his wonderful blog, The First Gates. He’s an excellent, disciplined writer, as well and one of the best editors I’ve ever run across. Drop by his blog sometime and soak up a little of his very accessible knowledge. What amazes me is the discipline he brings to his writing. He works very hard at learning his craft and even writes synopses before he writes the books. I suspect he even outlines. He always knows where he’s going.

Another writing friend, Margaret Duarte, also shows amazing and resilient writing skills. She has completed four novels. FOUR! In addition, she was the first to receive a Creative Writing Certificate offered by UCDavis extension. She has been blogging five days a week for quite some time, and her blogs are interesting and useful. When I need to know how to do something new on my blog, I visit Margaret’s blog, Enter the Between and check her archives for the answers. She has also posted story samples and novel excerpts. Go there and have a taste of her wonderful work.

As inspiring as these people are, I return to Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones for inspiration and to assuage my guilt.

Don’t worry about your talent or capability: that will grow as you practice. Katagiri Roshi said, “Capability is like a water table below the surface of the earth.” No one owns it, but you can tap it. You tap it with your effort and it will come through you. So just practice writing, and when you learn to trust your voice, direct it. If you want to write a novel, write a novel. If it’s essays you want or short stories, write them. In the process of writing them, you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and craft you need.

I have studied writing off and on for years: taking creative writing courses at San Jose State, both undergraduate and graduate, taking the initial writing course from the Institute of Children’s Literature , which was surprisingly good. I’ve attended conferences, joined writing associations, taken many workshops, read some books, etc., etc. All those had some value, and I probably built little compartments of writing knowledge in my mind. Sometimes I find the doors cracked open, and I can re-visit them. Sometimes I can’t find my way back to some of that information to save my soul (which could probably use a little saving, by the way). It isn’t easy getting old.

But the one thing that has worked for me is putting my butt in the chair and writing, just like Natalie Goldberg said. I’m not terribly disciplined about any of it. I have a few sticky notes where other writers have pages and pages of outlines and synopses. I don’t outline because, to be perfectly honest, I have little idea, at least with my novels, what is going to happen. For picture books, articles, and other non-fiction I have a good idea and do storyboards and other planning, but not my novels. In fact, I don't even feel as if I'm in charge. I sit down with an inkling of an idea and characters walk into my head, fully formed and usually named, and tell me their stories. I write in fits and starts, sometimes madly writing long hours for days in a row, followed by little or nothing for a while so my batteries can re-charge. Or I might stop working on my novel for days or even weeks while I work on other things, all the while letting my story percolate through the soil of my mind and pick up nutrients. But I always get back to work and let my characters lead me along.

I’ve written two novels this way. The first, I started from a writing exercise in a text book, and it turned into a young adult novel named Family Matters. I had the good fortune of having two sophomore classes read and critique it. They liked it. A lot. I was at the school a couple weeks ago and some of the kids from those classes (now seniors) talked about the book, even naming the characters – two years after they read it. How cool is that? Anyway, I learned a lot about writing books by writing that first book. I hope it will be published someday and am now revising it to that end.

I read an article a while back that said the way to get your first book published is to write your second book. So I did. I had learned a lot writing the first one; mostly I learned to listen to my muse and trust my characters to tell me their stories. My second book is called The Incredible Journey of Freddy J. and I’m really proud of it. I’ve had it critiqued, revised it, had many beta readers, and gotten great feedback. One of my beta readers described it as being much like the serial stories that used to be shown at Saturday matinees in the theatres when we were young. I liked that. Since it is really written for young boys, it was good to hear that. That's the kind of thing kids like. Another beta reader was a thirteen-year-old boy (grandson of a friend) whom I've never met. All I know is he read it three times. THREE times. Amazing. I’ve arranged for some sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students to read it and am awaiting their comments. I’m just beginning the agent hunt, so it may be a while before it’s out there, but that’s the nature of the business. Fingers crossed.

So even though I’m not the most organized person in the world, I know I can write and I know how to do it in a way that works for me…and makes real books, books that people like. Now, if I can just get the publishing world to listen…

If you already write, maybe you’ll leave a good tip for the rest of us. If you want to write, I say do it. Sit down with a pen and paper or in front of a blank computer screen or whatever works for you, and just do it. Natalie Goldberg would approve.

A Book for Writers and Lovers

I’m a bit late with my post, but have been busy with out-of-town visitors and getting some writing work done. I have my first sale (YAY!!). It’s small, but still, it’s a sale. I sold two children’s poems to High Five magazine (sister publication of Highlights), and I am thrilled. I’ve also been working on an article I hope to sell to Highlights and just put it into the mail yesterday, so back to your regularly scheduled blogging!

Some years ago, someone at a writer’s conference mentioned a book “every writer or aspiring writer should read” – Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. I went on Amazon and ordered a used copy. When I received the book, it was a tiny thing – about the size of a cigarette pack. It is a Shambhala Pocket Classic. Never heard of them before. But I have to tell you, it’s been kind of a gift. Most of the time, I keep it in my purse. If I get stuck waiting on line in a store or, God forbid, the DMV or Post Office, I pull it out and read a few pages.

It seems no matter to what page I open, I find something useful or helpful or inspiring or affirming. Let me give you an example. I opened the book the other day and ran across this:

 Writers are great lovers. They fall in love with other writers. That’s how they learn to write. They take on a writer, read everything by him or her, read it over again until they understand how the writer moves, pauses, and sees. That’s what being a lover is: stepping out of yourself, stepping into someone else’s skin. Your ability to love another’s writing means those capabilities are awakened in you. It will only make you bigger; it won’t make you a copy cat.

I love that. It encourages me (and gives me permission) to take the time to read good writing, to immerse myself in it, to scoop it up slowly with a small spoon, and taste every word. I have met some writers over the years who have sucked me in completely with their extraordinary art and I have, indeed, immersed myself in all I could find by them and savored the works. This experience with writers really began for me quite early.

Laura Ingalls Wilder was likely the first. I must have been in second or third grade when I read Little House in the Big Woods, then found the rest and read right through them and read them again. I re-read them as an adult after my daughters were born and found them every bit as engaging as I did as a child. I re-read some and discussed them with my grandson as he read them. That says a lot about the writing.I always find her work inspiring.

Lucy Maude Montgomery followed close on Laura’s heels. The Avonlea series is simply heartbreakingly good. I revisited them more than once, savoring the strong movement of words across the page.

 The first writing lover for me as an adult was John Steinbeck. He has become a life-long love of mine. I believe I have read every piece of fiction Steinbeck wrote, most of them many times. My first encounter was when I was about twelve or thirteen. One of my best friends was a girl named Julie who had the most cool parents in the world and lived in an incredible house – modern and unlike any other house I’d been in. They had a large, circular living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows made up about half the walls, and most of the rest was a floor-to-ceiling book case filled with hardcover books. It had a ladder that ran on a track across the front. Yes. A rolling ladder, just like in those libraries in the homes of dukes and lords. One day while I visited, Julie’s step-dad climbed the little ladder and pulled a book from a high shelf. He handed it to me and said, “I think you’re ready for this. Let’s talk about it when you’re done reading it.” I was astonished to have an adult loan me a book, but more astonished to find he was interested in talking with me about it.

The book was Of Mice and Men. I would guess I have read it at least forty times. I taught it for many years and always told my students I considered it a perfect novel. It has everything in it I wanted to teach students about literature – great characters, incredible descriptive writing, literary allusion, imagery, foreshadowing, irony, strong symbolism – all packed into a great sweeping story. And the names. I could talk for hours about the names in this wonderful little book. This book, and especially how it came to me, truly changed my life. I proceeded to read every piece of fiction I could find by Steinbeck, even Cup of Gold and Burning Bright, which I don’t recommend, by the way. Every writer has experiments that shouldn’t see the light of day. And I don’t think Of Mice and Men is Steinbeck’s best, but it surely cannot be overlooked. The distinction of being his best, in my mind, belongs to East of Eden. If you haven’t read it, my goodness, what a treat you have in store.

I’ve gone through short-term love affairs with other writers but always return to Steinbeck. His short stories are little gems. My soon-to-be-son-in-law, Eric Baldwin, recently called me to discuss The Chrysanthemums, one of the short stories from Steinbeck’s collection published as The Long Valley. Now I have to tell you, Eric made a lot of points with me that day. Not only was he reading and appreciating my favorite author, but he gave me the gift of reminding me of that superb little story and to remind myself to spend some time with my first great love, gobbling up his words and drawing inspiration from his brilliance. You may also visit my writing lover. No jealousy here. I love to share him with others. Go ahead. Pick up some of his work. Steep yourself in it. Step out of yourself and into John Steinbeck’s skin. Fall in love with him if you like. Natalie Goldberg and I would approve.  

Who are your reading or writing lovers? How did you discover him or her? Inquiring minds want to know.