Fall happened

It’s getting dark way too early around these parts, I tell you.  When did it get to be fall?  Unfortunately, when it’s nice and dark out, it makes me want to curl up in bed with a book.  This is not good for the writing, or the (cough cough) exercising that I need to be doing.  Bring on daylight savings.

Dog Days

I keep trying to convince my dog that if he stops barking I’ll be able to write my book and if I can write my book then I can try to sell it and if I can sell it then maybe I can buy him some dog food.  He is very food motivated, my dog, however he only understands food in concrete terms.  Since all this food I’m bribing him with is abstract potential food, this does not make for a good bargain.  So until I can get him to understand food in the future tense, I’ll be at the library.

ANT(P)M?

I just want to toss out there that I’m totally into this season of America’s Next Top (Petite) Model.  Sure I promised myself I would stop watching the show four season ago, but my DVR just keeps picking up new episodes at the start of the season.  Then I tell myself that I’ll just watch the first episode, but after that, sadly, it’s too late to break myself loose.

The good news about this season is that it features short girls, and though I personally wouldn’t be at shoulder level with any of the “short girls,” it’s still nice to see them featured.  I would like to point out, however, that there seems to be a rule that the girls aren’t allowed to wear any sort of heel to judging.  They show up in perky flats and Tyra towers them over in stacked platform shoes.  Really?  Also, the fact that Tyra continually calls them “the next top petite model” instead of just “the next top model” like every other season is super annoying.  It’s singling them out for their size instead of embracing their talent, and it’s a totally mixed message.  To me this just perpetuates the cycle of seeing short people as “the other” instead of the norm.  Tsk, tsk, Tyra.

P.S. Oh god, I’m analyzing reality television – some of my media studies classes must have rubbed off on me.  To think – I may have actually learned something in school!

Resource Thursdays: Writing it Out

I found Writing it Out, the blog of Beth Revis, kid lit writer and high school teacher because she awarded another one of my favorite blogs, Literary Rambles, the Blog of the Month award.  Isn’t it funny how that happens – one blog leads to another and another and soon enough you’re twelve pages away from where you started.  The good news is, Writing it Out is tons of fun.  Beth posts her thoughts on writing, teaching, and publishing.  She talks about her writing journey and for me it’s always nice to hear how someone else is getting through the process.  Some of my favorite parts of her blog though, are the humorous anecdotes from her classroom experience.  Please read.  They’re hilarious.

Oops

Guess who walks into a library and walks out having paid for a book?  I’ll give you one guess.

Sigh.  The other day I couldn’t help myself and bought a new novel that was on sale.  I’m incorrigible.

For the love of books

If you’re a children’s book writer and you talk to people outside of the publishing industry about your work, one of the first things they always say is, “Hey, you could write the next Harry Potter.”  This has been my experience, at least.  Then you have the choice to either nod and smile (because, hey, maybe you could be the next J.K. Rowling) or tell them the truth that the odds of you being the next J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer are slim.  This is not to downplay any talent you have or any goals you might want to accomplish, this is because of that darn thing called reality.  Fiction writers and reality aren’t always the best of friends, but it’s important to have a balance when it comes to publishing.

I think as a writer it’s important to have confidence in your work, but also recognize those fantastical publishing-success stories are, well, fantastical.  They happen, but they’re rare.  And this bring us back to the idea of why we write.  It’s not to make a million dollars, though that would be nice.  I write because I can’t not write.  It’s the pulse in my wrist.  If I don’t write, I don’t sleep.  It’s that simple.  So when the uninitiated ask why I’m shuttling off to the library four nights a week and working countless hours if not for the money, I say it’s for the love of books.  I love books and story and the joy of creation.  That’s what makes it worth it.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!  This past weekend my husband and I drove to Santa Barbara to shoot a wedding, then drove home all in one day.  That being said, I slept in late on Sunday and my whole body clock is off.  When that happens, it makes my brain mush.  Not exactly the perfect formula for fresh writing.  I’m hoping this week will be productive, and my plan is to spend lots of time in the library, butt in chair.  Conveniently, this should  also help counteract the heat wave that’s supposed to happen.  That and lots of popsicles.  Mmmm.

Distinctphoto.com update!

Shameless self-promotion here: if you have a minute, please stop by the new and improved Ian Grant Photography website.  We’ve updated with some of our more recent weddings, as well as big, pretty, color-popped pictures.  It’s really purty and Ian worked really hard on it.  I mostly sat and fed him mint Oreos in a show of support.  Someone’s gotta do the dirty work.

Resource Thursdays: Edith Cohn’s blog

In a fantastic show of good timing, the always lovely Edith Cohn sent me an email to tell me about the author interview she’s featuring on her blog.  Edith shares her interview with Young Adult author Jo Knowles, and it’s the first of hopefully many author interviews.  Edith is herself a fantastic writer, and her blog features her thoughts on reading, writing, and the publishing industry.  Please go check it out and tell her how much she rocks.

Look! There’s me!

So I was reading the blog of the lovely Lisa Yee today and look what I stumbled on!  It’s a whole post of pictures of Peepy at the SCBWI conference.  Take a look at the photo of Lisa’s panel on writing for multiple ages.  If you look in the front row of the crowd, on the right side of the screen, next to the aisle, and squint really hard, you’ll see me.  Ha!  I’m strangely proud.