Ash

Los Angeles is on fire.  The Santa Anas blow a steady stream of hot air and ash towards the sea.  I woke up this morning to an orange sky, the thick smell of smoke.  White ash swirls across stone walkways and sidewalks, collects on parked cars and even my feet.

The last time the city was on fire, my rabbit ran in circles around the house, her tail a white flag of warning.  Running from a danger she could taste but could not see.

Dawn

When it’s six am and the hummingbirds are already up, buzzing between the still-blooming hibiscus and the bird of paradise, and the sunrise is purple-pink over the low fog in the wetlands, I realize that I do not give Los Angeles enough credit for her beauty.

Finished! (at least the first draft)

Woohoo!!  Today I finished the first draft of the YA manuscript I’ve been working on.  It’s just in time for tonight’s SCBWI Schmooze, too.  I’m excited because I just started the manuscript in late September and it’s definitely the fastest I’ve been able to put down the bones of a book.  I know the long haul is in front of me with revising the manuscript and then shopping around for an agent, etc.  But it’s a good feeling.  What will I work on next?

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

I finally did it.  That’s right folks.  As a wedding present, Ian got me a membership to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  Woohoo!  I’m official!

I was directed to the group a few years ago by one of my writing teachers, an editor at Houghton Mifflin, and it was some of the best advice ever (after read, read, and write!)  The SCBWI is a tremendous resource for writers and illustrators who work in the children’s market.  In addition to publishing information, discussion boards, conferences, and manuscript exchanges, the organization offers a place for people to connect.  Writing is so often a solitary art, so it is always a pleasure to meet with people who share the same passion.

For the past few years I’ve been taking advantage of some of the free resources that SCBWI offers, including once a month “Schmoozes.”  It is so inspiring to sit down and talk about books and writing with a bunch of people who are in the industry and who are excited to share their knowledge.  I think I have done more goal-directed writing since I joined the Schmoozes than I had in the previous couple of years.  By goal-directed, I mean finishing things.  Now I’m looking forward to using the SCBWI’s resources to help me polish my manuscript and start looking for an agent.  After, of course, I finish writing the first draft.  Just a few weeks left to go!

It’s that time of year again…

This weekend, Ian and I wrangled the pets for our holiday postcard photo shoot. The postcards are our version of the more traditional holiday card, and since we’ve started making them they’ve been quite a hit. Our first postcard depicted Ian, Sam, Bunny, and I in the middle of Death Valley, looking rather pissed off. The card was green screened, but we got calls from people asking, “How did you get your pets into the desert?” A lot of people have kept the card on their refrigerators for the past two years. Success. Last year’s card showed the whole clan (with the addition of Riley) in front of a boarded up trailer in the middle of the Salton Sea. While I can’t disclose the content of this year’s postcard, I can give you a preview of the awesomeness.

Some shots of us in action:

It might just be the best yet.  If you want a postcard, send over your address to tanya [at] distinctphoto [dot] com and I’ll mail one out in a couple of weeks. If you’re in the Los Angeles area and you want in on the holiday card-making action, Ian Grant Photography is offering special holiday photo shoots. Head on over to the site and check things out. The green screen madness is optional.

Cake Wrecks

I have been going through some serious refined-sugar withdrawal over the past few days (thank goodness I’m in the wedding industry so I get to have cake every now and then). To combat my reduced-sugar blues and have a good laugh I headed over to one of my favorite sites: CakeWrecks.com. I found this site a couple of weeks ago, and all I can say is it’s hilarious. If you want to mock cakes gone wrong or drool over the occasional whimsical confection, check it out. The site is strangely addicting…kind of like cake itself.

Progress

One drawback of writing in a notebook instead of on the computer is that I have no idea what my word count is.  This wouldn’t ordinarily be upsetting to me, since I judge progress not by a set number of words but rather by getting out important ideas so I can sleep.  However, I have no fancy stats to post on this blog.  No 1000 words down, 40000 to go.  So I have no NanoWrimo basis for comparison.

Instead I can tell you yesterday was a successful writing day for me because I wrote about 20 pages in my notebook, bringing my total to somewhere around 160.  How that translates to double-spaced 12-point font, I’m not sure.  Still, there’s something incredibly rewarding about being able to hold a stack of pages between your fingers and feel the stack grow.  Even when I type on a computer, I always print out my pages immediately after saving.  There’s a book coming to life in those pages.  Having physical evidence of my progress, not just a word count, compels me to move forward, keep writing.

The motivation trick is something I learned when I first took up knitting.  My first project was a scarf cast in tight stitches with incredibly thin yarn.  I abandoned it two inches in.  For my second project I used thick yarn, loose stitches, and row by row I could see my progress.  I kept knitting and finished the scarf.  It’s very hard to walk away from a physical thing that sits on your desk and begs to be completed.  So it is with my writing.  As the story unfolds and the page count grows, it is harder to ignore.  So I keep writing and measuring my pages and somehow I feel a little closer every day.

What happens when I try to write

For the past couple of projects I’ve been working on, I have been writing in a composition book instead of on my computer.  It allows me a little more mobility since it’s a lot lighter to cart around than my laptop, and there’s nothing like a half-asleep middle of the night scrawl in the margins.  Plus I simply love the way pen feels as it glides over paper.

The other day I camped out on the floor of my living room to do some writing, and the following happened:

If I don’t finish my manuscript by the end of the month, we’ll all know why.

Happy voting day!

Happy voting day! I actually cast my vote last week, since I’m not going to be able to make it to the polls today.  I was really sad when I learned I wasn’t going to be voting in person, because I really wanted one of those nifty “I VOTED” stickers.  They are pretty awesome and I’m jealous of everyone who gets one.  That being said, I urge everyone to go out and vote.  I don’t care who you vote for, but it’s important and empowering to have a say in the outcome of the election.  Enjoy!

My husband is awesome

Not only did I wake up to roses when I was having a stressful day the other week, last Wednesday Ian took me out to buy a snazzy new pair of Rollerblades.  We are determined to get in better shape and actually take advantage of our access to the bike path on the beach.  Ian’s Rollerblades are in pretty good shape, but my old pair was rescued by a coworker from the side of the road three years ago, and I quickly realized they were there for a good reason.

After an hour of trying on new skates and quizzing the sales person about wheel size, plastic vs. aluminum frames, and lacing methods, I settled on a nice new pair.  What a revelation!

Instead of the plastic hard top shoe of the past, the new generation of skates has a sneaker type of material for comfort.  The skates are lightweight, and they look nice.  Think of how long I’ll be able to skate for!  The technology is so exciting, but I never knew about these advances in roller skating gear.  I must have been living under a rock.