A Great Reason to Do NaNo!

The Great people at Scrivener are offering their Great software package for 1/2 price for those writers that do NaNoWriMo this year!

If you haven’t checked out the Scrivener software - here’s your chance.

For Macs, and for Windows now! Both!

I happen to really like it - as do a Lot of other writers - and I haven’t even had a chance to take the tutorial. It fits the way I write a whole lot better than other popular word processing software.

And I’m sure I’m going to like it a whole lot better once I figure out all the great features and all. ;)

But even just ‘winging’ it, it has made writing, and researching a whole lot easier.

I organized all my Conference duties in it.

So if you are at all curious - here’s your chance.

And you’ll get a good start on your novel writing.

What’s not to like about all that?

If you’re still not sure, come out for the NaNoWriMo Kick Off party on October 30^th at Capital Ale, Midlothian [near 288].

Great Revision / Rewriting Advice

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What a great insight on Revision. Uh, here

{I'm sure I would have gotten around to it - someday. ;)}


Also be sure to read the comments at the end of it, was some great ideas there as well.

Thought this was even more appropriate to post right now for all those that will be heading into NaNoWriMo starting November 1^st.

[in Richmond, Virginia, this NaNoWriMo effort, and cheering leading, is headed by the wonderfully vivacious Lucky Jean -

lucky jean (@luckyjean) on Twitter

twitter.com/luckyjean

Sign up for Twitter to follow lucky jean (@luckyjean). ... Also, I'm reading up on my resonsibilities as a volunteer for NaNoWriMo= lots of work now; ...

Since at the end of NaNo you’ll have to head into this process. Do yourself a favor read this first - it will help you a Lot I think.

And read it especially if you are facing your own revisions and rewrites on the what you feel is the cold dead novel lying around on your hands. [Yes, I Know it’s Halloween season, but Don’t kill it off until After you read this. It might save You, and Your novel.]

Here’s a few insights that might help from the article - but do go over and read it, and the comments. Then come back and let me know what stood out for you.

[Again the Bolding is mine - so go read and tell me what your Bolding is.]

Revision Is a Receptive, Intuitive Act

Listen to your draft. Our work is smarter than we are. Embedded inside it are clues to what our story is trying to become.

Consciously or unconsciously, all those disparate images, symbols, objects, and memories you dialed up made it onto the page for a reason.

When reading your work, tune in to the recurring elements, images, and so forth that strike thematic chords. Which of these have an emotional or psychological charge? Unwrap them. Even the most seemingly random detail can unlock the emotional essence of a scene. Examined closely enough and from enough angles, a single image can bear the meaning of your entire story.

Rewriting is Essential

That’s because we evade our material more than we realize.

We’re often motivated to write because of certain memories, emotions and events that are far too powerful and complex to be fully grasped or articulated in our early drafts.

As memoir writer Larry Sutin says, “We rewrite because we didn’t have the courage to face it the first time.”

Each time we revisit our material, we gather more courage and momentum to dive a little deeper.

And if we stick with it, we come out on the other side with something coherent, unified, artful, and above all, moving.

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Resources for Writers

Not just for Kid Lit even though that’s the site - so if the itty bitty shoe fits. ;)

Thanks to Elizabeth Gaucher on Twitter -

ElizGaucher

9:46pm via Flipboard

Kidlit.com · Resources for Writers kidlit.com/resources-for-…

Resources for Writers

Because of popular demand, I’ve put together a list of resources for writers. Here, you’ll find links and recommended books. I will always be adding to this, so do check in every once in a while for more recommendations.

Web Resources!

Agent Search Resources and Writing Communities

Here’s a list of websites that will be helpful to writers on the agent search. There are some great websites and blogs here, and all are worth a read, whether you’re actively searching for agents or a writer in any stage of the game.

AAR: www.aaronline.org

The Association of Authors’ Representatives is a list of member agencies that have joined and agree to abide by ethics codes and standards. Andrea Brown was one of the co-founders of the AAR.

Absolute Write: www.absolutewrite.com

Absolute Write is a message board for all writers (not just children’s) where writers discuss the agent search, response times, rumors, etc. A great place to vent and get the inside scoop from other people on the agent search.

Agent Spotlight: caseylmccormick.blogspot.com

Agent Spotlight is writer Casey McCormick’s ambitious and, well, slightly fanatical roundup of an agent’s interviews, web presence, and submission information. It’s a careful analysis of an agent and their reputation in the marketplace. You can see the agents she has done in her left-hand sidebar. Worth a read. She must be a researcher or a librarian or something, because the amount of work that goes into each article seems staggering!

Agent Query: www.agentquery.com

A searchable database of agents where you can use the Advanced Search function to narrow down the results to an agent’s specific tastes. Want someone who represents both fantasy and young adult? Check the boxes and see who fits your criteria. There are other things you can search for, too. Results give you contact information and recent sales.

Cynsations Blog: cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com

YA and children’s author Cynthia Leitich Smith has a wonderful blog where she often interviews agents, editors, writers and other publishing people. Her blog is an inspiration of mine and a very good read.

Guide to Literary Agents: www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog

Chuck Sambuchino, editor of the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and CHILDREN’S MARKET books from Writers Digest Media, keeps this great blog where he profiles agents, introduces new agents to the writing community, interviews writers about their agents and otherwise talks about agents! It’s a really fun, informative resource.

Nathan Bransford’s Blog: blog.nathanbransford.com

Hands down the most helpful (and most established) agent blog in the world, from Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown. Though Nathan doesn’t just blog about children’s books, he is a children’s book guy at heart, so you’ll find a lot of applicable stuff. Every writer out there should read his FAQ section.

Predators and Editors: www.pred-ed.com

A really helpful site where you can find reliable information about who is and isn’t legitimate in the business. There are LOTS of scammers out there — people who will ask for money to read or publish your work. If anyone approaches you or if an offer seems too good to be true, check out Predators and Editors to see if that company has a reputable reputation or not. A lot don’t, unfortunately.

Query Tracker: www.querytracker.com

This is a pretty similar website to Agent Query (above), but it also lets you organize and track your query and submission status. What people were once doing with spreadsheets is now online! There’s also, I think, a community element to this where you can interact with other writers.

SCBWI Blog: scbwi.blogspot.com

Alice Pope’s SCBWI blog (more on the SCBWI, below) is a great place to learn about market news, publishing news, and to see interviews with writers, agents, and editors. Alice used to be the editor for CHILDREN’S MARKET and is a really passionate expert on the children’s publishing field.

Verla Kay’s Blue Boards: www.verlakay.com/boards/

A message board on children’s author Verla Kay’s website that has become a hub for children’s writers. Get an account and dive into this helpful forum community. You can post anonymously to get answers to your toughest questions from this savvy group chock full of published writers.

Societies and Memberships

Author’s Guild: www.authorsguild.org

A paid membership for published authors or freelance writers. I mention this because they offer health insurance (at an additional monthly premium) and, if you live in a state where health care is very expensive and have a book deal but no other resources for insurance, they may be an option for a group plan. They also offer other resources and services.

SCBWI: www.scbwi.org

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is the largest and most active society for children’s writers and artists in the US and abroad. They have chapters in each state (some smaller regions combine states) and throw two huge national conferences a year, NYC in late January and LA in late July/early August. The SCBWI is a very passionate group of writers, authors, artists, and volunteers and they also throw regional events with agents and editors. You can also connect with other members on their website, come to events and get professional critique, and otherwise better your craft in a huge and welcoming community. There is an annual fee to be a SCBWI member.

Recommended Books!

Here are recommended books about the publishing marketplace, the craft of writing and my favorite books in the three age ranges.

Market Books

These books list agents, publishers, magazines, and other publication opportunities. Some are specific to children’s writers, others aren’t. The Writer’s Market books are also available online in a searchable database that you can join instead: www.writersmarket.com.

CHILDREN’S WRITER’S AND ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET edited by Alice Pope (through 2011) and then Chuck Sambuchino (Writers Digest Books, updated every year)
GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS edited by Chuck Sambuchino (Writers Digest Books, updated every year)
WRITER’S MARKET edited by Robert Lee Brewer (Writers Digest Books, updated every year)

Craft Books

Books on the craft and art of writing. All of these are worth a careful read.

BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott (Anchor, 1995)
ON WRITING by Stephen King (Scribner, 10th anniversary ed. 2010)
REVISION AND SELF-EDITING by James Scott Bell (Writers Digest Books, 2008)
SPILLING INK by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter (read my review)
WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS by Regina Brooks (read my review)
WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL by Donald Maass (Writers Digest Books, 2002)

Picture Books

Books for readers ages 3-5 and 5-7. Some of my absolute favorites in terms of both art and text.

Anything by Oliver Jeffers, Amy Krause Rosenthal (I love LITTLE OINK*), Mac Barnett (I love GUESS AGAIN*), Peter Brown, Marla Frazee (check out the brand new BOSS BABY, I love it!), Adam Rex, and Mo Willems.

HARRY AND HORSIE by Katie Van Camp and Lincoln Agnew (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2009)
BUBBLE TROUBLE* by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)
THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2007)
RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)
MAGIC BOX by Katie Cleminson (Hyperion, 2009)
KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2004)
DIARY OF A WOMBAT by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley (Clarion, 2003)
MATHILDA AND THE ORANGE BALLOON by Randall de Seve and Jen Corace (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2010)
BEAVER IS LOST by Elisha Cooper (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2010)
DUCK & GOOSE and HOW ROCKET LEARNED TO READ by Tad Hills (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2010)
WAG! by Patrick McDonnell (Little, Brown, 2009)
A BOOK OF SLEEP by Il Sung Na (Knopf/Random House, 2009)
SWIM! SWIM! by Lerch (Scholastic Press, 2010)
RHYMING DUST BUNNIES by Jan Thomas (Beach Lane/Simong & Schuster, 2009)
SO MANY DAYS by Alison McGhee and Taeeun Yoo (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2010)
MY MOM IS TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE by Kate Feiffer and Diane Goode (Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster, 2009)
ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2009)

Plus, you should check out A GARDEN FOR PIG (Kane/Miller, 2010) by Kathryn Thurman and illustrated by my client Lindsay Ward! It’s a fantastic book and a new fall favorite.

Middle Grade

Before you sit down to write your middle grade, check out this excellent blog post from MG author Laurel Snyder here. Most MG stories are marketed to kids between 9 and 12, but as you can see from Laurel’s post, there is a lot of wiggle room for who is actually reading and resonating with them. I’d say keep your character 13 and under to reach this demographic. You’ll also notice that all of my recommendations are recent…that’s because I want you to be familiar with what is publishing right now. Here are just some of my favorite titles!

VIOLET RAINES ALMOST GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING* by Danette Haworth (Walker/Bloomsbury, 2008)
WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2009)
THE PENDERWICKS: A SUMMER TALE OF FOUR SISTERS, TWO RABBITS, AND A VERY INTERESTING BOY by Jeanne Birdsall (Knopf/Random House, 2007)
HOLES by Louis Sachar (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan, 2008)
WAYSIDE SCHOOL IS FALLING DOWN by Louis Sachar (HarperCollins, 1990) (I included this relatively old one because I used to looooove reading this in the 4th grade!)
LOVE, AUBREY by Suzanne LaFleur (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2009)
THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacqueline West (Dial/Penguin, 2010)
PLAIN KATE by Erin Bow (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2010) (This one is marketed as YA but I think it’s a really good example of an older MG fantasy.)
STEINBECK’S GHOST by Lewis Buzbee (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2008)
FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Koningsburg (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 1967)
CHASING VERMEER by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist (Scholastic Press, 2004)
THE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS series by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), also illustrated by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins)
A TALE DARK AND GRIMM by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton/Penguin, 2010)
ALVIN HO: ALLERGIC TO GIRLS, SCHOOL, AND OTHER SCARY THINGS* by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2008)
ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN by Karen Cushman (Clarion, 2010)
SAVVY by Ingrid Law (Dial/Penguin, 2008)
HOW LAMAR’S BAD PRANK WON A BUBBA-SIZED TROPHY by Crystal Allen (Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins, 2011)
MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS by Lisa Yee (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 2003)
DRUMS, GIRLS, AND DANGEROUS PIE* by Jordan Sonnenblick (Scholastic Press, 2005)
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2000)
SUGAR & ICE by Kate Messer (Walker/Bloomsbury, 2010)
CLEMENTINE series by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Disney-Hyperion)
THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak (Knopf/Random House, 2005)
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS series by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion)
HARRY POTTER series by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic)

Young Adult

There is so much YA out there that I love, so this is not a comprehensive list by any means. YA is usually for ages 12+, 14+ or even 16+ (for the very edgy titles). There are really no rules, and I’ve written a lot about issues like sex and swearing in YA on the blog, so check out those articles.

Anything by David Levithan, John Green (or David Levithan and John Green, as is the case with WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON), Libba Bray, Anna Godbersen (her series are my absolute guilty pleasure), Barry Lyga, Matt de la Pena, Frank Portman, and many more writers who I’m sure I’m forgetting at the moment.

FEED* by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick, 2002)
WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson (Viking/Penguin, 2009)
HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver (HarperCollins, 2010)
THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger (Poppy/Little, Brown, 2010)
UGLIES series by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster)
THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart (Disney-Hyperion, 2008)
FLASH BURNOUT by L.K. Madigan (Houghton Mifflin, 2009)
HOLD STILL by Nina LaCoeur (Dutton/Penguin, 2009)
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford (Scholastic Press, 2009)
SPANKING SHAKESPEARE by Jake Wizner (Random House, 2007)
A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly (Harcourt, 2003)
THE MARBURY LENS by Andrew Smith (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, 2010)
GRACELING by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt, 2008)
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher (Razorbill/Penguin, 2007)
THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney (Little, Brown, 2010)
FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN’T HAVE by Allen Zadoff (Egmont, 2009)
SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR by Matthew Quick (Little, Brown, 2010)
MAGIC UNDER GLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore (Bloomsbury, 2010)
BEFORE I DIE* by Jenny Downham (David Fickling Books, 2007)
THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams (St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan, 2009)
THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS by Dana Reinhardt (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2010)
LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, 2008)
WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell (Scholastic Press, 2008)
IF I STAY by Gayle Forman (Dutton/Penguin, 2009)

(If you see an asterisk, *, that means I read from this book sometimes when I give a talk or presentation, because I think it’s an example of great voice! However, all of these books sing with great voices, or they wouldn’t be my favorites.)

Bolding above for Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why" -- because it's one of my Favorite books, and it's my blog after all. ;)

Lucia and Julian - Conference Research notes continued

So again, for those that weren’t in my great session on research at the recent James River Writers Conference. [Too bad. I do feel a bit sorry for you. ;) ]

Yesterday I shared the wonderful Lucia St. Clair Robson’s reference list. [see October 13, blog post]

And I’ve heard from Lucia since sharing that to add this to the list:

Since making that list I've found another used and OP on-line site I go to first: www.bookfinder.com.

Lucia St. Clair Robson

Thanks Lucia!

The panel was a great give and take and sharing among the writers themselves, Lucia St. Clair Robson, Julian Smith, and JRW’s own Kit Wilkinson, and the audience.

Lucia talked about using these reference books on the list [see yesterdays post], in addition to the internet, and Julian Smith shared how he used books when he started but has also incorporated more internet searching now.

Lucia asked Julian to share his search engines he uses, and he has given me this to post:

The search resources I use a lot are:

Lexis/Nexis: (https://www.lexisnexis.com) - for magazines, newspapers

and lots more

JSTOR: (www.jstor.org) - for academic/science

NewsBank: (http://www.newsbank.com/) - for newspapers

Google Books (books.google.com)

These are usually available through public libraries or universities.

Also, I use interlibrary loan a lot.

Julian Smith

Thanks, Julian!

And do check out Julian’s book Crossing the Heart of Africa, for his blending of past history with his present.

Check out Lucia St. Clair Robson’s books for her wonderful use of detail of period while still keeping you captivated in the story and sending you racing to the end to find out what happens.

More from the research session in blog posts to come so stay tuned!

Lucia’s Ready Reference

To those that missed my great session on research, getting it, organizing it, etc… well, boo. But I understand, there were a Lot of great sessions to go to.

And in the spirit of the writerly sharing that was going on at the JRW Conference, for those that missed the session - and especially for Diann Ducharme…..

Lucia St. Clair Robson

Lucia’s Ready Reference:

Books I keep within arm’s reach:

Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary (with year of first use).

Rodale’s Synonym Finder

Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

A 1937 two-volume unabridged Webster’s dictionary

A Spanish dictionary, 1958 edition

A Dictionary of Americanisms

Oxford University Dictionary

Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (2 volumes)

Books that are close but that I have to roll over to in my desk chair:

Amo, Amas, Amat, and More. (Contains useful Latin phrases)

Latin, German, Italian, Japanese, and French Dictionaries

A Bible, a Bible Concordance, and a Bible dictionary

Eleven more quote books

A two-volume book of British poetry and prose, and a text of English literature

Complete works of Shakespeare (from college days. The two volumes cost $3.00, new, which indicates how not-new I am).

Thesaurus of Anecdotes ** I will add note here that Lucia told me this she found most useful

World Treasury of Proverbs

Greek and Roman Mythology

Ultimate Visual Dictionary

What’s What: A Visual Glossary of the Physical World

An Almanac

My father’s old set of Encyclopedia Brittanica

My aunt’s set of The New Funk and Wagnall’s Encyclopedia (1950 edition)

Reference books I have to walk three steps to reach:

Too many to list, but they include books on humor, flora and fauna, clothing, tools, artifacts, furniture, lighting, currency, architecture, inventions, medicine, old technology, transportation, music, poker and other diversions, guns, horses, the military, etc.

For historical details of the colonial period, I recommend anything by Alice Morse Earle.

For language,

Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, (1811 edition),

Shakespeare’s Bawdy by Eric Partridge,

Sut Lovingood by George Harris (a novel written in 19^th century dialect… very vivid expressions),

and

Swearing: a Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English by Geoffrey Hughes.

Shelved above those are books on the current subject, whatever it might be. (Right now I’m on the scout for a Nahuatl dictionary, descriptions of Mexican jails, the effects of dynamite on train tracks, descriptions of old train cars, and examples of Mexican/Zapotec hexes).

The most useful on-line sites I’ve found for buying used and out-of-print books are:

Alibris.com

Bestbookbuys.com

Abebooks.com

Amazon.com (auctions)

I’m sure there are many more, but those are my favorites.

- End of Lucia’s list - but there will be more interesting tid-bits to come. ;)

And since this is my blog I will add a footnote to these, well… because I can. ;) I will put in a buy-local pitch to also check with your local independent booksellers - they are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable lot.

In Richmond we are blessed with:

Fountain Bookstore - has a great new website that needs exploring,

Chop Suey books - that you saw at the Conf.,

Black Swan books that says “We buy and sell fine, unusual and rare books in most fields. We have a diverse stock catering to a variety of interests with particular emphasis in Antiquarian books, Americana, Civil War, History, Scholarly books, Art and Architecture. Additionally, we have an ever-increasing selection of prints, maps, and printed ephemera.”,

and a used book store on Midlothian that I can’t think of the name, and some others that are niggling at the edges of my mind that is still too brain-fried to think clearly anymore.

So Do try those first! If out-of-town, out-of-state, I know at least some of these ship, so send email / call and ask. I will also add a place where I’ve stumbled across out of print books online - Edward R. Hamilton, bookseller. Some I’ve missed by not being quick enough, but I’m often surprised by what I find there while browsing.

Yes, one of these days I will take time to do all the things I'm supposed to - fix this blog, and all that goes with it, change my Twitter from an egg-head, get all the laundry done - again, and oh, yeah, actually do some writing on my books!

And now I have such an urge to go out and search for / find books…. Guess I should rearrange my stacks and bookshelves first. Let me see how many steps…..

JRW Conference Momentum Continuing

For those that attended the Really Great James River Writers Conference this past weekend and want to get back that energizing whump of energy that comes with associating with great writers -

Or for those of you that Really wanted to attend, and couldn’t for whatever reason,

Or you just want to put off daily dampening and escape as long as possible.

[We’re okay with that.]

Join us at Writers Wednesday October 12, 2011 - that’s Wednesday, of course [it is Writers Wednesday]. And Tonight - at Capital Ale House Midlothian - not far from 288.

Come before it changes locations!

After - Conference Musings

Isn’t everyone’s mind in a jumble? Crammed Full of great things learned at the Conference. Trying to sort everything out and get it in useful order. Or maybe that’s just me. ;}

Okay - so my Best after-Conference advice — Keep the Momentum Going!

That’s a hard thing to do as ‘real’ life swells back in to wash over the hours exclusively spent hanging out with writers of all kinds.

A Really good way to do this and keep the energy going — come hang out with us at Writers Wednesday!

THIS Wednesday! ... day after tomorrow.... October 12th.... got it? ;)

Check the James River Writers website for location.

So now I’ve helped you with a suggestion to keep the momentum and energy going.

I’m helping myself with something that came out of the creative environment of the weekend.

Hey, indulge me, it’s my birthday.

Also humor me, and cut me some slack…. Okay, a Lot of slack… cause it Really is my birthday.

And this as brave as I’m likely to be for awhile with this part of my writing life.

But those of you that missed the Poetry Workshop at the Thursday Conference day missed a Great session.

Disclaimer here — any failings in anything I write here have no reflection on the fabulous Hermine Pinson and her great workshop. My brain was just fried out and filled with lots of things to do and all and …well, a Lot of Other things… enough said.

I write ….something…. not sure I even really consider it poetry, but whatever it is it has become my tool to get back to my creative side. Especially to my writing side. It opens the door to begin to walk in to the writing part of me. The fantastic Adriana Trigiani told me she also does that. So I’m not totally out in left field here. Well, at least I’m not out there all alone. ;) And that’s what all this is about. Not being alone as a writer.

Anyway, so I have promised to be more active on here. Okay, so I really promised to post some of the great information that came to me at the Conference, but I really don’t have time to do that right now - you did read above reason, right? ;)

Hopefully you will indulge me here for this one post, and add your own little poem, or what I call concise snippets of thought.

JRW Conference 2011

Frenetic forward movement ceases

But rest still eludes at the corners

Mind racing against time

Circles beyond reach

Days within grasp

Who can judge the success

For it is not within numbers

but of resonances and awakenings

inward turnings of mind.

And I have to go — enough stated above about the reason.

Be brave as I have been and post something,

And no, I have no idea why all this is spaced the way it is — one of the items on my to do list to do after the Conference - figure out Scrivener. and Twitter... and.....whatever....

Keep the energy going.

I’m Aliiiive

Well, I was More alive this morning, but that’s better than being mostly dead all day.

Right?

[Princess Bride reference for all the wonderful people gathered at the table at Bottoms Up Pizza other night.]
:::grin:::

I have finally crawled out from under the mountains of travel research notes, and emails, and all the minute details and notes that I require to keep organized.

Well, I’m mostly out. I managed to get out from under them all and get to the airport and hotel and Conference to greet all the wonderful people that brought the James River Writers Conference to a brilliant and lively success this year.

And it was a Really Great Conference this year!

But with last minute flight cancel today, rush call, even more rushing speaker, my Conference ‘experience’ is not quite over, since I am keeping ‘eye’ on the airline and tracking it. [TripTracker, and FlightsArrivalandDeparture] [Okay, yeah so I might be just a tad compulsive about doing my best job / ability, but, hey, that's way I am.]

Hopefully my last speaker will be home soon. [Stupid planes]

And then I can rest.

But I Promise I will be posting more things to the blog now. I have Great information that I got from some of the speakers at the James River Writer Conference. And they have graciously said I could post the information for you all as well.

In the meantime - hey, the plane’s in the air on it’s second leg, only one more to track, and I’m going to get a cup of tea. [And see if there’s something chocolate around.] — so in the meantime, go to Twitter and check out #JRWC11 There’s Great Writer’s advice all through there! Check it out!

P.S. I blunder around on Twitter (I Really don’t mean to) but I have been directed by the wonderful James River Writers writers there to:

“do you know about tweetchat.com? Go there and type in #jrwc11 and they'll all pop up.”

Thanks! to the Wonderful ---@Ellenfbrown Ellen F. Brown