My Rhyming Picture Book--What a Mess!

I had horrible dreams the other night. Nightmares really.

In every one of them I was going about my everyday business (with a few more castles and zombies involved than in waking life). Then the simple things I did turned into huge, disgusting messes not just for me, but for my friends. It happened in dream after dream.

What was my subconscious getting at?

Simply this: Don't send bad rhyming picture books for your friends to critique. Duh! What a mess I created for them to wade through.

My friends were very kind but still, I am so sorry. Being the author, it's hard to read the meter wrong. But being a friend, I'm sure it was hard to read the meter right. Oops!

I have learned. Here is one site I particularly love on picture book rhyming. An oldie but goody. Oooo...and a new one to check out. Looks promising.

Learn from my mistakes, and may you sleep well.

For the Love of Writing

In honor of Valentine's Day, ten reasons to love writing.

1. Reading. It adds a whole new dimension to one of my favorite activities.
2. Friends. I have found writers, editors and publishers to be some of the kindest, most fascinating friends.
3. Adventure. All researched and imagined from a comfortable living room chair. No need to pack or rummage for food.
4. A pleasant detachment. When I have an uncomfortable conversation with someone who claims to be a hit man with an abusive father and a fear of needles, I can channel my panic into that part of my brain that takes notes on potential characters. (How DO I always find myself in these sorts of situations?)
5. Making people happy. It's just one of the simple pleasures in life to create things other people like.
6. Getting paid. Which does actually happen on occasion.
7. Challenge. Writing gets easier only right before it gets harder. My challenges are limited only by my imagination.
8. Playing God. What's better than that?
9. Daydreaming is working. Night dreaming is working. Dreaming is working.
10. Fun. Writing is just flat out fun. 

So here's to writing and love and the two combined. Happy Valentine's Day.

Business as Usual

Well, the Typo Agent never got back to me. Sad, but honestly, I hope she's okay. Is that weird of me? Word is that she hasn't answered certain other emails I'm aware of, soooo...

Anyway. Like I said, I hope she's okay.

As for me, it's back to writing as usual, and I'm having a blast.

I'm hoping these Snoopy cartoons aren't copyrighted somewhere.
(Yet another reason professional advice would be a good thing.)

Interview with Anna Staniszewski

It's pronounced Stan-ih-zoo-ski.

I have another blog that I tend with several of my wonderful writing buddies called Cabinet of Curiosities.

You can read a very fun interview here with Anna Staniszewski, author of My Very Unfairy Tale Life and its coming sequel, My Epic Fairytale Fail. Find out all about picture books versus novels, curly hair versus straight, and growing up American with a Polish last name.

The "typo" agent wants to speak with me. Even if there's no deal, I'm beyond pleased.




Of course, maybe she just wants to tell me there was a typo...

Agent Submissions

I sent a picture book to two agents today. Only one of the emails had a typo in it.

SIGH.

I read the thing a million times. Friends read it hundreds of times! (I may be exaggerating here).

THIS is why I need an agent. And an editor. Well, one of the many reasons.

Encouragement: On Friends and the Writing Hole

I once attended a workshop where Orson Scott Card said something about writers needing to believe their work is the greatest creation the universe has ever contained while at the same time feeling that it will never be quite good enough.

This thought has never left me. Why? Because when I don't think I can write anything right I can hang on to this shred of hope: "Of course you're a writer. Orson Scott Card said that this is exactly how you're supposed to feel! And he should know, he's a writer."

And when I'm ever despondent I hang on to one other thing. My amazing writing friends.

I once read somewhere that women have lots of different friends: shopping friends, church friends, lunch friends, PTA friends, and hate-the-world-with-me friends. That may be true, but many of my dearest friends are writing friends. They never give up on me or my words even when they all stink (me and my words--not my friends).

After crawling out from my two-year writing hole of illness lack of imagination my writing friends were waiting in the wings to say things like, "Finally! Please send this manuscript to my amazing agent. I think she'll like it." And, "Here is all my research on picture book agents. I think you should query this one." And, of course, "Your ending totally sucks. Try again." The best writing friends are, after all, very honest. And they are there for me even when I'm not writing.

So praise the world for encouragement and friends and the dynamic combination of those two things together--which is really the greatest creation the universe has ever contained.

Now to work on that picture book ending...