The Flatt Perspective

You're Sending Me What? Something BAD?

2012-01-26T19:03:00.001-05:00

Got an email today from an editor and the subject line really threw me for a minute. I first read it as meaning I was being sent something BAD about my forthcoming series. BAD was capitalized.

After I got over the heart attack, I looked at the subject line more closely. Oh, it said a BLAD. I was being sent a BLAD. Praying that wasn't a typo and it really was supposed to read BAD, I opened the email.

It was a BLAD! Hurray! A pdf of the BLAD to be exact. But my next thought was sort of a whispered: um...what's a BLAD?

Fearing to look at the file, I first Googled the acronym. And I found:

Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency?

Um, don't think so.

Bioartificial Liver-Assisted Device?

Ya, no.

So that left Book Layout and Design. Yes! It was a Book Layout and Design!

BINGO!

Okay, so what the heck is a Book Layout and Design exactly? Performing more Google-foo, I found this definition:

Blad (Book Layout and Design)
A blad is a marketing and sales tool, used where printed sample material is needed in advance by the sales force to sell the title. A blad will often feature sections from the finished book, including the cover artwork, page layouts and images.

Hunh, who knew? Thank you Oxford University Press Glossary of Publishing Terms. May you continue to help many confused authors like myself.

So I finally opened the file. And it was awesome! I've never had a BLAD for one of my books before. It's my very first BLAD! And that, my friends, is definitely, most decidedly, and definitively not BAD.

The Horrible Hairy Holiday Surprise

2012-01-24T14:17:00.001-05:00

How's that for a title? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

But it was hairy, it was related to the holidays, and it was a surprise. It's horrible, too, if you're arachnophobic. See:

This was lurking on the pineapple display in my local grocery store just before Christmas. I'm not too sure it's native. Could it have come in with the pineapples? It was a healthy inch and a half long at least. [[shudder]]

My daughters and I tried to tell store personnel about this unusual squatter but no one was interested in giving us the time of day.

I wonder what happened to it. Maybe there's a story there...somewhere.

A Big Backstory

2011-12-16T13:00:00.003-05:00

Last Friday morning I walked my son into the high school's office to sign him in as late. The first secretary looked up and pointed out the late registration secretary around the corner of the desk. This second secretary looked up from her keyboard and said, “Is the reason for the lateness: family, weather, an appointment, or something else?”

Um...what? Which category? Which one category? My brain couldn't process that. My reasons fit into a bunch of those categories. In fact, I had a whole backstory full of reasons. So I stood there like an idiot. How the heck could I distill my morning to fit into just one category? So out spilled the whole sorry story.

What I told them went something like this:

I got up early, got the girls breakfast and drove [in treacherous snowy weather] to skating rink for 7am. I found out my son had missed the bus because hubby was stuck in a ditch and didn't get home to wake him up. After arranging for another mom to take the girls to school, I drove [in treacherous snowy weather] past home to find hubby at the roadside getting his vehicle towed. I drove [in treacherous snowy weather] hubby home to change clothes, also picked up son, and drove [in treacherous snowy weather] to town to drop hubby at a critically important appointment in one end of town and then drove [in treacherous snowy weather] to the other end of town to sign son in at school. And I needed to leave immediately because I had to drive back home [in treacherous snowy weather] to the village library where I was now likely to be a few minutes late for my annual job evaluation, after which time I could expect hubby’s text so I could drive back into town [in treacherous snowy weather] to pick him up, and then drive [in treacherous snowy weather] back home again. Did I mention that town and home are like 20 minutes apart in good weather?

Gad, no wonder those secretaries laughed at me. And no wonder no one wants to have an entire backstory dumped on them at once.

You know you might be a children's writer if...

2011-12-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

There you are, sitting on the hard white wooden bench in your small town arena lobby. You're reading quietly, passing the time during your son's hockey practice, while two young boys you don't know toss a small ball back and forth across the lobby. Back and forth, back and forth, they chase the ball, toss it, chase it, and so on until--

The arena doors open with a clatter and a woman walks in. One of the boys calls out to her with an enthusiastic, "Hi, Bitch!" (Which sounds a bit like "hiya beetch!")

Silence.

A silence in which you cringe for the boy.

"What did you say?" the woman, finding her voice, demands. She repeats her demand several times in increasingly higher volumes.

The boy wisely stays silent.

Finally the woman orders him to SIT THERE on THAT BENCH and DON'T MOVE.

He perches timidly beside you, head bent, sitting on his hands. You just want to hug him.

Do you empathize with the mother having to hear that from her child? Not really. You feel for the boy. You bet he's seen someone greet a friend that way on some TV show, or heard it uttered by an older kid, and the reaction was much different from the one he got.

Yes, if this happens you just might be a children's writer. And there might be a story there....somewhere.

A Hint of Good Things To Come

2011-12-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

My editor just emailed me a close-to-final version of the cover for "Counting on Fall," my book that's due out next fall from Owlkids. It's really lovely!

Unfortunately, I can't share it just yet. But I can give you a hint. Check out this blog post by Ashley Barron: "Is 'Autumny' a Word?"

Those leaves look very familiar to me.

The Shades of My Muskoka Sunrise

2011-12-01T23:48:00.000-05:00

What a sunrise this morning! It sure made me glad I got up early, and what a way to start December. I got a few photos of the colour, but in playing with my camera the photos came out looking quite different depending on the setting. See:

It made me think: which one is the shade of reality? Do I even remember now? Nope, not really. Does it matter? Maybe, but for me the variations are what matter not which one is more authentic.

Those differing shades of reality...the stuff a writer navigates through all the time, wouldn't you say?

A Story in a Statement

2011-11-30T21:17:00.002-05:00

Tonight I popped into the Mac's Milk store with my youngest daughter. She was wearing thick beige tights and a light blue sheer skirt, both of which showed beneath her winter coat. The cashier asked my daughter if she'd just come from dance class. Shyly my daughter replied that no, she'd come from skating.

The cashier smiled and, as she handed me my change, leaned over and said quietly to me, "Enjoy her at that stage."

I nodded and walked out thinking that yeah, she's absolutely right. But I also caught myself wondering about the background to that statement. What was it in the cashier's story that urged her to say that to me, a stranger. I'm sure there's a story there...somewhere.

Eleven for Eleven

2011-11-14T13:49:00.010-05:00

I've updated my website with my book on the War of 1812. This, The Legacy of the War of 1812, is my eleventh book--and it happened in 2011. Not that that's newsworthy, but it's kind of neat.

Interested in the topic of this conflict? Here's a commemorative site from the Government of Canada It's a solid first step for finding out more about the events that made up this war as well as the bicentennial commemoration events that will be happening soon: http://1812.gc.ca

So now, dare I hope for 12 books in '12? Actually--shh--it might be more than that. More details when I can share them.

Outdone by the Cat

2011-10-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

I feel like sharing a piece a wrote awhile back.

Raising A Reader

It was one of those days when I was scrambling to make dinner. We had to eat and dash out the door almost as soon as my older two kids came home from school. My youngest daughter picked that moment to ask me to listen to her read. Being four and in Kindergarten, she was at that wonderful stage where she loved to be read to, but she also loved to “read” to me. She’d grab a book and make up the story. I’d already heard a couple renditions of the book earlier that day and I just couldn’t stop for another.

“I’m busy right now,” I said. “We’ll read some more tonight, okay?”

She gave me her best “Fine, you don’t love me!” and went stomping off.

Ouch. I wished I could make her understand why I had no time to listen right then, but my attention was needed at the now boiling pot on the stove so I rushed on with dinner.

Not too long afterwards I realized that I could hear my daughter’s voice coming from the laundry room. What was she up to?

Marshmellow

I walked quietly over to the closed laundry room door and listened. She was definitely talking, but there was no one else in the house at the moment. Was she talking to herself with that much energy?

Puzzled, I opened the door and peeked in. There she was, sitting on a stool with a book in her lap. And there was our cat, Marshmellow, sitting at my daughter’s feet and purring.

“Hey, what are you up to, sweetie?” I asked.

She looked at me like I must be dense for not grasping the obvious. “Reading to Marshmellow,” she replied, and then she smiled.

I looked at Marshmellow, sitting up with her ears pointed towards my daughter, giving her her full attention.

It was my turn to smile. I’d been outdone by the cat. But at that moment, my daughter couldn’t have asked for a better audience.

And for that, I couldn’t have been more grateful.

***
So thank you, Marshmellow. You will be missed.

A Spectacular Sunset Sky

2011-09-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

I invested a little time to be a spectator at the town ball park a few weeks ago. It paid off. Isn't this a spectacular show in the sky?

Peake Fields Ball Park, Bracebridge, Ontario, Aug 22, 2011

Peake Fields Ball Park, Bracebridge, August 22, 2011

I think even hubby's homeruns were eclipsed by the scenery. But don't tell him that.

Aw, Nuts!

2011-09-02T11:33:00.001-04:00

How many of you who write for young kids find yourselves the recipient of requests to change your text because of sexual innuendos in your writing? Oh, come on. You know it's happened!

I'm here standing up (har) to say I am not afraid to admit that it's happened to me a few times. (I mean, I wrote a book titled "Let's Go!"?? Come ON! You can just picture the nudge-nudge, wink-winks.)

I just agreed to change a line in a forthcoming picture book from:
Can you count each squirrel's nuts?
to
How many nuts has each squirrel gathered?

Not a big change in intent, but probably a little less titter inducing. But grade two humor will rule no matter what. Just say the word 'nuts' and they'll probably be rolling in the back row. But I don't mind that reaction from an audience. It gets the kids/class involved, no? Books are fun. Books are funny!

You can call me naive for not picking up on these types of innuendoes on a more regular basis. But I also know that just about anything can be an innuendo if you want it to be. I always remember a lecture from one of my university professors that pointed out that the English language will always refer to the sexual in the absence of a concrete noun. Even you will titter if I write:
I want it.
I like it.
You need it.
no matter that I'm referring to chocolate. (Damn, what were you thinking???)

But I will consider softening an obvious innuendo if my editors asks. I'm not completely nuts.

So that's my rant for the day--a day which kicks off the last long weekend of summer. Have a good one! (nudge-nudge, wink-wink)

It's Kidlitosphere Interview Wednesday

2011-08-24T09:10:00.003-04:00

I'm hosting Interview Wednesday today. What does that mean? It means I'm posting a roundup of links to kids' writing related interviews from the past week or so. You'll find interviews with all sorts of people in children's literature--authors, illustrators, editors, agents and librarians.

I'll add links throughout the day and evening to this post. To leave a link to your interview, please add it to the comments and I'll put it here.

So for your reading pleasure, here we go:

JoAnn Early Macken has posted an interview with Donna Gephart on the TeachingAuthors blog. Readers can enter to win an autographed copy of Donna's book, How To Survive Middle School. Donna shares a couple of her favorite writing exercises and a funny anecdote about a workhshop she presented. See:
http://www.teachingauthors.com/2011/08/book-giveaway-and-guest-teaching-author.html Entry deadline is Friday, 8/26.

Playing By the Book has an interview with British author Frances Hardinge: http://www.playingbythebook.net/2011/08/15/an-interview-with-frances-hardinge/

Don't miss Bigfoot Reads where you'll find the "purloined" interview with Colleen AF Venable at: http://bigfoot-reads.blogspot.com/2011/08/colleen-af-venable-interview.html

Hope you can hop on over to enjoy those interviews. Thanks for stopping by!

Interview Wednesday Tomorrow

2011-08-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

I'm hosting Interview Wednesday tomorrow. Can't wait to see who's been Q&A'd this week.

If you'd like to leave your link to your interview early, feel free to add it in the comments. And please come back tomorrow for links to some excellent interviews about people in children's literature--authors, illustrators, editors, agents and librarians.

SCBWI Canada East Conference

2011-08-22T08:52:00.008-04:00

I was lucky enough this year to get to SCBWI's Momentous 40th anniversary conference in LA. Read about it here. My take on that amazing experience will appear on this blog in a bit. But allow me to momentarily don my official SCBWI Canada East Regional Advisor hat to shout about an event closer to home:

"The Courage to Create" Fall SCBWI Canada East Conference
No matter whether you're creating, marketing, or promoting your work, it all takes courage.

October 14-16, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario
Sheraton Downtown Ottawa
150 Albert Street

Featuring:

Diane Kerner, VP, Scholastic Canada
Susan Hawk, Agent, The Bent Agency
RJ Anderson, Author of Ultraviolet, Spell Hunter, and more
Ben Hodson, illustrator of Richard Was a Picker, Jeffrey and Sloth, and more

Plus
* Crystal Kite Award presentation to Marsha Skrypuch
* one-on-one critiques
* Friday night Bookstore Book Bash at Collected Works

You can download the brochure from this site http://www.scbwi.org/Regional-Chapters.aspx?R=54&sec=Conf (scroll down to the linked pdf file).

In Search of the Thief

2011-07-27T15:38:00.001-04:00

I found myself earlier this month chauffeuring my son to a hockey thing that was over an hour’s car ride away. Imagine my delight when he brought along a book to help pass the time.

He was reading The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, a book I’d already read and recommended to him. (Why yes, that is me feeling a moment of parental satisfaction.) On the way home he begged for some ice cream so we stopped at a McD’s off the highway. After we got back on the road and the ice cream was devoured, he went to pick up the book where he left off.

But the book was nowhere to be found.

He searched as best he could while seat belted in but no luck. I assured him we’d find it once I pulled over. So I did just that. We searched and searched. No Thief under the front seats, not under the middle seats, not in the door pockets, not in the glove box, not wedged under the crap on the tray between driver and front passenger.

Gen had gone missing. With one chapter to go.

In addition to feeling acute sympathy for my son being denied the ending of a good book I couldn’t bear to think that perhaps we’d abandoned Gen in the McD’s parking lot some 35km back down the road. My poor book, perhaps lying there abandoned at the mercy of seagulls and tires and the weather. That's no way to treat a good read. On the other hand, it would be about a half hour back. Then another half hour to return to where we were. I waffled. My son said he’d just buy me another copy of the book. But it bugged me too much.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn't leave it.

I had to know if it was back at McD's lot. I had to attempt the rescue. So back down the road I drove. I parked near our former parking space only to watch a big old beige Buick pull into the spot. The view of the pavement was now obstructed, plus it was getting dark, so it would be tricky to see if The Thief was lying there. Um, could we go looking around under the car without looking like thieves ourselves? Well, no. We looked suspicious but we did it anyway.

No luck. No book.

So it was back into the Odyssey, me feeling disappointed the whole 35km back to the turnaround point and further on up the road. Maybe someone else had picked up the book and was enjoying it. That was somewhat comforting.

We arrived home, unloaded all the junk from the car... and found The Thief tucked inside the folded down 3rd row seat.

All that for nothing? Yes and no. I guess just like a good book, it ended well. And there's a lot of satisfaction to be had in that.

Beautiful Beetle

2011-07-08T11:00:00.002-04:00

Green beetle, sheen beetle

six-spotted tiger beetle

soaking up sun on a stone

Green beetle, sheen beetle

six-spotted tiger beetle

seeing me near so you've flown

Not top quality verse, just for fun.

The Facts
I found this cool insect by one of my flower gardens. Such an amazing dazzling emerald shade! I wanted to know more about this creature. It really is called a six-spotted tiger beetle.
Here are some good links for tiger beetle info in case you want to know more too:

Types of tiger beetles in Ontario
http://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/tiger-beetles.htm

Comprehensive US site on Tiger Beetles
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/tigb/index.htm

Scientific info on ground beetles of Canada
http://www.cbif.gc.ca/spp_pages/carabids/phps/index_e.php

And if you're interested in poetry, for a much better poetry experience check out the Poetry Friday links from the Kidlitosphere.

This 'n That

2011-06-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

This is my office floor.

This project is just about done now.

This would mean it's time to tidy up.

That would mean Lizann turns to the other 50,000 things on her to do list.

It's Interview Wednesday!

2011-06-15T00:01:00.021-04:00

No interview here on The Flatt Perspective today (mine are done on a mostly monthly basis as seen here), but I'm honoured to bring you other people's interviews, because:

Today is Interview Wednesday in the Kidlitosphere!

Check the comments to this post all throughout the day to see links to interviews with authors, illustrators, editors, agents or librarians. Who will show up? Who's been talking to whom? We'll have to wait and see. But I know it'll be worth it, because children's literature is always worth talking about.

Thanks for stopping in!

(And thanks to Tina Nichols Coury for the great graphic.)

To leave a comment, click the link that says "x other perspectives"where the x stands for a numeral. Blogger should walk you through the rest.

Directions or Descriptions?

2011-06-09T12:07:00.000-04:00

Ah, Muskoka. Where I live. And where directions to someone's place are more like descriptions. They include phrases such as:

I do not know her address
She lives on This Road off of That Road
It is on the left hand side a little ways past the dam
There is a red sign but it's spelled wrong
You go down that road past the house on the right to the next house on the right

and then a phone number "in case you get confused."

Which I did.

So I had a nice detour down a remote rut and crater infested road I'd never driven before. The shoulders were either non-existent or so soft and squishy I feared executing a 3-pointer would mire the Odyssey in mud. I followed the road all the way to the end before turning around. But I got to my destination.

Descriptions. They lead to places you've never been before. Isn't that what writing is all about?

Catherine Austen: Keep Faith in your Ability to Write a Really Good Piece of Work

2011-05-31T22:20:00.006-04:00

Creating Through the Clamour: Instalment 6
Feel like there's not enough time in your busy life to be creative? How do authors or illustrators continue to create while tackling everything else in their lives? About once a month as I'll ask a writer or illustrator how they do it. 'Cause I want to know. (I need all the help I can get in this department.)

The Creator  
name: Catherine Austen
 resides: Quebec
website/blog: http://www.catherineausten.com
creates: Writing for all ages: PB, MG, YA. I used to write stories for adults and may return to that some day. 

The Creations
Walking Backward (MG novel), Orca Book Publishers, 2009
My Cat Isis (picture book), Kids Can Press, 2011 
All Good Children (YA novel), Orca Book Publishers, coming Fall 2011
26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6 (MG novel), James Lorimer & Company, coming Fall 2011

The Clamour 
Work obligations: About ten years ago I quit my full-time job and began to write freelance part-time (conservation reports, funding proposals, fact sheets, etc.). My husband suggested I try it, and he’s been the main breadwinner in our family ever since. I did it partly to free up time to write fiction, but mostly to spend more time with my son. (It worked out so well, I had another one.)

After selling my first two books in 2008, I began to take fewer paid contracts in order to focus on my fiction. My work benefitted enormously but my debts increased. I was thrilled to receive news over Christmas that I’m getting a grant from the Quebec Conseil des arts et des lettres to help me write a sequel to my forthcoming teen novel. It’s a lifesaver, and in the nick of time. Now I can devote half of each day to my work in progress. Yay! That reduces the clamour.

Kids to raise, look after, chauffeur: My kids are aged 8 and 15, so there’s a lot of chauffeuring and assisting but not the intense and constant demands of the early years. I try to do my first drafts in big chunks while they’re at school. Revising and polishing I fit in whenever I can. Because I work from home, I’m with my kids on PD days and vacations and I don’t try to write much those days and seasons. On school days, my work usually ends when my youngest gets off the bus at 3:00.

I didn’t write much when my kids were tiny – I was a real cookies-and-crafts kind of mom – and I don’t regret that. As they age and become more independent, I devote more mental energy to my work and the focus of my life and my sense of self reorients. (Or that could just be middle age.)

Volunteer work: I volunteer in the library of the local elementary school two mornings a week – an ideal volunteer job for a children’s book writer. I enjoy the work, both helping rambunctious classes of kids find something to read and doing the more tedious coding, shelving, and repairing of books. The school has no librarian so my help is appreciated.

The internet: The internet can be a sinkhole for time but it speeds up research enormously. I am so often awed by how simple it is to check facts for a story. (What time does the sun set in Hawaii on August 14th? When was the tape recorder invented? Where do police dogs live? OMG, you can find out anything!) And even though I do most of my research through books, I find and reserve those books from my desk via the online library catalogue.  

Life in general: When a story is really alive in my head, it’s not hard to find the time to draft it because I can’t concentrate on anything else. But preparing for that stage and, afterward, revising the mess that comes out of that stage, are more challenging because they require more discipline. The internal drive just isn’t as strong. So that bizarre human habit of avoiding the difficult things we love to do comes into play. (I know it’s not just me. After every yoga class I drag myself to, I hear someone say, “I feel so good! Why did I put this off all month?” Same habit. I’ve cleaned closets to avoid writing stories. What is that about?!?)

There are so many diversions out there – work and kids, friends and fun, chores and errands. Most of us have a long list of things we either have to do or like to do and it’s difficult to admit that you can’t do it all. If you want to write a book, you have to forego other stuff. Fun stuff. If you only have one spare hour in the day, you can’t meet your friend for coffee or take a piano lesson or walk the dog in that hour. You have to write your book. And hope that one day you’ll have more time to devote to your writing so that you can do other stuff in your spare hour. (That’s where I’m at now. But for years I wasn’t so lucky.)

 How did you get started in this field?
I wrote stories and poetry as a child but I don’t remember much and didn’t keep any. The first time I took writing seriously was in university when a professor suggested I try to publish a story I’d written for an English elective. It was the first of about a dozen stories I published in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I continued to write sporadically over the years and writing was always a major part of my work for conservation organizations. After reading a thousand picture books to my own son, I tried my hand at writing them. The first dozen were wordy, dull, or Robert Munsch echoes, but I got better each time. I now write a mix of picture books, stories, and novels for different ages.  

What are you working on these days? 
I’m revising my teen novel, All Good Children, based on my editor’s comments, and I’m drafting its sequel, Across the Water. Over the Christmas holidays I returned to a picture book I’d drafted in the summer and polished it to where I want it to be. I have MANY books on the go, outlines and drafts and not-quite-there manuscripts. Sometimes I wake up wanting to work on a specific piece, and I get to it. But I try to work on one draft at a time.

What's the hardest aspect for you in terms of being creative, finding the time? the space? the focus? something else? 
Sometimes it’s not the clamour but the writing itself that pushes me away. Sometimes a story just isn’t ready or isn’t working so the writing is frustrating and hard to face. It’s a lousy feeling reading back your work and thinking, “This is crap.” It takes a lot of experience and a thick skin to learn to work through the crappy and mediocre pieces and keep faith in your ability to write a really good piece of work. (Give me the strength to file my crappy drafts, the courage to revise my promising ones, and the wisdom to know the difference.)

One other obstacle for me is that sometimes I just can’t face my character’s hardships. There’s an emotional surrender in writing that’s frankly exhausting. I love to write humour, which doesn’t pose this obstacle. But the novels I’m drafting and editing now have some sad parts, and getting in the head of a narrator who’s in pain is just not fun. There are certain scenes I dread. (I’m a fanatic outliner so I know what pain is coming.) I procrastinate as they approach. I have to work myself up to it. (Mentally and physically – I run and lift weights before writing and during breaks. I suspect it helps my aging brain but, if not, at least it keeps me trim.)

Do any of your distractions end up feeding your creativity?
Anything to do with my kids or pets feeds creativity. Dabbling on the internet can spark things, too, just as any reading or conversation can. A few weeks ago, I wasted half an hour of work time doing an online survey about emotional intelligence (of which I have little, it seems). I was berating myself for the waste when suddenly a list of feeling-words struck a chord and led to vast improvements in my picture book manuscript about an emotional marmot. Hah! Surfer vindication.

Do you have any tips for others about how to carve out time to be creative?
If you have trouble facing the keyboard, I recommend doing a minimum amount of work each day, like half an hour, and not doing any more than that (until you no longer feel like procrastinating). That technique worked for me in the past when I was more pressed for time. It changed the way I look at my time and made me eager rather than reluctant to write. Three hours on a Saturday morning is a lot of time to fill if you’re not used to writing regularly. You put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform in those hours, so you may be reluctant to start. But half an hour? What can a person accomplish in half an hour? Not much. No pressure. Anything you write in that time will be better than nothing so you might as well get it over with. And books are written that way, a couple of pages a day.

I also recommend outlining for those so inclined. I used to write without outlines and I’d steam ahead until halfway through a novel, when I wouldn’t have a clue where to take the book. Then I’d get easily distracted. Now I have a clear outline of my scenes, so even if I don’t feel like thinking on a given day, I know what I have to write and it’s easier to just do it.

Are there times when you just can't focus on your writing/illustrating and if so how do you cope with them?
Yes, and I have learned to accept them and trust that they will pass. I still usually drag myself to it, because I want to keep my work habits, but I’ll work for less time than usual, or I’ll work on editing or researching rather than actual writing. In a pinch I’ll read a slew of “how to write” books, which often spark renewal of interest in some project or other, or I’ll just read. (All reading is professional development for writers.) People in other professions do professional development activities. They spend a few days filing and emailing. And they take vacations. Why do writers expect themselves to produce pages of new work every day?

Any tips on how to get through chores faster/more efficiently?
Sorry. Nothing comes to mind other than “Embrace messiness.”    

Are there any other creative genres you look to for inspiration?
Music is often part of my writing process. I don’t play it while I write but I play it while I cook or exercise before and after writing, and I use it as a soundtrack for envisioning scenes or generating emotions. I actually make playlists for each novel I’m working on. The one I’m listening to today has a don’t give up/stay strong theme and includes songs like:
“Kangaroo Cry” by Blue October,
“Swim” by Jack’s Mannequin,
“Badlands” by Bruce Springsteen,
“Dying to Live” by Jonny Lang,
“You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals, and
“Colby’s Song” by Joshua James.
I listened to that last one about 100 times while writing the last half of All Good Children. It has nothing to do with the story but something about the emotion in it helped feed my writing. The same thing happened while writing Walking Backward with the song “Virtue the Cat Explains her Disappearance” by the Weakerthans. I don’t know how it works but I don’t question it. (I embrace it along with messiness.) 

 As a creative person, do you have any other outlets for your talents?
I photograph mushrooms with a passion. And I quilt by hand in front of the television a few times a week while watching mediocre movies or bad TV. (“So You Think You Can Dance” is excellent quilter’s viewing since you only have to look up one minute out of five.) It takes me about two years to make a quilt, longer if there’s a lot of appliqué (or subtitles). I’m still a beginner but I learn more about design and fabric with each quilt. I’d like to quilt a story, especially a life story, like Harriet Powers, but I don’t feel ready yet. I have no visual intelligence at all so it’s a big learning curve for me to figure out how colours and shapes balance. But I love it. I get all my material from old clothes. I tremble with excitement when I find unusual cotton pyjamas at the junk shop and I’ve been caught ogling the shirts of strange men in elevators.

Why do you keep creating?
I think creating is natural to our species. Our brains are awfully big and our hands are free, after all.

***

Thanks, Catherine, for spending some time here, for sharing this wealth of information, and for making me chuckle in the process. I love that New Radicals song you mention. Here's to your forthcoming titles (can't wait to read them!), quilts, and continued creativity!

The Turtle and the Toonie

2011-05-30T22:03:00.007-04:00

This evening my daughter came running into the house all excited because she'd found a turtle on the driveway. I ran out to see. She'd found this baby turtle.

But it's hard to tell this is a baby turtle from the photo. So we figured we'd try including her shoes in the picture. Here they are, size 4 Crocs in all their well worn glory, and a baby turtle:

But even that's not the greatest reference. So we thought we'd add in her hands. Here is the baby turtle with an 8-year-old's hands for reference:

That's pretty good. But we wondered if we could make another size comparison. And we think we came up with a brilliant idea. If you're Canadian. Because here is the baby turtle beside our two dollar coin, or Twoonie:

Definitely a teeny tiny turtle when seen with a toonie. Cute or what??

After we were done taking its picture we let it continue on doing its turtle thing. We hope it grows up to be a big turtle.

When Turkeys Play Chicken

2011-05-13T08:47:00.000-04:00

So you can be driving your mom-mobile, coming home from the grocery store. Your mind can be wandering and you’re enjoying singing along to the radio because you have some time to yourself. Not much is going on in this mundane moment.

Then something catches your eye and you can’t quite believe it but a turkey has jumped out of the bush on the left side of the road and is now strutting towards your lane. Now running. You calculate that--OMG--your trajectories will definitely meet. You inch over to the right hoping turkey will slow. You inch over more. No, it’s not going to work. The geometry and physics are undeniable.

Are you going to slam on the brakes and probably hit the bird anyway? Are you going to drive off the road and risk sliding into the rocks or trees?

You are seriously wishing for your mundane boring drive back again when some turkey- brained thought or instinct tells it to turn around. It races for the ditch on the side of the road from which it emerged.

Phew!
For both of you.

It can happen....

As Overheard

2011-04-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

Husband: talks enthusiastically about a movie he saw when young and thinks the kids would enjoy too.

Daughter: "Is it in black and white?"

Lizann: laughs into the dish sink.

Today's Office Window View

2011-04-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

Snow mixed with freezing rain. All school buses cancelled. Today you have to feel sorry for the robins.

A Stint at Mahtab's Moonlight Musings

2011-04-19T21:52:00.000-04:00

In which I make an appearance at Mahtab Narsimhan's blog in a spot in her Q&Q (Quirky and Quintessential) series:

http://mahtabnarsimhan.blogspot.com/2011/04/q-writer-series-featuring-lizann-flatt.html

Thanks, Mahtab, for deeming me worthy!

March Muskoka Sunrise

2011-03-31T09:51:00.002-04:00

Sometimes the world is beautiful.

Did I Imagine That?

2011-03-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

I had a great phone call from an editorial director a couple weeks ago. I think.

Okay, I'm kidding. I know it happened, but I feel as if I'm in a bit of limbo.
Like a timeout in a hockey game.
Like the Jeopardy thinking music is going on.

Because I'm waiting for further direction on the manuscript/proposal that generated that phone call and a verbal assurance of a contract to come. Yay! Good thing I've about a bazillion things to keep myself occupied while I am patiently awaiting further instructions and paper proof I'm not living an illusion.

But there is a little part of me that wonders if it was all just wishful thinking.

Anyone else do this to themselves?

Between the Book Covers

2011-02-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

There I was, working at the library on a cold blustery Saturday. I'd gone out into the freezing cold and unlocked the green steel after-hours return bin. I'd filled a big blue IKEA shopping bag with all the books and DVDs that had been dropped through the door.

I'd hauled the bag back inside to the circ desk, separated and stacked the books and magazines and opened each of the DVD cases to be sure the disk was inside. I'd backdated the system and scanned the bar codes on everything to process the returns. I'd separated out the new books and put them back on the new shelf right away. I'd put the paperbacks, nonfiction, YA fiction, and hard cover fiction on their own areas of the return cart.

Then I noticed that one of the hardcover fiction titles on the cart appeared to have some crumpled pages or something, or at least the top of the book wasn't closed up tight.

I pulled the book off the cart, a James Patterson title, and took a closer look. Oh! Something was stuck inside the book. The book opened easily to the page where the object was wedged inside.

It is a kleenex. A crumpled kleenex. A crumpled kleenex with unidentified brownish substance clearly visible on its surface.

Gah!

A crumpled kleenex with an unidentified brownish substance clearly visible on its surface that I prayed was the product of someone's late night reading session with leftover Valentine's chocolates.

I gingerly lifted the offending object out of book with thumb and index finger and dropped it into the garbage, then dove for the bottle of hand sanitizer.

Please, remove your personal items from your borrowed materials before you return them. Circulation clerks everywhere will thank you.

Mahtab Narsimhan: Writing is as Essential as Breathing

2011-02-18T14:53:00.000-05:00

Feel like there's not enough time in your busy life to be creative? How do authors or illustrators continue to create while tackling everything else in their lives? About once a month as I'll ask a writer or illustrator how they do it. 'Cause I want to know. (I need all the help I can get in this department.)

Creating through the Clamour, Instalment 5

The Creator

name: Mahtab Narsimhan
resides: Toronto, Canada (aka the centre of the universe :>)
website: www.mahtabnarsimhan.com
blog: mahtabnarsimhan.blogspot.com/
creates: MG and currently working on a YA novel

The Creations
The Third Eye (Dundurn Press, 2007) which won the 2009 Silver Birch Fiction Award in Ontario
The Silver Anklet (Dundurn Press, 2009)
Her Mother's Ashes (TSAR Publications, 2009) Anthology to which she contributed
Piece by Piece (Penguin Canada, 2010) Anthology to which she contributed
The Deadly Conch (Dundurn Press, Jan 2011)
The Tiffin (Dancing Cat Books, September 2011)

The Clamour
A day job: Gotta eat/pay rent. But on the flip side it also gives me a rest from the intense mental activity of creating something out of thin air. Not a bad thing at all.

Household Chores: Real bore but has to be done. I hate a messy place. Sometimes I’ve solved quite a few problems in my plot/character motivation while vacuuming or cooking, so again, not a bad thing at all!

Kids: One with two legs and one with four. And a third one whom I married. All boys and they all need looking after.

How did you get started in this field?

I started out with recording incidents of life back home (Bombay, India) after my father passed away in 2003. That somehow got me thinking that I would try my hand at writing since I had always been an avid reader. I’ve never looked back since and this is my favourite of the four career paths I’ve taken!

Someday I'll have to ask you about the other three! What are you working on these days?
Just finished the second round of substantive edits on THE TIFFIN. At the moment I’m writing a dystopian YA which will be a trilogy. Finished the first draft of book 1. I’m taking a break so that I can get back to it with fresh eyes in a few weeks. It’s a lot easier to see mistakes when you put it away for a while.

What's the hardest aspect for you in terms of being creative? Finding the time? the space? the focus? something else?
Finding the time. There is always so much to do that if I don’t carve out some time in the day, I’ll never be able to write. And so, every morning from about 6:00 am to 8:00 am is the time I devote to writing. This includes Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. And yes, even my birthday.

Now that it’s become a routine, it’s easier to focus and get my quota out for the day (approx. 1500 words a day) before I allow myself to stop.

Wow, that's discipline! Do any of your distractions end up feeding your creativity?
All I can say is that when you are looking at a problem slant, sometimes the answer comes to you. When I tend not to focus on my writing and instead distract myself with other work, it helps.

How do you minimize your distractions while you're working? Any tips for others?
Have a set time, a set place and a goal. The rest will follow. An interesting fact I discovered is that most habits, good or bad, take about two weeks to form.

I have followed this routine of mine, i.e. writing early in the morning in my basement office and giving myself a daily quota, for the last six years. It’s a deeply ingrained habit and has allowed me to complete the first draft of a novel in about four to six months. It works! In fact, now, if I have not finished my “homework” on a daily basis, I feel terribly guilty and even cranky.

Are there times when you just can't focus on your writing and if so how do you cope with them?
As time goes by I have learned to trust myself and the creative process. If I cannot write or think of the next thing that needs to happen in a plot, I’ll put it aside and work on something else. I know that I will still be thinking of the problem subconsciously and by forcing the issue I’ll only get frustrated. And sure enough after a couple of days' break, I come up with a solution and am eager to get back to the manuscript. The first few times this happened I felt panicked, wondering if I would ever write again. Now I know I will.

Any tips on how to get things done faster/more efficiently?
I know this is the age of multi-tasking and I am as guilty as the person sitting next to me on the bus. However there are some things that need complete focus and for me, it’s writing. I try not to think of or do anything else when I am writing. I cannot even have another person in the room when I am writing. This is why I write best early in the morning when all the boys are all snoring.

I tend not to think about unpleasant tasks too much. I grit my teeth and jump right into it. And before I know it, it’s over and done. Most efficient if you don’t dwell on it too much.

What book, song, painting, movie, etc has touched you or has great meaning for you recently?

I love fantasy fiction. It’s what has always fascinated me. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series remain my favourites to this day and once in a while when I have the time, I’ll read through them again.

I loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions by Richard Bach. Also love The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

As a creative person, do you have any other outlets for your talents? a hobby or interest?
Reading is my only other hobby. If I’m not writing, I’m reading. My secret ambition at one point in my life was to be a librarian. I mistakenly assumed that all I would have to do is check books in and out and read the rest of the day. This revelation never fails to make all the teacher-librarians I know, laugh.

Why do you keep creating in the face of all this distraction and effort?
Writing and creating is as essential to me as breathing. I couldn’t stop either even if I tried.

***

Looking forward to reading more of your work, Mahtab! Thanks for spending some of your time here.

Think Spring: SCBWI in Niagara Falls, Ontario!

2011-02-15T12:23:00.001-05:00

I'm soooo tired of winter, of either being sun deprived or freezing, so I'm going to focus on spring for a moment.

You know I'm involved in SCBWI's Canada East chapter, right? (Full disclosure: actually I'm the Regional Advisor.) I'm really looking forward to this spring's conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This year a volunteer stepped forward and offered to be the conference coordinator for our spring event. I'd met her at our fall retreat and things went from there. Super huge thanks to writer Jackie Pynaert for stepping forward to spearhead this huge undertaking!

Writers: you know you want to join us! Here are the details:

SCBWI Canada East Niagara Falls Retreat and Conference

May 13-15, 2011
Niagara Falls, Ontario
www.carmelniagara.com

Featuring:
Josh Adams, Agent, Adams Literary
Hilary Van Dusen, Senior Editor, Candlewick Press
Alan Jones, Art Director, HarperCollins Canada
Authors: Terri Farley, Sydney Salter, Fran Cannon Slayton, Veronica Rossi

Find the complete registration package on the SCBWI Canada East website or our Chapter's page at scbwi.org.

Hope to see some of you there, and please feel free to spread the word.

Writer Frustrated

2011-02-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

Why are the manuscripts that look simple when finished almost always the hardest to arrive at?

Why is the approach that elicits an “Aha, that’s so simple!” so damned difficult to get to?

Makes doing some mindless chore like washing the dishes seem so much easier: apply water and soap and voila--desired result.

Yep, off to tackle the mountain of dishes left from yesterday.

What Was my Favourite Read in 2010?

2011-01-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

You'd think I would've posted this earlier what with all the end of year wrap up lists. Well, it's not the end of January quite yet, so better late than never.

I'm normally not comfortable speaking in superlatives, but one title did stand out for me amongst a long list of good books I read in 2010.

Which one? Fire by Kristin Cashore.

Why? This book gave me the best reading experience of the year. It was the one I couldn't wait to get back to. The one that made me stay up waaaay too late while reading it. The one that took me away from the setting in which I was reading it: a round trip bus ride to Toronto. Nothing like the experience of trying to hide the fact that you're crying on public transit. It was the book's fault--honest!

Looking forward to crying over many more good titles in 2011.

Alma Fullerton: Creating Through the Clamour

2011-01-20T13:53:00.002-05:00

Feel like there's not enough time in your busy life to be creative? How do authors or illustrators continue to create while tackling everything else in their lives? About once a month as I'll ask a writer or illustrator how they do it. 'Cause I want to know. (I need all the help I can get in this department.)

The Creator
name: Alma Fullerton
resides: Ontario, Canada
website: www.almafullerton.com
genres: YA, MG, PB, and apparently now illustrator

The Creations

Walking On Glass, published by HarperTempest, 2007

In the Garage, published by Red Deer Press, 2006

Libertad, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008

Burn, published by Dancing Cat Books, 2010

The Clamour

part time retail worker

volunteer work: SCBWI Canada East

full time mom: Two children. One Husband (or would that be three children -hmmm), one dog, one cat, fish-- last time I checked the tank --two -- however one is really mean so I might/should check again.

taxi driver: (not paid) routes to work -- hubby's work, my work and oldest child's work, schools, guitar lessons, cheer practices, cheer competition, grocery store, malls (my children are girls - -enough said about the shopping), school visits, book launches, book festivals, veterinarian (my dog is a hypochondriac but we love him anyway).

maid: - okay seriously not. My house is clean but not spic and span clean (do they even still make spic and span)?

and: master Googler, blogger (rarely), Facebooker, youtube addict. Researcher.

How did you get started in this field?

I fell into it -- quite literally. I never read as a child. I couldn't read as a child until grade four when my teacher discovered I had a learning disability and helped me. And then I still hated reading and still had people tell me I could never achieve things and didn't read for fun until I came across a book I really loved (I did actually trip over that particular book). I read the whole thing because the character drew me into the story -- that was huge for me. Then I found more books I loved and decided I wanted to write books kids would love, so even though reading and writing were the most difficult things for me I worked really hard at them and just did it. And now I'd really love to slap the teachers that told me I'd never be able to achieve anything with my novels -- especially the hard cover ones.

What's the hardest aspect for you in terms of being creative, finding the time? the space? the focus?

All of the above. I need a lot of time to actually draw myself into a character to be able focus on writing. And sometimes even then I might be interrupted and have to start the process all over again.

Do any of the distractions end up feeding your creativity?

Googling ended up feeding my creativity. I was procrastinating on writing one novel by googling when I came across a story that gave me the idea of Libertad. I did try to push the idea aside but it wouldn't go. Libertad was finished and published before the other novel.

How do you manage to carve out time to do your creating?
Carving out time is difficult. But I can mind write while doing menial tasks (like my job) and then when I do get time to get to the computer a lot of times I'll have the plot issues worked out. I also listen to music as I write to drown out other distractions. Closing the office door only works if no one else is home and then it doesn't really matter.

Are there times when you just can't focus on your writing/illustrating?

ALL THE TIME. I have an extremely hard time focusing. It's part of my learning disability, but sometimes I just have to sit my butt down and do it.

How do you cope with that?
One poem at a time. Sometimes if that doesn't work I'll just paint. That tends to relax me and if I'm painting my characters or what I think they'd look like sometimes it gives me inspiration to find out their story.

Any tips on how to avoid doing some of those distracting thing?

Avoiding is easy. Too easy. Think write when you're cleaning. Often the thing I'm avoiding is the novel.

Why do you keep creating in the face of all this?

Because I can't not create. I tried not writing. It didn't work. I was grumpy, snapping and just horrible to be around.

What are you working on these days?

I'm working on a novel call "Broken" which will be along the same lines as Libertad, and I just finished a chapter book called "Miss Understood" about a girl with a learning disability.

As a creative person, do you have any other outlets for your talents?
Yes, I paint, garden, sew, read, and cook very little but love to eat great food.

Are there any other creative genres you look to for inspiration?

Music. I love music --as well as art, and photography. Books are food for the mind, music is food for the ears and art and photography are food for the eyes and as I said, I love to eat great food.

***
Thanks, Alma!
Thanks so much for spending some of your valuable creating time with me and sharing your tips with us. Here's to lots of great food, minimizing your clamour and maximizing your creations!

Book Size Matters

2011-01-17T15:47:00.001-05:00

What a surprise when I finally got my copy of Switching on the Moon, edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Not a surprise because I got the book but a surprise because I finally saw its size. This is a BIG book! See, it's almost as wide as my shoulders.

I'd only ever seen a photo of the book cover before. Not until I held it did I think of its dimensions. A child could really get lost in this book the illustrations are so large. It's perfect for a bedtime read. And my piece of real estate on page 28? I love it!

I had a very large edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses when I was little. I love the idea that some of today's children might build similar fond feelings about poetry with this book.

My thoughts on my first chance to read the book all the way through, not just my own poem? Wow. This poetry anthology is top notch. I'm going to gift this book whenever I can.

(And it's just been shortlisted for a Cybils award in the poetry category!)

Fun with the SCBWI Canada East Fall 2010 Retreat

2010-12-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

So you take pictures at a writing retreat, and they sit around doing nothing. While you get your snow tires put on, you sit around doing nothing. Put the two together with laptop and....

...you come up with something a bit better than nothing. Enjoy.

Rebecca Upjohn: Creating Through the Clamour

2010-11-24T09:31:00.003-05:00

Feel like there's not enough time in your busy day to be creative? You're not alone. How do authors or illustrators continue to create while tackling everything else in their lives? About once a month as I'll ask a writer or illustrator these types of questions. 'Cause I want to know (I need all the help I can get in this department).

The Creator
name: Rebecca Upjohn
resides: Toronto and sometimes Harrisville, New Hampshire.
website: http://www.rebeccaupjohn.com
creates: So far? Picture books (1 fiction, 1 non-fiction), 1 mg (?) chapter book for 8-11 yr-olds

The Creations

The Last Loon, published by Orca Books, 2010
Patrick's Wish, (co-authored with Karen Mitchell) published by Second Story Press, 2010
Lily and the Paper Man, Illustrated by Rene Bennoit, published by Second Story Press, 2007

The Clamour
work obligations: Um, I'd like to say I was a brain surgeon who worked for Doctors Without Borders or something impressive, but no, not at the moment.

kids: Two teenage boys who need less physical input (except when they need roadie services-drums and amps-to their gigs) but more time to talk things over. They like to have me and my husband around for toubleshooting, and they seem to appreciate being fed.

It took me a long time to figure out that they were fully capable of pulling their weight around the house. Everyone takes their turn to cook, clean, do laundry and walk the dog. A certain amount of standard maintenance is required on my part. Did you clean the bathroom? Yes. Did you clean the bathtub? No. Did you clean the toilet. No. Did you clean the counters? Mirrors? No. What did you clean? You know, the bathroom. Then when I go over the basic information again, they act as though it is all new information. It's entertaining, really.

volunteer work: Cooking/serving breakfast for Out of the Cold during the winter. I recently retired from the school volunteering after 13 years.

the internet: a time sucker. It's worse at the moment because I have a new computer and suddenly can access information I couldn't on my old system. Just pushing the new buttons is using up precious time.

household stuff: I find juggling all the stuff to keep everyone on track takes time to plan and execute. By the time everyone is up and out the door and the dog has been walked and I've been to yoga class, three hours have passed. Sometimes I find I actually get more writing done if I go to the library where there are fewer distractions. I notice when I'm trying to meet a deadline, I let more things go. I don't answer the phone, don't check my email, don't decide I have to clean out a closet. The fact is at home there are always things that are undone and they whisper, in subversive little voices, for attention.

Inevitably when I block out some time to work then one of the boys gets sick or needs a ride to school or can't cook on their night or can't walk the dog. As the person at home, I'm the fall back fixer.

How did you get started writing?
I started writing for my local community newsletter when I was living in New Hampshire. It was the first experience being "published" consistently. I wrote all different kinds of pieces. It fed my curiosity and satisfied my need to do creative work. Reading to my boys, I rediscovered how wonderful children's books were. I began to make up stories for and about the boys. I'd write, illustrate and bind my own books.

After I moved back to Canada, I took some writing classes, most notably one from Barbara Greenwood. Then I wrote a story and submitted it to the annual Writers' Union Writing for Children contest. When it placed among the twelve finalists, I realized people other than me and my friends/family saw merit in my writing (at least for that story) so I did what any sensible excited new writer would do, I put it in a drawer for two years.

I formed a writing group with a few others from Barbara's class and continued writing. (Two of us from the original group are still together after ten years.) Finally one day in a mad moment I decided to send out the contest story. I went to the Canadian Children's Book Centre and the librarian at the time suggested I look at Second Story Press for my story. So I read a bunch of their books and saw it was a good fit and I sent it. Ten months later they said yes.

What are you working on these days?
A non-fiction picture book set during the second World War.

What's the hardest thing for you to manage in terms of finding time or space to be creative?
I'm not particularly organized and disciplined. I allow myself to get distracted. I also seem to need fallow periods. Is it procrastination or replenishing the well? Sometimes one, sometimes the other. When I'm in the thick of writing, I tend to try to shut out everything around me. At that point having to stop and cook or be a parent or a responsible adult makes me grind my teeth. On the other hand, breaking it into smaller chunks of time is healthier.

I have to take the time to exercise and eat properly or it take its toll on my body. So it's a constant battle of forcing myself to start and then once I'm going forcing myself to stop and take care of myself. Sometimes it feels easier not to write and just be in my other roles.

Do any of the distractions end up feeding your creativity?
I have found sometimes when I walk the dog or cook or drive either new ideas will come up or solutions to problems I've run into writing a story. Another part of my brain is in charge of those activities and it frees up the thinking--thoughts flow differently. Once I was at the TSO with my husband and an idea for two characters and a picture book story came into my head. I wrote it down in a little notebook I carry and several years later that story is under consideration at a publisher.

How do you minimize your distractions while you're working? Any tips for others?
Working in a place like the library where there are fewer things pulling at me works as a kick start, especially if I have had a long time between writing days. Once I'm back in the story in my head it's easier to say no to things. I've even turned down paying work or renegged on something I agreed to do in order to use that time to write.

Oddly though, I work better when my family is around. It's as if part of me knows they are all present and accounted for and that part of me can stop worrying. I think everyone needs to figure out what works for them. Virginia Woolf said 500 pounds and a room of one's own will do it. I know people who work full time and still write books. They are usually very disciplined and highly motivated. Tim Wynne-Jones said only you know if you are procrastinating or if you are doing the work. So I think the best strategy is to not lie to yourself. Sooner or later you have to do the work, one word at a time. The rest is just chatter.

Are there times when you just can't focus on your writing and if so how do you cope with them?
Yes, well, I'm not very great to live with at those times. My mode is to get anxious so then walking the dog helps. I try do do practical things, things which need to be done anyway. It has a calming affect. I'm less likely to snap someone's head off.

Any tips on how to do something faster/more efficiently to get back to writing?
Well, you can avoid doing most everything by writing. And you can avoid writing by doing everything else. My favourite strategy for avoiding everything is lying on the floor with the dog and staring at the ceiling. To be more productive? I think what helps the most is to avoid comparing myself to anyone else. Comparison can be debilitating. Honour your own way of working and be truthful with yourself.

Are there any other creative genres you look to for inspiration?
Music. It affects my mood and sometimes that is what I need to get my creative mind flowing.

As a creative person, do you have any other outlets for your talents?
My background and training is in photography. I still like to create and use images. Also I play the flute--not very well--but having music in my life is really important. I also love to knit, sew etc. I learned to spin with a drop spindle and then a spinning wheel when I was nine years old. My grandmother once told me that as a child I was always making things. I still have that need. It's the best strategy for reducing angst.

Why do you keep creating in the face of all this?
If I didn't do creative work I'd be locked up in a padded room somewhere with seriously compromised mental health.

Hah! Well I’m glad you haven’t chosen the padded cell route. Thanks so much, Rebecca, for spending some of your valuable creating time here with me and sharing your tips with us. Here's to minimizing your clamour and maximizing your creations!

This Bites

2010-11-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

Some of my writer friends have squirrels to deal with. Yes, those rodents are definitely a pain in the birdfeeder.

Me?

Squirrels don't give me any trouble. I don't keep bird feeders. But I've got bigger backyard rodents to deal with: beavers.

Yep. Apparently the beavers have decided my deciduous trees are delicious. They appear to be helping themselves. Check this out! Here's the chewed tree we discovered this past weekend.

This is a large tree, but it's going to be a stump impersonating a pencil point any day now.

But that's not the end of the story. Walking to the right of this big tree we came upon this beaver bitten evidence (see right).

Two more gnawed trees! (The one in the foreground is a double trunk.) And then walking up from the smaller tree in the photo, MORE damage!

The photo on the left shows that the tree on the right is the tree on the left in the previous photo. How's that for confusing?

But look, there's another tree that's been nibbled and yet another further back that's been chewed to nearly a stump.

Walking up from that small tree in the background we found this big bitten patch below.

Hopefully we can save it. It's just the bark that's been bitten. We've wrapped it with chicken wire along with a couple other trees that were only bark bitten. Which brings me to this discovery below a day or so later:

I know they have to eat too. But yeah, it bites. Better make plans for planting this spring.

Katie Comes to Life

2010-11-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

I must indulge in a bit of squee for a moment:

My author's copies of Ladybug arrived!!!

What author doesn't love holding their published work in their own hands? Up till now what you've written might have been a rather ephemeral creation--text on a computer screen, a printout of your manuscript on your own paper. They don't cut it quite the same.

When you hold your published work in an actual magazine, one that will be read by many a child and parent, it makes your story suddenly very real. And look at my characters brought to life in those illustrations by Blanche Sims!

Thanks to the Ladybug team for helping my words reach readers. I hope they're enjoyed.

Treats and Tricks: the October Carnival of Children's Literature

2010-10-31T23:05:00.033-04:00

It's Halloween night. It's COLD outside here. The wind is swirling the dried leaves and has sent us indoors the moment our trick-or-treating was finished. So now that we all have our loot, what are we going to do? Enjoy the October edition of The Carnival of Children's Literature, of course. This month there are treats for everyone, and perhaps a few tricks as well. So grab your candy and let's begin.

Book Recommendations and Reviews

Tanya Turek at Books4Your Kids says "Two powerhouses of picture books, married for over 40 years and creating books for even longer, have finally combined their talents on an amazing, gorgeous, essential book. Check out Tanya's review of There's Going to Be a Baby, written by John Burningham and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury.

Need to get your little ones to bed after all the excitement of the day? This one's for you. Rachel presents some of her favorite bedtime children's stories in B is for Bedtime… I love books for preschoolers! posted at Quirky Momma: Fun Learning Activities for Preschoolers and Kids.

Over at Read Aloud ... Dad you'll find children's book reviews and read aloud impressions from a dad and his twins. They review what they read aloud and recommend whether you should Buy, Loan or Pass on the books. See what they say about Today's read aloud: The gruffalo. And what would Halloween be without at least one monster anyway?

Kids need great poetry; poetry that catches them up in its rhythm and helps them see the world through fresh eyes. But finding it isn't easy. So says Susan Stephenson, the Book Chook, and that's why she's so excited about A Ute Picnic and Other Australian Poems, written by Lorraine Marwood and published by Walker Books (2010).

Dona presents The Duck Song, by Bryant Oden at Allergy Kid Mom. And be sure to check out the trick which comes in the form of a clever song. It will leave you chuckling for sure.

Margo Tanenbaum asks that we please don't call Laurie Halse Anderson's new novel historical fiction--she prefers the term historical thriller, which is perfect to describe her new novel Forge, sequel to Chains. It's a real page-turner and made Margo at The Fourth Musketeer gasp aloud at some of the twists in the plot! Don't miss A Historical Thriller: Forge, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum Books, 2010).

Think you saw some ghosts tonight? Then you definitely want to see this. Mary Elizabeth of A Novel Idea reviews The Seer of Shadows at Book Review Revisited :: The Seer of Shadows by Avi.

Jen Robinson has a treat for you with a review of Cynthia Lord's newest middle grade novel, Touch Blue, which she adored, and wants to share with everyone. Don't miss Jen Robinson's post Touch Blue: Cynthia Lord over at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

Melwyk says "This is from a few months ago, but I loved this book so much -- touching without being sentimental, funny and serious as well. It's rare to see children's books available in translation, so I am glad that Groundwood decided to publish this book, originally in Dutch. A great find." Melwyk shares Against the Odds at The Indextrious Reader.

Ready for a few more reviews? melissa @ 1lbr presents Book Review: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan posted at One Librarian's Book Reviews and Aaron Mead features Teen Fiction: Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins posted at Children's Books and Reviews. Lori Calabrese reviews the frightfully fun "Halloween Night" by Marjorie Dennis Murray at Lori Calabrese Writes!

While The Quiet Book is getting a lot of deservedly high praise, Jeff says don't overlook another Deborah Underwood 2010 title by the name of A Balloon for Isabel. You can't go wrong with porcupines, bubble wrap, and balloons! Jeff reviews A Balloon for Isabel at NC Teacher Stuff.

Tammy Flanders highlights Voices from India at Apples With Many Seeds because, as she says, in teaching about cultures, it's important to find authentic voices in the narratives. Tammy has focused this post on books written, illustrated and published in India to provide that authenticity.

Feel up to visiting with vampires? Danielle Smith presents Book Review and Giveaway: A Vampire Is Coming To Dinner by Pamela Jane at There's A Book.

After that, you might be ready for some thought provoking questions. Roberta Gibson at Wrapped in Foil certainly is. She features a look at the book I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, which is touted as a young adult book and is sure to generate discussion.

Nothing but good stuff here. Callie Feyen was honored to review No English by Jacqueline Jules this month on her blog Sit a While. It's a touching story of how two girls who speak different languages become friends.

How about an exciting adventure featuring Japanese supernatural demons – yokai – and a young girl’s fight to protect her younger brother? Mary Ann Scheuer presents Takeshita Demons, by Cristy Burne -- exciting fantasy with Japanese mythology (ages 9 - 12) posted at Great Kid Books.

Alex Baugh features Sweethearts of Rhythm. The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World by Marilyn Nelson, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney posted at The Children's War and states "This a wonderful picture book written from the point of view of the instruments played by the all girl swing band the Sweethearts of Rhythm during World War II. It is definitely worth reading to discover this little known group of talented women and their accomplishments."

And you definitely can't miss a reader's response to a vampire book that wants to be more than a teen slacker story. Gail Gauthier presents A Vampire Book For Teens Who Want To Think posted at Original Content.

Other Great Book Stuff

Ready for some book related news and discussions? First, find out about a recent charitable event in which Canadian authors helped refurbish a desperately underfunded school library in inner city LA. More than 5000 books, and 4 murals later....a library is born! Helaine Becker tells you all about it in A Library Is Born posted at Track & Display Changes: A Writer's Blog.

Kate Coombs gives you an analysis of trends in MG SFF as reflected in this year's Cybils nominees at From Harry to Scary: Trends in MG Sci-Fi/Fantasy posted at Book Aunt. And what do teens think? Jon Bard presents some of their views in The YA View: What We Like in Our Books (and What We Don’t) over at Write4Kids!.

Want to bring reading and puzzles together? Puzzles can also be a reading material for Amanda Hartman in Puzzles are Fun to Read posted at The Literary Family, a blog that aims to help adults connect with kids in their lives.

Eva Mitnick muses about sisters in children's and YA books in A Chompo bar for my sister posted at Eva's Book Addiction. Aline Pereira presents Children's Literature from India and the Indian diaspora posted at PaperTigers Blog.

Barbara Krasner hosts A History of Jewish Children's Literature-Part Four posted at The Whole Megillah. It's the fourth in a series adapted from a talk by Lisa Silverman, Library Director at the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, given at the May 2010 Highlights Foundation workshop, "Writing Jewish-themed Children's Books."

October marks the "Death of the Picture Book" brouhaha for Pam W Coughlan, and so she wants to highlight her rebuttal. You can't miss Picture Books Aren’t in Trouble Just Because the NYT Says So posted at MotherReader.

Does October mark a different milestone for you and your child? Some might say this particular milestone is a very scary one. To help you out, Rebecca Reid covers Children’s Corner: Potty Training Books From Diapers to Success, Age 2 to Age 3 at Rebecca Reads.

And who celebrated a birthday this month? Eric Van Raepenbusch of Happy Birthday Author wants you to know about Happy Birthday Nancy Carlson - October 10.

Creative Endeavours and Congratulations

How about some congratulations for new creations? Alessandro Vene presents The Timmy Rabbit House at Allie's Blog. And Deborah Freedman has a creative take on why she isn't blogging in the entry titled In which I am harassed for not posting?... at writes with pictures.

You Can't Wear These Genes is about the basic building blocks of what makes us and how the traits that appear in us are passed down from parent to child. It's Shirley Duke's first science book, and the post You Can't Wear These Genes at SimplyScience Blog includes an activity for use in the classroom, library, or home.

Author Lynn Hazen, blogs at Imaginary Blog about how her YA novel, Shifty, was chosen by Napa County Reads, a collaboration of the Napa County Board of Education, the five school districts, the Napa County Library, Napa Valley College, and the Arts Council of Napa County in the entry More Napa Reads Shifty-Themed Planter Boxes. Student and professional artists created Shifty-themed planter boxes inspired by the book. They were auctioned off to support literacy at a special event at the Napa Valley Opera House

And while the video is not specifically about children's/YA lit, it was created by a Cheryl Rainfield, a YA writer, for LGBT youth and anyone who's thinking of suicide--a real issue for many teens. You can view Cheryl Rainfield's It Gets Better video for queer youth and anyone thinking of suicide posted at Cheryl Rainfield.

Interviews

Tonight's the night for hearing things that make you shiver, or seeing things that creep you out. Get your mind off that stuff by reading these interviews. Pat Zietlow Miller features An Author You Should Know: Wendy Delsol, a debut YA author, posted at Read, Write, Repeat. Tarie presents Author Interview: Becky Bravo at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind.

Anastasia Suen interviews the Jimi Hendrix picture book biographer in Nonfiction Monday: Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow posted at Picture Book of the Day. Zoe Toft interviews Polish born British illustrator Jan Pienkowski, twice winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in An Interview with Jan Pieńkowski at Playing by the book.

D.M. Cunningham presents Trace Beaulieu brings us Silly Rhymes in which Trace Beaulieu, co-creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000, talks about his first book for children at Literary Asylum. And Lizann Flatt finds out what sort of tricks Peggy Collins uses to find the time to write and illustrate with two small children and a number of other distractions in Peggy Collins: Creating Through the Clamour over at The Flatt Perspective.

Publishing/writing tips

And last but definitely not least, to help all authors ensure their submissions to their editors will not send said editor screaming away from their desk, here's a blog entry about all the things author Wendie Old has to remember to include in a nonfiction proposal. And, since it's a picture book bio, she also includes the full ms. Don't miss Wendie Old sharing Into the Mail it goes at Wendie's Wanderings. This is definitely a treat!

And that marks the end of this month's edition of the Carnival of Children's Literature. I hope you've enjoyed the treats and a few of the tricks too. It's been a pleasure to spend this spooky evening with the wealth of material available for fans of Children's Literature. I hope you've enjoyed it too. Thank you!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of children's literature using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Peggy Collins: Creating Through the Clamour

2010-10-29T22:32:00.000-04:00

Feel like there's not enough time in your busy day to be creative? You're not alone. How do authors or illustrators continue to create while tackling everything else in their lives? About once a month as I'll ask a writer or illustrator these types of questions. Cause I want to know (I need all the help I can get in this department).

The Creator
name: Peggy Collins
resides in: a crooked little house beside the Salmon River in Eastern Ontario
website/blog: www.peggysillustration.com
creates: picture books, stories and illustrations

The Creations
Tooter's Stinky Wish (coming in 2011) Fitzhenry and Whiteside
Fatou Fetch the Water, Red Robin Books, 2010
In the Snow, Cider Mill Press/Applesauce Press, 2009
In the Garden, Cider Mill Press/Applesauce Press, 2009
Shaun the Shay Shark, Red Robin Books, 2009

The Clamour
work: Loyalist College, though right now I am on maternity leave. I work in the Marketing Department as well as teaching design and hopefully illustration.

family: I am a mom to 2 kids: a boy who is 5 and a baby girl who is 7 months. I am also a wife to a contractor so life is very busy.

volunteer work: I volunteer for the PBAA doing marketing (though this last little while I've been terrible), I also work for the Green Party, our local OEYC (early years centre) and when I can I volunteer at my son's school (for book fairs and stuff).

house work: Sucks, I wish I had a live-in maid. I am not a housekeeper at all. I do my best, but when I have a deadline the house suffers. Cloth diapers = much more laundry.

the internet: Wasn't really a problem until recently. I was on dial-up so that pretty much prevented me from doing anything fun at all. Blogging takes up time, as do Twitter and Facebook -- and keeping the website up to date is tricky too... I need a few clones to do that stuff.

How did you get started illustrating?
Well, I've always wanted to do this, that has never changed. My family are all artists in one way or another, and my dad is a great storyteller. My mom used to make books for us (similar to the Alexander books by Judith V.) I went to Sheridan College for illustration. I was lucky and had a man walk into my office and notice a picture I had hanging up -- from that I got an amazing illustration job and I have not looked back since.

What's the hardest aspect for you in terms of being creative, finding the time, the space, the focus, or something else?

Time is the issue, as is space. We are 4 people living in a tiny house. My 'studio' is actually the corner of our living room. I am surrounded by toys and fishing tackle -- lol. I use my kids' train table to lay out my work. I won't/can't work (other than checking my email) while my kids are up. There isn't enough time when they are little to enjoy everything and I am not going to waste it by being distracted all the time. SO my workday typically will start at 8pm and during nap time on school days.

Do any of the distractions end up feeding your creativity?
Hmm, right now I have the jumparoo set up beside my desk and my 7-month-old daughter is jumping furiously beside me -- happily. She makes me laugh.

My kids are a major source of distraction, but one I definitely feed off of. The two books I have authored so far stem from this -- adventures with my son. And the ones I am working on right now do as well -- from direct conversations with Mo and his friends. I think there is inspiration everywhere especially when you have kids. They have ways of looking at things that are so refreshing and truthful. They are also amazing critics.

What are you working on these days?

Fleshing out a few of my own projects, and I will be doing a lovely book for Fitzhenry and Whiteside and a fun book about dinosaurs.

How do you minimize your distractions while you're working?

I cannot minimize the distractions. I guess I am lucky in that I kind of need distractions in order to focus. I tried setting my studio up in a separate room, but I HATED it. Not only did I not get to see my husband, but it seems I need something to tune out to get anything done. I think it comes from growing up in a busy house, having lots of roommates in college and just a desire to be with other people. I tend to work at night, after the kids have gone to bed, or during nap time.

For me, ideas culminate long before I ever get them onto paper so by the time I write it down it is pretty realized... the dishes and household chores are not something I take pleasure in, but I get my kids to help and we really just do the bare minimum when I have a deadline. I save the deep cleaning for when I have some time.

Are there times when you just can't focus on your writing/illustrating and if so how do you cope with them?
In the last few months of pregnancy, and the first few months after the birth of my 2nd. When my kids are sick, when my house is an over-the-top disaster or when I am marking assignments. I trudge through the stuff that needs to be done, knowing the other will always be there. You just do what you have to do. Sometimes I have a deadline and I just can't get into it. That is when it seems like WORK and so I pick the easy stuff, and then the rest falls into place. Taking care of a baby leaves a lot of time for thinking as you are cuddling...

Any tips on working faster or more efficiently?
My revelation came when a fellow illustrator mentioned printing out sketches directly on WC paper. That is a lifesaver and an ENORMOUS time saver. I also now only check my email 3 times a day, which ultimately saves me a tonne of time.

As a creative person, do you have any other outlets for your talents?

I love to felt. Needle felting is soothing and good for the hands. I like to sew, too though right now it is far too arduous a process. Felting is quick and easy and I can put it down at any point without too much fuss.

Are there any other creative genres you look to for inspiration?

Hmm, other books. I am an avid, avid reader. I love kids books. I find it interesting to see what my kids in particular gravitate towards. I also love looking online at the work other people are doing: the picture book artists association is a great outlet as is the SCBWI. I also love to attend conferences, and have missed the last few because of circumstance only. I always come away feeling refreshed and inspired - I miss that. Next year maybe I can leave for a day at least!

Why do you keep creating when it's such a challenge?
Because I have to. I love it. It definitely is not for the money or the fame!

You said it! Thanks for taking the time to share, Peggy. Wishing you all the best in your current and future projects. Love that you work surrounded by toys and fishing tackle!

Of Politics and Poop

2010-10-28T16:29:00.008-04:00

So last week I was out driving and I came across a municipal election sign with a toilet seat draped over it. How eloquent!
I laughed so hard I nearly drove off the narrow road.

I couldn't take a picture of that particular sight, much as I wanted to. I felt it wouldn't be fair to the candidate because there was no way to hide the identity of the beseated individual. But now that the election is over and all the signs have disappeared from the landscape, I keep thinking about this incident. It brings to mind a story starting point.

What if a kid saw someone had done that to his or her parent's election sign? Do you want your parent to be mayor? Would this make you angry or make you ready to die of embarrassment? Or what if this happened to a teen's election sign if they were running for high school or class president? Would you get to the bottom (pun intended) of who did it? Would you ignore it? Laugh it off? Stew in silence? Hmmm.

Okay, so you'd have to add a lot more. But it's a start. Go run with it.

Patience and Published in Ladybug Magazine

2010-10-20T13:25:00.003-04:00

Ladybug, October 2010

My short story is finally published in Ladybug magazine! October 2010!
Why the word finally up there? Cause I've waited a long time. You know how writers are told you have to have patience in this business? I signed the contract for this story in 2004.

I'm not particularly bothered by that, although it's always nice to see your work in print quickly. But I've been a magazine editor and I know that sometimes editors have to wait for the right issue to slot a piece into in order to ensure that each issue you put together is a pleasing and cohesive whole.

This story, published under the title "Katie Kicks," was inspired by my daughter and her first attempts at playing soccer. She was dressed in her lovely clean white team shirt and black shorts. She held her very own soccer ball proudly. She was looking forward to it. And then we arrived at the field and she wouldn't even set foot on to the small patch of grass they'd set out for her team. She watched her teammates but she was too shy to join in herself. It really affected me. I struggled with feelings of understanding where she was coming from as well as a tinge of embarrassment as a parent that my child wasn't out there like the others. So I went home and jotted down my thoughts about this and it eventually became a short story. From her point of view though, not mine.

Now that it's in print I'm very pleased. I can't wait to see it myself. I've combed the stores looking for the issue but it's nowhere to be found. So I will just have to be patient awhile more while I wait for my authors copies to arrive.

The Missing Milkweeds

2010-10-18T13:25:00.000-04:00

So how's this for a bit of irony.

In trying out a camera I figured I'd attempt to get some closeups of the milkweeds at the end of my driveway. I love that plant. It's so full of textures: the plump velvety leaves, the sticky milky sap, the rubbery pink flower clusters of spring; the knobbly green pods, the black-and-orange beetles and monarch caterpillars that snack on it in summer; the soft downy fluff that flies from the dried papery pods in fall. So anyway, I got some okay shots, which you can see here. I figured I could see how they turned out and if they were dreck I could go back later to take some more. So here's where the irony comes in.

It's a good thing I took a picture of those milkweed pods because now they're missing! The photos are all I've got left.

On (Canadian) Thanksgiving Sunday I drove out my driveway only to find a car parked crosswise at the end blocking my exit. Some guy was fingering a small pine tree growing at the side of my driveway and his apparent wife or female companion was bagging up the milkweed pods!

I rolled down my window and asked them what they were doing. Alright it was obvious but I had to ask.

The woman laughed sheepishly and said she was just gathering the milkweeds. Yeah, like I said, that was obvious. I could see she'd gathered quite a few in her bag. I asked her to leave some for us thank you. Meanwhile, the man had gone to his car and moved it so I could get out of my own driveway. I wasn't moving. Not till they left. Nope. Not budging.

The woman continued to gather for a few more moments. I really was astounded. Then she got into their car and drove off. So now I hardly have any milkweeds left AT ALL! Like, maybe two or three pods (not plants) at the most. These ones in the photos? GONE!

I wouldn't have minded so much if she'd only taken a few and then driven on down the road and taken a few from another patch and so on and so on leaving no patch destitute. But she pretty much cleaned me out. So now while we wait for the school bus we have no ghostly patches of down to filter the rising morning sun, no fluffy parachutes to launch into the sky. Milkweeds were kind of a fall ritual for me and my kids.

Okay, rant over and now I feel better. It's a minor thing, I know. But sometimes it's the little things in life that get to you, you know? Little things—at once both little and hugely important. And it's the little things a writer adds to a character or to a setting that make for the best stories, I think. So go, and may you sow the seeds of your own milkweeds in your manuscripts.

The Poor Pine

2010-10-15T13:31:00.080-04:00

Fall is such a spectacular time of year around here. You can't ignore the colour of the deciduous trees, and every warm day is like a gift as we count down to the coming constant cold of winter. I climbed the Dorset fire tower with my family this past Thanksgiving weekend. How can you not love a view like this?

(Dorset, Ontario at the Fire Tower)

The colour is past its peak but it's still a spectacular view. I usually focus on the colourful trees, but consider the plight of the pine. The poor pine gets overlooked this time of year. But what would the view be without the deep pine green to punctuate the colour? Maybe you've heard that pine trees don't lose their leaves? It's one of those "facts" that gets tossed around, but don't you believe it. It's not true.

Pine trees do lose their leaves, or rather their needles. It's just that most types don't lose them all at the same time so it's not as noticeable (but take the tamarack--it does lose its needles all at once). No spectacular reds or oranges on a pine to make for great pictures. Pine needles turn yellowish and then brown. You might not even really notice those needles.

Then the needles fall off the tree and collect on the ground. They don't make a satisfying crunch when you walk on them, but they do form a cushy carpet.

And if you want a lawn anywhere near a pine, you know the needles make as much of a mess when you rake them. So here's to the poor maligned pine, holding out for its moment to shine--the Holidays.

In the meantime, happy Fall to all!

The Carnival is Coming!

2010-10-13T14:28:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to say I'll be hosting the Carnival of Children's Literature for October. Yes, a roundup of a month's worth of children's literature links from around the blogosphere--here! You don't want to miss it. Judging by the links to blog posts that are already starting to trickle in, this is going to be a lot of fun to put together and even more fun for you to read.

So be sure to stop in around October 30 or 31st for some spooktacular reading!

A Stormy Interlude

2010-09-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

There was quite a bit of drama in the sky hereabouts last evening.

I tried to beat the storm home, but I lost. Ah well.

It was a challenging drive home. But once home

The girls and I raced
to cross the space
from door to door
Drenched
by downpour
laughing
enjoying ourselves
thoroughly

Or something like that anyway.

Still Slacking into September

2010-09-14T09:37:00.000-04:00

I've been AWOL! How did that happen?

A story to illustrate the state of the union chez moi. The kids came home from one of the first few days of school last week with this story. Paraphrasing:

"Mommy, the exhaust pipe fell off the bus this morning so we had to get on the high school bus and she turned the wrong way on the highway and then we had to do the last part of our route backwards."

Disclaimer: wrong way means not the way the route should go, not as in going south in the northbound lane, which sadly happens a few times a year around here.

What does that illustrate? It's like a metaphor for my writing life the last couple months!

Yep, my exhaust pipe fell off somewhere. What writing have I done recently? Ahem, nothing. Between volunteer jobs taking over my life, going to work very part time (more on that in another post), dealing with regular family maintenance, and stupid allergies that make me look and feel like I've had about 2 hours sleep--oh wait a second, sometimes that might be true--I haven't had an inch of head space for writing projects.

And now I feel guilty about that.

You know all that writing advice that says stuff like just write? make it a priority? you've got to treat it like a job? do it everyday? writers write? just plant your heiney in a chair and get writing? Yeah, I hear it and it makes sense but when I just can't manage it I feel like a bit of a failure.

Sometimes your family has to come first. Sometimes they need to be fed. Sometimes they need you to help them put Barbie's hair in a ponytail. Sometimes you have to work to make money to pay the bills. Sometimes you have to step up to help with extra curricular activities your kids love or they won't be available. Sometimes you just have to catch a few moments enjoying the sunshine and your flowers and watch the vibrant green of summer turn to the mellow gold of fall or you'll go insane.

But I'm trying to claw my way back to writing. Maybe now that the kids are back into a school routine I might have a bit more time to write some days. Maybe the volunteer duties will settle down for a bit. Maybe the first frost will come soon and kill all the nasal and sinus irritating pollen producing plants.

My return to writing feels awkward and sporadic and like I'm coming at it all backwards right now. But maybe one day I'll find all this supposed distraction sowed some good seeds, gave me some fantastic fodder, for future writing. Or am I just kidding myself?

Time will tell. But in the meantime, if you're a writer who sometimes feel like this, let's not beat ourselves up too much. Okay?

Anthology Appearance!

2010-08-09T11:33:00.000-04:00

I have some book news! It's not a book written by me, but I do have a poem (my "Bedtime Teeth") appearing in a new poetry anthology. Yay!

Switching on the Moon is compiled by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. It's published by Candlewick Press and is out September 14th. And it just got a starred review in Publisher's Weekly.

I originally sold this poem to Babybug magazine. They published it in 2000, reprinted it in 2008, and now here it is in a book in 2010. It's definitely been to my advantage to sell only first North American publication rights and non exclusive reprint rights. It might seem like you'll never be able to resell a piece, but you never know.

And because you never know, it kinda keeps you going as a writer, don't you think?

Me and Iced Tea from Nancy D.

2010-07-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

Every summer I keep a steady supply of iced tea in my fridge. I make it from a recipe I've had since I was, oh, 10 or something. It's straight from my copy of The Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking, copyright 1973, my edition printed in 1975.

I keep making this recipe because it's the best iced tea I've ever had. There's a secret ingredient in the tea: real mint leaves added while the tea is hot and steeping. The practical side of me likes the added benefit of making use of the mint that threatens to overrun a corner of my backyard.

The nostalgic side of me likes to pull out this recipe book because I get to remember what it was like to make this tea when I was young.

When making any recipe was a real accomplishment.
When I spent my summers reading in the shade on the patio swing.
When I built forts in the treeline with my best friend.
When my best friend and I climbed the old cherry trees in her yard and ate all the cherries we could reach.
When evenings were full of games of kick the can or ghost in the graveyard.
When summer stretched out in front of me like an endless expanse of possibility.

So I'm off now to make another batch of tea. You're welcome to join me.

Dragonfly Rock

2010-07-22T12:10:00.001-04:00

Time for a silly interlude. These guys were sunning themselves on a rock beside my driveway. It was quite a high traffic zone. The comings and goings put me in mind of that song involving a barley based beverage and a wall...

Five little dragonflies sunning on a rock, five dragonflies soaking up sun,

If one more dragonfly should alight on the rock...

Six!

Six little dragonflies sunning on a rock, six dragonflies soaking up sun,
If one more dragonfly should alight on the rock...

A WASP?!

Six little dragonflies and a wasp sunning on a rock, six dragonflies and a wasp soaking up sun,
Should one more dragonfly find room on this rock? That'd be...

Seven! (Plus a wasp.)

Seven little dragonflies and a wasp on a rock, seven dragonflies and a wasp soak up the sun,
Luckily that's all that alighted on the rock, so now this silly song is all done!

He Did What?

2010-07-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

I just finished a YA novel and it was an interesting read. Except one thing bugged me. It was a little thing, a tiny thing even. But it jumped out at me and clobbered me over the head. And I swear I came across it three separate times in the book.

What was this tiny annoyance? It was this peculiar descriptive action I've never noticed in a book before. The descriptive action had a character doing this: sanding his hands together.

It stopped me short in my reading. Well, okay, that's unusual, it brings to mind a carton villain, but I could get past it. The first time. But the second? Then the third?

I enjoyed the book for the most part, but for me this is now the book where the guy sands his hands together. It's made the biggest impression on me. Can you overuse a quirky description or action or is it just me? I suspect it's an individual response.

Do these types of tiny details ever take over a story for you?

Words and Warnings

2010-07-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

I like to bake. Usually I just grab the flour and use it. But I couldn't help notice the new packaging this time. It was no special type of flour, just your regular run-of-the-mill whole wheat stuff. It was exactly what the words on the front said it was:

But check out the back of the bag. Below the ingredients list there's that very helpful orange exclamation mark so you can't miss the allergy warning.

Because OMG apparently if you have a wheat allergy you need to be told that your whole WHEAT flour actually contains something called WHEAT!!

Good thing you were warned.

Me and Some Girl on TV

2010-06-28T15:15:00.001-04:00

Driving home last night from parts further south, I was stopped on a minor highway between two small Ontario towns. Cars and vans and miscellaneous vehicles lined both sides of the road, and a huge blinding spotlight was illuminating spooky fog swirls up ahead. I expected a R.I.D.E check but that wasn't it.

We weren't moving at all. Cars in front of me turned around and went back. After debating whether or not to do the same, to trust the road sign at the intersection I'd just crossed and detour on a road I'd never driven on before, I too turned around. Oh, sure, now some guy puts up a road closed sign. But I also saw a couple other guys on the side of the road dressed similarly in odd whitish/grey outfits. I decided to ask them what was going on as I drove by.

The answer? Filming for some TV show, I was told. Then the guy said, "Hey, you look like Being Erica's Erica.
I laughed, said thanks, and went on my way. I was thinking either the guy needs glasses or it was the fact that

it was dark out
and drizzling rain
and I asked the question through the passenger side window while sitting in the driver's seat so he couldn't see clearly

Still, it's okay to be mistaken for the star of a TV show who happens to be only 32. Hah!

(I confess to recognizing "Being Erica" as the title of a CBC TV show but it's not one I've ever watched. I had to look it up today. The premise sounds cool. I might just have to check it out now.)

Frog Find

2010-06-26T09:54:00.005-04:00

I dashed out to cut some chives for my dinner the other day when I was surprised by this green guy:

Maybe it's an all-you-can-eat slug buffet at the third clump of chives from the tarragon. Bring some friends!!

G8...Gr8?

2010-06-24T15:12:00.000-04:00

Between the natural world throwing us an earthquake yesterday, last night's tornado off to the southwest of me, severe thunderstorm warnings here this morning (which amounted to only heavy rain, thankfully), and all the security and shenanigans associated with the G8, things here have been rather interesting lately.

Yesterday my kids came home excited to tell me about the military helicopter that landed across from the school and how everyone in a couple classroom portables abandoned their desks and ran outside for a better look. I guess some guy told them to get back and it took off again. The kids got a talking to from their teacher too.

And yesterday three very loud helicopters flew over the house a couple times. Those things are loud! The wildlife in my backyard was not too impressed. The low flying copters scared at least one heron and a turtle. I initially put the quake shake down to another flyover. Oops!

I know these things are necessary with an event such as the G8 and the important people attending it, but it's a very odd juxtaposition to have such a technological military/security presence in such a rural region known for being a get-away-from-it-all vacation destination. Makes me appreciate the time when the peepers were my biggest noise complaint:

And I am fortunate that things will return to normal in just a matter of days.

G8?
Gr8
2 appreciate
1's normal state

New Views, Two Views

2010-06-21T23:17:00.001-04:00

I’ve been contemplating some info I learned through one of my volunteer activities. Although said activity has nothing to do with writing, the info itself can be useful to writers, I think.

I was in Toronto (Hi, CN Tower!) at the Skate Canada annual convention a few weeks ago and attended a workshop titled “New Web Strategies.” You can’t beat sports when it comes to expertise in fans and technology, right?

The workshop was given by Kevin Albrecht of iSport Media and Management. He went over the current landscape in consumption of sport product and internet usage, and how to make use of this to promote and build a community...to eventually make money of course.

The community being referred to was the community of skaters or skating clubs and organizations and fans, but presumably the community could be any group of individuals with similar interests. Maybe like, say, followers of certain books or authors.

First, it’s kind of obvious, but we were told the goal of any business is to produce content, distribute the content, and somehow make money from that. Whereas in the past the distribution channels for sport were limited to a couple options (TV mostly and only a couple channels at that) now there are hundreds of options for distributing content. Hey, sound familiar my publishing pals?

Into this new world of distribution options comes these facts:

Canadians spend more time online and view more content online than any other country in the world
Canadians spend more time online than in front of the TV
Internet penetration in Canada is 72%; in the USA it’s 62%

Pretty obvious digital content is becoming very important. Add to this a study that found how people view websites. He said a study of 1.36 million internet users found the eye tracks a website this way: across the top, down the left and across the middle/bottom. You have 2.4 seconds to grab a visitor’s attention.

What does that mean?

This dictates where your important information and/or big advertising spots on your website should go
You need new content regularly to give people a reason to come back to your site (so quit taking blog holidays already, sheesh!)

Some interesting predictions were:

live streaming from just about anywhere will become a reality as people live stream events from their own phones and send that to a website of their choosing
apps to a closed community will be worth the most money (so eg. a skating club app with schedule, news, competition results, live streaming of competitions or events, etc)

So will we soon see author apps?

I bet it'll start out with the big guys, those who are big enough to warrant interest in appearances, opinions, news of forthcoming books, etc. Maybe later on it will filter down or come down in price for those of us with a more modest presence.

Food for thought, no?

Sure made me think. It was fun to step outside my regular writing mindset. I was glad I went on a number of levels. Besides, this easily-fascinated-by-forms-of-transportation gal got to enjoy this view from my hotel room. Airplanes took off from the runway, and there are sailboats, ferry boats, and a water taxi. Yes, this view was pretty easy to take.

But at the banquet I kinda wish I'd never had this view. Who wants a big ole castor canadensis looming over an otherwise stellar dinner?

(Yeah, it's standing on the floor and that's the ballroom CEILING and part of one of those gargantuan projection screens on the right.) Apparently they'll make a big inflatable anything these days.

Special Skype School Visit

2010-06-02T13:06:00.003-04:00

How cool to be asked if I could talk to the kids at Monticello Elementary in Wisconsin about Life in a Farming Community, which focuses on Monticello, WI.

How disappointing for both the teacher and I to realize I couldn't get there on either the school's or my own budget. But then we settled on the possibility of a Skype visit. Jody Indergand was able to get the technology to do it. I had the capability. We agreed to do it! Was I nervous? You bet: I was going to be talking to the kids in the very community I'd written about.

To prepare, I read a lot about what other authors had done with their virtual visits to get a sense of what to do on my end and what the experience would be like. Google "skype author visit" or something like that. There's lots of good info out there. So here's how it went for me.

First I tested my Skype out with a friend to get a feel for it. Then teacher, Jody Indergand, and I set a date and time a few days before the scheduled talk to test how our systems worked together. By turning her camera she showed me where the kids were going to be sitting. We made sure she could see and hear me and that I'd show up on their large screen. We double checked our time zone differences so we knew exactly what time we'd scheduled in local terms.

After that, I needed to tidy my desk, which regularly looks like a disaster. More importantly I needed to tidy what the kids would see behind me (which incidentally also usually looks like a disaster). I used my webcam to see what the kids would see. Saaaay, they can't see the floor! I hid a lot of stuff there. This is what they would see. I lined up a few of my books face out behind me so there'd be an interesting background. I had this weirdly vague feeling that I should clean the rest of my house, like I was having company or something, but quickly canned that idea. That didn't stop me from having to remind myself that they couldn't, afterall, see the crumbs from my lunch left on my kitchen counter.

This is what my desk looked like before the event. I've got water perched precariously close to the keyboard in case I needed a drink during my talk. Next time I think I'll use a container with a lid, like a travel coffee mug or a reusable water bottle. I perched my laptop on my handy dandy Muskoka phone books because what I'd realized from testing the view from my webcam was that I needed to bring the level of my web cam up higher. My notes and props are within reach on the right. Everything was ready and then it was just a matter of waiting for Skype to ring.

Jody and I had decided who would phone whom on the day plus we'd exchanged real phone numbers in case of difficulties. There was the ring! We only had to fix the small glitch that they could see me but I couldn't see them, and then we were all set. It turned out they even had some special guests in the audience so that the people who fact checked and provided photos for the book were there too. I waved to Richard Grahn and Sally Braem. This is the terrific audience of kids I was talking to.

I did a brief presentation on how I wrote the book. The kids found it fascinating to learn how a British book packager contacted a Canadian writer to write about a small village in the US and put together a book that is published in the US, Canada, and Australia. After I talked, some of the kids came up to their computer and web cam individually and asked me some great questions. They wanted to know things like what was my favorite thing I learned about Monticello, if I'd ever written about farming before, and whether writing was a job or a hobby for me. Like I said: great questions!

My overall experience was very positive and I'd definitely do it again. Challenges for me included:

not being able to read the audience as well. I could see and hear them obviously, but couldn't make eye contact with individual audience members.
my presentation felt more static to me. Because I wasn't physically there I couldn't walk around and change positions. Maybe that wasn't helped by the fact that I had to stay fairly still in my chair because my chair is annoyingly squeaky and creaky when I move. Next time I'll hunt down the WD-40 first.
hanging up was a downer. When it was all done and we'd said goodbye and thank you, you just hang up and presto you're back to your regular life. After a physical school visit you get to do some handshaking or whatever and drive away. There's a more gradual transition or something.
forcing myself to look at my web cam was difficult. Other authors have commented on this too. You have to make yourself look at a small black dot when your brain wants to look at the kids on your computer screen. But if you don't look at the dot, to your audience it will look as if you're looking down whereas if you look at the dot it looks to them as if you're looking at them.

But we were able to exchange some valuable information (like I learned how locals pronounce Monticello) and interact when we otherwise wouldn't have been able to. I think until an author can project a hologram of themselves elsewhere (you know, like in Star Wars!) doing visits this way works very well for short presentations.

Finally, this is a screen shot of my entire computer screen. This is Skype on my desktop background during our call. When I wanted to hold something up for my audience to see, that little window of me showed me what they could see so I could hold things up properly for them.

So a big thank you to Monticello Elementary for inviting me to visit! It was a pleasure, and I hope that one day I will indeed get to visit your beautiful corner of the world--in person!

Mythic Moth

2010-06-01T17:47:00.002-04:00

Check out this moth that was just outside my door this morning. It's a polyphemus moth. Beautiful to have such a surprise, no? I don't know why the moth it got its name, and I'm too lazy at the moment to research it further, but Polyphemus is a cyclops from Greek mythology. You know, a one-eyed monster. This moth does have eye spots, but it's got more than one obviously.

The moth is quite large, which is also what makes it so beautiful. Here it is beside my hand. I know I don't have big hands, but still....

I've let it rest here for the day
and hope it flies away,
finds its way,
carries on with its moth business tonight.

Pansy Personality

2010-05-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

Where did the week go? Been wearing the titles chauffeur, spectator, and convalescent this week. About to be immersed in the volunteer world of figure skating for a few days (don't ask). So just a quick post of these photos snapped within the last couple days.

Some plants just seem to have personality, don't you think?

Pop a Wheelie Point of View

2010-05-18T11:54:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I took Number One Son to field lacrosse provincial qualifiers in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). As we were speeding down a major multi-lane highway I noticed two motorcycles on the on ramp. Because I was in the right lane, I was in the process of judging whether or not I'd need to adjust my speed when I realized exactly what the first motorcycle driver was doing: he'd popped a wheelie! Merging onto a major highway. Not 50 feet away from me.

Here are our two points of view:

Number One Son: Whoa that's EPIC! How does he do that?

Me: OMG is he crazy?! What if he wipes out and crashes in front of me?

And that's why I love writing for kids. Their reaction is so much more fun.

(The motorcycle sustained the wheelie for about 5 seconds or more, returning to two wheels just as it merged onto the highway proper and sped away. Big relief for me. In spite of our differing points of view, it was definitely the most memorable moment of the weekend for both of us.)

Admiring the Admirals

2010-05-14T14:12:00.001-04:00

I was also going to call this post: Six Excuses for Not Mowing the Lawn. For reasons which will become obvious.

On Wednesday there were at least six red admiral butterflies on my lawn--erm, the patch of dandelions, violets, clover, wild strawberry, and grass that passes as my lawn. Six! The butterflies were feasting on the dandelion nectar, I guess. I spent some time admiring the admirals.

This is my best shot. Apparently red admirals are one of the earliest butterflies to appear in Ontario each year.

Can you see the six butterflies below? (Click on the photo to see it larger). Scroll down for the answer.

I've circled the butterflies I was sure of. Did you get the same ones? (click to make it larger)

And if you really want more, I also made a movie, which you can see at YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQQRLQttuQ

Unfortunately these butterflies have not reappeared since Wednesday. Maybe that's because the weather has been dull and rainy and the dandelions are mostly closed up. Maybe they've just moved on. What a priviledge to watch these insects for awhile.

More info and some great professional quality shots of eggs, larva, and chrysalis here (select "Life Histories" and then "Red Admiral":
http://www.porchlight.ca/~richard/

So Random

2010-05-12T14:22:00.002-04:00

Random occurances from my world in the last week:

a porcupine crossed my path (okay, the road...I was in my car, photo below)
the bittern is back! It makes the weirdest noise, kind of like a tap dripping. I'll try to record it.
we had snow, but it's melted thank gawd. The ferns still look fried though.
picked the first rhubarb of the season and made an upside down cake for dinner last night
ate boiled dandelion buds (with butter and salt) and survived. They were actually pretty good although I think I boiled them a bit too long.
booked my first Skype author visit for next week, eep!
the other day as I was crossing a plaza parking lot a pickup truck drove past with what every household needs strapped to the box...a huge plastic moose! The things you see in Muskoka, I swear!

That's a porcupine, honest. I did a U-ey and pulled off on a handy sideroad. Phone photo so it's not stellar. If you're reading this on the web (i.e. not RSS) click on the photo to see a bigger version.

All right, now off to the serious business of writing and revising.

NaPiBoWriWee Done

2010-05-07T22:54:00.000-04:00

I did it! Hard to believe I actually pulled off the seven drafts in seven days before the deadline: http://paulayoo.com/content/natl-picture-book-writing-week-napibowriwee-2010-may-1-7-2010 Am I ever glad I participated in this event.

The push of the challenge format really helped me. I started off a bit behind. Saturday, the first day of the challenge, we took the kids fishing. Hey, it was the Orillia Perch Festival. But that afternoon and evening I curled up with my notebook and got the first one done. Day two and I did...nothing writing related. So it was one on Monday and two on Tuesday. Wednesday was a bit trickier because that idea kept wanting to rhyme. Some of my prose rhymes too much...or my rhyme has too much prose in it. So it's finished but it stinks, basically. There's something there I'd still like to work on, though.

Thursday was ouch. It was an idea I had thought of every so often for a lot of years. I did hammer out a draft but it's the one I like the least. Rats! Friday, today, was a bit of a surprise. I was going to do another idea I'd been thinking of for quite awhile but as I was going through the random slips and ripped bits of paper that pass for my idea file I pulled up a note, a single sentence really, and ran with that. Now that one I can't wait to get back to working on.

As a result of this challenge week I have some new piles of stories to shape. I'm completely happy with that.

Thank you Paula Yoo for all your work organizing this event, blogging about it, encouraging all the participants. You rock!! (and I wrote that like I mean it! :>)

NaPiBoWriWee Progress

2010-05-05T10:20:00.000-04:00

I'm into Day 5 of NaPiBoWriWee or the National Picture Book Writing Week challenge (what? check out http://paulayoo.com/content/natl-picture-book-writing-week-napibowriwee-2010-may-1-7-2010 for the answer). How am I doing?

Not bad.

I have four picture book manuscripts done in the challenge to complete seven in seven days. Okay, those four are completely crappy. They're first drafts for sure. But four new first drafts is more than I had before I joined this challenge.

So far I'm liking this push to just write it and move on. I think what I've realized about my writing process is that I tend to get stuck wanting to perfect one idea before I move on to another. Hard to generate new material to explore if I'm always stuck on the old.

But now, at Day 5, I find myself procrastinating. I've already drafted out my top ideas or the ones I thought would be the most fun. Now I'm into the dregs of the idea file.

It may be a tough slog from here on in. But a-slogging I will go...

The NaPiBoWriWee Plunge

2010-04-30T14:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, I've decided: I'm taking the NaPiBoWriWee challenge. Seven picture book manuscripts in seven days. And it starts at midnight tonight.

http://www.paulayoo.com/content/natl-picture-book-writing-week-napibowriwee-2010-may-1-7-2010

Deep breath.

Not sure how many I will actually manage to complete, but seeing as I have in my files at least seven ideas outlined or jotted down and a few random phrases recorded to develop further, I might as well see if I can actually develop them into a story. Good thing no one's saying you have to complete seven Good stories. My goal? I'm hoping to get at least one draft that I'd like to work on more.

Come on, join in! You know you want to...

Kiboshing the Conference

2010-04-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

Speaking with my volunteer SCBWI RA hat on for a moment, I recently had to put the kibosh on our Canada East spring conference because not enough people signed up. This made me sad.

I don't think there was any one reason for the lack of registrations this year. It seemed like a weird confluence of individuals just not being able to make it this time. We had a killer lineup of speakers. It was frustrating but no worries, I get it, stuff happens. It got me thinking though.

Here's the thing. There are so many resources available now on the internet for writers and illustrators. You can find out how to write a query letter from a whole bunch of agent blogs. You can read the latest tips on which editors are looking for what types of submissions. You can even find out what type of font and type size some people prefer to get submission in. It's mind boggling the stuff out there if you know how to find it.

So why go to a conference at all?

Okay, I know why I go. But I don't care about that right now. Let's assume you could get to the place, afford the place, and have whatever babysitting or time off work or other support you'd need to be able to go. What do you look for in a conference? Is there anything you get from it/hope to get from it that you can't get from someplace on the internet? Has the internet made a difference to what you look to get out of a conference? I'd like to know.

Earth Day Unearths Some Weird Stuff

2010-04-22T21:29:00.000-04:00

My kids' school celebrated Earth Day today. Nice. The kids all participated in neighbourhood cleanup. Nice. When my kids came home they had to tell me all about it. Nice.

But what was weird was that two out of my three kids found kinda bizarre things thrown away in the bush close to the road. Things bizarre enough that it makes you wonder what sort of drama led up to them being discarded, abandoned, flung into the beyond.

One was a shoe.
The other was a lawnmower with a mangled blade and missing wheel.

Hunh. So who just chucks away those things? Don't they both beg some sort of story!

(Luckily these two items were found quite a distance away from each other otherwise any story begging for both might best be written by Stephen King)

Urban Interlude

2010-04-21T16:49:00.001-04:00

If you've hung out here even a little you know that I'm a pretty rural gal. I live in and grew up in different rural areas. But that doesn't mean I don't like urban areas. I love the energy cities have, I LOVE the restaurants. They're great fun to visit and they always make me appreciate my rural quiet when I return to it.

I've heard people around here complain they hate The City. They are referring to Toronto. I'm grateful my parents took my sisters and I to Toronto starting when we were quite young just so we could experience it. We rode the subway and took in the sights. We browsed the shops and strolled the sidewalks. It was loud, exciting, and confusing. It had rules, it was entirely different from our rural home, but I learned that it could be fun. I ended up working in The City for several years and don't regret that at all.

So where am I going with all this? Last year was my year of writing for education markets, apparently. The last of those projects is now out. The Learn About Urban Life series looks at life in certain cities. I did Life in an Industrial City about Houston, Texas and Life in a Suburban City about Los Angeles, California.

Thanks to the internet, I could do the research remotely with the help of local experts. I want to thank veteran author Mary D. Wade as well as amazing photographer and author Sara Jane Boyers for their help and feedback on life in their respective cities. Rest assured that any (gulp) errors are not theirs! Hopefully one day I will get to visit these fascinating places.

Check out the other titles in the series from Crabtree Books: Life in a Commercial City by Trudee Romanek and Life in a Residential City by Helene Boudreau. Here's to helping kids learn about all kinds of places in this wide world.

My March Break Bugs

2010-04-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

We're halfway through April and I'm talking about March Break? Yep.

During my March Break the ice was going out around here. You know how kids like to stomp on ice and break it? Yeah. Did that. We got a couple soakers, but we also got to see two different kinds of aquatic insects.

We actually saw a Giant Water Bug (or maybe two of them, but seeing as individuals looked pretty much the same to our untrained eyes that was up for debate) and two Caddisfly Larvae.

If you're interested, more info on the Giant Water Bug can be found here: http://www.eduwebs.org/bugs/giant_water_bug.htm
and Caddisfly Larva info is here: http://www.watersheds.org/nature/gallery2/pages/caddisfly.htm

I'm no professional nature videographer but here's our home movie for your entertainment.

Stopping to watch the little things, like a kid. That was the best part of the break.

Woodpecker or Writer?

2010-04-07T15:55:00.000-04:00

Today I’m sitting in my desk chair at my computer feeling quite grumpy about everything ... and nothing. One of those days.

And I see a woodpecker swoop in and begin pecking at a big birch stump outside my window. I watch it for awhile.

My mind wanders to this comparison:

woodpecker: bashes away at wood to make holes in which to find bugs to eat
writer: bashes away at keyboard to make stories to sell so as to obtain crumbs to eat

woodpecker: perhaps does not find reward in every hole it bashes but keeps bashing anyway
writer: not likely to get reward for every story it bashes out but keeps bashing anyway

woodpecker: has thick skull so brain can withstand prolonged impact and continue to direct bird to pursue lifestyle of bashing away on wood, even when pulling up worms or foraging for seeds might seem to be a more sensible choice
writer: has thick skull so brain cannot easily be dissuaded from pursuing lifestyle of bashing away at keyboard, even when flipping burgers might seem to be a more sensible choice

Hunh.

sdfaghaerahpruoghv;zdiflkxvnzkjdfbv
[my head bashes keyboard, nicely amalgamating the two lifestyle choices outlined above]

Library Challenge Closes

2010-03-28T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Library Lovin' Challenge is now done. What a flurry of activity here! And what a lot of fun. I know I enjoyed clicking on and reading many different blogs in the last couple days.

Here's how it turned out:
27 comments by the deadline
@.50 per comment
= $13.50 for each of my two libraries.

Because I entered this challenge late, I think that's pretty good. But I think I will round it up to
$20 each
for the Bracebridge Public Library and the Baysville Branch of the Lake of Bays Library.

Thank you to writerjenn for starting this phenom.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment to help me in this challenge.

We all love libraries!

White Flag Flowers

2010-03-26T09:27:00.002-04:00

Snowdrops

pop up

one by one

Winter

surrenders

Its battle done!

c Lizann Flatt

Library Lovin' Challenge

2010-03-25T14:08:00.000-04:00

Heard about the Library Lovin' Challenge going around the blogosphere? Visit the writerjenn blog for more info. I'm jumping in even if I am a little bit late. But better late than never, right? I was inspired to join in by Ishta Mercurio over at Musings of a Restless Mind, so thanks go to her too.

So here's how it works. For every person who comments on this blog post between now and midnight EDT March 27, 2010, I'll donate 50 cents to the Bracebridge Public Library AND 50 cents to the Baysville branch of the Lake of Bays Public Library--two libraries that have been instrumental in helping me in my career as a writer up here in Muskoka--up to a maximum of $100 (or $50 each).

If you don't know what kind of comment to leave, tell me why you love libraries, maybe even these particular libraries, or just a simple "I love libraries!" will work.

My pledge is “per commenter” so one person leaving several comments counts only once. So spread the word. Link to here, tweet this, or whatever, because more comments means more money.

If you want to donate to your own library, or to start your own challenge, please do so. Leave your challenge information in the comments to this post, with a link to your own blog. Then be sure to go to writerjenn and leave your url to be added to the challenge master list.

Again, the complete list of participating bloggers (and list of other sites where you can help libraries just by leaving a comment) can be found at the writerjenn blog at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/162263.html

Thanks for taking part!

Holey Moley!

2010-03-23T10:22:00.008-04:00

Mole Mazes

(What you see in Muskoka when the snow starts to melt.)

Those creatures are busy under the snow all winter!

Snow Flea Fling

2010-03-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

Quick! Before all the snow is gone, I should post my snow flea video. It's nothing spectacular, but these tiny insects fascinate me. And, well, because last year's video didn't work...

This winter these insects appeared to be everywhere. Seemed to me there were more of them than last year.

Here's a great link to more info about these tiny terrific creatures:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/pdc/Factsheets/Insect/Springtails.htm

Hope you flip for these guys too. (Groan, I know.)

SCBWI Spring Thing 2010

2010-03-09T11:00:00.002-05:00

Putting on my SCBWI Regional Advisor hat for a moment to say that

Registration is now open for:

SCBWI Canada East 2010 Spring Thing
Kempenfelt Conference Centre, www.kempenfelt.com
Barrie, Ontario

April 23, 24, 25, 2010

Experience the weekend or join us for the day!

Featuring:

Michael Stearns, Agent, Upstart Crow Literary, www.upstartcrowliterary.com
Ugly But Necessary: Publishing Contracts ˜ Former editorial director-turned-literary-agent-and-agency head Michael Stearns walks you through the standard provisions in a publishing contract and talks about what each one does and why each matters. Will be as exhilarating and bruising an experience as it sounds.
Make Things Happen: How To Kick-Start Your Limp Plot

Alan Jones, Art Director, HarperCollins Canada, www.harpercollins.ca
The Evolution of Children's Book Covers: Design Trends and Publisher Expectations ˜A two-part workshop for illustrators.
Part I: You'll be assigned some homework to try your own hand at a cover. Bring your sketch materials to the conference.
Part II: You've sketched out your cover idea, now bring it back the next day for group discussion.

RJ Anderson, Fantasy and Science Fiction Author of Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter, short listed for CLA Children's Book of the Year, www.rj-anderson.com
Revision: The Magic Key to Successful Writing ˜ Learn how to really re-envision and rewrite a manuscript. RJ Anderson attributes her ability to do this as the key to her own success.
It's A Web World ˜ Panel with other published SCBWI members on making sense of why writers and illustrators are being told to blog, Skype, get on Twitter, Facebook and the like, plus how to decide if you should be there too.

Ontario Arts Council grant officers ˜ Grant programs for Ontario writers and illustrators and how to apply for them

PLUS
* opportunity for one-on-one critiques
* take away a video of the start of your school presentation
* networking and fun and more

Download the complete conference information package and registration form (a PDF file) from www.scbwicanada.org/east

Rural Life from a Rural Gal

2010-03-08T13:01:00.001-05:00

Two more of my books came out recently.

They're part of the Learn About Rural Life series from Crabtree Publishing. Writing these books was a work-for-hire project, which means I was contacted to write these books so they weren't my own idea. I worked with Bender Richardson White. The books are designed for classroom use in the primary grades.

Life in a Farming Community focuses on Monticello, WI and Life in a Forestry Community looks at Mackenzie, BC. I really enjoyed learning more about these two communities. They remind me of where I grew up and where I live now: in a small rural community. I grew up surrounded by working apple orchards with a feral asparagus field as my backyard, and my in-laws actually are farming in Ontario's Wellington County today. Forestry hits close to home too since I live in a forested area with the famous Algonquin Provincial Park nearby and the family tree includes a great grandfather who was a lumberman. You can find more detail about them on my website.

Do I think writers have to be personally connected to a topic to write about it? Not necessarily. I think a writer who knows how to ask the right questions and who has strong research skills can write on a lot of things without direct personal experience. But I like to be connected to the topic I'm writing about in some way, either because I have a little personal connection to it or because I just want to learn more about it.

Check out the other two titles in the series: Life in a Mining Community by Natalie Hyde and Life in a Fishing Community by Helene Boudreau.

Read to Me, Alex

2010-03-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

I let a virtual stranger read to me yesterday and it was awesome. I highly recommend it.

No, I didn’t accost someone off the street, not that there’s anyone lurking on the street in these parts at this time of year to accost anyway. I just mean I turned Alex on. !?!

Oh, that sounds bad, real bad, cause Alex is not hubby’s name.

What I really mean is I turned on the text-to-speech function on my computer and the voice I’ve selected as the least annoying is named Alex. I had my computer, as Alex, read to me.

I was having trouble being objective about a manuscript. I'm too used to the intonation and expression I want it to be read with. What I needed was someone to read it aloud to me. I’ve had writing group pals read my stuff back to me before, and I know that’s extremely useful feedback, but they weren't handy. Enter Alex. He worked beautifully.

I was amazed at the problems that suddenly stood out. I realized I’d written a couple sentences that were needlessly complicated. It even twigged me to a typo I’d not seen the previous fifty times (no word of a lie) I’d read one particular paragraph. Yes, sometimes Alex's pronunciation or intonation is wrong, and I don't think it would work for reading poetry meter, but on the whole I was impressed with how well he worked. Why not give it a try?

I use a Mac, but I know PCs have a similar function. Under my systems preferences panel there is a speech control option with a text-to-speech panel. Play with that for a bit to select a voice you like and the speed you'd like him or her to read in. Set the key combination you'll use to tell the computer to read aloud any text you've highlighted. Now go highlight some text, perform your magic key combination, and give it a listen.

Of course, if you just want to hear something read back in the voice of trinoids, zarvox, or a pipe organ, who am I to say anything?

No, Thank YOU

2010-02-26T14:39:00.003-05:00

My publisher sent me some wonderful thank you letters from a school in Kingston that Scot Ritchie and I visited during Canadian Children's Book Week.

They're awesome! What author doesn't love to get letters like this?!

And I've got to say, having these letters to look through on cold winter days, or days when inspiration has dried up, or days when I'm sure no one will care what I write ever again, makes me say:

No, thank *YOU*!

Point of View, Sunset and the Soo

2010-02-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

Sunset over the Soo

Yes, Sault Ste. Marie. Beautiful, no? This was the view from my hotel room last Saturday. For real. Breathtaking.

But so is this too

the view

from my hotel room

in the Soo.

In its unedited form, a bowling alley and parking lot that were really not so nice to look at. (I took this one first so it's not as orange.)

Just goes to show you: Point of View is all in how you look at it.

Boats and Bushplanes

2010-02-18T13:08:00.001-05:00

It was a seven-hour road trip to The Soo last weekend. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. (That's one of those names you just had to memorize in geography class, isn't it?)

Why was I there? Kid. Competitive sports. But I kept to my resolve to embrace the madness and find something interesting in the odd corners of the province I find myself in. This time it was the Bushplane Heritage Centre.

I'd become aware of this museum while researching for the bushplane stage of Let's Go! We used the Norseman as a good model for the visual in the book. They have one there! Visitors can actually climb inside one. So I did. Very cool.

Once inside I realized that I'm not so sure I'd want to actually fly in this or any bushplane, though. I'm a chicken flyer. Getting up close to all the bushplanes really gave me an appreciation for the planes and their pilots. And the props inside the Norseman gave me a chuckle: empty beer cases.Very Canadian.

We even saw a couple ships at the waterfront, but it really was the wrong time of year to see much activity there.

Too bad too because I really would have liked to see the Great Lakes shipwreck museum, and maybe look at the locks. Lots of transportation technology there.

So I can now say I've been to the Soo. Woo-hoo!

Of Ice and Ink

2010-02-11T13:40:00.000-05:00

Cold nights + Sunny days = Fabulous natural ice sculptures.

I came upon this fabulous wall of ice while out driving on an errand yesterday. These photos aren't the best because I only had my phone with me, not my camera. I wish I could have captured the colour of the ice better.

The furthest ice chunk, on the left in both photos, was a beautiful shade of peacock blue.

The blue ice immediately reminded me of my favourite shade of Sheaffer ink: Peacock blue. I put that ink in the fountain pen I always used in high school. I wrote many an essay and short story in that ink.

Let's see: Ice...ink...pen...writing.... I would've rather been writing than out driving, do ya think?

Filed Under: Nice Try

2010-02-09T12:26:00.000-05:00

So yesterday one of my kids, frustrated at a handheld game they were playing, used the F word.

In proper disapproving parental voice I chided, "Hey, that'll be enough of that, thank you."

Kid replied, "Oh, sorry, that was with a P.H."

!

Touche.
At least it demonstrates an understanding of English spelling rules.

NY and Back--by Bus

2010-02-05T09:48:00.002-05:00

Ah, mass transportation. This past weekend I went to NY, NY for the SCBWI 2010 Conference. By bus. Overnight. Because the bus is affordable and has a flexible schedule, that's why.

Sure my butt fell asleep. So did at least one leg. I also can't forget that my neck got a horrible crick in it, but it sure was an interesting trip. Between the bus from my hometown to Toronto, time in the terminal, and then the bus trip from Toronto to NY, it was about a 17 hour marathon. Each way. Plenty of time to ponder life and observe people, particularly since the book I'd chosen for my journey turned out to be lame and I couldn't for the life of me fall asleep for any decent length of time.

Memorable Moments

Realizing the seat I'd chosen from hometown to Toronto was in front of Muttering Man, a guy who fielded regular phone calls between which he'd mutter strings of F words at the weather, the traffic, whatever. I'd be lying if I said the words Manitoba, knife, bus, and murder didn't all go through my head.
The New Man who sat beside Muttering Man for part of the journey and proceeded to get Muttering Man into a conversation which revealed MM was up on assault charges against his ex. TMI!
Waiting at Buffalo for about 15 Amish people to find seats on the crowded bus full of sleeping, or pretending to be sleeping, people.
Discovering that the Amish people had gone through the underground shopping concourse in Toronto in order to arrive at McDonald's for breakfast.
Seeing Security swoop down on and herd away the two drunks who were heckling the Amish people who were at McDonald's for breakfast in the underground Toronto shopping concourse.

Snippets and Observations

How do you get to the bus terminal, sit down and then think, "Hey, now's a great time to clean my ears" whereupon you roll up a napkin and proceed to do just that? ??????
In a closed environment like a bus, one cannot help but think that the greatest and not-widely-enough-applied invention of modern society is deodorant. Trust me on this one.
Whatever happened to the guy sitting in the seat in front of me? He never did get back on after the stop at the border, did he?
People will eat fastfood at any hour of the day... or rather night. Even 3:00am. Gack!

Mass transportation: A writer's observational research goldmine.

Top Takeaways from SCBWI NY 2010

2010-02-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

I had an amazing time at the SCBWI NY 2010 conference. Being surrounded by people who share a passion for writing and illustrating for kids is energizing. There is no better complete rundown of the conference than the SCBWI Team Blog, but here are a few gems I gathered.

Strive for the small unexpected moments that surprise you as you write. ~Libba Bray

Re social networking: Be yourself because everyone else is taken. ~Jenn Bailey

Feel what's happening in your story as you're writing it. If you're not, the scene isn't working. ~Jacqueline Woodson

Draw or write every day for the fun of putting ink on paper. ~Jim Benton

Be professional, and remember your job as a writer is to write. ~Sheldon Fogelman

Never give up. ~Jane Yolen

Words for the writer to live by for sure.

Installment Seven: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-28T10:35:00.000-05:00

To get the full flavour, you gotta go at least skim Introduction, Installment One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. Really. Take my word for it.

So I'm making dinner and I'm not holding out much hope that I'll be called back even though Big Communications Corporation (BCC) Phone Guy has promised he would, because I've SO been there, when the phone rings.

It's hubby. I explain disappointment is nothing personal. Tap dance a little. Hang up.

I continue being amateur chef beating up on onions, garlic, red pepper, and sausage. Phone rings again.

It's Phone Guy! He says everything's all set but the only thing is, can Installation Setup Guy come on Friday? That's like in two days. I'm having company then: my sister and niece and nephew whom I haven't seen in awhile. I weigh options.

Too bad, the family will have to deal. (Actually, they'll probably be really happy Installation Setup Guy will be here while they're here if it means they'll never ever have to listen to my carping and whining about being on dialup ever again.)

So I agree to Friday for Installation Setup Guy, profusely thank BCC Phone Guy and hang up. I am happy but not ecstatic. Been too long, come too far. Something or other about counting chickens and hatching eggs.

So Installation Setup Guy Arrival day arrives. He himself arrives. Thoughtfully leaves his boots at the door. I show him computer and nearby phone jack. I leave him to work some magic. I join the family wreaking havoc upstairs when he pops his head in and asks if he can use the phone.

Gulp. Okay. Pass him the cordless.

I hear him talking, fiddling, doing some stuff. He calls me to the computer. Apologizes but says he was having some trouble getting the System Setup to recognize me.

Hah! Why am I not surprised? I say apologetically, "Uh, well, apparently we had to be added manually to The System, or something."

He nods sagely. He goes through the setup screens with me. Says we should be getting faster than what it's currently giving us but that he has to get a switch flicked at another location which he is not authorized to do himself (!?). He shows me lovely white router which he has unwrapped fresh from the box. Explains all about it. Patiently tells me about the filter doohickeys that now have to go on all phones all over the house. Says he has to go hook up Some Other Guy nearby now and leaves me his cell number in case of a problem.

Wow!

So Installation Setup Guy puts his boots back on and leaves. Family and I play with the internet just a little to prove it works. I am giddy at the speed of things. Here! At Home! But it's the summer and the sun is calling so we leave for awhile. When we come back, the router is not working. No lovely green lights on it anymore. Red ones. Damn!!!

But I resist my urge to freak completely. I phone Installation Setup Guy's cell. He answers: "It's not working anymore, is it?"

"Right," I reply in a voice that I hope doesn't sound as squeaky to him as it does to me.

"No problem," he says. He tells me Big Communications Corporation has to change something at the main "office" box in Smalltown, and the guy who is authorized to do that can't do it until tomorrow. It should be all set by about noon.

Um, tomorrow is Saturday. I am skeptical but keep it to myself. I thank him politely and hang up. Saturday we are out at one of the many festivals this tourist region has to offer. We return home. I glance at lovely white router. It's got green lights on it!!!!!

So we play with the internet. We call up YouTube just because we CAN. We sample snippets of the top 10 iTunes tunes. We search for stuff on Google. We look at satellite images. We LOVE IT!!! I am not so sure what our data plan is, but I am not thinking about that right now. Right now, who cares?!

Then, a day or so later, the up-until-now mythical Return Kit arrives for portable plastic piece o' poo modem. Yay! I send it packing. Hah!

And then--

And then I get another package in the mail. BCC has sent me a lovely new white router in a shrink-wrapped box.

!!

It is identical to lovely white router Installation Setup Guy already installationed. I look at new white router-in-box. I look at lovely white already-working router. I quietly place new white router-in-box on top of computer desk. I have determined my best course of action here: New white router-in-a-box collects dust. It makes a nice paperweight, really.

And there it remains to this day,
because I remain
at long, long, long last
a techno peasant
no longer.

Installment Six: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-27T10:36:00.002-05:00

See Introduction, One, Two, Three, Four and Five first. It makes this all that much better. Honestly!

Where we left off: I've just been told I can't return something I don't have in the first place, meaning that what I do need to return I can't return yet.

A week goes by before I get up the courage to phone Big Communications Corporation (BCC) again. I am not looking forward to explaining that I don’t have a g.d. rural modem, I just want to return this stupid portable plastic piece o' poo modem so I can get my money back. This time I get a guy who puts up with my initial stumbling and awkward attempts to describe the situation succinctly.

“So let me make sure I’ve got this right,” he says. “You had the technician out but he never left you a rural modem?”

“Yes!” I practically holler. Then I explain again about the one I do have.

Hey then says that technically, because I’ve had the portable modem for over 30 days, it usually means I’d have to keep it.

Stunned silence on my part.

Then I manage not to yell: “If you tell me that I have to keep it now, I’m going to have a brain hemorrhage.”

I seriously said that. Me!

"No," he says, "No problem." He can override that apprently.

I say, "So I’m not going to get a call later on saying I can’t have a return kit because you don’t take back rural modems?"

Nope, he says. He’s sending me out the return kit himself.

All right then. I’ll have to just take that as it is then, won't I?

"Is there anything else I can do?" the guy offers.

He’s being so friendly and helpful, I decide to go for it. I try to explain that I am looking for internet services and although BCC says I can have nothing but dialup my neighbours have DSL and when the tech was here he verified that I’m not on a loaded line even though the BCC database says I am and that I’m on the same cable 400whateverpointwhatever as the neighbours that do have DSL and that all that info had gone on to The Powers That Be but that I’d not heard anything since and what do I do now? (Or something to that effect.)

"Well," he says, "Would you like me to check on that for you?"

"Um, okay, yes thanks, that would be great," I manage to squeak out.

So I’m on hold. And on hold. Classical music, natch, but this time the volume has been set to an ear tolerating level. Thank god. Maybe someone else complained.

After a bit he comes back and says he has good news and some okay news. I try not to shout: What??

Fearing the worst, I brace myself for his answer. He says, yes, we can have DSL but we can only have some kinda minimum DSL lite service.

Excuse me? I got stopped processing after the part where he said I COULD have DSL. Did I just hear that right? So I fumble for something to say and manage, “Um, what is that service? Could you describe that for me please?”

He rather apologetically tells me the parameters, that it is only going to be about 1.5 mbps, and all I can think is: “Buddy, I’m workin' with 56k here!!!!!! WHO CARES?!?!”

"Would you like to sign up for that?" he asks.

I waffle for a second. (Remember I can't make snap decisions?) And then I decide to go for it.

So he taps some keys, taps some more, then asks if he can put me on hold again.

Ugh. You're kidding, I think. I'm positive this is not promising, but I say sure.

More classical music. I get a look at the time. Crap! Gotta start dinner. So I trap the cordless phone between my ear and shoulder in some sort of Quasimodo impression and start chopping up stuff for dinner.

The guy comes back on the line and says he's very sorry for the delay and could he keep me on hold for just a little longer. Uh, okay. Damn, why am I starting to think he's going to revoke that offer of highspeed internet lite with some sort of a "Ha ha, just kidding"? I take it out on the onions I'm chopping.

The guy comes back again. He apologizes yet again and says his system isn't allowing him to put in my request and that it will have to be done by some Other Branch of BCC and can he call me back.

Oh yes, you do hear a pin drop.

"Okay," I say meekly. I hang up. Sob. No wait, that was induced by the onions, I swear.

And so I remained
ever and ever still
a techo peasant.

[Go to Installment Seven]

Installment Five: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-26T12:27:00.001-05:00

Catch up reading Intro, One, Two, Three, and Four first. K?
It makes this all the more painful. Trust me.

So I did my duty. I waited a month.

In fact, it was more than a month. It's now July. At about 6 weeks after my last contact with a real person, a real nice person in the form of Max the Technician Guy, over my eligibility for better-than-dialup internet, I phone the secret number. I get an auto-answering message. So I leave what I hope is a credible and understandable summary of the situation (yeah, I know, how to condense it all in 30 seconds? Not possible...but I tried).

No reply.

So more time goes by. Another week. I call again. Same message on the other end but I only leave my name and phone number.

More time.

I call again and hang up when I get the message. I try the put-in-your-number on the BCC website to see-what-services-you-can-have thing just for the helluvit, and its pronouncement is: Dialup.

Then it hits me that I still have this stupid useless hunk of a plastic piece o' poo modem sitting here. !! Wasn’t I supposed to get a return kit so I could send the thing back?

I call regular main BCC number. I explain that I want to return my portable internet modem, give my particulars, and "No I Am Not Going To Try Anything To Get It To Work Right Now," I say. Because I’ve been there.

Yep. So been there.

Then the guy says: "The System says you have a rural modem." So I explain that no, the technician came out but didn’t find a signal so we never got a rural modem.

Oh, fine, he will send out the kit then. Did I want anything else today?

I choke out the request for dialup. I get connected overseas. I hear that dialup will cost me $26 a month.

WHAT?! I am not amused.

The guys says, “But it’s unlimited.”

So???? It’s dialup. I kinda need to use the phone sometimes! (And on the most heavily used months on my current plan I’ve only gone over ONCE and even then I only paid $17.) I can’t deal with the whole thing so I hang up on the guy. Sorry.

That night there’s a message on my phone from some Christine. She says she sees here that we want to return a rural modem but they don’t do that--you have to take them down yourself and if I have any questions to please call.

I'm Speechless.

At a complete loss for words. I mean, I can hardly speak. In fact, I just can’t deal with it. I do not give her a call.

And so I remained
ever still
a techno peasant.

[Go to Installment Six]

Installment Four: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

If you haven't already, go read Introduction, One, Two, and Three first. Really. It'll make your whole experience reading this so much better. Honest.

So systems at BCC (Big Communications Corporation) went down earlier in the day and my request couldn't be processed. I had to call back later. It's now later...

It's evening. Hubby has the hockey game on and I'm thinking, yawn, might as well make use of the time, so I call BCC. I go through the spiel, which I'm getting mighty damn good at by now, give my identifying info, and the guy asks am I sure I don't want the portable and I try not to yell:

IT WON'T WORK!!! Trust me!!!

So okay then, he explains the rural setup. I say, "Great--sign me up!" He takes my info, and mentions he can hear the hockey game in the background.

I tell him the score.

He says, "Oh, I want Pittsburg to win."

So does my hubby. It's a tie so I offer to keep him updated. He says he has to put me on hold to process my order.

I know the drill. LOUD classical music in one ear. LOUD NHL in the other. I hold my breath thinking that sure, there'll be some other server malfunction or something with all my luck.

Finally he comes back and says it's all set. He's explaining the next steps when whoever Pittsburg is playing scores to win with like 30 seconds left. Hubby curses LOUDLY. I tell the guy on the phone that on the slim chance he didn't catch that swearing in the background, Pittsburg just lost. He's bummed. Finishes the order and says have a nice day. I wish him the same.

But I get a call the next day for my technician appointment, just like I was promised. Set one up. Okay, all's proceeding well.

Technician arrival day arrives. I get home after dropping kids off at school (daughter 2 had biking in gym class and needed her bike at school). I say good morning to technician guy who pretty much immediately says, "You're not going to like me much."

Crap. Not a good start.

He says he's not finding any signal. No signal at all. Nada. Squat. Zilch.

Hmmm, I think, maybe that would explain why the other damn modem wouldn't work? But I digress.

"So," he says, "have you ever thought about the mobile stick?"

I say I had but have never tried one. He says he has one on the computer in his truck and why don't we fire it up and test out the signal. Right-ee-o then. Let's do it.

So he turns on his machine and waits. And waits. "This isn't a good sign," he says. Some window comes up, he connects to the internet, and we wait. The page is loading...and loading.

Damn, this looks like dialup!

"Unfortunately," he says, "this isn't really worth it for you. It's fairly expensive and you're not getting much improvement. And it probably wouldn't even be as good inside."

I can't argue with that now, can I? Can I just cry instead?

But I'm reluctant to leave it on the total downer that obviously I am only good enough for dialup, or doomed to drop a serious chunk of change on a satellite system. So I ask him why then can the guy up the road have DSL and not me?

He says, "Well, this is hard to explain" but then goes into a really vivid and clear explanation of what a loaded line is and what a loader does so that even a techno pleeb like me gets it.

"But what if I happen to know, or have a pretty good idea, that I'm NOT on a loaded line even though BCC thinks I am?" I ask. I then explain that a couple years ago a dad of a friend of my daughter's checked out my phone and said it was not on a loaded line but that we were listed in the database as being on one. I did call customer service at that time and asked them to send someone out to check that officially, that I'd PAY them for the trip, but of course nothing ever happened. I just had no idea what to do from there.

"Well, let's test that out," he says. And he pulls out a meter and sticks it into my phone junction box and fiddles with it and finally reads the readout. "Humph, you're right," he says. "It's not loaded."

Woohoo! ... Now what?

He's thinking. He literally scratches his head. "This is going to require a lot of jumping through hoops," he says.

Why am I not surprised? But I'll do it! Anything! I practically plead.

He can't install that system, it has to be done by someone else and it all has to be approved and all, he says. He will phone his sales person and see what we come up as on The System. It'll take a few minutes.

So I go inside. Unload the dishwasher. He rings the doorbell.

He's found that we are listed as being on a loaded line on an unknown cable from their sales office. "Are you far from Smalltown?" he asks. "Is it like more than 8 km or anything?"

Uh, no. I am under 3km. Besides, I'm no farther away from it than the dudes up the road who DO have highspeed. All right, so I'm too wimpy to have actually verbalized that last sentence.

He says he'll put a call in to his supervisor about what to do now. He'll be back in a minute.

So I return to my stuff. He comes back. Wow.

What we have to do now is gather all the info, find out what cable I'm on, and if there are any neighbours who have DSL that would help, he tells me. Then that info will have to go "up the food chain," he says, "because they can't just give you DSL because Max says you can have it." He's Max, btw. He says the whole thing could take up to a month and is that okay? It's not going to be overnight.

"Max," I think, "I've been on dialup for 7 YEARS and if this doesn't work out, doing time on dialup is apparently all I've got to look forward to anyway, so SURE!" And actually, I do have my neighbours' with DSL phone numbers because I've looked into that before. I give him a few names plus numbers. He says that's a good start and he'll look into it.

Um, sorry for being skeptical, but I've been left hanging with the "I'll get back to you" line on this issue from all sorts of sources MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO COUNT! I smile my hopefully most winningest smile and say, "Um, is it possible to get someone's number I could call if I haven't heard anything in a month?"

He thinks and then says okay. He gives me a number. Says please don't pass that on and give them time to look into it.

I swear I will. And I WILL!!! Wild dogs couldn't drag it outta me!!!

So he leaves. I have no better service. But I have Hope!

Then that afternoon I get a phone call. It's Max. He says he's found I'm on cable 400whateverpointwhatever and it is indeed the same one on which my neighbours have DSL.

Did he just say THE SAME ONE on which my NEIGHBOURS HAVE DSL!?!?! Holy! But I get ahold of myself. It means nada, squat, zilch for now.

He says all this information has been passed “up the food chain” and we'll wait to see what happens now.

Oh. My. God.

So I waited.

Would I ever be deemed worthy of attaining the tantalizing and heady online speeds that dangled just out of my reach? What was the judgment from the internet granting powers that be? That's best told in another installment.

And so I remained
ever still
a techno peasant.

[Go to Installment Five]

Installment Three: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-22T15:46:00.001-05:00

Wait! First go read Introduction, and Installments One and Two. Seriously. Do it.

Catch up: I'm trying to return a portable internet modem.

So the next day I call in, and give the whole damned spiel about needing to return my portable piece o' plastic poo otherwise known as a portable internet modem in favour of getting the rural internet setup.

The guy asks me if I tried--
"Yes!!!" I probably cut him off.

But I calmly explain I was told I could get the rural instead so please tell me about that. So he says he has to process my return kit. He gets some info from me, clicks some keys, and says can he put me on hold. I say sure, and am subjected to LOUD classical music.

He comes back and says okay, the return's on its way, now we can order the rural service. So he takes down more information and says can he put me on hold. I am tempted to say no just to see what sort of havoc that would wreak but resist the impulse.

Once again, yes, LOUD classical music assaults my ear. I wait and wait and wait. Then he comes back and says sorry for the wait and he has bad news.

I'm thinking, like what? The internet gods said I wasn't worthy????

He says their orders processing server went down for maintenance and my order wasn't processed, it has nothing to do with me or anything, and can I call back in a couple hours.

Uh, sure.
At least he didn't promise to call *me* back.

So I remained,
a techno peasant

[Go to Installment Four]

Installment Two: Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet

2010-01-21T13:21:00.001-05:00

(Go back and read Introduction and One first. Seriously.)

The saga of my quest for better than dialup continues....and I swear I'm not making any of this up.

Remember how we left off with the gal going to phone me back to see which service I'd like, the portable internet or rural internet? Guess what?

She never called back.

So the next day I called back. Of course it was an entirely new person and I went through the spiel of where I was at, saying I wanted to go with the rural modem. He started to talk me into portable, saying it was better: I could take it wherever I went, and it was faster than rural.

I paraphrase, but essentially express that frankly I could care less about taking it with me, it's here that I need the damned thing to work. And, well, how fast is rural anyway?

He says 2mbps.

I think, "Buddy, that's fast--I'm on DIALUP. Get it?!?!"

But he says to try the modem and he goes away to activate it. LOUD classical music blares into my ear. He comes back and says okay, plug it in now. He's so full of anticipation I can feel it through the phone. "What's it doing now?" he asks.

"The same endless tracking back and forth," I reply.

Then he asks me to plug in my computer. I say, "Well, I already packed all those cords up again but okay, I'll go unfurl everything and plug it into my computer."

Then he says, "What's it doing now?"

The same thing: Endlessly. Tracking. Back and forth.

So he says to try the northwest corner of my house.

"I already did that," I say. "But I'll do it again if it'll make you feel better." Okay, so I didn't actually speak that last sentence. I sure as hell thought it. So there I am trying the same damn rooms in my house again. "Are you supposed to wait while I do this?" I ask.

"Sort of," he says.

So there's no change in the endlessly tracking green lights after two locales. He says to try all the rooms in my house and he'll call back in a bit.

Um, yeah, sure. Whatever. So I hang up politely. I try the other couple rooms again just for the helluvit and to be a good sport and of course there's no difference.

Does he call back?

Nope.

So I remained,
a techno peasant.

[Go to Installment Three]

Saga of the Search for Speedy Internet: Installment One

2010-01-20T14:25:00.005-05:00

I've already set up the background to my endless quest for better-than-dialup in my introduction to this sorry saga. And note that while I could have gone the satellite route, that was definitely an absolute last and worst case scenario. I was holding out for better.

It all began in mid April 2009. I decided that part of my problem was that I was an Unknown to Big Communications Corporation (BCC) responsible for doling out internet services. I'd been getting my dialup from an independent company and perhaps it was time I showed myself up on BCC's radar. So I decided to do just that. I drove 20 minutes to the BCC store to sign up for their damned dialup.

After waiting for my turn, I explained I wanted to sign up for their dialup service. Guy asks me if I wouldn't rather have something else. I couldn't help thinking, well Duh, but you won't let me. I express my doubts about my eligibility, but he takes my phone number and punches it in and says, "Well, um, yeah, that's right. Dialup."

No, really? Forgive my brain for dripping with sarcasm. Anyway, the guy then tells me they don't do that (sign you up for dialup) anymore at the store. He hands me a business card with a phone number scrawled on the back and says call this number.

So I drive home.

I call. And I get connected overseas. I listen really hard to the spiel about levels of dialup service and pick one. The guy is very nice and trying hard to be helpful. But then the guy asks me don't I want faster service than that?

Hell yeah, but you people keep telling me I can't have anything else!!!

Guy says, "No, you can have [redacted name of portable wireless service that may or may not start with 'W']."

So I ask if he's sure about that. He says, "Well, you get cell service right? You use a cell phone?"

Yes, we do.

He says, "Then sure you can have it, no problem." He goes through the spiel on those service and price levels and I waffle a bit, think, then say well okay then, send it on over. What the crap am I waffling for??? (Did I mention I hate making snap decisions?)

So it arrives. I am too busy to deal with it that day. The next day I pull the big ugly modem out of the box and plug it in according to the directions in the lovely setup booklet. I carefully align the modem with the logo side facing in and the back towards a window. I plug it in to the electric outlet and I hold my breath and wait. No signal. Endless blinking of the green lights as they track back and forth looking for a signal. Book says to try another room in the house.

So I do.
All of them!!! Except the damn bathrooms.
Nothing. Big plastic piece o' poo!!!

I get on the phone to find out how to return the damn thing and get my 99 bucks back. The lady says she'll look me up to find my closest tower.

I'm like, why? But what the hell, I wait. I wait more. She puts me on hold. Some really LOUD classical music tries to calm me down or something. She comes back and says the tower is towards the northeast corner of my house.

Like I know where that is??!!

Okay, so I figure it out after a moment. I go up and try, with her on the line. I had already tried this room but I'll try the other window, which involves moving furniture to find an electrical outlet. Did I mention hubby is out? Anyway, I plug it in. We wait. I watch the lights track back and forth endlessly once again.

So then she says, "Well, you could try rural internet instead if you want."

HUNH??? Why do I get all these options all of a sudden???

But I ask, "What is that?" Apparently it's a modem they stick on the outside of your house and a cable goes inside to your computer and the technician doesn't leave until it's working or you don't have to pay for it. That's a few more coins a month, of course. Figures. But she says no problem, I can get it, cause I'm 5km from the tower and you have to be within 15km.

So I waffle, I think, and did I mention I hate being pressured for a snap decision--any decision? So I asked her to tell me about the service and she goes away to process something like the credit for my current piece o' poo and I listen to some really LOUD classical music. All of a sudden she comes back and says while she's looking into my account she realizes that my modem won't work because it hasn't been activated, and do I want her to activate it.

Did I mention I hate making decisions under pressure? So I ask her which service is better, rural or the portable thing I have that might yet possibly maybe but no guarantee work if it's activated. She says the rural is better because it's faster. But seems to me I recall choosing the slower of the two portable options I could have chosen and now I'm so damn confused I can't think straight.

Oh, and the girls are now having a fight about the chess game they are attempting to play incorrectly.

And I'm just behaving like an airhead. So she offers to call me tomorrow and see what I want. Thank god.

So I remained a techno peasant.

[Go to Installment Two]

Search for Speedy Internet Service: A Saga

2010-01-19T13:58:00.003-05:00

January's not over yet, so I figure I still have time to squeak in another one of those retrospective type posts, right?

I already mentioned the best thing for me in my professional writing life in 2009. What about the second best thing? That has to be Getting High Speed Internet Service. Yes, complete with capitals and italics. Why was this such a big deal?

Um, imagine trying to blog, set up and maintain a website, work with an editor at a book packager to send and retrieve photo selections, send manuscripts, send and receive documents with tracked changes, and download pdfs for final editing all on DIALUP! And I should mention that all that needs to be done while SHARING a single telephone and internet line with your hubby who also runs a business out of the home. !!!

Okay, so I mostly didn't do all that on dialup. I left the building, so long as I could work around the family schedule, and made use of public libraries and the local coffee house and the rec centre which all offered free WiFi. Thank god for their existence and may they be handsomely patronized and thrive forever and ever amen is all I have to say on that.

The ability to do all I need to do to keep up and keep on from my own home work space has made my life a whole lot easier. I count myself very, very fortunate. But you can be forgiven for wondering why I'm going on and on about this. Couldn't I just sign up for better internet?

Nope.

I tried for years, like at least 5 of them, to get better than dialup service. The answer was always no, sorry, you're not in an area where we can offer that service.

This didn't make any sense whatsoever to me. I had people who had highspeed internet to the left of me, people who had highspeed internet to the right of me. And yet I, apparently, was not eligible. I was not worthy. But I could not wrap my head around that, especially when there is only one wire that GOES RIGHT BY MY HOUSE?!

Okay, so I have no real leg to stand on when it comes to technological know-how. It just seemed bizarre. Yes, I live in the boonies, but I'm a main road boony resident not a backroad boony resident. And it was the way I was being denied when my neighbours were not that irked me so much.

So I called every 6 months to ask, politely, if I could sign up. I'd get a junkmail flyer proudly announcing some new internet service or package available NOW in my area. I'd call or I'd fill out the form on the internet with my details. I always got the same result: Nope, sorry, enjoy your dialup.

But one day...

Well, this is getting rather long, isn't it? In fact, it's a pretty long story overall. It's a Saga, I'm not kidding. But I promise it's pretty entertaining, especially if you've ever tried to talk to a big Corporate Conglomerate about anything.

I'll start the installments tomorrow.

[Go directly to Installment One]

Stephen Leacock Said it Best

2010-01-15T13:43:00.001-05:00

I'm feeling decidedly Lord Ronaldish this week. Who the heck is that? He's this fictional guy:

"Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions." (Stephen Leacock, Gertrude the Governess: or, Simple Seventeen)

I'm now a couple weeks into the new year and I'm between work-for-hire writing projects. I should be ecstatic! I should be gleefully ticking things off my colossal to-do list. But instead I'm feeling some sort of confusion at all the seemingly endless possibilities. I feel like I could go riding madly off in a whole bunch of directions, and I don't know which damned direction would be best.

As I was sitting here, trying to figure out what to do next, a vague recollection of that Stephen Leacock quote popped into my head. Wanting to be sure I got it right, I Googled the approximate phrase and Mr Leackock's name, and presto! There was the citation I needed. I found my copy of the book Laugh with Leacock and there it was.

Hmmm, all that was decidedly NOT on my to-do list.

I think after living 2009 under the pressure of almost constant deadlines, this little breather is freaking me out. So where should I start? It's just a little breather, really. It will be coming to an end shortly--

Excuse me while I go fling myself onto my horse and, well, you already know the rest now, don't you?

Keeping up with...Myself

2010-01-13T13:36:00.003-05:00

Like most writers, I keep an archive of at least one copy of everything of mine that's been published. So, in a sudden fit of organization the other day, I realized that I've not yet seen the Babybug issue with the reprint of my poetic story "Fall Fun" in it.

I poked around the internet (what did we ever do before it?) and think this is the cover of the issue, October 2009. Lovely cover, lovely magazine.

My own kids loved this magazine as babies/toddlers. For now I will enjoy this virtual edition in hopes I'll get a real copy soon. And yes, that is a friendly hint to the appropriate powers that be. :>

Big Belated Book Week Thank You

2010-01-06T10:56:00.001-05:00

I admit it: I mostly avoided my computer over the holidays. I think I needed the break. Either that or it was just so darned hard to find it on my desk, practically buried with papers and cluttered with miscellaneous office type crap, that really needed to be tidied before anything else happened. So it just didn't happen.

My first post of 2010 will look back on 2009 and give a big belated Thank You for the biggest thing to happen to me in my writing life: You know that has to be the TD Grade One Giveaway. I've been remiss in not doing up a roundup before now.

The whole experience was something not likely to be duplicated for me, ever again. It's hard to put it all into words (and isn't that a bit ironic?). It's not just that my book was given to so many Canadian kids...

It's not just that I got to tour southern Ontario with the book's illustrator, Scot Ritchie...

And it's not just that I got to see my book cover and name in huge type behind the TD bank president's head at a big publishing industry gala with free hors d'oeuvres and cocktails...

But all those things were excellent!

Writers mostly write alone, you know? I'm holed up in my little office (or really my supposed-to-be-a-dining-room writing space) trying to create something that fascinates me while hoping I'm not completely off my rocker and that someone else would also like to read it and in fact actually pay money to do that. Then I found out that the book's been chosen for this program that enabled it to reach EVERY grade one child in Canada. How do you wrap your head around that? The TD and the Canadian Children's Book Centre do an amazing job supporting Canadian book creators and literacy for Canadian kids. Thank you to them!

The schools and libraries Scot and I visited all Book Week were welcoming without exception, and the grade one audiences were always terrific, playing along with our action games and listening to the process of how I wrote the book and how Scot illustrated it.

Some public schools wore uniforms, some did not. Some schools were new and some were old. Some schools were small and some were, well, HUGE. (We went to the largest elementary school in North America and saw all approximately 240 grade one students. Yes, three groups of 80 kids back-to-back!) Quite a few of the schools had done a lot of work talking about the history of transportation and then displayed their work around the school. That was awesome to see!

As an unexpected bonus, we received some lovely hardware,

and some beautiful, er, software...?

Thank you to all who hosted us!

Scot and I got to and around the five cities by train and taxi. Given that the book is about transportation, it was quite appropriate to be using a couple different types of transportation while talking about that topic. I recorded some of the sights seen from the train each night during the tour here on the blog. They're filed under the Book Week 09 label.

Overall the opportunity to connect with all those kids made a big impression on me personally. And I think it was wonderful for those kids to see that an author and an illustrator are just regular people. We don't sit down and write or sketch something perfect the first time around. We work hard at revising our words and our pictures just the way they do when they write and draw.

To see the connections made between the book, the audience, the topic, the teachers...wow. Thank you for Book Week, book publishers, book creators, book readers, book supporters, and books everywhere!

A Snowman...in Skivvies??

2009-12-24T10:54:00.001-05:00

I've done my baking blitz. I made shortbread, 2 types of brittle, cranberry gumdrops, nanaimo bars, cereal squares, chocolate mint fudge, and gingerbreads. And it just about killed me. Cause I did that all in one day.

Why do I leave things to the last minute????

But my daughters pitched in and helped me decorate the gingerbread. Even so, as we neared the end of the cookie pile we were all getting a little tired. Plus, I was feeling pressure from the ever drying out royal icing. So I tried to get creative with my icing application. It didn't work out so well.

If you look closely, one of the snowmen on the left looks like he's in his skivvies!

At least we all had a good laugh. That's pretty much what it should be about, no?

The Great Muskoka Digout of December 09

2009-12-15T09:58:00.001-05:00

Beginning with a storm from December 10 to the wee hours of the 12th, which looked something like this:

The weather resulted in scenes such as the front of my car looking like this:

That, of course, resulted in a massive dig out operation all over Muskoka. My little piece of the operation can be seen as this:

But the 80cm or so of snow that fell in 2 days left us with a postcard perfect view like this:

Just don't walk in the bush without snowshoes.

Of Peppermints and a Parade

2009-12-13T16:00:00.005-05:00

Is this the cutest candy cane ever or what?

This was the highlight of the day in which we went to our local village parade. The girls were invited this morning to be on a float, but it never showed up. All the people to populate the float were there...but no float. Sigh. We walked behind the snowmobile club and its groomer for one round of town (it's so small the parade goes around twice!). But we had no banner, no sign, no apparent reason to be walking in the parade. We looked weird. So we ditched to watch the second go round and collect a few candies.

Most floats throw candies to the spectators. In other years, leftover on-sale Halloween candy seemed to be the giveaway of choice, but this year peppermint was popular: round peppermints, regular candy canes, and mini candy canes. Very appropriate.

So it was home for hot chocolate with plenty of peppermints for dunking.

Update: The no-show float organizers sent my girls a lovely little gift certificate. It's all good!

Who Hid the Honda?

2009-12-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

Yes, my car is hidden under a wallop of snow. But even if I could find it, I can't get out the driveway until our neighbour can get out of his with his tractor and blower. And even if I could get out the driveway, the OPP (cops) are telling everyone around here to just stay home already. Highways closed. Trains stuck. Tow trucks stuck. Lovely.

This is the THIRD snow day in a row. The kids are thrilled! We've managed to drink lots of hot chocolate. Electricity is a wonderful thing!!

But I'm hoping we can get out tomorrow. Because I lack the benefits of a pioneer root cellar, the pickings in the fridge are getting a bit slim.