Warm Pumpkin Muffins and Crisp Air

I spent a gloriously beautiful September day at a park with family today.  The sun was shining and the last summer bees were out in full force, aggressively moving in on our picnic fare.  In many ways it still felt like summer, but you can feel the winds of change coming... literally.

There's a familiar crispness in the air, and though trees are still green, plenty of acorns and walnuts blanket the ground reminding us that fall is near.

As the season changes and the year begins its quick finish-- Halloween--Thanksgiving--Christmas-- Happy New Year!  I hope to finish my latest writing project.  I have not been writing every day, as I am answering the call of work, kids' schedules and other important jobs...blah, blah, blah.  I know, I know--excuses.

I decided today that the change of season is an excellent writing motivator, a reminder that my book will not write itself and that time will not wait for me and my busy schedule.  The Earth will continue to rotate and every day we will move a bit further away from the sun, despite soccer games and a house that desperately needs to be cleaned.  Seriously, this place needs a good hosing down.

Alas, there are characters who are trying to emerge and a story fighting to be told.  So tonight, I am back at it.  I will leave the dust on the mantle for one more day so that I may buckle down with a hot tea, a warm pumpkin muffin and a new resolve!

Pitch Appointments and Science Fairs

The second annual Central and Southern Ohio SCBWI Scarlet and Gray Conference is October 9 and I can't wait!  I am really looking forward to spending the day with other authors, agents and experts "in the business."

http://www.coscbwi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=4

It's a completely selfish day that I can spend thinking about nothing but writing.  Heaven.

I confess I'm biting my nails to the nubbins worrying about the pitch appointment I made-- this is new to me.  I have a habit of stepping on my tongue when I'm nervous and I will assuredly be nervous about something I care so very much about.  Can I break the whole book down in six minutes?  Can I make someone care about my main character in such a short period of time?  Can I convey the tone, mood and setting accurately?

Unlike a query letter, there's no time to craft the words, without mistake.  It's just me and whatever decides to come out of my mouth.  No revision. No editing.  No second chances (gulp).

Like my seventh grade science fair project, I have been worrying about this one for weeks. I know this is a good experience and an important part of the process, so with knees knocking and index cards shaking in my hands, I will make the pitch.

Laboring on Labor Day

As I labored in the garden today, dragging around a 20 pound hedge trimmer and an extension cord that got stuck on every tree limb and fence post surrounding the perimeter of our yard, I wondered just what it is that keeps me from relaxing.  Somewhere along the line, I became the kind of person who feels guilty about taking it easy.  It is, after all, Labor Day.  I would rather be celebrating the end of summer curled up in a chair reading, or working on my latest writing project.  A big thanks goes out to the ten or twelve mosquitos who finally helped encourage me indoors.

Now, I know I'm behind on this, but I am just getting around to reading Neil Gaiman's, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, and I am crazy about it.  How brilliant is this man?  I can't put it down.  Today I found myself reading it while I was drying my hair in the bathroom.

I know I'm hooked when I find myself juggling a hairdryer and attempting to weight down the sides of a book with brushes.

Gaiman has a gift for making the macabre charming. The main character, Nobody Owens, has the remarkable misfortune of growing up in a graveyard, but still, he manages to seem like every boy.  "Bod's" friends may be ghosts and witches, but his voice is completely authentic.

Nothing inspires writing for me more than a great story like Bod's.  I eventually put down THE GRAVEYARD BOOK long enough to get quite a bit of writing done this afternoon.

Goodbye long, dry summer... please take the yard work and mosquitos with you.  I look forward to jeans, autumn leaves and many, many good books in front of a fire.