Kiwi's life

RTW- Best book of January

2012-02-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

This week's question
What was the best book you read in January?

For me the best book was Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

I have to confess this book and series kind of surprised me. I didn't think I was going to be interested in a book about wolves but this book sucked me. Actually it wasn't the wolves that got me into this book, it was Mercy Falls being in Minnesota that sucked me in. This series surprised me because I liked the second book even better than the first. I like that Grace and Sam's story gets more complex in this book as Sam finds himself human but Grace finds herself feeling more like a wolf. The addition of Cole and Isabelle's povs also sucked me in.

Other January books
My goal in January was to read some of the books I had on my Kindle. I'm not sure if other people who own readers find themselves buying ebooks when they are at a lower price. I do. I decided I needed to read some of these books before I could buy some of the regularly priced ebooks on my list ($9.99)

A Scary Good Book by Anita Laydon Miller- Loved this great mystery. Fans of Nancy Drew and other mystery books will love Hannah Stone and how her love of reading lands her in the middle of solving a mystery.

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff- I really like Brooklyn Burning so when I saw this book on sale on amazon I bought it. I liked the povs of the three characters and how they see this one event. Even though the characters appear to be best friends they actually know very little about each others lives.

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski- I snagged this book for 99 cents from the Epic Reads, Epic Deals sale. This book was fun and reminded me of when I had my first apartment with my best friend after college.

What was your favorite book of January?

Friday Fives- Contemporary YA faves

2012-01-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are your five favorite contemporary novels?

I love contemporary YA. I read plenty of fantasy and paranormal romance but when I pick up a contemporary YA it is like getting together with an old friend.

1. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- I always feel like I have so much in common with characters in a Sarah Dessen novel. This one reminded me of summers working at an ice cream store on the boardwalk.

2. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

3. The Duff

4. Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn- I realize these books have been out for a while now but I still love them and pretty much anything by Rachel Cohn.

5. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Getting caught up

2012-01-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

The last week of my life has been taken over by bronchitis.

I didn't know I could be so tired. Or sick. I spent two days sleeping on the couch and watching netflix. I finally tried to leave my house to go to work for a few hours on Thursday but ended up coughing so much and feeling so awful that I went to Urgent Care.

I'm behind on my goals and challenges but I will get caught up.

I'm continuing to rest a little today since I go back to work tomorrow and there is no resting at work.

Eavesdropping

2012-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

My writing group meets once a week at a space downtown.

Since the nature of the location where we meet is all about writing there are other writing groups who meet there including a group of NaNoWirMo-ers who meet year round and another group of kid lit writers.

It usually works out that the other group of kid lit writers sits next to us. I have to admit that when this happens my writing slows down. They talk about books I've read.

Sometimes I want to jump in on their conversations.

For example a couple weeks ago they were talking about The Wolves of Mercy Falls books by Maggie Stievater and I almost had to jump in and say that I was reading those and really enjoying Linger and thought it was better than Shiver.

I think what makes it hard not to eavesdrop on the other writing group is that they are sort of the "cool table" of kid lit writers at the coffee shop. From the names and activities that these people talk about I think they are probably in the nearby MFA program. The fact that they talk about books we've read and writers we've heard of means we always have one ear on their table.

I have to say that while I enjoy the discussions my word count takes a nose dive when they show up so this week I'm going to change where we sit and hopefully stay more focused on my own writing time.

Do you write in coffee shops? What interesting conversations do you eavesdrop on?

Book Recommendation- Little Blog on the Prairie

2012-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell.

In this book the main character, Gen, finds herself at Frontier Camp with her family for the summer instead of spending the summer at soccer camp and the pool with her friends.

The camp puts families into an 1890's frontier life where they must learn how to farm, cook, do laundry, milk cows and raise chickens.

Gen leaves her iPod with the camp director but manages to sneak a cell phone which she uses to secretly text her friends back home.

All these texts about life on the prairie are being turned into a blog by her friends called "Little Hell on the Prairie"

Fans of Little House on the Prairie books will enjoy this modern day take on prairie life.

A few years ago I got to work on the musical version of Little House on the Prairie. There was an event in this book that totally reminded me of an event in that play (also in the books).

At the theater I often see people in costumes from a specific time period using cell phones and other modern day technology. It is always pretty cool to see. There was a scene in this book that totally reminded me of seeing actors using technology while in costume.

There are other kids at the camp including a goth girl in a blended family of blonde sporty types, the cute boy, and the camp directors' daughter, Nora.

Fans of Little House books and the show Frontier Life will love this book. It is also the perfect book for the middle grade readers that can be hard to shop for.

More Challenges for 2012

2012-01-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Last week I posted about Comment Challenge 2012, a challenge to comment of five blogs a day. Through that challenge I've discovered another challenge.

The 12 x 12 in 12 Challenge

Hosted by Julie Hedlund at Write Up My Life

The challenge is to write one picture book manuscript a month for the year.

Since I'm looking for ways to write more and to keep me on track with my writing I am totally doing this.

In the past I've taken classes which have kept me on track writing wise but this last year the place where I take classes has offered fewer classes because they aren't filling up. They are also shifting to more online classes which is great because it means more people can take classes but it also means that classes are a little out of my price range now. This challenge will help me stay on track.

I've recommitted to my daily writing practice so I've been feeling less stuck in some of my projects.

Want to be a better writer? Listen to an audiobook.

2012-01-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

One of my best discoveries of the last year was audiobooks. I never really listened to audiobooks before. I've tried in the past but when I'd listen in the car I'd always end up turning the volume down and missing part of the book.

I recently rediscovered audiobooks during a week working in the costume shop and I totally love them.

I'll let you in on a secret. I think that listening to audiobooks is making me a better writer.

I was an independent reader growing up. I grew up with a single parent. My mom read to us but since I was an independent reader I probably gravitated to reading on my own pretty early.
Other than going to author readings and events it has been forever since I listened to a story being read to me.

Listening to audiobooks has helped me pay more attention to pacing in my own writing. As I'm writing I begin to wonder how this would sound being read aloud. Is the pacing right? Is the language fresh? Is the writing concise? Is there a good mix between dialog and description?

Do you listen to audiobooks? How do they help your writing?

My mom rocks

2012-01-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday and I enjoyed a wonderful day with my mom.

We went to see War Horse. She confessed after seeing the movie that she'd seen it the week earlier but she still cried for the last 20 minutes of the movie and tearfully declared, "I think it was better than Secretariat."

If you are looking for inspiration on getting things done look no further than my mom. She is committed to fitness and wanted to get her workout in. This isn't a new thing, she did a triathlon with me last year and wants to stay in shape for this year's triathlon. I had to work in the evening so she was going to go to my gym and pay for a guest pass. Parking is crazy at my gym at 6 p.m. so she went to my house and googled the location of the nearest YMCA (she's a member at the YMCA in Iowa so she can go to a YMCA for free). She found her way there even though I'd gotten lost earlier that day trying to show her where it was. I thought it was impressive that she went to a gym she'd never been to in a city that is not her own and got her work out in, no excuses. Go Mom. What will you do to complete your goals today?

I'm busy getting caught up and responding to birthday comments and blog comments. I also signed up for the Comment Challenge 2012 , a challenge to comment on 5 kid lit blogs a day for the next 21 days.

RTW- Writer's Retreat

2012-01-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

For a couple years I've wanted to go to Madeline Island School of the Arts. It is located on Madeline Island, which is amazing. They offer classes in writing, photography, quilting, and art. I tried to go a couple years ago but they weren't quite up and running yet with their classes.

I'm patiently waiting to find out what my schedule looks like after Aug. 20 so I can see if a fall trip to MISA would work out for me.

I've also considered renting a writer's studio at The Loft. So far I haven't been able to justify this expense since I already live by myself and don't have to worry about distractions that some writers worry about. Other than the cats I really don't have a lot of other distractions. Renting a studio at the Loft feels like it would be a way of committing to my writing and really setting aside a time and space to do it in.

Friday Fives- Best Books of 2011

2011-12-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are your five favorite books in 2011?

1. Plain Kate by Erin Bow- The writing in this book was beautiful. The story was beautiful and the main character, Plain Kate was so compelling. Seriously if you haven't read this book you need to. For real

2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray- This book was hilarious. Seriously I laughed so many times while reading this book several times. It is also an interesting book about some of the pressure society puts on girls/women. Check it out. I also highly recommend listening to the audio book because it is read by Libba Bray and the voices she does for the characters are pretty awesome.

3 Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu- I just loved this new take on the Snow Queen story. The main character, Hazel, is so brave. Any kid would be lucky to have a friend like Hazel in their lives.

4. Matched by Ally Condie- I've heard mixed reviews on this one but I really liked this book. I loved the use of poetry and the decisions that Cassia has to make.

5. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I really enjoyed this follow up to If I Stay. I read it in an afternoon while on vacation and could not put it down. I really loved seeing where these characters went with their lives and how they end up back in each other's lives.

What were your favorite reads of 2011?

Goals and such

2011-12-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

With Christmas over, New Year's and my birthday are approaching. This means I have to get my goals in order for the next year. Since my birthday is right after the beginning of the New Year I always feel extra pressure to get my goals and resolutions right because I don't really get the luxury of a spring, summer or fall birthday to take stock of goals later in the year.

I feel like I've been stuck on my current revision so getting that finished is at the top of my goal list.

Writing more is on my list.

One thing I'd really like to do is rearrange my desk and possibly make it so I can stand while I work.

In 2011 I read 60 books.

I need to learn to say no to outside things. Right now I'm worried I've said yes to too many outside things. I need to remember that these things are not writing and that they take time away from my writing. Hopefully I can figure out which little things to keep and which to let go as the year goes on. I think I'm too good at manifesting some things that I think I need for example a wish for a "little part time job, a few hours a week, with lots of flexibility" has turned into 3 little jobs that fit that description. I wish I could do the same with books.

So those are the things I plan to work on in the New Year.

Do you make resolutions or goals for New Year's or your birthday? Are your goals writing related?

RTW-Book buying

2011-12-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

Where do you buy most of your books? No one is judging.

I got a Kindle last year for Christmas so a lot of my book purchases have been amazon e-books this year.

There also happens to be a half price books on the way home from my chiropractor so I tend to stop there on the way home from my chiro appts.

I also go to the Wild Rumpus. It is a wonderful children's bookstore in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis. The selection for kid and teen lit is amazing.

Harry Potter Quilt- Finished product

2011-12-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Some of you have been following my progress on this quilt. I am happy to report that it is finished. In time for Christmas.

I'm not sure if I could have finished it in time without prodding from my coworker who was helping me and encouraging me. Later on I'll have to do a post on how quilting is like writing but for now just a done quilt.

If you missed any squares or want to see something up close check out these posts.

Marauder's Map

Hogwarts Crest and borders

Platform 9 3/4, Fawkes and Invisibility Cloak

Sorting Hat

Monster Book of Monsters

Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's

Whomping Willow

Deja Vu and Friday Fives

2011-12-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

DL Hammons, Lydia Kang, Creepy Query Girl and Nicole Ducleroir are hosting the Deja Vu Blogfest today.

Basically you repost a favorite blog post. Some of my favorite people in the world are my family members and this post about my Aunt Ursula is still one of my favorites.

I would have given anything to be like...

My Aunt Ursula. Ursula is my dad's youngest sister. Ursula is awesome. Ursula came to visit us when she was sixteen on her summer road trip. She got to travel the county by herself visiting relatives by herself. How cool is that? She had the feathered hair and blue eye shadow that all the teenagers in the movies had. Feathered hair was cool. Blue eye shadow was cool. My hair would not feather like hers with all the hairspray in the world. I'm pretty sure she was the coolest person I had ever met.

She lived in Texas. She had a cool name.

She could talk back to my dad and get away with it.

In addition to the feathered hair and eye shadow she also had her own horse.

I spent three weeks by her side. We went to the movies. We watched MTV. There were still music videos on MTV. I listened to her stories about her horse and her dogs. She came on vacation with us. She helped us build the biggest sand castle in the resort sand box. She invited all the kids who were staying at the resort that week to help with the sand castle.

Instead of swimming like my siblings and I she covered herself in tanning oil and spent her days sunning herself on a blow up air raft. I wanted to tan too but I loved swimming more.

This was the last vacation we would take as a whole family. My parents got divorced after this vacation. Being around Ursula helped me forget that my parents were fighting all the time. She was like a shield during this stressful time at the end of my parent's marriage.

Eventually my parents got divorced. A couple years later my stepsister Gail would enter my life. She was cool in my eyes for a lot of the same reasons that Urs was cool. Feathered hair, horse, awesome music, make up and cool clothes. I wanted to be like her too.

Who would you give anything to be like?

Paper Hangover asks a weekly question. This week What are your five holiday wishes?

1. Books. I love books. I have a reading list that is bigger than my bank account so I love books.

2. Snow. I live in Minnesota and right now it's pretty green/brown outside. Last year at this time we were still digging out from an epic snow storm and while I don't wish for that I need some white stuff on the ground.

3. I'm not sure if Santa can do anything about this but I'd really like to see something I've written become a book.

4. Socks. The fact I live in MN means I also love socks. SmartWool socks are my favorites.

5. I wish for an improvement to this tough economy. This economy has created so much need. I'm blessed at this season to have a job and a home I can afford. I wish the same for all the people who have been effected by this economy.

RTW- Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

What would be the ideal holiday present for your main character (or favorite character)?

This is a great question for my MC, Hannah. In my wip Hannah's dad goes away over Christmas with her new step-family leaving her at home with her mom. She's upset about this. When they come back her stepbrothers have given her an awesome Christmas surprise by decorating her room from the boring frilly pink that her step mom picked out, which she hates, to an awesome beach inspired room.

My PB manuscript, Tucker Takes the Lead, since Tucker is a dog I'm pretty sure his perfect present would be a new chew toy.

Friday Fives- Christmas Stories

2011-12-09T07:20:00.001-08:00

What are your FIVE favorite Christmas/holidays stories or novels?

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens- This story has been part of my holiday tradition for the last ten years. I've worked on my theater's production in some way either big or small for the last 10 years. I really like this year's version. I love this story of redemption and change. I'm excited because our new version of the play includes the parts where he sees Belle after she has moved on and married someone else. I like that part in the book and I'm glad it's part of our play now. I also enjoy The Muppet Christmas Carol.
The Guthrie

The Muppets

2. The House Without a Christmas Tree by Gail Rock- I read this in school and watched the TV special as well. Addie Mills really wants a Christmas tree but her dad doesn't celebrate anymore cause it reminds him to much of Addie's mom. She wins a tree from school, brings it home and decorates it with decorations in the attic. Dad remembers the joy of Christmas.

3. The Christmas story from the Bible. Growing up Catholic this was at the center of Christmas. Not only would I hear it at school but also Midnight Mass with Mom. My mom remarried and while we stopped going to midnight mass reading the Christmas story was an important part of our new family's Christmas tradition. Reading a combination of Matthew and Luke was a Christmas eve tradition. Everyone read a verse from the littlest cousin who was just learning to read to our Grandma. After we read we would sing Christmas carols.

4. Chapter 19 of Little House on the Prairie- Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus- If you grew up reading these books you probably know this chapter. Basically Laura and Mary are worried Santa won't be able to make it to them because it hasn't snowed yet, the creek hasn't frozen and the water is too high. Thank goodness for Mr. Edwards, who encounters Santa in town.

5. Twas the Night Before Christmas- I memorized this poem in first grade and it has been a favorite ever since.

RTW- How far would you go?

2011-12-07T11:52:00.001-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs.

How far would you go to get published?

I have to say I'm not the kind of person who could write to trends. I feel best writing something I want to write. I'm still kicking myself for not revising my YA NaNoWriMo Novel from 2007 with angels because I could maybe have caught that little trend.

I would do endless revisions and cut out parts of the story. I've actually had a couple things published in magazines and have learned a little about revising from that experience. For one story in a Sunday School paper I had to get the story down to 300 words. It felt like a lot at the time but it was totally worth it to get my first paid publishing credit.

I've considered self-publishing. I have a couple Picture Book manuscripts that I feel are in good shape. Sometimes I think about working my butt off or giving up my trips to the coffee shop so I can hire an illustrator to get these books out there. With things like the iPad, Nook Color and Kindle Fire it makes me wonder if a picture book author has the chance to enjoy success in the ebook format.

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

I am a sucker for Christmas music. During this time of year I usually alternate between two stations that play Christmas music in my car and I also have my Christmas music playlist and CD's.

This morning there were beautiful snow flakes on my car. Beautiful= so light you don't actually have to scrape them off.

Image from Etsy

Words I love from Christmas music-

Divine, Peace, Joy, Cheer, Happy, Snow, Glow, Warm, Fire, Glisten, Listen, Carol, Friend, Heart

And I can't wait until the lake by my house looks like this again

Photo from Powderhorn365

HP quilt- Marauder's Map

2011-12-01T14:33:00.001-08:00

OMG only 24 quilting days until Christmas.

So these are my side panels. Enjoy.

Once finish stitching in the names I can finish putting the top together then comes the quilting part.

RTW- Best Book of November

2011-11-30T11:54:00.001-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

This week's question

What's the best book you read in November?

November was a good month for reading for me.

My favorite book this month was Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

I just loved this story of friendship and growing up. The writing is wonderful. Hazel is a brave and true friend and I love that about this book.

I read this book on the first snowy afternoon in Minnesota and even though the snow didn't stick around I think this book is the perfect winter read. You may even take back some of the bad things you've said about snow in the past and see snow for all the magical possibilities it holds.

This book is the December Pick for NPR's Backseat Book Club so you should probably read it.

Adjectives Rock

2011-11-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

I heard this on the radio yesterday. It needed to be shared

Getting into a revision groove and working on a fun picture book idea. When I get stuck with one I switch to the other.

Quilt Progress

2011-11-28T07:26:00.001-08:00

For all my friends doing NaNoWriMo- You can do it! You're almost there.

I made some progress on my quilt. I finished the last square and got the top and bottom borders finished.

Hogwarts Crest

Hufflepuff Badger Don't Care

Top and Bottom borders

Now I just have my side panels to figure out so I'm feeling a little more confident that this may actually get finished in time for Christmas.

In writing news I revisited a PB idea that I've had in my head for a while and I really like how that is getting started.

I read Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu this week and loved it. It was an amazing book.

Should You Be Writing Right Now?

2011-11-22T06:30:00.001-08:00

Last week I worked at a high school helping with costumes for Midsummer Night's Dream. The theater and music area is nestled in the same hallway and I walked by this sign several times a day.
You can find this sign at the Odd Quartet

I was so inspired by this sign about practicing that I decided to make my own version for writing. Enjoy.

Friday Fives- Writing Necessities

2011-11-18T06:15:00.001-08:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are the FIVE things you need to write with, other than pen, paper, and a computer.

1. The Loft- I'm so lucky to live in Minneapolis where the Loft has been a part of my writing journey. I've taken a number of classes there, attended conferences and met my writing groups through this place. The atmosphere is just great for writing.

2. Tea- I don't drink coffee so tea is my caffeinated beverage of choice.

3. Note cards- I really like to use these to write notes about my WIP as inspiration strikes.

4. iPod Touch- I like being able to tweet/facebook without leaving my wip. I've also used to notepad to write down ideas when inspiration strikes.

5. Kindle- I use my Kindle to read drafts of my wip. I can read my wip anywhere without needing to lug around a stack of paper or my laptop.

RTW- School Daze

2011-11-16T05:47:00.001-08:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

In high school, teens are made to read the classics - Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Bronte, Dickens - but there are a lot of books out there never taught in schools. So if you had the power to change school curriculums, which books would you be sure high school students were required to read?

My pick would be 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I'm sure lots of school are using this as part of curriculums. It is a compelling book and has the power to make people think about how they treat each other.

I also really liked Matched by Allie Condie and I could see it being used in schools. The idea of choice and having access to the written word and music. The use of poetry in the book also seems like it would work well in a classroom.

Minnesota Monday- Readings

2011-11-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I attended a reading at The Loft.

The series is called the Second Story Reading Series and it pairs a new MG or YA author with an established author. Each reads from their works and then they answer a some questions from the audience. The idea is that a reader will come to hear one author and then be introduced to a new author.

This time the authors were Anne Ursu and Kelly Barnhill.

Kelly read from her book The Mostly True Story of Jack

I haven't read this book and I made the mistake of not buying it on my way in. The first chapter totally had me on the edge of my seat. The MC, Jack, has to spend his summer in Iowa. I'm from Iowa so when she started talking about Jack spending his summer in Iowa I kicked myself for not buying it on the way in. The beginning of this book has that sort of scary suspense that makes me want to keep reading.

Anne Ursu read from her latest book Breadcrumbs

About a year ago Anne critiqued my PB manuscript at a Minnesota SCBWI conference. She was super helpful and her advice really helped once I applied it to my story. I haven't had a chance to read this book yet either but I purchased it on my way in. She read from the first chapter and then a chapter where Jack meets the Ice Queen. I can't wait to read it.

This was a wonderful event. My only mistake was not buying both the books on the way in. I haven't been able to go to a lot of SCBWI events lately because of my work schedule but readings like this have been really great to help me feel more connected to writing.

As I was watching these wonderful authors speak I began thinking about the public speaking aspect of being an author. I think because standing standing up in front of people and talking is one of my big fears. Many of us spend time building a platform, tweeting, blogging and collecting followers but how do you add the public speaking piece in? Do you take theater and improv classes? Sing karaoke without liquid courage? Join a local Toastmasters group?

Audiobooks

2011-11-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've never been into audiobooks. I've tried to listen to them in the past but usually my need to sing in my car (the acoustics in the car are amazing) wins. All that time running, on the stationary bike or elliptical? Yep, music.
But this week I'm stitching in a costume shop. It's not really a chatty space nor is it a dance break space. I thought I was going to be locked away by myself labeling Christmas Carol but instead I'm sewing in the room on actual costumes. So I downloaded some audiobooks.

How have I not been listening to audiobooks more often? Also do you count audiobooks on your reading list on Goodreads? What about books you're re-reading?

Here's what I listened to so far this week.

Matched by Ally Condie- How have I not read this book sooner? I thought this story was more than just a YA dystopian novel. I thought it was a beautiful story about the need to create things and the importance of writing and words. I thought it was amazing and now I can't wait to read Crossed.

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell- I found myself totally wrapped up in the suspenseful parts of this story. I'd been wanting to read this book since I saw another blogger talk about it. It deals with lots of things I love. Theater, following a dream. There is also the added suspense of a mystery when the main character is given a place to stay in NYC by a mob lawyer.

You know what I love? When my coworkers read the YA books I love. One of my coworkers just read The Hunger Games. She loved them. It usually takes them a while to read them, you know like when they hit Twilight or Hunger Games popularity. But I always get that cool kid feeling like "Oh yeah I read that ages ago." I wonder if I'll be lending them all my copy of the Matched trilogy in a couple years.

Day Walking diary

2011-11-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

1. I work in the evenings. I'm a night walker.
2. I usually work 4-5 hours at a time. If it is a two show day I work and have a 1-2 hour break in between these shifts.

This week I'm working during the day in the costume shop. Here is a diary of my day walking adventures.

O' dark thirty- alarm goes off. Press snooze. Repeat 4 times.

Dawn- finally wake up. Go to gym for only 30 minutes since I slept through the other 30.

8:30- arrive at work. Start labeling project.

9:00- Move from labeling project to sewing actual costume. Unprepared for this because a.) not really awake and b) thought I was going to label all day.

9- 12- Sewing. Sitting by window. Sun is so bright in my eyes I consider going to my car to get sunglasses.

Also start listening to Matched by Ally Condie on iPod. OMG this book is amazing. Why didn't I read it sooner.

Spend rest of morning making skirt and listening to audiobook.

12:30 Lunch. Cook lunch and eat lunch. OMG how do people make and eat lunch in 30 minutes? Decide to research GF bread if I ever do this again. But a) don't like bread and b) GF bread is expensive and c) don't really like bread.

3:00 finish skirt. Woot. Start working on bodice.

4:00 OMG sitting for so long. Body= sore. Need to go home and play dance video games.

5:00 leave. It is dark

6:30- home after chiro appt. Make dinner. I am awesome at making tacos. Eat dinner then go to sleep by 9.

12:00 a.m. woken up by cats because this is the time I usually go to bed so this is the time they also usually get food.

HP Quilt- Platform 9 3/4

2011-11-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 3/4.

I continue to chug along making progress on my quilt. One more square and then borders and putting the whole thing together.

I realized there were two squares I never posted.

Fawkes

Invisibility Cloak

In case you've missed squares or you just want to see them again here is the list.

Sorting Hat

Patronus

Monster Book of Monsters

Honeydukes Candy Store

Whomping Willow

Friday Fives- Inspiration

2011-11-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question The FIVE authors who inspire you, writing or otherwise.

1. Judy Blume- I've always been a Judy Blume fan. I love her ability to write about real characters with real problems.

2. Beverly Cleary- I read the Ramona books when I was growing up and loved them. The book that was really influential for me was Dear Mr. Henshaw. I read this book when my parents were getting divorced and it made me feel like I wasn't alone. That someone else had made it through the problem I was facing.

3. J. K. Rowling- I love the Harry Potter books and what these books have done for children's literature. When I need a little inspiration I watch her Harvard commencement speech.

4. Laurie Halse Anderson- Her books are influential and amazing.

5. Rachel Cohn- I'd just gotten out of college when I first saw Gingerbread in the bookstore. The striped tights and awesome boots seemed to call to me and even though I was no longer a YA I bought the book. This book made me love YA and made me want to write YA.

RTW- Put me in coach

2011-11-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question.

This week's question
What kind of writing coach do you need? When you have to coach friends, what kind of coach are you?

I need a coach like my friend Maddog. Coach Maddog was the coach of the kickball team I played on a a few years ago.
Here's the thing about kickball. I thought it would be easy. I thought I'd go to games, hang out with my friends, maybe kick the ball a few times. Kickball was hard. You see there's a rule about how many girls have to be on the field to make up a team.
Maddog was organized with lists of who would play and what position. And she made me play. A lot.
Some things about coach Maddog
She doesn't put up with whiners. You signed up, you're playing. Shut up and get out there.
She wants to win.
She cheered us on.
She's tough but fun.

I need a writing coach like Maddog. Someone who doesn't put up with whiners and someone who wants a win.

Sometimes I turn to the advice of Yogi Berra. I'm too young to remember Yogi as a coach but my grandparents had these busts of Yogi and Casey Stengal at their house. I was sort of obsessed with Yogi. I'd dress him up and make him part of my games.

You better write. Right now.

I love Yogi's sayings. I love his book What Time is it? You Mean Now? It is an advice book set up alphabet style. It's all about hard work and dedication. Not being a whiner and being grateful for what you have.

My current favorite coach is Ron Gardenhire, the coach of the Minnesota Twins.
Gardy is no nonsense. He gets along with his players. He gets us to the playoffs, well except for this year but that's OK we'll get em next year.

I also love my writing group. I feel like these girls are encouraging and we all push each other by working and setting goals. I love the encouragement I get from these girls

Minnesota Monday- Blogs I love

2011-10-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween.

Happy NaNoWriMo Eve.

As I read all the #snowloween posts on Twitter this weekend all I can say is that I'm really happy it wasn't Minnesota.

Here are some Minnesota bloggers I think are a treat to follow.

Barbara Watson- she just started an ABC's of Middle Grade series on Thursdays.

Hannah at The Palindrome Effect - She's doing NaNo. Friend her and cheer her on.

Mary at Play Off the Page

Sarah at Falen Formulates Fiction

Emily- An actor, knitter, quilter, blogger and wonderful person.

Jenn's Photo Project- One day Jenn and I were talking and I said "you should start a blog" and she did. She's doing awesome at her 365 photo blog.

The Marketing Mama- She writes about parenting, allergies and marketing.

Elise's Kitchen- Writer's need to eat and Elise has so many wonderful recipes. She's also an amazing photographer, click on her 365 tab or just salivate over her food photos in her posts.

I went to a Halloween party last night and am looking forward to passing out candy tonight and maybe watching Coraline.

When I watch Coraline I am reminded of a little door in the guest room of my grandparent's house. It was just the size of the little door Coraline crawls through in the movie. At Grandma's house there was a bed in front of the little door which proved to be an obstacle because 1) it was heavy and 2) when parents hear furniture being moved they tend to wonder what is going on.

I spent a lot of time contemplating what was behind the door. Every year I got stronger and could move the bed a little more. Every year I would open it a little farther to try to get a peek at what was behind there. Sometimes I couldn't get it closed and I would dream about an army of trolls or munchkins coming through the door in the middle of the night.

One year when I was a teenager I finally did open the door only to discover that it was the attic over the garage (as opposed to the real attic) and that it was full of luggage. Not nearly as exciting as what I imagined.

I'm glad the movie Coraline could remind me of the little door and all the scary things I believed lived behind it.

How to make a costume

2011-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween is tomorrow and this year I made my own costume.
I wanted something that was 1) cheap and 2) easy. After looking on the internet I decided it would be pretty cheap and easy for me to make my own R2D2 costume. Here's how I did it.

Supplies
2 pieces of large poster board
Markers
Duck Tape
bike light
cheap plastic helmet or bowl
spray paint
elastic

First off I started by drawing R2's markings on the poster board. Then I colored in the markings.

I added some accents to the body with duct tape

Next I spray painted the helmet and once it was dry added markings with blue duct tape. I also added one of my bike lights. This one blinks so I most likely won't turn it on since I don't actually want to blind my friends. I also used black, red and silver tape for accents on the helmet. I used a cheap plastic "police" helmet and turned it backwards.

My next step was to take a second piece of poster board and attach it to the first one so it formed a tube. This picture doesn't show them but I added shoulder straps with elastic.

So far the costume is doing it's job in that it was 1) cheap and 2) easy. It is also funny which I was hoping it would be too.

If you didn't get your Halloween celebration on this weekend and you are still scrambling for a costume I think this could easily be adapted for other robots.

I did consider being Maru the Cat for Halloween but didn't know if everyone would know who Maru was. But it did inspire the R2 idea.

pic from Craft:

Here's a video of Maru the cat

If you are still stumped for a costume check out this story featuring a crow costume made out of garbage bags, a baseball cap and duct tape.

What are you going to be for Halloween

Friday Fives- Fantasy Worlds

2011-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What five (book or movie) worlds would you love to live in.

1. Hogwarts- OK seriously who doesn't hope for an acceptance letter every time they see an owl?

2. Oz- My parents used to let me stay up late and watch this movie when it was on TV. Everytime I heard tornado sirens I was full of excitement at the possibility that our house could be picked up and carried away in a twister to a magical land. I read the books as soon as I could check them out. I also enjoyed Wicked by Gregory Maguire and the musical Wicked. So yeah, Oz.

3. The Shire- I could totally hang out with hobbits. Minneapolis is full of little stucco Tudor style houses. The short houses and arched doorways make me think of the Shire. I've often dreamed of buying a "hobbit house".

The Shire

An example of a Minneapolis "hobbit house"

4. Kiki Strike's New York- OK so Kiki Strike is like this totally kick-butt chick and with her troop of delinquent girl scouts they fight crime in the city. Ananka Fishbein looks out her apartment window and sees a little blonde girl sneaking into a tunnel. She does what any level headed 12 year old would do. She follows and finds a maze of tunnels under NYC. I love the idea of underground cities.

5. Speaking of underground cities I also loved the London Below of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. How much did I love it? So much that I cried at the end of the book because I was sad the adventure was over.

HP quilt- The Deathly Hallows

2011-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the nest square

I love reading all the NaNo posts. I will not be doing NaNo this year because I have a quilt to finish in time for Christmas. I am currently working on a draft of my wip and don't want to abandon it for NaNo. Good luck to all the NaNo-ers out there. You rock!. You can do it!

RTW- Best book in October

2011-10-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.

This weeks question What was the best book you read in October?

I thought this was going to be an easy question but then I remembered that I read some good books in October.

But my favorite read of this month was The Duff by Kody Keplinger

This book was an amazing, fun read. Seriously, I picked this book up and I couldn't put it down. I loved the main character Bianca. She was confident, strong and sarcastic. I loved Bianca's voice. I loved everything about this book.

I also read The Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

I love this book that is set on Coney Island.

Also Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff

A wonderful book. Also reading this book for #fridayreads and sharing on twitter can help homeless youth. Check out the details here.

Minnesota Monday- Football

2011-10-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm revising and that is a little like football. Well, it's a little like this season of Vikings football.
In draft 4 (see, just like football) of my novel I got some feedback about a character that needed to be cut. She didn't stand out. She was confusing because there was nothing that really set her apart from some of the other characters in the book. She also seems to drop out of the book after a while not really making it to the 4th quarter. After thinking long and hard I decided to cut her.
This is not unlike the decision Leslie Frazier had to make to put Donovan McNabb on the bench

and start rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. Against arch rivals, defending Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers. Border. Battle. O.M.G. Drama. (This is the kind of drama novels are made of people)

In football the point of the game is to move the ball and score points. As writers our characters and scenes need to move the story forward. If a character or scene isn't doing that it's time to let it go.

I'm sure Coach Frazier didn't want to put McNabb on the bench. We spent a lot of money on him and had high hopes. Writers feel the same way about our characters. We spend a lot of time on them, even the little guys and we don't want to cut them but sometimes we have to to make our novels better.

Turns out my character needed to be cut. I cut my character and now my story is flowing better, other characters are beginning to shine and I have room to develop other characters. I'm excited to write again.

The Vikings didn't win against Green Bay yesterday but they put up a good fight and played well. I look forward to seeing Ponder play more this season. I'm excited about football again.

The Vikings may not have won yesterday but here is a list of the people who won in my Rocktober giveaway.

1. Linnaea(Amber)- Coraline
2. Matthew McNish - The Graveyard Book
3 Tracie T-$10 Starbucks gift card

How is writing like football for you?

Friday Fives- Through the Ages

2011-10-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

This week Paper Hangover asks the question What are the five best ages of your life and why?

1. Age 5. My favorite color was red. I loved kindergarten. My favorite thing was learning the alphabet. For every letter our homework was to cut out pictures from magazines that started with that letter and make a collage. I went to parochial school but kindergarteners didn't have to wear uniforms.

2. Age 9. Age 8 was tough. Nothing could be worse than 8. My parents got divorced. My third grade teacher put me in remedial reading, not because I couldn't read but because I was so shy that reading out loud was a problem for me. My best school friend moved away. Fourth grade was way better. I loved my teacher. I was back in the awesome reading group. I was on the swim team. I could walk on stilts. I wanted to be an artist or a teacher.

3. Age 11. My mom got remarried at we moved. I started 6th grade in a new school. That was OK cause everyone else was new on the first day of 6th grade too. My hobbies were roller skating, swimming and hanging out with friends. My friends and I started our own babysitter's club. I listened to New Kids on the Block and planned my future with Joe McIntyre. I wrote in my first journal in Language Arts class.

4. Age 14. I was a freshman in high school. I loved everything about high school. Pep rallies, dances, football games. Skipping gym class. I was on the debate team. I joined the newspaper staff. I had a job babysitting at the church during choir practice. I wanted to grow up and work at Sassy magazine.

5. Age 24/25. I lived in Minneapolis. I'd recently quit a boring, low paying day job to be a waitress because, well, I made more money being a waitress and I had more free time. Also my friends were also servers and it was more fun than my other job. I'd been through a rough relationship and break up but I was on the other side of that. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I met someone who reminded me that I loved writing and who planted the idea that I should write for kids. Her words made sense to me and I've remembered them ever since.

HP Quilt- Hedwig

2011-10-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Work on the quilt continues

Hedwig

Below is a documentary about my progress the last couple days.

RTW #101- Reason to Write

2011-10-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.
This weeks question:
What's your numero-uno reason for writing?

Writing is like a best friend. Writing has been with me since my childhood. When things are good, I write. When things are bad, I write. I write because I love it.

What are your reasons for writing?

Also I'm doing a giveaway. Check it out here

Rocktober giveaway

2011-10-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

October is my favorite month. I love Halloween. I love pumpkin flavored things.

I also love this idea. All Hallow's Read. Check out the video to see what it's about.

So to celebrate All Hallow's Read I'm doing a giveaway. I want to make sure that you get your book around Halloween so I'll pick a winner this weekend.

Up for grabs is
1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This is a paperback copy I just found at my neighborhood book sale. It's in great condition.

2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I passed this copy to my writing group for All Hallow's Read last year. It made it's way back to me. It's a paperback and there is a slight bend in the cover.

* The idea behind All Hallow's Read is to give a scary book. It doesn't have to be a Neil Gaiman book but that is what I have.

3. $10 Starbucks Gift Card-
I know this isn't a book but October is also Disability Awareness Month and Starbucks had gift cards with Braille. My mom is a puppy raiser for Leader Dogs for the Blind and I wrote a picture book manuscript about a guide dog. I submitted my manuscript this month to a publisher and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Celebrating and hoping = coffee gift card.

If you don't win don't worry. Just look at these cute puppy pictures of past and current puppies-in-training.

Hammond

Future Leader Dog, Molly

If you find those puppies as irresistible as I do you can help sponsor a Guide Dog puppy at Dog's Eye View.

To enter the giveaway leave a comment and tell me which prize you'd like to win. Tell me your favorite scary book. I'll pick a winner on Saturday, 10/22.

Minnesota Monday- Music

2011-10-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a thirteen year old girl who lived in a library in Iowa. In the library she found a Replacements CD. The Replacements are from Minnesota. The girl grew up and moved to Minnesota.

OK I didn't move to Minnesota because of the Replacements but the music scene in Minneapolis was an important factor.

Writers love music. It inspires us. It fuels our writing.

I love listening to local music. I love hearing the names of streets and places I'm familiar with in song

A lot of my writing is fueled by music I hear on 89.3 The Current, Minnesota Public Radio's music channel. They are huge supporters of local music.
I still love The Replacements but I've been introduced to so many other local artists that I love. Prince, Bob Dylan(He's from Minnesota so he totally counts), The Hold Steady, Jeremy Messersmith, Paper Tiger, Toki Wright, Mark Mallman, Dan Wilson
Currently I'm listening to local hip hop artist Dessa's latest, Castor, The Twin.

Free Life

What music inspires your writing?

Paying it Forward and Friday Fives

2011-10-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the blogs you should follow.

Sarah- Glissades and Gabble

Alicia- Slice of the Blog Pie

Molly Greene- Worth Becoming

Check out the list of participants here or here

Paper Hangover asks the question- What are you five favorite childhood books.

1. The Monster at the End of This Book

2. Are You My Mother?

3. Little House on the Prairie

4. Nancy Drew

5. The Babysitter's Club

Mixing it up

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not doing a Theater Thursday post today.

That's because tomorrow I'm participating in the Pay it Forward Blogfest hosted by Matthew and Alex.

What do you do?

1. Sign up.
2. Talk about 3 blogs you follow and why other people should follow them.
3. Check out the other blogs on the list.

So go sign up because they are almost at 200 participants and come back tomorrow to see my three choices.

RTW- #100, The Journey

2011-10-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs.
What has your writing road trip looked like so far? Excitement? Traffic Jams and detours? Where are you going next?

My journey feels like the turtle of the turtle and the hare story.
I've written and some part of me has wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. Once I graduated college I was working away at being an adult and felt the pull to write again.
I wrote. I got rejected. I gave up.
During this time good things happened for me writing-wise. I won honorable mention in a local poetry competition.
But somehow I didn't think I was a good writer. I thought I needed the perfect day job that would allow me to work during the day then come home and write. I didn't get that job but I learned to love the job I had and realize why it was the perfect job for me as a writer. But for a while I was disappointed and I didn't write.
But the whole writing thing wouldn't leave me alone.
I was running one day and I heard the lyrics to a song on my iPod and I knew that I needed to pursue my dream of being a writer no matter what.
I came back to the page. This time I was more serious. This time I wasn't willing to quit.

My pace has been slow and steady. Partially due to a car accident and then a health issue consuming a year of my life. But now that things are better my progress is faster which is good.

I hope to someday be a published author. That would be amazing. If I never become published, I'll still write.

Minnesota Monday- Paul and Babe

2011-10-10T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you know this but Minnesota is one of the states that claim to be home to Paul Bunyan.

I knew of Paul Bunyan from my childhood visits to The Enchanted Forest Waterpark in The Adirondaks so I was happy to find that Minnesota also has some Paul Bunyan stories

Above is Adirondack Paul and Bemidji Paul and Babe.

In Minnesota, Paul Bunyan is responsible with creating the 10,000 lakes with his footprints.

Today I went to a new coffee shop in my neighborhood named Blue Ox Coffee Company and the tea was so amazing and the atmosphere so nice that I will definitely be back for writing.
I drink tea so how a coffee shop does tea is important to me. The Blue Ox isn't messing around when it comes to tea. This was the most amazing cup of tea ever. So good in fact that I decided I needed to write about Paul and Babe just so I could talk about this place.

The shop has a few Paul and Babe things including a book of Paul Bunyan tales.

One of my favorite books about Paul Bunyan is Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart by Marybeth Lorbiecki. There's also a statue of Lucette in Hackensack, MN

What's your favorite Paul Bunyan story?

HP Quilt- Bertie Bott's and Chocolate Frogs

2011-10-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

The next square for my quilt, Honeyduke's candy store. Enjoy.

Friday Fives- Inspiration

2011-10-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are the five ways you find writing inspirations?

1. An Old Friend from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg. I love this book full of prompts for writing memoirs. Writing for 10 minutes about ice cream, sounds or my hopes and dreams really gets me in a place to write.

2. Books. I love reading. I dream of the day I'll someday be holding my own book in my hands. Reading books inspires me to want to write them.

3. Work. I love working in theater. Being around people pursuing their dreams of being on stage inspires me to write.

4. Walking. I'm blessed to live near a beautiful park in a wonderful neighborhood. Some of my best ideas come to me while I'm taking a walk. When I'm stuck on a story I go for a walk while I figure it out.

5. Vacations. I don't take nearly enough vacations but whenever I get a chance to get away I always feel refreshed and recharged and inspired to write.

Theater Thursday- Dressing the Part

2011-10-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Do you watch Glee? As I was watching the I am Unicorn episode I noticed that when the kids were auditioning for West Side Story they were each dressed in a costume for their part. Rachel wasn't wearing her typical skirt and knee highs, she was dressed in a Maria dress and Blaine was dressed in a Tony outfit with the cuffed jeans and polo shirt. They totally look the part.

So, here's a secret. I know actors who do this. OK, maybe not to this extent but I know people who wear the perfect 40's style dress if they are auditioning for a show set in the 40's. They do this to make them stick out in the director's mind. They want the director to be able to see them in that part.

As writers when we submit our work we are auditioning for the role of "published author" so it is important to look our best.

1. Submit your best work. Write, revise, repeat until it is the best. If you get a stack of rejections repeat the revise step.

2. Follow the rules. Stick with the guidelines posted by the agent or publisher. Actors have to follow rules for auditions. They have to audition on a certain day and they have to prepare audition pieces that fit the show they are auditioning for. Someone not following the rules probably isn't going to get the part. Same with writing.

3. Have an awesome query or cover letter. In your query or cover letter show that you are familiar with the editor, publisher, or agent you are contacting.

4. If you are contacting by email make sure your email is professional. Make sure your email address, font, and signature are all professional. If you send something from your email account, blutterfly77@_____.com an editor or agent might have a hard time remembering you. Be aware of your signatures. Bible verses, jokes, inspiring quotes are great for friends and relatives but not necessarily professional unless those are the kinds of publishers you are submitting to.

What other tips do you have for getting the landing the coveted role of "published author"?

RTW- Supporting stars

2011-10-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. This weeks questions

What supporting character from a YA book would you most like to see star in their own novel?

Dumbledore

I know we learned a little about some of his adventures in the Harry Potter books but I'd still love to see more of Albus Dumbledore's adventures.

Ethan from the Dreaming Anastasia series by Joy Preble. OK so Ethan is part of this Brotherhood that has was supposed to protect Anastasia. He's like 100 years old. He has blue eyes and he isn't cold like Edward. I want to know more about his adventures protecting Anastasia all these years.

Minnesota Monday- Julia Gillian

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

The other day while riding my bike on the Greenway I saw a little group of preschoolers working in their community garden space and I was immediately reminded of the Julia Gillian series by Alison McGhee.

This is a great series for middle grade readers. Julia is in fourth grade when the series starts and in sixth grade in the most recent book.

Julia is a wonderful character. She keeps a list of things she is skilled at and she tries to add to that list. She is a dog person. She is independent. Overall she is a believable character and her problems seem relatable.

The books are set in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. In the book she visits places like Bryant Hardware (I pay more attention to the window display since reading these books). She goes to dinner with her family at Quang Restaurant. She even sees preschoolers taking care of a community garden on her walks with her dog, Bigfoot. She remembers a time when she was a preschooler taking care the community garden. It is no surprise that seeing these kids working in their community garden made me think of the Julia Gillian books. I would not have been surprised see Julia and Bigfoot at the dog park when I pedaled past.

The drawings in this book are really fun also. One of my favorites is of Julia in her Minnesota Twins jersey.

Check these books out. You won't be disappointed.

Have you been reminded of a book because of a location?

HP Quilt- Whomping Willow

2011-10-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Whomping Willow, complete with a car and tiny quilted versions of Harry and Ron.

Friday Fives- Banned Book Week

2011-09-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are you five favorite banned books?

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is one of my favorite books. I read it once a year.

2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I read this book in high school and I liked it. I read it again in college and I loved it.

3. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler. I love the character Virginia and her struggles with her weight and growing up are realistic and relatable.

4. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume. I love how Margaret deals with the question of religion in her life. I also love her struggles as she grows up.

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry This is another one of my favorites. I've read this one several times and I now I think I may need to read it again. I read a story about how caring for her aging parents inspired this book. Listen to the stories your grandparents and parents tell.

What are your favorite "banned" books?
Find a list of frequently challenged books here and celebrate your right to read what you want

Theater Thursdays- Dialogue

2011-09-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I talked about a panel/reading I attended at The Loft with David Levithan and Brian Farrey. It is now available to listen to online here.

Dialogue

I've worked in theater for many years and one of the things all that time listening to plays, watching plays and reading plays has taught me is how to write dialogue.

In plays dialogue is important and it moves the story forward.
"Hey"
"Hey"
"How are you?"
"Good, and you?"
"Good."
This is the kind of small talk dialogue you don't see in plays a lot unless there are character who don't know each other and so are maybe trying to fill the space with small talk. Make your dialogue count. Make it tell the story.

Dialogue isn't just about speaking it is also about listening. On stage actors listen to each other, they react to what is being said. Make your characters on the page react to what is being said.

Break up dialogue with action. Sometimes it is easy to get into writing dialogue and allow your character to become talking heads. When you watch a play actors have actions along with those words. They pour a drink, they look in their purse for breath mints, they fidget with their jewelry. When you have long passages of dialogue try to break it up with descriptions of what other business your characters are doing.

It's also cool to see how sets and costumes can help people understand dialogue better. Think of a Shakespeare play staged using modern dress and settings to make it more accessible. How would the dialogue in your story play out in a crowded cafeteria versus an almost empty classroom?

You don't have to dedicate yourself to a life in theater in order to improve your dialogue writing skills but seeing more plays can only help your writing. If you follow things like The Artist's Way consider a night at the theater an artist date.

What is your favorite play? Has seeing plays made you a better writer?

Way Back Wednesday- The Growl

2011-09-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday and while that usually means a ya highway RTW post I feel like I already posted about my favorite September read on Monday.

So today I give you Way Back Wednesday.

The first time in my life that I thought I'd want to be a writer was in high school. I took a journalism class and joined the newspaper staff. I worked on the newspaper staff my junior and senior year first as a reporter and later as a news editor.

I'd wanted to work on the school paper since 5th grade when I started reading Sweet Valley Twins. In 5th grade my friends and I tried to start a newspaper for our elementary school. It was cute.

I loved writing for the paper, doing layouts, thinking of story ideas and interviewing people.

I also learned about the financial end of writing. Students were asked to sell ads in addition to writing. Ads paid, in part, for our paper.

One of the first things we did in journalism class was learn about freedom of speech and how important it was to defend it. This is why you will still find me defending freedom of speech and books and the right for people to read and have access to books and information.

The newspaper also taught me a lot about writing. Newspaper articles are typically short and they need to catch the reader's attention. They need quotes (dialog), description, a hook, a catchy title.

When I started writing with the hopes of getting published I gravitated towards picture books and stories for kids.

What are some of your earliest writings?

Minnesota Monday- Wonderstruck

2011-09-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

I read the book Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick this week.

It is an amazing book and it starts in Minnesota. Gunflint Lake, Minnesota. Like Hugo Cabret this story is told in words and pictures. The words tell the story of Ben and the pictures share the story of Rose.

Ben's story starts in Gunflint Lake and Rose's begins in New Jersey but both stories lead to New York City and the American Museum of Natural History. Both characters are deaf.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a beautiful story told in words and pictures, Minnesota, museums, dioramas, love, and New York City.

Even though I picked this book up because of the Minnesota connection I also love the AMNH connection. When my brother lived in NYC this was his favorite museum so he took us there on one of our visits. My brother seemed to know a lot about this museum. I loved this museum and was reminded of it when I visited The Field Museum in Chicago.

Being around taxidermy animals reminds me of the art classes I took in college. My college had a large room full of taxidermy birds that the art and ornithology classes used. I know it had a real name but we all called it The Dead Bird Museum because the birds were usually behind glass in little bird dioramas. Below is one of my drawings from the dead bird museum.

Selznick has several tour dates for this book in the Twin Cities in October. A list is here.

What great books have you read lately?

#FridayReads for a good cause

2011-09-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Do you read?

Do you tweet?

If you answered yes to those two questions you should check out Steve Brezenoff's blog.

He has pledged to donate money to YouthLink, an organization in working with homeless youth in the Twin Cities for #fridayreads posts with his book Brooklyn, Burning on twitter. Details are on his page here so go check it out.

Happy Friday.

Theater Thursdays- The Actor's Brain

2011-09-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's tech week so I really don't have an awesome post about how theater is like writing.

I did see this http://gu.com/p/2cdt8. It is a video of an actor having their brain scanned while reciting lines from a play versus counting. It's pretty cool. Also Fiona Shaw is the actor having her brain scanned so check it out.

It made me wonder what a writer's brain scan would look like when they are writing.

RTW- Under Cover

2011-09-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. What are your all-time favorite book covers?

I love all the Harry Potter covers. For me seeing the cover was part of the fun of waiting for the new book to come out.

I loved Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. I want to read it again this Christmas.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. As beautiful inside as it is out.

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

I love this book. Whenever I see this cover I want to read it again.

Minnesota Monday- Panel and Reading on YA LGBT lit

2011-09-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

OK I'm thinking of making Mondays on my blog be Minnesota Mondays. This will give me something good to talk about on Mondays. (I'm a Vikings fan. Mondays are disappointing)

This weekend I attended a panel discussion and reading at The Loft.

The reading was part of the Second Story Reading series and the Normandale Reading Series.

The panel was interesting and included Marion Dane Bauer, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, David LaRochelle, David Levithan and Pat Schmatz. David Levithan and Brain Farrey read following the panel.

The panel focused on LGBT in YA Lit. Each writer talked about their experience publishing books with LGBT characters or subject matter and how things have shifted over the years. They talked about censorship and also sort of pre-censorship. Some of the authors from smaller towns shared experiences of their hometown library not even carrying the books they wrote. But it was cool to hear the experience of Marion Dane Bauer who published Am I Blue in the 90's and how that influenced other writers like Pat Schmatz who was also on the panel. It was cool to see how these writers had influenced each other.

They talked about how to incorporate LGBT characters in works for younger kids, picture book and middle grade, by featuring gay parents.

They talked about the idea of being pre censored. I live in the city and can find David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy on the shelf at my library but that's not always the case. Many libraries and schools don't have these books. Some of the authors from small towns shared experiences about their libraries not carrying their books. Since I liv

After the panel David Levithan and Brian Farrey did a reading, which was wonderful.

Before I left for the reading I looked at my shelves to see if I had any books I could get signed. This will teach me to lend out all my David Levithan books. Thank goodness Magers and Quinn was on hand to sell me The Lover's Dictionary so I could get it signed.

Another awesome thing about going to events like this is winning books. I won Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle. It sounds like great book and I'm excited to read it.

Friday Fives- Location, Location, Location

2011-09-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

This week Paper Hangover asks the question- What are your top five ideal writing locations?

1. My desk. It looks like this. There is not usually an evil kitty overlord supervising my work.

2. The May Day Cafe- My neighborhood coffee shop. I love this place. They recently decided to have a gluten free baked good available every day. I'm in trouble now.

The coolest image of my coffee shop is available here.

3. The Coffee Gallery at Open Book- Open Book is a fabulous space. It is home to The Loft, Milkweed Editions, Minnesota Center for the Book Arts. In other words there lost of bookish things going on here.

4. Work- I work long days. Sometimes I spend a lot of time sitting backstage waiting for something to happen. I also write on my break if I think I will get more done by staying there than by going home.

5. The park by my house. I do this in the spring, summer and fall. Not the winter. It's too cold in the winter but I still take walks in the park during the winter.

Theater Thursdays- Be Prepared

2011-09-15T04:39:00.000-07:00

In theater you have to be prepared for anything.

For actors this means having lines memorized but it also requires other skills from an actors toolbox, all the years they've spent studying the craft and the experience of being in shows.

For someone working backstage being ready means always having the tools you need to do the job. For technicians this means a multi-tool plier and a flashlight. For wardrobe people this means some sewing supplies, safety pins and a flashlight. Being caught without these things slows the process and it might be the difference between making a quick repair or not.

For writers I think we always need to be prepared for inspiration and ideas. Our tools are pens papers and of course books. You don't want to be stuck without a pen when inspiration strikes. My college roommate carries around one of these all the time and uses it to write down quotes and ideas.

I buy those small notebooks from the dollar section at the craft store like they are going out of style. I keep notecards with me. I try to always have a book with me so if nothing else I can read while I'm waiting in line at the DMV.

What writing tools are you never without?

RTW- Deja vu

2011-09-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. This weeks question:

What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?

1. School- I write middle grade and YA so school comes into play a lot.

2. Sports- For some reason I like to give my characters something sporty to do. I think this is because I really liked being on swim team when I was a kid. The thing I have to watch for is that I'm not writing about the next Lebron James or Joe Mauer or Brett Favre.

3. Theater and Costumes. Last year's NaNoWriMo was set at a theater camp but the MG novel that I've been working on for a while features a school mascot costume. What can I say, I worked for Sesame Street Live, I've worked for CostumeRentals. Costumes are kinda my thing.

Goodbye Borders

2011-09-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to my nearest Borders on the day before it was going to close.

I'd been a few weeks ago but even then it made me sad to think about.

I live in a wonderful city that is blessed with a number of indie bookstores but I grew up in a place where the Borders became a central hub of books and coffee and social activity.

My best friend from high school met her husband while working at Borders.

A trip to my hometown usually means a trip to Borders. My mom loved the coffee there. My best friend and I would hang out there, drinking coffee and reading magazines.

When my dad and I want to kill time we duck into a Borders or Barnes and Noble and browse the bookshelves. My Dad will usually find a comfy chair and read for a while. I was always shocked that no one came and made him buy the book before he read it. He'd usually buy whatever book he found to read plus a couple more and a book for me.

As a writer who works in the arts working in a bookstore is on my list of back up jobs but as I walked up the empty aisles at Borders I wonder if I need to make other back up plans.

I love indie bookstores but I have to say that the big box stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble often provided my friends with income and health insurance while doing something that they enjoyed, selling books.

I won't bore you with all the thoughts I had about the future of books and e-publishing and the economy.

It makes me sad to see any bookstore closing. To see people losing their jobs.

What about you? Will you miss Borders?

7 X 7 Award

2011-09-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

Tim at Life of Riles gave me the 7 x 7 award.

This award takes a look at previous blog post in seven categories.

Most Beautiful- A Road Trip Wednesday- I Would Have Given Anything to be Like.. post I wrote about my Aunt Ursula in celebration of the book Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Most Helpful- How to Make an Awesome Diorama is my annual attempt to make a Peep diorama. The search phrases that lead people to my blog usually have the word diorama in them. I'm providing a resource here.

Most Popular- My post How to Make an Award Winning Diorama is by far my most popular post.

Most Controversial- I don't think my blog is very controversial. I did write a response to a WSJ article criticizing YA on my blog that has a lot of hits. My Response to the Critics of YA

Most Surprisingly Successful- Way Back Wednesday. Before I started participating in Road Trip Wednesday I gave posting some work from my childhood a try.

Most Underrated- I recently wrote a piece about the importance of Small Roles. I really like it. I may recycle it some day for a Theater Thursday post.

Most Prideworthy- Even though it isn't writing I'm really proud of my Harry Potter Quilt square posts.

I'm terrible at passing awards on because I know everyone is busy writing and blogging so if you want to do this 7X7 thing on your blog you should totally do it.

Happy Saturday!

Friday Fives- What I Read This Summer

2011-09-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks-

What are the FIVE best books you read this summer?

1. The Harry Potter series- I loved re-reading these books in anticipation of the final movie. I know this is 7 books. I'm counting it as one.

2. Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes- It is about baseball and tortillas and family.

3. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan- I loved this book. It was funny and sweet. I love the idea of people of the same name meeting

4. Possession by Elana Johnson- I've been a follower of Elana for a while and it was so cool to be able to read this. I like this book and kept thinking about the ending and the world of the book.

5. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler- When I heard Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler were co-authoring a book I knew I had to read this book. This book was seriously funny.

Theater Thursdays- Announcement and Lessons from art

2011-09-08T06:07:00.000-07:00

The theater I work at is looking for bloggers to come and see shows and blog about them.

I know this post is probably more beneficial for bloggers who live near Minneapolis but I know bloggers are great at passing on information.

So here's the link.

http://www.guthrietheater.org/blogger

Last week I was on a road trip to see the Twins take on the White Sox in Chicago. While I was in Chicago I went to the Art Institute with my friend and college roommate, Sarah.

While we were looking at some Monet paintings I remembered a line from the movie Clueless that reminded me to step back from the painting and look at it from across the room. I have to say it totally changed the painting and made it seem even more magical and to wonder how they could look even more defined from far away. I imagine Monet stepping back from his paintings and looking at them from across the room. Or maybe he just had really long paint brushes.

Even though it isn't theater Monet still made me think about writing. How we as writers need to step back and see our work as a whole. Does it fit? Does it sparkle? Does it move us?

RTW- Grown ups

2011-09-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

This week's question from YA Highway is:

What non-YA character would you love to see star in a YA book as themselves?

I think Liz Lemon from 30 Rock would make a great character in a YA book.

She's funny and nerdy.

Since I work in theater with actors I sometimes feel like I relate to Liz Lemon. I think a teenage Liz Lemon would be hilarious.

What about you? What adult character do you want to see as a teenager?

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day.

In Minnesota, Labor Day means The Minnesota State Fair. Fun, farming, food on a stick, people carved in butter. It is a magical thing.

One favorite stop on my State Fair rounds is Crop Art in the Horticulture building.

Check out the Hunger Games seed art.

Friday Fives- Titles

2011-09-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question- What are the Five book titles that caught your attention.

1. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green- I know this one isn't out yet but I can't wait to read it. I was crying during the description of this book.

2. Dramarama by E. Lockhart- I love books about theater so I knew I'd have to read this one. It was a fun read.

3. The Strange Case of Oragami Yoda by Tom Angleberger- In my TBR pile this book is. Love the title. Read it I will.

4. Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando- This is in my TBR pile. I love the title but I also love the description of what it's about.

5 The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne- I think this title also looks fun. A girl, named Hamlet. It's in my TBR pile too.

HP Quilt- Firebolt

2011-08-28T04:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going out of town on vacation and I'm not bringing my laptop because I don't think I'll use it enough to justify bringing it. I am bringing a notebook, pens and my current draft so I can write if I find a coffee shop to sit and write in. To keep you entertained in my absence here is another square from the HP quilt.

Theater Thursdays- Writing lesson from Theater

2011-08-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

Tech Week

I’m sure I’ve talked about my glamorous life in theater before. Theater and writing go hand and hand for me. So I’m thinking on Theater Thursdays I might share with some wisdom that I’ve learned backstage that I apply to writing.

While reading people’s RTW posts yesterday I was surprised when people talked about days when they only write 200 words as being bad writing days.

It made me think of Tech Week. For non-theater people tech week is the grueling process of adding the tech elements (lights, sounds, scenery, costumes) to a play one line, movement, transition, scene at a time.

Some days we make it through 20 minutes of the play in 5 hours. It might take us a whole 10 hour day to get through one act of the play. But then there are scenes that fly right through. You’ll be crawling through the show at a snail’s pace and then the next set of transitions fly through at what feels like normal speed. The more elements and people involved the slower the process. Bringing all the elements together takes time. It’s like a dance; every actor and technician has to be in the right place at the right time for things to run smoothly.

It reminds me of writing. Maybe there are scenes in a story that can only be written in 200 word chunks but then there are other passages really fly. Honor both because work is work and writing is writing even if it comes 200 words at a time. Look at the scenes that are hard to write. Do they involve a lot of elements? (characters, scenery, action) Take the time to fit the pieces together even if it happens 200 words, 500 words, 1000 words at a time.

Does your day job teach you lessons about writing?

RTW-Cures for Writer's Block

2011-08-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

This week YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday topic is:

How do you beat writer's block? Do you go for a jog? Read a book? Go to a movie? Come on, share your secret--we're dying to know!

If I'm stuck on an idea I go for a walk. I live next door to a beautiful park with a lake in the middle. This is where I walk and while I walk I try to think about my writing project and how I can make it better.

Sometimes the best cure for writers block is writing. I take my notebook and a book with writing prompts outside and find a place to sit in the park or at the coffee shop and write. Writing about something else can help me get unstuck. It gets the words flowing again and eventually I feel ready and excited to return to my project.

Neil Gaiman takes over the radio

2011-08-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I listened to Neil Gaiman on 89.3 The Current's Theft of the Dial

Basically, Theft of the Dial is a show when someone awesome comes in and takes over the radio controls for an hour and plays their song choices.

They give reasons for choosing certain songs and may even tell a story especially if the song mentions them.

If you are a Neil fan you'll love this. If you are a writer you will love this.

I listened to the whole thing because I am both a Neil Gaiman fan and a writer. The section before the first song is when he talks the most about writing.

For example. Why does he have a super awesome blog and why does he tweet and stuff? Because he enjoys it. Not because he has to. He reminds writers to write good books because the thing people will remember about you is not that you had an awesome blog or that you had the best tweets they will remember the books.

He also talks about the biography he wrote about Duran Duran. The lesson he learned from this experience about writing for money versus writing what he wanted is pretty valuable.

If you are reading this right now saying "OMG I can't believe I missed this program" don't worry. You can stream it here.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_current/theft-of-the-dial/

A song to deal with rejection letters

2011-08-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Rejection letters should not be allowed to arrive on the weekends. I think this holds even more true with email. Weekends should be awesome and rejection letter free especially summer weekends.

Getting rejection letters makes me think of this song.

But you know what's a great remedy for rejection letters? Ice cream. Not just any ice cream but ginger ice cream from Sebastian Joe's eaten outside on a summer evening in the park watching what can best be described as a chick flick. That makes things better.

Reflections on WriteOnCon

2011-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

I spent the last three days at WriteOnCon.

I went to WriteOnCon last year but I mostly just read what was on the main page and didn't really spend much time in the forums.

This year was different. This year I posted some of my writing in the forums. I gave feedback on other people's writing and I got feedback on my writing.

I love my writing group and I don't think my group wants to protect my feelings but after reading the story for two years they are very close to the story. Putting my words out there for conference attendees to read meant new fresh feedback.

Reading other people's stories meant seeing the level of work others are writing. I confess I thought my story was the best it could be but after reading other picture books that were similar in subject matter to mine and others that were different but from mine completely I realize I still have more work to do.

There were moments of insecurity reading the feedback but I'm returning to page with new determination. Is there a place for this in the market? How can I make my mc, a guide dog puppy, more relatable? How can I add more conflict and still present some of the information? I also entered my pb manuscript in a contest through The Loft where I take writing classes. If I win (fingers crossed) the prize is a day long revision class with a published author. Win or lose I've got my thinking cap on and I'm looking at ways this story can be improved. I'm determined to look at my work with new eyes and do some Re-Vision.

RTW- Around the World

2011-08-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributorspost a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs.

What is the most inspiring setting you've ever visited in real life?

The most inspiring setting I've visited is London.

Sometimes books written by writers from across the pond make me jealous. It seems kind of magical to live in a place full of underground tunnels, small alleyways, princes and princesses.

When I think of London I feel like there could be places like Diagon Alley tucked into a hole in the wall.

When I visited London I loved taking the walking tours. The Shakespeare/Dickens one was a favorite and I also like the Jack the Ripper tour.

For quieter inspiration I like Madeline Island. It is an Island in Lake Superior and you can get there by ferry from Bayfield, Wisconsin. Sitting on the beach on Big Bay you can almost forget that you are not on some remote island in the ocean. There are beautiful views and it is easy to find the quiet of nature but also the fun carefree island life as well.

My close to home inspiration is Minnehaha Falls and Fort Snelling State Park. It is an escape in the city and I go there when I need to recharge. Minnehaha Falls has a waterfall and a statue of Hiawatha and Minnehaha.

Triathlons and WriteOnCon

2011-08-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom and I competed in a triathlon.

It was the YWCA Women's triathlon. Women from age 14 to age 78 competed. It was an amazing, beautiful event.

I am in vacation mode but also thinking about revisions for the next draft of my novel.

I'm also looking forward to WriteOnCon starting tomorrow.

One of the coolest things about WriteOnCon is that it is so accessible. There is really no excuse not to sign up and attend. I've been to conferences so I know they are awesome but sometimes the job that currently pays the bills isn't always flexible. WriteOnCon is great because it takes that it's-really-hard-for-me-to-get-time-off-from-work excuse away. Check it out because it might work for other excuses such as I-can't-afford-to-go-to-a-conference (it's free) or I-can't-leave-my-family-for-a-weekend.

Friday Fives- Author's I'd Love to Meet

2011-08-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question- What five authors you're dying to meet.

5. Laura Ingalls Wilder- I grew up in the midwest. I live a thirty minute drive away from the Big Woods. When I was a kid I remember the people from the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum came to school when we were reading the books. The thing I remember hearing about Laura was that she was always taking off her bonnet because she wanted to be able to see the world around her and she grew up to be a writer.

4. Rachel Cohn- I really loved the Gingerbread books. I read Gingerbread when it first came out. Cyd is such a cool character. I loved writing and knew that I wanted to write. But these books made me want to be a writer even more.

3. Neil Gaiman- I love everything I've read by Neil. Sometimes I cry at the end of Gaiman's books because I'm sad the story is over. There was crying at the end of The Sandman, Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book.

2. Stephen King- A favorite author. I loved his book On Writing. Would love to hang out with him and talk about writing.

1. J. K. Rowling- I would love to meet her. If I was going to meet her I'd have to show her the Harry Potter Quilt I'm making.

Small roles

2011-08-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get feedback coming in from my draft. Overall it has improved from my previous draft and I'm starting to think about my rewrite.

One problem I'm still having is distinguishing my MCs friends from one another and also making them all important to the story. So I'm thinking about them today and making sure I know their motivations and arc through the story.

In order to think about these small characters I've turned to Shakespeare. In the play Romeo and Juliet there is the character Balthazar. The role isn't a very large role. He's listed as a servant of the house of Montague. In a lot of productions the actor playing Balthazar ends up in scenes with Romeo and his friends Benvolio and Mecrutio.

Balthazar may not have as many lines as Benvolio or Mecrutio but he's important to the story. Balthazar is the one who brings Romeo the news that Juliet is dead. He races to Romeo before the letter from the Friar explaining that Juliet isn't really dead arrives.

I've seen productions where Balthazar appears a little younger than the other guys in Romeo's crew. Like he's trying to hang out with this older, cooler crowd of party crashing guys. Even though his role is small he is important to the action of the story.

So as I'm thinking about the group of friends that surround my MC I'm trying to make sure they are all distinct and important to the story and not just a way to get facts out. I'm trying to make sure their motivations and arcs are clear.

What are your favorite examples of minor characters in books?

HP Quilt- Golden Snitch

2011-08-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Tools of the trade- Note cards

2011-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite tools is the 3 X 5 note card with a small file holder.

I learned this tip in a writing class I took a couple years ago.

I write tidbits about characters and plot on the cards.

The small index sized file holder is great for keeping the ideas organized. Some people might prefer a small recipe holder but I like these little file pouches because they are easy to take anywhere plus you can stock up on them in the dollar section at Target.

Each character gets their own section in the pocket file. Jot down different ideas about plot and subplots and keep those organized as well.

I love this tool for the beginning of the writing process when I'm getting tons of new ideas about all my characters.

What are some of your favorite tools for writing?

Happy 30th MTV

2011-08-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

I was working on a post about how revising is like a fitting room but then I turned on the radio and the DJs were talking about how MTV turns 30 today.

Even though I was young when MTV first hit the airwaves it was a big part of my childhood. Believe it or not MTV was a big deal when it first aired but not everyone had cable back then and not everyone was allowed to watch MTV even if they had cable.

News of our MTV spread through the neighborhood teenagers faster than news of a house giving out full size candy bars at Halloween. There was never a shortage of teenagers who wanted to babysit my sibs and I.

My parents weren't the type of people who worried about TVs effect on me so I'm not sure they would have cared about the amount of MTV I watched when I was young.

My mom got remarried to someone who believed MTV was bad. Fortunately I taught my stepdad how to "block" MTV and VH1 by removing the channel from the lineup using the remote. The channel was still there and could easily be accessed by pressing the channel number on the remote. We were both happy because he thought MTV was blocked and I still had my MTV.

What are your memories of MTV? Were you allowed to watch MTV? If you weren't did you watch it anyway?

I finished

2011-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working away and taking a blogcation and facebook-cation so I could finish draft 4. So now it is done and I hope to be able to catch up on some blogging and reading everyone's blogs.

I'm excited to read about all of your adventures in LA at the SCBWI conference next week. This was not my year to go to the conference but someday I'm sure the stars will align with the show calendar and I'll be able to attend.

Blogcation

2011-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my revision like crazy. This one went faster than the last draft, which is awesome.

This draft also needs to be finished by the time people who have offered to read it go on vacation. In other words I really want to finish this draft by the end of July.

So I'm taking a blogcation.

I heart you all and I promise to come back to blog land in 10,000 or so words or however many it takes to get to The End.

Take good care of the interwebz while I'm away.

Excited for tonight

2011-07-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Is everyone excited for tonight at midnight? I am.

HP Quilt- Monster Book of Monsters

2011-07-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite square so far. The Monster Book of Monsters.

HP Quilt- Patronus

2011-07-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

I'm a little excited for Friday at 12:01.

Here's another square from the HP Quilt I'm making for my friend's son.

Here's a link to my Sorting Hat Square

I finished another square a couple weeks ago and let me tell you it is so freaking cute that I may have to keep the quilt for myself and just buy the kid a Harry Potter quilt from a department store.

Friday Fives

2011-07-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Paper Hangover asks the question What are your five favorite research tools or resources?

1. Google. When I want an answer I google it. Google has been really helpful this year in helping me identify all the veggies in my CSA box and helping me come up with ways to prepare them.

2. Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maas. The exercises in this book are really great for writing complex characters. If I'm stuck I try to sit down with an exercise in this book and see what I come up with.

3. An Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir by Natalie Goldberg. I love this book. I'm not writing a memoir but the exercises in here are so great for getting me to put pen to paper. Most pages have a word at the top of them and then a question and the direction to write for ten minutes.

4. Blogs. There are so many wonderful blogs out there that I think of as resources in my writing.

5. The Loft Literary Center This is where I take writing classes and attend conferences. I love to sit in the coffee shop in this building and write. This is where both the Writing Groups I'm involved with meet. I've learned so much here and had access to wonderful teachers. It is just a wonderful place. They are trying to offer more online classes so you can take a class without having to brave a Minnesota winter.

Hometown Love

2011-07-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've lived in Minnesota for 12 years but I grew up in the Quad Cities. I lived on both the Illinois and Iowa side of the Mississippi River. Last week President Obama visited my hometown and enjoyed a local restaurant.

Here's a video

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While the Magic Mountain is awesome I prefer the Maid Rite as my hometown food that lets me know I'm home. I also need to eat Smurf ice cream from Whitey's, it is blue and has little marshmallows in it. The closest I can find to it outside of the QC is a flavor called Blue Moon, blue but without the marshmallows.

Where did you grow up? What is your favorite food from your hometown?

I'm busy revising, rereading Harry Potter and rewatching the Harry Potter movies. I'm reading book 5 and I got a little weepy during the chapter The Woes of Mrs. Weasley.

Tips on Saying Yes

2011-07-06T05:27:00.000-07:00

I've learned over the years the importance of saying no to things.

In order to say no to things I try to think of writing as a job. It requires time to be successful.

But sometimes you have to say yes to things.

Maybe saying yes to a project makes money that can pay a bill that needs paying or can lead to more work down the line.

I sew and sometimes there are people who want me to work on projects and while this can be good (extra money) it can also be bad (sewing= not writing).

So here are some things I do when I say yes to things.

1. Set a rate of pay at least as high as my day job. Charge more for things like rush orders or projects that require a great deal of skill. I also remember that doing outside projects takes away from writing time so I keep that in mind when setting rates.

2. Try to get projects on the calendar as early as possible. This can mean still having time to write if I can start another project early enough.

3. Be picky about who I work with/for. I will alter clothes for most of my friends but if someone outside my circle of friends wants me to alter things I try to make sure they aren't too high maintenance.

How do you balance saying no to outside projects? How do you decide what projects to say yes to?

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Picture my ride

2011-06-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

I love biking and the long summer evenings are some of my favorite for biking. Here are some pictures from a recent bike ride. (They are kinda blurry because I don't have a fancy camera or a tripod for my not fancy camera)

Minneapolis skyline

Midtown building

A boat on the shore and reflections on Powderhorn Lake

Summer time and the writing is easy

2011-06-28T10:27:00.001-07:00

Summer has finally arrived in Minnesota.

There were times I was pretty sure it wasn't going to get but it's finally here.

The summer sun seems to have brought motivation with it. I've been working on my rewrite hoping to get through this revision by the end of August.

The call of the summer sun has made me sit in my seat and get my writing done so I can get outside and play instead of being stuck at my desk all day.

Do you work better in the summer? Or is summer vacation time?

Revising Tips

2011-06-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm revising.

This week I had a really awesome day. I had a moment of inspiration about a chapter that was totally awesome. Then I had this other chapter. This chapter that wouldn't behave. I struggled with how I should incorporate some of the suggestions from the people who gave me feedback.

But the chapter didn't want to work well with others.

So I just let the chapter sit in the corner and think about what it had done or was doing or whatever. Then I came back to it and now I'm really excited about some of the changes.

So when the thing you're revising isn't behaving make it sit in the corner and think.

Do you have any revising tips?

What I Learn at Summer Camp

2011-06-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

For the last 5 years I've taught at a craft class at a theater camp for kids.

The director always tells me how much the kids like me and how much they learn from me but every year I'm like "I learn so much from them."

Here's some important things I learned from my campers.

1. I am not made to be a full time teacher- Before I started teaching camp I was toying with the idea of going back to school to be a teacher. After my first summer, ok after my first week, I realized that while I love teaching kids to decorate hats, fans and scarves I'm not cut out to teach math, science, reading and social studies every day.

2. Patience- OK I'm pretty patient. If you work retail you totally want me in your check out line cause I'm never in a hurry. But I've learned to be patient with people who don't listen or who don't do what I explain or who don't listen (yeah, I said that twice).

3. Be encouraging and involve everyone- Everyone can be creative even the kid who seems like he's at camp because his parents don't want to pay for a babysitter but they really don't want him to burn down the house either.

4. Go with the flow- I have a plan but each class is different and some kids take the whole time to finish their craft and still want more time to work on it and others take no time at all. If I have time I answer questions they have about the theater or costumes. Mostly they want to tell me about all the shows they've seen or that they were in their school's production of High School Musical.

5. Use My Voice- Not the writing kind of voice but the voice that gets people's attention. The first day I taught camp I was nervous. When kids get bored they don't hide it very well. What if the kids didn't like me? What if the craft didn't work? By the end of the summer I was definitely more confident.

I know that what I've learned from my campers will be super valuable for things like school visits when I have a book published someday.

Tweet Tweet

2011-06-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

What are the FIVE Twitter handles/people you think everyone should follow?

@neilhimself Um yeah, Neil Gaiman. He's one of my faves. Also if you haven't read anything by him you should. I usually find myself crying at the end of his books and I can't explain it except that I'm so sad the book is over.

@halseanderson Everyone probably knows who Laurie Halse Anderson is and if you write for young adults she was probably one of the first people you followed. Me too.

@grammargirl I need to be better at grammar

Publishers- I follow a lot of book publishers so I'm not going to list them individually just that you should follow them especially in the genre you want to be published in.

Agents- I follow a few agents. Reading their tweets can be great info for what to do and what not to do when submitting.

Other fun stuff

2011-06-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching camp this week so I'm a little busy. Also working on my revision. So I leave you with other fun stuff.

My coworkers like to make quilts. So far they've made quilts for the shows 1776, Little House on the Prairie, Master Butchers Singing Club (I made a chinchilla quilt square for this one) and numerous babies.

I decided to make a Harry Potter quilt. Here's my sorting hat square.

Wardrobe Love

2011-06-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

Did you watch the Tony Awards last night?

Did you see Mark Rylance win? Yeah. That was awesome.

My heart broke a little every time The Scottsboro Boys didn't win. Seriously it is a wonderful, challenging, emotional show.

Since most of the people I was really pulling for to win a Tony last night didn't win this was one of my favorite moments. She gets all weepy about her dresser going away. I might have gotten weepy about an actor crying about her dresser.

Oh yeah and this was AWESOME

writing and revising

2011-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've been busy revising and writing. I will leave you with lolcats

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!