Lessons from Draft 3

A few weeks ago I sent out my current draft to my critique partners. I've been getting snippets of feedback trickling in and yesterday one of my critique partners and I sat down to talk about my wip. Here is what I know from talking with my critique partners.

1. The people who have read it so far actually care about and connect with my main character.

2. I have writing strengths and weaknesses.

3. There was humor in my book and serious parts in my wip and people got it.

4. Ideas for new scenes.

5. I have room to develop other characters.

Looking at my work I can see the flaws. I can see the areas that need work. But I'm also really excited. A couple years ago I made the decision to quit working two jobs and focus on my writing. I figured there would always be time for me find a second part time job later but that I really wanted to see if I could make it as a writer. Since I make my living in the arts having only one job has meant making some sacrifices. Knowing that my wip has legs (even if they are wobbly fawn-like legs right now) makes me feel like I made the right choice.

I'm excited to begin the revision process.

Friday Fives- Procrastination Nation

This week Paper Hangover ask the question

What are FIVE of your most distracting (procrastination-worthy) things (habits, websites, etc.) on the internet?

1. Facebook- I love connecting with friends and family on facebook. I do try to limit myself. I don't want to wake up one day and think that my novel isn't done because I was too busy keeping up on the lives of friends from high school.

2. Blogs- I love blogging but I also love reading and commenting on other people's blogs. In my mind reading and commenting is part of being a good blogger. Sometimes even if I don't have a blog post for the day I will still try to go and read/comment on other blogs.

3. Gmail- I check my email.

4. Twitter- I recently got a Twitter account. I did so despite knowing it could be a distraction from writing but I like connecting with other writers on Twitter.

5. Swagbucks- I've been thinking of making a sign that says "Will work for Amazon gift cards". I heard about this site from Emily's Reading Room. Basically the site rewards points for things you probably already do on the internet-search, buying groupons, using coupons, playing games- and you can trade those points in for prizes, like Amazon gift cards.

Happy Birthday Bob Dylan

I live in Minnesota. Bob Dylan is one of our favorite people to hail from Minnesota.

This is one of my favorite covers of It Ain't Me Babe. From A Nod to Bob celebrating Bob's 60th birthday.

And then there's this song. Bob sketched out as Rock Me Mama but Old Crow Medicine Show used the chorus in the song Wagon Wheel

Twisters

Yesterday afternoon a tornado touched down in North Minneapolis and some surrounding suburbs.

Thankfully I live in South Minneapolis so while I heard the sirens I did not hear that freight train sound and the sky wasn't green where I live.

Myth: Tornados don't happen in cities.

Actually they do. Last year a tornado touched down in South Minneapolis.

Many of my friends call North Minneapolis home. Today those friends are picking up pieces of neighbors houses out of their lawns. Removing trees that have fallen onto roofs.

North Minneapolis isn't a wealthy part of the city. Many of the people who live there struggle to overcome the issues facing their neighborhood. Recovery from this is another stumbling block they will have to face.

I know there were storms in other parts of the country yesterday as well and people are still recovering from past storms.

Consider making a donation to a chapter of The American Red Cross serving an area affected by storms.

Friday Fives- The five things I can't live without.

Paper Hangover asks the question

What are FIVE things you can't live without when you're writing or revising?

1. Tea. I started drinking coffee at the ripe old age of 14. Now coffee makes me jittery so I drink tea. My favorite tea is from The Tea Source. My favorites are Earl Grey, Green Tea with Mango and Green Tea with Pomegranate.

2. Almond Butter. My current fave is Justin's Maple Almond butter. I usually start my writing day with an apple and almond butter. For a treat I like Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut butter on a gluten free waffle.

3. Music. I like to listen to music when I write. I also like to make playlists for projects I'm working on.

4. My Kindle. Um this is my new favorite revision tool. I send my Kindle my manuscript then I can read it anywhere. On the light rail, backstage, at the airport, on a trip, on the elliptical. Being able to read my manuscript anywhere I want without having to lug around a binder full of paper has helped my revision process. Also when I'm stuck I can read. Sometimes when I'm writing/ revising I get stuck. But watching TV or checking facebook can lead to major time suckage. Reading keeps my head in the writing game.

5. My writing group. I could try to write without them but our meetings keep me motivated. Being able to report at our weekly check in that I had a successful week helps me. It pushes me to write because I don't want to be the writer who is bringing us down. I believe that success is contagious. Seeing one of my writing partners finish her recent draft helped me push through and finish my third draft.

reading pays off

A few weeks ago I was biking to work on a cold day and I found a phone. It was one of those smart phone things like an iPhone but not an iPhone.

You know I like Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden so it should be no surprise that I picked the phone up off the bike path/sidewalk. I looked at the lightrail station platform to see if anyone matched a smart phone with a pink cover but since there was only a group of guys going to a Twins game I took the phone to work.

I called T-mobile. They were little help. Why can our phones/technology track our every move but can't get us back to our lost items.

While I was on the phone with t-mobile someone called the phone so I called them back to tell them the phone was at the lost and found at my job.

Then on my dinner break I saw a craigslist lost and found post that fit the description of the phone. So I told the poster that the phone was at the lost and found at my job.

The people were so happy and thankful they sent me an email telling me what an awesome person I was and they wanted to thank me and what did I want. I pretty much said I was glad to be one of the good people in the world and that I didn't need anything really but that I did like amazon. I didn't hear anything else but I stopped by work the other day for a friends b-day and there was an amazon gift card in my mailbox. Now I can fill my Kindle with more awesome like Possession by Elana Johnson.

The moral of this story is reading pays off. Having awesome book heroines has given me the skills to reunite smart phones with their owners.

How has reading paid off for you?

What's in a name?

I think one of the most fun things about writing is naming things. We get to name our characters, the streets they live on, their family members and their pets.

While I have a niece and nephew I don't have my own kids so I really enjoy naming my characters.

Have you ever had this happen?

A few years ago I participated in my first NaNoWriMo. My MC was named Chloe. I didn't really talk about my story because I'm one of those protective people when it comes to my writing. Anyway seven months after NaNoWriMo wrapped up my niece was born. Her name is Chloe. I never talked about my story with my sister so I always thought this was a cool coincidence. I haven't done anything else with this story but I like to think if I worked on it again I would keep the name of the mc the same.

In my current wip, which I've been working on for a couple years now, my mc is named Hannah. Recently my dad got remarried to a woman who has a daughter named Hannia. Now Hannah and Hannia don't sound exactly the same but it was a little weird for me to write the name of my new step sister and have it be so close to my mc's name.

Has this happened to you? You settle on the perfect name for your MC only to have a family member come along with the same name? What do you do?

swimming with dolphins and catching pelicans

I am back from my vacation in Cabo San Lucas.

Wow. Cabo is about as different from Minnesota as possible. Here everything is sort of green, except for December-March when it is white/gray. There everything is tan except for the ocean which is blue.

In Minnesota we fish through a hole dug in the ice so trying to fish in Cabo on the rolling ocean waves was quite an experience. I didn't catch any fish but I did catch a pelican and for a little while we were moving through a school of dolphins in hopes of catching some tuna. I guess tuna follows the dolphins.

I was hoping to Stand Up Paddle Board in Cabo but it seemed too wavy for me. The last time I attempted to SUP was at Madeline Island on a day when there were 15-20 knot winds and choppy waters. I'm still going to try to master the SUP but I think I'll do this on Lake of the Isles where it is fairly calm. The sea kayak ended up being the right choice for the day.

The coolest thing I did on my trip was swim with a dolphin. At Cabo Adventures they have all sorts of tourist things like an America's Cup New Zealand boat race, a zip line adventure, whale watching, camel safari, scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming with dolphins.

I love dolphins and have always wanted to do something like this. I also love swimming.

While on vacation I also read some books. My dad's apartment has a deck and in the afternoon the deck is nice and shaded so you can sit there and read and listen to the rotation of pop music from the bar below. This is actually the perfect afternoon activity because it is really hot in Mexico.

I have always said my dad's life is a little like a Jimmy Buffet song. Needless to say I was rather entertained by the fact that for the time I was there he was nursing a bruised heel. He got this injury on a recent walk when his sandal broke. I pointed out how very Margaritaville that was. I think this was lost on him because I had to then remind him of the lyric- I blew out my flip flop/stepped on a pop top/ bruised my heel/ had to cruise on back home.

Vacation

I'm going on vacation. Not sure if I'll be updating my blog on vacation. I don't usually bring my laptop when I travel, unless I'm going to visit my sister. This is because I'm wimpy and I'm on vacation.

Now I'm off to paint my nails Cozumelted in the Sun before going to sleep so I can wake up at O'dark thirty to catch my flight. Believe it or not there was an earlier flight but that wasn't going to happen.

Announcement

My story "Emma Leads the Pack" is in the May 2011 issue of Stories for Children Magazine

This is the second story that I've had published by Stories for Children Magazine.

SFC took a hiatus for about a year but they are starting back up. Check out the site for more details on their publishing schedule as well as a list of possible themes for issues.

In the past readers were able to read the current month's issue online but this time around SFC is a paying market. Which means that issues are no longer free. Here is a link to download the May 2011 issue. They have back issues available there too.

What I'm Reading- Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance

I got this book because I'd seen reviews of it on people's blogs but also because it was $1.84 on the Kindle. I'm always looking for affordable books for my Kindle.

This book was so funny and sweet and it was so totally my type of book.

The book follows stars of a teen sitcom Charlie(Jenna) and Fielding/Aaron(Jonah). The show is in trouble and the romance is exposed as a fake. The two characters end up staring in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Charlie loves this play and it has been her dream to play Beatrice forever but she isn't sure she can act on stage or only on her tv sitcom.

Here is what I loved about this book.

- Much Ado About Nothing- The theater I work at is doing this show in the fall. I imagine that there will be many school groups coming to see the show. I think this would be a fun read for anyone who has a performance of Much Ado About Nothing in their future.

-Shakespeare- Shakespeare is all about mistaken identities and masks and disguises. This book is very true to that as the characters find out who they are in the layers of all the parts they play.

-Oregon Shakespeare Festival- I've had friends work here. I kept asking one of my coworkers if things were true. Do they really have dessert at midnight on Wednesdays and Sundays? Do you really live in a rustic little cabin?

-Theater- I love books about theater.

What are you reading?

May and Tonys

May is here! Today there is sun and it actually feels like May. There were these funny flakes in the sky the last couple days but apparently The May Day Parade was successful in bringing the sun even if it didn't arrive on May Day.

I didn't post an a to z reflection yesterday but I had a wonderful time. It was a fun challenge. Thank you to the hosts and to everyone who visited, commented on or followed my blog.

What else is here? Tony award nominations!

This year I'm super excited about the nominations because I had the honor of working on shows and with people who went on to be nominated.

I worked on The Scottsboro Boys when it was in Minneapolis for its pre-Broadway run. I was sad to see that it closed earlier than scheduled last winter because I think this is a story that needs to be told and heard. It is a show that challenges the audience. They are hoping to bring it back. I hope they do. Disney and Hollywood seem to have taken over Broadway and I want to see shows like this survive.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Joshua Henry, Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon. These men are amazing and I hope they win.

I also got to work on the play Brief Encounter from Kneehigh Theater when it was in Minneapolis. If you live across the pond or are planning to go across the pond be sure to check out their shows. Hannah Yelland was nominated for her role as a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in Brief Encounter. Congrats to her. You go girl.

Anyway I'm proud that shows I worked on got nominated and people I worked with got nominated. I'm proud to work at a theater that brings these plays to their audiences.

Z is for Zumba

Z is for Zumba

I frequently take Dance Breaks. One of my Co-workers calls me Dance Party because of my dance breaks. My current favorite dance break is Just Dance 2 on the Wii.

Right now I'm not allowed to buy new dance video games for my wii because I have too many. But when I lift this ban I'm getting the Zumba game for my wii.

Do you take Zumba? What is your favorite thing about Zumba?

Y is Yoga

Y is for Yoga

This is where I learn acceptance for myself.

See I'm not a naturally bendy person. Seriously when I was a kid I could punish at all the elements of the Presidential Fitness test except for the dreaded Sit and Reach. I couldn't even reach the lines with the numbers on them. I blame this on my long legs, my short torso and what I believe to be short hamstrings.

Flash forward to adulthood. I took Yoga classes at my Y but I was never that excited about it. I would be happily hit the snooze button and skip yoga class. But that changed. I got in a car accident and I had to trade my running workouts for yoga. I stopped skipping my yoga class and I even added yoga to my life at home using the Wii Fit.

Yoga is great for writers. We spend days hunched over a computer. Yoga can give those muscles a break.

Here are my tips for yoga

1. There is no prize on the floor.

2. Don't compare yourself to other people. Sometimes I close my eyes during poses so I don't look at other people.

3. Find someone in the class who is at your level. When I need to modify I look to one of the 65 year old men in the room for modifications.

4. Try out different teachers/styles. If your gym offers yoga it is probably taught by different teachers throughout the week. Different teachers have different teaching styles. There are also different styles of yoga.

5. Accept yourself.

If you want to try some yoga check out some of these resources.

Yoga for Artists , a free pdf by Cyn Narcisi

YogiChocolate download yoga classes, donation based.

Yoga Journal a yoga magazine. A great way to learn more about poses and yoga practice

My Yoga Studio- a yoga workout on your Kindle

My favorite Yogi

Do you practice yoga? Has it helped you with your writing?

X is for Xanadu

This is all I have. I am thisclose to finishing draft three of my WIP. This is the version I'm sending to my writing group for feedback.

W is for Wild Rumpus

W is for Wild Rumpus.

This is my favorite children's bookstore in Minneapolis. See the door? It is actually two doors. The purple door is for kid sized people and kids at heart who can duck to fit through. The big door is for grown ups.

"Where are the chickens?"

That is what kids say when they walk in.

Why? Because in addition to an amazing selection of books for kids The Wild Rumpus is home to some chickens, manx cats, rats, lizards, and a chinchilla.

I didn't see the cats today but I did see the chickens. Here a chicken browses the crafty book section. I also encountered a chicken in the YA section.

I'm a sucker for pets at bookstores. In college I frequented a bookstore that had two cats, Hardback and Softie. My friend who owns The Haunted Bookshop in Iowa City also has store cats.

Chinchilla at Wild Rumpus

Chinchilla I made for Master Butcher's Singing Club Quilt

YA fans don't fear. They have a great selection of all the books you love. I even saw some hard covers in the 50% off section. They have a small used book section where you can score books for $1.00. I managed to get Gregor and the Code of the Claw by Suzanne Collins.

The cave at the right is where they keep the "scary" books. Vampires, ghosts and other scary things live in there. Be sure to look through the window on the floor because a pair of rats makes their home here too.

Other purchases include The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle. I borrowed this book from a friend but enjoyed it so much I wanted my own copy. There is a second book in the series as well and I hear she is working on the third book.

I also bought Julia Gillian (and the Dream of the Dog) by Alison McGhee. Julia lives in the uptown area of Minneapolis. In one illustration in this book she is wearing a Minnesota Twins jersey. I love seeing this area of the city through Julia's eyes.

W is also for writing which is what I need to do now.

What is your favorite book store? Does your favorite bookstore have pets?

V is for Veronica Mars

V is for Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars is one of my favorite TV shows. It only ran for three seasons which is a bummer but you can watch all those seasons on Netflix which rocks.

Veronica is the daughter of Neptune's former sheriff who now runs his own Private Investigation business after he lost the election.

Veronica's best friend was murdered. Like her father she doesn't believe the man convicted of the murder actually did it.

In between trying to solve the mystery of her best friend's murder Veronica solves mysteries for fellow students at Neptune High.

Fans of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and the Maggie Quinn, Girl vs. Evil books will like Veronica.

Here's what I learned watching Veronica Mars.

1. Suspense. There are some pretty suspenseful moments in this show. Thank goodness for Netflix so I don't have to wait a week for the next episode.

2. Tension. This show is full of tension.

3. Plot and subplot. Basically the structure of these seasons is that there is one big mystery to solve each school year but then there are little mysteries uncovered along the way. Even when she is tracking down a her classmate's lost dog she we are usually reminded at some point in the episode of the bigger mystery. We always know Veronica wants to solve the big mystery even as she's solving smaller mysteries on the side. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of what a character wants when dealing with subplots. But that doesn't happen in this show.

4. Always watch what other characters are doing. Veronica is observant. When writing a scene observe the scene like you are solving a mystery. What are all the characters doing? Is anything out of place or does anyone's behavior seem funny? Show that.

5. Not everything is what it seems.

What is your favorite TV show? Has it made you a better writer?

U is for Unicorns

U is for Unicorns.

The first "book" I wrote was in second grade. It was written on construction paper with a wallpaper cover and yarn binding. Not only did I write it I illustrated it too. It was about a space traveling unicorn who had to leave her planet.

My mom found it when she was moving and now it is in my possession.

The awesome thing about this, despite the fact that it is funny as hell to read now that I'm a grown up, is that I have some proof that yes I've been writing forever.

Troll vs unicorn

But more awesome than that is the person who encouraged me to write. Miss Johnson, my second grade teacher. The books were her idea. We also made one for Easter but I can't find that one. She read to us aloud every day. It was in Miss Johnson's class that I first met Charlotte and Wilber, Mrs. Frisby, Ramona Quimby and the gang.

Besides that she encouraged creativity.

Her encouragement was the foundation of a lifelong love of reading and writing.

I teach at a theater camp in the summer and I try to encourage the way Miss Johnson did. A lot of kids think they're bad at art/crafts. I encourage them that there is no bad art in my class. Everything is an expression of who they are. Eventually even the kids who think they are bad at art get into the project. If you ever have the chance to teach kids art, theater, or writing make sure you encourage them as much as possible. You never know who may grow up to be a writer, artist, musician, actor.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter.

My friend Elise made an Easter Basket made out of bacon. Check it out on her blog, Elise's Kitchen

Here are the results of the Pioneer Press Peep Diorama contest.

If you still haven't had enough of the marshmallowy goodness check out the Washington Post Peep Show V

T is for Thanks, Ties and Theater

T is for Thanks, Ties and Theater

First of all Thanks to everyone who has become a follower on my blog in the last month. Thank you for all the comment and for just being awesome. Thank you to Arlee Bird, Jeffrey Beesler, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Jen Daiker, Candace Granger, Karen J. Gowen, Talli Roland, and Stephen Tremp for hosting this challenge. It has been great so meet so many new bloggers.

T is for Tying up loose ends.

I'm nearing the end of my revision (for this draft anyway) so I am busy tying up the loose ends in my story. As Chekov put it- If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there. In my case there are no actual guns in my story but there is a holiday, a trophy and a report card that still need to be dealt with.

T is for Theater

I work in theater so I listen to plays all day at work. If it has been forever since you've gone to see a play make a trip to a theater. Learn from the masters like Shakespeare, Chekov, Miller, Wilson and even Shaw how to tell a story. A lot of quality theater have more affordable rush line tickets. Check out your theater's box office to see how that works.

What has been the best part of the A-Z challenge for you? Do you have a favorite play or playwright?