Finding Time to Read

I have a crazy long TBR list. Don't believe me? Check this:

Friend Me on Goodreads

I use Goodreads to keep track of all the books I want to read, but I also have stacks of physical books, and my nook is filled with purchased books, library books, and manuscripts from awesome writer friends.

I love reading. Love it so much that every time I start a book, I'm in danger of losing sleep, missing appointments, and not feeding the children. I'm only sorta kidding.

But I have a problem: reading takes up the same real estate in my brain that I use for writing (note: this only applies to fiction. I can read non-fiction and write fiction. I can read fiction and write non-fiction, i.e. blogs. I just can't cross the streams and read and write fiction at the same time.) I've never been one of those people that could read more than one book at a time, either (in spite of my Goodreads list, which thinks I'm reading three books).

As a writer, this is a handicap I need to overcome.

I recently read Hello Blog, Are You There? It's Me Writer by Kristen Lamb (non-fiction! So, I can keep writing). She says there are three main components to a writer's life:

* Reading/Watching Movies/TV
* Writing
* Blogging/Social Media/Promotion

This isn't exactly news.

But her grouping into thirds triggers my Logic Brain and I immediately start assessing whether I'm doing the things on the list. Creative Brain likes to do it out of order:

Writing
This I'm doing well, by which I mean, I spend substantial numbers of hours every day with my butt-in-chair. I'm starting and finishing manuscripts. I'm getting great critical feedback, attending writer's conferences, and moving my craft forward. Creative Brain likes to start with the things we score high in.

Blogging/Social Media/Promotion
I think I'm making a good effort here. Whether I'm doing it right is another question. But I have a pretty firm grasp on the basics, and have a ridiculous number of buttons on the sidebar where you can find me. I blog regularly, which is the focus of my social media efforts so far, and Kristen Lamb approves of that.

Auggie, with his shirt on, because this is a PG blog.

Reading/Watching Movies/ TV
Here's where I fall down. I stopped watching TV for NaNo two years ago, and never really went back (although I have a weakness for Auggie, and Big Bang Theory is required watching in my house when it's in season). Movies are like Red Bull for my Creative Brain, and I can manage them because I'm only absorbed for a limited time. But books ... my beloved books ...

When I'm writing intensely, it's really tough for me to read fiction without getting distracted.

But I need to find a way. This is a handicap I can overcome, I'm sure of it. I just need to figure out what will work to keep my Creative Brain fed without having it wander off into Distraction Land and never come back.

Do you have any tips for me? Should I only read boring books? Or novels way out of my genre (MG and YA)?

How do you manage reading and writing at the same time?

p.s. Every Thursday, my publisher, Omnific Publishing sponsors an author blog hop (any author can join). Check it out!

Hiding Stuff in Broad Daylight

Where would Harry be without his invisibility cloak?

In detention, in Snape's office, most likely.

Tiny rings that bend light.

What once was considered magical is now scientific reality, as scientists just figured out how to hide more stuff in broad daylight. There have been invisibility devices of a sort before: a fancy projection system (think the green screen weatherman) that worked like optical camouflage to render you invisible; stealth technology that made an F-117A bomber look like a pigeon on radar (although I never understood why a pigeon moving at Mach speeds wouldn't be, well, suspicious).

But more recently, scientists have been cooking up metamaterials that can literally bend electromagetic waves (using nano materials that interacted at tiny size scales with the waves). But those generally only worked on small objects and only masked microwaves and infrared light. Which is great if you're trying to hide a button from a lizard, but hiding wayward young wizards from their possibly evil wizard instructors was a ways off.

Still the idea of bending light was a major breakthrough.

Well, those scientists have been busy, and now use these metamaterials bend light at all wavelengths, including visible light, making it truly possible to hide something in broad daylight (at least from our eyes or other visual detectors). These are true cloaking devices. Now simply coating an object with the right material can hide it from view.

I'm waiting for them to figure out how to apply it to a blanket that is light weight enough to sneak into the library.

I'll take mine in size XL.

The only question would be, do you call it an invisibility cloak? Because I think we need a new name for the real thing.

Suggestions?

Campaign!

I've signed up for the Third Writer's Platform-Building Campaign! Here's the blurb:

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.

Already, there are almost 400 bloggers signed up, and too many cool friends have already joined, so I had to sign up for the fun. If you're a writer/blogger hop over and check it out!

Training Your Intuition

Picture Credit

Intuition is often either knocked as superstitious (by Logic Brain types) or embraced as a mystical power (by Creative Brain types). (p.s. my brain is half of each; they fight a lot.)

I'm beginning to think intuition is our own personal superpower.

On vacation, I picked up a magazine at a local bookstore in Leadville, CO, and read aloud in the car (best way to quell the insurrection in the back seat). The article claimed about 95% of what we know is actually knowledge stored in our unconscious, with only the remaining 5% available for conscious recall.

The article used an example based on driving. When drivers were asked to consciously describe the steps involved in changing lanes, they were unable to do it correctly. However, they could all perform the motions easily when actually driving. They had long ago learned how to change lanes, and after many repetitions, the process gets "forgotten" by the conscious mind, turning into a kind of "muscle memory" familiar to pianists and athletes.

It doesn't just work for physical tasks, though. Much of what we know, we have trained our brain to understand. We don't have to recall a particular knowledge consciously, to deploy it (very successfully) on intuition alone. The fact that you can read this sentence without sounding out the words is evidence of a complex task you learned a long time ago and now perform without consciously thinking about it.

My husband is a great example of this, having done tremendous amounts of engineering calculations and design work over many years. I often tell him that his off-the-top-of-his-head guess about a mechanical design is better than most people's calculations. And it is. Because he knows how mechanics and structural properties and stresses work. He's trained his intuition in mechanical design.

I think the same applies to writing.

When I'm learning a new concept (to me) about writing - whether craft or storytelling or process - I have to repeat it. Again and again, preferably with an actual WiP. Then there comes a point where I don't have to consciously think about it (as much). I can feel it seeping into my unconscious. I've trained my intuition to know how to use active verbs or how to build rising tension.

I believe we all have trained our intuitions with years (and decades) of reading great stories. Tapping into that intuition, listening to that gut feel about your story, can open an avenue to reaping the knowledge you have (but may not realize) about storytelling.

And all that time you're spending learning new craft? Someday it's going to be as natural as breathing.

And that's a superpower if I've ever seen one.

(Note: I don't think writing ever gets easy. There is always the struggle to get words out of your brain and on to the page. But the product that comes out improves with the amount of training your intuition has received on which words to pick, when, and why. This is similar to the theory about writing a million bad words before writing good ones or laboring for 10,000 hours to become an expert in something. Both involve a lot of training of your intuition.)

How do you train your intuition?

Meet Rick Daley, Author of The Man in the Cinder Clouds

On Monday, I recommended a great new middle grade book, The Man in the Cinder Clouds, and today we have author Rick Daley as a guest to talk about the path that The Man in the Cinder Clouds took to publication.

In previous Notes from the E-Revolution, we talked about how authors these days were mixing it up, combining self and traditional publishing, carving a path for themselves in the changing landscape of the industry. I love Rick’s path as well as his novel, so I’m glad he’s here to share with us today.

First, give us the short blurb on The Man in the Cinder Clouds and tell us what inspired you to write it?

First off, thanks Sue for inviting me to share my story with your readers!  Here’s a teaser blurb:

The freezing temperature is the only thing cool about Jason’s trip to the North Pole, but things heat up when his father discovers a book buried deep in the ice.  This is no ordinary book, mind you. For starters, it was written by an Elf. And if that’s not enough, the book proves the existence of Kris Kringle—you know, Santa Claus.  It’s a story you have to read to believe, and once you do Christmas will never be the same. 

The idea first came to me in 2003, when my first son was two years old and I was explaining to him the magic of Christmas.  “You’d better be good, or Santa won’t bring you any presents,” was the way I put it.  The spell worked, by the way, he was (and still is) a good boy.  I wrote a short blog post about the incident, and in it I mentioned that Santa’s capacity was low because he lost two toy factories when the ice under them gave way as a result of global warming.  What can I say, I have a warped outlook on many things.

I didn’t let go of the thought, though.  It evolved into the basic premise: a book telling the origins of Santa is found in an ice core.  My first thought was to write is as a screenplay, and include every Christmas cliché as a joke, similar to how the fairy tales made appearances in “Shrek” and the classic toys had their roles in “Toy Story.”  The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized Hollywood would really screw up the story, and if I wanted my vision to make its way to the big screen, writing it as a novel was the way to go.

As I wrote it, it evolved from a farce to a more realistic story, it took on more of a gritty-and-real edge, like “Batman Begins” but with Santa.  Not that it’s without warmth and humor, but there is action and peril, too.  The clichés are there, but not as jokes, they all play into the characters and stem from the story.

How interesting that it evolved from a farce! It's certainly a full-on adventure story now! 

At one point, you were agented and pursuing publication with another novel (that I also had the pleasure of reading). Can you share the journey The Man in the Cinder Clouds took to publication?  Was there a singular moment when you decided “Yes, I’m going to self-publish this story”?

Like anything in publishing, it was long, filled with as much waiting as hard work.  While I had my chapter book, RUDY TOOT-TOOT on submission, and while I was between jobs, I cranked out the first draft in about 6 weeks.  (This was in spring 2010…seven years after the premise first popped into my head.  Thankfully I kept thinking about the story so when I finally wrote it I had a pretty clear picture of what was going to happen.)

I submitted it to my agent, and she stopped all communications for six months.  Naturally, as a writer, I am totally self-conscious and quickly determined that she hated the book and was so upset I sent it to her in rough form she never wanted to talk to me again.  In reality, her parents took ill and she had taken on too many clients too quickly and was simply overwhelmed and had never read it.  When she finally explained this to me, she promised to read it.  She didn’t.  She asked for more time.  I gave it to her.  Twice.  Eventually I realized she was not the agent for me and we both agreed to move on.

I continued revising the book for many more months considering my options.  In May of this year I realized that to find a new agent and go the traditional publishing route, this story would not meet its audience until Christmas 2013 (maybe 2012 if I was really lucky, but probably 2013).  I’ve been watching friends self-publish in print and ebook formats, and realized I could go that route and have a quality book out before Christmas 2011. 

Worm Burner and I have already read it, and I look forward to reading it again at Christmas time as a read-aloud! What other novels do you have in the works? Do you think you’ll stick with middle grade? 

I have RUDY TOOT-TOOT, a 17,000-word chapter book.  I may self-publish that one too, the hurdle to clear is the budget for illustrations.  I have stories outlined for two additional Rudy books, and I’m outlining a sequel to THE MAN IN THE CINDER CLOUDS.  I’m not going to give up too much about that right now, but I will say that there is one very famous Christmas character that didn’t make an appearance in the first book because he wasn’t born yet.  And I have a couple surprise twists to throw in. 

[Editorial note: Ok, I can't wait for that one!]

Some day I’m going to finish re-writing my first novel, a paranormal thriller titled FATE’S GUARDIAN.  It has a good story behind it, but as all first novels go (that I am aware of) it is deeply flawed in its current state.

I’m also working on a satire about the end of the world titled EARTH’S END, which is the one I’ll probably finish next because that’s the one my wife wants me to write, and when she’s happy, we’re all happy ;-)  Plus it’s a fun one to write, but definitely not a kids’ book.

[Editor's note: I really want to read that one too!]

The Man in the Cinder Clouds just came out recently, but what do you think of the self-publishing experience so far? Is it meeting your expectations?

I think it’s great.  I’ve learned a lot about formatting, copy editing, and interior design.  And I am also very lucky to have a diverse group of critique partners who helped me to see the strengths and weaknesses in the story so I could revise it and make it shine. 

So far my expectations have been met.  I tried to be realistic, and while I dream big for the future, my plan was for a soft summer launch to gain support of a core group of readers and get some reviews logged on Amazon.com.  I’m planning a more formal marketing push as we get closer to the Christmas season, so we’ll have to wait and see how that goes…

Good luck! I can just see all those Christmas shoppers...Any tips for others considering self-publishing in the near future?

Consider your goals.  If you hope to sell a ton of books and you want to self-publish, it’s possible, but you must be prepared to take on the role of publisher and promoter, not just writer.  You are the sales and marketing department, the administration and finance department…basically the CEO of a start-up company.  You will need to set aside a budget for cover art, promotional copies, and marketing.  It will take time and money.  If you try to self-publish just because it’s fast and cheap the end result will reflect that. 

If you just want to see your book in print and make it available for your family and friends, please take the time to make it a quality product.  The worst book I’ve ever read was a self-published ebook (I read it several months back.  I won’t reveal the title, but it was an adult murder-mystery that was so bad it was almost, but not really, funny).  There is a stigma about self-published books being slushpile vanity projects, but the tides are turning, and there is opportunity for those who are willing to take it seriously and put the time and money into it.

Very wise words! Thanks so much for sharing your path and your story with us today! 

Thanks for giving me the opportunity!  I’ll be watching the comments today in case anyone has any additional questions.

Lastly, we have two winners of Rick's Man in the Cinder Clouds! They are ...

LTM and Bryan Russell!

I know your little ones will enjoy The Man in the Cinder Clouds!

Recommended Book: The Man in the Cinder Clouds

If middle grade e-books are the next big thing, Rick Daley is right on time.

The Man in the Cinder Clouds, Rick Daley's delightful Christmas Tale, is a story within a story within a story. I love how Rick weaves these three plots together, each dependent on the other, nested like Christmas Dolls.

In the first, we follow Jason to the North Pole where his father's scientific team is drilling for ice cores (go science! Points for arctic coolness here). Instead they find a magical book that tells the second tale, of one Kris Kringle before he was the chief bringer of gifts. Kris' search to find his true family and proof of human virtue leads us to the third tale, the story of Aaron and Alice, two orphaned children struggling to survive in a long-ago time when life wasn't easy for anyone, especially children dependent on nasty uncles trying to rob them of their inheritance. The three stories twist and turn together, bringing modern and ancient adventures together with a splash of magic and the wonder of Christmas in this completely fresh take on the story of Santa Claus.

There is some peril of main characters in the book, so I wouldn't recommend The Man in the Cinder Clouds for the very young, but it makes a great Christmas read for readers age 7+.

Full disclosure: I was a critique partner for Rick during the early stages of this story. As many of you know, critique partners get an glimpse of wonderful stories before they are published and have the special privilege of helping to make them a bit better. We also get to be the first fans. From my first read of The Man in the Cinder Clouds, I knew this was a story that needed to see print. I'm so glad that Rick decided to self-publish and share his Christmas Story with children and adults alike!

The Man in the Cinder Clouds is available in print and e-book from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. You can also find it on Facebook and Goodreads.

And Rick is giving away TWO print copies of The Man in the Cinder Clouds, one domestically in the US and one internationally, because "the ebook is available internationally, and Santa makes stops around the globe, so I think it's just right to follow suit."

Just leave a comment below today or tomorrow - winner will be announced on Wednesday, when we will have an interview with Rick, and more about his path to publication. Stop back then!

Notes from the E-Revolution

I've found a theme song for the E-Revolution: Make It Up As You Go by the Plain White T's.

I'm partial to the whole Wonders of the Younger album, especially the title song, which is a ballad to kidlit, if I ever heard one!

Moving on ...

E-Readers for Kids
While on vacation, I took a quick tally at the airport: 2 iPads, 2 Kindles, 1 Nook, and 4 paperbacks (just in two rows). There's nothing like travel to bring out the e-readers! In fact, my Nook was in high demand during our trip. Last year, each of the boys brought their own (paper) books on vacation, and I encouraged them to try a Nook book as well (and loaded the Nook with several for myself). This year, we had a lot of driving to do, and with four people reading at once, we had to bring paper books. But the kids complained - they ALL wanted to read on the Nook.

Worm Burner (10yo) has started a campaign to get me to upgrade to a Nook Color like Grandpa has (darn him!), so I'll hand down my Nook to him. "It will be the boys' Nook," he argues, knowing that I like it when they share. After a week of passing the Nook around in the car, and having to fight Dark Omen (12yo) for it, I'm starting to see the merits.

Which makes me think that a boom in e-books for Middle Grade can't be far behind.

Laura Pauling said as much in her post, where she speculates that parents upgrading their e-readers this Christmas will hand down their old e-readers to their kids ... and a increase in MG e-books will result.

On the Kindle Boards (the trenches of the E-Revolution), there was a great thread on the possibility of a surge in MG e-books. Will Pottermore put more e-readers in kids hands? Or the fact that Toys R Us is now stocking Kindle in their stores?

(BTW, have you gotten your e-owl? I'm still waiting for mine. I'm such a Muggle.)

E-books ... coming to a middle grader near you.

Back-to-School Supplies: Don't forget your e-reader!
I posted about the 900 iPads that will soon be in the hands of 3rd-6th graders in two schools in my district (low-income schools that won a grant). It will be interesting to see how teachers adapt and use that technology to teach, but textbooks are already finding their way to iPad (via Inkling).

Gartner analyst Allan Weiner says Inkling's major challenge is getting schools and professors on board. "Students buy the texts their professors recommend to them," he says. He thinks it will take about five years for students to fully make the switch from analog textbooks to digital.

My hairdresser is an early adapter who has been taking her online college classes on her iPad since it came out. Anytime I see a prediction like above, about the E-Revolution, I cut it in half (at least). So, expect to see e-textbooks become the norm in about 2 years.

The speed of the E-Revolution continues to amaze me. But technology revolutionizes every industry that it touches. Publishing is no different. Ten years from now, when my kids are all in college, hunched over their e-textbooks and collaborating with students in China via holographic Google+chat, I'll be ... doing e-signings and sending them virtual care packages.

What do you imagine the future will hold?

Shakespeare for Kids - A Comedy of Errors

My husband thought I was crazy when I suggested taking our three boys to Boulder's Shakespeare Festival while we were vacationing in Colorado. But they were staging The Comedy of Errors and I couldn't pass it up. Plus, when queried, the kids were all for it. At which point, the husband gives me this shifty-eyed look, like I set the whole thing up (I swear I didn't).

For those not familiar with the Bard, The Comedy of Errors is a "farce of mistaken identities, taking place in the course of one whirlwind day, featuring two sets of twins separated at birth, slapstick humor, and fantastic coincidences."

It was a huge hit.

The costuming was extravagant, the words all Shakespearean (except for a few modern references thrown in with hilarious effect - Expecto Patronum to you sir!), but the thing that made this a terrific children's play was the out-sized physical acting.

Dromio, Dromio, wherefore Art Thou Dromio?

The gestures were so grand, the intent made so clear, the words mattered not. Even Mighty Mite (8yo) was rolling with laughter at the pratfalls, the exaggerated expressions, and the obvious confusion and chaos. That actions can convey so much, even when the language is rife with obscure 16th century references most of the audience would never understand, amazed me. There was even a point where one of the actors broke the illusion, stepped into a spot light to deliver a lecture on the meaning of one of the terms in Shakespeare's rich vocabulary. He was rightly booed back into character and the play proceeded apace. When he did it a second time, a sly self-deprecating comment on their ribald style, I was completely sold on the brilliance of the troupe (and their director).

Half-way through the show, as my husband and I were exchanging glances of delight across the stone seats, I realized the great lesson being taught before us. SHOW not TELL is a maximum repeated over and over for writers. Actors personify this in their craft. Kidlit writers can sometimes struggle to render complex emotional stories into a form that children can understand. But I think we just have to try that much more.

Because even children can understand well your meaning, kind sir, when you have filled it up with outrageous gesture, absurd coincidence and sublime comedy, that finest of arts.

Note to self: never underestimate the ability of children to "get" the fine arts. Shakespeare was one of the great highlights of our trip.

Fueling Spaceships Just Got Easier

The problem with being a science fiction writer is that those darn scientists keep leap-frogging ahead of us, discovering actual cool stuff that's even more amazing than what we dream up.

You know what they say about truth being stranger than fiction (because fiction is restrained to the plausible, while truth doesn't care if you can believe it or not).

Apparently, there are rings of anti-protons circling Earth (that we've just now discovered).

Anti-matter spacecraft

Anti-protons are the anti-matter of protons. In case you didn't already know, anti-matter does exist and has been produced at the CERN laboratory by colliding high speed particles to produce all kinds of strangeness. In theory, anti-matter collisions with matter can produce large amounts of energy (also radiation) that could be used to power spaceships. In fact, anti-matter engines are a staple of science fiction (I put one in my middle grade SF novel, Clone Runners). But in practice, it is difficult to isolate anti-matter and even harder to generate it in sufficient quantities to power a light-bulb, much less a space craft.


Along comes Reality.


Turns out there's a bunch of anti-matter floating around our planet, waiting to be harvested. What's more, larger planets (say, Jupiter) would have even more of this stuff, floating around, trapped in the planet's magnetic belt like a cosmic gas station. "Park Your Vehicle Here: Free Anti-Matter!"


Sure, there may be some technical difficulties to that. Like how do you harvest something that self-destructs and unleashes vast amounts of deadly radiation whenever it touches real matter? (This might help.) And how do you build a spaceship with anti-matter engines without frying all the passengers with radiation and also without radiation shielding that weighs more than a small black hole?


As Sheldon from Big Bang Theory says, "I leave that to the engineers." 


But for SF writers? We just got a cool new refueling idea for all those interplanetary expeditions. Until Reality one-ups us again.

Notes from the E-Revolution

In the last 9 - 18 months, the publishing world has been turned on its ear - e-readers are on the rise, e-books are outselling paper books, Borders is closing. These are seismic shifts.

It feels like vertigo every time I open my browser.

Notes from the E-Revolution is a new semi-regular feature on the blog (on Fridays),where I'll be rounding up tidbits from the e-revolution. I try to stay on top of the changes and hope by sharing some of the cool stuff, I can help you too.

E-book Signings

Peter Smalley (a new Google+ friend) recently held an e-book signing using Kindlegraph, which "lets authors send personalized inscriptions and signatures ("kindlegraphs") directly to the electronic reading devices of their fans."

How cool is that?

Authors: If you have a Kindle book, go to kindlegraph.com, sign up to have your book added to their list. When a reader requests a kindlegraph, you'll have the opportunity to type a personalized message, attach your signature, and it is emailed to the reader's Kindle. The "e-signing" is then attached to their e-book on the title page, as well as collected in a kindlegraph book (like a signature book) on their Kindle.

Readers: Go to kindlegraph.com, see which of your favorite authors are listed, and request an e-signing. It will be sent directly to your Kindle!

I signed up (of course!), so if you want your Kindle version of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit signed, just click here.

FOR THE NOOK: If you have a Nook Color, authors can now do in-person signings with a stylus.

Awesome.

Primer on the E-Revolution

Let's Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should by David Gaughran is a book you should read, regardless of whether you intend to self-publish or not.

There are many who still line up in the traditional-publishing vs. self-publishing tug-of-war, vowing a to-the-end throw down over which is best. But increasingly, as the E-Revolution wears on, authors aren't choosing traditional-pub vs. self-pub - they're doing BOTH. Traditionally published authors are self-publishing their backlists (one of my favorites is Arthur Slade, who helpfully posts charts and stuff). Self-published authors are being offered traditional publishing deals (here's the latest). Authors are self-pubbing some books while waiting in the traditional publishing trenches (see my recent interview with Kris Yankee).

Everyone has a stake in understanding this new self-publishing movement.

The second half of Gaughran's book is a comprehensive how-to for self-publishing, and I recommend that part for those who are heading down that path. But the first half of the book, while making a strong case for why you should self-publish, is actually a concise analysis of the E-Revolution. As such, I think everyone would benefit from reading it. This in particular struck me as the game-changing part of the self-publishing movement:

"But what (traditional publishing advocates) don't realize is that the rise in self-publishing is good for them too. If you are a trade-published writer with no interest in self-publishing, the increased viability of self-publishing is good for you...With up to 70% royalty rates available through self-publishing, from now on, every time an author negotiates with a publishing house, the publisher will know that the author has another option."

When in negotiations, having other options always strengthens your hand. Many authors may not seriously consider self-publishing, but the industry as a whole knows the option is there.

Whatever path you choose, it pays to know how the game is being played.

What burning questions do you have about the E-Revolution and would like to see covered in future blog posts?

p.s. The Winner of Kris Yankee's Saving Redwind is ..... Leslie Rose! Thanks to everyone who entered!

Owning the Writer Title

Lately, you may have noticed a few things spruced up around my blog: some new tabs that make finding information about me and my books a little smoother. The sidebar's cleaned up a bit. And the tags on the side are more descriptive of my author brand, with phrases like middle grade, science fiction, and writing journey. For a while, I've owned the title of writer, accepting it as a part of who I am, as much as the titles engineer or mom. These are all things that, once you become them, you do not unbecome them. The blog changes are just small tweaks to make that more clear.

It was not ever thus.

Many writers struggle with owning the title of WRITER.

We caveat it - aspiring writer or pre-published writer - and reserve author for those who have completed a novel/published a novel/reached some milestone.

Before we have some tangible "proof" with writing "credits," we're embarrassed to admit to our friends and family that we're not just hobbyists, that we are serious about this writing business. Sometimes we're afraid we will be ridiculed or get the faint praise that people lay on dreams they think are doomed.

I was one of those writers.

I wrote for a while without telling anyone (other than my husband), like it was some kind of dirty secret I had to keep hidden under a rock. As if creating stories that stirred emotions (even if they were only mine) was something to be ashamed of.

Sad. I know.

The truth was that I was afraid someone would think it silly for a Ph.D. scientist to write love stories. Or that I was simply plain bad at it, creating only cringe-worthy prose (which was certainly true in the beginning, but that only meant that I was at the beginning. Just ask anyone further down on the path).

My brother, the real writer in the family, quickly beat that notion out of me. He insisted that I needed to write, because creating something original had intrinsic value in the world. And he knew the soul-crushing fear that came along with sharing that act of creation with the world. He was my first true writer-friend that understood. Still, I resisted. Again and again.

The day I owned the title of writer was a surprise to me (the Staples guy, upon seeing my printed out manuscript asked, "Oh, are you a writer?" My answer, "Yes! Yes I am," shocked me.) It had seeped in without my knowledge, a stealthy thing to get around my anxieties and pre-conceptions.

Which is why I was nothing less than stunned that none of this crazy was passed on to Dark Omen, my 12 yo son who self-published his first novel this summer and is well on his way to the sequel.

We were gathered for a family dinner, celebrating Grandma's birthday. Dark Omen's aunt had started reading his book and asked him that innocent question that young writers often get.

"Are you going to be a writer when you grow up?" she asked.

"I'm already a writer." Dark Omen paused a beat. "But, yes, I plan to continue writing books."

I high-fived him right there at the dinner table! Because he owned it in a way that I couldn't have imagined doing after finishing my first novel.

I learn things all the time from my kids. After dinner, Dark Omen and I talked. He was baffled as to why anyone would be embarrassed to say they were a writer. You see, he had taken the words I preached at my Writing While Teen workshop and believed them. Then he echoed them back to me: If you write, you are a writer.


Exactly. 


Writer-friends, when did you own the title?

p.s. Don't forget to leave a comment here to be entered to win a copy of Kris Yankee's Saving Redwind!

UPDATE: Be sure to watch this video by Ira Glass about beginners (in creative work) and how you just have to fight through it to the good stuff.

Meet Kris Yankee, Author of Saving Redwind

Today we have author Kris Yankee as a guest to talk about her new middle grade book Saving Redwind. I'm all about connecting kids to books they’ll love, and I can tell just from the description that this is the kind of adventure my boys would like. Who wouldn’t love to find a magical place hidden in the wallpaper? (Personally I think wallpaper is intrinsically cursed, based on how hard it is to remove.)

Kris, tell us a little about Saving Redwind and your inspiration to write the story.

First, a huge thanks to Sue for having me on her blog. I’m so excited to be here and to share my new book with you all.

Here’s the official back cover blurb:

All eleven-year-old Nick Stevenson wants is an adventure like his dad's. Oh, and for the creepy ceiling in his new bedroom to stop storming and spinning. When he's asked to help save a world that exists inside his bedroom's wallpaper, Nick thinks he's found his very own adventure. But he has no idea it will involve talking rocks, dream-stealing birds, and becoming friends with wizards. Can Nick save Redwind and his new friends before his mom calls him home for hockey practice?

Here’s my take on the story:

Saving Redwind is a fun-filled story about a boy who is pulled into the wallpaper of his bedroom. Nick Stevenson is told  by a strange boy named Jacob that Redwind has been waiting for him and that Nick’s the “one” to help save their land from the evil tyrant Sartung. Redwind is a magical land and all of its inhabitants have some sort of power—even the birds and the rocks! The land is filled with wizards, walking and talking rock formations, and dream-stealing birds, and a talking map. Even Nick has powers when he’s in Redwind: he can stop time and has True Sight (meaning he can see through all of the transformation spells the wizards place on objects and people). But whenever Nick is called by his mom, Nick is whooshed through the wallpaper back home. Sometimes Nick is called back at the worst times in Redwind. Eventually, Nick is able to stay in Redwind long enough to help them conquer all the bad guys in Redwind.

See? Adventure stories in the wallpaper. My boys are sold (and Worm Burner is already reading it!). Your biography says that hockey is featured both in your life (with your kids, parents, brothers all players) and in your books. Is Saving Redwind a sports story, an adventure story, or both?

Saving Redwind is an adventure story with hockey elements. Nick plays hockey and uses some of his hockey skills to defeat the bad guys in Redwind. He also uses the lessons he’s learned while playing hockey (working with others, trusting your teammates, listening to your coach, doing your best) throughout his journey in Redwind.

I love stories that bring home great life lessons for kids!

You are repped by Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, yet you choose to self-publish Saving Redwind. There are many authors choosing the self-pubbed route these days. Can you share your decision to go that route, and what role (if any) your agent played in that decision?

Self-publishing this book was actually Christine’s idea. She had to convince me to do it! I was very hesitant because I’ve pretty much believed that if my writing wasn’t good enough for NY, then I needed to spend more time honing my skills and crafting a better story. She had submitted Saving Redwind to publishers a couple years ago, but no one was interested. Christine loved this story and wanted it to get out there. She told me that while we waited to hear back from publishers on the other stories that are on submission, I should self-pub this one. I first started with an e-book version, but the majority of the audience for this book do not have e-readers. I hired a proofer and an illustrator-I have connections because I’m an editor at a small press-and then I took it all to Createspace. My advice for other authors looking to self-publish: hire an editor/proofer so that you can put out the best product you can. We all make mistakes, but when it’s just your name on the book (and not a publisher), the easiest way to get a bad reputation is to put out a crummy product. I’m happy with what I’ve put out there.

That's so interesting that your agent encouraged you to self-publish. I think forward looking agents and editors are beginning to see self-publishing as one of many options for an author to get their work out there. Awesome! You say you have other stories on submission. Are they other middle grade books? Will we see more in the Wallpaper Adventure series?


I’m on submission with the first book in the series called TK’s Hockey Rules for Life and another, Camp Fail. Both deal with hockey in different ways – but mostly using the skills and lessons learned from the game and applying them to real life. I’m also working on a YA novel with a screenwriter that deals with – of course – hockey! And, I am about to start working on the next book in the Wallpaper series.

Wow! Sounds like you have so many great projects going on! Best of luck with your submissions as well as Saving Redwind! Thanks so much for sharing your story and your book with us today!

Kris is giving away a paper copy of Saving Redwind. Just leave a comment below to be entered to win. Kris says she'll ship anywhere, so international friends, please feel free to enter!


Giveaway ends Thursday 8/11, with winner announced Friday 8/12.

Saving Redwind: A Wallpaper Adventure is available in print at Createspace and Amazon.com.

You can find Kris Yankee at her website, blog, or on Facebook.

UPDATE: Leslie Rose is the WINNER! Thank you to everyone that entered! :)

Back from Colorado

Thanks to everyone who left comments while I was on blog-cation! We were traveling around Colorado, doing all kinds of cool things, including ...

... checking out the Butterfly Pavilion in the most humid room in all of Colorado ...

... climbing the snow pile (what? August?) ...

... reveling in the glory of the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains ...

... driving up Pikes Peak, which resembled a martian landscape, while listening to Major Tom ...

... (we of course brought the Chip Bag of Destiny to gauge the pressure change at 14,000 ft elev). 

No trip is complete without raiding a local bookstore (Leadville, CO, "Book Mine") ...

... and Singing Cowboys.

Worm Burner wanted me to leave him at this gas station, so he could get a free puppy (I declined).

Back to our regularly scheduled program tomorrow!

Repost: Where are the Science Fiction Books for Kids?

This week, I'm on a blog-cation! So I'm reposting some of my top posts. I may be able to sneak some quality WiFi time in when my husband isn't looking, but probably not. So please feel free to discuss amongst yourselves!

[Editor's note: This post is over a year and a half old. It's still basically relevant, despite the surge of science fiction in YA. I'm still waiting for the surge to trickle down to middle grade. There was a fascinating discussion on #MGlitchat about sci fi in MG. I'm hopeful there will be sciency novels for kids in the future.]

Where are the Science Fiction Books for Kids? (Original post: January 26, 2010)

I happened upon a great post decrying the dearth of science fiction novels nominated in the Cybils Awards (Children's and Young Adult Blogger Literary Awards). Out of 134 nominations, only 11 could be considered "real" science fiction - books that relied on science, not fantasy.

Given that I'm writing a middle grade science fiction novel, this confirmed what I had observed on the bookshelves: namely a lack of true science fiction books for kids. The racks are teaming with them in the Adult aisle (also simply known as the "Science Fiction" section), and there are even a few notable successes on the Young Adult shelf (Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series comes to mind), but there is a yawning void on the Middle Grade shelves where science fiction should be.

No lack of dragons, wizards or fairies, though.

Beyond my self-interested question of whether publishers will buy MG SF, I wonder why there isn't more of it? Middle grade children love science fiction when it's packaged in a visual media - Star Wars, anyone? Building space vehicles and fighting aliens is a full time occupation for many 8-12 year old boys. And science these days rocks, compared to when I was a kid, when we were still impressed when the Space Shuttle launched and came back in one piece. Today, DNA analysis is commonplace, there's probably some wacko out there that's actually cloned a human being, and scientists are creating miniature black holes inside of the Large Hadron Collider. This is cool stuff, people, and it's old hat. Been done. The future is even brighter and shinier.

Or is it?

Even bringing dystopian science fiction into the fold, there's still not much on the middle grade shelves. The future shouldn't be any scarier than it's ever been. When I was a kid, dystopian novels by Heinlein and Ursula K. LeGuin were some of my favorites. These were admittedly adult books, but even the kids know that as soon as the robots become sentient, we're all doomed anyway. No sense shielding them from the apocalypse.

Seriously, kids these days are steeped in a science and technology oriented world. Admittedly, my kids are on the geekier side of normal, more likely to have a favorite physicist than a favorite ball team. But they're not the only ones. The Science Channel has a whole series called Sci Fi Science, where you can learn how to design a light saber, or how to travel to a parallel universe. There's no lack of cool science things out there.

So, why not in the kidlit? Is there just a subset of the universe that writes children's books, and another subset that loves science, and the two intersect only in a small sliver of the planet somewhere in Idaho? I'm exaggerating, of course, and there are middle grade science fiction books out there. Two that I stumbled across went immediately on my TBR list:

Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel by K. A. Holt.


The Emerald Tablet, PJ Hoover


If you can rec some middle grade SF books, please drop me a comment so I can add it to my list. If I get enough, I might even stop complaining.

And if you have a theory about the lack of MG SF on the shelves, even if it involves mutant cyborgs from the future that have wiped our brains, rendering us incapable of writing children's science fiction and thereby eliminating the possibility that we will stop them from world domination . . . please let me know.

Repost: Taking the Road Less Traveled

This week, I'm on a blog-cation! So I'm reposting some of my top posts. I may be able to sneak some quality WiFi time in when my husband isn't looking, but probably not. So please feel free to discuss amongst yourselves!

Taking the Road Less Traveled* (originally post May 23, 2011)

*Apologies to Robert Frost

Sometimes I wonder what compels me to take that weedy path, the one that's overgrown because few people go there. Sometimes I tromp across a meadow that doesn't have so much as a deer trail, just because I think there should be a path there, and darn it, someone's got to be the first.

What is my problem? And more importantly, is this behaviour I would encourage in my kids?

I realize that I don't take chances in everything I do.

Wonderful, stable marriage? Well-worn path.
Running for public office? Road less traveled.
Owning a minivan, carting kids around? Paved road with lots of traffic.
Trying to write novels for a living? Weedy path.

So what makes me decide it's worth risking time/money/effort to pursue a goal (writing) that may end up snarled somewhere in a ditch?

The truth is that I agonized over that decision and still revisit it on occasion, as if I'm not finished with the agony just yet, needing to vex my conscience a little more. I'm relieved that Dark Omen wants to be a physicist first and a novelist on the side, even as I abet his dream by planning to upload his novel to smashwords so he can share it with his friends. I worry that Mighty Mite loves Hip Hop dancing more than math, even as I can't resist putting up mirrors in the basement, turning it into his own private dance studio.

Do I really want to encourage them to be risk-takers, like Mom?

Never mind that it's worked out well for me, most of my life. My mom says I lead a charmed life, that things seem to go my way. Maybe she's right. Or maybe I make my own luck, by working hard to be ready when Opportunity comes knocking on my door. Either way, what seems like a calculated risk when I'm taking it, seems like crazy foolhardiness when it's my children's futures at stake.

So, I take a deep breath and whack down the tall grass in my way with a machete I won online (being at the right place at the right time) - and take the biggest risk of all: daring to be myself, even when the kids are watching.

Do you hope your kids will take the safe path or the road less traveled?

Repost: Showing Emotion: Boys vs. Girls

This week, I'm on a blog-cation! So I'm reposting some of my top posts. I may be able to sneak some quality WiFi time in when my husband isn't looking, but probably not. So please feel free to discuss amongst yourselves!

Showing Emotion: Boys vs. Girls (original post April 13, 2011)

Picture credit

On Monday (April 11, 2011), I talked about Thinking vs. Feeling, and Sherrie brought up an excellent point: boy characters think/feel differently than girl characters.

First, let's not stereotype: boys certainly have feelings just as much as girls do, and your character should be true to who THEY are more than what their gender is. But, in general, what boys do with feelings can be quite different from girls, and accurately portraying that in words on a page is the key to a realistic character.

Here's a girl thinking (Ever in Evermore, contemplating a small lie to her friends):They're making such a big deal I'm thinking it's my only way out. Only I can't. Not to them. Haven and Miles are my best friends. My only friends. And I feel like I'm keeping enough secrets already.

Here's a boy thinking (Cassel in White Cat, having just nearly fallen off the roof): I laugh with relief, even though I am shaking so badly that climbing is out of the question. Cold makes my fingers numb. The adrenaline rush makes my brain sing.

Here's a girl thinking like a boy (Katniss in Hunger Games, ruminating about how she didn't kill Buttercup the cat, because of her beloved sister Prim): But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay. It turned out okay...Sometimes when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the entrails. He has stopped hissing at me. Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love.

Girl-like characters tend to think and react in terms of relationships: they ponder (sometimes a lot); they agonize; they contemplate feelings: theirs and other people's.

Boy-like characters think more in terms of action, cause and effect, connecting the emotion to the outcome, rather than how they feel about it.

These are generalizations, of course. Your Character May Vary. But here's a back-to-back example of how I would write a scene from a girl POV and a boy POV.

Boy: I sprinted down the street, dodging early morning sprinklers. I was going to be late. Again. Mr. Spencer was sure to give me a tardy, and another note with a fake signature wouldn't cut it this time. Spencer would kick me out of Trill Academy for sure. I slowed my pace. No sense in hurrying to my doom. I kicked a hose draped across the sidewalk and imagined it was Spencer.

Girl: I sprinted down the street, narrowly keeping out of the sprinkler. If I was late this time, Mr. Spencer would have my head. He's hated me ever since I pointed out his error that time in Geometry. I clenched my fists. It wasn't fair. I worked so hard to get in, and Spencer would kick me out of Trill with the slightest excuse. I stumbled over a hose draped across the sidewalk and came to a stop. I wouldn't give Spencer the pleasure of seeing me come in all flustered and red faced. I straightened my shirt and leisurely strolled on.

Of course, this scene would play differently for different characters with different backgrounds, and I think the most important thing is to stay true to your character.

Do you write boy or girl POV's? Do you incorporate emotions differently for each?